Chapter 2: What is this all about?
Only one eggshell lamp was lit in the room, its warm yellow light casting an ambiguous glow.
Liu Chengxu turned to the side, his eyes half-closed.
Su Zhiluo's bare back was particularly defined in the dim light, with pink ribbons peeking out from under her clothes. She pinched the hem of her dress and pulled it down to cover her sexy waist.
My sister-in-law is both innocent and alluring.
The bedroom was so narrow that there was barely enough room to turn around; the old house with its peeling paint could only barely fit two beds. Liu Chengxu's wooden bed was pressed against the wall, leaving so little space that it was difficult to even turn around. The two of them had to sit with their legs touching to barely fit.
Liu Chengxu raised his hand slightly and touched Su Zhiluo, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against her bare thigh.
Su Zhiluo's skin felt itchy, and she trembled slightly from sensitivity. Turning to look at her, she withdrew her leg. "What's wrong?"
"Hmm..." Liu Chengxu stared at her, "Sister-in-law, you are so beautiful."
Her voice was still hoarse from sleep. Liu Chengxu rubbed her eyes, and Su Zhiluo found her adorable and smiled.
Su Zhiluo grabbed her long hair, tied it into a lazy low ponytail with a black hair tie, then wrapped it around her index finger to make a feather-like ponytail. A few strands of hair fell beside her cheeks, making her look lazy yet elegant.
"Don't go out today," Su Zhiluo said, twirling her hair with her fingertips. "Aren't you supposed to go back to school this afternoon? I'll ask for leave to take you."
"No need, I'll come to the factory to find you." Liu Chengxu tugged at her clothes. "Sister-in-law, can I come back on Saturday and Sunday?"
Su Zhiluo doesn't work overtime on Saturdays and Sundays, but the two places are far apart, and the subway ride is long and tiring. Su Zhiluo didn't agree immediately and seemed a little hesitant. Liu Chengxu knew what she was thinking and replied, "I'm not afraid of being tired. I'm young."
“If you don’t have class then, give me a call and I’ll arrange to make you something nice to eat,” Su Zhiluo said.
"Okay, thank you, sister-in-law."
"Stay home and rest well, don't get too hot."
Liu Chengxu propped himself up and sat cross-legged on the bed. "I have to go to school this afternoon."
Her tone was sour, and she sounded rather pitiful. Although they lived in the same city, this was Liu Chengxu's first time away from home, and he was staying for several months. Su Zhiluo wasn't used to being alone at home either, and always felt a sense of emptiness.
"Do you miss me?" Liu Chengxu asked.
Just as Su Zhiluo was about to speak, her phone on the coffee table suddenly vibrated. She glanced at the caller ID, grabbed her phone, and quickly walked to the balcony.
Liu Chengxu got out of bed and followed her. His sister-in-law lowered her voice, looked down, and then hummed in agreement. After hanging up the phone, she looked at Liu Chengxu and said, "I'm going to work. I'll send your living expenses to you via WeChat. Go back to sleep for a while."
Su Zhiluo took her bag and walked to the entrance hall, changed her shoes and went downstairs. Liu Chengxu did not go back to the bedroom, but stood on the balcony and looked down.
The white sedan downstairs was all too familiar to Liu Chengxu—it was Yang Jie's car. Their eyes met mid-air, and Yang Jie smiled at him. Before Liu Chengxu could react, Su Zhiluo had already walked to the car, and Yang Jie opened the passenger door for her.
Liu Chengxu found the world to be amazing. When she was a child, she hadn't met many lesbians. Whenever people talked about it, their faces would change as if they had seen something very strange. Now, lesbians are everywhere, and each of them is very bold in pursuing love.
After the white SUV drove away, Liu Chengxu felt the small room suddenly become empty. She turned over, the mattress creaking as if mocking her loneliness. The thought of her sister-in-law with Yang Jie made her feel suffocated.
Early in the morning, Liu Chengxu boiled eggs by himself and chewed them mechanically. Then he took apart and washed the bed sheets, and then took out his sister-in-law's autumn clothes to wash as well, and then hung them all on the balcony.
The neighbor next door greeted him, saying, "Come back and do housework for your sister-in-law."
Liu Chengxu hummed in agreement.
My sister-in-law is very busy with work and doesn't usually have time for these things.
The neighbor added, "Your sister-in-law is amazing. Before you came, she would buy goods herself and set up a stall in the mall. She was even planning to open a shop. Otherwise, she would have a storefront now and be a small business owner."
