Nuzzling Against Her Chest

Lin Meng had no idea what she'd done to upset Su Yutang this time, but as long as the Young Miss wasn't in a murderous mood, she could keep pretending nothing had happened.

Besides, she was on vacation now. Who had time to worry about the Young Miss?

When Su Yutang was in a bad mood, she could take her sports cars out for a spin, hit every luxury store in Jing City, or drink and party with her friends.

When Lin Meng was in a bad mood, all she could do was slink away with her tail between her legs.

Su Yutang had thrown out the work clothes Lin Meng had worn, leaving her no choice but to go home in the dress.

Su Yutang had said to toss it if she didn't like it, but Lin Meng couldn't bring herself to throw away such an expensive dress.

She hadn't gotten the chance to ask the price last night, but she could guess from the brand. The sales assistant had said it was a global limited edition—at least a hundred thousand yuan, probably more.

Lin Meng treated the dress like it was her own paycheck—she carefully took it off, folded it neatly, and placed it in the wardrobe.

Today she just wanted to lie in bed like a lazy fish. The dry cleaning could wait until tomorrow.

Just as she was about to scroll on her phone for a while before sleeping, a message popped up on WeChat: [Mengmeng-jie, weren't you on vacation today? How come I just saw you coming home from outside?]

Lin Meng's nerves snapped taut.

No way. How had Yun Huaizhu spotted her again?

Did Yun Huaizhu live right downstairs or something?

Lin Meng wanted to deny it, but if Yun Huaizhu pulled another surprise visit like last time, she'd have to come up with even more excuses.

So she gave Yun Huaizhu a heavily edited version of what had happened yesterday—cutting off the beginning and the end.

Of course, she left out the part where Su Yutang had carried her drunk self to bed and stripped off her clothes.

After Lin Meng sent the long message, Yun Huaizhu didn't reply.

Lin Meng watched the seconds tick by, and her confidence slowly eroded. Was Yun Huaizhu angry?

Sure, Su Yutang didn't treat her well, but in the novel, the two of them had eventually fallen for each other through all the angst. If she was spending time with Su Yutang now, could Yun Huaizhu be ignoring her out of jealousy?

Just as Lin Meng was lost in her dramatic imagination, someone knocked on her apartment door. She frowned slightly, then slowly got off the bed to answer it.

But what she didn't expect was this: the moment she opened the door, a force nearly ripped it off its hinges and slammed it to one side.

Bang!

Before Lin Meng could see who it was, the person stormed in with a dark expression and shoved the door shut with another loud bang.

Thankfully, the lunch break was over; if her door kept slamming like that, the neighbors would definitely complain.

But that wasn't what she should be thinking about right now, because she finally saw the face of the visitor who had grabbed both her arms the moment she stormed in.

Shocked, she blurted, "Zhuzhu… why is it you?"

Hadn't Yun Huaizhu been texting her five minutes ago? How was she already at her doorstep?

Yun Huaizhu's face was twisted in a smile that looked like pure fury, dark enough to kill. She gripped Lin Meng's slender white arms. "If I hadn't come here, how would I know whether Su Yutang did anything to you?"

Her voice was trapped in fear and panic. "Didn't I tell you? If she ever comes looking for you, you have to message me—no matter what I'm doing, I'll drop everything and come immediately. Why didn't you tell me anything this time? Why?!"

Lin Meng had never seen Yun Huaizhu so hysterical. The sight startled her so badly that her arms began to tremble uncontrollably.

She wanted to explain quickly, but the sight of Yun Huaizhu's furious, wide-eyed expression silenced her.

"I—I…" Lin Meng's voice shook. She was desperate to clear up the misunderstanding.

Su Yutang had shown up at her office and blocked her way, so she'd gone with her. She hadn't had a chance to message Yun Huaizhu at all.

Besides, even if she had messaged her, and Yun Huaizhu had rushed over in a panic—could Yun Huaizhu really have stood up to someone as domineering as Su Yutang?

When Yun Huaizhu saw how frightened Lin Meng was, barely able to speak, she suddenly snapped back to her senses.

She'd nearly been blinded by rage. This time, it was probably that lunatic Su Yutang who had dragged Lin Meng away by force—Lin Meng might not have had any chance to message her.

