Bullying The Sister-In-Law - Chapter 23.1:

The hotel experience was truly bad; the underfloor heating was stuffy and made them uncomfortable. This time, Liu Chengxu did not help Su Zhiluo wipe up, and went straight to take a shower after they finished.

As the water poured down, Liu Chengxu’s mind was temporarily blank, filled with a joy she’d never known. Soon, she regained a little clarity.

She ought to restrain herself, or she would scare her sister-in-law away.

However, Liu Chengxu’s self-control was as underdeveloped as her age, leaving her defenseless against temptation. She kept falling short. She was immersed in the recent tug-of-war, where Su Zhiluo resisted, but she pulled Su Zhiluo’s finger onto her own release, indulging in the overflowing sensation beneath Su Zhiluo’s fingertips.

She was lost in this intimacy, vaguely feeling that she had finally taken a step forward.

The warm water flowed over her body, and Liu Chengxu began to seriously consider their future interactions. She told herself she couldn’t indulge in physical pleasure anymore; being overly greedy for skin-to-skin contact would only make Su Zhiluo retreat. She needed to enter the other person’s heart more patiently, slowly winning her over with gentleness and understanding.

This thought slightly calmed her, yet when she remembered her sister-in-law’s gentle expression, her ear tips couldn’t help but turn red.

But her sister-in-law smelled so good.

After her shower, she returned to the bed. Su Zhiluo was asleep with her eyes closed.

Liu Chengxu carefully nestled close to her.

She originally wanted to lean into Su Zhiluo’s arms, but Su Zhiluo was curled up, so she couldn’t get close. Instead, she draped her own hand over Su Zhiluo, allowing Su Zhiluo to lean against her to sleep.

Su Zhiluo, thinking Liu Chengxu was going to do something, stayed vigilant. When she realized Liu Chengxu did nothing, she felt confused. Wasn’t Liu Chengxu going to help her wipe?

The thought made her feel flustered again. What on earth was she thinking?

Su Zhiluo felt ashamed of the thought.

What was even more shameful was that she actually had a reaction herself while helping Liu Chengxu, and Liu Chengxu didn’t even seem to notice her own reaction.

This feeling burned fiercely within her.

Her face felt hot.

In the middle of the night, Su Zhiluo woke up in a daze once. Liu Chengxu asked if she was thirsty and fed her some water.

The morning light filtered through the sheer curtain. Su Zhiluo opened her eyes and saw Liu Chengxu leaning against the headboard. As their eyes met, Liu Chengxu gently asked, “Did you sleep well?”

“No,” Su Zhiluo’s voice was still laced with sleepiness, and her head still felt a bit heavy. “It’s not as comfortable as home.”

Liu Chengxu: “But it’s still worth being happy about, my first time staying in a hotel with you.”

Su Zhiluo smiled. In that case, it was quite worth it.

She went to the bathroom to take a shower. Just as she stepped out, Liu Chengxu placed a pair of fluffy slippers by her feet.

Then she handed her a cup of warm water. Su Zhiluo remembered the water from last night, which was also warm. When they first checked in, neither of them planned to use the hotel’s electric kettle, worried it wasn’t clean.

Liu Chengxu said, “I fetched it from the lobby on the first floor yesterday. This one too. Drink some water and relax.”

Su Zhiluo stood by the window, letting the breeze blow over her, which felt much more comfortable.

Liu Chengxu then said, “Let’s not buy a house here after all; it’s uncomfortable.”

Su Zhiluo laughed, “You make it sound like we have a lot of money.”

Liu Chengxu said, “That’s my dream.”

Once Su Zhiluo felt better, the two of them went to the buffet restaurant. Because the room experience was disappointing, both of them were not in great spirits.

Su Zhiluo comforted her, saying, “Let’s eat enough to make up for the price.”

Perhaps the hotel knew the stay experience was poor; the buffet was arranged quite well, with many varieties, including Jianbing Guozi (savory crepes) and small mousse cakes. Liu Chengxu and Su Zhiluo ate several pieces together.

When checking out, the attendant asked them for a good review. They agreed verbally but didn’t give one after leaving, as their heads still felt fuzzy.

They planned to go back that evening, so they bought their tickets in the morning.

They finished sightseeing in the morning, bought local specialties in the afternoon, and bought a candied haw on a stick each for the way back that night.

Liu Chengxu reiterated her important declaration, firmly stating that they would not buy a house here, as it was a bit far from her workplace.

Su Zhiluo couldn’t help but smile at her, finding her amusing.

