Chapter 32: I won't take care of you anymore.
After receiving their admission tickets, the parents immediately presented the flowers to their children and hugged them as soon as their children finished taking photos with the principal.
Su Zhiluo didn't know if Liu Chengxu still wanted the flowers. With every step Liu Chengxu took and every step he got closer, he was filled with anticipation. He wanted that bouquet of flowers, even if it was just a bouquet with the meaning of "blessing".
Liu Chengxu received flowers for the first time in her third year of junior high school. It was 9 p.m. during evening self-study. Su Zhiluo came to pick her up from school, holding a rose in her hand, and said, "I got this from the company party. Do you like it?"
Liu Chengxu said with delight, "I like it."
Su Zhiluo said, "I knew you'd like it."
She suddenly realized that the thriving flowers in her home—sunflowers, roses, and plump jewel flowers—had all started growing on the balcony after she said "I like it."
The balcony gets the best sunlight, and she often sits there to do her homework. Every time she turns her head, she can see Su Zhiluo sitting in the living room, looking down at her phone reading novels; she really likes those sentimental love stories.
Liu Chengxu walked ahead, carrying a rolled-up A4 sheet of paper. Cha Baomei came over last, raising her camera and saying, "...Hey, I'll take pictures for you. I came all the way here."
Liu Chengxu stopped walking. Su Zhiluo took a step forward and stood behind her. Cha Baomei said, "Sister-in-law, take a step forward."
Su Zhiluo took a step forward.
Cha Baomei said, "Sister-in-law, give the flowers to Cheng Xu."
Su Zhiluo then gave her the flowers.
Liu Chengxu took the bouquet and sniffed it lightly. Her initial joy quickly faded because it wasn't handed to her by Su Zhiluo herself.
She suddenly shoved the flowers back into Su Zhiluo's arms. Su Zhiluo was startled, her heart feeling as if it had been struck hard. Liu Chengxu pretended to straighten his trousers, then stood up again, and Su Zhiluo handed the flowers back to her.
Su Zhiluo felt a sharp pain in her chest, and even her expression froze. She belatedly realized that she was actually afraid Liu Chengxu would refuse the bouquet. This fear was subtle, yet it prickled like a needle.
"Come on, smile!" Cha Baomei said, trying to smooth things over by holding up her camera. "Cheng Xu, didn't you always smile a lot when taking pictures?"
Liu Chengxu forced a smile, but it quickly faded. The bitterness in her eyes was impossible to hide, just like the feelings between them, which were always mixed with too much helplessness and self-deceptive testing.
It was almost perfect, but the worst photo ever turned out.
The summer heat was intense, and the sun was blazing overhead. Both of them looked like they were about to cry.
Cha Baomei showed the photos to Su Zhiluo, who looked away and said, "I'll go buy you milk tea."
The shop was right next door, and Su Zhiluo waited in line to compose herself.
As she approached, Liu Chengxu said, "Watermelon juice is delicious."
Liu Chengxu had wanted to bring her the newly opened shop at the school several times, but unfortunately, he never had the chance.
Su Zhilu put the straw in her mouth, and just as she was about to say "It's delicious," Liu Chengxu said, "You're reluctant to drink it? Are you trying to save money to buy a house again?"
Su Zhiluo was stung by her again. She looked at Liu Chengxu with hurt eyes. In the past, Liu Chengxu would suddenly say something provocative, but he would apologize to her quickly, like a puppy that had accidentally bitten someone's hand and would wag its tail at her with guilt.
This time, Liu Chengxu did not apologize to her. His words were harsh and sharp: "You used to scrimp and save to support me and live a miserable life. Now, you finally have some money to buy a house related to my sister, and you have to scrimp and save again."
"Su Zhiluo, do you know why you're suffering so much?"
The yogurt and watermelon tasted slightly astringent at first.
Su Zhilu remained silent.
“You’re such a good person,” Liu Chengxu said. “You can’t see the bad in others. My sister left, my parents bullied you so much, and you endured it. I shamelessly followed you, and you took me in. Shouldn’t you hate everything with the surname Liu?”
Hearing this, Su Zhiluo really did seem stupid. She gritted her teeth and said, "Stop talking. I don't like listening to you."
Liu Chengxu's left eye was red and swollen, while her right eye maintained a mocking expression. Her palm, which was tucked into her pocket, was crushed. She continued, "There are clearly better ways of life, but you refuse them and don't want them."
Su Zhilu handed the watermelon juice to Liu Chengxu, but he turned his head away and refused to take it. She could only continue holding the cold drink, water droplets sliding down the side of the glass and wetting her fingertips.
