You Cried Last Night

That morning, during her usual surveillance of Lin Meng's phone, Yun Huaizhu found the long thread of messages Lin Meng had sent Huo Yi. Scrolling to the very top, she heard Huo Yi's sickeningly affected words.

Claiming she was feeling down, so she drank. As if. Wasn't this vixen famous in their circle for her fine wine collection? Anyone who came to her house to discuss business had to drink with her; only after finishing her welcome drink could the talks continue.

And then that line about drinking herself to death at home—if she wanted to die, then die! Why send it to Lin Meng at all, just to win her sympathy?

After Lin Meng saw that message, she had actually rushed to Huo Yi's villa in the dead of night. When Yun Huaizhu saw that, her face went green with fury. She wanted nothing more than to drive straight to Huo Yi's villa and drag Lin Meng back.

But if she went now, the sharp-witted Huo Yi would surely sense something was off—might even guess Yun Huaizhu had tampered with Lin Meng's phone. That would plunge her and Lin Meng into a crisis of trust.

First Su Yutang, now Huo Yi. And in between, Lin Meng's coworkers. Why did every last one of them have to seduce Lin Meng?

Did she really have to lock Lin Meng up?

As Yun Huaizhu stared at the chat history, her expression gradually twisted. At first, she had truly wanted an ordinary, happy life with Lin Meng. But with so many people surrounding Lin Meng, insecurity swallowed her whole and slowly curdled into something twisted.

Just as Yun Huaizhu gripped her phone, trying to think of a way to make Lin Meng leave Huo Yi's place naturally, a call screen popped up.

Seeing Aunt Fang's name, she answered. "What is it?"

On the other end, Aunt Fang sounded anxious. "Miss, the Yun family members you removed from the board are extremely unhappy with your recent actions. From what I hear, several of them have been making covert moves—they've already dug into Madam's private affairs from the past. They want to use public opinion to expose your background."

Yun Huaizhu's expression turned savage. She gripped her phone tight. "Has it been suppressed?"

"Yes. As you instructed, all news unfavorable to the Yun family has been suppressed during this period. We just don't know what other tricks these people have up their sleeves."

Yun Huaizhu let out a breath of relief. "A bunch of grasshoppers at the end of autumn. Besides, I only took back their equity—it's not as if I cut off their food. My mother gave them so many benefits when she was alive; they know that in their hearts. People this ungrateful, this willing to bite the hand that fed them, don't deserve me giving them face."

Aunt Fang said, "Miss, you mean..."

A glint of vengeful cunning flashed through Yun Huaizhu's eyes. A smile crossed her face. "I remember some of them keep mistresses, have illegitimate children, and do plenty of smuggling on the side. Compile the evidence and send each person their own. If they ignore my warning and keep trying to threaten me with my background, I'll make them know what regret truly means."

Aunt Fang nodded. "Understood, Miss. I'll see to it immediately."

After hanging up, Yun Huaizhu collapsed onto the bed as if all the strength had left her.

How laughable. The people threatening her were all Yun family members who shared at least some blood with her.

Family knew best where family's wounds were tenderest. And yet she still had to honor her mother's promise, still had to hold this family together. But the family had rotted long ago—better to just tear it apart. She was so, so tired. She didn't want to fight these people anymore.

With that thought, Yun Huaizhu closed her eyes.

She had never been this harsh, never this calculating, never one to drive people to their deaths. But why did everyone insist on pushing her? She had no choice but to make her choices, no choice but to harden herself.

Yun Jinyu had originally meant to leave her a pure, untouched place. In the end, she still failed to protect it.

She still remembered Yun Jinyu on her deathbed, gripping her hand and repeating what she'd said before: "Huaizhu, you must... become strong. You're too kind, child. I wanted to create a happy home for you, but your mother was useless. But don't forget... live well..."

Yun Huaizhu let out a deep sigh at the memory. She still wasn't strong enough; otherwise she wouldn't feel this exhausted. Sometimes she wondered if she truly was too soft-hearted. With those Yun family people, all she needed to do was make an example of one to warn the rest—but she'd always held back for old times' sake.

If only she could harden her heart, break Lin Meng's legs, and lock her away.

Then she wouldn't be so plagued by anxiety and could focus all her strength on dealing with those who wanted her dead.

She was, just as Yun Jinyu had once said, far too kind.

...

Lin Meng's mind descended into chaos once more. She heard many voices, including one from that other world—the person who had come to negotiate with her after she became an adult: "Are you Miss Lin?"

At the time, she'd been shaking milk tea at a shop to earn extra spending money for university. When she heard the woman's voice, she looked up. "I am. May I ask what this is about?"

