Kissing Her in Front of Huo Yi

Su Yutang had kept Lin Meng cooped up at home for three days now. During that time, she took Lin Meng to the office with her each day.

But her role at Su Yutang's side amounted to little more than fetching tea and water; she wasn't even a secretary. All her work had been reassigned to someone else. As long as she showed up at the company, she didn't even need to clock in—she was considered on duty.

She didn't have to do anything—just stay by Su Yutang's side.

As for the documents Su Yutang needed, her assistant had to run to this small company and deliver them to her in person. Lin Meng didn't have any work for the time being, so she started up her ‘side hustle’ on the sofa in the top-floor office. Although her illustration skills hadn't yet reached a professional standard, she could still draw simple chibi and line art that didn't require much technique.

There were quite a few submission contests in the art community, each with prize money. Every time, she would submit the piece she was most satisfied with.

Her odds of winning weren't high, but she had to hold on to hope for the future, right?

By the time Su Yutang finished the documents in her hands, it was nearly three in the afternoon. The whole time, Lin Meng had been sitting beside her with her laptop open, busy with something or other.

These past few days, she had been living and eating with Lin Meng, and Lin Meng hadn't shown much resistance. That meant Lin Meng was slowly starting to like her too. The two of them shared the same space, each doing their own thing, and after spending so much time together, there was even a sense of an old married couple about them.

Su Yutang noticed Lin Meng dragging her pencil back and forth across her tablet and grew curious. She quietly came up beside her.

Lin Meng was working on a line draft of an OC character bathed in sunlight and surrounded by colorful bubbles. That was what the client had requested, of course. For the background, the client had told her to use her own judgment. Lin Meng was still trying to figure out what kind of background would suit such a scene.

Just as she was lost in thought, Su Yutang—who had already sat down beside her—spoke up. ‘I think a beach background would be nice. It would definitely look good.’

When Lin Meng heard this, an image flashed through her mind, and an expression of ‘so that's it’ crossed her face. Just as she was about to start drawing, she seemed to suddenly notice something and turned toward the voice.

In the next instant, her lips met Su Yutang's face, which was almost pressed right against hers.

Lin Meng's eyes flew wide. She shifted to the side, but Su Yutang caught her arm. ‘Darling, you kissed me of your own accord. I'm so happy.’

Lin Meng's body tilted involuntarily toward the edge of the sofa, and Su Yutang leaned in the same direction, as if about to press her down onto the couch. ‘I had no idea you could draw, darling. So multi-talented—you really surprise me. When are you going to draw my portrait? Once it's done, I'll have someone frame it and hang it in the main hall of the manor, so everyone can come admire your exquisite skill.’

Was this really admiration, or public humiliation?

Lin Meng suddenly felt Su Yutang's body about to cover hers, the pressure overwhelming, and she could barely breathe. ‘Um, Tangtang, could you let me go first? I feel a little stifled.’

Su Yutang pecked her on the cheek as usual, then got up. ‘Of course, darling.’

Lin Meng had grown numb to Su Yutang's occasional kisses by now. Once she caught her breath, she turned and looked Su Yutang straight in the eye.

Su Yutang's eyes, gazing at her like rippling spring water, made Lin Meng realize something after spending so long with her. For instance, the Young Miss was just a bit domineering, and although she talked about treating people like dogs, Lin Meng had never actually seen Su Yutang treat anyone that way.

All in all, her impression of Su Yutang had completely changed.

Su Yutang knew Lin Meng had something to ask her, so she stayed silent, waiting for Lin Meng to speak.

After weighing her words, Lin Meng lowered her head and asked calmly, ‘Were you a shareholder of this company from the start? The company suddenly promoted me, then changed the end of the workday to four in the afternoon—was that all your doing?’

Su Yutang's heart lurched. Even if she tried to argue now—to say these things weren't her doing—Lin Meng probably wouldn't believe her.

To her, acquiring this small company was no different from buying an ordinary piece of clothing.

The first time she'd wanted to buy it was when Lin Meng rejected her invitation. Lin Meng would rather work at a place that barely paid anything than work for her, and that left her deeply unsettled.

