Bullying The Sister-In-Law - Chapter 14.2

She was curious and leaned over to watch. The backend was quite complicated, and Liu Chengxu operated it step by step.

They didn’t have anything to sell yet, so Liu Chengxu took a photo of one of the houseplants in their home and posted a link.

At first, they didn’t expect anyone to ask, but two hours later, the backend dinged. Liu Chengxu quickly went online to chat.

Even though the person was only inquiring, Liu Chengxu was excited and brainstormed responses with her sister-in-law, then took a screenshot to her friends’ group chat.

Lying in bed that night, Su Zhiluo listened to Liu Chengxu’s chatter. She felt a strange cruelty. She was a terrible person, disappointing Liu Chengxu’s enthusiasm and crushing a vibrant heart. She felt a sharp pang of pain.

Liu Chengxu, just like before, got out of bed and planted a kiss on her lips.

She kissed longer today, once again stirring Su Zhiluo’s desire.

Su Zhiluo waited until Liu Chengxu fell asleep and then went to the bathroom. Her head leaning against the wall, she was assaulted by a powerful wave of guilt and shame, like a series of slaps. This was Qingming Festival… she had just visited her deceased wife.

How could she do such a thing?

She raised her palm and slapped her own cheek.

It’s utterly wrong. Immoral.

Su Zhiluo finished her shower and returned. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the blanket, which Liu Chengxu had kicked off, back up.

Every tempting apple is made of a poisonous snake.

One bite and you’re hooked, an addiction that lasts a lifetime.

Clearly, Liu Chengxu was already addicted.

For the first half of April, Su Zhiluo kept thinking about this. Yang Jie and Chang Ruyin both spoke with her.

Su Zhiluo had known Chang Ruyin for many years. Chang Ruyin also came from a modest background, and the two had a rapport. Su Zhiluo usually didn’t hide much from her. Chang Ruyin asked her if she had decided where exactly she was going.

Su Zhiluo answered honestly: “I still don’t know where exactly. If I have to say, maybe Guangzhou.”

“Is it because of Liu Chengxu?” Chang Ruyin didn’t ask in detail, but she could mostly guess.

Su Zhiluo nodded: “She helped me set up a website. I’ll go there to look around and see if there are any opportunities. If not, I can always come back. There are also more job opportunities there.”

Chang Ruyin wanted to persuade her but thought Guangzhou was probably better than here. “Alright, you go ahead. Be safe. I have friends there; I’ll ask around for you. If you do well, I might come join you.”

Su Zhiluo nodded.

“When will you tell Liu Chengxu?”

“On the day I resign.”

Liu Chengxu spent those days studying at the library, even taking many useful notes for her. Liu Chengxu had filtered through them carefully, and many were indeed helpful, so Su Zhiluo read them one by one.

Su Zhiluo received her half-month’s salary and left the factory. Before riding her scooter, she sent Liu Chengxu a message that she was leaving. She dared not wait for a reply and immediately rode home, using the journey to gather her thoughts, hoping to face Liu Chengxu in a natural state when she arrived.

When she dismounted the electric scooter, Su Zhiluo realized her cheeks were wet and cool. She didn’t know why she was crying, but the tears just wouldn’t stop, and her chest was tight, as if she could only barely breathe by constantly thinking.

What should I do?

Chengxu must be sad right now, suffocating just the same.

Su Zhiluo was overwhelmed by a crushing sense of guilt. She felt like the cruelest person alive, having personally stabbed Liu Chengxu in the heart. She began to regret telling Liu Chengxu.

She felt it would have been better to be like the bad women in TV dramas, simply walking away and letting all the pain burst out at once. At least that way, Liu Chengxu wouldn’t be like this, hurt yet unable to forget her.

Su Zhiluo forcibly covered her nose, stifling all the bitterness. Liu Jinhuan taught her how to love, and she had placed the dullest knife on her sister’s neck, tormenting her slowly.

She raised her hand to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes, telling herself: Since I chose this path, I must stick to it. Never look back and regret it.

Locking the electric scooter, she turned and went upstairs, gripping the key. Mingming, who was squatting by the door playing with a puzzle, looked up when she heard the footsteps, her round eyes asking, “Sister Luoluo, why are you crying?”

Su Zhiluo took a deep breath, holding back the tears that threatened to spill. She smiled and walked over, half-crouching to see what she was building. Mingming said, “Doraemon. My best friend gave it to me.”

“It’s really nice. Doraemon can grant many wishes, and he has a Time Machine, you can go back to the past,” Mingming said.

Su Zhiluo knew about Doraemon, but she was past the age of believing in him. She looked at the blue cat, whose pocket was still incomplete.

What would she do if she went back to the past?

Should I prevent Liu Chengxu from falling in love with me?

Or should I tell Liu Jinhuan, I don’t want to marry you anymore?

Su Zhiluo smiled and said, “Happy Birthday, Mingming.”

Mingming smiled and said, “Sister Luoluo, please don’t cry. If you’re sad, call Sister Chengxu.”

“Okay.”

