Mengmeng-jie Really Is Kind

On Monday, Lin Meng went to work as usual.

But the moment she stepped into the company building, she felt something was off; everyone, from the cleaning lady to colleagues in other departments, was staring at her.

This had never happened to her before. Unease stirred in Lin Meng's heart. She sat down at her desk and opened the document she'd left half-finished last Friday, ready to dive back into work.

Lately, the company seemed to be quietly angling to lay her off. While she slaved away for her boss, she kept an eye on online job postings.

But no matter how hard she looked, no other company offered the same benefits for the same position. She wanted to hold on a little longer and prove her worth to the boss. If it really came down to it, she'd work overtime for free, wouldn't she?

At her previous job, Lin Meng had endured more than enough of her boss's ruthless exploitation. Here, she was still exploited, but at least her salary and benefits arrived on time, and employees even got time off in accordance with regulations.

Lin Meng figured that if this place didn't go under, she could work here until retirement. She never expected that after only half a year, she'd be staring down the grim prospect of a layoff.

Just as she was typing away at her keyboard with no expression, the omega sitting next to her couldn't resist coming over.

Lin Meng noticed someone approaching and stopped what she was doing to look up. “Is something the matter?”

The young omega swallowed nervously at the question, then bent down and leaned in to sniff her.

Startled, Lin Meng quickly shifted away. A thought flashed through her mind: the people at the company might have mutated. The apocalypse was coming. That was why everyone had been staring at her since she walked in—and now her colleague was about to bite her neck, just like in those apocalypse novels!

When the omega saw Lin Meng's terrified expression, she quickly straightened up and apologized. “Sorry—I just wanted to find out where that high-grade omega pheromone was coming from. I've been smelling it since I entered the building today.”

Lin Meng blinked, then lifted her arm and sniffed it carefully. “What pheromone smell?”

The omega leaned in and whispered into Lin Meng's ear, “Mengmeng, you're still a beta, right? Did you spend time with a high-grade omega yesterday? The omega pheromones on you are at least A-rank. I met the boss's business partner's daughter at the company annual gala once; she was an A-rank omega. A-rank omega pheromones are so sweet—just smelling them can lift anyone's mood.”

Understanding dawned on Lin Meng's face.

The omega kept whispering, “Even though you can't smell it, Mengmeng, you'd better spray on some pheromone-blocking spray. Our company has alphas as well as omegas, after all. Pheromones this strong could trigger their heat early. If you don't have any spray, I can lend you some.”

Lin Meng's pupils dilated in shock. She hadn't expected Yun Huaizhu's pheromones to nearly cause a disaster. She quickly stood and thanked her colleague. “Thank you! I really need it!”

The omega smiled sweetly, two little dimples appearing at the corners of her mouth. “It's nothing. Oh, right—also—”

She leaned closer to Lin Meng's face, eyes widening. “It's just—Mengmeng-jie, you look really beautiful without your glasses. You look like those Hong Kong starlets from the millennium. Can I take a photo of you later?”

Lin Meng frowned in suspicion at first, then seemed to figure it out: could everyone have been staring at her since she walked into the company this morning because she'd taken off her glasses?

…

Yesterday, Yun Huaizhu had taken her to get glasses. She'd assumed they were just going to an ordinary optical shop, but Yun Huaizhu brought her straight to a place called the Jing City Vision Testing Center.

She and Yun Huaizhu went through vision tests and various eye exams first, spending most of the day there. In the end, the doctor had her wear a temporary pair of contact lenses and stay for two hours of observation.

Lin Meng hadn't known wearing contacts required observation, but she complied. During that time, Yun Huaizhu pulled her into a VIP room at the hospital and lay down with her to nap.

Lin Meng had woken up on her own that morning before going with Yun Huaizhu, so she couldn't fall asleep once she was lying in bed.

She let Yun Huaizhu use her as a body pillow, and a moment later pulled out her fully charged phone and switched into entertainment mode.

The contact lenses from this hospital were amazingly comfortable. Within minutes of putting them in, she couldn't feel them at all. And after two hours of lying in bed playing on her phone, her eyes weren't dry in the slightest.

When Yun Huaizhu finally woke up, it was getting late. Luckily, her contact lenses had been made right there at the hospital. The doctor told her to come back for a follow-up after wearing them for half a month, then gave her all sorts of tips on lens care.

When Lin Meng used to buy contacts online, it had never been this much trouble. She usually wore framed glasses, and her contacts were typically daily disposables. She'd never used anything this high-end.

But these lenses had to be expensive. The pair Yun Huaizhu had broken was only about five hundred yuan. If these cost more, she'd need to transfer Yun Huaizhu the difference.

