More Than Friends, Less Than Lovers

Lin Meng felt as though she were drifting on waves. She didn’t know how to swim, and little by little she lost all sense of direction. Just then, a cloud lifted her gently, helping her escape the whirlpool that threatened to drag her into the abyss.

But just as she was celebrating her rescue, the soft cloud suddenly gave way beneath her, and she instantly felt she couldn’t breathe.

Lin Meng jolted awake from the dream. When she tried to open her eyes, she found her face wrapped in warmth.

She came to her senses at once. Startled, she sat up so abruptly that the arm the woman beside her had wrapped around her was thrown off.

Yun Huaizhu was woken by Lin Meng’s sudden movement. She rubbed her still-sleepy eyes. “What’s wrong, Mengmeng-jie? It’s still early. Let’s sleep a while longer.”

At the sound of her voice, Lin Meng’s mind came back online, and her senses returned... This didn’t seem to be her home anymore. It actually looked like Yun Huaizhu’s house—the one she had visited once, a long time ago.

At the thought, scene after scene flooded her mind—memories so mortifying she wanted to die.

And when she remembered how she had finally passed out, a pang shot through her lower abdomen. She clutched her stomach before she could stop herself.

Seeing the faint discomfort on her face, Yun Huaizhu hurried over and asked softly, “What’s wrong, Mengmeng-jie? Does it hurt down there? Last night was my first time doing this kind of thing, so I couldn’t control my strength very well. Did I hurt you? I’ve already applied medicine for you. If it still hurts, I’ll take you to the hospital right now, okay?”

Hearing this, Lin Meng did feel that the place which had been pressed and prodded over and over last night was no longer as swollen or painful. But now that she was fully awake, her lower back still ached uncomfortably.

This kind of thing was already humiliating enough, and now going to the hospital... She’d rather find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

Lin Meng shook her head hastily. “No... I think I’m fine. No need to trouble yourself.”

Yun Huaizhu frowned at this.

It was true that for such a private matter, Lin Meng probably didn’t want others to know. But she also felt she had gone too far last night.

After all, when she had applied medicine for Lin Meng, that place had been like a scarlet flower petal—the mucosa swollen and trembling, shedding pitiful tears.

She would definitely be more careful next time.

With that thought, Yun Huaizhu embraced Lin Meng from the side. “Mengmeng-jie, I’m sorry. I didn’t control my strength and made you uncomfortable. But I was truly angry last night. I could imagine you with anyone, but I never imagined you could sleep in the same bed as Su Yutang.”

Hearing this, Lin Meng reacted as if a trigger had been pulled. “I wasn’t with her! I told you, I was only afraid she would die, so I helped her...”

Seeing how agitated she was, Yun Huaizhu quickly held her gently to soothe her. “I know, I know... Mengmeng-jie, you’re too kind, that’s why you helped someone like Su Yutang. Alright, let’s not mention that person again. Let this matter pass. I want to spend my days with you, thinking only of you.”

Lin Meng had just spent a night with Yun Huaizhu, and the image of Yun Huaizhu’s flushed expression as she sank into desire was still imprinted in her mind.

She had never seen Yun Huaizhu look so crazed and strange. When she yielded to Yun Huaizhu, she had actually felt a trace of pleasure she was ashamed to speak of.

Of course, that feeling wasn’t comfort; it was the pleasure of numbed nerves brought by pain, reaching a depth even she found unbelievable.

She thought she must have gone mad too. Otherwise, how could she find such a dangerous position comfortable?

Although Yun Huaizhu had applied medicine down there, every movement still brought a swollen, itchy discomfort.

Yun Huaizhu nestled greedily against Lin Meng like a post-coital clinginess—just as, when Lin Meng was asleep, she had pressed Lin Meng against her chest.

She figured Lin Meng probably liked that part of her best.

Lin Meng felt her breath tickling the kiss marks on her chest, so she first pushed Yun Huaizhu away. “Zhuzhu... last night, weren’t we at my place? How did I wake up here?”

