Peach-Orange! – Chapter 231 – That Was Originally My Spot!

For this girl, Su Tao had barely spoken with her since they first met, despite having vivid memories of her.

She only knew a little about how Chi Xiaocheng and Fang Ning had met, how long they’d known each other, or the nature of their relationship and feelings.

Most of her impressions about this girl were blank.

The one time they had exchanged the most words was actually after Xiaocheng’s death; that snowy night in front of the neighborhood gate.

Fang Ning had berated her harshly, and it was precisely because of her that Su Tao had gradually come to understand things.

The rift and cracks between them had also started at that time.

Looking back now, whenever she returned to the dorm and passed through the door, hadn’t she often heard Fang Ning’s sweet voice calling out, “Sister Su Tao”?

But under immense pressure, she had ignored those words every time she walked past the dorm entrance.

Could this be considered another case of someone’s warm affection meeting her cold indifference?

Watching Fang Ning standing in the corner of the elevator, Su Tao hesitated at the door, unsure whether to enter or not.

But she also wanted to see Xiaocheng.

Gritting her teeth, Su Tao decided to step in anyway.

However, the moment she entered, Fang Ning, who had been facing the elevator door, suddenly turned her body away.

She faced the wall, leaving only her profile visible to Su Tao. Her long hair, reaching down to her hips, covered her petite face, making it impossible to see her expression.

The obvious gesture seemed to be telling Su Tao: I don’t want to talk to you right now.

Clearly, she was also here to see Xiaocheng.

After much hesitation, Su Tao finally spoke up, “Uh… Fang Ning? You’re here to see Xiaocheng too, right? She’s already awake. Did you know?”

“I know.” Fang Ning neither turned around nor looked back, answering indifferently.

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The unexpected response caught Su Tao off guard.

If their relationship had been that of strangers before, then after Chi Xiaocheng’s death, even that basic stranger-level connection had collapsed.

Su Tao’s image in Fang Ning’s mind had already sunk to a very low point.

But if Xiaocheng had woken up, Fang Ning should have been happy too, which was why Su Tao had used that as a conversation starter.

Yet Fang Ning already knew?

Since when? Yesterday?

Before Su Tao could say anything else, Fang Ning turned slightly, giving her a sidelong glance.

“I’ll just drop off some fruit and leave. I won’t disturb you two, so please don’t follow me in. Thank you.”

Her words were filled with rejection toward Su Tao.

Though she was trying her best to keep her tone neutral, Su Tao could still detect a faint trace of anticipation in her voice.

What she was looking forward to was seeing Chi Xiaocheng.

That feeling… might not be any weaker than her own.

Su Tao’s gaze fell on the bag of fruit Fang Ning was holding. Three or four apples, and among them, one strikingly vivid, almost glaringly bright orange.

She seemed afraid the fruit might fall, clutching both the orange and apples tightly against her chest.

Ding~

The elevator doors opened.

Fang Ning lowered her head, her long hair obscuring her expression, and quickly, quickly, slipped out of the elevator, heading straight for Chi Xiaocheng’s room.

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Su Tao understood what she meant.

Fang Ning only had this brief moment before work to see Xiaocheng.

But Su Tao? She had the entire day to spend with her.

‘So since you have so much time… please don’t interfere with the tiny window I have with Sister Xiaocheng.’

Following Fang Ning’s footsteps out of the elevator, Su Tao silently lowered her head, her steps growing slower and slower.

Finally, at the corner just before Chi Xiaocheng’s room, she stopped completely.

She didn’t know if Fang Ning was still outside Xiaocheng’s door or if she had already entered.

If Fang Ning saw her following now, Su Tao would only feel even more ashamed.

Yet she couldn’t help but wonder, what would the two of them talk about? Would Xiaocheng be as cold toward Fang Ning as she was toward her?

One step.

Just one step past this corner, and she’d reach Chi Xiaocheng’s room.

But that single step felt like an insurmountable chasm.

After hesitating for a long time, Su Tao couldn’t resist taking that step forward.

Fang Ning wasn’t outside the room.

Su Tao breathed a sigh of relief. She had been terrified that the moment she stepped out, she’d see Fang Ning standing at the door, staring right at her from across the corner, their eyes meeting.

What would they even talk about?

Sitting together awkwardly?

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Exchanging meaningless small talk?

Or maybe… talking about things from before Xiaocheng lost her memory, even talking about the old her?

A sudden pang of discomfort struck Su Tao’s heart. She quickly moved to the window beside the room.

Crouching slightly, she peeked inside from the corner of the window—

And what she saw sent shockwaves through her pupils.

Chi Xiaocheng sat on the hospital bed, her pink lips moving continuously as she gestured with one hand. When she reached a particularly happy part, she even tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Her expression radiated unrestrained joy.

Meanwhile, Fang Ning sat on a small stool, a smile on her face as she chatted along. In her hands was a peeled apple, which she carefully sliced into small pieces.

When she handed a slice to Xiaocheng, the latter ate it without hesitation.

Judging by their lip movements, she didn’t even say thank you.

The lack of thanks meant they weren’t being polite. Perhaps this kind of interaction was already subconsciously normal for them.

Sunlight streamed in, the gentle morning rays bathing the two petite girls. Dust particles floated in the air like scattered mist, making the scene dreamlike and beautiful.

Earlier, Su Tao had only felt a slight tightness in her chest.

But after seeing this, her heart ached.

She knew these two weren’t doing anything particularly intimate.

Right now, they were probably just chatting about everyday things.

Because Chi Xiaocheng’s memories of Fang Ning were ordinary, untouched by pain, Fang Ning hadn’t been erased from her scrambled recollections.

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So it made sense that they could talk easily, like normal friends.

Xiaocheng having another friend to confide in and chat with should make her happy.

But why….

Why did even such a simple interaction make her feel so miserable?

‘That was originally my spot!’

‘When Xiaocheng woke up, I should have been the one by her side, chatting with her, peeling apples for her, feeding her, sharing happy stories, both of us smiling together.’

‘That should have been my script!’

If Chi Xiaocheng hadn’t disliked Su Tao, she wouldn’t have felt this way.

She would’ve just seen Fang Ning as one of Xiaocheng’s friends, someone visiting her after her recovery, which was perfectly reasonable.

But having fallen from heaven into hell, only to watch someone else rise to heaven and take the spot that was once hers….

How could she possibly feel okay?

Everyone has flaws. It’s just that, depending on personality and experience, most people bury them deep, deep down.

But comparison breeds hurt.

And where there’s hurt, those hidden flaws can easily surface.

For some reason, Su Tao was struck by an absurd thought—

Her Xiaocheng… was being taken away by Fang Ning.