Buying this company had been nothing more than an impulse.

Seeing Lin Meng work day and night to meet deadlines had distressed her. She knew Lin Meng wouldn't accept any gifts from her, so she specified Lin Meng's proposals when negotiating business deals.

If Lin Meng truly lacked ability, the deals using her proposals wouldn't have turned a profit.

She had given Lin Meng an opportunity, but Lin Meng genuinely had the skill to back it up.

Su Yutang's prolonged silence gave Lin Meng her answer.

At that moment, Lin Meng suddenly let out a bitter laugh. ‘I knew it. Nothing good ever comes for free. Thank you for everything you've done for me, but this isn't fair to others. I don't have the ability, yet I've enjoyed benefits and advantages beyond my capabilities. I—’

‘No! That's not it!’

Su Yutang abruptly cut her off, then retorted loudly. ‘How is it unfair? I gave this small company such a big opportunity because of you, and the sales approach using your proposal had a high return rate. Your abilities are outstanding—you shouldn't doubt yourself! Yes, I changed the early clock-out rule, but everyone else gets it too. They all enjoy this benefit because of you. How is that unfair?’

Lin Meng frowned slightly. ‘But...’

Su Yutang grabbed her shoulders in a panic. ‘Darling, look me in the eye! There's no “but” about it. You don't need to feel like you have some special privilege just because you enjoy this benefit, or that it's unfair to others. At other companies, bosses exploit their employees and make them work overtime until dawn—all because the boss is an idiot! Think of it this way: you have a good boss, so everyone gets to enjoy this treatment. You got promoted because your abilities are exceptional, and it has nothing to do with anything else. Do you understand?’

Lin Meng had never seen Su Yutang so desperate to explain herself.

She felt like she was about to be pulled into Su Yutang's logic.

Su Yutang suddenly hugged her. ‘Everything you've received is because you're good enough—excellent enough. So don't doubt yourself.’

Her words seemed to ripple across the calm, unruffled sea of Lin Meng's heart.

Lin Meng sat there blankly in her embrace. She didn't know how much time passed before Su Yutang let go and looked into her eyes. ‘I know what an outstanding person you are—that's why I like you, why I want to help you. You're the only person in this world who can make me go this far. I hope you won't doubt yourself, won't feel uneasy. I do these things to make your life easier, so you can chat with me a little more. If my methods make you uncomfortable, I can apologize first... Darling, don't misunderstand me. And please, don't ignore me.’

Only then did Lin Meng come back to herself. ‘I'm not misunderstanding you, and I'm not uncomfortable... Actually, I'm not as good as you think. It's precisely because I'm a terrible person that when others are so good to me, I always end up feeling so guilty.’

Su Yutang stroked her back and comforted her softly. ‘Don't feel guilty. I do this willingly. From now on, when we're together, I'll be this good to you every day. No—I'll be even better. I told you, whatever you want, even if it's a star from the sky, I'd pluck it down for you.’

Lin Meng didn't know what she was feeling, but her nose suddenly stung, her eyes grew red, and tears fell before she realized it.

If it were out of guilt, she probably wouldn't have cried.

What she felt now really was sorrow—like when she'd learned her family was broken, like when she'd learned her first childhood friend had died. That kind of heartache.

She had really let Su Yutang down.

She had also let down Yun Huaizhu and Huo Yi.

Because she couldn't accept it and chose to distance herself, she felt guilty toward them.

Lin Meng's warm tears fell onto the back of Su Yutang's hand. Su Yutang reached out and gently wiped them away. ‘Darling, I swear that once I finish handling the matters at hand, I'll give you a satisfactory answer. But before that, I don't want you to see Huo Yi, and especially not Yun Huaizhu. Because I love you, I don't want the person I love to go see other women, to exchange flirtatious looks with other women. I'll be jealous—I'll go mad with jealousy!’

Hearing Su Yutang's increasingly unhinged words, Lin Meng's emotions seemed to snap back to square one, and goosebumps rose on her arms.