"It's my choice to do what I want," Su Zhiluo said softly. "You're all grown up now, you can do whatever you want. You're excellent now, you have a wonderful life ahead of you, move forward." She paused, then added, "I won't interfere with you anymore."
These words stabbed Liu Chengxu twice more in the heart, and panic surged up. At this moment, he wanted to grab Su Zhiluo's clothes and beg like a child: Please do something about me.
Is she really afraid because of "ignoring"? What she fears is the indifference that follows, being left in a corner and ignored.
They had both become the people who knew best how to hurt each other, each blow drawing blood. Su Zhiluo raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and in the moment when her vision was clearest, she gave Liu Chengxu a deep look: "I'm going back."
Every step she took as she turned around felt like a blow to Liu Chengxu's heart, and the box of yogurt and watermelon was thrown into the trash can.
Like a child who has never tasted candy, jealousy reached its peak at this moment. Was she crying not loud enough? They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
The more pain she felt, the more she envied Su Zhiluo. The colder and more she rejected Su Zhiluo, the more captivating her love for her sister became. Liu Chengxu craved Su Zhiluo's love for her sister because she had never experienced it, never... so she wanted it, desperately wanted it, even half of it would be enough.
She cried, she begged, and now she's making a scene, but Su Zhiluo is heartless; all the candy she has is reserved for only one person.
I'm so jealous, so jealous, so jealous, so jealous that I feel like I'm going to melt under the scorching sun.
Su Zhiluo walked and cried all the way out of the school gate. She boarded the bus and found a window seat. The window was covered in a layer of grime, making the world outside blurry.
Back in her rented room, she mechanically packed a few things, finally collapsing onto the floor, exhausted. The afternoon sun slanted through the windowpanes, casting dappled patterns of light on the floor.
What's so fierce about Liu Chengxu?
She's been exhausted for so long.
Can't I have something I want?
Yes, it's not good to live in memories, but memories aren't all painful. Do you have to throw away the pretty candy box after you finish eating the candy?
It's not that she doesn't know how to choose and make sacrifices; she just doesn't want to even think about it.
Must a person always be awake, so that they can't even dream?
To make someone who is constantly wandering lose their first home and their first love is like tearing their heart out.
Did Liu Chengxu think she didn't hate him?
She truly hated Liu Chengxu's parents.
If they hadn't hidden Liu Jinhuan's ID card, Liu Jinhuan wouldn't have thought of taking her household registration booklet, and wouldn't have impulsively wanted to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Su Zhiluo scrolled through her phone's photo album, her fingertips trembling as she selected all the videos. Just a second before pressing the delete button, she jerked her hand back, curled up, and burst into uncontrollable sobs.
Those images contain both Liu Jinhuan's gentle smile and Liu Chengxu's dazzling figure.
She finally loosened her grip, letting the phone slip from her fingers. She still couldn't bear to let go of those memories of love and loss.
Her hands were shaking as she randomly clicked on one.
"See you later," Liu Jinhuan told her, "my favorite Miss Su Zhiluo."
"The other side emphasizes the economic foundation but ignores the fundamental nature of culture. A city is not just a pile of steel and concrete, but also a carrier of humanistic spirit. The disappearance of hutongs and gardens is the price of blindly pursuing GDP..." Liu Chengxu, dressed in a suit, was beaming.
Su Zhiluo looked up at the house. Was this place only filled with her and Liu Jinhuan's memories?
Aren't she and Liu Chengxu family? They've lived together for five years.
How could I not love you? How could I not love you?
That evening, Su Zhiluo carried her things and went straight back to Guangzhou.
When Liu Chengxu returned the next day, he stood at the door and saw the note on the windowsill. Su Zhiluo wrote: "[I don't know if you'll come back. I've gone back to Guangzhou.]"
The symbol following the character “了” is written with heavy ink, as if the stroke was paused for a long time before finally ending.
Liu Chengxu carefully put it away, folded it up, and placed it in his pocket.
Entering the bedroom, next to the rolled-up blanket was a gift box containing a new mobile phone and tablet. Inside the refrigerator was a cake with a note that read: "Xiao Xu, congratulations on your graduation, may your future be bright."
*
Back in Guangzhou, Su Zhiluo worked overtime.
With the development of mobile phones, many industries have sprung up. They also invited a few pretty girls to do live streaming, and their orders exploded starting in May.
She worked overtime for three days to finish the design drawings and gave them to the workshop. She bought a train ticket and went directly to Foshan to meet Liu Chengxu's parents at a fast food restaurant near the factory.
The two of them bought plane tickets for July, not wanting to suffer at all.
The two were supposed to arrive at 2 PM, but they didn't show up until 3 PM. Even in their disheveled state, they were still dressed smartly, standing out from the other workers. Liu Chengxu's mother had very fair skin, and the two looked like they were cut from the same mold.
