I Really Don't Understand

Lin Meng didn't know why, but every time she chatted with Huo Yi, she somehow ended up trapped in Huo Yi's way of thinking.

Ever since she'd heard what Huo Yi said to her that day, a vague wariness toward Huo Yi had taken root in her heart.

It was as if Huo Yi knew exactly how Lin Meng felt about her, because whenever they talked, Huo Yi did her utmost to choose words that would stir Lin Meng's sympathy.

Because of what had happened last time, Huo Yi no longer drank by the pool; she'd switched to drinking indoors. [Mengmeng, you're home, right? Have you tried those two bottles of red wine I gave you last time? Give them a taste. Nothing will happen when you're in your own home. A little alcohol when you're feeling down can help you relax.]

When Lin Meng saw the message, her brows knitted tightly. She didn't understand why Huo Yi was so eager to push her to drink. Those two bottles of red wine were expensive, and she'd been meaning to have Huo Yi take them back.

Lin Meng: [Yiyi, I appreciate the thought, but those two bottles of red wine are far too expensive. I can't accept them... Next time you come over, could you take them with you? It's not that the wine you gave me is bad—it's just that I can't accept such an expensive gift. Also, drinking in moderation really can help you relax, but don't overdo it. It'll hurt your health.]

Meanwhile, on a business trip far away, Huo Yi was in the presidential suite of a hotel. When she saw this message, her heart bloomed with joy.

But she was still determined to make Lin Meng accept her gifts. She sent a voice message right away: “Mengmeng, exchanging gifts is the most normal thing between good friends. And I don't know where you heard those two bottles of red wine were expensive—they're really not worth much at all.”

After hearing the voice message, Lin Meng hesitated for a moment: [But I heard online that they're very expensive.]

Huo Yi nearly died laughing when she saw this message. This girl was absurdly adorable—she'd actually gone online to look up the gifts Huo Yi had given her.

If Lin Meng were in front of her right now, she wouldn't be able to resist pinching Lin Meng's cheek and saying: You little fool, the things I give you definitely can't be found online.

[There's so much information about red wine online—some of it's bound to be true and some false. Did those people also ask you whether you wanted to sell those two bottles?]

Huo Yi's read on people and how things would play out was terrifyingly accurate. Lin Meng lost patience and converted the voice message to text, then her mouth fell slightly open in surprise. After a moment, she replied: [Yiyi, you're amazing! When I searched, people really did ask me that.]

Huo Yi: [See? They're all scammers. Don't believe what they say. I gave you the red wine because I wanted you to enjoy something I like. I didn't expect my behavior to annoy you...]

When Lin Meng saw this, she couldn't help but listen to Huo Yi's voice message while typing: [No, no, no, I've never been annoyed by you. Yiyi is wonderful. I don't have work tomorrow anyway, so I'll drink it. Yiyi, don't be sad!]

Why did she say that? Because Huo Yi's voice message had been slow and forlorn, as if she were about to cry.

Huo Yi had always been so lively and cheerful around her; Lin Meng had never imagined she could cry.

Had Huo Yi become like this because of her?

Just thinking about it made Lin Meng's heart soften.

She found a glass, took out one of the bottles of red wine, and pulled the cork. The sweet scent of fermented grapes mingled with the alcohol and filled the air. After pouring a glass, Lin Meng sent Huo Yi a picture first: [Yiyi, the wine smells wonderful. Thank you for the gift!]

When Huo Yi saw the picture, she smiled. She couldn't help but sweeten her voice as she said, “As long as you like it.”

Her probing had paid off after all—Lin Meng really did soften when she thought someone might cry. Perhaps she could use that as a way in to develop a relationship with Lin Meng.

After all, the little sheep was the type who couldn't resist softness but stood firm against hardness.

...

After sending the message, Lin Meng stared at the opened bottle of red wine and sank into thought. How had she been weak enough to open it? As things stood, there was no way she could return it to Huo Yi now.

But it would be a waste not to drink it, wouldn't it? Huo Yi might say the wine wasn't worth much, but Huo Yi's idea of “not worth much” could be very different from hers.

