Mom, I Want to Go Home

Ever since Lin Meng returned from Yun Huaizhu's home, she hadn't dared to message Su Yutang—and naturally, she'd paused her daily compliments as well.

Though she'd stopped sending messages, she still recorded every compliment she'd ever written to Su Yutang in her phone's notes app. If Su Yutang ever reached out first, she'd send all the accumulated praise in one go.

But it seemed Su Yutang wasn't so easy to placate.

Nearly a week had passed, and Su Yutang's message thread was still frozen at last Saturday.

To Lin Meng, the fact that she'd stood Su Yutang up and Su Yutang still hadn't come after her was already a great show of forbearance.

Lin Meng couldn't smell Yun Huaizhu's pheromones, but the other omegas and alphas in the office could. So before work, she had to spray herself with a pheromone-suppressing perfume in advance.

Thankfully, last time she'd bought not only pheromone-blocking patches but also this spray, just in case. Otherwise, with her current finances, she definitely couldn't afford it.

Aside from standing Su Yutang up and Su Yutang no longer chatting with her, Yun Huaizhu hadn't said a single word to her all week either.

Lin Meng felt a little dejected whenever she thought about it. But cutting her losses and rejecting Yun Huaizhu outright had been the right call.

She didn't want to be a couple-breaker. The ship she sailed was unsinkable and irreversible!

Though Lin Meng had apparently offended both of them last week, her plan to stop the misery between Su Yutang and Yun Huaizhu still had to go forward. She remembered that banquet was in March, which meant she had less than a month left to execute her plan.

She needed to start preparing now.

During lunch, Lin Meng sipped her coffee in small mouthfuls and pondered. This time, should she just knock Su Yutang out cold, or give her an inhibitor?

If she did it outright, Su Yutang definitely wouldn't let her off.

Maybe this time she should use a fake name and put on makeup so heavy that even her own mother wouldn't recognize her?

Just as the thought crossed Lin Meng's mind, excited chatter from the crowd gathered by the office windows reached her ears: “Holy crap, is that a Bugatti? A global limited edition, no less! Which big shot CEO is visiting our company today—are they here to catch a runaway little wife?”

“If only they were here for me. That car is seriously cool. This is absolutely not just an ordinary rich person.”

Someone struck a catlike stretch: “Come, come, Money, work your charm and attract a rich lady!”

“Please, why would a rich lady look at you? Hahaha...”

For a moment, the area by the windows was filled with laughter and cheer.

“That sports car is flashy and cool, but it might just be parked outside our company temporarily. I doubt even our boss could afford a car like that.”

“Hey, did you guys hear? Several people got pulled into one-on-one meetings with HR today. Probably getting optimized.”

“Ah... how could they?”

“Will it be my turn tomorrow...”

Lin Meng knew nothing about cars, but if everyone said so, the sports car parked downstairs had to be very expensive.

But that had nothing to do with her. Lunch break was almost over, and she needed to turn on her computer and keep battling wits with difficult clients.

Just as Lin Meng booted up her computer, she heard the familiar click-clack of high heels approaching. She slowly looked up.

Liu Yun had already walked up to Lin Meng with a smile on her face.

Seeing this, Lin Meng quickly asked, “Team leader, is something the matter?”

Liu Yun patted Lin Meng's shoulder with the air of a caring supervisor: “Oh, nothing much. The boss thinks the workload she's been giving you lately is too heavy, so she specifically asked me to tell you—she's approved a half-day off for you. You can go home and rest this afternoon.”

At that, Lin Meng suddenly remembered the 'employee optimization' discussions from earlier. To her ears, Liu Yun's words were no different from 'you're about to be laid off, no need to work hard anymore, go home and rest.'

Lin Meng's eyes instantly reddened. She thought of her empty wallet. Even if she lost her job and could go back to her hometown to farm, she had to stay in Jing City to orchestrate Su Yutang's wife-tormenting saga! She couldn't go farming until she'd drunk Su Yutang and Yun Huaizhu's wedding wine!

That thought gave her the courage to shoot to her feet.

Lin Meng looked at Liu Yun earnestly: “Team leader, I really love this job. If I can continue working here, I can give up overtime pay. I promise I won't take leave without reason in the future, so...”

Liu Yun was startled to see her on the verge of tears, then let out a helpless, amused chuckle: “Goodness, what are you imagining? You're our company's best employee. We've had to cut some staff because business has been slow lately, but it would never be your turn.”