The woman produced a lawyer's license and showed it to her. "Mr. Lin passed away in an accident last month. I need to discuss his estate with you."

Lin Meng froze. For an instant, her heart plummeted, then returned to normal. Ever since she was six and that man left home, he had never come back. All these years he'd never visited her, never sent a cent of child support to ease her mother's burden.

He was dead. Lin Meng felt nothing at all—only, for a moment, surprise. Could someone like him die just like that?

Just like that, she came into a large fortune.

The man had been wealthy, with property and savings totaling several million. In her small county town, that counted as middle class.

Even luckier, though the man had kept mistresses, he'd been deeply paranoid and guarded against them, never legally marrying any of them. Since he'd already divorced her mother and had no other direct relatives, only Lin Meng as his biological daughter, the entire fortune naturally passed to her.

Lin Meng found it surreal. In her most difficult days, this man had never appeared. But after his death, he left behind such a sum.

Her mother was stubborn—one infidelity meant a lifetime of hatred. Lin Meng couldn't even mention that man at home, or her mother would break down and scream. So all these years, mother and daughter had treated him as dead.

If her mother knew about this money, she would probably order Lin Meng to throw it away. She was the type who would rather donate it to an orphanage than take an enemy's money—it would be an insult to her dignity.

But Lin Meng didn't see it that way.

At the time, she'd been attending a decent university. Since coming of age, she'd earned her own living expenses, but tuition and other fees she couldn't yet afford still had to come from her mother.

Over the years, her mother had grown old from toil. Lin Meng had to plan for her mother's future.

That was the first time she defied her mother's wishes. She accepted the money. But after that, she told no one. She still worked part-time, still attended classes normally, and in the end became an ordinary nine-to-six office worker.

At first her salary wasn't high—just enough for rent and daily expenses—but she still transferred money to her mother's card, drawn from that inheritance.

She only sent a little each month, one or two thousand—enough for her mother to live well in that small county town as long as she didn't splurge.

Ever since she'd had to leave her mother's side and see the outside world, she suddenly understood how distorted their mother-daughter relationship was.

She had truly lived under her mother's control her entire life. A normal mother who loved her child wouldn't do those things... But what could she do? She couldn't bring herself to hate the mother who gave birth to her, raised her, and devoted most of her life to her. Yet she also couldn't care for her mother the way normal people did.

Lin Meng knew money could solve ninety percent of the world's troubles.

So she simply kept sending money, depositing the inheritance in banks in installments, and wrote a will naming her mother as sole heir.

She knew she would be ordinary until she died, wouldn't earn much, might save a little, but that would be far in the future. Before then, she didn't know whether tomorrow or disaster would come first. She had to do everything in her power to ensure her mother would live well in a world without her.

How strange. She hadn't thought about this in so long.

Not since she was a child, jumping rope with Meimei, who held her hand on the way home.

Her hands had been so warm. Almost no one in class disliked her. Why did such a good person have to die too?

She must have died in the real world as well. She'd already arranged everything for the only person she cared about—so why did she still feel a tiny bit sad?

There seemed to be a hollow in her heart that no one could ever enter. A cold, lonely feeling.

"Darling, if there's ever something you don't like, you must tell me, understand?"

"Mengmeng-jie, I want to be your best friend forever."

It was the people in this novel who stirred her emotions. Following that tiny thread of feeling, she found memories from her own world.

They were sorrowful memories. She didn't want to think about them again; she couldn't bear to.

Forgetting everything was the best choice for her.

...

Just then, a flicker of light passed before her eyes—a silver butterfly, glowing. She loved beautiful things, but she also knew butterflies were free. She shouldn't deprive a butterfly of its freedom to flap its wings.

Yet this butterfly kept flitting back and forth in front of her. Helpless, she could only follow it forward. The dark, cold place gradually brightened, and she felt a warmth like being wrapped in an exquisite cashmere coat.

And the next moment, she opened her eyes. A hand reached toward her, the warm back of it brushing against her damp cheek.

Lin Meng thought she was still dreaming. She stayed dazed for a long while, until the person wiped the tears from her face—then she snapped back to her senses.

Startled, she sat up quickly. Diamond-cut firelight scattered across her—the light came from diamond pendants hanging before the floor-to-ceiling window, forming a curtain of varying lengths.

It was a beautiful day, the sunlight exceptionally bright. The sun refracted through those diamonds into countless colored rays. The room was filled with that glittering, luminous color, like a scene seen through a kaleidoscope.

Seeing her wake, Huo Yi looked at her with concern. "Mengmeng, you're awake. Does your head still hurt? If you're really uncomfortable, let me take you to the hospital for a checkup."