She hid the guilt in her eyes, then nodded. ‘Okay.’

When Su Yutang heard this, a glimmer flashed through her eyes. As if overjoyed, she pulled Lin Meng into her arms. ‘Darling, you agreed—I'm so happy.’

Lin Meng leaned uneasily into Su Yutang's soft embrace. With some trepidation, she asked, ‘Tangtang, how long are you going to keep me by your side like this? I haven't been home for several days... When I left, I put some leftovers in the fridge, so some things in there are probably going bad. I think I should go home and take care of it.’

Su Yutang's brows knitted tightly at her words.

The reason she kept finding excuses to keep Lin Meng by her side was that she feared while she was busy seizing power, she wouldn't be able to look after Lin Meng, and Lin Meng would be lured away by Huo Yi or Yun Huaizhu—those homewreckers.

She could have people watch Lin Meng, but she still wanted Lin Meng by her side.

She had promised Lin Meng not to go after Yun Huaizhu anymore, but Yun Huaizhu's desire to compete with her for Lin Meng hadn't diminished in the slightest. So she had to kick Yun Huaizhu out of the game first, then think of a way to slowly remove Huo Yi from between the two of them.

Lin Meng was hers, and could only ever be hers.

Anyone who tried to steal Lin Meng from her—she wouldn't let a single one of them off.

Even Huo Yi, who had grown up with her.

Su Yutang sensed the unease in Lin Meng's heart. She could agree to let Lin Meng go home, but her people would follow Lin Meng the whole way.

Just as she was thinking this, the office doorknob suddenly turned.

Hearing the noise, Lin Meng practically leaped out of Su Yutang's arms, then sat on the sofa in a perfectly upright, restrained posture.

When Su Yutang heard someone opening the door, her expression immediately darkened. She didn't know when she and Lin Meng had started being intimate like this, but after they entered the office, she had locked the door.

Who the hell had the nerve to interrupt their private world?

Su Yutang fixed a murderous glare on the door, and the next moment, the person who opened it and walked in made her expression darken further and further.

Lin Meng quietly looked up toward the door, and then she saw an unexpected person appear before her. ‘Oh my, if it isn't Mengmeng and Tangtang. I just heard that someone's been in the top-floor office these past few days with the door locked the whole time. I thought someone might be doing something naughty in here.’

Su Yutang couldn't help clenching her fists at these words. How had she never noticed before that Huo Yi could match Yun Huaizhu in the art of tea-brewing?

Seeing that it was Huo Yi, Lin Meng quickly stood up. ‘Yiyi, what are you doing here?’

Huo Yi hadn't seen Lin Meng in half a month, not since they'd come back from their trip. These past few days, Su Yutang had been monopolizing Lin Meng under the pretext of work, so the moment she saw Lin Meng, she couldn't resist stepping forward and taking Lin Meng's arm. ‘Mengmeng, since Tangtang is here, that means you already know about her acquiring this company, and that she and I are partners. This company—I have a share in it too.’

The two of them stood facing Lin Meng, not even bothering to put on an act anymore.

Huo Yi had sent her cousin to Lin Meng's company to monitor her before, and at the time Lin Meng had wondered what Huo Yi's connection to the company was. Now that she saw Huo Yi and Su Yutang facing off, she understood everything.

So she was the one who'd been kept in the dark all along.

Huo Yi now draped an arm around Lin Meng's shoulder as if in provocation, pulling her toward her. ‘Tangtang, this isn't very honorable of you. How could you monopolize Mengmeng for so many days all by yourself?’

Su Yutang couldn't hold back any longer. She had been restraining herself for Lin Meng's sake earlier, but now she slammed the table and shot to her feet, pointing at Huo Yi furiously. ‘Stop putting on an act. What's your relationship with Lin Meng? What right do you have to meddle in who she's with?’

Huo Yi let out a cold laugh. She looked down at Lin Meng, who was at a loss in her arms. ‘Then what's your relationship with Mengmeng? Has Mengmeng ever said she wants to be with you? The way you're monopolizing her under the guise of work—bluntly put, that's unlawful imprisonment.’