In the beginning, when the two lived together, Su Zhiluo truly found her annoying, complaining about everything, and she loved to cry. Later, she found her genuinely interesting. She would cry while working, and after finishing, she would feel exhausted. When Su Zhiluo handed her a glass of water, she would say that she should do this kind of dirty and tiring work in the future.

Liu Chengxu was quite thoughtful and caring towards others.

If she were truly an ungrateful person, Su Zhiluo wouldn’t have bothered with her.

The two bought some souvenirs and headed home.

It was late at night. Su Zhiluo leaned against the headboard, secretly on guard. If Liu Chengxu pestered her again like the past few nights, she was determined to lose her temper.

She secretly glanced sideways. Liu Chengxu was leaning on the pillow, intently fiddling with her phone. The faint screen light reflected on her face, outlining her focused profile. Su Zhiluo curiously peeked and saw Liu Chengxu adjusting the lighting and shadows of their travel photos from the day, giving them a warm tone.

At this moment, Su Zhiluo’s tense heart suddenly softened.

The fatigue of the journey made them fall into a deep sleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. This night, Liu Chengxu was well-behaved and did not cross the line. She simply held Su Zhiluo tightly from behind, like a vine clinging to a tall tree.

Su Zhiluo lay in bed for a while, then got up to make a simple breakfast. Her mind wandered a little at that moment; she wanted to go and see Liu Jinhuan.

She had gone to see her a few days before she left last time.

Thinking about it again, she felt she wasn’t qualified to go. She took a breath. The morning breeze carried a chill, making her nose ache intensely.

Liu Chengxu woke up and saw her standing in the kitchen. She tied on an apron and went in, telling Su Zhiluo not to cook and to wait outside, saying Su Zhiluo should rest well after finally coming back.

Su Zhiluo smiled, raising her hands in resignation.

For the next few days, Liu Chengxu took care of all the housework. Cooking, laundry—she wouldn’t let Su Zhiluo lift a finger. Su Zhiluo was idle and bored, spending the whole day languishing on the sofa. Liu Chengxu would sit next to her and gently massage her shoulders.

Su Zhiluo felt like she was about to be spoiled rotten. Such leisurely days lasted until Liu Chengxu’s school was about to start. Counting it up, she had stayed here for six days.

During these six days, they went out for trips sometimes and stayed at home enjoying peaceful moments at other times.

The day before leaving, Su Zhiluo bought incense and paper money alone and went to Liu Jinhuan’s grave. She didn’t say much, just stood quietly. The mountain wind swept across her cheek, playfully lifting a few strands of hair.

“Stop fooling around,” she said softly.

The wind seemed to genuinely stop, and the restless strand of hair quietly fell back behind her ear.

On the way back, Su Zhiluo kept regretting. She apologized softly to the air, feeling distressed, “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to be mean to you just now.”

She walked along the subway station toward the alley apartments and saw Liu Chengxu slowly approaching on an electric scooter in the distance. The back seat was piled high with several shopping bags, making the small scooter wobble precariously.

“Why did you buy so many things again?” Su Zhiluo walked over and asked her.

Liu Chengxu rested one foot on the ground and looked back at her fully loaded haul: “Not many. You’ll be gone for half a year; these will only last you a month or two.” She paused, her voice softening, “When you get to Guangzhou, I’ll mail you more.”

“Okay.” Su Zhiluo curved her lips.

A breeze passed, and Liu Chengxu subtly smelled the faint scent of incense on her, brought back from the cemetery—a cold, solitary scent.

The day before Su Zhiluo left, Liu Chengxu packed her things, wanting to bring everything for her.

Su Zhiluo sat on the edge of the bed, watching her fill the suitcase.

After she finished, Liu Chengxu turned to look at her and mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

Su Zhiluo didn’t understand what the apology was for. She didn’t delve into it. Digging deeper, she felt that she probably hadn’t blamed her.

There was only a kind of helplessness she couldn’t respond to.

This helplessness was, for example, when Liu Chengxu hugged her to sleep, she couldn’t reciprocate, which made her feel like she was enjoying Liu Chengxu’s kindness without giving anything back—a bad person who indulged in pleasure.

She had always been one to repay kindness and couldn’t bear to simply enjoy Liu Chengxu’s goodness for free.

Now, she…

Su Zhiluo was also lost in confusion.

Time passed too quickly, there was no help for it.

If asked whether Su Zhiluo was reluctant to leave, her heart was reluctant, especially recalling their interactions over the past few days, when they were mostly laughing. Her heart felt heavy.