Peach-Orange! – Chapter 217 – When Did I Ever Like You?

Su Tao wasn’t particularly sensitive. She was somewhat slow and straightforward. The slight change in address gave her a faint sense of dissonance.

But the girl before her was awake, smiling at her just like before. Joy surged in her heart, and the fleeting sense of unease was quickly cast aside.

She walked to Chi Xiaocheng’s side and, with trembling hands, took Chi Xiaocheng’s right hand.

She placed Xiaocheng’s fingertips in her palm, then covered them with her other hand.

Her hands clasped gently, as if afraid Xiaocheng might slip away again.

Under the other girl’s gaze, many of the words she had wanted to say gradually stuck in her throat.

In the end, she didn’t dare meet Chi Xiaocheng’s eyes… eyes that, though slightly reddened, were clear and bright.

Instead, she looked down at the small hand in hers, gently stroking it. “Xiaocheng… how are you feeling?”

Chi Xiaocheng responded casually, “I feel fine, I guess. I can use a little strength, but not much. My head hurts a bit, and my chest feels tight and uncomfortable.

“The doctor said I’ll need at least two or three more days of rest for basic recovery. They told me not to eat anything yet, just one more day of IV nutrients.”

Su Tao pressed further, “You don’t feel anything else wrong?”

“Um… not that I can tell.”

Hearing her confident tone, Su Tao finally relaxed slightly.

What worried her most was still the wound near Chi Xiaocheng’s heart.

The bullet had lodged itself there, “blowing” open a bloody hole. According to Professor Su, the bullet’s impact had come within one millimeter of her heart.

She pursed her lips and instinctively glanced at Chi Xiaocheng’s chest.

She wanted to ask, but didn’t know how to bring it up.

Chi Xiaocheng noticed Su Tao’s gaze and shrank back slightly. “What’s wrong?”

Su Tao quickly shook her head, forcing a smile. “No, nothing. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

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As her words faded, the room fell into brief silence.

Chi Xiaocheng turned to look out the window, avoiding Su Tao’s eyes.

Su Tao, meanwhile, lowered her head slightly, biting her lip in hesitation.

Before coming here, she had imagined countless things to say, countless possible reunion scenes.

Xiaocheng, reborn, crying and calling her “Tao-Tao,” pouring out words of love while begging for hugs, or even kisses.

Or perhaps Xiaocheng, recalling the pain of being shot, would demand to know why Su Tao hadn’t saved her, her eyes filled with resentment and dislike.

Or maybe she’d wake up as a yandere, her voice slightly hoarse, terrifying yet confessing her love, wanting to possess Su Tao and keep her by her side.

Su Tao had even prepared herself for yet another trip to the “black room”!

But now that she was actually facing an awake Chi Xiaocheng, the sense of dissonance only grew stronger.

She was too calm.

Or perhaps… docile?

Like someone who had just been sick, taken a long nap, and woken up to see her without the slightest emotional fluctuation.

Su Tao even sensed a faint distance between them.

The small hand she was holding seemed to want to pull away.

So what should she say now?

Just confess outright?

Tell Xiaocheng: I like you, I love you, I want to be your partner.

She had always wanted this. Maybe a more romantic setting would leave a deeper impression?

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Like on a Ferris wheel?

Su Tao’s thoughts were a mess. She couldn’t grasp Chi Xiaocheng’s current feelings.

As she hesitated, Chi Xiaocheng’s voice reached her ears. “Is there anything else? I’d like to rest now.”

Su Tao jerked her head up. “I— I have one more thing!”

The hands holding Chi Xiaocheng’s trembled slightly.

Maybe Xiaocheng really was tired. She had just woken up and needed rest, so her emotions were dulled.

But….

No matter what, the confession couldn’t be avoided, right?

This was something she had already decided.

Something she no longer wanted to run from.

Something Xiaocheng had wished for before dying, and surely still wanted now that she was alive again.

Su Tao took a deep breath, then looked at Chi Xiaocheng with deep sincerity. “Xiaocheng, I like you!”

She had said it.

But Chi Xiaocheng’s reaction wasn’t what she had imagined.

Delight, relief, happiness, satisfaction… none of these emotions appeared.

Instead, the girl before her seemed to short-circuit, as if her brain had taken too long to process the words.

Like she hadn’t expected such a direct confession.

Her response was slow, confused. “W-Wait, what did you say?”

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Seeing her slightly dazed expression, Su Tao couldn’t help but find it a little amusing.

She remembered how she had looked the same way when Xiaocheng had first confessed to her.

Sunlight streamed through the window, making Su Tao’s smile radiant. She spoke even more solemnly. “Xiaocheng, I like you. I love you. Be my partner, and let’s stay together forever, okay?”

No hesitation. No repeating past mistakes.

Even if Xiaocheng became a yandere again, even if she became uncontrollable, their new life together had to start now!

Su Tao held her breath, waiting for Chi Xiaocheng’s nod, her response.

She imagined them both crying, then embracing.

She was even nervous. If they kissed now, what if a nurse or another patient passed by the open door?

But even then, she shouldn’t refuse, right?

But the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

The sunlight on her face gradually dimmed as clouds and wind shifted its focus to a potted plant nearby.

Chi Xiaocheng didn’t look happy or excited.

Instead, she seemed frightened, mustering her strength to shift slightly away on the bed.

The small hand Su Tao had been holding…

….was forcefully pulled back.

“Su Tao jiejie, what are you saying? I only see you as a sister. Please don’t say things that could be misunderstood, okay?”

Her light tone seemed to echo in the room, reverberating in Su Tao’s ears.

This time, it was Su Tao’s turn to freeze in place, her pupils trembling in shock. “X-Xiaocheng… what did you say?”

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Chi Xiaocheng replied coldly, “I said, Su Tao jiejie, please stop being unreasonable. I’ll treat this as a joke for now, but don’t let it happen again.

“And now, I’d like to rest. Please leave.”

Her tone was icy and dismissive. Chi Xiaocheng turned her face away with clear distaste.

A reaction completely unlike what Su Tao had imagined.

A dream?

Or was Xiaocheng joking?

‘And what was this “Su Tao jiejie” nonsense? I’m your Tao-Tao! You’ve always called me Tao-Tao!’

The sheer impact of this left Su Tao’s mind broken. She watched as Chi Xiaocheng turned away, and in her panic, she abruptly stood up.

She reached out, gripping Chi Xiaocheng’s shoulders tightly.

She forced Xiaocheng to turn back, staring into her eyes. She was frantic, a terrible premonition rising in her heart.

Desperately, she pressed for answers, trying to deny the possibility forming in her mind.

Her arms unconsciously tightened as she shook Chi Xiaocheng. “Xiaocheng, what are you talking about? You’ve always liked me!”

But her initiative was met with rejection.

Chi Xiaocheng, feeling the pain in her shoulders, mustered all her strength to shove the panicked Su Tao away.

With a thud, the girl fell to the floor, knocking over a chair.

Yet even then, her gaze never left Chi Xiaocheng.

The girl brushed her tea-colored hair back over her shoulder, rubbing the sore spots lightly. Her tone was now openly impatient. “What’s wrong with you? When did I ever like you?”

At that moment, the sunlight streaming through the window began to fade.