Chapter 10

Steam drifted through the bathroom.

A faint woody incense scent drifted over too, wrapping around Tang Yiling.

Li Lan narrowed her eyes slightly.

Her already fair skin looked even more luminous after soaking in the hot water.

Tang Yiling had meant to turn and leave.

But the scene before her was too striking to look away from; it rooted her feet in place.

Too beautiful.

Her vocabulary was pitifully limited. In her mind, there was only one word left: beautiful.

Li Lan said softly, “Close the door. It’s cold.”

Tang Yiling obediently did as she was told, sealing the two of them into the same space.

Li Lan called to her.

“Come here.”

Tang Yiling hesitated for a moment, then walked to the edge of the bathtub.

She thought Li Lan must have cast some kind of spell on her; otherwise, how could she be so obedient?

She crouched down beside her meekly, her gaze falling on Li Lan’s beautiful collarbone. “Sis, do you need me to get something for you?”

Li Lan’s lips were a vivid red. “I didn’t need anything before; now I do.”

Tang Yiling asked, “What do you need?”

Li Lan lifted a hand, stirring up a swirl of mist. “I need you.”

A hand settled at the back of Tang Yiling’s neck, and the distance between them vanished in an instant.

Li Lan’s gaze dropped to Tang Yiling’s lips, then she leaned in slowly.

Tang Yiling could have turned her head to avoid it. She could have stood up and left.

But she did nothing.

Li Lan’s lips were hot and soft, gently parting hers.

The pressure gradually deepened, and every now and then, a damp tongue brushed against her.

Tang Yiling felt her breath catch.

The bathroom was so quiet that only the shifting water and Li Lan’s increasingly ragged breathing remained.

Unlike the dark utility room last time, the bathroom lighting was bright.

Yet Tang Yiling still felt as if she couldn’t see anything clearly; in the end, she simply closed her eyes.

The arm around her tightened and tightened.

Tang Yiling lost her balance and dropped straight to her knees on the floor.

A very faint, suppressed gasp slipped into her ear.

After a while, Li Lan let go.

She stood, reached for a bathrobe from the side and put it on, then stepped out of the tub.

Tang Yiling seemed unaware of what had just happened; she was still frozen in the same posture.

Li Lan held out a hand to her. “Get up.”

“Your nightgown got wet. Should I just wash up here instead?”

Tang Yiling tilted her head up to look at her.

Aside from a faint flush that hadn’t faded yet, Li Lan’s expression was no different from usual; still cold and indifferent, as if everything that had just happened had never taken place.

Tang Yiling suddenly felt a little choked up. She shook her head. “No need.”

Li Lan withdrew her hand. “All right, then I’ll go out first.”

The bathroom fell quiet.

Tang Yiling braced herself on the edge of the tub and slowly stood up; her legs had gone numb again.

Her nightgown was wet and clung to her slender, fair calves, making her uncomfortable.

She stood under the light for a while to recover, then conscientiously wiped the water off the floor.

Li Lan was the heroine of the novel, and Tang Yiling’s sugar mommy.

All of these tasks and duties had been foreseeable the moment the agreement was signed.

Tang Yiling silently repeated those two sentences to herself several times before she finally felt a little better.

Not to mention Li Lan doing it herself; even if Li Lan made her handle it, that would be perfectly normal.

Between them, it was just a pure money relationship.

Each took what she needed.

Though she thought that, when Tang Yiling walked out of the room and saw Li Lan standing by the window taking a small sip of wine, her steps still slipped out of rhythm.

She practically ran back to her own bedroom and slammed the door shut with a bang.

The next day was Saturday, and Tang Yiling slept in for the first time in a long while.

It was understandable, since she still hadn’t fallen asleep at two in the morning.

Even on the weekend, Li Lan had gotten up early to exercise.

When Tang Yiling came out, the other woman was sitting on the sofa reading, coffee in hand.

As expected of a fictional character.

So disciplined she looked like a robot programmed to run on schedule.

Li Lan looked over at her. “Breakfast is on the table.”

Tang Yiling blinked, then said, “Thanks.”

Her boss had actually made food for the employee.

And it was really delicious.

They had agreed to go to a furniture store today.

Once Tang Yiling had finished getting ready, they set out.

Tang Yiling didn’t know where the furniture store was, but it definitely wasn’t on the university campus.

She watched in surprise as Li Lan drove into the school and stopped in front of the library.

A boy was standing beneath the pillars at the entrance.

He wore a white hoodie and looked fairly clean-cut.

Tang Yiling paused with one foot half out of the car.

Could this be Gu Feng?

This was the first time she had seen the male lead of the novel.

About 180 centimeters tall, maybe; he wore glasses and had a lean, refined air about him.

Tang Yiling didn’t move forward and instead stood in the shade of a nearby tree.

She couldn’t figure out how Gu Feng had managed to win the affection of Li Lan, Chang Yuruo, and Tang GeYun.

Gu Feng spotted Li Lan and took the initiative to walk over.

He was carrying two shopping bags, both sent by Li Lan’s mother and asked to be brought along.

