Bullying The Sister-In-Law - Chapter 43

Perhaps because she hadn’t thought about this matter for a long time, she was temporarily dizzied by the news.

When Liu Chengxu returned and saw her sitting silently on the sofa, looking dispirited, she immediately rushed over and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Su Zhiluo tried to move her lips. She reached out, pulled Liu Chengxu closer, and rested her chin on her shoulder, saying, “Hug me.”

“What is it?” Liu Chengxu quickly hugged her, very worried. “Did something happen at the factory? If you’re busy, we can go there today.”

Su Zhiluo took a long time to compose herself. The pain and tears in her heart welled up together. She choked out, “This place is going to be torn down soon.”

At first, Liu Chengxu didn’t understand what she meant by “going to be torn down.” When she finally realized, her heart felt sour, and she still subconsciously thought her sister-in-law was sad because of her sister.

Su Zhiluo said, “Soon, the home we shared will be gone.”

These words brought Liu Chengxu back to her senses. She internally cursed herself, wondering what she was thinking, why she still had such thoughts now. The last time she saw Su Zhiluo upset was when she had respiratory alkalosis, and Su Zhiluo’s eyes were completely red. She asked confusedly, “What should we do, Chengxu?”

Liu Chengxu clearly understood that she had become the backbone for her sister-in-law at this moment. She cupped Su Zhiluo’s face. “It’s okay, Su Zhiluo, you still have me. As long as I’m here, don’t you have a home?”

Saying this, she seemed to resolve the knot in her own heart as well. Su Zhiluo had indeed loved her sister very, very much, but she also loved this home very, very much; she had bought it specifically to wait for her return.

Su Zhiluo’s tightly pursed lips were trembling. Liu Chengxu used her sleeve to wipe the corner of her eyes. “It’s okay, Su Zhiluo, you still have Liu Chengxu.”

She seriously guided Su Zhiluo, saying, “Come, look at me.”

Liu Chengxu clasped her fingers and held them up. “Liu Chengxu will always love you.”

Su Zhiluo’s tears came loose again. She nodded vigorously. She had initially thought she would bite the bullet, hold it in, comfort Liu Chengxu, and then the matter would pass, but she didn’t expect herself to cry like this.

Liu Chengxu carefully wiped away her tears, coaxing her with every word. Su Zhiluo leaned against her shoulder, relying on Liu Chengxu, clutching her clothes. “I’m not sad anymore, Chengxu. Having you… is so good.”

“Mhm, I’m here.”

The floor was cold, and Liu Chengxu had been kneeling. Su Zhiluo felt bad for her and covered her legs. “Cold, right? I’ll go get the portable heater.”

“It’s okay, as long as you’re not sad anymore.” Liu Chengxu was still cupping her face. She kissed her on the lips and asked, “I’ll go pour some hot water. Why don’t you wash your face?”

Liu Chengxu went to the bathroom, prepared everything, and called her in. Su Zhiluo looked at herself in the mirror; her eyes were completely red. She washed her face and came out, seeing Liu Chengxu preparing to cook. Su Zhiluo took a deep breath and said, “Let’s go out to eat.”

“Huh?”

Su Zhiluo said, “Demolition is also a happy event. Everyone loves demolition, so let’s go celebrate too.”

Liu Chengxu turned to look at her and said, “Well, do you like it? It’s only a happy event if you like it.”

Su Zhiluo rested her hand on the peeling wall paint. She said, “We’ll know after we take a walk outside.”

Liu Chengxu took off her apron.

The two went downstairs together. Su Zhiluo held her hand very tightly. Their area hadn’t yet been marked with a big “DEMOLITION” sign in red paint like in TV dramas; everything was still quiet, no different from usual.

Su Zhiluo asked, “Do you want it to be torn down?”

Liu Chengxu spoke honestly: “Sort of. As long as I’m with you, it’s fine whether it’s torn down or not. I’m not picky.”

Su Zhiluo looked back, walked a few steps forward, then looked back again. She couldn’t bring herself to say that it was good that it was torn down. She said, “They’ll give us a nice house with heating, and we won’t have to run around to different sales offices, making you take on a mortgage.”

The sour feeling returned as she spoke. She showed a happy yet reluctant smile. “How can this not be considered a… a… a gift?”

Su Zhiluo’s emotions were fluctuating greatly; she thought about it and smiled again, reaching out to pinch Liu Chengxu’s ear. “It’s also something to be happy about.”