Lin Meng gazed at the glass of red wine for a moment. Then, as if she'd made up her mind, she picked it up and downed it in one go.

She'd expected it to be like ordinary alcohol—harsh and burning in the throat. Instead, the red wine was sweet, with a faint hint of fermented grape alcohol, and it went down smooth, mellow, and cool, not harsh in the least.

Setting aside the getting-drunk part, Lin Meng actually thought it tasted very good.

So, as if she'd truly taken Huo Yi's words to heart, she poured herself another glass. This time she didn't drink it as quickly as the first; savoring it slowly, she found she quite enjoyed the taste.

She lost track of how many glasses she'd had. She began to feel that “light and floaty” sensation Huo Yi had mentioned. Her body was gradually growing warm and her head was starting to spin, but her mood was exceptionally relaxed.

In her own home, she didn't have to guard against anyone, nor worry about hurting others if she got drunk and acted out.

She lay on the sofa in a daze. “Why can't they be together? That's how it's written in the novel. How can they say they like me...”

She really didn't understand. She truly didn't.

She had suddenly barged into this novel's world and disrupted lives that should have belonged to others. Whether it was heartbreak and torment or sweetness and happiness, those were lives others had chosen... Who was she to interfere? What right did she have?

After the extreme relaxation came an extreme sorrow.

Thinking of this, she suddenly grabbed the cushion beside her, buried her face in it, and began to sob quietly. She didn't know how long she cried; her vision gradually blurred and her eyelids grew heavy.

She didn't know how much more time passed, but the room slowly darkened as night fell. Yet Lin Meng was too drunk to bother turning on the lights. Sometimes she actually enjoyed the feeling of the world slowly going dark.

In this dark, narrow space, with only herself in the apartment, she didn't have to fear a terrifying monster suddenly emerging from the shadows. The lights from the tall buildings outside reflected through the window into her living room... It was a little noisy, but still quite comfortable.

She suddenly remembered that Su Yutang was afraid of narrow, dark spaces. As if infinite compassion had welled up in her, she hugged the cushion as if it were Su Yutang, holding it tight. “Be good, don't be scared... There won't be any kidnappers here. Once you've changed for the better, you should be obedient, right? Don't hurt others, don't hurt Yun Huaizhu. You should love her. She's a very good person. You don't really want to hurt people, do you? You're just fierce—you use that expression to hide the panic inside. I know. I don't actually hate you...”

“Wuu... But I messed up. I cheated on you... No, I cheated on both you and Yun Huaizhu. Can you two forgive me? Can you make up and be together again?”

Just as Lin Meng was mumbling these words over and over, the sound of someone entering the code at the door came through, followed by a click as the door opened.

Lin Meng lay on the sofa. The air conditioning was turned up high, but her body still wore a thin flush from the alcohol. In the next moment, a pair of cool hands wrapped around her waist and embraced her.

Lin Meng already felt light and floaty from the wine, and then came a sensation of weightlessness, as if her whole body had been lifted by something.

It seemed she'd never found the right environment for getting drunk before, which was why she always acted out. As long as she drank at home, where both body and mind could relax, she could feel this wonderful sensation of being held up by clouds.

Lin Meng felt those somewhat cool hands slip under her clothes. The temperature felt nice, so she let them go deeper. “Yiyi, I can't drink it all...”

The person's expression darkened at once. That frightening face slowly leaned close to her ear. “Is the wine Huo Yi gave you really that good?”

The drunk, dazed Lin Meng, unable to tell reality from illusion, nodded. “Mm, it's very good.”

Hearing this, the person's face took on a murderous expression. If you love this kind of wine so much, I should pour the rest of the bottle all over you and drink it off you drop by drop.

Unfortunately, this time she had crept into Lin Meng's home like a rat in a gutter. She couldn't leave any trace of herself behind, or it would be difficult to visit again.

“But... I can't answer your question. I don't understand what this ‘love’ you're talking about is.”

The moment she heard Lin Meng say this, her expression turned ferocious.

