The sun blazed outside.
Du Ruoxin, her makeup removed, lay on a beach chair under a sun umbrella, eyes closed, savoring a moment of peace.
Grace sat beside her, peeling an orange for her – a blood orange air-freighted from Zizhong, Sichuan, China, named for its orange-red or purplish-red flesh.
Blood oranges were highly nutritious, rich in Vitamin C, sweet, and slightly tart.
Du Ruoxin had lost her taste for most foods, but she had a particular fondness for these blood oranges.
The moment she expressed a craving for something sour, for oranges, specifically blood oranges from her homeland's Zizhong, Cristiano made a call, and within hours, freshly picked, authentic blood oranges appeared before her.
Cristiano had also instructed: "Air-freight a batch daily from now on. I only want the freshest, best-tasting, sweetest fruits to appear before her."
Du Ruoxin: "..."
Air-freighted daily?
How wasteful of resources? How extravagant?
But—
Never mind, never mind, who could resist the little one in her belly? It had only just begun to take hold, and already it was giving its mother a hard time.
What if she didn't satisfy it? Who knew what kind of fuss it would cause?
"Sister Xin," Grace said, handing Du Ruoxin the peeled orange.
"Thank you." Du Ruoxin ate it in a few bites, feeling much better.
Grace ate some too.
They ate and chatted idly.
"Will Dou Dou study in Europe in the future?"
"Yes."
"And you?"
"The world is so big, I can go anywhere."
"Will you go to America?"
"Yes."
"For how long?"
"Uncertain."
"Um... should we notify Caroline, Miranda, and Nini?"
"No."
"But you and Cristiano..."
"When I get to America, I'll tell them."
"Okay."
In the distance, two men gradually approached, wearing straw hats, towels slung over their shoulders, their bodies covered in sweat and dirt.
"It's planted," Cristiano said, pointing to the back hill, his tone a doting boast. "Next year, if you want blood oranges, I can pick them for you myself."
Du Ruoxin lay listlessly. "You've worked hard."
Cristiano smiled sweetly, quickly kissed her on the cheek, and said, "Wait for me, I'm going to take a shower."
"Think about what you want for dinner tonight?"
"Let's go to the city."
Erling, standing nearby, felt a pang of envy. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, married people are different, they've all become so gentle."
"I say, Cristiano, can't you at least consider the feelings of a single dog like me?"
"How about—"
Erling looked at Grace, teasingly, "Shall we pair up?"
Grace was so scared she shook her head frantically. One Qin Yunxi was already enough to give her a headache; another Erling?
No, no, no!
She wanted to live a few more years!
Men, stay away!
"Hahahaha." Erling was amused by her cute and straightforward demeanor. "Look at your face turning pale, am I that terrifying?"
Grace replied very earnestly, "Yes."
This joke wasn't funny at all; it was very, very, terrifying!
Du Ruoxin couldn't stand it anymore. "Alright, alright, stop teasing my friend, she's shy."
Cristiano pushed his friend away.
Even after they disappeared behind the door, Grace was still shaken.
"Um—"
"Sister Xin—"
"Are you really going to marry Cristiano?"
Finally, she asked the question that had been bothering her all day.
Du Ruoxin sighed softly, "Ai," neither confirming nor denying, only saying, "He's my brother."
Always.
"But he threatened me with a blood transfusion."
"If I don't agree to marry him, he'll go through with a bone marrow transplant."
"Grace..."
"Although I can't give him a normal marriage, I can't just stand by and watch him torment himself."
Grace looked astonished. This—was acceptable?
This bizarre way of forcing a marriage, she had truly never seen before!
"But—" Grace started to speak, then stopped. She knew it; Sister Xin was being forced.
For some reason, the image of Rong Jingyang diligently drawing and coloring in the jewelry store, and his disheveled appearance kneeling in the church, suddenly flashed through her mind.
Grace felt a pang of pity.
Taking a slight breath, she said, "Sister Xin, I can see that Rong Jingyang truly loves you."
Du Ruoxin also loved Rong Jingyang; that was beyond doubt.
Although Grace didn't quite understand why Du Ruoxin was suddenly so heartless towards Rong Jingyang, it was always regrettable and sad when two people in love couldn't be together.