Bullying The Sister-In-Law - Chapter 48

While setting up their new home, Liu Chengxu’s belongings no longer had to stay in storage boxes. She had a habit of collecting toys, figurines, and souvenirs from her travels. Su Zhiluo specifically had a cabinet built for her. As Su Zhiluo was going through a box, she pulled out a very thick album.

Initially, she was puzzled, but upon opening it, she found a stack of thick train and plane tickets.

Every single one was perfectly preserved: from Guangzhou to Beishi, Beishi to Guangzhou, a cruise ticket for the Pearl River, an amusement park ticket, and even the plane ticket from her recent trip to Shanghai…

Su Zhiluo felt a tightness in her chest, as if she was seeing Liu Chengxu again, appearing downstairs with her hiking backpack, her eyes red, her skin flushed from the sun. Liu Chengxu had called out to her, “Sister-in-law, I’m here, please don’t send me away.”

Every time she left, she would wipe away tears, looking back with every step.

Su Zhiluo was never as meticulous as Liu Chengxu when it came to organizing things. Most of the photos in her memory album were joint pictures of the two of them.

Su Zhiluo gently placed the memories surging through her heart, along with the album, into the most visible spot in the cabinet. Liu Chengxu’s voice drifted from the kitchen, telling her to stop tidying up and that dinner was ready.

Tonight’s dishes were full of smoky wok hei. There was glistening chili scrambled eggs, sour and spicy appetizing shredded potatoes, and freshly steamed, glossy, smoked cured meat.

“I’m quite satisfied with what I cooked today,” Liu Chengxu said with a smile.

“Mhm.” Su Zhiluo sat down. She first offered a chopstick full of scrambled egg to Liu Chengxu, and remembering the collection album, she said, “In the future, let’s go to more places and play.”

In the future, the collection album would be filled with happiness.

They held a housewarming party at their new place, inviting everyone they could. Everyone brought many practical appliances and pieces of furniture. Liu Chengxu cooked while Su Zhiluo entertained the guests.

When Chang Ruyin arrived, she sat with Yang Jie, feeling out of place because one called her “Mommy” and the other called her “Jie” (sister).

She secretly pulled Su Zhiluo aside and asked, “Am I being too sensitive? Why do I feel like the few friends your Chengxu made are all quite… abnormal?”

Su Zhiluo didn’t know how to answer her. She wracked her brain and said, “Actually, one or two of them are quite normal.”

Su Zhiluo solemnly patted her on the shoulder and said, “Maybe that’s just how cultured people are.”

Chang Ruyin retorted, “My Yang Jie is also a university student, a cultured person. They look exactly like when I play role-playing games. The only difference is, I play the sister and the younger stepmother role, and they seem to be the real deal.”

Su Zhiluo was choked up. It took her a long time to find the words: “You play that wild?”

“…Occasionally, not often.”

Although they were eccentric, Chang Ruyin found them quite ‘ship-worthy.’ Led by Liu Chengxu, each one was unique and abnormal in their own way.

In the evening, Su Zhiluo drove them back. She was mainly curious about Meng Zhengyue’s situation, and after asking a question or two, Meng Zhengyue’s answer resonated with her deeply: “Don’t worry about what others think, just live your own life well.”

Su Zhiluo thought that made a lot of sense.

She wasn’t in a hurry to go back and slowly walked a few laps around their new home by herself. The white moonlight poured down like a waterfall, and the evening breeze gently brushed against her cheeks. Looking up, the window on the seventeenth floor was radiating a warm light—that was their home.

In the days to come, she had to live a good life with Liu Chengxu.

They settled down in this new home for a month. Once Liu Chengxu finished her current work, the two of them drove back to S City.

Afterward, they began looking for a new residence. After several comparisons, they finally decided on a community and planned to buy an apartment to live in.

Su Zhiluo usually didn’t check Liu Chengxu’s phone. Today, she was scrolling through her phone and saw a hot search about a big market surge, so she decided to check the growth of the funds Liu Chengxu had invested in.

A while ago, she had given Liu Chengxu a million RMB to manage. As soon as she unlocked Liu Chengxu’s phone, she saw the chat history from Liu Chengxu’s friend group.

Liu Chengxu: My sister-in-law and I are doing well now. She moved out of the house she shared with my sister and moved to S City to live with me! Hahahaha! Don’t be too envious of me, I’m a winner in life.

Meng Zhengyue: Ring emoji

Liu Chengxu: I’m so envious of you, you guy!!!! You actually have a ring!!

The envy in Liu Chengxu’s words was obvious, and she clearly misunderstood many things. Su Zhiluo knew Liu Chengxu liked her, but she had prepared herself for a lifetime of never expressing it.

Liu Chengxu came out after showering. Su Zhiluo put down her phone.

Liu Chengxu plugged in the hairdryer, preparing to dry her hair.

