Bullying The Sister-In-Law - Chapter 39

All the words were stuck in her throat. Liu Chengxu was speechless for a moment, and her eyes slowly reddened.

Su Zhiluo blinked at her and asked, “What’s wrong with you? Why that expression?”

Liu Chengxu bit her lip. She shook her head and said, “It’s nothing.”

Su Zhiluo spoke as if she were coaxing a child, “Don’t cry. If you want it, I’ll slowly buy it for you. We didn’t have money before, but now that we do, we can have a home of our own.” Her voice was soft and gentle, “The house will have heating, so we’ll only need to wear a long-sleeved shirt inside. We’ll have our own study, and we can raise the plants and animals we like.”

Liu Chengxu had said these very words before, but later she realized that she was the only one indulging in wishful thinking. Su Zhiluo’s future didn’t include her; she had merely hoped for Liu Chengxu to grow up and fly away, and whether they had any connection afterwards was irrelevant.

Liu Chengxu asked, “When did you start thinking about buying it?”

Asking this, Liu Chengxu felt it would be worth it even if Su Zhiluo said she thought about it after they broke up.

But Su Zhiluo said, “When you first came to Guangzhou. I was thinking that we could have a home together. You should remember, that was when you all started looking into model photography.”

Liu Chengxu turned her head away. She could barely suppress the bitterness. “So, every word you said afterward was serious?”

Su Zhiluo said, “I don’t think I’ve ever lied to you.”

That single sentence brought back many memories.

Initially, when Liu Chengxu was about to enter the third year of junior high, knowing Su Zhiluo didn’t have much money, she suggested, “I’ll just go to a cheap school, and I’ll study hard.” After inquiring around, she learned it was difficult to transfer schools without connections, and the small schools had poor teaching resources, with many unruly kids who smoked and drank. It would undoubtedly send Liu Chengxu’s life downhill.

Liu Chengxu was anxious and kept asking what they should do. Annoyed by her persistence, Su Zhiluo finally said, “Stop worrying so much. Focus on your studies, and I’ll handle it.”

“You…” Liu Chengxu took a deep breath. She wiped her face with the back of her hand. “I understand.”

Su Zhiluo pulled out a tissue from her pocket and handed it to her. Liu Chengxu clutched it tightly. As they walked toward the sales office and approached the entrance,

Liu Chengxu reached out, hugged Su Zhiluo’s waist, rested her forehead on her shoulder, and said hoarsely, “Su Zhiluo.”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

“Mhm.”

“I love you.”

“Shhh.” Su Zhiluo was startled. There were people around, and it felt embarrassing.

Su Zhiluo patted her hand, feeling how cold it was, and rubbed Liu Chengxu’s fingers. She pulled her collar higher and said, “It’s a bit cold. My nose feels sore.”

“Winter is like this, Su Zhiluo.”

Su Zhiluo sensed her fluctuating emotions, held her hand, and led her inside.

Su Zhiluo had visited this community when Chang Ruoyin bought her house, and she liked it quite a bit. The location was good, and the lighting was also decent.

Su Zhiluo said, “Since you work in this line, you should know more about it than I do.”

Liu Chengxu nodded.

The saleslady still recognized Su Zhiluo. Unfortunately, the unit she had liked during her last visit was already sold. The remaining units were quite mediocre. After looking at the model rooms, they decided to think about it some more.

They were not in a hurry to go back. Su Zhiluo took out her phone and opened her memo app, where she had noted down several sales offices. They took the subway to visit them, continuing until the afternoon.

Liu Chengxu rode her bicycle, carrying Su Zhiluo, who held her waist. Finally, the bike stopped at the entrance of a 4S shop.

Su Zhiluo was confused and asked, “What are we doing here?”

Liu Chengxu said, “To look at a car for you.”

Su Zhiluo was slightly stunned.

Liu Chengxu asked, “The car your factory bought is a van, right?”

Su Zhiluo nodded.

Liu Chengxu said, “Let’s find one you like.”

“What about you? We should buy one for you. I don’t use a car much, and the factory is quite close.”

“It’s convenient for road trips,” Liu Chengxu said. “Public transportation is actually more convenient for me in S City; traffic jams are awful. Let’s just look for now. We’ll try to get a license plate through the lottery. If we can’t get one, we’ll buy one in Guangzhou.”

“Okay.”

They went inside. Su Zhiluo felt that something around 200,000 yuan would be great. She looked at the exterior, while Liu Chengxu focused on the performance. They settled on a model that day, and the test drive felt good.

Su Zhiluo was in a great mood. That evening, when she spoke to Chang Ruyin on the phone, her voice was filled with laughter. “Chengxu is cooking… just making something simple. We were running around all day… looking at houses.”

Chang Ruyin asked, “Are you buying it for her?”

