Bullying The Sister-In-Law - Chapter 5.2

Su Zhiluo walked ahead. Upstairs, she had Liu Chengxu point out the table, and Su Zhiluo went straight over. She said sternly, “You think you’re tough? Try touching my kid again. You think you’re so brave, huh? How about a trip to the police station? Let’s see who’s right!”

The man saw it was a woman and laughed, not taking her seriously. He scoffed lazily, calling Su Zhiluo a ‘stinky whore’ and telling her to scram.

Su Zhiluo wasn’t afraid at all; she went straight up and yanked his hair, startling Liu Chengxu. The man started yelling and raised his hand to hit Su Zhiluo. Su Zhiluo erupted with strength, pulling his hair straight up, pointing a finger at his nose, and said, “What kind of act is getting drunk and causing a scene? If you bully her again, I’ll fight you to the death. Oh, and I won’t just fight; I’ll go to your workplace and find you. Let’s see who’s tougher.”

The man’s fist was about to land on Su Zhiluo’s shoulder, so Su Zhiluo grabbed a bottle and pointed it at his head. “Let’s see who’s tougher, you old lecher. You hit me once, and I’ll smash this bottle over your head.”

Su Zhiluo was shorter than the man, but her tone was utterly ruthless, her eyes glaring fiercely. The women next to the man were frightened and pulled him back, offering various ways to calm the situation down.

It was the first time Liu Chengxu had seen her sister-in-law like this. Su Zhiluo was usually a gentle person, maybe sharp with words at most, but fighting was new. By the time Liu Chengxu came to her senses, Su Zhiluo had already taken the bottle from her hand.

Su Zhiluo held her hand and said, “It’s okay, don’t be afraid. If you get fired, then we’ll just quit this job.”

The surrounding people came over to speak in their defense. The man’s female companions couldn’t handle the scene and left first; the man cursed and hurriedly followed them.

The commotion was loud, so the manager came to check the surveillance footage and told Liu Chengxu to clock out early. Su Zhiluo took Liu Chengxu downstairs.

Su Zhiluo led her to a nearby accessories shop and pulled out a bag. She had brought a meal she cooked; when she opened the thermos lid, there was mushroom stew with chicken, including two big chicken drumsticks. Su Zhiluo said the other one was for her friend.

Liu Chengxu texted Meng Zhengyue. Meng Zhengyue had already eaten with Cha Baomei and replied, your sister-in-law is so good to you.

The wind blew, and a few strands of hair brushed across Liu Chengxu’s brow.

Su Zhiluo naturally reached out, gently tucking the stray hair behind Liu Chengxu’s ear. “If you want to cry, then cry. Your eyes are all red. Why keep this feeling bottled up?”

Her eyes were very much like her sister’s—bright, a pair of soulful eyes. But Liu Chengxu was young, and her eyes were always moist and pitiful.

Su Zhiluo cradled her face. “Aren’t I your sister-in-law? Can’t you even cry in front of your sister-in-law?”

“Don’t work so hard. You still need to eat well. I feel like you’ve gotten thinner.”

Liu Chengxu had indeed lost some weight. There were a lot of things to do in her freshman year, plus part-time work on Saturdays and Sundays, and she had to participate in quality development activities as required for the scholarship.

While others enjoyed college life, she used college to grow up quickly.

Liu Chengxu inhaled the cold air, her nose stinging. Su Zhiluo’s words struck her heart hard. Tears welled up and fell. “It’s okay, sister-in-law. I can support myself for the four years of college. You should go do what you want to do.”

Su Zhiluo just looked at her and smiled.

“Do you think I haven’t done anything these past few years? That I’ve wasted them?”

The realistic implication was: Do you think you’ve been a burden to me?

Liu Chengxu hesitated, then nodded.

Su Zhiluo said, “In these four years, I raised a child and got her into a prestigious university. I think I’m quite amazing. If this could be written on a resume, I’d be more outstanding than anyone else.”

She stroked her face again. “Stop worrying. Eat now, before it gets cold.”

Liu Chengxu ate slowly, afraid of being separated, her eyes constantly looking at her sister-in-law.

After she finished eating, Su Zhiluo took out a black scarf from the bag. She wrapped the two ends around Liu Chengxu’s neck, circling her slender throat. “I knitted it myself. It might not be that pretty. I originally planned to buy you one, but after going around, I found they were all fake cashmere.” She tied it and then adjusted it to look better. “Is it warm?”

“Mhm.” Liu Chengxu lowered her head, smelling the familiar scent of laundry detergent on it. Su Zhiluo had washed it specifically before bringing it. She saw her sister-in-law’s long eyelashes and fair skin.

She was reminded again of that night—her sister-in-law’s body covered in a fine layer of sweat, a soft moan escaping her throat, a kind of mature desire, a ripe fruit dripping with honey.

She tried to look away but was attracted every time.

They walked around the neighborhood for a bit. Su Zhiluo had to go back, and Liu Chengxu had to return to school since she had classes the next day. Su Zhiluo told her to open her hand. Liu Chengxu did, and Su Zhiluo pulled a palm-sized night light from her pocket. “Use this on your way back. Don’t walk in places that are too dark.”

Liu Chengxu clutched the scarf around her neck and rubbed her face against it twice. This was the tenderness her sister-in-law brought her. She met Meng Zhengyue at the subway entrance, and they headed back to school together. Liu Chengxu kept shining the light back and forth.

Meng Zhengyue was puzzled and quietly asked, “Did the person you like give it to you?”