Yun Huaizhu let out a laugh at this. Her face brimming with excitement, she raised her head and gazed at Lin Meng with deep affection. “Of course it wasn’t convenient at your place. Your bedsheets were soaked through, and that bed frame seemed a bit old. We didn’t even do anything that vigorous in bed, and it collapsed without any warning.”

The moment she mentioned this, Lin Meng’s face began to burn.

No. This was too humiliating—she really wanted to find a hole to crawl into!

Seeing her shy expression, Yun Huaizhu nuzzled against her like a spoiled child, casually rubbing her pheromones onto Lin Meng. “Mengmeng-jie was exhausted. Of course I couldn’t bear to let you sleep in a place like that, so I called Aunt Fang to bring clothes and pick us up. Don’t worry, I had everything in the room cleaned up. Just tell me the address of your new home, and I’ll have your luggage moved over immediately.”

Hearing this, Lin Meng felt she had prepared everything as if following a plan.

But what concerned Lin Meng more right now was something else. When she heard Yun Huaizhu mention “Aunt Fang,” she instantly covered her face in shame. “Aunt... Aunt Fang saw us like that?”

Seeing her about to cry over this, Yun Huaizhu quickly reassured her. “No, I changed your clothes myself, and I carried you downstairs. I only ordered Aunt Fang to clean your room and handle the aftermath... Mengmeng-jie, Aunt Fang was left to me by my mother. She’s very reliable and won’t breathe a word to anyone. Trust me!”

Lin Meng had been panicking at the thought of being seen, but after Yun Huaizhu’s words, her heart gradually settled.

She didn’t know why, but whenever Yun Huaizhu mentioned her mother, Lin Meng felt a deep pity for her.

How old was Yun Huaizhu when she lost her mother?

Yun Huaizhu hadn’t even finished elementary school back then...

Pity, along with the guilt from having cheated on Yun Huaizhu, made it impossible for her to blame Yun Huaizhu for being too indulgent in bed.

Lin Meng lowered her head thoughtfully. “Mm... I believe you.”

Hearing this, Yun Huaizhu’s face bloomed with a smile of trust. She leaned against Lin Meng again. “Mengmeng-jie, last night was my fault, but we’re still friends, right?”

Lin Meng hesitated, then gave a soft “Mm.”

Yun Huaizhu’s tone turned slightly aggrieved. “Then Mengmeng-jie should tell me the address of your new home, so I don’t think you hate me and want to cut ties.”

Lin Meng shook her head hastily. “No... I’ve never thought that. It’s just that you’re so wonderful, and I feel like my presence has made your life a mess, so I wanted to distance myself.”

Yun Huaizhu slowly raised her head, gazing at Lin Meng with heartache. “No, Mengmeng-jie. You haven’t disrupted my life at all. On the contrary, your presence has made my life better and better. I’ve been sinking in a gray world for too long.”

For the first time, she opened up vulnerably to someone other than Aunt Fang. “Actually, after my mother left, she left me many things... but I was too young then, and my family had all sorts of messy relatives. They had no real skills, only schemes to snatch the assets my mother left me. During the years before I came of age, the company my mother left behind began to decline. I tried countless ways to reverse the decline. I became a celebrity, desperately raising the Yun family’s profile, even stooping to plead with that mother-daughter pair...”

Her voice caught several times as she spoke. “In the past, I had my mother’s protection. But after she left, all I had were the things she left me. Those were the only keepsakes from my mother. I didn’t want them destroyed in my hands... Sometimes I think, it’s so tiring. When will it truly be over?”

She didn’t know.

Until that day, when Lin Meng came.

At her most vulnerable, Lin Meng hadn’t done anything to her. She had even washed and folded her clothes and placed them by her pillow.

She knew all of this.

Someone with impure intentions couldn’t possibly do such things for her.

Yun Huaizhu had once thought that even if Lin Meng really was a sasaeng fan, it wouldn’t matter. Lin Meng became her sasaeng fan simply because she loved her too much.

That wasn’t a big deal at all.