Su Zhiluo was less sensible than a child. If you’re sad, call the person who can fix it—it’s the simplest and most direct logic. But sometimes, you just can’t call.

Su Zhiluo stayed put, staring at her phone. She desperately hoped Liu Chengxu would reply, expecting a message any second.

The door was ajar, and the colorless moonlight couldn’t enter.

Su Zhiluo thought of Liu Chengxu’s kisses again. She was always so careful when kissing, squatting before, and now, after visiting her sister’s grave, she knelt on the ground to kiss, as if confessing her immense transgression, or perhaps yearning for an impossible response.

She rarely used her tongue, always touching her lips, kissing her with a serious, considered attitude, using her two thin lips to enclose them until they were moist, before gently licking her thin lips, causing an itch in Su Zhiluo, drawing her to the edge of the taboo. Without release, a drizzling rain would fall somewhere on her body.

Su Zhiluo pressed her arm over her eyes. What am I doing? Repenting on one hand and stealing a taste of forbidden fruit on the other?

You are truly depraved.

Su Zhiluo picked up her phone to look again. It was 1 AM. Chengxu, are you asleep?

The whole night passed, and Su Zhiluo didn’t receive a message. She thought, it’s better not to reply. That way, I can just leave directly.

Su Zhiluo didn’t have to work today, so she was idle. Knowing she wasn’t in a good state, she brewed herself a cup of sugar water.

A message came through on her phone.

Liu Chengxu: [I will always support you. You’re going into e-commerce, right?]

Su Zhiluo: [Yes. Clothes are cheaper there, and I can deal directly with the garment factories.]

Liu Chengxu fell into the ‘typing…’ state for a long time.

Su Zhiluo’s sugar water cooled down. Liu Chengxu’s message came: [Then I’ll look up whether it’s suitable for you to go there. The weather is very different from here.]

Su Zhiluo: [I’ve lived there before and done my research.]

Liu Chengxu kept typing, making mistakes each time. She wanted to send, “Can you not go?” and then selfishly add, Sister-in-law, aren’t you supposed to put me through college? If you leave, who will support my studies?

She was despicable and filthy, only wanting to keep her sister-in-law.

Su Zhiluo knew better than anyone why she was leaving. But Liu Chengxu desperately wanted to throw a tantrum, to use every method to say, “Please stay for me, will you try to like me too? Will you treat me like a stranger? Can I stop being my sister’s sister, and can you let go of the past?”

Liu Chengxu was in agonizing pain. Her heart felt torn and shredded by a dull, rusty pair of scissors. She touched her chest. It hurts so much, so much. She lowered her head, her phone still on the desk, opening her mouth wide to breathe.

Su Zhiluo sensed something and sent a message: Are you okay?

Nothing could be more important than her sister, so Liu Chengxu blindly thought she should try to be understanding. She typed: I’m fine. I’m searching for information. Sister-in-law, go if you want to. Bravely pursue your career. I will always support you in this.

Su Zhiluo: Okay.

Liu Chengxu: When are you leaving?

When is she leaving?

Su Zhiluo hadn’t decided yet. She logged into 12306, bought a ticket for April 20th, and sent the screenshot to Liu Chengxu.

Liu Chengxu replied: Got it.

Su Zhiluo didn’t know how to reply. The sugar water was so sweet it left a bitter taste in her mouth, like drinking poison. Su Zhiluo poured the last of it away and numbly washed the dishes.

She only had sugar water for breakfast and then started packing. Guangzhou was hot; long sleeves and short sleeves would suffice, so the sweater and boots Liu Chengxu bought her couldn’t be taken along.

She didn’t know why, but she still tried to fold them into the suitcase.

The black sweater and boots protruded high out of the suitcase, looking extremely heavy compared to the thin clothes. Su Zhiluo knew she couldn’t take them. She took them out and hung them back in the closet.

The moment she closed the closet door, her whole body ached.

Liu Chengxu had already been abandoned once. If she left, Liu Chengxu would have no family left; no one to accompany her.

Su Zhiluo stood in the narrow aisle between the two beds, just wide enough for one person. She remembered how Liu Chengxu, when she first arrived, always talked about “dignity” and “privacy.” Su Zhiluo usually ignored her, and Liu Chengxu would keep nagging and complaining. Su Zhiluo would sometimes get annoyed and even deliberately step over her feet.

Su Zhiluo hadn’t initially bought her a bed because she was genuinely struggling then. She only had 20,000 yuan, which went towards her tuition and living expenses, and the rest had to be kept for emergencies. She could only buy Liu Chengxu a sleeping mat. She had planned to buy Liu Chengxu a small bed as soon as she got her salary next month. The night she got paid, she came home to find Liu Chengxu had dragged back a wooden board—an old discarded door—and had painstakingly carried up bricks she’d collected from somewhere.

Su Zhiluo brought a bucket of water and meticulously scrubbed the wooden board. She helped her lift the board onto the bricks. Su Zhiluo laid out her bedding. For the first few nights, Liu Chengxu would often reach out to her in her sleep, sometimes patting her. When Su Zhiluo opened her eyes, she would look smug: “Sister-in-law, my bed is super comfy, very soft and fragrant.”

