Bullying The Sister-In-Law - Chapter 30

Su Zhiluo received a message from her landlady saying that she planned to sell the house.

The landlady was an old local woman whose husband had passed away. She was getting older and was going to Australia to live with her daughter, who was preparing to sell the house.

North City is a place where every inch of land is precious. Although the house was in a remote area, the price was right, and there would definitely be no shortage of buyers.

The landlady told Su Zhiluo to be prepared.

This was too sudden. To her, that house was not just a simple rental property; it carried many, many memories.

It felt like a piece had been dug out of her heart, and the pain was immense.

Su Zhiluo couldn’t sleep well for several days.

Su Zhiluo checked the real estate agent’s website. The house was highly favorited, so selling it was only a matter of time. It hadn’t sold yet because the asking price was too high.

Su Zhiluo messaged the landlady: I want to buy it. Could you lower the price a bit?

The landlady knew her financial situation—someone who rented her house would definitely not be her buyer—so she politely refused, replying: You’ll buy a bigger house in the future.

This matter was like a fishbone stuck in her throat. She had to check the house listing every time, terribly afraid that the landlady would suddenly ask her to move out.

At this time, another thing happened. Su Zhiluo went to Foshan to negotiate an order. Chang Ruyin saw Liu Chengxu’s parents at a nearby factory. She recognized the couple immediately, as she had a strong impression of them. They looked haggard and dusty, without the glamor they once had.

Liu Chengxu had already resigned herself to the belief that they had died outside, killed by enemies. She never expected them to be hiding in a factory in Guangdong all these years.

In the past, Su Zhiluo wished they would send a message, wire some money for Liu Chengxu so she wouldn’t have to suffer with her, or come back to see Liu Chengxu, who had always missed them and longed for them to take her home.

Now, Liu Chengxu had finally gotten into a prestigious school and was about to graduate. Some big companies do background checks when recruiting, and she was afraid these two would affect Liu Chengxu’s job search. Su Zhiluo just wanted to stay far away from them.

The negotiation for this order was done with extreme caution, fearing they would be discovered. After signing the contract, Su Zhiluo quickly returned to the factory.

It was all too sudden.

It was as if everything piled up at once, signaling a major event.

Su Zhiluo’s mood was low, and she had nightmares for several days in a row.

She didn’t dream of Liu Jinhuan at night; she dreamed of Liu Chengxu’s parents blocking her at the factory, forcing her to kneel, hitting her with rocks, pushing her to the ground, and whipping her back with thin willow switches.

They cursed her for seducing their elder daughter and then coming to ruin their younger daughter. The pain in her back was severe. When she woke up, she was leaning over the bed, dry heaving.

At that time, the pain was so intense that she lost consciousness, as if her internal organs had been scooped out, leaving only an empty shell.

After her lover was gone, Liu’s parents stripped her of her last shred of dignity.

That day, she sat alone in the living room, shivering from the cold. Knowing winter was approaching, she lit a charcoal brazier in the house and then lay on the bed she had once shared with Liu Jinhuan.

It was Mingming who found the strange smell in her house after school and called Aunt Zhang, and a few neighbors worked together to send her to the hospital.

Aunt Zhang said, “You, you must live well. Otherwise, Jinhuan will be anxious, spinning in circles in heaven.”

She heard this and burst into tears. It was as if a ray of light shone on her, yet it wasn’t warm; her body felt cut by this light.

Later, Liu Chengxu came. She took Liu Chengxu as a form of responsibility, wanting to lessen her sense of guilt and not wanting Liu Jinhuan to worry.

Su Zhiluo quickly got out of bed after waking up. The suffocating feeling of the burning charcoal returned, and she rushed out of the rental house to dry heave.

Chang Ru’yin heard the noise and came out, asking worriedly, “Is your stomach upset? I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Su Zhiluo shook her head. “I just ate something bad. I’m going out.”

Chang Ruyin wanted to go with her, but she refused. Su Zhiluo went to a temple. Facing the Buddha statue, she suddenly didn’t know what to say. Should she ask the Buddha to bless her and Liu Chengxu’s secret not to be discovered?

Or should she ask the landlady to sell the house a little later?

Guilt and a vile, malicious feeling weighed heavily on her head. She could only silently pray: May the factory and the shop go smoothly.

After returning, she was still listless.

Chang Ruyin asked her several times, wanting to talk to her and guide her, but Su Zhiluo had lost the motivation to ask for help and couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Chang Ruyin said, “Do you really want to buy it?”

“Yes.” Su Zhiluo looked up at her, then nodded.

“But it’s very expensive.”

Su Zhiluo was silent.

Chang Ruyin said, “…Did you discuss it with Chengxu?”

Su Zhiluo shook her head.

Su Zhiluo clearly knew that everyone would be against her buying this house. The house was too dilapidated, and there was no need to spend money for some memories.

Chang Ruyin wanted to ask, then how are you going to tell Liu Chengxu?

Seeing her painful expression, she swallowed the words.

A month passed, and Su Zhiluo’s condition still hadn’t improved.

Chang Ruyin said, “If you want to buy the house, I won’t take the money we earn this year. You go buy the house, and I’ll lend you all of it.”

Su Zhiluo shook her head and said, “You don’t need to…”

“What do you mean, ‘don’t need to’?” Chang Ruyin interrupted her. “I’ve thought about it for a long time. More than the money, I’m worried about you. I don’t want you to fall into that emotional state like before.”

As she spoke, she was afraid she might cry.