But the truth seemed different from what she had imagined. Lin Meng’s initial affection for her seemed to be only because of her face. She began to feel fear and unease, afraid that one day Lin Meng would find someone prettier and abandon her.

If only Lin Meng wouldn’t run away.

For a moment, she had entertained such a terrifying thought. But she wanted to see Lin Meng’s smile forever, wanted her Mengmeng-jie to always be this innocent and adorable, so she abandoned that fleeting thought.

Hearing this sorrowful monologue, Lin Meng felt as if something were gripping her heart tightly. She drew Yun Huaizhu’s head to her warmest, softest chest and comforted her like a mother. “Zhuzhu, everything will be alright... All misfortune has an end. You said yourself that your life is getting better and better, so please believe in yourself and keep walking firmly. It’s normal for a person to be tired. I’m tired every day going to and from work, repeating the same job day after day, not even knowing why...”

Yun Huaizhu’s eyes were misted with tears. She raised her head to look at Lin Meng’s gentle profile. Lin Meng’s voice was as soft as if telling a story. “But everything a person does in this world has meaning, because you were born into this world, and that itself is an incredible thing. You have your own independent thoughts and can do what you want to do. Zhuzhu is already amazing—more amazing than anyone I’ve ever met!”

Before she finished speaking, a glint of tears flashed in Yun Huaizhu’s eyes. She suddenly buried her head in Lin Meng’s chest and burst into loud sobs. The pressure and exhaustion accumulated over so many years finally released like a flood.

Lin Meng believed that when a person grieves and releases pressure, the way they cry is different.

She could feel that Yun Huaizhu’s crying was purely for release, because she didn’t sense heartache in those sobs.

She let Yun Huaizhu cry her heart out in her arms.

It’s okay. Just let it all out.

Honestly, if she were Yun Huaizhu, she would definitely have died before inheriting the Yun family business under such pressure.

Setting aside all the melodramatic elements of the original novel, Yun Huaizhu was truly remarkable.

...

In the end, she still couldn’t distance herself from Yun Huaizhu.

Under Yun Huaizhu’s persistent questioning, Lin Meng was backed into a corner. Helpless, she told Yun Huaizhu the address of her new home.

Upon hearing it, Yun Huaizhu quickly contacted the fastest moving company to transport all of Lin Meng’s things. Moreover, after delivering the luggage, this company would sort and organize the employer’s belongings by category, just like in the previous home.

Lin Meng didn’t have to do anything. She just had to wait to move into her new home.

Before Monday, Yun Huaizhu actually wanted Lin Meng to take a few days off, because she was truly afraid something might happen to Lin Meng’s health. But Lin Meng refused her kindness.

The old Lin Meng wouldn’t even accept a worthless necklace, but now she was willing to slowly accept Yun Huaizhu’s kindness. This showed that their relationship had taken the most successful step forward.

The current Lin Meng just didn’t know how to face her and hadn’t officially defined their relationship yet.

When the two of them went out, what she imagined was a couple shopping and dating.

If Lin Meng had only considered her a good friend before, then after that night, their relationship was probably more than friends, less than lovers.

With just a little more effort, the two of them could officially be together.

Yun Huaizhu accompanied Lin Meng on moving day. She noticed this community was much better than the old, rundown one Lin Meng had rented before. The apartment here also used a keypad lock.

But... the rent here was much more expensive than Lin Meng’s previous place. Had Lin Meng really gritted her teeth and rented a place like this just to avoid her?

She had looked into Lin Meng’s company salary. Honestly, when she saw Lin Meng’s wages, she wanted to drive Lin Meng to and from work every day and take care of all three meals.

Otherwise, what was that little bit of money even good for?

She really wanted Lin Meng to live with her, but Lin Meng never budged.

Their relationship had finally taken such a big step forward. Yun Huaizhu didn’t want Lin Meng to feel alienated again, so she didn’t bring up living together.

But seeing Lin Meng live in a place like this every day made her uneasy.

...

When they reached the door, Lin Meng was about to key in the password when she noticed Yun Huaizhu’s gaze fixed intently on her.

