Saved as "puppy"
Madam Su had always known about Su Yutang's temperament. Since childhood, Su Yutang had been odd—fond of playing with things far beneath her station. Yet the whole Su family doted on her to a fault, and that was exactly what had made her so spoiled and arrogant.
To save the old madam's face, Madam Su couldn't bring herself to criticize her much. She could only find ways to keep her confined to the old residence and let her cool off on her own, lest she act on impulse and do something excessive again.
The weather had turned colder and colder, and sunny days were scarce. Yet on the day Su Yutang was “released from prison,” the sun emerged after a long absence. She lifted her head and breathed in the cool, sun-drenched air.
It tasted like freedom.
Su Yutang had been unhappy ever since her mood was ruined that day. What frustrated her even more was that her mother had somehow caught wind of the police coming to look for her, and had actually summoned her back to the old residence, where she'd been confined for over half a month.
Now she was finally out, and it was time to find herself some fun.
Su Yutang first took her Bugatti for a few laps around the winding mountain racing track, then pulled out her phone and typed into the chat labeled “puppy”: [Tomorrow night at seven, Shenghe Hotel rooftop VVIP room.]
After sending the message, she watched the indicator that said “the other party is typing” stay lit for a long time, until finally the other side, seemingly utterly resigned, sent back: [Okay.]
Last time, Su Yutang hadn't had her fill; this time, she was going to train her little dog properly.
……
Lin Meng rarely got sick, but ever since Yun Huaizhu bit her neck last time, her body had burned hot, like an omega entering heat. Except for an omega, that kind of burning meant a heat cycle; for her, it was simply a high fever.
The hospital diagnosed her with a viral flu infection and advised her to rest at home while she was ill.
Lin Meng ran a high fever for several days straight, her whole body aching and weak. With no other choice, she took sick leave. She had wanted to push through and earn her perfect attendance bonus, but her damned body simply wouldn't allow it.
The viral cold dragged on intermittently; it wasn't until two days before the class reunion that she finally recovered fully.
Lin Meng looked at herself in the full-length mirror, then hesitantly pinched her lower abdomen… she seemed to have lost a little weight.
She had promised Wen Ting she would attend tonight's class reunion, so she was picking out clothes.
Honestly, there wasn't much to choose from. Her wardrobe had very few clothes suitable for formal occasions; most were work clothes and pajamas. The closet in her rented apartment wasn't large, and these clothes filled it up.
Like a little hamster, Lin Meng practically stuffed half her body into the closet. Finally, by the light of her phone screen, she found an outfit buried beneath a dozen or so pajamas and identical work outfits hanging in the closet.
The outfit consisted of a black turtleneck sweater and a chestnut-brown plaid skirt. She remembered it had been quite expensive, but since the material was wool and hard to wash, she had only worn it once for a team-building event before putting it away.
After putting it on, Lin Meng stood before the mirror, turning this way and that. She thought the skirt looked nice, but the pure black turtleneck felt off no matter how she looked at it. Just as she shook her head and glanced around, she spotted the box sitting on her vanity.
As if struck by a sudden thought, Lin Meng's eyes lit up. She shuffled over to the vanity in small steps and took out what was inside the box—the pearl necklace Yun Huaizhu had given her the day of her concert.
Lin Meng had bought pearl necklaces on a whim before, but the pearls she'd bought—whether in size or in roundness and luster—were nowhere near as perfect as the one Yun Huaizhu had given her.
She had even tried image-searching to identify what kind of pearls Yun Huaizhu's gift was made of, but every result online described something that didn't match this necklace.
Whatever. It was just a pearl necklace; no matter what, it couldn't be more expensive than gold. She and Yun Huaizhu had essentially exchanged gifts of equal value.
As she thought this, Lin Meng fastened the necklace around her neck. Beneath the knitted lace turtleneck, the silk-textured pearl necklace lent her cute face a touch of mature charm.
Lin Meng looked at herself in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction. “Mm, that's more like it!”
Once she was ready, she slung her bag over her shoulder, put on a pair of black high heels she hadn't worn in who knew how long, and headed out.
……
Yun Huaizhu arrived at the private room earlier than Su Yutang, because she knew Su Yutang wasn't the type who liked to wait.
Each VVIP room on the hotel's top floor had its own regular client; only the access card in that client's hand could open the door. So Yun Huaizhu stood in the corridor waiting for Su Yutang for over an hour.
While she waited, she kept checking the time on her watch, as if she had something urgent to do.
When Su Yutang approached, that was the scene she saw. She looked at Yun Huaizhu with a satisfied smile. “Waiting for me?”
Yun Huaizhu raised her head at the sound of her voice and smiled without warmth. “Of course. Didn't you order me to come here, Eldest Miss Su?”
Su Yutang let out a rather wicked laugh. “Of course. Precisely because I knew you'd be here, I deliberately arrived even later than we agreed. I wanted to see if my little dog knew how to be punctual. Clearly, you've been very obedient, so today, as your master, I'll give you a reward for being good.”
Yun Huaizhu suppressed the fury in her heart. She knew she couldn't act impulsively today; if Su Yutang wasn't satisfied, she wouldn't be able to leave this place.
As if finally accepting reality, Yun Huaizhu nodded obediently.
Seeing this, Su Yutang raised an eyebrow slightly… Today's little dog seemed a bit too obedient. Was she plotting something in that head of hers?
But it didn't matter. Even if Yun Huaizhu had the greatest abilities in the world, she couldn't escape the palm of her hand. A pet with a few little schemes was fine too; it made training her that much more entertaining.
Su Yutang swiped her card to open the door and crooked a finger at Yun Huaizhu. “Come in.”
Yun Huaizhu hesitated for a moment, then walked into the room as if calmly walking to her death.
……
Shenghe Hotel was a five-star luxury hotel in the city. In short, a table here cost at least ten thousand per person. Lin Meng wouldn't have dreamed of spending money in a place like this.
So it was no surprise that Lin Meng got lost following the map on her phone; she had no idea why the map app kept sending her in circles. Only after passing the same spot for the third time did she finally muster the courage to ask a passerby for directions.
By the time she arrived at the hotel entrance, she realized she had been circling the streets around the hotel the entire time, with the hotel at the center.
Lin Meng: “……”