Then Swear It

At the sight, Lin Meng quietly drew back the foot she'd just set outside the company entrance.

Whether or not the car parked outside belonged to Su Yutang, Lin Meng didn't dare leave through the front door. She remembered there was a parking garage in the basement, with its own exit.

With that thought, Lin Meng turned and headed for the elevator. She'd been in a good mood today, so she'd taken her time tidying things at her desk and ended up staying a little late.

By now, most of the company's employees had already gone. Lin Meng stepped into the elevator alone and drew a deep breath.

Maybe the car outside wasn't Su Yutang's. Jing City was huge—surely there could be two cars that looked alike?

But to be safe, she'd better take the back way. Every time she ran into Su Yutang, she ended up trembling with fear. Besides, she had work tomorrow; she didn't have the energy to indulge the Young Miss tonight.

*Ding—*

The elevator announced the basement level. Lin Meng stepped forward, ready to get off, but the moment the doors slid open, a familiar figure appeared.

Lin Meng's mind went blank for an instant, but her body reacted before her thoughts caught up. Her finger jabbed at the door-close button.

But it was too late. Like a vengeful ghost crawling up from hell, the woman braced both hands against the elevator doors and stepped inside with a benevolent smile. "Darling, why do you run the moment you see me? Am I really that terrifying?"

Seeing escape was impossible, Lin Meng forced a smile. "Miss... Miss Su, what brings you here?"

She spoke while trembling and shrinking back, and Su Yutang, still smiling, matched her step for step and backed her into the corner of the elevator. Every escape route was sealed off, and Lin Meng felt utterly desolate.

Really, couldn't Su Yutang have picked any other day to make her miserable? She just wanted to go home, lie down, and play on her phone!

Su Yutang braced her hands against both inner walls of the elevator. When she lowered her head, her lips nearly brushed Lin Meng's forehead. Lin Meng's eyes darted wildly from side to side... She planned to wait until Su Yutang let her guard down, then slip out from under her arm and bolt!

Su Yutang noticed Lin Meng's round eyes darting about and knew she was plotting something again. She pinched Lin Meng's cheek. "Darling, you've been sending me good morning and good night messages every day lately, and saying so many nice things about me. I'm very happy, so today I came specially to take you to meet my friends. I told them you're really adorable, and they have gifts for you."

Lin Meng shook her head frantically. "No, no, no! I'm not adorable at all... I don't accept gifts from strangers, and I have social anxiety. Please just let me go home, I have work tomorrow, waah..."

Seeing she was about to cry from fright, Su Yutang straightened and withdrew her hand.

When the shadow looming over Lin Meng disappeared, the pressure Su Yutang exerted on her finally eased a little.

Su Yutang crossed her arms. "It won't interfere with your work. After tonight's gathering, I'll drive you home myself."

Given Su Yutang's track record, Lin Meng found it truly hard to trust her.

Su Yutang saw her head lowered as if pondering something, and faint irritation stirred in her heart.

She had personally come to wait at the entrance of Lin Meng's shabby company for ten minutes today. No one had ever made her stoop so low. And yet Lin Meng not only didn't agree right away—she was actually still deliberating over whether to come with her!

Su Yutang began tapping her toe restlessly. If Lin Meng didn't agree, she'd just drag her into the car by force. The girl was timid anyway; a little scare, and she'd behave.

Just as she finished planning her next move, Lin Meng looked up, as if she'd come to a decision at the same moment. "Then swear it. Swear you'll definitely bring me back after the gathering."

Su Yutang blanked for a moment. Even her poised stance crumbled. She almost laughed from sheer exasperation. "Swear... you're making me swear again. Do you have any idea that no one in my entire life has ever dared to make me swear?"

Lin Meng sensed the slight anger in her tone and immediately ducked her head in apology. "Sorry, I really didn't know. If you don't want to swear, then forget it. I really do have things to do tomorrow. So can I meet your friends some other time when I'm free?"

Wait, no. Why did she have to meet Su Yutang's friends at all?

Su Yutang's social circle was one she couldn't break into no matter how hard she tried.

But Lin Meng didn't have time to dwell on why Su Yutang was doing this. Her priority was to send this difficult Young Miss on her way as soon as possible.

Su Yutang knew this would happen. She hadn't even gotten properly angry yet, and Lin Meng was already apologizing in the most submissive way possible. It was like lighting a firecracker, covering your ears, and running far away—only to hear nothing; a moment later, you'd realize it was a dud.

Su Yutang stared gloomily at Lin Meng for a while, then ordered, "Lift your head and look at me."

Lin Meng cautiously raised her head and saw the Young Miss lift a hand, her expression one of extreme reluctance. "I swear, after tonight's gathering I'll send you back. Is that good enough?"