After forcing down the fury in her heart, Yun Huaizhu's reddened eyes suddenly filled with tears. She pulled Lin Meng into her arms. "I'm sorry… it's my fault. I shouldn't have questioned you without knowing the facts. I was just so afraid she'd do something to you. She's not a good person."

Hearing her choked sobs, Lin Meng carefully reached up and patted her back. "It's okay, I don't blame you. I know you're just looking out for me. But the Eldest Miss Su doesn't seem as bad as you think."

Yun Huaizhu froze at those words. As if stunned, she jerked her head up to stare at Lin Meng.

Lin Meng had just lowered her head to touch the gauze wrapped around her hand, completely missing the hideous, jealous expression twisting Yun Huaizhu's face.

After a moment's thought, Lin Meng held up her bandaged hand for Yun Huaizhu to see. "Look, I got hurt yesterday, and the Eldest Miss Su bandaged it herself. So… she's not as bad as you think."

She watched Yun Huaizhu's expression as she spoke.

Yun Huaizhu must really hate Su Yutang, because with every word Lin Meng said, her face darkened further. Lin Meng quickly shifted to righteous indignation. "Of course, if she hurt you in the past, that was her fault. I'm just saying she's never hurt me, so please don't worry so much."

At that, a chilling smile spread across Yun Huaizhu's gloomy face. She lifted her head and fixed Lin Meng with those slightly reddened eyes that had just been crying.

Lin Meng felt a chill run down her spine under that gaze. Suppressing her fear, she asked quietly, "…Zhuzhu, what's wrong?"

Yun Huaizhu still wore that smile as she pressed the back of her cold hand to Lin Meng's cheek. "Mengmeng-jie, I'm useless. Right now I have no way to protect you."

Lin Meng frowned at those strange words. "But… there's nothing I need protecting from. I'm an adult too, I can protect myself. You don't need to worry about me. And the Eldest Miss Su is an alpha—I'm just a beta, so you don't need to worry about me doing anything to her."

She couldn't use an omega's pheromones to attract Su Yutang, and she couldn't smell Su Yutang's pheromones either. So there was no way anything could happen between them.

Just as Lin Meng offered that argument to reassure Yun Huaizhu, Yun Huaizhu's expression turned even worse.

That was right. Lin Meng couldn't smell pheromones.

But why couldn't she? If she could, then she could mark her.

Someone like Lin Meng, wandering around outside every day, was far too conspicuous. Today she'd attracted that lunatic Su Yutang; tomorrow, who knew who else she might lure in.

If only she could lock her up. If she had pheromones, she'd train Lin Meng to belong to Yun Huaizhu and no one else.

Growing up, Yun Huaizhu had never liked many things. She was slow to recognize what was precious; only after losing it did she realize what treasures she'd once held.

Because she'd lost too much, she gradually stopped trusting anyone and stopped giving her heart to anyone. But… only Lin Meng…

Yun Huaizhu buried the urge to go mad deep in her heart and put on a gentle smile, stroking Lin Meng's cheek. "I've wanted to ask you before—why are you so good to me?"

Lin Meng's frown deepened. "Huh?"

Was she really that good to Yun Huaizhu?

She didn't remember doing much, and she'd even tampered with the gift she gave Yun Huaizhu. Yun Huaizhu hadn't blamed her for that, either.

If anything, Yun Huaizhu was the good one.

Lin Meng looked slightly confused. "What do you mean by…"

Yun Huaizhu was slow about some emotions, but not so slow that she couldn't feel anything. And the person in front of her was truly oblivious to everything.

Yun Huaizhu wouldn't have minded playing another round of this circling game with Lin Meng, but she wasn't in the mood right now.

What she wanted to know right now was how Lin Meng felt about her. "You're my fan—you liked me because of my face. I have plenty of fans, but not one of them has ever done anything as bold as you. Did you already know what Su Yutang would do to me? Is that why you put a listening device in the earrings you gave me that day, wanting to track me and protect me at all times? Ever since you met me, you've messaged me every day, reminding me to protect myself—also because you were afraid Su Yutang would hurt me?"

