Drink More
Su Yutang led her to another room down the hall. Lin Meng's clothes had been torn to shreds.
She was afraid of anyone seeing her like this, so she wrapped herself in the quilt soaked with Su Yutang's pheromones and let Su Yutang lead her out of that room thick with lust and chaos.
The next thing she had to figure out was how to leave this place safely.
She'd seen plenty of reporters yesterday, cameras hoisted on their shoulders, livestreaming the evening gala. If she walked out like this and got caught on camera, what then?
The more Lin Meng thought about it, the worse her expression grew.
Su Yutang, meanwhile, quickly pulled two garments from a wardrobe in the other room; both were robe-style. This estate had been built for Su Yutang to begin with, so every robe was more or less tailored to her measurements.
On Su Yutang, the clothes fit perfectly. On Lin Meng, they hung huge—the hem of this one already trailed past the tops of her feet.
But the ill-fitting clothes had one advantage: they could completely cover every mark on Lin Meng's body.
After putting it on, Lin Meng rolled up the sleeves and looked at Su Yutang with worry. “If we go out like this, what if people get the wrong idea?”
Su Yutang finally stopped what she was doing. She walked over to Lin Meng step by step, reached out, and lifted her chin. “Are you that afraid of us being exposed?”
Hearing such a misleading remark, Lin Meng hurried to defend herself. “There's nothing between us to begin with.”
Su Yutang had already grown fully accustomed to the way Lin Meng treated her. She had never failed to get what she wanted; even someone as unmoved as stone, she would find a way to take.
“But you have my contact info, and you've slept with me. Even if you say you don't like me, that doesn't mean we have no relationship at all. At the very least, you could call us... friends with benefits, couldn't you?”
Lin Meng's face twisted into sheer bewilderment at those words... Had last night given Su Yutang some kind of hallucination?
Forget it. The most important thing right now was getting out of this mess. The thought barely formed before she unconsciously clung to Su Yutang's arm. “Young Miss, please think of a way for us to leave smoothly. I really don't want anyone to see us like this.”
She hated gossip and strange looks more than anything.
Su Yutang lowered her head to look at Lin Meng clinging to her arm and noticed the bruises around her wrist... Memories flashed through her mind like lightning.
Had she done this too?
Last night, out of control, she seemed to have tied Lin Meng up. The bruises looked severe—if Lin Meng ran to the police station and reported abuse, the officers would believe her.
And yet, from the start, Lin Meng had been desperately trying to distance herself. She hadn't even accused Su Yutang of last night's brutality.
If Lin Meng had cried and screamed that she was a terrible person, sworn never to speak to her again, or thrown a fit and beaten her, Su Yutang wouldn't feel as miserable as she did now.
Why did she long for Lin Meng to treat her that way?
A sudden sourness welled up in Su Yutang's heart. She looked at Lin Meng, her voice softening considerably. “Do you still have your phone on you?”
Lin Meng hurriedly dug her phone out of the quilt she'd been wrapped in. But as she clutched it, she hesitated. “You... what do you want my phone for?”
Su Yutang raised an eyebrow. “To call for help, obviously. Whoever schemed against me in my own estate has to be someone very close to me. Since there's a mole in my circle, I can't exactly walk you out in broad daylight.”
That made sense to Lin Meng. She nodded and was about to hand the phone over, but then something occurred to her and she pulled it back. “Who are you going to ask for help?”
Su Yutang tilted her head in thought. “Huo Yi probably isn't busy today. Tell her to pick us up from the side gate by the garden.”
Lin Meng shook her head frantically.
Su Yutang's answer confirmed her suspicions—Huo Yi was a world-class agent of chaos. If she got wind of a scandal this juicy, she'd fan the flames everywhere. Then the whole world would know, and would Su Yutang still have a chance with her wife?
Last night, Lin Meng had done all that to keep Su Yutang from dying, but let's be honest—she was the other woman!
For some reason, Su Yutang's face broke into a smug smile at Lin Meng's reaction. She reached out and ruffled Lin Meng's messy hair. “Darling, I know you don't like her, but she's still my childhood friend. Don't be too obvious about it when you see her again. She's just got a sharp tongue—that's how she is.”
Lin Meng didn't understand why Su Yutang was telling her all this, but she wholeheartedly agreed with the last part.
