Peach-Orange! – Chapter 146 – Where the Dream Begins

Su Tao couldn’t figure it out, and before she could think further, Chi Xiaocheng had already arrived in front of her with the groceries she had bought.

“What’s wrong, Tao-Tao? Why are spacing out? Didn’t sleep well?”

Su Tao snapped back to reality and quickly forced a smile. “Sorry, Xiaocheng. I am a bit tired. Maybe… let’s just order takeout tonight.”

She had lost all motivation to cook.

Unexpectedly, Chi Xiaocheng smiled faintly.

She looked down at King, who had already reached her feet and seemed to be eyeing the fish, ready to pounce.

With one hand, she effortlessly lifted King and placed him in Su Tao’s arms. “Tao-Tao, just sit back this time. I’ve actually been secretly watching cooking videos to learn how to cook. Let me show you what I’ve got!”

Chi Xiaocheng rolled up her sleeves, full of energy, and strode into the kitchen.

At the same time, she very deliberately pulled up a cooking tutorial video, turning the volume up loud and setting it aside.

She had always known how to cook, but acting a little clumsier in front of someone she liked would make her more endearing.

Su Tao stared blankly at Chi Xiaocheng’s busy figure, lost in thought.

This scene… it felt like she had seen it somewhere before.

Like in the past….

No, the current Xiaocheng was completely different from the person she used to be.

All the affection she had kept hidden in her heart was now poured into these everyday moments.

Su Tao instinctively moved to hide her phone and called out to Chi Xiaocheng, who was bustling in the kitchen, “Xiaocheng, I’m going to rest in my room for a bit. Can you call me when dinner’s ready?”

“Sure!”

After Chi Xiaocheng responded, Su Tao hurriedly retreated into her room and immediately texted Si Chen for updates.

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Long Mian had been sent to the hospital for emergency treatment and seemed to be out of life-threatening danger.

Her advisor had minor injuries. Though the school had tried its best to suppress the incident, rumors were still circulating.

Ye Liang also seemed to have caught wind of Chi Xiaocheng’s involvement in a short time and was secretly fanning the flames.

In terms of public reputation and discussion, Su Tao herself remained completely unaffected… but Chi Xiaocheng was another story.

If these two matters weren’t handled properly, she could end up in serious trouble.

Though it was surprising that Su Tao had access to her phone at this time, Si Chen still said, “You’d better keep an eye on Chi Xiaocheng. Like we discussed this morning, accept and love everything about her. This time, you can’t fake it. Even if you don’t like it, force yourself to love her.

“Chi Xiaocheng’s yandere tendencies are severe. The only way to calm her down is through your own efforts. Otherwise, if she spirals further, there’ll be no chance of recovery.”

But even after thinking about it all day, she couldn’t bring herself to commit.

She knew her own situation. She was instinctively afraid of Chi Xiaocheng’s current state.

Just as she had said from the beginning, a yandere’s love was far too heavy.

Si Chen: “You still haven’t given me an answer. Have you made up your mind or not?”

Seeing this message, Su Tao’s breath hitched.

With trembling fingers, she typed out, “I… I’ll try.”

Si Chen sent a question mark: “?”

Si Chen: “If you’re still hesitating and avoiding it at this point, don’t contact me again. I don’t want to end up with a knife in my kidney because of Chi Xiaocheng.

“Too scared to act, too scared to talk things out with Chi Xiaocheng, are you even the Su Tao I know anymore? Might as well send Chi Xiaocheng to a mental hospital.”

His words mirrored Dongfang Yang’s, but this was indeed Si Chen’s real opinion.

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In the past, Chi Xiaocheng’s dark side still needed a password to activate.

Now that it was permanently active, what was even the point?

If communication became impossible, wouldn’t he, Si Chen, lose even the chance to be used as a tool?

He felt he had to push Su Tao one more time.

As for whether she could handle it….

Well….

“Forever distrusting Tao, but believing in Tao.”

After saying this, Si Chen truly stopped responding.

Even her “strategist,” who had always given her advice, said the same thing as Dongfang Yang. Did Su Tao have any other choice?

No!

Then… she would try!

Biting down hard on her tongue, Su Tao even slapped her cheeks with both hands, forcing herself to regain focus.

Her breathing grew gradually ragged as she repeatedly psychologized herself. She truly wanted to force herself to love Xiaocheng.

She didn’t know how much time had passed until the aroma of food drifted into the room, and Chi Xiaocheng’s voice called out loudly from outside, “Tao-Tao, dinner’s ready!”

By the time Su Tao snapped out of it, her eyes were slightly bloodshot.

She stood up from the chair and walked toward the living room.

But she didn’t even notice that her steps had become unsteady.

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She kept psychologizing herself, unaware that unless it reached the level of hypnosis, this forced determination born from fear was nothing more than a fragile protective shell.

Perhaps because there was fish soup, after this meal, Chi Xiaocheng gave Su Tao only fruit juice instead of the fresh red “orange juice” extracted from her own body.

This left Su Tao, who had already mentally prepared herself, feeling like she had punched cotton.

As a result, despite Chi Xiaocheng’s heartfelt efforts in cooking, Su Tao ate absentmindedly.

It was delicious, but she had completely lost the ability to savor it.

As night approached,

Chi Xiaocheng handed Su Tao a stress-relief pill. “Tao-Tao, take this before bed. It’ll help you sleep well. You look really pale right now. It hurts me to see you like this.”

Su Tao was indeed on the verge of a breakdown.

Chi Xiaocheng, who had recognized her own issues and regained some rationality, could see it too.

The stress-relief pill from the system’s gacha was perfectly timed.

She set the pill down and headed toward the living room. “Tao-Tao, wait a moment. I’ll get you some water.”

As she turned away, she didn’t notice Su Tao’s expression turning utterly grim. The determination she had mustered with great effort shattered completely.

Medicine….

Hah… hahaha….

‘A stress-relief pill? That’s definitely a lie, right?’

Just like last time in the black room. Take it, pass out, become weak, unable to do anything, and then relive the nightmare all over again.

‘Fake. The stress-relief pill is definitely fake!’

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‘No way I’m taking this. Absolutely not!’

While Chi Xiaocheng was still away, Su Tao quickly hid the pill. When Chi Xiaocheng returned with water, Su Tao immediately grabbed the cup. “This pill is so bitter! It’s awful!”

She pretended she had already taken it, brushing it off.

Chi Xiaocheng didn’t think much of it and gently hugged Su Tao as they lay in bed. “Then… goodnight?”

“Yeah. Sweet dreams.”

Su Tao lay slightly turned away, lips parting but unable to say anything more.

The person in her arms was warm, far more comforting than the heat from the air conditioner.

But her heart could no longer find any joy in it.

Under the faint moonlight, she stared blankly at the human-shaped figurine, lost in thought.

She couldn’t help but wonder, aside from the terrifying outcome in her dreams, was there really no other way?

Her eyelids grew heavier, and Su Tao could no longer hold on, gradually drifting off.

But when she opened her eyes again, she wasn’t in the room.

Instead, she was in a familiar basement.

The “her” in front was tied to a bed, while Chi Xiaocheng sat beside her, holding a familiar fruit knife.

“Another dream?”

And this time, she had returned to where it all began.