Lin Meng: "??"

When she'd read the novel, she'd thought Yun Huaizhu was pretty smart, but this was too smart. Yun Huaizhu had guessed her intentions almost perfectly, all on her own.

Yun Huaizhu continued, "I never told you that someone surnamed Su was making trouble for me. But the day you saw Su Yutang, you knew she was that person. An S-rank omega has to go through a professional testing agency to confirm their rank after differentiation—and you never took me to get tested, nor did I ever tell you I was an S-rank omega. Yet from the very beginning, you were absolutely certain I was one."

With every sentence, Lin Meng's guilty expression deepened. Her eyes darted away as she tried to squirm out of Yun Huaizhu's hold.

But Yun Huaizhu caught her chin and made her look directly at her. "I don't know where you got this information, but as long as you're not willing to tell me, I won't force you. I know everything you've done is for my sake, so I'm willing to accept your kindness. Just please—don't push me away."

If Yun Huaizhu hadn't guessed her intentions, a beautiful woman like this, speaking such heartfelt words with tears streaming down her face, would have moved even her to tears.

Of course, transmigrating into a book was an absurd concept in this world. Even if Yun Huaizhu had guessed she knew something in advance, she could never guess she'd transmigrated.

Lin Meng couldn't help reaching up to wipe the tears from the corners of Yun Huaizhu's eyes. "Don't cry. I don't hate you, and I won't push you away. Don't I say good morning and good night to you every day?"

Lin Meng didn't have many friends. With people who used to be sort of friends, talking once every two weeks counted as a close relationship.

But in this world, she greeted Yun Huaizhu on her phone every single day—that was already best-friend territory.

Hearing that, Yun Huaizhu cried even harder. "But you still won't agree to live with me."

Lin Meng's heart ached whenever she saw her cry. In the novel, when that scumbag Su made her cry, she had a reason to beat up the toxic alpha from afar. But this time, she was the one who'd made Yun Huaizhu cry—she couldn't very well beat herself up, could she?

Lin Meng shook her head. "That's not it. I have my own life. I can't just freeload at your place, and I think the apartment I rent is perfectly fine. We can still get together on weekends."

Yun Huaizhu stopped crying at those words.

Lin Meng still didn't realize—this kind of behavior was already a deliberate distance from others.

Not owing anyone anything—was that so it would be clean and simple when they broke up later?

No… maybe Lin Meng had never even thought about being with her.

Yun Huaizhu didn't want to continue this topic, because she knew that if she kept asking, Lin Meng's answers would surely make her angry. And if Lin Meng made her angry, she would do something that scared Lin Meng to tears.

She hated herself like this too. Every time she saw herself putting on a false face for those people, she wanted to vomit.

She struggled helplessly in this world filled with hypocrisy. Perhaps only here, with Lin Meng, could she find a moment of peace.

Yun Huaizhu buried her head against Lin Meng's chest. "I understand, Mengmeng-jie… Then can I stay at your place for the next couple of days? I've been running around for a week straight. At home, I feel so lonely I can't sleep, but here with you, I sleep so soundly."

Lin Meng nodded quickly. "Sure, sure! It's just that my bed is a bit small…"

Yun Huaizhu remembered the last time they'd slept together—Lin Meng's bed was small, but not so small that two people couldn't lie in it. It just meant they couldn't roll around.

Of course, a small bed had its advantages. The two of them could always hold each other tight.

Hearing this, Yun Huaizhu lifted her head with a gentle smile. "It's fine. I like your place."

When Lin Meng saw that smile—fresher and sweeter than blooming jasmine—her breath caught. Sure enough, she could look at Yun Huaizhu's smiling face a thousand times and never tire of it.

…

After Lin Meng left, Su Yutang sat alone, drinking in a foul mood.

She hadn't actually thrown away Lin Meng's work clothes. They were sitting neatly on the back seat of her car. She'd only said that so the girl would accept the dress without fuss.

She'd given away plenty of gifts before. When she was unhappy, she could pull funding from projects or snatch business orders out from under companies, but she'd never once taken back a gift she'd given.

Gifts were like candy wrappers she casually tossed to people. As for how many she'd thrown away, even she couldn't remember.