Chang Ruyin laughed and said, “I’m not letting you buy the house for free, either. When I want to buy a house in the future, you have to lend me money like this, too, okay?” Chang Ruyin knew better than anyone what that rental house meant to Su Zhiluo. It wasn’t just some memory; it was her home.

It was her first home.

“If you want to buy it, just buy it. Anyway, we’re in North City. We can buy more when we have money later. I don’t want you to get lost in thought because of these things, those things…”

Before Liu Chengxu’s graduation, she had an internship. She participated in the school’s career fair and found a big company herself. She sent in her resume, went for an interview, and they replied, saying she could start the internship once her classes were over.

Her first thought was to go to Guangzhou to find Su Zhiluo.

She had visited Su Zhiluo a while ago and knew that Su Zhiluo wanted to buy a house.

She compared the salaries of both places. The salary in North City was definitely higher than in Guangzhou. After two weeks of hesitation, she still chose North City.

She had already planned it all out. She would work hard after graduation, and she would cover the mortgage, which would lessen the pressure on her sister-in-law. The future seemed beautiful.

Lately, she had been working on her graduation thesis. Liu Chengxu’s advisor was on an exchange program abroad. Every time Liu Chengxu messaged her, the advisor would say it was no good. When Liu Chengxu asked what was wrong, the advisor would reply: I don’t know.

In that instant, Liu Chengxu felt like she could say anything.

The WeChat icon in the bottom right corner of her computer flashed. She saw the pop-up window flickering. Liu Chengxu couldn’t wait to type, “Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, I’ve made progress on my thesis today.”

Su Zhiluo had described her various savings and fantasies so brightly, yet the message she sent was simple:

The landlady is selling the rental house.

Liu Chengxu typed: That’s a good thing.

She was about to send it, but she deleted it and replied: [Why?

Su Zhiluo sent her thought, only two words: Want to buy.

Liu Chengxu suddenly realized something. She heard herself open her mouth and say the most heartfelt words in her heart, harsh and hoarse.

“I disagree.”

She typed: [Sister-in-law, do we have enough money? Probably not.

She was still cautiously maneuvering, not even daring to show it. Soon, her sister-in-law replied: The landlady didn’t set a very high price.

Liu Chengxu replied: That’s good then.

She was about to send it but deleted it again.

There was no further message from the other side, so she continued: [I’m going for a run then.

She stood up, took a deep breath, and said, “I’m going for a run.”

She was the only one in the room, and no one responded to her.

When she walked outside, the cold wind blew against her cheeks.

Su Zhiluo’s message came: Your sister said that house will be demolished and redeveloped in the future.

Liu Chengxu’s heart was rebelling.

Do you believe it???

It’s been how many years????

That place was nothing more than the most peripheral urban-rural fringe of North City, a corner that even the urban planning map avoided.

When her sister said it would be demolished back then, it was just like for the two of them—a lie wrapped in a sugar coating, a way to find happiness in their wretched life.

At this moment, Liu Chengxu was very clear. She couldn’t deceive herself anymore. What Su Zhiluo couldn’t let go of wasn’t the house; it was her sister.

She tried hard to convince herself, It’s okay, it’s okay.

This house also held her memories.

But the emotions couldn’t be stopped.

She had told Su Zhiluo countless times that she wanted a bright house with central heating, that they needed to live a good life, that they needed to move out.

A subtle ache began in Liu Chengxu’s heart.

This beautiful dream of love had finally reached the time to wake up. The morning fog dissipated, revealing the rough reality underneath.

She checked her bank card. Most of what she spent was the living allowance Su Zhiluo gave her.

In the past few years, from their photography, their efforts to win scholarships, and various wages from winter and summer jobs, she had saved a total of eighty thousand yuan.

Although she was very sad, she still thought that if her sister-in-law wanted to buy the house, she would definitely support it. It was just like a nightmare; she just wanted to know if Su Zhiluo truly had her in her heart.

Her fingers trembling, she sent the message.

Are you buying the house because of my sister, or because of me?

It took a long time for Su Zhiluo to reply: If this house disappears, all traces of your sister in this world will be gone.

Liu Chengxu couldn’t control herself, and her words were extreme: But my sister is gone, why are you still so obsessed?

Su Zhiluo: If one day I disappear, will you quickly forget about me?

Liu Chengxu fell silent.

That feeling washed over her again. Between her and Su Zhiluo, whenever her sister was involved, she became less important.

She constantly pushed down, constantly restrained herself.

Liu Chengxu typed out: Then, when can I wait for you, wait for us to have a home, wait for you to be willing to be with me

She didn’t dare to send it. She squatted down to tie her shoelaces.

The pain in Liu Chengxu’s chest tightened. She had to press her hand against her chest as a strong sense of nausea rose to her throat. She continued running, but her heart quickly became overwhelmed.

She stopped, gasping for air. She told herself over and over in her heart: It’s okay, you have to talk properly.

But the genuine discomfort tightly squeezed her internal organs. She couldn’t get rid of the pain.

Finally, Meng Zhengyue found her.

“Your sister-in-law asked me to come,” Meng Zhengyue quickly approached. “What’s wrong?”

Liu Chengxu was breathing heavily, her fingers tightly clutching the fabric over her chest. She opened her mouth, trying to find an excuse, but only managed broken gasps.

She cursed herself fiercely in her heart.

She wanted her sister-in-law, yet she also wanted to escape the memories of her sister and her sister-in-law.

Aren’t you too greedy?

Liu Chengxu, do you dare to boldly and recklessly say you love your sister-in-law?

Was she sad because of the house?

It was because the underlying truth was too painful.

Su Zhiluo doesn’t like you that much.