Lin Meng had been able to tell earlier that Su Yutang was very unwilling to swear, so she'd thought that even if she angered the Young Miss briefly, she could still escape. Who would have guessed Su Yutang would actually swear to her again?

Su Yutang saw that even after she swore, Lin Meng remained unmoved. Her face darkened, and she slowly leaned in. "I've already sworn. If you still dare refuse, I'll kill you right now."

There it was. This was the Su Yutang she knew.

Though Lin Meng shuddered at her words, she nodded quickly. "H-how could I? I was just thinking... how could someone like me deserve to sit at a gathering with the Young Miss and her friends?"

Su Yutang's expression froze for a moment, then her mood seemed to lift considerably.

She reached out an arm and pulled Lin Meng close by the shoulder. "Don't worry about that. You're mine—I'm bringing you. As long as I'm by your side, I'd like to see who dares gossip about you. However..."

Su Yutang looked her up and down in that dowdy work outfit and made a complicated expression.

"You really do need a change of clothes."

Lin Meng immediately broke into a smile and nodded vigorously. "Okay."

As long as she locked the door when she went home to change, then claimed the lock was broken, Su Yutang definitely wouldn't bother her today.

Su Yutang saw her trying to be sly but failing adorably, and couldn't help but laugh. She reached out, stroked the top of Lin Meng's head, and looked directly into her eyes. "Darling, do you know? Oaths are the most useless things in this world. As long as you don't get struck by lightning, no matter how you swear, it's meaningless. Have you ever seen all those people who've done evil things get punished by heaven because they swore an oath?"

A flicker of fear crossed Lin Meng's face. "Y-Young Miss, what do you mean by that?"

Was she going to go back on her word?

Su Yutang flashed a perfect, eight-tooth smile. "Nothing. I'm just reminding you—don't get any funny ideas. There's no way you're escaping my grasp today."

Lin Meng: "..."

In that moment, Lin Meng's hope of going home died completely.

...

Just as she'd expected, the Maserati she'd seen parked outside the company earlier belonged to Su Yutang.

And Su Yutang's eyesight was terrifyingly good. The moment Lin Meng stepped through the door, Su Yutang spotted her—and she had predicted Lin Meng's move precisely, coming to the company's underground parking lot in advance to cut her off.

Su Yutang, of course, didn't take Lin Meng back to her own home to change. Lin Meng watched helplessly as she was brought to a luxury boutique. Then, like the Young Miss's dress-up doll, she played along with the Young Miss's wardrobe game.

Su Yutang watched her change into one outfit after another, first nodding, then shaking her head, occasionally tilting her head in mock thought as she sized Lin Meng up.

By the end, Lin Meng was nearly exhausted to death. She'd clearly told Su Yutang before they came here to try on clothes that she wouldn't accept her things for free.

But for some reason, Su Yutang seemed very unhappy when she heard that. When Lin Meng saw the Young Miss's expression shift from sunny to overcast, she stopped bringing it up.

In the end, Su Yutang looked at her and said if she really didn't want the clothes after wearing them, she could just throw them away.

Lin Meng was sure that if Su Yutang's gaze could kill, she'd already be dead hundreds of times over.

Eventually, Lin Meng put on a white dress made of silk organza and hand-stitched lace. The dress came in only one size.

When Lin Meng wore it, it looked as if it had been custom-made for her. Even Su Yutang, who had been sitting on the VIP sofa watching her change the whole time, couldn't help but brighten.

The sales associate who'd been explaining the clothes smiled. "Miss, this dress really suits you. It's the newest high-end couture from this spring's collection. Among our thirty-six stores nationwide, there's only this one. I think it must have been waiting for a beautiful customer like you."

Lin Meng gave the associate—who had been fetching clothes and explaining them to her—a sweet smile. "Thank you. I think it's pretty too. But how much does it..." cost.

Before she could get the last word out, Su Yutang's hand reached over from behind and pinched her cheek. "It does look good. Wrap up everything she's tried on. You can go pack it up now."

The associate saw the dark, murderous expression on the face of the person behind Lin Meng and nodded hastily. "Yes, Miss Su. We'll take care of it right away. Please wait a moment."

Lin Meng watched the associate hurry away, fear-stricken, and frowned in confusion.

Su Yutang's grip on her cheek was uncomfortably tight. Lin Meng pulled her hand away and turned to look at her.

She was about to ask what was wrong with Su Yutang again, but when she saw the strange expression on her face, the words froze in her throat.

Su Yutang watched the smile gradually fade from Lin Meng's face and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Why aren't you smiling anymore? You were smiling so happily at her just now. Can't smile for me?"

Lin Meng: "?"

Lin Meng was completely baffled. Could Su Yutang really be angry just because she'd smiled at the sales associate?

That couldn't be it. She smiled politely at plenty of people every day, and no one had ever gotten angry over it.

Never mind. Right now she needed to placate Su Yutang.

