Please Don't Pinch Me There

That night, Yun Huaizhu didn’t do anything to Lin Meng. For her part, Lin Meng didn’t dare move a muscle, like a wooden statue.

Yun Huaizhu’s entire body radiated a seductive allure, but even if Lin Meng had eight hundred times the courage, she wouldn’t dare harbor any improper thoughts about her.

Lin Meng knew exactly what kind of torment Su Yutang was capable of. If that scumbag Su really found out she’d been cuckolded, Lin Meng would be lucky to escape with just a layer of skin peeled off.

The bed in Yun Huaizhu’s bedroom was huge and incredibly soft, far more luxurious than the hotel she’d taken Yun Huaizhu to last time. And right now, Lin Meng’s situation was identical to that day: she was like a body pillow, clutched tightly in the arms of Yun Huaizhu, who was still in her heat.

Yun Huaizhu was an extraordinarily patient person. Yesterday, during the worst of her heat, she had only held Lin Meng and buried her face in the woman’s neck, seeking comfort.

Seeing her struggle, Lin Meng suggested injecting a suppressant. The moment those words left her mouth, Yun Huaizhu lifted her head, her eyes glistening with tears as she gazed at Lin Meng: “Injections hurt so much.”

Lin Meng’s breath caught at the sight of that delicate, fragile little white lotus look, as if she were swaying in a storm... It was too pitiful. Yun Huaizhu was even more captivating in person than she was on television.

Dazed, Lin Meng nodded. She didn’t bring up suppressants again for the rest of the night; at least, not while Yun Huaizhu still had her reason.

If Yun Huaizhu lost her mind and started biting and gnawing at her like that time in the hotel, then Lin Meng would have to force the suppressant on her.

Lin Meng didn’t dare do anything to Yun Huaizhu, but Yun Huaizhu had no qualms about letting her hands roam freely.

She could feel Yun Huaizhu lifting the hem of her clothes, soft fingertips sliding across her skin like a snake.

Lin Meng wanted to reach out and stop her, but the moment she showed any sign of resistance, Yun Huaizhu would cling to her as if trying to crush her whole body into her arms, leaving her unable to move: “You really didn’t do anything to me that day in the hotel?”

Lin Meng’s nerves pulled taut again at those words. She could barely breathe: “You... you’re holding me too tight... I really didn’t, I swear...”

Lin Meng suspected Yun Huaizhu was trying to smother her with her chest, but she had no proof.

Seeing her face flushed bright red, Yun Huaizhu pinched her cheek once and let her go.

“But I remember doing a lot of things.”

Lin Meng nearly teared up. Finally, you remember!

Just as Lin Meng thought Yun Huaizhu was about to make amends for the psychological trauma she’d suffered, Yun Huaizhu’s warm hand had somehow found its way somewhere else. Lin Meng’s entire body shuddered almost instantly.

On reflex, she grabbed that hand without thinking, trying to pull it away. Yun Huaizhu flipped over and pinned her down: “When I did those things, you didn’t seem to resist. You like it when I do that to you, don’t you?”

Lin Meng suddenly forgot to struggle. She stared at Yun Huaizhu in stunned disbelief: Stop! Stop! What are you doing, protagonist shou? You’re the protagonist shou! How can you say things that only a scumbag gong like Su Yutang would say? You’re out of character!

If not for Yun Huaizhu’s pure, stunningly beautiful face, Lin Meng’s toes would have curled through the floor at those cheesy lines.

But a beauty was a beauty; even saying something like that, it still came across as seductive.

After Yun Huaizhu finished speaking, she felt Lin Meng’s hand, which had been blocking her through the underwear, suddenly go slack. A sweet smile curved at the corners of her lips.

So Lin Meng did like it after all.

Still dazed, Lin Meng let out another soft, startled gasp. When she realized what Yun Huaizhu had done to her, she grabbed Yun Huaizhu’s forearm like she was begging: “Miss... Miss Yun, please don’t pinch me there...”

Yun Huaizhu frowned at the way Lin Meng addressed her: “You’ve already come into my home and slept in my bed, and you’re still calling me ‘Miss Yun’?”

Lin Meng thought she’d upset Yun Huaizhu somehow—and her mood instantly lifted, as if she’d been granted a reprieve... She could barely hide the smile on her face. She tensed her waist and hurried to get out of bed: “I—if you don’t like it, then I’ll get out right now.”