“We’re buying it together. She has money too, and…” Su Zhiluo glanced towards the kitchen and said softly, “She wants to buy me a car.”

“Happy again?”

“Mhm.”

Every time Su Zhiluo received something from Liu Chengxu, she would happily boast about it. She was still wearing the necklace Liu Chengxu bought her. “I plan to buy a silver one.”

“Does she know about her parents’ business?” Chang Ruyin asked. “Have you asked for her opinion? Will she feel like you’re preventing her from seeing her parents?”

Chang Ruyin had mentioned this before: one should never underestimate human nature. What if Liu Chengxu was just saying she hated her parents, and one day, she suddenly changed her mind and said, “They were quite nice to me before”? Su Zhiluo’s good intentions would then turn into a bad deed.

This gave Su Zhiluo a reminder. “I’ll find a chance to tell her.”

Chang Ruyin added, “Then you two should find some time to come over for dinner.”

“Okay.”

That evening, Liu Chengxu soaked a handful of vermicelli noodles. Once they softened, she cooked a fish soup for Su Zhiluo.

After they finished eating and brushed their teeth, they talked for a while. Su Zhiluo handed her bank card to Liu Chengxu, asking her to manage the finances and decide where to buy the house.

Liu Chengxu knew Su Zhiluo’s PIN. She entered it and saw Su Zhiluo’s savings. One bank card alone had four million yuan in fixed deposits, and she hadn’t even checked the others.

Su Zhiluo had now registered a company with Chang Ruyin, launched her own brand, and opened another floor in her factory. She had hired several live streamers, and they were also planning to open a few physical, affordable retail stores.

She wouldn’t dare to do all this if she didn’t have some money.

Su Zhiluo then said, “If you want to stay in S City, I’ll save up more money and buy you a house there.”

Su Zhiluo took out a pen and started writing, planning where they should buy a house. She wasn’t considering Guangzhou; she was thinking of either S City or North City, depending on where Liu Chengxu developed her career.

Liu Chengxu couldn’t help but ask, “What about you? Aren’t you considering yourself?”

Su Zhiluo said, “Yours is more important. Besides, my situation there is stable now. I have dedicated designers and people managing the shops. Chang Ruyin and I can just alternate going there.”

Liu Chengxu couldn’t describe what she was feeling. She asked, “Did you always think this way?”

Su Zhiluo said, “I wanted your life to be brilliant because you are so dazzling.”

She always sounded so proud when she talked about Liu Chengxu’s honors. A prestigious university, a renowned designer—so excellent.

It wasn’t that she felt inferior; she felt proud.

Liu Chengxu occasionally shared some of her work experiences in S City. Although university students were not as widespread back then, S City, like North City, was a city that didn’t lack talent. Fortunately, Liu Chengxu had suffered a lot when she was young, and she managed to get through it by gritting her teeth. She said, “I would think about you then.”

“Hmm?”

“You worked hard to raise me. Initially, I resented you for making me cook, but when I bought food there, a small plate of enoki mushrooms cost ten yuan. That’s when I realized you were doing it for my own good.”

Su Zhiluo said, “You didn’t resent it for long, did you? You made all the meals afterward. As long as you thought something was hard, you wouldn’t slack off. You did everything yourself and wouldn’t let me lift a finger.”

Liu Chengxu reached out and hugged her. “Actually, I almost couldn’t make it through the first year.”

She didn’t want to tell Su Zhiluo about some of the hardships, not wanting Su Zhiluo to feel upset. She thought about it, and Su Zhiluo let her hug her. “I wanted you to have a beautiful future, not for you to be so stressed. I can support you,” she said. “I can earn quite a lot of money now.”

Liu Chengxu whispered, “When I got home and saw you had transferred eight thousand yuan to me, saying it was for rent, I held my phone and cried for a long time.”

Su Zhiluo felt heartache at that moment. She was also relieved that she hadn’t let Liu Chengxu’s parents look for her. She lightly patted Liu Chengxu’s back and gently said, “It’s okay.”

She pondered for a few minutes, closed the notebook, and cautiously kissed Liu Chengxu on the forehead. She said, “We won’t separate anymore, okay?”

Su Zhiluo said, “I feel like you weren’t doing very well either. If we argue, let me think…”

She seriously considered how they should resolve arguments, determined not to be separated for two years again. After thinking for ten minutes, she said, “If we argue in the future, I’ll take the initiative. Just remember, if I text you, it means I want to make up. Just reply one or two sentences, and we won’t say anything extreme.”

“Okay.”

Liu Chengxu pointed to her own lips.

“Kiss me here too.”

The kiss quickly descended. Liu Chengxu pushed the items aside. She supported herself on either side of Su Zhiluo, leaned in, and said, “I want to do it tonight, too.”