With that thought, Lin Meng flashed a well-practiced smile at Su Yutang too. "No, Young Miss. Look, am I smiling nicely now?"

Su Yutang: "..."

Forget it. This little dog probably hadn't gone through her special training yet—that was why she was so clueless. She'd have plenty of time later to teach Lin Meng how to be a dog that only obeyed its master's commands.

Su Yutang thought the dress alone was a bit plain, so after buying it, she took Lin Meng to a nearby hair salon for a nice hairstyle.

In the end, when she saw Lin Meng with her hair down, a different thought stirred in her heart. She couldn't resist reaching out to braid two little plaits on either side of Lin Meng's head.

Now Lin Meng really had been dressed up into the doll she'd imagined.

Lin Meng didn't really care about any of this. She just wanted to get through Su Yutang's gathering quickly, then go home to play on her phone and sleep in.

She'd gotten a bit sleepy while the stylist was doing her hair, so she lay there and dozed off. When she woke, she vaguely caught something.

"How do you like your girlfriend's hairstyle today?"

"Not bad."

"Will you be paying by card or..."

"Card."

Lin Meng opened her drowsy eyes. She thought she'd caught a keyword just now—"card." Right, she still hadn't transferred back the extra money from when Su Yutang bought her clothes last time.

At that thought, Lin Meng quickly dug her phone out of her bag and opened Su Yutang's chat window.

This whole time, she'd been the one sending messages to Su Yutang, and Su Yutang had never responded—not once. That string of chat bubbles with only her own messages looked like a one-woman show.

If she couldn't still send messages, she'd have almost thought Su Yutang had deleted her.

Lin Meng transferred forty yuan, but Su Yutang seemed to still be standing there, talking with the stylist.

Seeing this, Lin Meng hopped off the chair and walked up to Su Yutang. "Um..."

Su Yutang saw Lin Meng in the clothes she'd carefully selected, with the two little braids she'd personally woven behind her ears, and couldn't help but show a smug smile.

From her perspective in that moment, Lin Meng was like a puppy with separation anxiety, running to her the moment it woke up and couldn't find its owner.

Su Yutang affectionately reached out and stroked Lin Meng's soft hair. "What is it, darling?"

Lin Meng had originally wanted to remind Su Yutang to check her phone and accept the money, but with strangers nearby, she shelved it for now. "Um... I was wondering when we're leaving?"

Her soft, clingy tone sounded almost coquettish to Su Yutang.

Su Yutang's good mood peaked. She wrapped an arm around Lin Meng's shoulder. "Alright, alright, impatient little thing. We're leaving now."

As soon as she finished speaking, she took Lin Meng by the arm and headed outside.

The stylist watched the pair enviously from behind.

"So sweet, oh my god! I just witnessed a real-life CEO romance!"

...

Lin Meng had originally planned to remind Su Yutang once they were back in the car, but just then her phone rang. Su Yutang answered, and someone on the other end seemed to be asking, "Sister Tang, we've all been waiting here forever. When are you coming?"

Su Yutang's lips curled upward uncontrollably, as if showing off. "Soon. Since I'm bringing her to meet you all, of course I had to dress her up properly."

"Now we're even more curious. Hurry up, okay?"

"Alright, no problem."

Lin Meng hoped Su Yutang would notice the WeChat transfer on her own the moment she hung up. Unfortunately, Su Yutang turned off her phone right after the call and then ushered Lin Meng into the car.

Lin Meng sighed.

Never mind. If Su Yutang still hadn't noticed the transfer by the time she drove her home, she'd remind her then.

...

Su Yutang drove to the most prosperous district in the city—the area people called "so expensive you couldn't afford it even if you had the money." Finally, she pulled up in front of a building called Grace. An attendant who'd been waiting there hurried forward. "Miss Su, hello. Shall we park your car in the usual spot?"

Su Yutang tossed the keys to the person. "Business as usual."

"Yes, Young Miss."

Watching Su Yutang's manner, Lin Meng couldn't help but marvel—she'd been too sheltered before.

This building called Grace seemed like a hotel but not quite. It was a place Lin Meng wouldn't dare dream of entering. When Su Yutang led her onto the glass elevator and it slowly ascended, the scenery below shrinking bit by bit, she finally realized how high up they were.

The night view here was even more beautiful than the one Su Yutang had shown her last time, and even more beautiful than Yun Huaizhu's home. The more prosperous the area, the more towering the skyscrapers, the more brilliant the lights.

But Lin Meng knew such things weren't hers to see or feel. If not for Su Yutang, she wouldn't have even gotten this feast for the eyes in her entire life.

When Su Yutang entered the elevator, she was only holding Lin Meng's hand, but by the time she stepped out, her posture had changed from holding hands to wrapping an arm around Lin Meng's shoulder.