“Mhm.” Liu Chengxu nodded. Tears were also welling up in her eyes. Although she didn’t dare to dwell on it, she clearly knew that all of this was left behind by her sister. If her sister hadn’t chosen this place back then, if it weren’t for the shadow of her sister…

However, she didn’t dare to look back.

She was afraid that she, too, would miss her sister, and crying together with Su Zhiluo at that time would show a lack of responsibility.

As dusk fell, they walked back along the familiar path. This path, which had initially been the restraint they wanted to escape, had now become the most cherished bond in their memories. A genuine dull ache arose in her chest.

Su Zhiluo postponed her return to Guangzhou. She was emotional for several days, feeling sad, and suffered from insomnia the first few nights. She had carefully furnished this home again, little by little. Liu Chengxu stayed by her side. Despite the reluctance, she still cheered up and went with Liu Chengxu to complete the formalities, carefully studying how to secure a better resettlement plan.

At present, the resettlement housing hadn’t been finalized; the staff only told them to wait patiently for the notice to sign the contract and move out. The process was long, and there was no use rushing.

When Su Zhiluo returned to Guangzhou, Liu Chengxu wanted to accompany her but was gently refused by Su Zhiluo.

Liu Chengxu was very worried about her. That old house was Su Zhiluo’s safe haven. In these years of seemingly living together, Su Zhiluo had actually endured a lot of hardship. At the age of twenty, Su Zhiluo independently took on the responsibility of raising them, supporting their home for the two of them alone.

Liu Chengxu only realized this fatigue when she started working and encountered repeated setbacks.

Su Zhiluo had never once complained in front of her, nor had she ever cried in front of her because she couldn’t keep going.

Liu Chengxu also worked overtime on Saturdays and Sundays. She wanted to finish the work at hand quickly and take some vacation time to bring Su Zhiluo to Hong Kong to relax and lift her spirits.

On Saturday, the doorbell rang. She thought it was a package Su Zhiluo had sent her. She went to the community gate to pick it up and saw Su Zhiluo standing outside.

The late spring breeze still carried a hint of coolness. Su Zhiluo was wearing a long, light gray cardigan sweater over a black long dress, with the light brown leather bag Liu Chengxu had given her last year slung over her shoulder. She had purposely gotten a trendy Korean perm; her hair curled loosely at her shoulders, making her look gentle and refined.

When Liu Chengxu saw her, her steps involuntarily paused.

The sunlight fell perfectly on Su Zhiluo’s slightly curled hair. Standing in the light and shadow of early spring, she was so beautiful that one couldn’t look away.

Su Zhiluo was confused. “What’s wrong? So surprised?”

“I…”

Su Zhiluo also felt strangely nervous. “Didn’t you say everyone in this city is very stylish? I just tidied myself up a bit. I wanted to do it during the New Year, but I forgot when I got busy.”

At this moment, Liu Chengxu could barely breathe. She clenched and unclenched her fingers and asked, “You, why did you come?”

Su Zhiluo said, “I wanted to come and see you.”

Liu Chengxu was speechless for a moment.

It had always been her chasing after Su Zhiluo. This was the first time Su Zhiluo had actively come to find her.

She held her breath and quietly confirmed, “Did you come by on your way?”

Su Zhiluo frowned in confusion. “On my way to what?”

“I mean…” Liu Chengxu’s fingertips unconsciously curled. Her words sounded a bit aggressive. “Like, you had work here or something.”

Su Zhiluo gently shook her head, her hair slightly trembling in the spring breeze. “No orders.”

I came specifically to see you, Liu Chengxu.

That was what Su Zhiluo’s eyes conveyed, and Liu Chengxu understood.

The words were hidden in her bright eyes, hotter than the early spring sun.

Liu Chengxu still asked, “Then what did you come here for?”

Su Zhiluo said softly, “I wanted to come and look at houses here. If you’re going to develop your career here, we’ll make a home here.”

“Won’t we get a resettlement house in North City?”

“Who knows how long we’ll have to wait?” She looked towards the tall buildings nearby. The place where Liu Chengxu lived wasn’t great. “It’s better to have a home with you first.”

Liu Chengxu’s eyes felt hot. She quietly responded, “Okay.”

“Where you are, that’s where I’ll be.”

“Okay.” The same word, but Liu Chengxu’s voice held an imperceptible tremor.

Soon, she lost control. “It’s not any special day today. Why did you just come?”

Su Zhiluo was stunned by her question. She said, “I don’t have to want you on a specific day, you know? I missed you, so I came.”