But before she could sit up, Yun Huaizhu pressed her back down onto the bed like she was pinning a chick: “I just don’t like you being so distant with me. You genuinely cared about me, after all. My fans online all call me Zhuzhu, but ever since I met you, you’ve never once called me that. Is the name not to your liking?”

Lin Meng was taken aback.

Zhuzhu is what your fans online call you affectionately. In public, at your concerts, it’s fine for fans to call you that. But calling you that in private... isn’t that a bit intimate?

Lin Meng didn’t want to one day be with Su Yutang and Yun Huaizhu and accidentally blurt out “Zhuzhu” at Yun Huaizhu, because if that happened, Su Yutang would have her shipped off to some mine in Africa at the very least.

Yun Huaizhu, looking like she’d overdosed on catnip, buried her face in Lin Meng’s neck in bliss. Lin Meng felt something soft and wet poke out and brush against her neck.

The beautiful little white flower’s fragrant breath fanned against Lin Meng’s neck: “You’re not calling me that because you don’t like me?”

Lin Meng’s neck tingled from Yun Huaizhu’s warm breath, but she still rushed to deny it: “N-no, that’s not it. Your name is lovely.”

Yun Huaizhu lifted her head slightly. A pair of peach-blossom eyes, full of tenderness and slightly reddened from the torment of her heat, gazed at Lin Meng pitifully: “Then say my name. Please?”

Lin Meng didn’t know why, but her throat suddenly went very dry.

Who could refuse the humble request of a beauty radiating such brokenness?

Lin Meng certainly couldn’t!

Finally, Lin Meng opened her mouth and softly called Yun Huaizhu’s name: “Zhuzhu.”

Yun Huaizhu’s expression instantly came alive at the murmur. As if wrapped in joy, she rested her head against Lin Meng’s chest: “Mm. From now on, always call me that.”

Though Lin Meng showed nothing on her face, Yun Huaizhu, with her head against Lin Meng’s chest, could clearly hear her heartbeat growing faster and faster.

“I’m only twenty this year. I heard Mengmeng is four years older than me. Can I call you jiejie?”

Lin Meng smiled bitterly at that.

Heard? Yun Huaizhu knew her age so precisely; she must have already looked into her. What else could Lin Meng say?

She could only nod helplessly.

The latter half of the night was agony for Lin Meng. She was exhausted, but Yun Huaizhu, high on catnip, didn’t seem sleepy at all. Even as she drifted off, she had to stay vigilant against Yun Huaizhu’s hand wandering somewhere it shouldn’t.

She figured touching up top was tolerable; after all, she’d accidentally touched Yun Huaizhu there too. But below was absolutely off-limits.

Lin Meng had always staunchly supported the Su Yutang and Yun Huaizhu ship. In her view, once she’d set her sights on a couple, whether they ended up sweet and happy or wounding each other as bitter rivals, they were locked in.

And she’d swallowed the key.

...

When the gentle ten a.m. sunlight filtered through the gap in the floor-to-ceiling curtains of the bedroom and fell across Lin Meng’s drowsy face, she was shaken awake by that single beam of light.

Still half-asleep, she stretched out her limbs like a cat, starfished on the bed. But in the next instant, her hand seemed to brush against something soft.

She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings, then saw a face as beautiful as a lotus in clear water right across from her.

Yun Huaizhu was lazily propping her head on her right hand, smiling at her: “It seems jiejie really likes it here.”

Lin Meng snatched her hand back in fright at those words, returning to her wary, restrained demeanor as she shook her head.

Last night Lin Meng couldn’t sleep, and Yun Huaizhu wasn’t faring much better. But at some point, Yun Huaizhu’s exhaustion had caught up with her, and she’d suddenly let go like she’d passed out, giving Lin Meng her opening. Though Lin Meng probably hadn’t gone beyond touching.

Touching was fine, as long as she hadn’t...

Lin Meng’s nerves seized up at that thought. She even felt the urge to punch herself.

Touching, my ass! Did touching not count as being the other woman? She was seducing someone else’s partner!

Morally bankrupt. Utterly morally bankrupt!

With that thought, Lin Meng hurried to put on the clothes she’d left on the floor. Fortunately, Yun Huaizhu hadn’t stripped her completely last night—she was truly grateful for that.