Lin Meng lifted her head, gazing up at Su Yutang with slightly reddened eyes like a pitiful little rabbit. “Then do you have anyone else? I really don't want your childhood friend to know about this.”
Su Yutang bent slightly at the sight, leaning in close. Lin Meng stayed on guard. But being on guard was useless—the next moment, Su Yutang's lips, which had kissed nearly every inch of her last night, suddenly pressed against her cheek.
When that warm, moist sensation touched Lin Meng's cheek, her heart lurched. She quickly covered her face and stepped back. “Why did you do that all of a sudden?”
Su Yutang watched her with a playful smile. “Darling, you're just too cute like this. I couldn't help it.”
Lin Meng: “...”
She wanted to tell Su Yutang to hold back, but knowing this unruly Young Miss probably wouldn't listen anyway, she decided to just endure it herself.
Su Yutang had thought of someone. She reached out for Lin Meng's phone. “I won't call Huo Yi. Give me your phone—I'll have someone else come.”
Lin Meng hesitated, then shielded the screen as she entered her password and switched it to the dial pad before handing it over.
Watching her go through the whole sequence, a shadow of suspicion crossed Su Yutang's mind. Why so careful? Was there something on her phone she didn't want Su Yutang to see?
With a sullen expression, Su Yutang dialed a number. One second later, it connected. “Hello.”
Su Yutang's tone was pure command. “I'm at the estate right now. Go wait at the small gate in the southwest corner of the back garden. I'll be there in about two hours.”
“Yes, Young Miss. I'll go at once.”
Su Yutang had put the call on speaker, so Lin Meng heard every word.
This person seemed extremely deferential to Su Yutang, but Lin Meng couldn't figure out who this was in the novel.
After Su Yutang hung up, a WeChat notification popped up on Lin Meng's screen from “Poor Little Pearl”: [Mengmeng-jie, why didn't you say good morning to me today? Were you too tired from last night's gala and slept in? I remember you have work soon—sleeping a bit more is good. Can I come to your place tonight?]
Su Yutang's expression shifted from sunny to stormy in an instant. Lin Meng had heard the WeChat notification chime and immediately jumped up, snatched the phone from Su Yutang's hand, and powered it off.
But it was clearly too late.
Su Yutang leaned in close to Lin Meng, her face dark with barely contained resentment. She smiled without warmth. “This ‘Poor Little Pearl’ wouldn't happen to be Yun Huaizhu, would it? She even calls you Mengmeng-jie—did you allow that? She said you didn't say good morning to her today. Have you two been saying good morning and good night to each other every day for a long time now?”
Can I come to your place tonight—so that means she's been to your place before?
The more Su Yutang thought, the angrier she got. The fire in her chest was about to boil over. She backed Lin Meng onto the bed, then braced both hands on the mattress, grinding her teeth as she asked the final question. “Are you two dating right now?”
Su Yutang's expression was terrifying. Lin Meng was stunned—but when she heard that last question, it was like hitting a core code trigger, and she denied it frantically. “No, of course not!”
Su Yutang's voice pitched even higher. “No? Then why are you saying good morning and good night to her, letting her call you Mengmeng-jie, letting her go to your place? If you keep indulging her like this, is she going to have her fingers inside you next?”
Lin Meng froze for a moment at the sight of Su Yutang, whose eyes had gradually reddened from sheer fury.
Why was she so worked up? Could it be that she realized her intimate behavior with Lin Meng made her the other woman?
Lin Meng grabbed Su Yutang's hand and explained desperately. “No, Young Miss, listen to me—we're just good friends. Friends say hi every day, and occasionally visit each other's homes. That's perfectly normal, isn't it? Don't think of it so...”
She was one word away from saying “filthy.”
“Drip...”
A scalding tear suddenly fell from above onto Lin Meng's cheek.
Lin Meng looked up at Su Yutang in disbelief.
Had she been dreaming these past few days? How else had she seen Su Yutang crying repeatedly since last night?
Su Yutang had genuinely been driven to tears. Jealousy was burning her rationality to ash. She even had the urge to strangle this person right here—then she wouldn't have to feel this pain.
Who did this person think she was?
She, Su Yutang, was the sole heir of Jing City's wealthiest family. She'd never been made to suffer this kind of indignity in her entire life. Everyone had to mind her moods; anyone who displeased her could vanish from this city by tomorrow.