Liu Guoqiang forcefully pulled out a chair and sat down. His gaze towards Su Zhiluo was full of contempt. Just that one look brought Su Zhiluo back to the day she was slapped, and her cheekbone began to ache again.
At this moment, Su Zhiluo only wanted to escape.
She clenched her hands tightly and said, "I came here today hoping that you will not bother Cheng Xu. She just graduated and is under a lot of pressure to find a job. They can't support you."
Liu Guoqiang said directly, "Who do you think you are? Cheng Xu is our daughter. We're going back to reunite with her, and she'll be very happy!"
Cheng Sui said coldly, "Calamity Star, what right do you have?"
"Standard?" Su Zhiluo said, "Cheng Xu is someone I raised. You abandoned her back then, so don't go looking for her again."
Cheng Sui said, "Shouldn't you be the one to raise Cheng Xu? If it weren't for you, would Cheng Xu have nowhere to go?"
Su Zhiluo felt a tightness in her chest, almost unable to breathe, and waves of nausea and dizziness washed over her.
Cheng Sui's voice was shrill and piercing: "It's all because of you! If it weren't for you, Jin Huan wouldn't have died, and our family wouldn't have gone bankrupt!"
Over the years, they have always believed that Su Zhiluo was the root of all the tragedies. If Liu Jinhuan were still alive, with her prestigious university education and intelligence, she would definitely have been able to help the family through the crisis, and they would not have ended up bankrupt.
"You're not letting us see Cheng Xu, is it because you want her to take care of you in your old age?" Cheng Sui pressed aggressively.
Liu Guoqiang then questioned, "You didn't pass on those bad habits to Cheng Xu, did you?"
They looked at Su Zhiluo as if she were a virus.
Over the years, Su Zhiluo had endured all the hardships she could. She raised her head and said, "Yes. Your youngest daughter likes me too. So what? Why shouldn't the girl I raised like me?"
“I’m a bad person, did you ever care about her? You just left without a word, did you know she was kicked out, beaten by creditors, hid in a doghouse all night, and was even so scared that she spent the night at her sister’s grave.” Su Zhiluo gritted her teeth. She hadn’t cried when she was beaten like that back then, and she wouldn’t cry today either.
Su Zhilu raised her voice, her eyes fierce, "If you dare to go to her, I'll make your creditors come knocking on your door. The statute of limitations is still in effect, so just wait for the court to come after you. You haven't sent her a single penny all these years, so why should Cheng Xu be allowed to support her in her old age?"
Liu Guoqiang retorted, "We're saving it for her. If we send it to her, won't it be discovered? We only have one daughter left. We all belong to her. What do you know!"
Cheng Sui pointed at her nose, "You, you seduced Xiao Xu! You bitch, she's Jin Huan's sister!"
When Chang Ruyin came in, Liu Guoqiang was about to hit Su Zhiluo. He grabbed a cup and threw it at Su Zhiluo. Su Zhiluo couldn't dodge and was hit on the forehead. Chang Ruyin picked up a chair and was ready to fight them.
Chang Ruyin cursed, "Do you know what kind of school she sent Liu Chengxu to? A private school, with tuition alone costing thirty to forty thousand yuan a year. She gritted her teeth and supported him for five years. Do you know what he ate and drank?"
"How much have you all sacrificed for Liu Chengxu? From the time she went to university, she was never dressed in rags, never went hungry, and to save on her tuition and fees, she ate only one meal a day, suffering from hypoglycemia. When Liu Chengxu had growing pains, she went hungry to buy her calcium supplements and meat! What does she owe you? She has never committed any crime! She's only 20 years old, and you've raised a top student for her!"
Su Zhiluo had seen Liu Chengxu lying on the wooden board, patting her shoulder repeatedly and saying, "Sister-in-law, this bed is very comfortable." She had also seen Liu Chengxu staying up all night memorizing, his hands turning red from the cold in winter; she had also seen her receiving her university acceptance letter and jumping up and shouting for her outside the factory; she had also seen her... standing on the stage, shining as the principal turned her tassel.
That was a place she had to close her eyes to avoid, so why should they drag her down?
Cheng Sui called her her "nemesis," and Liu Guoqiang wanted to jump up and hit her. Su Zhiluo closed her eyes, her forehead hurting.
She is no longer the person who would not fight back when slapped or beaten.
Su Zhiluo pulled out a knife she had prepared from her bag and held it in her hand. "I'm telling you, if you dare to go to Cheng Xu, I'll fight you to the death! I raised him, I betrayed him! If you dare, then fight me!"
————————!!————————
Didn't they say they wouldn't interfere?
[crying] [crying]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com