Su Zhiluo naturally took the hairdryer from her hand, gently lifting her hair with her fingers. Liu Chengxu said something, but Su Zhiluo didn’t quite catch it, though she guessed it was about the apartment.

So, she leaned close to Liu Chengxu’s ear and whispered, “I don’t want to rent out the new apartment. We haven’t lived in it enough yet, I’m a little reluctant.”

“I feel the same way,” Liu Chengxu agreed.

Su Zhiluo patiently smoothed the curls at her hair ends. After drying it, she applied hair oil for her. Liu Chengxu looked up at her, wanting to say something, but stopped. Finally, she reached out and wrapped her arms around Su Zhiluo’s waist, quietly asking, “You’re just reluctant, you don’t want strangers to come into our home, right?”

Su Zhiluo softly hummed in agreement.

“Then this month, let’s finalize the purchase of the apartment we looked at last time,” Liu Chengxu said.

The apartment they were interested in this time was not cheap, costing a total of four million RMB. Liu Chengxu would be responsible for the mortgage, and they would split the down payment. Given their current financial situation, this was entirely within their means.

Liu Chengxu had a high income and was skilled in investment, plus she had dividends from Meng Zhengyue’s side; Su Zhiluo was more stable, with her factory growing larger, supplying multiple brand stores and managing several of her own budget-friendly physical shops.

Liu Chengxu’s consideration was that she wasn’t sure if they would stay here permanently in the future. They would buy an apartment now and upgrade to a larger floor-plan later when they truly settled down.

When they went to bed at night, Su Zhiluo gently held her hand, rubbing it unconsciously.

The next morning, Liu Chengxu woke up to go to work and saw that Su Zhiluo had prepared breakfast and packed it in a lunchbox for her to take, saying she had something to do in the afternoon and would be going out.

Liu Chengxu said, “Later, why don’t you open a studio here? Do some design work, design styles you like that keep up with trends. That way, you won’t just stay here all day. I worry you’ll get bored over time.”

“I know. Ruyin and I are already discussing it.”

Liu Chengxu kissed her on the cheek as she left. “Thank you, darling.”

Su Zhiluo looked up at her, and Liu Chengxu dashed away. Downstairs, Liu Chengxu touched her own face—it was really hot.

Once Su Zhiluo slowly adapted, they could proceed with the plan to get married.

Liu Chengxu looked back at the window. Su Zhiluo was waving at her.

After Liu Chengxu left, Su Zhiluo ate her breakfast, then called Chang Ruyin to discuss. Su Zhiluo drove out by herself. This city slept late and woke up early; the shops were already open.

She arrived at the jewelry store recommended by Chang Ruyin.

Chang Ruyin had said: The store called Lu Dameng is quite good. The styles are nice. You can buy based on weight, and the design won’t be bad.

Su Zhiluo followed the navigation. She didn’t want to buy a very big diamond. She wanted to buy a pair of simple wedding bands that would be perfect for them, something they could wear all the time.

Since leaving their respective families, they had been together through the blossoming of spring, the growth of summer, the harvest of autumn, and the hiding of winter.

They endured scorching heat and freezing cold, tasted all the joys and sorrows. Every detail of life could have broken them, but they bravely endured. Regardless of what others thought of their love, as long as they were happy, it was enough.

When she walked into the store, a guide enthusiastically greeted her and recommended a few styles. She looked for a long time but didn’t find anything she liked; she was unwilling to settle for the mainstream designs. The guide didn’t push a sale. Instead, she handed Su Zhiluo a note with an email address on it, explaining gently: If she wasn’t in a hurry and was willing to try, she could write an email to their CEO. If the CEO was touched by their story, she would personally design a sketch for them. Once confirmed, they could expect the exclusive finished product in about a month.

This sounded quite mysterious, and Su Zhiluo was skeptical.

Chang Ruyin said, “Right? Their customer service is great. They never force a sale, and people really do submit stories and actually receive the CEO’s design sketch.”

Su Zhiluo initially thought it was just a marketing tactic, but after searching online, she discovered that an acclaimed necklace Meng Zhengyue once wore seemed to have been designed by the CEO of this very store.

She was slightly moved and began to draft an idea on the shaking bus. She wrote out her and Liu Chengxu’s past in detail, without any deliberate embellishment. When she came to her senses, the document was already over five thousand characters long.

I’m sorry, I wrote so much at once. Basically, she always seems to lack confidence. When talking with friends, she feels like she’s not number one in my heart. She’s very much liked a puppy—very cool and aloof outside, but when I call her name, she wags her tail happily. Of course, I’ve never told her this. When I like and save videos of puppies, a lot of the time it’s not just because I like puppies, but because they really look like her. She asked me whether I want to keep a puppy or a cat in the future. I think I want to keep a kitten, because I already have a puppy.

The bus carriage swayed. She recalled their past.

And wrote the last sentence:

The narrow space is like someone’s chest cavity, and every collision of love is deafening.