She'd already been displeased when she saw on her phone that Huo Yi was luring Lin Meng into drinking, but she hadn't expected Huo Yi to be so bold as to ask Lin Meng about love directly.

No. She couldn't let Lin Meng and Huo Yi meet again. Even if Lin Meng wanted to see her, she would stop it.

...

Thinking this, Yun Huaizhu crumpled the hydrogel film bearing Lin Meng's fingerprints into a ball and threw it under the bed. Then, like a demon whispering, she asked into the drunk Lin Meng's ear: “Then... Mengmeng, let me ask you. Among your friends, who do you like the most?”

Lin Meng heard this and answered hazily. “I don't know...”

When Yun Huaizhu heard her answer without even thinking, her expression turned even worse. As if in disbelief, she gripped Lin Meng's shoulders. “Mengmeng-jie, tell me. Who do you like the most?”

Lin Meng, as if cornered, struggled like a cat. “I don't know, I really don't know. They're all great. At the very least, they're good to me. I can't tell them apart. It seems like friends shouldn't do this. I've never had friends before. This is my first time being friends with them, so I don't know...”

Seeing how agitated Lin Meng was, Yun Huaizhu immediately stroked her gently and comforted her in a soft, tender voice. “All right, all right. If we don't know, then we won't say it.”

Yun Huaizhu looked at the utterly aggrieved Lin Meng and gently wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes. Truthfully, she quite liked the drunk Lin Meng, because only then could she unfasten Lin Meng's shoulder strap and slide her hand inside without any obstruction.

The soft texture and the patterns of that one spot reached her fingertips, sending an intense thrill straight to her brain.

Lin Meng didn't know what it was that kept rubbing and kneading her there. She couldn't help but let out a coquettish, distorted sound.

She reached out, wanting to remove the thing tormenting her chest, but drunk as she was, her strength was like a kitten's. The moment she put her hand out, the other person pressed it back down.

“Mmm... take it away, it tickles.”

The person leaning over her smiled gently at these words. “It just tickles. You don't hate it, do you?”

Lin Meng gave the same answer as before. “I don't know. Anyway... it's strange.”

Yun Huaizhu continued smiling. “You don't know and think it's strange because you've never experienced it. By the way, didn't you do it with that Yun Huaizhu person too? Did she make you feel good?”

Yun Huaizhu buried the side of her face in Lin Meng's neck. She could still smell the red wine lingering on Lin Meng's body, the alcohol mixed with a strange, sweet fragrance that made her incredibly aroused.

Especially since Lin Meng's fair neck still bore a lovely flush, making her want to bite down hard.

“Mengmeng-jie, I know you didn't cheat on purpose, so I won't hold it against you. Let's just stop here.”

“Zhuzhu, you... you're so kind. Actually, from the very beginning, I liked you...”

She liked Yun Huaizhu's character in the novel, liked her gentleness and kindness, liked her beautiful face.

When Yun Huaizhu heard these words, an indescribable satisfaction surged through her heart. The explosion of desire came in an instant.

“Mengmeng-jie, let me ask you... setting aside the matter of cheating on Yun Huaizhu, did she make you feel good that night? Didn't you get really wet? Isn't that a sign you were enjoying it?”

Lin Meng said hazily, “Getting wet means it felt good?”

Yun Huaizhu didn't know what had come over her either. Hearing this question from the usually distant Lin Meng, her cheeks inexplicably grew hot and flushed. “Mm, yes...”

“Then I really liked it. But I can't do it with her anymore. I can't cheat on Su Yutang again...”

Yun Huaizhu's heart had already been rippling from Lin Meng's earlier words, but this sentence kicked her straight down from heaven. Her expression changed drastically. She pressed her forehead against Lin Meng's and asked angrily, “You think sleeping with me is cheating on her? Then the person you cheated on me with—whose green hat is that?”

The dizzy Lin Meng completely lost her ability to form a coherent sentence. She shook her head again and again. “I don't know. I'm sorry... I'm sorry to both of you. I'll disappear from your world. I don't want to ruin your relationship. I'm sorry...”

