Bullying The Sister-In-Law - Chapter 11.2

After dinner, Su Zhiluo copied Yang Jie’s phone number to Alipay, transferred 300 yuan to her account, and then blocked her on Alipay. Since Yang Jie couldn’t transfer it back, she had to find her on WeChat.

In that instant, Su Zhiluo actually wanted to block Yang Jie on WeChat too. She couldn’t say why, but she felt Yang Jie had overstepped her bounds, and it left her feeling frustrated.

Su Zhiluo stood on the balcony for a while, then returned to the bedroom, holding her phone, unsure what to do. The immense mental pressure caused the back of her shoulders to ache.

The phone was bought by Liu Chengxu. She cherished it, putting a little bear sticker on it. When she first brought it to her workplace, she told everyone Liu Chengxu bought it, and many people envied her, saying Liu Chengxu was promising.

In the past, her relationship with Liu Chengxu was distant, but now it was completely different; they were considered family. She didn’t dare face this affection, preferring to wrap herself in a cocoon and pretend not to know.

Liu Chengxu stood quietly by the door, clutching a blanket. She saw Su Zhiluo lying on the sofa, scrolling through videos of her sister. Liu Chengxu had watched this particular clip countless times too. Her sister took Su Zhiluo to a bridge to see the scenery. They rented a bicycle with a bunch of sunflowers in the basket.

The bleak autumn wind blew the tassels of Su Zhiluo’s plaid scarf.

Her sister looked into the distance and said softly, “Do you know? I heard there are lives upon lives. When the universe exploded, everyone came from the depths of the stars. Even if the body disappears, the soul will not perish… it will be reborn simultaneously in some future year.”

Su Zhiluo’s voice was low, tinged with a hint of petulance, “I don’t know. I haven’t read as many books as you have.”

Her sister replied, “What I mean is, we loved each other once, and we will meet again someday. I don’t care about your academics; they only limit one’s perspective and make people overly cautious. I just want to be with you. The first time I saw you, I thought your eyes were so pure. I knew I liked you.”

Su Zhiluo secretly watched her. Her eyes were shy yet bright. Her sister pressed her hand on Su Zhiluo’s hand, “I’m not flattering you; every word is my honest truth.”

Su Zhiluo believed her. She nodded, then placed her hand on top of her sister’s, shyly finding an excuse for her action, “This way, it won’t be cold.”

The stars were not bright that night, and the wind blew in gusts. Standing on the bridge, the two could only see darkness, yet they stood there for a long time.

Liu Chengxu clearly knew that she was incomparable to her sister. Her sister was Su Zhiluo’s first love and her sister. She was gentle and older. Her sister would always generously offer her shoulder for Su Zhiluo to lean on. She would unhesitatingly choose Su Zhiluo over her family and give Su Zhiluo a home.

During the period when her sister was in a huge fight with the family, Liu Chengxu once asked her, must it be Su Zhiluo?

Her sister lay in bed, looking at her, her eyes shining brightly. She said, “Xiaoxu, do you know? When I first pursued her, she was very shy and didn’t dare to date me. She was afraid of getting hurt. So I secretly swore that if she agreed to be with me, no matter what, she would always be my first priority. She is also very brave. Despite being so timid, she still came home with me. So, you see, I know she loves me very, very much. How could I let down a person who loves me so much?”

At the time, she understood vaguely and was a little jealous, asking, “What about me?”

Her sister said, “I love you too. If you can love my girlfriend, I will love you even more. But if you force me to choose with your love, I will love Luoluo even more because she has never made me choose. She is incredibly wonderful.”

She was heartbroken then, feeling her sister had changed, and she angrily ignored her. Her sister poked her back with a finger and said, “You are still young; you don’t understand. You’ll be the same when you have someone you love. Trust me.”

Now she understood and believed it. Her sister was right.

Su Zhiluo was incredibly wonderful. She took in her sister’s younger sibling and treated her wonderfully.

Su Zhiluo finished the video and looked at the photos, silently zooming in and out. Hearing a sound, she closed her eyes. Liu Chengxu cautiously approached and covered her with the blanket.