Liu Chengxu said, "I will be good to my sister-in-law."
“Then your sister-in-law didn’t raise you for nothing.” Aunt Zhang finished speaking and went to set up her stall.
Su Zhiluo used to be very hardworking and dared to try anything. After Liu Chengxu came, the tuition alone was 12,000 yuan for half a year, not to mention the various tuition and miscellaneous fees later on. Su Zhiluo had to put her plans aside, go to the factory, and find a stable and relatively high salary to support the two of them. She didn't care if it was hard, the most important thing was not to let her studies fall behind.
At noon, Liu Chengxu called Su Zhiluo, who was waiting at the factory gate. Su Zhiluo came out and saw her carrying a lunchbox.
Su Zhiluo asked in surprise, "You cooked for me?"
Liu Chengxu nodded, "Yes, I can't do it if I go to school."
Su Zhiluo's feelings were hard to describe; she didn't know whether she felt heartbroken or touched.
Liu Chengxu never knew how to cook before, and Su Zhiluo forced her to learn. While she was learning, Liu Chengxu hated her and wanted to escape from this dilapidated house every second.
Su Zhiluo simply let her cry and complain. She couldn't cook for Liu Chengxu during her holidays because she was working every day. If Liu Chengxu learned how to cook, she wouldn't go hungry. Once she lived alone, she could take good care of herself.
Su Zhiluo wanted to take her out shopping, but Liu Chengxu knew that his sister-in-law worked hard and didn't take a nap, so she would be in a bad mood in the afternoon and would be scolded by her team leader.
Liu Chengxu said softly, "Sister-in-law, can I hug you? I'll miss you when I get to school."
Su Zhiluo nodded, walked over and hugged her, patted her shoulder and said, "Call me if anything happens at school. The seasons are changing soon, so don't catch a cold... Have you packed your clothes for the new season?"
"It's all packed up."
Liu Chengxu looked like he was about to cry. He lowered his head, leaned on her shoulder, smelled the fragrance of Su Zhiluo's hair, and slowly wrapped his arms around Su Zhiluo's waist, his palms touching her slender, soft skin.
Su Zhiluo said softly, "You should tell me if you don't have money at school. Don't be so frugal. You're in college now."
"I know." Liu Chengxu closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of his sister-in-law's body, and quickly said sensibly, "Sister-in-law, go to sleep, don't work too hard."
"be safe."
Su Zhiluo walked back and happened to run into Yang Jie. Yang Jie was holding a bottle of mineral water, and Liu Chengxu stood not far away, watching Yang Jie hand the water to Su Zhiluo. Only after the two figures disappeared from sight did Liu Chengxu realize that he had crumpled the hem of his clothes.
After returning to school, Liu Chengxu video-called his sister-in-law every night without fail. Each time, her gaze would linger on the background behind Su Zhiluo to confirm that she was at home and that no one else had come to their house.
Originally, Liu Chengxu planned to go home on Saturday and Sunday. After Meng Zhenyue sent her a message asking if she wanted to do a part-time job, she gritted her teeth and chose to go out with Meng Zhenyue and the others.
They had no classes on Friday afternoons, so they went out to work part-time on Fridays and worked until 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. They worked for a month, and then the autumn chill arrived, with cold winds blowing from time to time.
It was already dark when he got back. As soon as he reached the dormitory building, Liu Chengxu immediately called his sister-in-law. As soon as he dialed the number, she frowned and looked up immediately, "Sister-in-law?"
Su Zhiluo turned to look at her and asked, "Where did you go?"
Soon, Su Zhiluo found out that she was doing part-time work. She sighed and walked towards Liu Chengxu, carrying a bag in her hand. She said, "I bought you a coat, a thick coat. Try it on."
Liu Chengxu looked like he was about to cry; he was deeply moved.
Su Zhiluo wanted to laugh at her, but her tone was gentle and soft, "You said you'd go back on Saturday and Sunday, and you even bought the groceries, but you're not coming back."
Liu Chengxu lowered her head and accepted the thick coat, the baseball uniform Su Zhiluo had bought for her, a soft sweater, as well as snacks and milk powder. When she was in high school, Su Zhiluo would make her drink a glass of milk every morning, afraid that she wouldn't get enough nutrition.
"Thank you, sister-in-law."
"Just tell me if you need money."
"I don't lack money."