Yun Huaizhu couldn’t help but giggle at how desperately Lin Meng was trying to escape.

They’d slept together openly and honestly; why did she look like she’d been caught cheating first thing in the morning?

But Lin Meng didn’t notice the hungry, possessive gaze Yun Huaizhu was directing at her.

What she was thinking was: Thank god today is Sunday. Otherwise, sleeping in this late without going to work would mean waiting to get fired!

She’d already taken quite a few days off recently, and she’d heard through the grapevine that the company’s performance this year wasn’t great—they were already preparing for layoffs and restructuring.

Lin Meng figured she’d work overtime whenever there was overtime pay, wouldn’t dare go against her boss’s wishes, and would endure without complaint even if they treated her like an ox and worked her to the bone... So there was no way they’d lay her off, right?

After all, she felt there was nothing to find fault with.

Lin Meng had just finished dressing and was about to slink away when Yun Huaizhu called out to her: “You took care of me all night, jiejie. How can you leave without even eating? Eat first. I had the housekeeper make lots of good food.”

Lin Meng didn’t know why, but after last night, she couldn’t help but feel a trace of fear toward Yun Huaizhu.

It was a strange feeling. If her fear of Su Yutang was simply the fear of an ordinary person toward the elite, then the fear Yun Huaizhu inspired was like the uncomfortable, sticky feeling of rain in the dark.

Because when something cold and damp lands on you in the dark, you can’t tell what it is.

So she still had to focus on reconciling Su Yutang and Yun Huaizhu’s misunderstanding. Yun Huaizhu was simply being oppressed by Su Yutang’s power, while Su Yutang demanded Yun Huaizhu’s submission yet insisted on acting aloof and noble.

Both had their own hardships. As long as Lin Meng, the mediator, could convey each person’s suffering to the other, they would surely reconcile.

Maybe she could even officiate their wedding.

At that thought, Lin Meng turned back and gave Yun Huaizhu what she considered a composed smile: “I’m not—” hungry.

Before the last word could leave her mouth, her stomach let out a traitorous growl.

Embarrassment melted across Lin Meng’s face like cream.

Yun Huaizhu found her utterly adorable. She got up from the bed and walked over to Lin Meng.

Lin Meng noticed she’d changed into a different set of lotus-pink silk pajamas since last night.

And Yun Huaizhu seemed to be wearing nothing underneath, because Lin Meng thought she caught a glimpse of...

Lin Meng shut her eyes. Even one more glance would be a desecration of Yun Huaizhu, a disrespect to someone else’s wife.

Yun Huaizhu stepped forward and hooked her arm through Lin Meng’s, a pale sliver of forearm brushing against her: “Alright, Mengmeng-jie, hurry and come eat. If we’re late I’ll have to reheat everything.”

Lin Meng didn’t know why, but she always felt Yun Huaizhu’s “Mengmeng-jie” carried a hint of something indescribably ambiguous. She’d rather Yun Huaizhu call her a stalker fan.

Lin Meng really wanted to refuse with dignity.

But her growling stomach didn’t want her to refuse.

...

Yun Huaizhu’s home cooking was delicious and abundant. Lin Meng sat at the marble dining table, expressionless, wolfing down her food. She actually ate at a normal pace.

Not quite elegant, but not unsightly either.

Yun Huaizhu watched Lin Meng while eating her caviar and foie gras rice.

When Lin Meng was focused on eating, she was hard-pressed to notice anything else, so she didn’t see Yun Huaizhu’s expression—like a predator desperate to make Lin Meng her prey.

Just as Lin Meng was nearly full, Yun Huaizhu suddenly spoke: “I remember your place is quite far from here, isn’t it?”

Lin Meng looked up at that, a breadcrumb still at the corner of her mouth, cheeks puffed out like a hamster caught mid-snack.

“Yeah, that’s right. It takes two hours by bus to get to your place.”

Which was why she was so tired. She hoped Yun Huaizhu would let her off after hearing that.

Yun Huaizhu was silent for a moment, then looked up and asked: “Then do you want to come live with me?”

Lin Meng nearly choked. She quickly grabbed the glass of milk beside her and took a gulp.

After swallowing, she stared at Yun Huaizhu in shock: “I... come live with you? Why?”

Yun Huaizhu said seriously: “My heat cycle isn’t very regular. If my heat comes on suddenly in the future, it’d be convenient for you to help me if you lived here.”

