Peach-Orange! – Chapter 138: The Calm Before the Storm

‘No… that’s not right.’

Drinking orange juice like this for three days straight would make anyone sick, wouldn’t it?

Watching Chi Xiaocheng pick out ingredients, Su Tao swallowed hard and cautiously spoke up, “Xiao… Xiaocheng, these aren’t all meant to be drunk, are they?”

Chi Xiaocheng turned her head in confusion. “Tao-Tao, you really like it, don’t you? It’s fine to drink a bit more. I’ll drink it with you too.”

“…”

Even under normal circumstances, finishing five or six extra-large bottles of orange juice in three days would be nearly impossible.

Two bottles a day?

‘Xiaocheng, do you love orange juice so much that you’re made of it?!’

Setting aside the urge to puke, Su Tao genuinely didn’t want to spend several days drinking something so nauseating yet being forced to endure it.

So she cautiously suggested, “Xiaocheng, how about we skip the orange juice? Even though it’s… uh… delicious, drinking ice-cold stuff in winter isn’t good for your health.

“Also, it’s too sweet. And since it’s just a beverage, drinking too much isn’t great. Let’s just enjoy a small glass… a small glass is enough. What do you think?”

Chi Xiaocheng pouted and pulled out a bottle of Pulpy Orange. “Tao-Tao, do you not like Pulpy Orange ¹ brand name very much?”

“It’s… it’s not that I dislike it, but how should I put it….”

Su Tao struggled to phrase it in a way that wouldn’t trigger Chi Xiaocheng’s dark side.

Unexpectedly, Chi Xiaocheng took the initiative. “Tao-Tao, if you don’t like Pulpy Orange, you can just say so. How about we switch to another drink?”

Su Tao’s eyes lit up. “Yes, yes! Let’s switch to something else.”

Chi Xiaocheng blinked and pulled out a bottle of Minute Maid Orange ² Another brand name . “How about this instead?”

“…”

Still orange juice!

Su Tao cleared her throat. “Actually, I prefer peach-flavored drinks. As for orange juice… well, my taste buds have been a bit off lately, so orange juice tastes a little… bitter. Yeah, that’s it.

“But I think orange juice is delicious. It’s so sweet.”

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Chi Xiaocheng flashed an eerie smile. “But I also love peach juice. Maybe I’ll get to try it someday~”

That eerie smile once again gave Su Tao an unsettling feeling.

A shiver ran down her spine but quickly faded with a sigh.

For dinner, Chi Xiaocheng chose steamed ribs, winter melon soup, and greens. Naturally, they were all cooked by Su Tao.

This, at least, gave Su Tao some relief.

After all, the meal wouldn’t taste like orange juice.

During dinner, Chi Xiaocheng behaved well, even indulging Su Tao with some playful feeding.

But the more well-behaved she was, the more uneasy Su Tao felt.

After dinner, another glass of orange juice was handed to her.

Chi Xiaocheng smiled at her. “Tao-Tao, how about one more glass?”

“Uh….” Su Tao sat on the sofa, accepting the glass of Pulpy Orange, and tried to set expectations. “Xiaocheng, I already mentioned earlier that my taste buds are a bit off lately. I’m kind of allergic to the taste of orange juice, so….”

“Mm-hmm, I know. This is the last one. Tomorrow I’ll switch to a new drink for you.”

“Okay.”

Su Tao exhaled, closed her eyes, and downed it in one go.

The taste was still unbearably unpleasant.

Fortunately, she was prepared.

On the table was a bowl of bitter herbal medicine, brewed from traditional Chinese herbs. Just the smell alone was enough to tell how bitter it was. This was a tonic prepared by Professor Su to help regulate her health.

She had to drink a bowl every day.

The orange juice itself didn’t taste bad. It was sweet.

But it tasted exactly like the crimson “orange juice” that flowed from Chi Xiaocheng, and the association alone made Su Tao nauseous.

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This was a psychological rejection that manifested physically.

She’d rather drink this extremely bitter medicine than orange juice!

So, the moment the orange juice went down, she immediately grabbed the bowl of bitter medicine and chugged it too.

The clash of two revolting flavors made her scrunch up her face in agony.

Her delicate little tongue stuck out, the tip tingling with bitterness as she desperately tried to air it out.

Chi Xiaocheng leaned in close and whispered, “Is it very bitter?”

Su Tao, eyes still closed, nodded.

“Then….”

A warm, soft, and sweet sensation touched the tip of her tongue. Su Tao froze. She didn’t even need to open her eyes. Her tongue was already being gently held.

That familiar, comforting, addictively sweet taste.

The endless craving for this flavor during her time in the dark room was still etched deep into Su Tao’s soul.

After bitterness….

Comes sweetness.

Almost instinctively, Su Tao began to seek more.

‘Ah… I love it.’

After a long moment, Chi Xiaocheng curled her lips, pressed a fingertip to her own lips, and softly asked, “Sweet?”

“Sweet.”

“Then… do you like it?”

Su Tao paused. The tension in her body suddenly melted away.

With a faint smile, she nodded. “I like it.”

This time, it was the truth, not an act.

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She really had grown somewhat addicted to this taste.

And there was no denying it was a great way to relieve stress.

Her entire body softened because of it.

A girl’s lips are truly magical.

Su Tao couldn’t help but add in her heart:

‘Xiaocheng, even though loving you is my lie, this one thing—’

‘Just your lips.’

‘My fondness for it….’

‘Is not a lie.’

‘And the way this girl comforts people is really….’

Su Tao watched as Chi Xiaocheng shook her head playfully and sighed helplessly.

‘It’s really something else.’

Today had been a bit nerve-wracking, but it seemed she’d just been overthinking things. Xiaocheng was actually quite well-behaved, wasn’t she?

Uh… yes, well-behaved.

Even if the word now sent a chill down her spine, tonight was just the eve of the three-day countdown. Nothing unexpected had happened, right?

She’d definitely overthought it.

Returning to her room at night, Su Tao noticed that aside from the new set of pitch-black curtains, everything else was mostly the same.

The floor was also covered with a carpet.

In fact, the entire house had been carpeted by Chi Xiaocheng.

This made Su Tao curious.

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She lowered her head, stood on tiptoe, and lightly pinched the carpet with her toes.

The texture was incredibly comfortable. This kind of carpet was undoubtedly expensive.

Where did the money come from?

Could it be from Chi Song?

As Su Tao pondered, Chi Xiaocheng was already lying in bed, holding up half the blanket. “Tao-Tao, time for bed~ Should I hold you tonight, or will you hold me?”

“Isn’t it the same either way?”

Su Tao smiled and slipped into the blanket, filled with Xiaocheng’s scent.

That intoxicating fragrance again.

The sachet’s aroma was the same as Xiaocheng’s natural scent.

Having grown used to sleeping with the sachet, Su Tao found it hard to fall asleep without it.

Yes, habit.

Once formed, habits are hard to break.

Chi Xiaocheng had been using every method to slowly condition Su Tao, making her grow accustomed to her presence until she couldn’t leave.

“Tao-Tao, what’s wrong?”

Under the covers, feeling the softness of the girl in her arms, Su Tao smiled gently. “Nothing. Let’s sleep.”

Tomorrow, and even the day after and the day after that. Three whole days of this warmth!

Xiaocheng wouldn’t force her to drink Pulpy Orange either, promising to switch to another drink.

It seemed like everything was heading in a good direction.

At least, that’s what Su Tao thought… until breakfast the next morning.

What she didn’t know was that this warmth was merely the calm before the storm.