Chapter 138 Chapter 138: The Calm Before The Storm
Chapter 138: The Calm Before The Storm
No... that's not right.
Drinking this kind of orange juice for three days straight—I'll rot, won't I?
Watching Chi Xiao Cheng pick out ingredients, Su Tao swallowed hard and cautiously spoke, "Xiao... Xiao Cheng, you're not planning to drink all of these, are you?"
Chi Xiao Cheng turned her head, puzzled. "Don't you like it a lot, Taotao? It's fine to drink more, and I'll drink it with you too."
Su Tao: "..."
Even in normal circumstances, trying to finish these... five? or six super-sized bottles of orange juice in three days would be very difficult.
Two bottles a day?
Xiao Cheng, you love it so much, are you made of orange juice or something!
Putting her complaints aside for a moment, Su Tao truly didn't want to drink this nauseating but forcefully accepted stuff for several days in a row.
So she carefully began, "Xiao Cheng, how about we skip the orange juice this time? Although, uh... although it's very tasty, drinking cold liquids in winter isn't good for your body."
"Also, it's too sweet, and since it's a beverage, drinking too much isn't actually good. Let's just have a moderate sip... a small cup will do, what do you think?"
Chi Xiao Cheng pouted her small lips and took out a bottle of orange juice with pulp. "Taotao doesn't like orange juice with pulp very much?"
"Well... it's not that I don't like it, it's just, how should I put it, it's just..."
Su Tao tried hard to organize her words, but couldn't think of a way that wouldn't make Chi Xiao Cheng darken.
Unexpectedly, Chi Xiao Cheng herself suggested, "If Taotao doesn't like orange juice with pulp, you can just say so. How about we switch to a different drink then?"
Su Tao's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes, switch to a different drink!"
Chi Xiao Cheng blinked and pulled a bottle of fresh orange drink from the fridge. "Then how about this one?"
Su Tao: "..."
Isn't this still orange juice?!
Su Tao lightly coughed. "Actually, I still prefer peach-flavored drinks. As for orange juice, well, my taste buds have been a bit off lately, and I find orange juice a little... bitter. Yes, that's it."
"But I think orange juice is very tasty, sweet."
Chi Xiao Cheng raised an unsettling smile. "But I really like peach juice too. It would be nice to try it sometime~"
That unsettling smile once again made Su Tao feel a sense of unease.
She got goosebumps, but they quickly vanished with a deep breath.
For dinner, Chi Xiao Cheng chose a combination of steamed ribs, winter melon soup, and green vegetables, which naturally Su Tao prepared.
This made Su Tao breathe a sigh of relief.
After all, the food wouldn't taste like orange juice.
During dinner, Chi Xiao Cheng was very well-behaved, even cooperating with Su Tao by feeding her at one point.
But the more obedient she was, the more a hint of worry grew in Su Tao's heart.
After the meal, another glass of orange juice was handed over.
Chi Xiao Cheng smiled sweetly at her. "Taotao, how about another glass?"
"Uh..." Su Tao sat on the sofa, took the glass of pulp orange juice, and gave Chi Xiao Cheng a heads-up, "Xiao Cheng, I just told you, didn't I? My taste buds have been a bit off lately, and I'm a little sensitive to the taste of orange juice, so..."
"Mm-hmm, I know. This is the last glass. Tomorrow, I'll get you a new drink, Taotao."
"Okay."
Su Tao exhaled, closed her eyes, and chugged it down.
The taste was still incredibly unpleasant.
Fortunately, she had prepared for this.
On the table was a bowl of traditional Chinese medicine broth, whose mere smell indicated extreme bitterness. This was the herbal medicine Professor Su had prepared for her to regulate her body.
One bowl every day.
The orange juice didn't actually taste bad; it was sweet.
But it tasted exactly like the bright red "orange juice" that flowed from Chi Xiao Cheng, and every time Su Tao made that connection, she felt nauseous.
This was an instinctive psychological rejection, which then manifested physically.
She would rather drink this extremely bitter herbal broth than orange juice!
So, as soon as that glass of orange juice went down, she immediately picked up the bowl of bitter medicine from the table and gulped it down as well.
The two detestable tastes mingled.
She frowned in discomfort, her tender little tongue slipping out, its tip lingering with a faint bitterness, as if eager to dispel it with air.
Chi Xiao Cheng leaned close to her and softly asked, "Is it very bitter?"
Su Tao didn't open her eyes, just nodded.
"Then..."
A warm, soft, and moist sweetness spread from her tongue tip. Su Tao froze, and even without opening her eyes, her tongue tip was already being drawn into a kiss.
How familiar, how comfortable, how cloyingly sweet, how addictive the taste was.
Her endless craving for this taste back in the dark room was still etched deep within Su Tao's soul.
Bitterness ends.
Sweetness begins.
Su Tao almost instinctively sought more.
Ah... I like it.
After a long moment, Chi Xiao Cheng curved her lips into a smile, touched a fingertip to her own lips, and softly asked, "Sweet?"
"Sweet."
"Then... do you like it?"
Su Tao froze, her originally tense body suddenly relaxed.
She smiled faintly and nodded. "I like it."
This time, it was the truth, not a pretense.
She had indeed grown quite captivated by that taste.
And undeniably, it was a great stress reliever.
Her whole body would soften because of it.
A girl's lips truly are marvelous.
Su Tao couldn't help but add inwardly: Xiao Cheng, though my liking for you is a lie, this one time.
Just your lips.
My liking.
It's not a lie.
And this girl's way of comforting people truly is...
Su Tao watched Chi Xiao Cheng softly humming and shaking her head beside her, sighing helplessly.
It's truly hard to describe.
Although today was a bit alarming, she had clearly overthought things; Xiao Cheng was quite obedient, after all.
Uh... yes, obedient.
Although that word now sounded rather unsettling, today was the night before the official three days began, and nothing unexpected happened, did it?
She had completely overthought things.
Returning to her room at night, Su Tao found that other than a set of blackout curtains, the room hadn't changed much.
It's just that the floor was also covered with carpets.
Or rather, the entire house was covered with carpets by Chi Xiao Cheng.
This also made Su Tao curious.
She lowered her head, her fair feet tiptoed, her fingertips lightly twisting the carpet.
The texture was very comfortable, and it must have been expensive.
Where did the money come from? Could it be Brother Chi Song?
While Su Tao was speculating, Chi Xiao Cheng was already lying on the bed, pulling back half the quilt. "Taotao, come to bed. Are you holding me tonight, or am I holding you~"
"It's all the same, isn't it?"
Su Tao smiled and slipped into the quilt filled with Xiao Cheng's scent.
It was an intoxicating scent again.
The sachet's scent was Xiao Cheng's own scent.
And having grown accustomed to sleeping with the sachet, without that scent, Su Tao couldn't fall asleep as quickly.
Yes, habit.
This is something that, once a habit is formed, is very hard to change.
Chi Xiao Cheng was subtly guiding Su Tao through various methods, step by step, to make her accustomed to herself, and then unable to leave her.
"Taotao, what's wrong?"
Under the quilt, feeling the softness of the person in her arms, Su Tao smiled and softly replied, "Nothing, let's sleep."
Tomorrow, and even the day after tomorrow, three days of such warmth.
Xiao Cheng wouldn't force her to drink that pulp orange juice but said she would switch to a different drink.
It seemed like everything was heading in a good direction.
At least, up until breakfast the next morning, Su Tao thought so.
But she did not know.
This warmth was merely the calm before the storm.
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