Lin Meng was dumbstruck.

Yun Huaizhu had clearly said that as long as Lin Meng satisfied her this time, she’d destroy the listening device and pretend nothing had ever happened.

Pretending nothing had happened was the same as wiping the slate clean between them, wasn’t it?

So what would Yun Huaizhu need her for after this?

Of course, Lin Meng couldn’t say all that. She could only phrase it delicately: “But wouldn’t that be inconvenient? You used to be an idol. If someone photographs me coming and going from your home, it’ll cause a scandal for you.”

A smile Yun Huaizhu couldn’t hide appeared at the corners of her lips.

Sure enough, Lin Meng worried about her the most. Even though she’d left the industry, Lin Meng still worried about paparazzi hounding her.

In great spirits, Yun Huaizhu stood up, walked around the dining table to Lin Meng, and placed a hand on her shoulder: “Don’t worry. You said it yourself—that was then. I’ve announced my retirement, so I’m not an idol anymore. Who I date is nobody else’s business.”

Lin Meng’s nerves went taut: “D-dating?”

Yun Huaizhu gazed at her with blissful sweetness: “That’s right, dating. You’ve slept with me twice now. Aren’t we dating?”

Lin Meng’s pupils quaked.

It was true they’d shared a bed twice, but she really hadn’t done anything! How could just that count as dating?

On reflex, Lin Meng shot up from her chair, looking at Yun Huaizhu with a serious expression: “No, no, no, Miss Yun, I think you’ve misunderstood. What we have doesn’t count as dating.”

Yun Huaizhu’s smile vanished the instant she heard “Miss Yun” again: “Didn’t I say to call me by my name? You don’t think we’re dating? I thought when you agreed, you were agreeing to be with me.”

Lin Meng kept explaining: “No, I didn’t agree!”

You threatened me with the listening device to come here!

Though Lin Meng admitted she’d made mistakes too, she didn’t think she’d done anything to wrong Yun Huaizhu.

I didn’t agree, I didn’t agree...

Those four words echoed in Yun Huaizhu’s ears. Her expression darkened completely.

Lin Meng could feel the atmosphere around them turn ice-cold.

Yun Huaizhu stared at her with an icy stare: “You won’t agree. Is it because I’m not good enough? Or because I used to fawn over Su Yutang, and you find me disgusting?”

Lin Meng nearly dropped to her knees: “That’s not it at all! Don’t think like that, it has nothing to do with her!”

Why was it that not only was that domineering CEO Su Yutang so sensitive, but Yun Huaizhu was just as sensitive?!

Wait—before Yun Huaizhu’s family went bankrupt, she was a domineering CEO too, wasn’t she?

Lin Meng watched Yun Huaizhu’s eyes redden little by little. The person who’d been smiling so brightly this morning now stared at her with an aggrieved yet furious expression: “If it’s not because of her, then what is it? Is there something I’m not doing well enough, something you hate? If I’m doing something wrong, tell me and I’ll try to fix it!”

Yun Huaizhu looked like she wanted to bore a hole through her with her stare.

Lin Meng was already fumbling over her explanation: “No! You’re wonderful. You’re beautiful, gentle, and a rare S-rank omega. There are plenty of people in the world who’d throw themselves at you. It’s just that, it’s just...”

“It’s just what?” Yun Huaizhu pressed.

Lin Meng’s eyes darted around. She lowered her head guiltily, her voice growing smaller and smaller: “It’s just that you’re too good. How could an ordinary person like me be worthy of you? Let’s not talk about dating anymore. Otherwise, next time you mention the listening device, I won’t dare come either.”

Yun Huaizhu was stunningly beautiful, a top-tier beauty. Though Lin Meng wasn’t fond of socializing, she genuinely wanted to be friends with Yun Huaizhu.

She truly wanted Yun Huaizhu to be happy—and most importantly, being acquainted with both the protagonist gong and shou would help her foster their relationship.

At that moment, Yun Huaizhu heard the subtext in Lin Meng’s words: if she brought this up again, they wouldn’t even be friends anymore.

Lin Meng’s reasoning was that whenever she got close to Yun Huaizhu, the story started going off-script. So maybe she should just distance herself from Yun Huaizhu entirely?