But why—why was her heart trembling? Even jealousy and fury couldn't drive her to do anything to this person who'd angered her time and again.
Su Yutang nodded once. She stood and wiped her face with fierce stubbornness. “Fine. If you think my mind is filthy, so be it. But from now on, you have to say good morning and good night to me too. When I come to your place, you're not allowed to refuse to open the door. When I pick you up after work, you're not allowed to hide from me!”
Lin Meng's brows knitted tightly at this barrage of demands. She murmured weakly, “But... I already greet you every day.”
You're the one who ignores me.
And this time, she'd even planned that if everything went smoothly, she'd stop contacting Su Yutang altogether—never mind good mornings, good nights, or compliments.
Su Yutang looked slightly guilty at that. She crossed her arms and turned her head away. “Then from now on, when I message you, you're not allowed to ignore me.” Her expression turned strange as she spoke.
Su Yutang bit out each word through clenched teeth. “Otherwise, I'll make sure your good friend ‘Zhuzhu’ can't survive in Jing City.”
Lin Meng felt the sky collapse. She could ignore Su Yutang, but she couldn't abandon Yun Huaizhu! If she didn't look after Yun Huaizhu, Yun Huaizhu would be tormented by Su Yutang. This domineering CEO loved threatening people—one careless move and she'd be racing further down the road to the crematorium.
Lin Meng agreed immediately. “Okay, Young Miss. But you have to promise me—don't go after the people around me... I don't have many friends. I don't want them to suffer just for being friends with me. Otherwise...”
Otherwise what could she do? Under the tyranny of these elite families, she was powerless.
If she really wanted to go all out, she could wait for a moment alone with Su Yutang and bite her to death.
But Lin Meng didn't dare.
Seeing Lin Meng's panicked expression, the irritation in Su Yutang's heart only deepened.
She hadn't expected Lin Meng to care about Yun Huaizhu to this extent.
Jealousy was an emotion Su Yutang had never experienced. From childhood, she'd had the best of everything; people she liked always surrounded her; those who displeased her were quickly trampled into the mud. But this sour, suffocating feeling of frustration—this was the first time in her life she'd felt it.
Su Yutang's soft fingers brushed Lin Meng's face. Her eyes held a tangle of complicated emotions. “Fine, I promise. But calling me ‘Young Miss’ seems too distant for whatever we are. You let Yun Huaizhu call you Mengmeng-jie—so just call me by my name.”
Lin Meng was startled and delighted, but then she twisted her head away sheepishly. “But someone like me, how could I deserve...”
Before she could finish, Su Yutang forced her head back to face her. “Someone like what? You're with me. If anyone dares gossip about you, I'll bankrupt them and run them out of this city by tomorrow. Call me by my name—call me Tangtang, the same way you let Yun Huaizhu call you Mengmeng-jie. Okay?”
Her freshly cried eyes were still rimmed red, glistening as if stars flickered within them. Tenderness was the deadliest blow to a soft heart. As if enchanted, Lin Meng's lips parted slightly, and she herself didn't know why she said the word “Okay.”
Su Yutang hugged her joyfully. “Then say it now.”
“Tang... Tangtang.”
Hearing it, Su Yutang felt as if she'd found some secret leverage over Lin Meng. She answered sweetly, “That's right, darling. Remember to call me that every day.”
...
When Lin Meng left with Su Yutang, she wrapped herself up so thoroughly that even an acquaintance wouldn't recognize her. Su Yutang, by contrast, walked openly through the garden holding her hand.
The garden was vast. Even taking shortcuts, it took over half an hour to reach the small gate at the southwest corner.
Because Lin Meng had said she didn't want anyone to see her like this, Su Yutang really did guide her around the crowds and out of the estate.
A long-wheelbase Mercedes business van waited at the southwest gate. Wild-growing redbud branches drooped over the small gate toward the roadside. The weather was exceptionally fine today. Sunlight fell through the clusters of blossoms, casting a patch of shadow on the road.
Only after Su Yutang stuffed her into the car did Lin Meng dare pull the silk scarf off her head.
Through the rearview mirror, she caught a glimpse of the woman who'd come to pick up Su Yutang... She was clearly very tall, with a cold, unapproachable expression.