The house was cold; she longed to hug Su Zhiluo to warm her up.

Late at night, Su Zhiluo made up her own wooden plank bed, specifically getting two extra quilts for her, bending her back to tuck in the edges.

The clutter previously piled on Liu Chengxu’s wooden bed had all been moved to the corner. The already cramped space was even more crowded, requiring one to turn sideways just to enter.

Liu Chengxu lay on her own bed, where a chilling coldness permeated the air. Liu Chengxu wanted to call out to Su Zhiluo, but her voice was low and hoarse when she tried. She tucked herself dejectedly under the quilt.

After a moment, Su Zhiluo spoke, “Your throat sounds uncomfortable. Do you want some water?”

Liu Chengxu propped herself up on her elbow and asked, “Sister-in-law, can you sleep? Do you want to play a game together?”

Su Zhiluo was silent for a while, then said, “I didn’t sleep well last night, so I’m sleepy now. Maybe tomorrow during the day?”

Liu Chengxu softly murmured “En,” and Su Zhiluo turned her back to sleep. Liu Chengxu desperately wanted to secretly get up and look at her again, but she was afraid of disturbing the peace.

She had originally planned to hide under the quilt with Su Zhiluo, play until they were tired, then watch a movie, and finally fall asleep holding Su Zhiluo.

The room was so quiet that they could hear the wind outside the window. They were separated only by thin air, yet it felt like an invisible wall stood between them. This silence made her heart pound like a drum, like she was engaging in a secret, sinful prayer.

Just a little bit of affection for me, wouldn’t that be okay too?

The next day, Liu Chengxu was still asleep when she heard her sister-in-law get up. She prepared to get up as well, but Su Zhiluo said, “You get some good sleep. I have something to do, so I’m going out.”

Su Zhiluo left early. Liu Chengxu woke up at eight and made breakfast, but she still hadn’t returned. In the meantime, Su Zhiluo’s friends came over. Chang Ruyin and another female colleague. The three sat awkwardly, unsure what to talk about.

Just as the two were about to leave, Su Zhiluo came back. They were about to ask her where she had been. The outdoor wind blew inside, and Su Zhiluo carried a faint scent of incense.

The three had different guesses. Kang He thought she had gone to a temple to burn incense, while the other two guessed she had gone to mourn Liu Jinhuan.

Su Zhiluo went to wash her hands, apologizing for her absence.

Kang He, holding a set of mahjong tiles, said, “There’s no one in the dorms. Ruyin and I were bored, so we borrowed mahjong, thinking we’d come over to play a few rounds and maybe snag a meal.”

The two had brought fruit, milk, and crackers when they arrived, making a polite gesture.

Liu Chengxu helped set up the card table. When they started playing, she sat by the side and watched. Half an hour later, she returned to the bedroom. Liu Chengxu shot her a look.

Chang Ruyin quietly asked, “Did you two have a fight?”

Su Zhiluo shook her head.

Kang He checked her phone. “Yang Gong saw my Moments and said she wants to join, which is perfect since we need one more player.”

Liu Chengxu lay on the bed, her nose stinging badly. She buried her face in the pillow.

Su Zhiluo played two rounds and then secretly went to check on her. Liu Chengxu was lying on her bed, her face buried in her pillow. As Su Zhiluo turned around, she heard a few muffled sobs. Her heart squeezed violently, feeling both painful and suffocated.

Three days passed in the Chinese New Year, and the relationship between the two maintained this polite state. It seemed the issue had passed, but in reality, it hadn’t.

Liu Chengxu was so distressed that she sent several messages to Meng Zhengyue. She couldn’t directly mention her own situation, so each time she talked in circles, describing a friend’s experience.

Meng Zhengyue replied: The other person knows you like her, but she keeps this attitude. It’s quite obvious, really; it’s a silent rejection.

Liu Chengxu said: I want to go back to the past, to when we were really good. It’s so cold now.

Then she sent: I never intended to be with her.

Meng Zhengyue: How is that possible? Everyone knows you like her. If you wanted that, you should have made it clear from the start.