Lin Meng felt a pang of guilt. She turned sideways to block the keypad and entered the password.

Displeasure flickered across Yun Huaizhu’s face at the sight.

The two of them had done everything they should and shouldn’t have done. It was just a password—why was she still guarding against her?

Just as the door opened and Lin Meng was about to invite Yun Huaizhu in to sit, Tang Xiaoman from next door heard the commotion and came out.

Seeing Lin Meng, her face lit up with pleasant surprise. She stepped forward and warmly took Lin Meng’s hand. “Mengmeng, I’ve been waiting and waiting, and finally you’re here! You said you’d move in these past two days, and I’ve been looking forward to it the whole time.”

When Yun Huaizhu saw this rude omega ignore her and walk right up to Lin Meng to take her hand, her expression darkened instantly.

She silently stepped between the two of them and expressionlessly pulled Tang Xiaoman’s hand away from Lin Meng’s.

Tang Xiaoman was momentarily stunned by this rude behavior. She was about to look up in anger when Lin Meng quickly stepped in front of Yun Huaizhu and laughed awkwardly. “Yes, I’ve been wanting to move here quickly too. By the way, Xiaoman, let me introduce you. This is my friend. She’s a bit cold, so she didn’t mean anything by that just now.”

Hearing this, Tang Xiaoman’s anger subsided. Since this person was Lin Meng’s friend, she wouldn’t hold a grudge over what had just happened.

But when she looked up and carefully studied the woman’s face, she was instantly dumbfounded.

This, this... Didn’t this person’s face look exactly like the popular actress who announced her retirement from the industry last year?

Tang Xiaoman rubbed her eyes in disbelief. She was certain this woman’s face really resembled that celebrity. But the star on TV always wore a sweet smile for fans and audiences, while this person wore a sour face as if someone owed her five hundred yuan.

A stunningly beautiful face was indeed appealing, but when a beauty wore a sour expression from the start and made unfriendly gestures, it inspired no goodwill at all.

Although Tang Xiaoman thought this person was very beautiful, she could tell this person’s temper was clearly not good.

She vaguely felt that in this woman’s presence, she couldn’t help feeling inferior.

Lin Meng even knew a beauty like this—did she still have a chance?

The three of them fell into an awkward silence.

Yun Huaizhu saw this person take Lin Meng’s hand, then stare at her with an extremely strange look... A sour, burning feeling surged up in her heart.

She had just heard how Lin Meng addressed this person, and it sounded very intimate.

Instantly, she couldn’t control her emotions and put on a gloomy expression.

But with five years of acting experience, she quickly adjusted. She revealed an exceedingly kind smile and said to this woman, “Hello, I’m Mengmeng’s best friend. She’s very prone to being scatterbrained, so I’ll often come here to take care of her. Since you’re her neighbor, you’re welcome to come over and visit us too.”

Hearing this, Tang Xiaoman looked at Lin Meng, then shifted her gaze back to this woman.

Who exactly was she? Lin Meng hadn’t even said anything, so what right did she have to act like the lady of the house?

To prevent the situation from escalating out of control, Lin Meng quickly stepped forward and pulled the bristling Yun Huaizhu behind her.

She gave Tang Xiaoman an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Xiaoman. I just moved in and the place is a bit messy. I’m afraid I can’t invite you in to sit right now. After I finish cleaning up, I’ll have you over as a guest. I’ll go in first...”

With that, Lin Meng pushed Yun Huaizhu into the apartment.

After the two disappeared from sight, Tang Xiaoman finally came back to her senses. A strange feeling rose in her heart, like she had eaten a fresh lemon.

That woman was so rude from the start—she definitely wasn’t that celebrity. That actress was both beautiful and gentle, and there had never been news online of her giving anyone a cold face.

That woman was just an empty shell. Lin Meng liked beautiful women, but a beautiful face couldn’t be looked at forever. Someone with such a bad temper couldn’t possibly be a life partner. Lin Meng would eventually return to reality.

Tang Xiaoman imagined a whole bunch of things in her pique, and by the time she reached her door, she had comforted herself.