Only when she saw Huo Yi's face did Lin Meng realize she was at Huo Yi's home. Last night she'd thought something had happened to Huo Yi and rushed over in a panic.

At that thought, Lin Meng's gaze dropped to the striking red on her body.

"!"

Her eyes flew wide open.

She remembered rushing over so hastily that she hadn't changed out of her blue floral slip dress. So why was she wearing something different now?

And the fabric was so soft, with a silken sheen.

Seeing her shocked expression, Huo Yi smiled. "Mengmeng, your clothes were soaked with sweat, so I took them off and put them in the washing machine. They should be dry today. This is my nightgown—a bit long on you, but it fits quite well otherwise. What, are you uncomfortable in it?"

Hearing her explanation, Lin Meng hurriedly grabbed the blanket and clutched it to her chest.

Actually, the nightgown didn't fit well at all. It hung loose on her, half her chest exposed. One wrong move and she'd be flashing Huo Yi.

And her nipple covers from the slip dress were gone too...

At that thought, Lin Meng spoke with some embarrassment. "Um, Yiyi... did you change my clothes yourself?"

Huo Yi lay on her side on the bed, one hand propping up her head. Her matching nightgown outlined the seductive curves of her body. "Of course. I gave all the villa staff the night off last night, so it's just you and me here now. The last person to leave probably forgot to lock the door—that's how you got in. But don't worry. Security here is strict. Anyone whose information isn't registered can't get in, locked or not."

Lin Meng hadn't asked about the door at all. What concerned her was... Huo Yi had seen her completely naked.

At that thought, her cheeks flushed red. Why did she always end up naked in front of people?

Honestly, she might as well go bang her head against a wall!

Seeing her mortified expression, Huo Yi knew she must have remembered everything.

Honestly, Huo Yi had once thought Lin Meng liked beautiful women because she felt her own figure was inferior to theirs. But when Huo Yi unwrapped Lin Meng like candy, she found her white as milk candy.

Not thin and dry—her flesh had grown in all the right places. Truly pure yet alluring, sexy in the most understated way.

With her glasses off, lying on the bed letting Huo Yi do as she pleased, Lin Meng looked like some goddess from Greek myth. Huo Yi even felt her own heat cycle threatening to start early because of Lin Meng.

They hadn't done anything at all, yet Lin Meng wrapped herself in the blanket like it was aftercare. It was too adorable.

Seeing her like this, Huo Yi's eyes narrowed into a meaningful smile. "Mengmeng, you cried several times in your sleep last night. Did you think of something sad?"

Lin Meng froze at the question, as if she hadn't noticed. "I... cried?"

Huo Yi nodded. "There are still tear tracks on your face. I was going to wipe them for you, and then you woke up."

Hearing this, Lin Meng deliberately dodged the question. "Thank you, Yiyi. I probably cried because I was frightened by what happened yesterday."

Huo Yi slowly opened her eyes. The smile on her face didn't change, but inwardly she thought: Liar.

What kind of pain was so great that she wouldn't confide in a friend even in such a relaxed setting?

Was she not close enough as a friend?

Huo Yi shifted from her languid pose. She turned and gradually moved toward Lin Meng. "Mengmeng was worried about me. I'm the one who made you cry. I'm simply awful—how should I make it up to you?"

While Lin Meng was dazed, Huo Yi had already drawn close. If not for the blanket wrapped around her, Huo Yi would have been pressed right against her.

Lin Meng hurriedly said, "Not at all. I just overthink things. As long as I see you're okay, that's enough. If there's nothing else, I should get going..."

As she spoke, she moved to get out of bed.

But the next moment, as the blanket fell away, the world suddenly spun.

A pair of warm arms caught her shoulders and pressed her back onto the bed.

Lin Meng gradually felt the scene was familiar. Fear crept in. "Yiyi, what are you doing?"

Seeing her slightly frightened expression, Huo Yi gave her an unusual smile. "Do you know who in this world cares most about whether I live or die?"

Huh?

Huo Yi was pinning her down just to ask that?

To free herself quickly, Lin Meng answered at once. "Of course it's your two mothers. Your mothers love you very much."

Hearing this, Huo Yi laughed as if she'd received an imperfect answer. "Maybe... When I was born, they were moved to tears. When I die, they'll be heartbroken. But I can tell you with certainty: those two care most about each other's lives. In their hearts, I don't rank first."

She said it as if lamenting, but more as if she'd made her peace with it.

Lin Meng had wanted to say that ranking second was still good, but when she thought of how Huo Yi had been compared to Su Yutang everywhere she went, the words died in her throat.

She comforted Huo Yi softly. "Everyone has someone important in their heart. How can important people be ranked? I think Yiyi is just as important to your mothers as they are to each other."