From her jumbled words, Yun Huaizhu roughly understood what she meant. Her cold, sinister voice rose above Lin Meng. “Mengmeng-jie, you must remember—Yun Huaizhu and Su Yutang will never, ever be together! Never—”

When Lin Meng heard this, her heart cracked like glass, shattering into pieces that scattered across the floor. No matter how she tried to piece them back together, they wouldn't fit.

And in the next moment, she felt a chill sweep over her, her whole body trembling uncontrollably. Above her, it was as if a demon were luring her into depravity. “Why are you sad? Don't you like beautiful women? Isn't Yun Huaizhu's technique good? Don't you feel good?”

“Mm, ah... Yun Huaizhu is wonderful, but this isn't...”

Because of the alcohol, her body's sensitivity had increased several times over. Those cool hands were quickly warmed by her body heat, gradually merging with her.

It was gentle—gentler than both of their first times before.

Lin Meng instantly passed out, but the matter did not end when she lost consciousness. Yun Huaizhu looked at Lin Meng's tear-streaked face, flushed crimson, and wished she could bury her entire hand inside her, as if entering the place where life was first conceived. But that would tear Lin Meng apart.

She couldn't bear to.

In the end, she used a hand wrinkled from moisture to pinch Lin Meng's chin. “Mengmeng-jie, you really leave me no choice. But what am I supposed to do? I like you. I like you so, so much.”

...

Lin Meng didn't know how long she'd been unconscious. She only knew her head felt like it was about to explode. When she woke again, it was already one in the afternoon. As she sat up, she felt a faint soreness and ache below, and every part of her body felt as if it had been run over.

Excessive drinking really was bad for her health. It seemed she couldn't drink on impulse anymore.

But did drinking make that area hurt too?

Was this wine a little too strange?

Thinking this, Lin Meng sealed up the unopened bottle of wine. As for the half bottle that remained, she really couldn't finish it. She'd let Yun Huaizhu or Huo Yi drink it next week when they came over.

Though, Yun Huaizhu aside, why did she assume Huo Yi would definitely come to her home next week?

Had she developed some kind of stress response toward Huo Yi because of the things Huo Yi had said?

Lin Meng endured the soreness and got out of bed. When she opened the wardrobe to get a fresh towel for a shower, she suddenly noticed several red marks on her neck reflected in the full-length mirror inside the wardrobe door.

Lin Meng reached out and touched them; they were actually a little painful and itchy. She had work tomorrow—why would mosquitoes bite her specifically in this spot?

And her apartment wasn't on a low floor either. How had the mosquitoes flown up this high?

Thinking this, Lin Meng went to look for electric mosquito repellent liquid and an electric fly swatter. She was going to make these damned mosquitoes pay!

Just as she was walking around with the electric fly swatter looking for mosquitoes, someone suddenly knocked on her door. Lin Meng, supporting her sore waist, walked to the door.

When she opened it, Yun Huaizhu was standing outside carrying two large food boxes.

She immediately spotted the two obvious marks on Lin Meng's neck. She held back the corners of her lips that kept wanting to curl upward. “Mengmeng-jie, you haven't eaten yet, right?”

The aroma of the dishes in Yun Huaizhu's two food boxes immediately awakened Lin Meng's taste buds. Lin Meng quickly opened the door wide. “Mm, I drank a little last night, so I got up a bit late.”

Yun Huaizhu's beautiful eyes curved into crescents. She rarely revealed such a sly, fox-like expression, so when Lin Meng was about to see it, she quickly lowered her head and carried the food boxes inside. “Perfect. Among the dishes I brought today, there's also a sobering soup. Let's eat together.”

Lin Meng furrowed her brows slightly at this. Every time she ate with Yun Huaizhu, they never drank alcohol—so why had Yun Huaizhu specifically brought a sobering soup?

Of course, it was also possible Yun Huaizhu had simply felt like it.

Yun Huaizhu always brought so many dishes to eat with her that just portioning out the leftovers kept Lin Meng fed for several meals. Sometimes she felt Yun Huaizhu took too good care of her. Though her weight had always hovered between one hundred ten and one hundred twenty, she never had a chance to lose any.