As she walked back to the apartment next door, something suddenly struck her—right, what was that actress’s name again?

It seemed to be Yun Huaizhu?

...

Lin Meng’s new home wasn’t as messy as she had claimed.

It was more than twice the size of the old, rundown place she had rented before. Besides having the moving company deliver and organize her luggage, Yun Huaizhu had also added many things to her new home.

For example, the small sofa Lin Meng had bought from a secondhand market looked utterly shabby in the new living room, so Yun Huaizhu simply had a set of leather sofas brought in. Even the dining table was replaced with marble, matching the bar counter in her own home.

Lin Meng was shocked when she saw the furnishings in the room. Just as she wanted to ask Yun Huaizhu where these furnishings came from and how much they cost, she caught sight of Yun Huaizhu walking slowly toward her with a dark expression.

Lin Meng backed away somewhat at a loss, her eyes darting around like a guilty thief.

Although this living room was much bigger than her previous rented place, it was still only so large. After a few steps back, Lin Meng tripped over a table leg and fell backward onto the sofa.

Just as she scrambled to get up in a fluster, Yun Huaizhu’s shadow fell over her from above.

Yun Huaizhu pressed both hands on either side of her with absolute overwhelming momentum. Lin Meng was trapped in a small space, unable to get up or escape.

Seeing a flicker of fear in her eyes, Yun Huaizhu quickly flashed a strange smile. “Mengmeng-jie, what are you afraid of? I just want to ask you some questions.”

Before she could even ask, Lin Meng confessed as if a switch had been flipped. “Xiaoman is my colleague. I rented this place through her introduction. It was originally very expensive, but with Xiaoman’s help I saved a lot on rent, so I’m very grateful to her...”

Seeing her explain everything on her own, Yun Huaizhu’s smile gradually became less frightening. “Is that so? Just colleagues?”

Lin Meng nodded hastily. “Really, just colleagues.”

She didn’t dare say the word “friends,” because to her it represented a more intimate relationship.

She had called Su Yutang her friend and helped her; she had treated Yun Huaizhu as a good friend from the start, only to end up in bed with her. She truly didn’t dare casually mention the word “friends” again.

Hearing her answer, Yun Huaizhu suddenly reached out a cool finger and stroked Lin Meng’s slightly parted lips. “Mengmeng-jie, I believe you. But I don’t trust others. So if you encounter someone doing strange things to you, you must tell me proactively.”

Her finger rubbed the corner of Lin Meng’s mouth, ambiguously as if she wanted to slip it inside, imitating the motions of love from that night.

Lin Meng asked, puzzled, “Strange things?”

Yun Huaizhu nodded. “Yes. For example, if she suddenly holds your hand, or links her arm through yours—things like that can’t be done. Mengmeng-jie, you’ve probably never had a girlfriend and don’t understand boundaries. When an omega does these things to you, it means she’s interested in you. Don’t tell me you like your colleague?”

Lin Meng’s eyes widened in shock. She quickly denied it. “Of course not! We’re really just colleagues!”

Seeing her hasty explanation, Yun Huaizhu quickly soothed her. “I know. That’s why I need to remind you, Mengmeng-jie. If you don’t reject her firmly enough, your colleague will think you’re interested in her too. If that happens, the misunderstanding between you two will blow up.”

Lin Meng was caught up in Yun Huaizhu’s rhetoric and hadn’t reacted yet. “Really?”

Yun Huaizhu stared seriously into her eyes. “Of course. Since you don’t like her, you certainly can’t string her along. Otherwise, wouldn’t Mengmeng-jie become a player?”

Lin Meng shook her head hastily. “No... I’m not.”

Seeing Lin Meng’s reaction, Yun Huaizhu found it adorable. She cupped Lin Meng’s face in both hands and smiled gently. “I know Mengmeng-jie isn’t. You just don’t understand, that’s why I need to teach you these things. So can Mengmeng-jie keep her distance from that colleague Xiaoman?”

Although Lin Meng felt something was increasingly off, she still nodded in agreement.