At these words, a soft light flickered in Huo Yi's eyes. The diamond-reflected light shone on her stunning face. Huo Yi had held this position for a long time. Now, as if tired, she lay her head on Lin Meng's chest, humming softly like a fully formed fox spirit. "Mengmeng, you're so good."

Lin Meng really wanted to dodge, but she could sense Huo Yi was somewhat sad. If she truly moved away, wouldn't Huo Yi be even more hurt?

She didn't dare move. If she did, and the loose nightgown slipped further, what then? So she maintained this extremely awkward position and spoke. "It's the truth—I can tell your mothers really love you."

Huo Yi lifted her head at this, gazing at Lin Meng with tear-bright eyes. "Even though they love me, love has degrees. Like that question we always hear: if you and your mother fell into water, who would the mother save first? I don't even need to think about it. Mommy would save Mother first. I've known that for a long time..."

Hearing this, Lin Meng couldn't help but feel Huo Yi was somewhat pitiful. Though she loved her own mother too, being compared and placed second year after year, Huo Yi also wanted to be the one and only in her beloved's heart.

Lin Meng was about to reach out to comfort her when Huo Yi looked at her with deep affection. "Mengmeng, in this world, besides my mothers, the person who cares most about whether I live or die is you."

Hearing this, Lin Meng quietly withdrew her hand. Her face showed difficulty as she deliberately averted her gaze. "No... I can't bear such an evaluation. We've only known each other a few months."

Huo Yi hugged her tightly, burying her head against Lin Meng's chest again. "It's precisely because we've only known each other a few months that your worry is so remarkable—taking a taxi in the dead of night just to check if something happened to me. That kind of love surpasses most people's. Besides them, no one has ever loved me like you do."

When Lin Meng heard the word "love," it was as if her whole body was nailed to the bed. Huo Yi's lips inadvertently brushed her chest, then moved upward, the soft lips trailing along her neck toward her chin and even...

Coming back to her senses, Lin Meng reached up and blocked Huo Yi's face. "No... Yiyi, you've misunderstood. I don't think that's the 'love' you're talking about. You're my friend; of course I'd worry about your safety. Besides, yesterday was partly my fault. If something had happened to you because of me, I'd only feel more guilty."

Interrupted by Lin Meng, Huo Yi's expression darkened for a moment. She grasped Lin Meng's hand and pressed it firmly against the pillow.

Huo Yi's fox-like eyes usually looked charming and gentle when narrowed, but when she stared with them wide and expressionless, Lin Meng found her somewhat terrifying.

She was like the fox spirits in ghost stories—tender as water when wooing, but once the painted skin was peeled away, a ferocious true face emerged, eager to devour the person before her.

Huo Yi gripped Lin Meng's chin, cutting off any chance to look away. "Yes, true friends do care for each other like this. But the only friend who's ever been sincere with me is you. Our circle is very realistic—no matter how good the relationship, once interests are involved, everyone parts on bad terms. That's why I've never given anyone my true heart. I once thought money could buy me anything I wanted in this world. But your heart—I can't buy it."

This wasn't a matter of whether it could be bought at all; Lin Meng simply wouldn't take her money.

If Huo Yi wanted to date someone, she could throw piles of cash at them—how could anyone not come running?

But Lin Meng was truly impervious to both persuasion and money.

At this moment, she could truly empathize with what Su Yutang and Yun Huaizhu must feel.

Seeing Lin Meng grow more guarded because of her words, Huo Yi suddenly broke into a relaxed smile, as if resigned. "Don't be afraid. I was only joking. Mengmeng is such a likable person—I couldn't help getting close."

As the words left her mouth, she released Lin Meng's wrist and got up from her.

Lin Meng felt the weight lift and quickly sat up to put on her shoes.

Seeing this, Huo Yi felt a pang of loneliness.

She didn't know if Lin Meng had treated Su Yutang and Yun Huaizhu this way, but being coldly received by Lin Meng hurt. And today she hadn't even discovered the true reason for Lin Meng's sorrow.

Seeing Lin Meng frantically searching for her slippers, Huo Yi quickly placed a new pair of guest slippers by her feet. "Wear these. They're new."

Lin Meng thanked her hurriedly.

Then Huo Yi retrieved Lin Meng's now-dry dress from the drying rack by the dryer and handed it to her.

Lin Meng changed into her own clothes and left. When Huo Yi returned to the room, only that red nightgown remained, carrying a faint trace of Lin Meng's scent.

Huo Yi gave a bitter smile. She picked up the nightgown, buried her face in it, and breathed deeply.

It didn't matter. As long as she clung to Lin Meng's side like Yun Huaizhu did, sooner or later she would discover what Lin Meng's hidden wounds truly were.