She didn’t know if the recipient would read it, and she apologized for bothering them and thanked them for reading her story.

When the bus arrived at the stop, she visited several other stores, all with similar styles. She thought that maybe she should just buy gold bars and find a master craftsman to forge the rings.

Unexpectedly, only three days later, she received a reply. The person sent her a design sketch directly.

Su Zhiluo was so startled that she immediately searched on Xiaohongshu a social media platform. People said that if the email sank without a trace, there was no hope, but a reply meant the CEO had seen it herself.

That night, she was very excited. Liu Chengxu was busy designing a villa, stretching her arms and legs to relieve fatigue. Su Zhiluo held her phone and smiled.

She turned around and secretly took a few pictures of Liu Chengxu with her phone.

She thought: Silly girl, look at what you’re doing now. You don’t know I’m looking at the ring design sketch, do you?

The face of the ring had a crisscrossing engraved pattern like eaves, and nestled underneath the lines were a small puppy and an elegant white Zhi flower referring to her own name, Zhiluo.

Just one look, and a painful warmth swelled in her chest.

Liu Chengxu finished her work and got into bed, hugging her from behind. Su Zhiluo was lying on her side and quickly slipped her phone under the pillow, her fingertips still slightly trembling from the excitement.

She truly hadn’t expected the person to be willing to take on the custom order for such a simple, un-flashy pair of plain bands.

About two weeks later, she went to the store to pick up the rings. The guides were all surprised and congratulated her, saying she was the first person since the store opened to receive a personal design from the CEO, and they wished her and her girlfriend happiness.

It felt as if the whole world was congratulating her that day.

She overturned her previous assumptions; their love didn’t seem that… ordinary. It was grand and spectacular.

The former Su Zhiluo felt extremely miserable, her life was not as good as others from birth, and her days were mostly rainy. Her biggest goal was to strive to live and just have a safe harbor.

Now, she had become the luckiest person in the world.

Su Zhiluo specially bought a small cake and waited at the tech park where Liu Chengxu worked. When it was time to get off work, she sent her a message.

Liu Chengxu quickly rushed down and said, “Sister-in-law, I have a meeting today. Go upstairs and wait for me in my office.”

She took the cake from Su Zhiluo’s hand and said, “I’ll put it in the office fridge.”

Su Zhiluo said, “Hey,” and replied, “Is that okay? Your workplace?”

“Don’t worry, the sales champion, the director, has this privilege.”

Su Zhiluo was incredibly nervous and didn’t dare to go up. After a lot of back and forth, Su Zhiluo still chose to sit in the downstairs coffee shop and sent her a message: Remember to eat the cake.

Then she waited and waited.

After waiting for almost two hours, Su Zhiluo couldn’t keep her eyes open. Since she knew she was coming to pick up the rings today, she had been a bit sleepy. Now, as she waited, her heart finally settled.

She fell asleep, resting her head on the table.

Liu Chengxu finished her meeting and sent a few messages to Su Zhiluo, but received no reply. She wasn’t sure if Su Zhiluo had left, so she first took out the cake, cut a piece to taste, and gave half to the assistant who came over, then prepared to head downstairs to check.

Liu Chengxu walked quickly and pressed the down elevator button. Her assistant frantically ran towards her with the cake. “Director, Director, your cake…”

Liu Chengxu said, “Just put it in the fridge.”

“No, no…” the assistant said, “There’s a ring in your cake.”

Liu Chengxu was stunned for a moment, then quickly reached out and stopped the elevator door that was about to close.

She took a ring out of the cake.

The shock of that moment almost consumed all her senses. Her ears couldn’t hear, tears welled up uncontrollably, and even her breathing stopped. She carefully wiped the cream off the ring with a tissue, but instead of putting it on immediately, she gently placed it between her lips.

Ah.

It was sweet.

Truly sweet.

Liu Chengxu took the ring down and held it tightly in her palm. She said, “This is from my sister-in-law… my girlfriend.”

Liu Chengxu got back into the elevator.

How could she not know why Su Zhiluo sent her this ring? Su Zhiluo must have seen her envy towards Meng Zhengyue, known she wanted one, and bought it for her. Since childhood, Su Zhiluo had never let her suffer, protected her self-esteem, made sure she was neatly dressed, and never inferior to anyone. As long as she asked, Su Zhiluo would find a way to give it to her.

She looked inside through the glass.

Su Zhiluo was quietly napping at the table, her long eyelashes resting gently like butterfly wings. The scattered daylight outside the window lightly fell on the side of her face, a sacred and beautiful picture. She was her priceless treasure, unsellable, owned only by her.

Liu Chengxu tip-toed over. She quietly sat beside Su Zhiluo and ordered the café’s signature “Sunset Glow,” a grapefruit and orange juice. Liu Chengxu rested her head sideways, waiting for her lover, her darling, her partner for the rest of her life to wake up.