Liu Chengxu gasped, then awkwardly stuffed the light into her pocket, illuminating her entire pant pocket. Was it that obvious?

That night, the manager texted them, asking Liu Chengxu to continue working. It wasn’t that the manager was particularly fair; it was because if Liu Chengxu quit, Meng Zhengyue would definitely leave too, and Meng Zhengyue sang well and had fans at the restaurant; many people came specifically to hear her sing.

Su Zhiluo didn’t want her to go, fearing the man might retaliate. Liu Chengxu couldn’t bear to lose the money, worried she’d have to find another job later.

Moreover, the winter break was approaching. Meng Zhengyue supported herself; she had to save up for tuition and living expenses. If she quit now, Meng Zhengyue would have a hard time for a while. Liu Chengxu, after all, had a sister-in-law, while Meng Zhengyue had no one behind her. Liu Chengxu wanted to help her friend and decided to go back.

When she arrived at the restaurant, the manager came to talk to Liu Chengxu. “Forget about yesterday. Don’t let anything like that happen again. Try to be accommodating.”

Seeing that she hadn’t deducted her wages, Liu Chengxu nodded and said OKAY.

Meng Zhengyue sat on the stage singing. Liu Chengxu was changing clothes and serving dishes backstage when she heard Meng Zhengyue sing: “Winter arrives, my fingers clutch the light. I never dared to openly speak of my love for you. Hiding, tucking the unsaid love into my heart, became the worst habit. When friends ask, I hold the light in my pocket, and I tuck you into my heart, too. Panic, palpitation, finally condensing into regret…”

Liu Chengxu stood nearby listening. Meng Zhengyue covered the mic and called out to her, softly asking, “Your sister-in-law?”

Liu Chengxu’s heart panicked instantly. She suspected Meng Zhengyue had seen through who she liked. Meng Zhengyue raised her chin. The bar had floor-to-ceiling glass on all four sides, allowing passersby on the street to clearly see the performance on stage.

Liu Chengxu looked down. Su Zhiluo had appeared again, sitting on a long bench across the street. She was wearing a red scarf and a black down jacket, her hands tucked into her pockets, a smile on her lips.

Su Zhiluo said, “What can I do? I’m worried about you. I swapped shifts with a friend for a few days. If anyone bullies you, just call me to come up. Go back to work, you don’t need to worry about me.”

Liu Chengxu quickly went downstairs. “Go inside and sit down. The bar is warmer than outside.”

Su Zhiluo replied, “You want me to sit inside and watch you work hard? No one wants to see their kid working so hard.”

Su Zhiluo folded her arms and said seriously, “I can still support you for four years and give you living expenses. Don’t do this job.”

Liu Chengxu was more mature now. Hearing this, while touched, she also felt pity for Su Zhiluo. She was about to speak, intending to share the burden, but Su Zhiluo cut her off: “I’ll support you.”

“If I could support you before, I can support you now. Did you hear me, Liu Chengxu?”

Liu Chengxu nodded forcefully. She didn’t turn back, afraid of crying.

Back upstairs, she wanted to hear the rest of Meng Zhengyue’s song, but Meng Zhengyue said she hadn’t finished writing it, only a few verses.

“Then write that they ended up together, can you?”

Meng Zhengyue frowned. “Can I? Don’t you like someone else’s girlfriend?”

Liu Chengxu’s heart hurt. It was her sister’s wife. Unable to answer, she just said, “What’s the song called?”

Liu Chengxu’s behavior yesterday gave her inspiration. Meng Zhengyue wrote it spontaneously. She said, “It’s called ‘Xu,’ the ‘Xu’ from ‘Narrate’

After this, Su Zhiluo came every week to accompany her while she worked. She would sit across the street at a milk tea shop called “Koi no Kokoro” (Love’s Heart). Liu Chengxu would order her a cup of milk tea to warm her hands. Su Zhiluo would get angry, as one cup of milk tea cost more than Liu Chengxu’s hourly wage, but Liu Chengxu didn’t care. She worked hard because she wanted them to have a good life. It was just that during this time, she always had the illusion that the weekend was her dating day.

She texted this sentence to Meng Zhengyue, asking her to include it in the lyrics, so that slowly, it would become a song about love that comes true.

Their home was far from the bar, an hour and a half by subway. Su Zhiluo would wake up early to buy groceries, cook, and pack the food in a thermos to bring Liu Chengxu lunch.

It was an unwavering ritual, from the chilly beginning of autumn to the north-wind-swept winter.

Sometimes Meng Zhengyue, unaware of the full story, would say to her with a tone of envy, “Your sister-in-law is so good to you.”

It wasn’t just her; her other roommates also often sighed, saying their own older sisters weren’t as meticulous and caring.

Every time Liu Chengxu heard people talk about her sister-in-law’s various acts of “goodness” toward her, she would also fantasize that this tenderness hid a special kind of affection, that her sister-in-law loved her just a little bit. She indulged in this delicate illusion, sinking deeper and deeper into it involuntarily.

A few times, looking at Su Zhiluo’s profile, she almost couldn’t resist kissing her. But they couldn’t; Su Zhiluo maintained a perfect distance.

A few times, passing by a flower bed, Liu Chengxu would deliberately pretend to trip over something and dramatically bump into the flower bed. Su Zhiluo would quickly react and help her up, and Liu Chengxu’s hand would rest in Su Zhiluo’s palm. That way, she got to hold Su Zhiluo’s hand.

Her sister-in-law would never know that in order to hold her hand that winter, Liu Chengxu had bruised her own leg. It hurt a lot, but it was worth it.