Peach-Orange! – Chapter 172 – Meeting Chengcheng in Person

For Su Tao now, the words “going out” felt somewhat distant.

Her daily life used to be rich and busy.

But after losing Chi Xiaocheng, she realized she no longer had a reason to go out.

What was the point of studying hard? Who was she striving for a better future for? Even things like working part-time to earn some living expenses. Now that she was alone, she didn’t even need to buy groceries or cook for Xiaocheng anymore.

Eating alone at home. going to bed at night and waking up at noon, cooking enough rice for both lunch and dinner, frying two eggs, not even going out to buy anything… some days, she didn’t even spend 10 yuan.

There was simply no need to go out, and no one to go out with her anymore.

But then, a slightly dissatisfied voice reached her ears. “What, don’t tell me you’re still lying on the sofa?”

Chengcheng’s reminder made Su Tao’s body stiffen slightly.

She was indeed still lying on the sofa.

“You could even guess that I’m still on the sofa?”

Su Tao muttered but still got up and headed to her room. “Wait a bit, I’ll go change.”

She picked up her phone and glanced out the window.

The sun was shining brightly.

A rare winter day with warm sunlight, the temperature just right—no need to wear that thick, heavy down jacket.

She returned to her room and directly took off her pajamas.

“Hiss!”

Instantly, it seemed like she heard a sharp intake of breath.

Did it come from the room?

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Or from Chengcheng on the phone?

The sound was faint, and Su Tao couldn’t quite make it out, but she did sense a tiny, peeping gaze.

She looked around. The curtains were completely shut.

It felt a little unnatural, but… not exactly unpleasant.

Of course, Su Tao didn’t know that in a corner of the room, a certain straw doll was desperately covering its mouth.

The doll’s arms were short, making it difficult to cover its mouth properly.

Fortunately, it was daytime, so even if the doll’s strange red eyes glowed, no one would notice.

Two months had passed.

Chi Xiaocheng never expected that after sleeping with Su Tao countless times and even sharing kisses, she had rarely seen her change clothes like this!

Who would’ve thought such an intimate scene would only happen by accident after her death?

“I didn’t mean to peek at Tao-Tao. I just couldn’t look away because I love her.”

The now-turned-into-a-doll Chi Xiaocheng silently recited “emptiness is form” in her heart… then boldly kept watching.

Well, she was a doll now. She couldn’t move, and she couldn’t look away.

Su Tao dressed quickly, not taking long.

A gray knitted sweater as the inner layer, a brown cotton hoodie on the outside. For the bottom, she initially thought of wearing thermal leggings.

But then she remembered something Chi Xiaocheng had once said:

—”These can’t be worn outside, only at home!”

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That was the possessiveness of a yandere.

Looking back now, being owned like that… wasn’t it a kind of happiness?

Su Tao switched to simple cotton pants, then picked up her phone and headed for the door. “Chengcheng, you still there?”

Even after leaving the living room, she got no response. “Weird, the call’s still connected.”

A while later, just as she was about to step out, the phone finally transmitted a voice: “Ahhh, I just stubbed my toe on a chair! Went to put something on it. You ready to go?”

“Yeah, should I head to Yangyang Cat Café first?”

“OK, it’ll take me about half an hour by car. You go ahead.”

“Alright.”

Su Tao hung up, stepped outside, then paused and turned back to Chi Xiaocheng’s room.

“King, let’s go. I’m taking you back to your hometown.”

“Meow?”

Only when the warm sunlight touched her skin and the scent of snow mixed with earth filled her nose did she finally exhale deeply.

“It’s been so long since I went out. Feels a little unfamiliar.”

She took out her phone and used the screen as a mirror to check herself.

Her hair was a bit messy, and her energy seemed slightly drained.

She reached into her pocket for a hair tie to pull her long hair up, but after patting around, she realized she hadn’t brought one.

“Xiaocheng, do you have an extra hair tie? Can I borrow—”

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Su Tao instinctively looked to her side.

Her words cut off abruptly.

Never mind. No point tying her hair up anyway. The person who loved praising how pretty it was wasn’t here anymore.

She headed out, hopped on a shared bike, and enjoyed the breeze brushing against her face. Soon, she arrived at Yangyang Cat Café first.

Before the bike even fully stopped, King leaped off the basket and excitedly dashed toward the café.

“Huh? King, you’re back?”

Xu Ran, holding a kitten in her arms, opened the door for the darting cat.

“Meow!”

King let out a cry, as if greeting Xu Ran, then entered the café—probably to reassert her dominance over the territory.

Xu Ran looked up again and saw Su Tao approaching. “Miss Xu, sorry to bother you again.”

“Welcome! This place is pretty niche. I’d love more people to chat with.”

Xu Ran held the door open for Su Tao too, then glanced around curiously.

Su Tao asked, puzzled, “Looking for something?”

“Nothing.” Xu Ran tilted her head. “Is your ‘Orange’ not coming with you today?”

Instantly, Su Tao’s relaxed smile stiffened.

Then faded entirely.

“She’s… busy for now. I’m here to meet a friend today.”

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“Oh, I see! Come on in. What’ll you have? Coffee?”

Su Tao scanned the QR code and paid 200 yuan. She initially wanted juice but hesitated after glimpsing the specials.

“An Orange C Americano, please. And… extra sugar.”

She sat on the same chair as last time, staring blankly at the blanket where the cats gathered.

Last time, Xiaocheng had been right there on that blanket when she brought King home.

Now, King was still on the blanket, bossing around her little underlings, but that tea-haired little cutie was gone.

This place, too, was one of Su Tao’s few cherished memories.

She sat there for over ten minutes before the café door opened.

A petite girl with messy brown hair, wearing an ill-fitting gray coat, slipped inside.

She had black-framed glasses and kept blowing warm air into her hands as she entered. “Whew, it’s sunny but still so cold! Thank goodness there’s AC here! I’m revived!”

The girl glanced around, pausing briefly when her eyes landed on Xu Ran.

Then she turned to Su Tao, took off her glasses for a quick look, and put them back on. “Hey, you’re Tao-Tao, right? Sorry I’m late.”

But Su Tao was staring at the girl, stunned.

“Xiaocheng?”

The girl’s smile froze for the briefest moment.

Then she naturally walked over. “Well, some people call me Xiao Cheng, but most just call me Chengcheng.”