Once Su Yutang got in, the driver asked, “Young Miss, where would you like to go?”
Su Yutang thought briefly, then said without hesitation, “To my apartment at Sijinmen.”
“Yes, Young Miss.”
This person seemed intimately familiar with all of Su Yutang's residences—Su Yutang only had to mention a word, and she knew exactly where to go.
Was there such a character in the novel?
Just as Lin Meng was straining to study the person through the rearview mirror, Su Yutang grabbed her chin and turned her face toward herself. “How old are you, still gawking like a child? I think she shouldn't call you jie—you should be calling her jie.”
She was still hung up on Yun Huaizhu calling Lin Meng “Mengmeng-jie.”
Lin Meng quickly looked away and sat stiffly.
Seeing her so meek and malleable, Su Yutang sighed helplessly. “Let me introduce you. The one driving is Si Bingxia. She was left to me by my grandmother. I just don't like being watched, so I've kept her busy handling miscellaneous things at the company.”
Lin Meng's pupils quaked.
Was it really okay to say that right in front of the person?
Lin Meng raised her head with great sympathy and looked toward the driver's seat. The person's expression remained blank. She drove with single-minded focus, as if Su Yutang hadn't been talking about her at all.
Well—Su Yutang was the Young Miss, after all.
Su Yutang couldn't help but smile at Lin Meng's dazed expression.
Last night had been too abrupt. Her mind had been clouded, so many details were blurry—like how she'd spread Lin Meng's legs, how she'd entered, and just how badly she'd treated Lin Meng to make her eyes stay swollen even the next day.
She looked forward to doing it again while fully conscious.
...
Sijinmen was the neighborhood Jing City's wealthy favored for buying property. Far from the noise, facing the river, it was ideal for a retirement life.
Of course, because it was low-key, luxurious, and drew no attention, many people also liked to keep their mistresses here.
Si Bingxia dropped Su Yutang and Lin Meng at the community entrance and left.
Lin Meng frowned, thinking of Si Bingxia's cold expression. “She doesn't seem happy...”
Su Yutang reached out and pulled Lin Meng into her arms. “Darling, don't worry. She's not unhappy—she just has a bit of a flat affect. Let's head upstairs.”
Only then did Lin Meng realize—she'd been pulled into Su Yutang's embrace. She panicked and tried to struggle free. “Shouldn't you take me home first? Why are we here?”
Su Yutang held her neck firmly. “Don't move!”
She leaned close to Lin Meng's ear and murmured soothingly, “Right now, inside and out, you're filled with the scent of my pheromones. If I just let you go home like this, what about the people affected by my pheromones?”
Lin Meng froze at that...
That actually made some sense.
She couldn't smell pheromones, but others could. An S-rank alpha's pheromones were enough to drive an ordinary omega insane.
Lin Meng panicked. “Then what do we do?”
Su Yutang smiled. “That's why I brought you to my apartment. I'm the one who made you like this, so I should be the one to handle the aftermath.”
Lin Meng could tell that sentence was getting stranger by the second, but covered in S-rank alpha pheromones, she couldn't exactly wander around. For now, she had no choice but to go along with Su Yutang.
...
Ever since Huo Yi's threat, Yun Huaizhu hadn't dared visit Lin Meng during the day. Perhaps at night she could sneak over and lie in bed with Lin Meng.
Today's weather matched her mood perfectly. She'd secured cash flow at the auction to help her company go public, and her relationship with Lin Meng was growing closer. Everything seemed to be heading in a good direction.
She sent Lin Meng several messages in a row, but Lin Meng didn't reply to any of them.
Lin Meng had said she wasn't feeling well when she went back last night. Was she still sick? Should Yun Huaizhu go check on her?
Yun Huaizhu got up immediately and headed for the parking garage beneath her office building. Just then, she received a call. When she saw the name on the screen, the smile vanished from her face.
But she still had to lower herself to answer. “Madam.”
That detestable voice came through the receiver. “You handled last night's matter very well. It's just that Yutang seems to have flown into a rage. She didn't do anything to you, did she?”
Yun Huaizhu immediately put on a fragile act. “Madam, rest assured, Yutang didn't do anything to me. It's just... cough, cough...”