The emotions building in Lin Meng screeched to a halt. She couldn't believe it: “R...really? But the boss is telling me to go home and rest right now, and I haven't finished my work...”

Liu Yun laughed again: “Really. The boss thinks you work too hard, that's why she approved your leave. Your work isn't urgent—the proposal isn't due until the week after next.”

Only then did Lin Meng's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settle. She nodded repeatedly: “Mm-hmm, thank you, boss. I'll definitely work even harder from now on!”

Seeing Lin Meng's nervous, reverent expression, Liu Yun couldn't help but chuckle... Who actually liked working? Lin Meng just wanted to keep her job.

Everyone was a hypocrite to some degree, but in that moment, Lin Meng's flustered state struck Liu Yun as especially endearing.

Actually, Liu Yun didn't know what her boss was up to either. This had just been relayed to her over WeChat.

The boss's exact words: [Does your team have an employee named Lin Meng? Send her home right now, immediately!]

Liu Yun had softened the boss's phrasing. If she'd relayed it word for word, Lin Meng would have been scared out of her wits—that was just how she was.

Though she'd ended up scared anyway.

...

Lin Meng packed up her things and left work early. Though Liu Yun's words had greatly comforted her, something still felt off.

Her company had at least several hundred employees. The boss wasn't giving anyone else time off, only her. And since she'd joined, she'd always worked under Liu Yun—she'd never even met the boss face to face.

Her work was hard, sure, but everyone else worked hard too. Why would the boss single out someone she'd barely seen to give time off, and not anyone else?

The more Lin Meng thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Maybe Liu Yun's words were just to comfort her... A decision the boss had already made wasn't something Liu Yun could interfere with.

Going from secret delight to utter dejection took Lin Meng only five minutes.

In those five minutes, she grabbed her bag and trudged out of the office building. She was walking absentmindedly, so the moment she stepped out the main doors, she didn't notice someone standing directly in her path.

Lin Meng walked straight into them.

The person was a full head taller than her. She'd bumped straight into their chest, so before she even looked up to see who it was, she was already bowing and apologizing: “Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to...”

She held that bowing, apologetic posture for at least half a minute, but the person stayed cold and silent. Curious, Lin Meng slowly raised her head.

But the next moment, when she saw that person's face, she looked as if she'd seen a ghost. Her face went white.

Su Yutang stood before Lin Meng like a wall, a cold smile on her face: “What's wrong? Did you do something to feel guilty about? Are you this scared to see me?”

Lin Meng didn't dare meet Su Yutang's eyes. She quickly lowered her head: “N...no. It's just... why is Miss Su here?”

Su Yutang stepped closer, one hand reaching out to grip Lin Meng's chin and force her to look at her: “Why can't I be here?”

Her hand slid upward until she was gripping Lin Meng's cheek. Lin Meng forced a smile at her: “Th...that's great. So if Miss Su has nothing else, I'll be going now.”

With that, Lin Meng tried to slip free of Su Yutang's hand and sneak away, but Su Yutang's arm quickly wrapped around her neck, locking her firmly in place.

Caught in the chokehold, Lin Meng tried to escape backward, but Su Yutang, face dark with anger, simply scooped her up and marched forward. Lin Meng struggled like a fish about to be thrown into a pot: “Miss Su, we're on a public street right now! We live in a society governed by law—you can't do illegal things in broad daylight...”

Lin Meng's strong will to survive kept her pleading: “I'm sorry, I was wrong... I didn't mean to ignore your messages last week, I really did have somewhere to go, I swear! Just let me go first...”

Before she could finish explaining, Su Yutang had dragged her to a sports car—the same global limited edition Bugatti her coworkers had been discussing at noon.

Su Yutang opened the door with a cold expression: “Get in.”

Lin Meng: ?

Lin Meng stood in front of the car, not daring to get in. She was afraid Su Yutang would take her somewhere secluded and do away with her.

But Su Yutang was right in front of her, and every escape route was blocked.

Lin Meng even wondered: if she knelt down before Su Yutang right now, was there any chance of survival?

Su Yutang didn't have the patience to play cat-and-mouse with Lin Meng. Her face darkened into an expression that said she wanted to skin Lin Meng alive: “Lin Meng, I'm in a very bad mood right now. If you don't listen to me, I don't mind killing you right here.”

Hearing that, Lin Meng's last shred of hope died. Trembling, almost weak-kneed, she climbed into Su Yutang's sports car.

Su Yutang shut the door and walked around to the driver's seat, starting the engine. It was Lin Meng's first time in a car with such a low chassis, and she felt extremely uncomfortable.