Su Yutang stormed toward Huo Yi in a rage.

Seeing this, Lin Meng hurriedly broke free from Huo Yi's embrace and blocked Su Yutang's path. ‘Tangtang, let's talk this out. Please don't resort to violence!’

She was truly afraid of a repeat of that day.

Seeing the panic on Lin Meng's face, Su Yutang's anger toward Huo Yi was instantly suppressed—however unwillingly.

Yes—before she'd met Lin Meng, Su Yutang's greatest pastime had been searching everywhere for a dog that suited her tastes. But when she met someone like Lin Meng, whom no amount of warmth could thaw, she herself had become a dog wagging its tail and begging for affection.

Su Yutang had never suppressed her temper before.

It seemed Lin Meng had trained her very well.

Huo Yi met Su Yutang's fury-filled eyes without a trace of fear. ‘Someone like you, who always forces others, how could you ever earn genuine affection? You should ask Mengmeng what she thinks right now—does she actually want to stay?’

Hearing these words, which seemed designed to stir up conflict, Su Yutang felt an urge to walk over and punch her again.

How had she never noticed before that Huo Yi, whom she'd grown up with, was such a hypocritical phony?

Wasn't she supposed to be abstinent?

Didn't she dislike getting close to anyone?

How was it that the moment Lin Meng appeared, she'd changed her entire abstinent persona?

As Su Yutang thought this, she was actually deeply uneasy. Because she knew that if Lin Meng were forced to choose, Lin Meng probably wouldn't choose at all—or at the very least, the odds of her choosing Su Yutang were a bit low.

She could only repeatedly profess her love to Lin Meng, begging her not to leave.

She knew Lin Meng was softhearted. She despicably exploited Lin Meng's pity for her, trying to make that pity turn into some negligible amount of love.

But if Lin Meng pitied her, that meant Lin Meng could pity others too.

Huo Yi was such a good actress—maybe Lin Meng had already gone soft for her once.

At this moment, both of them turned their gazes toward Lin Meng, and she felt as if needles were pricking her back.

Desperate to escape this suffocating environment, she said, ‘It's almost time to clock out. I have some things to take care of at home, so I'll head back first. You two talk among yourselves, but please don't fight, and don't argue because of me. Otherwise... we're no longer good friends.’

Hearing this, Su Yutang felt an indescribable surge of anger and bitterness well up in her heart.

She loved Lin Meng, which was why she didn't want to share her with anyone. But if she gave in to jealousy and pettiness—if she obsessed over other people seducing Lin Meng—Lin Meng would only drift further and further away...

Su Yutang had no choice but to lower her innate pride and, reluctantly, agree. ‘Don't worry. Huo Yi and I have been friends for years, after all. We won't fight.’

Lin Meng felt relieved at these words. She gave Su Yutang a smile as if to comfort her. Su Yutang's heart ached bitterly, yet she couldn't help stepping forward to take Lin Meng's hand. ‘Darling, shall I have someone drive you home? I'm always worried about you going back alone.’

Hearing this, Huo Yi knew immediately that Su Yutang wanted to send someone to monitor Lin Meng. She quickly stepped forward and took Lin Meng's other hand. ‘Mengmeng, how about I drive you home instead? My car is parked downstairs.’

Seeing the two of them tugging at her like a game of tug-of-war, Lin Meng forcefully pulled both hands free from their grips. ‘No need. I can go home by myself.’

Su Yutang wanted to step forward again, but Huo Yi blocked her path. ‘Didn't you hear Mengmeng say she can go back on her own?’

Seeing Huo Yi lecturing her, Su Yutang held back the urge to punch her. ‘I'm not deaf. I don't need you to tell me!’

As soon as the words left her mouth, she shoved Huo Yi hard. Huo Yi staggered two steps to the side before steadying herself. Su Yutang walked up to Lin Meng, then forcefully turned her face and kissed her on the cheek.

Lin Meng hadn't expected Su Yutang to kiss her in front of Huo Yi. Her whole body seemed to freeze on the spot, unable to move.