She deliberately made her voice sound hoarse. On the other end, Su Yurong was satisfied, though the woman still feigned concern. “I know Yutang's temper. She went too far this time, smashing the door like that. But she's probably guessed who set this up against her. Don't worry, good girl—Auntie will protect you. You don't need to see Yutang for a while.”
Yun Huaizhu was secretly delighted, but she still had to put on a show of reluctance and deep affection. “Thank you, Madam. But will Yutang agree...”
Su Yurong sneered. “She's my daughter. She's pulled plenty of absurd stunts these past two years—even at the auction she made a fool of herself. So she'll be spending the latter half of this year at the old residence. You don't need to worry about her coming to find you.”
Only after Su Yurong gave her that inside information did Yun Huaizhu let her pounding heart settle. “Understood.”
After the call ended, Yun Huaizhu finally let her true disgust show.
But soon she was gloating... Just how angry must Su Yutang have been to smash down a door? The mother-daughter relationship was clearly on the rocks.
Yun Huaizhu counted herself lucky. When she'd set up Su Yutang, she'd used an overseas businessman's account. No matter how thoroughly Su Yurong investigated, she'd never trace the necklace sold to Su Yutang back to her.
Too much had happened recently. Yun Huaizhu couldn't help but sit back down and review everything. The more she did, the more mistakes she could make; even a flawless plan would show cracks if someone looked closely enough. At this critical juncture, she had to be even more careful.
Getting close to Lin Meng might put Lin Meng in danger, but she truly couldn't control the urge to see her... Besides, Lin Meng was sometimes too busy to reply, and Yun Huaizhu didn't even know what she was doing.
What if Lin Meng was involved with someone else?
Like that old fox Huo Yi—Lin Meng was so naive, anyone who showed her a bit of kindness and she'd trust them blindly.
She had too much on her plate right now, so much that she couldn't constantly keep tabs on the person she liked. Every day she worried Lin Meng might fall for someone else. She needed a way to see Lin Meng at all times.
As her thoughts turned dark and calculating, the peridot earrings on her ears caught the sunlight and flashed brilliantly.
Yun Huaizhu touched the earrings Lin Meng had given her—their meeting hadn't been as romantic as something out of an idol drama, but these earrings had genuinely helped her.
Thinking carefully now, her circumstances had only begun improving bit by bit after she met Lin Meng.
Maybe Lin Meng really was sent by heaven to save her.
By the way, where had she gotten that listening device made? That person's skills weren't bad at all.
...
Su Yutang pressed her fingerprint, and the apartment's impressively high-end security door opened.
It was Lin Meng's first time in a river-view apartment. She looked at the duplex with surprise. It wasn't as large as the villa Su Yutang lived in, but the decor was beautiful—like a princess's room brimming with spring.
As she looked around curiously, Su Yutang brought her a glass of water.
When Lin Meng sat down, she still felt vaguely uncomfortable.
In the car earlier, whenever she'd shown any sign of discomfort, Su Yutang would reach out as if to support her rear. That position was far too humiliating; Lin Meng would rather die than let Su Yutang touch her that way, so she'd endured the entire ride.
After finishing the glass Su Yutang poured her, her dry, hoarse throat finally felt some relief.
She didn't know what kind of water it was, but it tasted sweet and cool.
She looked up at Su Yutang. “Is there more?”
Su Yutang smiled and pulled two beautifully packaged 1.25L glass bottles from the fridge. She set the water in front of Lin Meng. “Don't rush, darling. There's plenty here.”
Lin Meng blinked at the fancy packaging. She had a feeling the glass bottles cost more than the water inside.
Whatever. She'd drink first.
Just as Lin Meng twisted off the cap and lifted the glass bottle to drink, Su Yutang propped her chin on her hand and watched her with a wicked look. “After all, you lost so much water yesterday. You need to replenish properly today.”
“Pfft—”
Lin Meng choked. If Su Yutang hadn't been sitting a bit far from her, she would've spat water all over her.
Lin Meng's cheeks burned instantly. She'd nearly forgotten about yesterday, but this villain Su Yutang reminded her at every turn of what had happened between them.
Su Yutang hurried over with a tissue to wipe her mouth. “Darling, how did you forget how to drink water? Do you need me to feed you?”
Lin Meng coughed even harder. She waved her hand frantically, sputtering, “N-no need.”