Just as she was about to ask Yun Huaizhu how much they cost, Yun Huaizhu draped an arm around her shoulders. “All right, we've been at this all day. Mengmeng-jie must be hungry. What kind of food do you like? Chinese, Western, Korean, Thai? Let's pick a place for dinner.”

Lin Meng had spent almost the whole afternoon lying in a hospital bed with Yun Huaizhu. What was there for her to be tired from?

Before agreeing to dinner, Lin Meng hesitated. “Zhuzhu, are these contacts you brought me here for really expensive? My old pair wasn't worth much. If these cost a lot, I can—”

Before she could finish, Yun Huaizhu turned and cradled her face in both hands, smiling. “Mengmeng-jie, don't worry about that. These contacts didn't cost much. Just use them and don't worry.”

Lin Meng didn't know why, but even though Yun Huaizhu was smiling, if she dared ask one more question, that beautiful face would swiftly take on an expression that frightened her.

She nodded quickly. “Mm… that's good. I'll eat whatever you like.”

Yun Huaizhu's eyes curved into a smile. “Mengmeng-jie, I'm not asking what I like to eat. I'm asking you. If you don't tell me, then tonight's meal won't mean anything. I'm only willing to eat it because it's what you like.”

After saying that, she pressed her forehead against Lin Meng's again. Now that Lin Meng had taken off her cumbersome black-framed glasses, the gesture felt even more intimate.

Lin Meng couldn't explain why, but unease prickled at her. Finally, she stammered, “Then… then Chinese food.”

Yun Huaizhu's face broke into a sweet smile. “Mm, Chinese food it is.”

…

After coming back to her senses, Lin Meng couldn't help but shiver. She didn't understand why, but even though Yun Huaizhu was clearly a good person, the feeling she gave Lin Meng didn't match the gentle, kind description in the novel.

As a beta, Lin Meng couldn't smell Yun Huaizhu's pheromones—nor Su Yutang's, for that matter. That was how she'd ended up carrying Su Yutang's lingering scent, which had triggered Yun Huaizhu, and then Yun Huaizhu had accidentally left her own scent on Lin Meng.

These past two days, the novel's two protagonists had covered her meals, lodging, and outings, so she'd saved quite a bit of money. Since she'd woken up ten minutes late this morning, she'd made a rare splurge: taking a taxi to work.

The driver was probably a beta too, so he hadn't noticed the pheromones on her.

If the omega next to her hadn't warned her, she really would have paraded through the streets covered in pheromones, possibly causing serious consequences.

In the restroom, Lin Meng sprayed pheromone-blocking spray over her entire body twice before she could relax. But afterward, she shook the bottle; there didn't seem to be much left.

Sigh… whatever. She'd buy her colleague a new can tomorrow.

By the way, what was the name of the omega who'd lent her the spray? Lin Meng tried to recall the name tag on her chest.

Oh, right! She remembered now. Her name seemed to be Tang Xiaoman.

Aside from work, Lin Meng barely interacted with her colleagues. Between her social anxiety and other factors, and because her team was actually quite large, she could never remember her coworkers' names.

Tang Xiaoman, who'd been waiting outside the restroom, hurried over when she saw Lin Meng emerge.

A moment earlier, Lin Meng had run to the restroom to spray pheromone-blocking spray on herself because she was afraid her pheromones would affect the other alphas in the company.

As soon as Lin Meng saw Tang Xiaoman, she said apologetically, “I think I accidentally used up your spray earlier. I'll buy you a new can tomorrow.”

Tang Xiaoman shook her head quickly. “No, no, it's not worth much anyway, and there wasn't much left.”

With that, she quickly walked over and linked her arm through Lin Meng's as if they were close. “Mengmeng, where are you eating lunch today? Let's eat together, and then I can take your photo, okay?”

Lin Meng wasn't used to strangers touching her so suddenly, but would it be rude to pull her arm away now?

Lin Meng said stiffly, “The company cafeteria.”

Tang Xiaoman nodded slightly. “Okay, then after we eat, let's go up to the company rooftop for photos. The view there is beautiful.”

Lin Meng nodded in agreement, then awkwardly and quietly slipped her arm free. “I haven't finished my proposal yet. I'll get back to work.”

Tang Xiaoman watched her hurry away. “Don't forget!”

Lin Meng: “Mm, got it.”

…

Lin Meng actually hated having her photo taken. There wasn't a single photo of herself in her rented apartment; her phone was full of scenery shots and pictures of animals.

Because photos always reminded her of bad memories.

The company lunch was varied, generous in portion, and best of all, free.

Since starting work here, Lin Meng hadn't gone out to restaurants for lunch. She wasn't at her poorest yet; if it really came to that, she'd swallow her pride and bring out her treasured thermal lunch box to pack dinner too.