Also, is that last sentence your honest truth?

On the sixth day of the New Year, Liu Chengxu habitually took her sister-in-law to work. The bitter cold wind made both of them shiver upon stepping outside.

Everyone arrived right on time.

Liu Chengxu immediately spotted Yang Jie’s car. Yang Jie rolled down her window and called out to Su Zhiluo.

Su Zhiluo gently said to Liu Chengxu, “Go back early, drink some hot water, and stay warm under the covers. Don’t catch a cold.”

Liu Chengxu said, “I’m fine.” She had already prepared herself. She wanted to show Yang Jie that she wouldn’t be looked down upon.

“Sister-in-law, I have something to say.”

The moment Su Zhiluo looked at her, Liu Chengxu’s voice went hoarse. After gulping down a few breaths of cold air, she instantly became speechless.

Su Zhiluo was also a little flustered.

The sky was fully bright, but the snowy weather made it appear gloomy.

Su Zhiluo saw a sheen of light in her eyes, making them look wet.

Liu Chengxu’s words were stuck in her throat, painfully dry. As Su Zhiluo was about to enter, she still grabbed her hand. She looked towards Yang Jie and said, “I need to clarify something. Your baseless comments last time caused us distress and affected my sister-in-law…”

“Huh?” Yang Jie looked at her in confusion.

Liu Chengxu’s breathing began to be uneven, and she felt suffocated before even starting. It was incredibly uncomfortable. She clutched her chest, struggling to overcome the speech impediment, and said seriously, “It’s not that kind of liking, not love. I just… I just like my sister-in-law like a family member… that’s all.”

For the past few days, Liu Chengxu had been constantly thinking, constantly wondering if it was her fault for tripping Yang Jie. She only wanted to stop Yang Jie from entering her and Su Zhiluo’s home; she didn’t mean to make Yang Jie fall, but the cost was too high… Yang Jie exposed her secret.

One must always take responsibility for one’s misdeeds. She covered her face, afraid to cry out loud. She could barely breathe. She desperately wanted to stick her fingers down her throat and fish out those words.

“I don’t like, I don’t like you,” Liu Chengxu said with difficulty. “It’s not love. I simply… simply don’t, don’t like you.”

In that brief moment, Liu Chengxu’s breath was choked. She couldn’t catch air. Liu Chengxu gasped, clutching her chest, and began to gag, half-crouching. She was desperate to explain clearly, to make sure it was understood. “It’s just liking her, like family…”

Yang Jie was startled, quickly opening the car door and getting out.

“Chengxu, Chengxu, what’s wrong?” Su Zhiluo supported her, patting her back. As Yang Jie stepped forward, Liu Chengxu’s retching became worse. Her eyes were red, her lashes wet. “Ugh… Sister-in-law…”

Liu Chengxu gagged until her face was pale. She couldn’t stand up straight, her knees hitting the ground hard. She was kneeling, her chest tight, continuously retching. Her eyes were bloodshot. She clutched Su Zhiluo’s hand, tears streaming down her face. This was completely different from what she had imagined. They were just a few simple sentences that she had rehearsed all night, believing it would be easy, and the pain would only result in a few tears.

“Sister-in-law, believe me…”

Su Zhiluo’s eyes were red with anxiety, afraid she might collapse. She tenderly embraced her, constantly stroking her back. “Chengxu, it’s okay, it’s okay… Don’t talk anymore. I’m taking you to the hospital to see a doctor.”

The retching finally subsided, but Liu Chengxu’s heart still ached, her breathing remained ragged, and her face was ghastly pale. She tightly gripped her chest; her heart felt like it was about to explode. She felt like she was dying.

Why is this happening? I polished the words perfectly. They were just a few simple sentences.

Why does it feel like death?

“Do you understand?” She lowered her head, tears smashing down. “I don’t love you. It’s not that kind of love…”

Those falling drops seemed not to be tears, but drops of blood.

Yang Jie was the first to react. “Zhiluo, she looks like she’s hyperventilating. Alkalosis.”