Lin Meng felt Su Yutang was pressed too close, and it made her uncomfortable. When she tried to struggle, the hand on her shoulder tightened slightly. "Darling, I have a lot of friends here today. Don't make me lose face, okay?"

Her words were spoken softly, but they sounded like a threat.

Lin Meng immediately stopped moving. Never mind... Su Yutang was at least relatively normal today. Once they got to the gathering room, she'd just find a quiet corner and mooch food and drinks like she did at company team-building events.

Yes, that was her plan.

But when she discovered that Su Yutang had brought her to the top floor of Grace, and that the entire floor was a private gathering space for these Jing City aristocratic young ladies, Lin Meng stood frozen in place, dumbstruck.

Really, in the past six months she'd seen more of the world than in the previous twenty-some years of her life combined.

When Su Yutang pushed open the top-floor door with Lin Meng in tow and appeared before everyone, the young ladies who'd been laughing, drinking, and chatting suddenly fell silent.

Su Yutang smiled and raised her free hand in greeting. "Hi, I'm a bit late. Are you all still having fun tonight?"

The moment she finished speaking, a woman in a black gown and five-centimeter black heels walked over. The instant she saw Su Yutang, she broke into a radiant smile. "Not late at all. We've all been waiting for you."

The woman noticed Lin Meng tucked under Su Yutang's arm and sized her up in surprise. Then she covered her mouth with a hand tipped in vermilion nails, astonished. "Oh my, so this is the adorable one you were talking about..."

Su Yutang saw she was about to say those two words and shot her a look. "Don't be nosy."

The woman made a sheepish expression, then led Su Yutang and Lin Meng to a large black obsidian table. When the others had seen Su Yutang arrive, they'd already automatically vacated the head seat. Su Yutang, as naturally as if she were in her own home, sat down with Lin Meng in her arms.

Lin Meng was like a lamb surrounded by wolves; she didn't even dare lift her head to look at these aristocratic young ladies.

Su Yutang's friends immediately began praising the beta in her arms. "Oh, Sister Tang, I didn't expect you to like this type."

"So pure and innocent. She looks like she's about to melt."

"Don't talk nonsense. It's her first time here—what if you scare her? If you scare her, Sister Tang will have to comfort her. Just see if Sister Tang gets angry at you."

After that person spoke, the one beside her playfully shoved her. "How annoying."

Lin Meng was so embarrassed that cold sweat nearly beaded on the tip of her nose. Her vibe really didn't match this place at all. Right now, she genuinely wanted to go home.

Su Yutang felt Lin Meng trembling slightly under the arm she'd wrapped around her shoulder.

Su Yutang's brow furrowed faintly, then she addressed the still-chattering crowd in a mild but warning tone. "Alright, that's enough for now."

Her words spread through the room like an imperial decree. The previously lively space instantly fell into pin-drop silence.

Hearing Su Yutang's displeased tone, Lin Meng was baffled. She raised her head to look at Su Yutang, and at that moment her gaze happened to meet Su Yutang's tender one.

Su Yutang's phoenix eyes, when gentle, were truly mesmerizing. Lin Meng was instantly captivated by that face, leaving her somewhat speechless.

Su Yutang had one arm around her, her whole body leaning toward her. From everyone else's angle, it looked as if she was about to kiss her.

"What's wrong, darling? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Lin Meng felt Su Yutang's warm breath drawing closer and closer. Her heartbeat began to accelerate inexplicably. But the instant before Su Yutang's lips could touch hers, reason seemed to snap back, and she pushed Su Yutang away with a firm shove.

Not only was Su Yutang stunned from being pushed, but everyone present was shocked by the person she'd brought.

Who on earth was this person? She actually dared to push Su Yutang like that—did she still want to survive in Jing City?

After pushing Su Yutang away, Lin Meng quickly clutched her chest. She felt like her heart had nearly jumped into her throat.

Su Yutang's expression turned instantly grim after being pushed. She swept a glance over the person sitting across from her, and everyone lowered their heads as if nothing had happened.

Lin Meng waited until she'd calmed down, then turned to look at the nearly furious Su Yutang. "Sorry, sorry. I felt a bit panicked just now. Is there any water I could drink?"

Su Yutang seized the out she'd been given and reached out to tug at the little braid she'd personally woven for Lin Meng. "Of course. Darling, whatever you want to eat or drink, just tell me. I'll make sure you get it."

Lin Meng lowered her head awkwardly at those words.

There really was no need to eat that much.

Just as Su Yutang was about to press the top-floor call button to have things sent up, the top floor's coded security door chimed again. A woman in a vermilion gown and black heels with red soles appeared at the doorway, leaning against the frame. "Sorry, I'm late."

Though she said the word "sorry," there wasn't a trace of apology on her face.

The arrogance in her manner rivaled Su Yutang's. Only after hearing that voice did Lin Meng finally muster the courage to lift her head and look toward the doorway.