Yun Huaizhu first took out the sobering soup and placed it on the table. “Mengmeng-jie, come drink it quickly. This soup is savory-sweet—not bitter at all.”

Lin Meng trotted over. “Coming.”

After drinking the sobering soup Yun Huaizhu had brought, she felt much better after a while, her mind instantly clearing up considerably. Lin Meng had been worrying about the half bottle of red wine with no one to drink it, so she quickly took it out of the fridge. “Zhuzhu, this is the wine I drank yesterday. Once red wine is opened, it seems like it has to be drunk right away or it'll go bad. It would be such a waste—could you drink the rest?”

Yun Huaizhu's expression darkened for a moment. “I remember Mengmeng-jie doesn't really drink. Who gave you this bottle?”

Hearing this, Lin Meng felt inexplicably guilty for some reason. She lowered her head and quietly told Yun Huaizhu who had given it to her.

After hearing it, Yun Huaizhu's expression turned grim.

The more Lin Meng spoke, the more uneasy she felt. She twisted her fingers and stared at the floor. In the next moment, Yun Huaizhu stood up, held Lin Meng's shoulders, and said earnestly, “Mengmeng-jie, there's nothing wrong with you drinking, but you need to pay attention to your safety. Next time you want to drink, you must call me. I'm not comfortable with you drinking alone at home either—what if something happened?”

Hearing her concern, Lin Meng looked up and quickly explained, “I... I've only drunk this once. Besides, it was Yiyi's goodwill. If I reject her, she'll be sad...”

Hearing this, Yun Huaizhu held back the smile that wanted to surface and pretended to be consoling, reaching out to gently stroke Lin Meng's back. “I know Mengmeng-jie is very kind and can't bear to reject others. So in the future, if Huo Yi gives you wine, you can give it to me to drink. I come over to spend time with you every week anyway.”

Hearing this, Lin Meng suddenly saw the light. Actually, this wasn't a bad compromise at all!

She looked up and nodded firmly at Yun Huaizhu. “Okay!”

Seeing her utterly oblivious expression, Yun Huaizhu couldn't help but curl her lips. But her smile was very restrained, much like her usual smile.

At that moment, as if she'd just noticed the two glaringly obvious red marks on Lin Meng's neck, she couldn't help but reach out and touch the warm skin. “Oh my, Mengmeng-jie, what happened here?”

Lin Meng didn't know what came over her either. The moment Yun Huaizhu's slightly cool fingers touched the spot the mosquitoes had bitten, she reflexively reached up to cover it and took a step back. “Uh... this? It was probably a mosquito bite from last night.”

A faint, unreadable note crept into Yun Huaizhu's tone. “Is that so? Then has Mengmeng-jie bought mosquito repellent? I have a really good mosquito repellent—I'll have someone send it over later, okay?”

Lin Meng quickly shook her head. “No need, no need. I already found electric mosquito repellent liquid, and it's just a few mosquitoes—it's nothing.”

Hearing this, Yun Huaizhu smiled with immense relief. “Hearing Mengmeng-jie say that puts my mind at ease.”

With that, she walked to the dining table and laid out the dishes one by one. “By the way, Mengmeng-jie, I might not have time to come see you all next week. You must take good care of yourself. Once I've finished everything, the two of us can go on a trip together, okay?”

Hearing this, Lin Meng fell silent again. “Zhuzhu, don't worry. I'll take care of myself. No matter how busy you are with work, remember to eat.”

She still avoided the question about traveling.

Hearing her answer, Yun Huaizhu sighed helplessly again.

Oh well. There would be a day for that eventually.

Just as she was about to have a meal with Lin Meng, her phone suddenly rang. Seeing the caller, Yun Huaizhu's brows instantly furrowed, and a trace of displeasure appeared on her face. She quickly answered. “Hello?”

The person on the other end was Ji Quanying. “Miss Yun, hello. It's been nearly three months since the charity dinner that night. May I ask—have you had any signs of pregnancy recently?”