Come Help Me Take Off My Shoes

The moment Yun Huaizhu stepped into the private room, she noticed the walls were covered in exquisite wallpaper and adorned with all manner of whips and… unspeakable implements.

She suppressed the hatred in her heart and sat down beside Su Yutang as if nothing were amiss—though "beside" still meant a considerable distance away.

Ever since Yun Huaizhu learned she had differentiated into an omega, she'd felt an instinctive, involuntary disgust toward Su Yutang—stronger than before.

She even felt that if she came into contact with Su Yutang just a little more, she herself would be contaminated.

Beyond that, Yun Huaizhu had one thing weighing on her mind: from the moment she entered, she'd been glancing at the watch on her wrist.

Seeing her sit down as if everything were fine, Su Yutang's face darkened with displeasure. "You're the master's dog. The master hasn't given you leave to speak, yet you dare sit beside your master? Is that appropriate?"

Su Yutang's words yanked Yun Huaizhu out of her revulsion. She had kept her head lowered since entering, afraid that if she looked up, her expression would betray how desperately she wanted to kill Su Yutang.

Yun Huaizhu quickly rose to her feet.

Su Yutang surveyed Yun Huaizhu's deathly pale face, her expression gloomy. On television, Yun Huaizhu smiled so happily; yet face-to-face with Su Yutang, she looked as if Su Yutang had murdered her entire family.

As if Yun Huaizhu's earlier "presumption" had deeply displeased her, Su Yutang tilted her chin toward a small black whip hanging on the wall. "Go on. Good dog, bring that thing here."

At that, Yun Huaizhu turned to look at the object on the wall in disbelief. She clenched her fists, grinding her teeth as she glared at Su Yutang. "Don't go too far."

When Yun Huaizhu refused to move, Su Yutang let out a cold laugh. "Too far? Then you clearly haven't seen what 'too far' really looks like. I haven't come looking for you these past two weeks—you've been living quite happily, haven't you?"

Su Yutang stood up and looked down at Yun Huaizhu, scanning her from head to toe as if appraising an object. "Back then, you were the one who begged me to help the Yun family. The fact that your Yun family still ranks among Jing City's elite is entirely thanks to me. I could spend ten million out there and keep someone better than you; yet I handed your Yun family projects worth hundreds of millions, and you still dare to act high and mighty with me? Have I been too good to you?"

Yun Huaizhu bit down hard on her lip. Her beautiful eyes slowly grew bloodshot. She shook her head desperately. "No… it's not that. But please, give me a little time."

Su Yutang knew better than to corner a dog completely—a dog trained that way would develop stress responses later. So she stepped back and sat on the sofa, watching with amusement as Yun Huaizhu gritted her teeth, refusing to let her tears fall.

Su Yutang closed her eyes and gave a slight nod. "I'm not an unreasonable master. We'll deal with the whip later. Come help me take off my shoes."

Yun Huaizhu knew she had already defied Su Yutang once; if she refused again, there would surely be unpleasant consequences. So, with an expression of utter humiliation, she walked over and prepared to crouch down and remove Su Yutang's shoes.

But the instant she bent down, the phone in her pocket suddenly rang.

Su Yutang's newly lifted mood was ruined again. She frowned and shot a disdainful sidelong glance at the person who kept spoiling her fun. "Didn't you hear your phone ringing?"

Only then did Yun Huaizhu hurriedly withdraw her outstretched hand. She put on a meek, submissive look. "Wasn't I waiting for your instructions?"

Earlier, when Su Yutang told her to do something, she had dawdled with not a shred of enthusiasm; now she was quick to talk back.

It seemed she really was overdue for a lesson.

Su Yutang lit a cigarette to suppress her irritation. "I'll give you half an hour to get out and deal with your own business. If you haven't handled it in half an hour, I'll have someone handle it for you—and you won't be leaving this door for the next few days."