If she really did distance herself from Yun Huaizhu, then she could focus on counseling Su Yutang. After all, weren’t most of the misunderstandings in the novel caused by that tight-lipped scumbag gong Su?

Hearing this, Yun Huaizhu’s expression turned wounded yet relieved. She’d thought Lin Meng hated her because she’d threatened her with the listening device. She hadn’t expected Lin Meng simply felt she wasn’t good enough for her.

Yun Huaizhu looked at Lin Meng guiltily: “I’m sorry. Actually, I took the listening device out a long time ago, but I don’t know where I put it. Don’t worry though—that thing can’t leak anything, and I won’t threaten you with it again.”

Lin Meng was briefly stunned. She nodded dumbly: “Mm, okay.”

Yun Huaizhu looked somewhat heartbroken, but there was nothing to be done. Yun Huaizhu had her own gong; Lin Meng couldn’t do something as immoral as interfering in someone else’s relationship.

Glancing at the Western clock hanging in the middle of the living room, she saw it was nearly noon. It would take over two hours to get home; if she left now, she could still rest a bit, since she had work tomorrow.

Lin Meng looked around and finally spotted her bag and phone on the sofa. She picked up her things and said goodbye to Yun Huaizhu: “I have work tomorrow, so I won’t stay long. Goodbye.”

Yun Huaizhu was still in her heat period. Without an alpha’s pheromones to soothe her, she could only rely on suppressants and holding Lin Meng to get through it.

Right now, she wanted Lin Meng to stay by her side more than anything. She even had the thought that if she just locked the door, Lin Meng wouldn’t be able to escape.

But the next moment, against her own wishes, she raised her hand and waved to Lin Meng: “Mm... see you.”

After the door clicked shut, Yun Huaizhu was alone in the house again. She sat at the dining table staring blankly for a long time. If not for the messages popping up one after another on her phone, she could have sat there until evening.

She’d thought she’d found happiness, found someone who loved her wholeheartedly. But that sweet feeling had vanished after just one night. The disparity hit her hard.

Yun Huaizhu picked up her phone with a cold expression. When she saw the message from Su Yutang pinned at the top, her face contorted with fury.

...

The bus wasn’t crowded on Sunday afternoon, especially not the long-distance route.

Lin Meng figured she’d eaten too much at Yun Huaizhu’s place and was suffering from a carb crash, because she found a quiet window seat in the back and dozed off as soon as she got on.

Lin Meng never slept too deeply in unfamiliar environments. When she heard the announcement that they were three stops from home, she slowly opened her eyes. As usual, she pulled out her phone—but when she saw it was powered off, a few images flashed through her mind for no reason.

Last night, Su Yutang had said she’d come pick her up for dinner.

Lin Meng’s heart leaped into her throat. Her hands trembled so badly she could barely hold the phone. When she powered it on and saw the dozen-plus messages from Su Yutang, she wished she could faint on the spot.

Su Yutang’s last message was: [I’m at your door.]

And the timestamp was 20:15.

She remembered that at that moment, Yun Huaizhu had been holding her in bed, in the bedroom.

She was doomed.

Lin Meng even wondered: if she went and knelt before Su Yutang to apologize, would Su Yutang forgive her?

No. Su Yutang wasn’t that magnanimous. If she’d had any tolerance to begin with, she wouldn’t have tormented Yun Huaizhu so cruelly.

Lin Meng decided to play dead for now and not reply to Su Yutang.

She’d wait until she thought of a good excuse, then apologize.

Having comforted herself, Lin Meng felt much more relaxed.

But as she scrolled through Su Yutang’s messages, she couldn’t help but marvel again—Su Yutang and Yun Huaizhu really were a couple. She’d added Su Yutang as a contact but had never told her where she lived, yet Su Yutang had found her place just like that.

These two had probably dug up everything about her.

But what could she do? It was effortless for the elite to investigate her. She was just an ordinary person in this world. So what if those two knew?

She wasn’t some treasure everyone coveted. She believed that even if those two got her personal information, they wouldn’t do anything bad with it.

After all, aside from their relationship problems, what couldn’t Su Yutang and Yun Huaizhu have?

Lin Meng had nothing, so she didn’t think anyone would covet anything from her.

TL Note:

gong (攻) and shou (受) = top and bottom in BL

swallowed the key (钥匙我吞了) is fandom slang meaning 'I ship them so hard I'll never let them break up.'