The baseball uniform was a perfect choice, accentuating Liu Chengxu's straight shoulders and making him appear tall and slender. Su Zhilu couldn't help but glance at it a few more times; it truly looked good on him, radiating the youthful energy unique to college students. Liu Chengxu also liked the uniform, saying, "Sister-in-law, you have excellent taste."
"Then I'm leaving." Su Zhiluo tugged at her hem. "Wear more clothes."
"Sister-in-law, why don't you sleep in my dorm? I'll sleep on the floor."
"Need not."
Su Zhiluo could tell from her expression that she was reluctant to part with her, so she said, "I'll walk with you for a bit. You can walk me to the school gate, and then I'll take the subway back by myself."
Liu Chengxu suppressed his bitterness as he saw his sister-in-law off.
Su Zhiluo said, "Come back for a meal. I'll cook at home and wait for you on Saturday."
"good."
The night wind was biting, and Su Zhiluo tucked her hands deep into her trench coat pockets. Liu Chengxu followed half a step away from her, listening to his sister-in-law ask about her recent studies. Su Zhiluo's words were full of curiosity and longing for university life. In just over twenty minutes, the school gate was in sight.
"I'll stop here. You should go home and get some rest." Su Zhiluo stopped her. "Let's go."
He pinched her cheek again, "Look at you, you've gotten so tanned you're like a black dog."
Liu Chengxu blushed inexplicably. She stood there, her hands clenched so tightly in her baseball jersey pockets that they ached. As the bus started to move, she suddenly took two steps to catch up, then abruptly stopped—the autumn wind, carrying withered leaves, whipped against her face, making her nose sting.
Buses passed by her door one after another. She waited for a few minutes, then turned back. When she got to her dormitory, she put on the sweater and found three hundred yuan inside. She wore the sweater until she went to bed and couldn't bear to take it off.
*
In December, Liu Chengxu went back home with two workers. She bought a washing machine for Su Zhiluo. The workers carried the washing machine upstairs, and Su Zhiluo stood at the door in disbelief.
The neighbors came over to watch, and Su Zhiluo finally realized what was happening. She looked at Liu Chengxu, who was walking ahead of her, and Liu Chengxu smiled, his eyes filled with pride.
Without needing to say more, Su Zhiluo understood that Liu Chengxu didn't come back on Saturdays and Sundays to do his part-time job because he wanted to buy this before winter came.
The Little Swan washing machine, which is not too big for two people, cost 800 yuan.
The aunt next door said, "This is the first time you've bought a home appliance."
Su Zhiluo smiled as she returned to the living room to get a broom and tidy up the balcony. She moved all the flower pots on the floor to the opposite side, and put the washing machine down, leaving only a small space on the balcony where people could stand.
The already cramped little house became even more crowded. The workers had a lot of trouble installing the washing machine, saying that the facilities in their community were old and it was difficult to install anything.
Liu Chengxu said to his sister-in-law, "Your hands won't get cold in winter anymore."
“My hands have never been frostbitten,” Su Zhiluo said. She had seen frostbitten hands, which looked unsightly. She looked at her own hands, clenched them into fists, and hid the thin calluses on her palms.
"Your hands are red from the cold." Liu Chengxu held her hand, but Su Zhiluo pulled her hand back, not letting her touch it. Liu Chengxu then pinched her waist a couple of times.
The workers left, and the food was served. It was free-range chicken that they had specially bought from the market, and it smelled delicious. Su Zhiluo put a chicken leg on her plate and told her to finish the soup. Liu Chengxu only ate lunch at home before leaving in a hurry.
Su Zhiluo was home alone, fiddling with her newly bought washing machine. She stuffed two pieces of clothing inside, watching the drum clumsily tumble, the machine emitting a muffled buzzing sound that made the floor tremble slightly. She squatted in front of the washing machine, a smile unconsciously creeping onto her face.
The dishes on the table hadn't been washed yet, so Su Zhiluo went to tidy them up. She then noticed a phone box on the table. She paused for a moment, then opened it to find a new phone. She checked the brand, took the phone, and searched for it – it cost 3,500 yuan.
Su Zhiluo's phone was still an 800 yuan one. At that time, she was financially independent. Smartphones had just come out, and the one she bought was considered quite good. Later, it became increasingly laggy, and she figured that she could just make calls and read novels normally.
Su Zhiluo placed the old phone on the table, removed the transparent cover from the box, and used the tools and instructions inside to insert the SIM card.
She called Liu Chengxu, but no one answered.