When she gave someone a gift, they should accept it with gratitude. After all, if she was in a good mood, she might even give away a sports car she didn't want.

But Lin Meng treated her gifts like some kind of monster…

She had never been so humiliated in her life.

Who did Lin Meng think she was? How dare she treat her like that? She was just a beta—with a single word from Su Yutang, people like Lin Meng would line up to be delivered to her villa.

Every time Su Yutang thought about it, she downed another drink. Her face was flushed now, clearly half-drunk. The people who had stayed overnight at Grace saw Su Yutang drinking alone and hurried over to intervene. "Tang-jie, did someone upset you?"

Su Yutang's eyes widened as if she were trying to cover something up. "Hah, who would dare upset me, Su Yutang? I'd make sure their whole family can't survive in Jing City!"

Seeing her like this, the others crowded around to offer advice. "Tang-jie, is it still that Yun Huaizhu? Didn't you already force her out of the industry? And you cut off hundreds of millions in business deals from the Yun family—almost bankrupted them on the spot. What more do you want to do to her?"

The moment Su Yutang heard that cursed name, "Yun Huaizhu," she remembered Lin Meng calling it in her dream. As if she could no longer control her temper, she hurled the glass in her hand with a bang!

The remaining half-glass of whiskey shattered on the floor along with the glass. Everyone present was too terrified to make a sound.

The fire in Su Yutang's heart suddenly blazed up. "Don't you ever fucking mention the name Yun Huaizhu to me again!"

"Yes, yes, Tang-jie, please calm down." Someone boldly stepped forward and offered her a cigarette. Su Yutang glanced at it and was about to take it, but just as her fingers were about to touch it, Lin Meng's figure appeared in her mind.

"No matter how good the cigarette is, it pollutes the lungs. I hope you stay healthy…"

Su Yutang laughed as if she'd angered herself. She withdrew her hand and leaned back on the sofa, covering her eyes with the back of her hand.

She rarely did this—had never shown such a gloomy expression in front of others.

Weng Hong, now changed into a fresh outfit, walked over and sat beside Su Yutang. She poured her a new glass. "Tang-jie, don't be angry. Getting worked up over Yun—oh, I mean, over someone who isn't worth it would be a real loss."

Su Yutang kept her hand over her face. A moment later, Weng Hong continued, "I heard Bai Li is back in the country. All these years, even though she's been abroad, she's always been thinking of you, Tang-jie. Now that she's back, she wants to see you, but she hasn't found the chance."

At those words, Su Yutang sat up as if remembering something. She took the glass Weng Hong had just filled and drank it down.

Her head was getting fuzzy now.

Su Yutang seemed to recall herself as a child, playing hide-and-seek alone in the manor… She'd only wanted to raise the most obedient little dog, one that belonged to her alone.

But there was no such pure little dog in this world. Even if it was obedient, it didn't understand her. She'd never lowered herself for anyone in her life—her pride and her status as the Su Corporation's heir wouldn't allow it.

Just a beta. If she was going to be so oblivious, then she might as well throw her away!

With that thought, as if the alcohol had rushed to her head, Su Yutang pulled out her phone and found Lin Meng's WeChat. As she was about to delete the contact, she suddenly saw the messages Lin Meng sent her every day—

[Morning!]

[Night night~]

[Did the Young Miss have a happy day today? Being happy makes your skin better—no skincare product can achieve that. Keep smiling!]

[Okay, so the Young Miss had another busy day. But no matter how busy, remember to eat! By the way, I had three shaomai for breakfast today. The Young Miss is so tall and beautiful—surely you eat a lot too, right?]

[Oh damn, I forgot to say good morning to you yesterday! I had to work late. The Young Miss is beautiful and kind, magnanimous and generous—surely you won't blame little Linzi, right?]

[The Young Miss has been so busy lately. Still, please rest more and remember to drink water. That's how you maintain your gorgeous, dewy beauty!]

[Did the Young Miss go racing again today? I'm not saying you can't, but could you drive a little slower? Every time I see racing accidents on TV, I get so scared.]

All the pent-up frustration in Su Yutang's chest suddenly exploded into boundless grievance.