This was the sports car countless people dreamed of riding in, yet to Lin Meng's ears, the roar of the engine sounded like a death knell.

When Su Yutang drove through the city, the speed wasn't too fast. But once they reached the wide-open roads of the suburbs, the sports car went faster and faster.

Lin Meng suddenly felt as if her body was racing ahead while her soul chased behind.

No—this was too fast. Her soul couldn't keep up!

Thump-thump, thump-thump—

Lin Meng felt her heart speed up. If this didn't stop soon, she was going to have a heart attack!

Finally, unable to take the stimulation any longer, she turned to look at Su Yutang, who was driving with a tightly furrowed brow and an unhappy expression: “Miss Su, please, in your great mercy, let me go. It's really not worth getting angry and ruining your health over someone like me. Besides, you're in this car too—if something happens, we'll both go down together, so please...”

But before she could finish, the sports car surged even faster. Lin Meng watched the needle on the dashboard spin wildly. She couldn't hold back her scream any longer:

“Ahhh—”

“Stop, stop! I don't want to die!”

“Mom, I want to go home, I want to go home, wuuu!”

After that, Lin Meng didn't even know what she was yelling. She only remembered that after all that frantic screaming, her voice went hoarse just like that.

...

Although Su Yutang only took Lin Meng around her private mountain racetrack for half an hour, Lin Meng truly felt like she'd died several times over.

The moment Su Yutang stopped the car, Lin Meng's legs gave out. She clung to the car and threw up by the roadside.

The most extreme amusement park ride she'd ever been on in her life was a carousel. Roller coasters and drop towers were enough to make her faint just from looking at them.

Lin Meng lay on the grass by the road for over half an hour to recover. She genuinely felt her heart had been beating fast enough to kill her on the spot.

Seeing her in such distress, Su Yutang felt something unusual stir in her heart—but it wasn't excitement, nor pleasure. Su Yutang couldn't name it either; it was simply hard to describe.

She had indeed wanted to punish this disobedient little dog, but she truly hadn't expected a mere two hundred kilometers per hour to reduce Lin Meng to this state.

So cowardly, yet she still dared to lie. When Su Yutang received the news that Lin Meng had taken a two-hour drive to Yun Huaizhu's home last Saturday, the fury in her heart had built beyond containment.

While she'd been waiting for Lin Meng at that rundown place, Lin Meng had been tangled up with Yun Huaizhu!

Which omega of any standing in all of Jing City wasn't lining up to be her lapdog?

And Lin Meng—this utterly unremarkable beta—had not only stood her up but openly gone to a private meeting with Yun Huaizhu, then acted like nothing had happened without a single word of explanation.

What was worse, not only did she offer no explanation, she'd even stopped her daily 'greetings'!

How dare she? A mere ordinary beta?

That day, Su Yutang didn't remember how many things she'd smashed in her villa. She only remembered that by the end, the living room was in such chaos there wasn't even room to step.

As the sole heir of the Su family, she'd lived her entire life getting whatever she wanted. This was the first time in her life she'd ever been this angry.

Over the past week, she'd been waiting for Lin Meng to come apologize on her own. If Lin Meng had, she could have been magnanimous and let bygones be bygones. But the girl had acted as if she were dead, completely ignoring her.

Infuriating. Absolutely infuriating!

...

Lin Meng wasn't sure if she was still alive. Her head was spinning. She closed her eyes, trying to calm her heart, which was still pounding from overexertion.

Just then, she sensed someone sit down right beside her.

It took Lin Meng's brain a moment to catch up. In this desolate wilderness, who else could be sitting beside her but that scumbag Su who'd nearly scared her to death?

Lin Meng had mostly recovered. She looked up and said weakly, “Y...Young Miss, if you want to kill me next time, just say so directly, alright? Don't do this again. I really can't take it.”

Su Yutang didn't answer. Instead, she irritably lit a cigarette.

The flick of the lighter triggered Lin Meng like a fire alarm. She opened her eyes and immediately lunged forward to snatch the cigarette from Su Yutang's fingers.

Before Su Yutang could react, Lin Meng had already stubbed the cigarette out firmly on the ground. She even watched for a moment to make sure no sparks flew out, and only after confirming the 'crisis' was fully resolved did she finally relax.

They were surrounded by grass on all sides, and Su Yutang dared to smoke here? Didn't she know that burning down a mountain would land you in prison for life?