Su Yutang pouted in disappointment. “Fine. But next time I'll prepare ahead. I didn't realize my darling was made of water—one touch and she keeps flowing.”
Lin Meng couldn't take it anymore. She lunged forward and clamped her hand over Su Yutang's ceaselessly chattering mouth. “Please, just stop talking!”
The moment Lin Meng's palm covered Su Yutang's mouth, she caught the scent of her own pheromones on Lin Meng's hand.
She really had performed well last night—even Lin Meng's hand carried such a strong scent.
Su Yutang's eyes curved into delighted crescents. She slowly extended her tongue and licked the palm covering her mouth.
Lin Meng's face instantly twisted with revulsion. She snatched her hand back as if electrocuted.
Su Yutang caught her hand. “Darling, now it's time to wash up. You don't want to walk around town covered in my pheromones, do you?”
Lin Meng's fear of Su Yutang peaked at this moment—she was terrified Su Yutang would inflict her twisted tastes on her.
After a long moment, she raised her head, trembling. “Swear it. Just a bath.”
Su Yutang's smile brightened at those words. How naive did someone have to be to believe a mere oath would matter?
But every time she made a promise, she thought of how Lin Meng would obediently follow her every command. Humoring a child like this wasn't so bad.
She'd treat it as their little game.
Su Yutang leaned close to Lin Meng, her warm breath washing over Lin Meng's ear. “I swear. Just a bath.”
Only then did Lin Meng follow her into the bathroom.
...
Su Yutang's apartment had a large round bathtub, big enough for both of them to lie in, but Su Yutang just filled it and let Lin Meng soak first.
Lin Meng couldn't smell pheromones and had no idea where the scent was strongest on her body. Ordinary bathwater couldn't wash away an S-rank alpha's pheromone scent anyway, so she had no choice but to let Su Yutang clean her.
When Su Yutang saw Lin Meng's body in full, she realized just how badly she'd treated her. The red and purple marks looked like some kind of skin disease. She'd wrecked the girl like this, and Lin Meng had still flirted with her earlier as if nothing had happened.
At the thought, Su Yutang applied the cleansing solution to her hands and ran them over Lin Meng's body from top to bottom.
Lin Meng gritted her teeth and kept telling herself this was just a normal bath. What bath didn't involve this?
But the next moment, Su Yutang stepped barefoot into the tub.
Lying in the tub with her knees slightly bent, Lin Meng was completely exposed from Su Yutang's vantage point. She didn't even bother asking what Su Yutang was doing—she clamped her legs shut and scrambled backward, splashing water everywhere.
“What... what are you trying to do?”
Su Yutang looked at her terrified expression with feigned innocence. “What else? Help you wash.”
She slowly pried apart Lin Meng's clamped legs. “Don't you know? This is where the pheromone scent is strongest.”
Lin Meng's face burned with shame at the strange position. She covered her eyes with her arm. “Then... then hurry up.”
Su Yutang smirked at her dying-of-embarrassment expression. “Don't worry, darling. I'll be quick.”
After she said that, Lin Meng felt warm water and soft fingertips slick with medicine slip inside her.
The sensation was strange. Her head spun. She wanted to press her hand to her belly—the water entering her felt uncomfortable.
She didn't know what cleansing solution Su Yutang was using, but she felt a faint itch and warmth.
Lin Meng had experienced Su Yutang's broken promises before, but this time she truly couldn't endure it anymore. She choked back a sob, lowered her arm, and glared at Su Yutang with misty eyes. “Are you done yet?”
Su Yutang's innocent expression shifted into a fake smile. “Not yet, darling. It's a bit deep... I have to wash you properly.”
Lin Meng was so ashamed she wanted to bury her head in the tub. She couldn't bring herself to say it—Su Yutang had better actually be helping her wash.
...
When everything was over, Lin Meng's entire body was tinged pink.
Su Yutang carried her out of the tub, then attentively dried her off and blow-dried her hair.
If anyone saw Su Yutang like this, they'd think she'd lost her mind.
How could the lofty Young Miss have become a beta's nursemaid?
But Su Yutang no longer felt that sense of imbalance. In the bedroom not far from the bathroom, prepared ointments lay waiting. Besides serving this person through a comfortable bath, she had other tasks to complete.
At the thought, Su Yutang's heart bloomed like a sunflower.