Lin Meng had just found an inconspicuous corner to eat when someone carrying a tray came up to her. “Excuse me, is anyone sitting here? Can I eat with you?”

Lin Meng looked up. The person hadn't taken off their name tag even while eating. She clearly read: Marketing Team, alpha, followed by a name.

Lin Meng glanced around first.

There seemed to be empty seats everywhere. Why did this person have to sit here?

It was strange, but Lin Meng was about to nod in agreement. Just before she spoke, however, someone walked over. “Sorry, Mengmeng is on our planning team, and she already agreed to eat with me today.”

The person rolled their eyes dramatically at Tang Xiaoman, then carried their tray away.

After shooing the person off, Tang Xiaoman set her tray down across from Lin Meng. “Mengmeng, didn't you agree to eat with me this morning? Why didn't you wait for me?”

Lin Meng scratched her head. She had waited… but Tang Xiaoman had suddenly left her desk right before lunch break. Lin Meng waited a minute, and when Tang Xiaoman still hadn't returned, she assumed she'd gone to eat somewhere else.

Lin Meng was about to explain, but Tang Xiaoman quickly softened her tone. “I went to the restroom before break ended and came back to find you gone. But luckily, I knew you'd be here.”

Tang Xiaoman sensed that Lin Meng was genuinely aloof. She'd only been gone to the restroom for a few minutes, and the woman had vanished.

But it was normal for a beauty to have a bit of an attitude.

Lin Meng nodded. “Sorry, I thought you'd gone somewhere else, so I came to eat by myself.”

Tang Xiaoman smiled. “Since we agreed to meet, of course I'd come. It's my fault—I didn't tell you I was going to the restroom. It's fine.”

Lin Meng nodded again, then buried herself in her food.

Seeing that Lin Meng didn't want to chat much, Tang Xiaoman came up with topics herself. “Mengmeng, how did you get A-rank omega pheromones on you? Do you already have a girlfriend?”

Yun Huaizhu's pheromones were clearly S-rank, but Tang Xiaoman assumed they were A-rank omega.

Oh, right—in this world, S-rank omegas and alphas were rare. Rarer than pandas, it was said. The highest rank Tang Xiaoman had probably ever encountered was A-rank omega, which was why she'd made that assumption.

Lin Meng looked up and said, “No,” then continued eating.

Hearing this, Tang Xiaoman's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. She'd known it—high-rank omegas had high standards. Why would they choose a beta like Lin Meng when they could have quality alphas?

Tang Xiaoman continued, “Is that person a friend of yours, Mengmeng? There seems to be more than one spot on you with their pheromones.”

Lin Meng nearly choked on her food. She quickly grabbed her kelp and codfish soup to wash it down. “Uh… I guess you could say we're friends.”

If they were friends, it was normal to have a bit of their scent on you.

Tang Xiaoman pressed on. “Mengmeng, you must be quite popular, knowing an A-rank omega.”

Lin Meng shook her head while eating. “Not that popular. I don't really have many friends.”

In this world, Yun Huaizhu counted as one, at least.

Tang Xiaoman looked confused. “How could that be? Mengmeng, you're so beautiful. How could you not have friends?”

Lin Meng looked up and smiled at her. “Thanks, but I don't like making friends.”

Her words were ice-cold, but there was still a grain of rice stuck to the corner of her mouth, and her cheeks were puffed out from chewing, which made it impossible to be angry with her.

Hearing Lin Meng say this, Tang Xiaoman could guess why she had no friends.

Since joining the company, she'd barely exchanged a few words with Lin Meng. The only time Lin Meng ever talked much was probably about work. Team leader Liu Yun, on the other hand, loved finding Lin Meng for all sorts of odd jobs.

At the time, she hadn't understood why Liu Yun would bypass people closer to her and cross three offices to find Lin Meng. Now she realized: that fox of a woman had discovered a jewel long ago.

Why had she never imagined what Lin Meng looked like without glasses?

The colder Lin Meng was, the more attractive Tang Xiaoman found her. Just like the aloof beauties in novels—what were they called? A flower on a high peak.

Because Tang Xiaoman kept looking at Lin Meng and talking to her, by the time Lin Meng finished eating, she'd barely touched her own food.

Seeing that Tang Xiaoman hadn't finished, Lin Meng started gathering her tray to wait at her desk. But as soon as Tang Xiaoman saw her stand, she picked up her own tray. “I'm full too. Let's go take photos.”

Lin Meng frowned… but Tang Xiaoman had barely eaten anything. Wasn't that a waste?

Whatever. Whether someone wasted food was their own business.

Lin Meng paused, then nodded.