At that, Yun Huaizhu couldn't help but tremble. But she still nodded, enduring it, and walked out.

……

Lin Meng had meant to arrive ten minutes early, but she'd circled around outside for too long. By the time she rushed into the hotel's private room, almost all her former classmates had already gathered.

Her ideal scenario was to slip in quietly while the crowd was still sparse, say a quick hello, and retreat to a corner. But the moment she stepped through the door, countless pairs of eyes fixed on her, as if trying to bore holes through her.

In that instant, Lin Meng suddenly wanted to claim she'd walked into the wrong room and bolt home.

Unfortunately, Wen Ting—the host—stared at her with a doubtful, flickering gaze for a moment before her face suddenly bloomed into a smile. Wen Ting hurried over and looked her up and down. "You must be Lin Meng! It's been so many years—you've gotten even more beautiful!"

Hearing this, Lin Meng knew she definitely couldn't slip away today.

Lin Meng raised her eyes slightly to appraise the woman before her, dressed in a gray knit dress with her hair neatly pinned up. From the few remaining memories and the information she'd pieced together from her phone, Lin Meng knew Wen Ting had been the class monitor in university. She had always been righteous and compassionate, quick and efficient in everything she did; classmates and teachers alike had loved and trusted her.

That was also why so many classmates had come when Wen Ting proposed the reunion.

With a look of deep appreciation, Wen Ting linked her arm through Lin Meng's and led her to a seat inside the private room.

Just then, Lin Meng's keen ears caught someone whispering, "Is she Lin Meng?"

"I don't know…"

"She's really changed so much."

"How do you not know? She's the one who used to wear glasses all the time in class, barely joined any club activities, and didn't talk much during lectures."

At the mention of glasses, Lin Meng understood. She'd been nearsighted since childhood, and by now her prescription was over seven hundred degrees; without glasses, her world was a blur.

During that shoving match with Yun Huaizhu at the hotel last time, her glasses had gone missing—she had no idea where they'd fallen. She'd searched hastily but couldn't find them. With no other choice—and afraid Yun Huaizhu might suddenly wake up—Lin Meng had left on her own.

She'd originally planned to wear backup contact lenses and wait until a rest day to get new glasses, but she hadn't expected to fall ill last week, and getting new glasses got delayed.

For the past two weeks she'd been wearing contact lenses. At first, everyone around her had looked at her strangely, and she hadn't dared ask why.

Only today did she realize—it was because she wasn't wearing glasses!

Lin Meng lowered her head, a little shy. "Class monitor, you've gotten more beautiful too."

Wen Ting covered her mouth and giggled. "Not at all. But you've really changed so much. You don't know—when you took your glasses off, I almost didn't recognize you."

Then maybe I should wear glasses next time?

Lin Meng wanted to say it, but on second thought it seemed inappropriate, so she obediently kept nodding along to Wen Ting's chatter.

During this time, countless gazes swept over Lin Meng. It felt like the sticky rain of a smoggy day—uncomfortable, and there was nothing she could do about it.

The reunion guests were nearly all present, and Wen Ting stayed right beside Lin Meng.

Without question, the center of this class reunion was the host. No matter how much Lin Meng didn't want to be noticed, as long as Wen Ting sat beside her, she would still be seen.

Just as she was wondering whether to excuse herself to the restroom, an alpha dressed head to toe in designer brands—with a very refined and elegant beauty on her arm—pushed open the private room door and walked in.

To be honest, among all the classmates present, this late arrival, still exuding a rude alpha aura, was the most conspicuous.

When Lin Meng looked her way, she noticed the woman seemed to be wearing a pearl necklace too—and that necklace looked just like…

People often say matching outfits aren't scary; whoever's uglier is the one who gets embarrassed.

Seeing that person's attire, Lin Meng grew even more reluctant to take off her jacket and reveal the necklace beneath.

Fortunately, that person's arrival seemed to draw away all the gazes that had been periodically landing on her.