Seeing Lin Meng do something so bizarre the moment she regained consciousness, Su Yutang's face twisted with displeasure: “You'd better give me an explanation for what happened earlier, or I don't mind putting you back in the car for another couple of laps.”

Hearing this, Lin Meng turned her head stiffly, forcing herself to smile at Su Yutang with utmost concern: “Smoking is harmful to your health.”

Su Yutang leaned in suspiciously: “You're really thinking of my well-being?”

Seeing Su Yutang's 'killing intent' practically radiating toward her, Lin Meng nodded without hesitation: “Really!”

To make her advice seem well-founded, she even searched online for comparison images of a smoker's lungs versus a non-smoker's lungs: “Look, no matter how good the cigarette is, it pollutes your lungs. I want you to be healthy.”

Su Yutang didn't know why, but even though Lin Meng's explanation was a bit thin, she couldn't summon any anger at all.

If seeing Lin Meng's discomfort earlier had dissipated most of her anger, then hearing these words from Lin Meng now completely dissolved the remaining frustration in her heart.

Still, she wanted to play with this little creature a while longer.

Su Yutang lowered her brows deliberately, putting on an expression like she was about to get angry: “Is that so? But even my own mother never controlled me like this. What gives you the right to manage me?”

Lin Meng truly wanted to cry but had no tears.

Being with Su Yutang was more exhausting than being Su Peisheng attending to the emperor!

Every question Su Yutang asked sent Lin Meng into a brainstorming session. Lin Meng was terrified of saying the wrong thing and upsetting this Young Miss again.

Lin Meng's eyes reddened with fear. She explained hurriedly: “I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to restrict you. I was just stating an objective fact—smoking is indeed harmful to health... If what I said offends you, then just treat me like a fart and let it go.”

Seeing her so frightened she was about to tremble, Su Yutang's mood gradually cleared. She pointed proudly at the surrounding grassland and the mountain in the distance: “Do you know who all of this belongs to?”

Lin Meng felt a moment of relief at the subject change. She followed the direction of Su Yutang's finger and looked around: “Mm... it belongs to nature.”

Su Yutang: ...

This person really did have a gift for conversation. In the time she'd spent with Lin Meng, Su Yutang had unknowingly grown accustomed to her dry humor.

Su Yutang let out a helpless laugh. She reached out and patted Lin Meng's head: “Everything here—every flower, every tree, and that mountain—all belongs to me, Su Yutang. Even if this place burned to the ground, it would only be because Su Yutang was pleased. Understand?”

Su Yutang's words gave Lin Meng a taste of rich-people shock.

Lin Meng nodded blankly. Her twenty-four years of ordinary-people education and life among common folk meant she truly couldn't comprehend how the powerful and privileged could show off their wealth like this.

“But... even if this land is yours, setting fire to a mountain is still illegal. I don't want you to become someone who knowingly breaks the law. If you're unhappy, there are many ways to vent your emotions in this world. Killing and arson aren't the only options...”

Hearing this, Su Yutang's face filled with utter confusion.

Wait—what had she actually done? Dragging her into the same category as killers and arsonists was going a bit far, wasn't it? Did she look like that kind of monstrous criminal?

Su Yutang was the type who couldn't explain herself and wouldn't bother trying, because no one in this world was worth that effort.

So after Lin Meng finished, she reached out and pinched Lin Meng's cheek, making her look at her: “What you said makes sense.”

Lin Meng, seeing her come around, was about to show a relieved smile—but the next moment, Su Yutang flashed a wicked grin: “So now I've thought of another good way to vent my emotions. Will you cooperate with me?”

Lin Meng: ...

...

The mountain Su Yutang had taken her to was almost outside Jing City, so when Su Yutang wanted to drive her back, Lin Meng clung to Su Yutang's leg, wailing and refusing to take a single step forward.

Su Yutang looked at her with the helpless indulgence of someone watching their most beloved pet throw a tantrum: “This is a race-grade sports car. 200 kilometers per hour is slow for it. And didn't I drive slowly when we were in the city? Do you think just anyone is qualified to sit in my passenger seat?”

Lin Meng shook her head desperately: “No, no, I'm sorry... Your car is far too precious. Someone like me can't enjoy this kind of blessing. Please, just take me back another way. Or I can call a cab myself!”

Seeing her pitiful state, Su Yutang couldn't help but feel a surge of affection. She bent down and lightly patted Lin Meng's face: “Silly girl, you can't get a cab here. Not only can you not get a cab—outsiders can barely even get in here.”