"Ugh…"

When Su Yutang's sob reached everyone's ears, they all stared at her in disbelief, jaws dropped.

Su Yutang was crying?

The incomparable, domineering Crown Princess of Jing City, who always looked down her nose at people—was crying?

Weng Hong thought Su Yutang was crying over memories of her past with Bai Li, so she hurried to console her. "Tang-jie, even if you can't forget her, you don't have to be like this. Bai Li is in Jing City now. With one word from you, she'd definitely come see—"

Before she could finish, Su Yutang raised her eyes—bloodshot from both alcohol and tears.

Weng Hong froze at the sight of that resentful, aggrieved expression.

It wasn't just the others who'd never seen it—even Weng Hong, who'd been Su Yutang's longest-serving lackey, had never seen such an expression on her face.

Su Yutang's drunken, unfocused eyes swept over the people staring at her. Her voice was unsteady. "What are you all looking at? Get out!"

Everyone scrambled to their feet and fled the top floor.

Truth be told, some of them had been wanting to escape since earlier. If Su Yutang sobered up and found out anyone had witnessed her like this, that person would be finished.

Only after everyone left did Su Yutang collapse onto the sofa as if she couldn't hold herself up any longer.

She even murmured a few words.

"What gives her the right…"

…

Yun Huaizhu rarely got to fall asleep holding Lin Meng like this. Lying in bed, not yet sleepy, she fished out of Lin Meng that her company was giving a week off for spring break.

Really, she'd only asked to have more to talk about with Lin Meng.

After all, the alt account Yun Huaizhu had someone create was already in Lin Meng's company group chat. She'd actually seen the vacation notice before Lin Meng did.

Though the jealous, hateful fire in her heart hadn't fully subsided, she'd slowly learned to hide her darker side in front of Lin Meng.

During this time, with Su Yurong's help, she'd bought back most of the Yun family's scattered shares. A few stubborn old fogeys still clung to their tiny stakes, thinking they could threaten her with them.

But it didn't matter. Yun Huaizhu had ways to make those old things hand over what they had willingly.

Nestled in Lin Meng's arms, Yun Huaizhu suddenly had a different thought. She wanted to peel off Lin Meng's pajamas and bury her whole face right there.

But the person seemed completely oblivious to danger, scrolling through her phone while letting Yun Huaizhu burrow into her arms.

Most of what Lin Meng's feed pushed were cute animals and pretty girls. Just now, she'd swiped to a gorgeous cosplayer, and Yun Huaizhu's hand had silently reached over to cover her screen.

Lin Meng frowned slightly and looked down.

Yun Huaizhu's bangs were mussed from all the nuzzling against her chest earlier. She gazed up at Lin Meng with a sweet, slightly fragile smile—like a cat peeking out from under a blanket—looking utterly wronged. "Mengmeng-jie, do you think the person in the video is pretty, or am I pretty?"

Seeing Yun Huaizhu put on the little white flower look she loved most, Lin Meng felt her heart soften. Her face flushed red. "O-of course you're prettier."

Yun Huaizhu's smile widened. She snatched Lin Meng's phone and tossed it to the other side of the bed, then moved over her. "Then why does Mengmeng-jie only look at her phone and not at me?"

Just as Lin Meng was about to look up and thank Su Yutang, Su Yutang suddenly stood up in anger and threw the dress she'd peeled off Lin Meng last night at her. "Since my place makes you uncomfortable, I won't keep you."

Lin Meng blinked at the dress. Sensing the atmosphere turn stiff, she said cautiously, "But… I wanted the outfit I was wearing yesterday…"

Su Yutang's face was grim as she said coldly, "I threw those rags away long ago. This is the only thing here. Wear it or don't—I don't care."

Why was she angry again?

Lin Meng truly couldn't figure it out. She scratched her head. "Then… I'll wash it and return it another day?"

Hearing this, Su Yutang felt a sudden urge to pin this little puppy down and make her cry until she never dared speak nonsense again.

But when she irritably turned and saw Lin Meng's innocent, clear eyes, her clenched fists slowly relaxed. "I, Su Yutang, have never taken back a gift I've given. If you don't like it, throw it away. No need to return it."