Peach-Orange! – Chapter 283 – Don’t Just Say You Like Someone, Show It

The difference in pheromones is often the root cause of misunderstandings.

Su Tao really wanted to explain to Fang Ning why she had thrown away the suicide note.

Why wasn’t she by Chi Xiaocheng’s side after she was gone?

All the way to the balcony, she barely had a chance to speak, pierced into silence by the words hurled at her.

She had taken that step forward, changed herself, and even willingly degraded herself, becoming despicable and unpleasant, all to awaken Xiaocheng’s memories.

She had brought out the suicide note, only to be harshly rejected by the person she loved. The frustration left her with no outlet for her emotions.

In a moment of impulse, she threw away the suicide note, as if discarding her past self, vowing not to repeat the same mistakes. She even proactively confessed everything to Dongfang Yang, eliminating the man who loved Xiaocheng before he could become a problem.

She wanted to reclaim that love, to stay by Xiaocheng’s side in the room, only to be disdainfully kicked out.

And because she cared so much about Xiaocheng, she tried to win her back, directing hostile glares at Fang Ning.

She wasn’t doing nothing. She wasn’t unchanged.

But the fact remained that the suicide note was in the trash.

And it had been picked up by Fang Ning, who knew nothing of the situation.

She didn’t know that Su Tao and Chi Xiaocheng, who had just started getting along better, had fought again. She didn’t understand Su Tao’s quiet resolve to change. She was only standing her ground, protecting her Sister Xiaocheng from her own perspective.

Su Tao, scolded into clarity, realized this. Which was why, at this moment, she couldn’t muster any words of defense.

Fang Ning, too, cared about Xiaocheng in her own way.

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And no matter the reason, Su Tao was the one in the wrong.

Seeing the disgust on Fang Ning’s face, so intense it seemed to twist her expression, Su Tao understood and woke up in an instant.

Fang Ning wasn’t wrong. It was Su Tao who had failed.

Wasn’t it her own fault that Fang Ning could become her enemy, her rival, even the one who might steal Xiaocheng away?

That night in the snow, Fang Ning hadn’t been angry because she liked Xiaocheng. She’d been angry because Su Tao wasn’t worthy of Xiaocheng, because Su Tao hadn’t protected her.

If Su Tao had chosen to awaken Xiaocheng’s memories sooner, would Fang Ning even be a factor?

Her self-destructive obsession was, for this brief moment, scolded into clarity. But this also meant she wouldn’t back down.

She would take responsibility for her mistakes, but she wouldn’t hand Xiaocheng over to Fang Ning!

Su Tao took a deep breath, then took a step back and bowed deeply to Fang Ning.

A perfect 90-degree bow, her tone sincere. “I’m sorry, Fang Ning. Throwing away the suicide note was my fault. I haven’t been able to move past the trauma since that snowy night, and I’ve let you down. I apologize.”

Her earnest tone sounded just like the strong, dependable Su Tao of the past. The “white moonlight” everyone admired.

It startled Fang Ning, who had been gearing up for a fight. The younger girl stumbled back a step, still clutching the suicide note.

But before she could react, Su Tao’s moment of clarity seemed to vanish as quickly as it had come. When she raised her head, her eyes were full of aggression again.

Her hostility hadn’t faded. “I was wrong. I’ll face myself, correct myself, and make it up to Xiaocheng twice over by loving her, by cherishing her. But I won’t back down just because of what you said.”

She took another deep breath, straightening up as she spoke slowly to Fang Ning. “You know about Xiaocheng’s amnesia, don’t you?”

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Fang Ning smoothed her emotions, a faint smile curling her lips. “So what if I do?”

“Then I’d advise you not to get any ideas. I’m going to awaken Xiaocheng’s memories.”

“Even if it means Sister Xiaocheng will suffer from those memories, even if she’ll become that yandere you hate all over again?”

Seeing the mocking smile on the girl’s face, Su Tao’s heart sank.

Fang Ning really was more dangerous than Dongfang Yang!

She looked so harmless, so innocent, yet she knew everything.

And Su Tao knew nothing about her thoughts or motives.

She felt utterly manipulated, played like a puppet in Fang Ning’s hands.

But hadn’t she already found her answer to this question?

Su Tao didn’t avoid it. She met Fang Ning’s gaze head-on. “Yes. Even if those memories will hurt her, even if she’ll become that obsessive, incomprehensible yandere again.”

“But!” Su Tao’s voice rose sharply. “That obsession, that sickness… it’s also proof that she loves me.”

Su Tao had indeed been trapped in self-destructive cycles.

But unlike before, when she’d just wallowed in regret without thinking, drifting through her days lost and numb, she was trying to change.

She’d thought about it, considered how to fix things, and eventually, her overtaxed brain had landed on one explosive conclusion:

‘The reason Xiaocheng doesn’t like me now is because she’s not a yandere anymore. She’s lost that part of herself.’

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‘What if all her love for me was wrapped up in that sickness?’

‘Then I have to accept her yandere side to have her love!’

Running away would never solve anything.

But even this declaration, this outright challenge for Fang Ning to back off, didn’t shake the younger girl’s resolve.

As if she held some unshakable advantage, Fang Ning chuckled softly. “But right now, Sister Xiaocheng is still amnesiac. She dislikes you just like I do.”

Su Tao inhaled sharply, fists clenching.

Fang Ning’s tone didn’t change, calm and mocking, as if she’d already secured victory. “And really, what right do you have to compete with me? You think you can just snatch Sister Xiaocheng back? That she’ll accept you once her memories return?

“You do realize she can’t stand you right now, don’t you?

“Meanwhile, my love for Sister Xiaocheng far surpasses yours!”

Fang Ning smoothed her long hair, speaking lightly. “If you really want to compete with me, think about why Sister Xiaocheng likes me so much. If all you have are empty words about love and possessiveness, then you should just bow out now.”

She stepped closer to Su Tao, pressing the suicide note against her stomach. “And don’t throw this away again. Sister Xiaocheng wouldn’t like that.”

With that, she didn’t wait for a response, pulling open the tall glass door.

She patted her cheeks hard, and in an instant, her cold, aggressive expression vanished.

A sweet, soft smile took its place, transforming her back into that adorable, harmless little girl.

Only Su Tao remained, clutching the suicide note as the wind ruffled it, her mind buzzing.

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“Why… why does Xiaocheng like Fang Ning so much?”

Fang Ning’s words were infuriating, but Su Tao had to admit they held truth.

From every angle, the amnesiac Xiaocheng currently preferred Fang Ning over Su Tao.

Why?

The old barriers between them had already broken down once. The influence of memories should be minimal now. In terms of looks, Fang Ning couldn’t possibly compare to Su Tao. So why did Xiaocheng always want to spend time with Fang Ning?

Just because she was well-behaved?

“No.”

Su Tao watched that petite figure disappear around the corner, recalling Fang Ning’s earlier words:

—My love for Sister Xiaocheng far surpasses yours.

Su Tao unfolded the suicide note, staring at the crumpled, distorted handwriting, letting the wind tangle her long hair.

“I love Xiaocheng… but what have I done to show it?”

A glimmer of understanding dawned in Su Tao’s eyes.

She looked toward the hallway where Fang Ning had just vanished, her gaze growing complicated.

“Was she… trying to remind me?”