Hearing this, Lin Meng choked back a sob in terror. To her, Su Yutang's words sounded like she was planning to silence her forever.

No!

At that moment, as if remembering something, Lin Meng's trembling hands hurriedly pulled out her phone and opened her notes app. She was genuinely frightened into tears now—crystal droplets rolling down her slightly flushed cheeks in large beads.

She thrust the notes in front of Su Yutang: “I'm sorry. I didn't talk to you before because I felt too guilty. This past week, even though I didn't send you the usual greetings, I wrote down compliments about you every single day. I wanted to wait until you forgave me to send them all. So for this sake, could you...”

Lin Meng had never spoken so fast in her entire life.

The moment Lin Meng held her phone up before her, Su Yutang's eyes widened. Her long, slightly knobby fingers slowly scrolled across the screen.

Indeed, the entries in the notes app had been written day by day—not all uploaded at once.

So this person had actually put thought into her after all.

Su Yutang's heart softened instantly. She no longer even had the desire to tease Lin Meng. She reached out with her warm palm and wiped the tears from Lin Meng's face: “Alright, what are you crying for? I meant that it's too remote here and you can't get a cab. Even if I called someone to pick us up, it would take a long time. I swear to you, I'll control the speed on the way back. Just because I drove fast here doesn't mean I've ever had a single speeding violation, you know.”

Hearing this, Lin Meng looked up at her with tear-blurred eyes, still hiccuping: “R...really?”

When Su Yutang softened, her eyes were full of deep affection. She reached both hands under Lin Meng's arms and lifted her up as if picking up a doll: “Really.”

After saying that, she placed something small, like a USB drive, into Lin Meng's hand. The little device was decorated with a bow cut from pink diamonds.

Su Yutang explained: “This is the emergency stop key for my car. If you feel uncomfortable, you can insert this into the emergency stop slot immediately. How about it—can you trust me now?”

...

Su Yutang drove Lin Meng all the way back to the entrance of her neighborhood.

Lin Meng sat in the car for a while longer, and after confirming that the car had truly stopped, she pushed the door open with trembling hands. Just as she was about to get out, Su Yutang grabbed her wrist.

Lin Meng's heart seized up again. She turned back with a stiff expression: “Young Miss... is there something else?”

Su Yutang looked at her: “You're still afraid of me?”

Lin Meng wanted to deny it, but her body's honest reaction had already betrayed her. Su Yutang saw her pursed lips and slightly trembling hands, and for the first time, a sense of defeat rose in her heart.

But that sense of defeat quickly transformed into an even stronger possessiveness.

Before Lin Meng could answer, Su Yutang had already pulled her back into the car. She leaned in and pressed Lin Meng against the seat, her voice low: “Next Saturday. I'll come pick you up.”

Lin Meng's eyes widened: “Wh...what for?”

Su Yutang said, “If you dare stand me up again, you'll know the consequences.”

After that, she released Lin Meng and gestured for her to get out.

Lin Meng scrambled out of the car, not even daring to look back as she ran into her apartment building.

Su Yutang watched Lin Meng's fleeing figure disappear, then slowly lit a cigarette. This time, she took a deep drag and exhaled the smoke toward the car window.

She glanced at the emergency stop key still lying in the passenger seat—Lin Meng had been too flustered to remember to take it.

Su Yutang picked it up and toyed with it in her fingers, a smile playing at the corner of her lips.

So what if she was afraid? A little rabbit that was scared of her was still her rabbit.

...

Lin Meng leaned against the door inside her apartment, her heart still pounding.

She had actually survived.

She slid down to sit on the floor, pulled out her phone, and opened the notes app. She scrolled through the entries she'd written this past week, and the more she looked, the more her face burned.

Those compliments were so corny even she couldn't stand them—things like 'Su Yutang is the most beautiful woman in the world' and 'Even the stars dim before Su Yutang's eyes.' She'd written them as insurance, but she never imagined she'd actually have to show them to Su Yutang.

She wanted to die from embarrassment.

But at least she'd made it past this hurdle.

Lin Meng let out a long breath. Then she remembered Su Yutang had said she'd come pick her up next Saturday. What did that mean? Was Su Yutang planning to drag her out for another round of death-defying racing?

Lin Meng's heart, which had just settled, started racing again.

She quickly opened her calendar and marked next Saturday with a big red exclamation point. Then she opened her notes app and, with trembling fingers, began writing Su Yutang's daily compliment for today.

Tuesday: Su Yutang didn't kill me today. She truly is a kind, magnanimous, and merciful person.