Su Zhiluo sat in the chair playing. Her new phone was incredibly smooth; she downloaded Weibo, her usual novel-reading app, and some of the most popular games recently.
Su Zhiluo played with the phone like she had a new toy for an entire afternoon, even trying to dissuade Liu Chengxu from using it. But when she actually got to use the phone, she couldn't bear to part with it, whether it was because of Liu Chengxu's affection or because the phone was new.
Liu Chengxu worked for several months and saved every penny of his money, spending it all on her without any hesitation. He was very thoughtful.
When Liu Chengxu returned from work, he had just entered the alley when he saw Su Zhiluo standing at the alley entrance with a flashlight.
Su Zhiluo stood there for a while, then lightly stomped her foot, handed the flashlight to Liu Chengxu, turned on the backlight of her phone and waved it around. The two elongated shadows swayed gently on the ground, as if they had secretly held hands.
Back home, Su Zhiluo took out the sliced cantaloupe, and the two of them ate it on the balcony.
In the darkness, a cold light illuminated the back of Su Zhiluo's neck. A few strands of her casually tied hair peeked out and clung to her damp skin. The Bluetooth indicator light on her old phone blinked, and the file transfer progress bar crawled slowly. Once the first photo arrived, she set the picture of the two of them as her chat background.
Liu Chengxu initially just watched in silence, until a faint fragrance entered his nostrils, the scent clearly emanating from Su Zhiluo's neck.
In the chat background, the older sister was affectionately pinching Su Zhiluo's face, trying to kiss her, while Su Zhiluo half-heartedly pushed her away with her hand, her ear tips turning bright red.
A strange, indescribable feeling pressed down on her; she glanced at it, then looked away, her gaze returning to her sister's photo.
The old mobile phone used to have blurry picture quality, and this blurriness is very much like the memoir of my deceased wife, a hazy, irreplaceable beauty of white moonlight.
This made Liu Chengxu feel sad and depressed. She lowered her head and rubbed her hand against Su Zhiluo's hand twice.
Su Zhiluo looked at her face, which resembled Liu Jinhuan's. The two sisters had very similar facial features, no wonder she often mistook Liu Chengxu for Liu Jinhuan in her dreams.
She didn't pull her hand away immediately, but let her stay close to her. She was also using Liu Jinhuan to reminisce about her deceased wife, saying, "You miss your sister too, don't you?"
Liu Chengxu kept her eyes closed, her dependence on her sister-in-law outweighing any slight longing for her older sister. Her remaining morality made her throat dry, and she couldn't respond. When she heard Liu Chengxu say, "I miss her too," her heart ached. With her eyes closed, the pain she felt made her place all her strength on Su Zhiluo's hand.
Su Zhiluo, bearing the weight of her cheek, said, "If I had known that your sister would kiss you back then, I wouldn't be so regretful."
"You..." Liu Chengxu suppressed the trembling in her body caused by her heart breaking, and said, "...I'm so sad."
"Don't be sad." Su Zhiluo gently rubbed her chin with the back of her hand, then moved to her cheek and gently stroked it. Liu Chengxu could feel that this intimate touch was her way of expressing her longing through similar features.
Liu Chengxu opened his eyes and met Su Zhiluo's gaze. Su Zhiluo's eyes, bathed in moonlight, were filled with painful tears. She sighed, "The dead cannot be brought back to life..."
Su Zhiluo could only manage two short sentences before she couldn't continue. "I haven't known your sister for very long. I didn't think she was that great before, but now I think she's the best, the very best. It's strange, I compare everyone I see to her."
"And what about me?" Liu Chengxu asked expectantly.
As her sister-in-law, Su Zhiluo only saw the most superficial emotions. She said, "You..." She thought for a moment, many images of Liu Jinhuan flashing through her mind, "Your sister is more composed than you."
"Lust?"
"What you mean is, 'You're just a child. Your sister is still my sister,' Su Zhiluo pinched her cheek. 'Do you understand?'"
Liu Chengxu controlled her emotions very well, showing no sign of jealousy. She just had difficulty breathing, feeling blocked and unable to find a way out.
The phone vibrated, indicating that the Bluetooth transmission was successful.
Liu Cheng said, "Sister-in-law, could you give me your phone? I also want to transfer my sister's information to my phone. When she eloped with you, my parents packed up her things and took them away."
Su Zhiluo withdrew her hand, and Liu Chengxu lowered his head as if he had lost all his strength. Su Zhiluo handed her the phone, "Take it."