After Su Yutang kissed Lin Meng, it was Huo Yi's turn to look sour.

Su Yutang held Lin Meng's hands tenderly. ‘Alright. But if anything happens, you have to call me. I'll come right away.’

Coming back to her senses, Lin Meng yanked her hands free from Su Yutang's grip as if startled. ‘I... what could happen to me? Okay, enough talking. I'm heading back now.’

With that, she hurriedly opened the office door behind her and fled.

...

After Lin Meng left, only Su Yutang and Huo Yi remained in the office.

Once, they had been childhood friends who grew up together and close business partners. Now they were rivals who had torn all pretense of friendship to shreds. An unprecedented chill filled the space between them.

Seeing that Huo Yi had ruined her plans, Su Yutang sat down on the sofa with a cold expression. ‘You didn't come here just to interrupt Lin Meng and me. Go on—what else do you want?’

Huo Yi raised an eyebrow with a trace of disdain. ‘Since we've both torn off the mask, me coming here specifically to interrupt you is only reasonable, isn't it?’

Su Yutang let out a cold laugh. ‘I never noticed before how good you are at acting. If you'd only come to see my darling, you would have chased after her just now. The fact that you stayed means either you want to stop me from sending people to follow her, or you have something to discuss with me.’ She paused, then suddenly looked at Huo Yi. ‘Or both.’

Huo Yi couldn't help but applaud her. ‘Even though Aunt Su locked you up for half a year, thankfully your brain didn't get locked up with you. Indeed, I don't want to see you monopolize Lin Meng anymore, and Mengmeng doesn't like being confined either. She should be free. Also, besides me, there's one more person you should watch out for.’

Su Yutang guessed who she meant. ‘I'm already guarding against Yun Huaizhu. I'm going to drive her out of Jing City, make sure she's out of Lin Meng's sight.’

Hearing this, a sly smile appeared at the corner of Huo Yi's mouth. She walked up to Su Yutang and placed both hands on the desk, looking directly at her rival. ‘Me too. How about the two of us join forces first to kick that person out of the game? I'm also willing to compete with you fairly. You know as well as I do that someone like Yun Huaizhu probably won't sit down and have a nice conversation with you.’

Although Su Yutang had developed a dislike for Huo Yi because of her seduction of Lin Meng, Huo Yi was still far better than that damn green tea bitch Yun Huaizhu.

Lin Meng had previously favored Yun Huaizhu the most. If it came down to a choice between her and Yun Huaizhu, Lin Meng really might not choose her. So kicking Yun Huaizhu out first was the wise move.

As for Huo Yi... with that unassuming, aloof-as-a-chrysanthemum demeanor of hers, how could she ever capture Lin Meng's heart?

Su Yutang had no confidence competing against Yun Huaizhu, but defeating Huo Yi—she was quite confident about that.

With that thought, she extended her hand to form a temporary consensus with Huo Yi. ‘Deal.’

Huo Yi shook her hand as if going through the motions of one of their many past collaborations.

Talking about fair competition in matters of the heart was far too naive.

But she also wanted to kick Yun Huaizhu out first.

...

Lin Meng had been away from home for nearly a week. On her way back, she suddenly received a message from Li Wan: [Miss Lin, I've made the two pearls you gave me into earrings. Let me send you the finished product first. If you're not satisfied with anything, let me know and I'll adjust it for you.]

Lin Meng saw it and sent back an OK hand gesture.

She had originally planned to resign after the end of November, but Su Yutang kept finding work excuses to keep her at the company every day, or else dragged her off to the villa... To avoid complications, she would submit her resignation tomorrow.

With that thought, Lin Meng opened the door to her home. At half past five in late October, the apartment was already somewhat dim, yellow light falling across the floor.

After changing her shoes in the entryway, Lin Meng was steadying herself against the wall as she walked in when she suddenly noticed what seemed to be a seated figure on the sofa.

That figure seemed somewhat familiar... When Lin Meng saw that lonely profile, head lifted to gaze at the dim sunset as if waiting patiently, it felt as if something had tightened around her heart, and she instantly couldn't breathe.