Su Zhiluo at the time would just give her a lazy look, finding her annoying but also a little amusing.

She had never slept in Liu Chengxu’s bed.

Su Zhiluo stood still for a moment, then took off her shoes and lay down for a while. She didn’t find anything special about it, but when she turned on her side, she suddenly thought that it was quite understandable that Liu Chengxu had fallen for her.

Their sleeping space was only about ten square meters. When you turned over, the only person you could see was that one person. When adolescence came, full of pain, sadness, frustration, or happiness, it could only be directed at that one person.

Su Zhiluo lay there for a while, then got up and pulled out the storage box from under the bed.

This was the “privacy” Su Zhiluo had bought for Liu Chengxu, used to store her personal belongings. Su Zhiluo was never interested and never looked inside. She unlatched the two covers. The items inside were neatly stacked and immediately visible without needing to search.

There was the box for the watch she gave Liu Chengxu, some small dolls she thought a child might like.

And the very first birthday gift she gave Liu Chengxu.

Liu Chengxu was very expressive with her emotions. She looked forward to her birthday every year. Su Zhiluo would buy her gifts within her budget, and she kept every one of them carefully. There were many other things, like a locked diary and the wrappers from the White Rabbit candies they had shared.

Liu Chengxu’s “liking” was very obvious. She continuously collected things related to Su Zhiluo, saving unremarkable scraps that made her heart flutter, filling box after box.

Su Zhiluo closed the box again.

Before leaving, Su Zhiluo took meat to the neighboring few houses, asking Aunt Zhang and a few other close neighbors to look after Liu Chengxu. The reason was simple: people from her hometown had come looking for her, pressuring her to marry. She was going to stay with a friend for a while. If anyone came looking for her, they should say they didn’t know her, and if Liu Chengxu had any problems, they should call her.

Su Zhiluo started packing the day before she left. She wanted to leave something for Liu Chengxu, but a glance around revealed how poor the home was. Peeling plaster was covered with celebrity posters, and the only luxury was the row of succulents on the windowsill.

They had always lived a humble life, and even their most abundant emotion was about to disappear with her departure.

How would Liu Chengxu live alone in this small, old room from now on?

On April 20th, Su Zhiluo left in the morning light, dragging her suitcase. She locked the door tightly.

She left early and happened to run into Aunt Zhang.

Aunt Zhang was surprised: “You’re leaving already?”

“Yes. Please take care of Chengxu for me.”

“It’s no trouble at all.”

“Isn’t Chengxu coming back to see you off?”

“I didn’t let her come. She has class at school.”

At 7 AM, Su Zhiluo entered the station. Because the train was delayed, she waited in the waiting hall for a long time. Just as she was about to board, Su Zhiluo heard Liu Chengxu call her name.

Liu Chengxu stood in the morning light, her eyes wet, trying hard to smile at her.

Su Zhiluo watched her gently, fighting back the pain. She stood at the carriage entrance, letting other passengers board first, her hand tightly gripping the handle of her suitcase.

Then she slowly smoothed the hair that had fallen near her ear, and looked up, smiling at Liu Chengxu.

Liu Chengxu felt a surge of jealousy. The wind could kiss Su Zhiluo’s hair, but she couldn’t. “Sister-in-law, let me walk you to the carriage.”

Su Zhiluo told her not to, to go back.

Liu Chengxu smiled and said, “I must, I must.”

Liu Chengxu wanted to help her take the luggage in, but Su Zhiluo stepped inside first. Her tears fell non-stop. Liu Chengxu wiped her tears while looking inside.

When Su Zhiluo looked at her, she smiled and called out, “Sister-in-law, Sister-in-law, Su Zhiluo, can I come see you during the summer vacation?”

The platform staff blocked her. The train was about to leave. The conductor retracted the stepping board and closed the carriage door. The train went from slow to a rapidly accelerating roar.

Liu Chengxu burst into tears, trembling helplessly. “Please don’t leave me, please don’t leave me. I’m scared.”

She hadn’t been this scared or cried this much when her parents abandoned her. When she couldn’t go home, she used to hang around Su Zhiluo’s building. At first, Su Zhiluo pretended not to see her. She followed Su Zhiluo for a long way, and then Su Zhiluo threw the house key to her like she was throwing a stone.

She knew instinctively then that Su Zhiluo would take her in because her sister had said Su Zhiluo was very kind and had a soft heart. But what about now? Su Zhiluo was leaving. Su Zhiluo didn’t want her anymore. What should she do? Su Zhiluo didn’t even pack her with the luggage. Wasn’t she considered an indispensable item?

Liu Chengxu covered her face. She was so despicable, loving her sister’s woman and asking her sister what to do.

I’m sorry, Sister. I really, really like Sister-in-law.

Liu Chengxu ran alongside the train. She had actually bought a ticket with Su Zhiluo, went through the gates with her, and wanted to go to Guangzhou together. But Su Zhiluo was inside the train, and she was outside. She kept wiping her eyes. She desperately wanted to say, Sister-in-law, wherever you go, take me with you. I’ll buy my own ticket. I’ll follow you.