The company rooftop was also a popular lunch spot, because on sunny days the sunlight there was truly warm. Working in the office was like being in a pigeon cage; this was one of the few chances many people had to get some fresh air.

Since half of Lin Meng's lunch break had already passed, the rooftop was empty.

Tang Xiaoman was secretly delighted to find no one there. She'd brought her newly purchased instant camera this time; she was determined to find a good angle to capture Lin Meng's beautiful face.

But just then, Lin Meng seemed to think of something and frowned. “Um… you won't show the photos to anyone else, right?”

Tang Xiaoman paused, then looked at Lin Meng with utter seriousness. “How could I? I'll only look at them myself!”

Tang Xiaoman had seen plenty of beautiful women upload their photos online, yet Lin Meng was afraid of others seeing hers…

This person really was cold and distant. If someone wanted to win Lin Meng over, it would probably take a huge effort.

Only after hearing this did Lin Meng agree to the photos. But when she heard the shutter sound, she flinched involuntarily, as if triggered. Even the smile she'd been trying to maintain turned into a frown.

When Tang Xiaoman saw the developed shots, her smile gradually gave way to confusion. She peeked out from behind the camera. “Mengmeng, smile a little. You look even prettier when you smile.”

Lin Meng bit her lip and nodded slightly. “Mm.”

After that, Tang Xiaoman tried other angles, but Lin Meng's expression remained stiff throughout. The only one that looked decent was the one where Lin Meng wore no expression at all.

As lunch break drew to a close, Tang Xiaoman sighed and ended the shoot.

She walked up to Lin Meng. “Mengmeng, have you never had your photo taken before?”

Hearing this, Lin Meng remembered unhappy memories from the past. She lowered her head and spoke somewhat indifferently, “You could say that.”

Tang Xiaoman's face lit up with understanding. “No wonder. But don't worry—my photography skills are great. I'll make you look even more beautiful in the future!”

Whenever colleagues discussed anything with her beyond work, Lin Meng would just nod and agree. This time was no exception.

…

Ever since Su Yutang dropped Lin Meng off, Lin Meng had been following her orders: sending Su Yutang daily greetings and compliments every night.

But Su Yutang, as if punishing her for not messaging last week, never replied.

Lin Meng thought it was better that Su Yutang didn't reply. Now she just needed to send the daily messages on schedule. If Su Yutang did respond, she'd have to use every trick she had to placate that difficult Young Miss.

After sending Su Yutang her message like a routine game quest, Lin Meng clicked into Yun Huaizhu's chat.

This week she'd also been sending Yun Huaizhu good morning and good night messages, and Yun Huaizhu replied to every single one. Beyond that, Yun Huaizhu reminded her to eat breakfast every day, or she'd ruin her stomach over time.

Lin Meng stared at Yun Huaizhu's chat window for a while, then finally told her about the pheromone problem: [Zhuzhu, last time you came to my place, you seem to have accidentally left your pheromones on me.]

The moment she sent it, Yun Huaizhu replied instantly: [Oh no, really? I didn't notice at all! Maybe because you also had alpha scent on you that day, I accidentally released my pheromones.]

Lin Meng: [The thing is, there are alphas where I work. If we meet again, could you tone down your pheromones? I'm afraid going out might affect others.]

Meanwhile, in the Yun family office building, Yun Huaizhu felt a strange, bitter ache in her heart when she saw this message.

Had Lin Meng told Su Yutang the same thing?

Was Lin Meng only allowed to let that Su woman spread her disgusting pheromones everywhere, but not allow Yun Huaizhu to leave hers on Lin Meng's body?

Yun Huaizhu gripped her phone tightly, but she sent a very cute apologetic sticker: [Okay!]

[I'm sorry my pheromones affected you.]

Lin Meng quickly replied: [No, no, it's just that I have other people around me; I'm afraid of affecting them.]

Yun Huaizhu: [Mengmeng-jie really is kind. By the way, if Su Yutang comes looking for you again, could you avoid contact with her first? After all, her alpha pheromones are S-rank too. If you accidentally get her pheromone scent on you, it might make lower-rank omegas lose control.]

Lin Meng typed in panic: [Th—that serious?]

Yun Huaizhu: [Mmhm. Last time you only had a little of her pheromone on you, and I already started losing control a bit. If it were someone else, it would be even worse.]

Reading this, Lin Meng thought: Next time she saw Su Yutang, she absolutely had to keep a safe distance and not let Su Yutang get anywhere near her!

After sending those somewhat intimidating messages, Yun Huaizhu spun restlessly back and forth in her office chair. Then, the next moment, Lin Meng sent: [Mm, I understand. I'll always keep it in mind!]

Seeing this, Yun Huaizhu smiled the smile of a scheme successfully hatched.