Su Zhiluo leaned against the balcony railing, the silk fabric of her slip dress billowing in the night breeze, outlining her slender waistline. The clinging fabric revealed the shadows of her waist dimples.
"It's a bit cold," Su Zhiluo said as she walked into the house, reminding Liu Chengxu, "Remember to close the window when you come in."
"good."
Only after she could no longer see her sister-in-law did Liu Chengxu slowly turn around. She lowered her head, staring at the spiral staircase leading downwards; the dark entrance to the stairwell seemed to suck her in.
She fell into that bottomless abyss the moment she first fell in love, and she kept sinking deeper and deeper.
The old phone in his palm was burning hot, and Liu Chengxu suddenly choked up, letting out a whimper like a small animal.
Back in her bedroom at night, Su Zhiluo played on her new phone, occasionally hearing the sounds of games.
She flipped through the photo albums and noticed the music playing on the player. Su Zhiluo rarely listened to music, so these were probably all songs she listened to with her sister. Her sister used to love buying MP3 players and saving up money to go to concerts.
Liu Chengxu plugged in the earphones Meng Zhenyue had given her, put both on, and the first song was "Day by Day." Su Zhiluo turned her head and asked her, "Can you get a scholarship?"
They were all students with similar grades in college, and everyone in the class had roughly the same level of achievement. Liu Chengxu didn't dare to agree immediately. She estimated for a moment and replied, "It should be possible."
Su Zhiluo said, "Once you get the scholarship, I'll go and take some certification exams."
"What do you want to study?" Liu Cheng asked. "I'll find you some materials; our school library is very big."
"Huh." Su Zhiluo forgot about this and said, "Then I don't need to spend money to find an agency." She was going to add that it would save her some money, but she skipped over it and said, "While the certificates are still rare and valuable before they become commonplace, I'll take a few exams as soon as possible."
As for what the exam would cover, Su Zhiluo considered it briefly before asking her, "How about the computer skills?"
Liu Chengxu asked, "Aren't you studying fashion design?"
“I’ve inquired, and I’ll have to buy the fabric myself, which will be expensive.”
“You can study whatever you want, don’t worry about tuition fees, I can earn money now.” Fearing she wouldn’t believe him, Liu Chengxu gave an example, “My friend Meng Zhenyue, she supports herself through school and even has savings. Don’t worry, I can slowly earn my tuition fees by working part-time.”
"I wanted to study computer science myself, because the IT industry is in high demand everywhere."
“However,” Liu Chengxu said seriously, “staying up late is stressful, and the stress is even greater after 30, especially for young people.”
Su Zhiluo was stunned; clearly, she hadn't considered this point.
Liu Cheng said, "If you want to learn, that's fine too. It depends on which one you want to learn. Information technology is indeed very lucrative now, but I always hear that if you can't get into management, you're likely to lose your job. There's another profession, IU designer."
Knowing that Su Zhiluo was confused, she added, "I'll make a career plan for you, with the pros and cons written out, and you can choose for yourself."
"Okay." Su Zhiluo played on her phone for a while longer, then said, "Go to sleep early."
"Okay." Liu Chengxu turned to look at her. Su Zhiluo really liked the new phone; a chain had already been attached to the phone case.
Liu Chengxu listened to the song.
This way, she could squeeze into Su Zhiluo's world, creating a narrow gap between her and her sister, even though she knew she couldn't compare to her sister.
Su Zhiluo said, "The phone transfer isn't finished yet."
"There are a few more songs."
"Can't we just download it?"
"I can't remember the song title."
Liu Chengxu scrolled down and found several more audio and video recordings. She selected them all and sent them to her phone. Her finger was about to tap on the video to watch when she paused and looked at Su Zhiluo on the opposite bed.
She fell asleep.
Liu Chengxu tiptoed out of bed and squatted down.
Su Zhiluo's fair skin glowed with a luminous sheen, her chest rising and falling slightly with each breath. A few stray hairs clung to her flushed cheeks, making her high nose bridge and thin, slightly pursed lips appear even more alluring. The loose shoulder straps slipped down to her arms, subtly outlining her beautiful curves.
Her throat tightened, and she swallowed, carefully pressing her lips to his.
She knew her sister-in-law wasn't sleeping soundly and was at risk of waking up at any moment, yet she still drank poison to quench her thirst... and couldn't resist savoring her sister-in-law's sweetness.
Like me, sister-in-law?
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[shy][shy][shy] Update! Update! Sorry for the long wait~ Thank you everyone for your support!
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