Li Lan opened them and glanced inside.

One held home-cooked dishes; the other contained two new outfits her mother had bought for her.

Tang Yiling deliberately looked away, turning her eyes elsewhere.

But curiosity got the better of her, and she kept sneaking glances over there.

Li Lan and Gu Feng stood facing each other, talking about something.

Tang Yiling pursed her lips. They’d already been talking for three minutes; did they really have that much to say?

She never imagined that they were actually talking about her.

Gu Feng had long since noticed the person not far away. “Sister Lan, are you very familiar with her?”

Li Lan didn’t answer; following Gu Feng’s line of sight, she looked over.

She saw Tang Yiling fiddling with her fingers, glancing left and right, looking rather cute.

“Tang Yiling.” Li Lan suddenly waved to her.

Tang Yiling had originally intended to pretend she hadn’t heard; but Li Lan called again, and she had no choice but to walk over.

With a blank face, she gave Gu Feng a slight nod in greeting.

Li Lan took the initiative to introduce them.

Tang Yiling moved closer to Li Lan and interrupted her. “We know each other.”

“Oh?”

“We were in the same club before.”

“And senior and my roommate..."

Gu Feng suddenly cut her off.

“Sister Lan, didn’t you still have something to do? How about we make another appointment next time?”

Li Lan nodded and returned to the car with Tang Yiling.

As she fastened her seatbelt, she asked, “You two are pretty familiar?”

“No.”

Tang Yiling shook her head. “He’s closer to my roommate, Chang Yuruo.”

Just now, Gu Feng had cut her off because he didn’t want her to bring up Chang Yuruo.

But she insisted on mentioning it, preferably so Li Lan would immediately realize that Gu Feng was no good.

Li Lan gave a soft “oh” and showed no reaction.

Tang Yiling turned her head to look out the window and stopped talking as well.

The furniture store they visited today was very large.

They were mainly taking photos and recording styles for Zheng Lexin to choose from.

As the one leading today’s selection, Tang Yiling chose furniture in dopamine colors.

Li Lan didn’t stop her; she even took out her phone and snapped a few pictures. “I saw that Zheng Lexin usually dresses in black and white. I thought she’d like something calm and simple.”

Tang Yiling shook her head. “Then you haven’t seen her paintings.”

“Her paintings are all bright and warm; it’s like there’s a little girl living in her heart.”

Li Lan turned her head slightly. “You became friends with Zheng Lexin that quickly?”

Tang Yiling lifted her chin. “Of course. I’m so cute; how could anyone not love me?”

The moment she said it, Tang Yiling froze slightly.

She hadn’t been this confident before; in fact, she had been completely lacking in confidence.

Now, while acting in character, it seemed she’d shed some of that burden too. And since the person opposite her was an NPC, there was even less psychological pressure.

Tang Yiling wanted to take back what she’d blurted out. “I was just ki—”

She didn’t finish before Li Lan interrupted. “Mm, you are pretty cute.”

She could hardly believe her ears and looked at Li Lan in surprise.

But Li Lan still wore that same expression and kept walking ahead on her own.

They spent the entire afternoon wandering around the mall.

By the time they headed home, the sky had already darkened a little.

Tang Yiling mentally tallied the ingredients in the fridge. “Sis, what do you want to eat?”

Li Lan pointed behind her. “Just heat up those dishes and eat them.”

If she hadn’t said anything, Tang Yiling was almost about to forget.

She nodded in agreement; it seemed dinner could be handled with less effort.

She slipped into the kitchen.

She did her best to be a qualified, diligent employee, ideally earning herself a bonus for outstanding performance.

The dishes Li Lan’s mother had made were all on the lighter side.

They looked especially delicate, fragrant, and appetizing.

Tang Yiling took the containers out of the shopping bag, and a note fell out with them.

She bent down to pick it up and saw the words on it.

“Lanlan, these are all your favorite dishes.”

“Now that you’re away from home, make sure to rest more and don’t tire yourself out.”

“Dad and Mom love you very much.”

Just then, Li Lan came out of the room and caught Tang Yiling’s movements at a glance.

“What are you doing?”

Tang Yiling’s hand trembled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to look.”

She quickly handed over the card. “It fell out; I didn’t know it was written to you by your mom.”

“It’s fine.” Li Lan took the card and held it between her fingers.

She didn’t look at it right away, but instead handed over the other shopping bag. “I can’t wear these; you go try them on.”

The kitchen work was temporarily handed off.

Tang Yiling carried the clothes back to her room.

Inside the bag were two new-style Chinese dresses.

They looked elegant and serene, very much like the kind of clothing expected of a well-bred young lady.

But in the time Tang Yiling had known Li Lan, she had never seen her wear this style.

She preferred sportswear and formal clothes; her dresses were mostly simple and solid-colored.

Tang Yiling, however, thought these two looked quite nice.

She changed out of her loungewear and tried them on.

Li Lan finished heating the dishes and waited in the dining room for a long time, but Tang Yiling still didn’t come out.

So she had no choice but to go over and knock on the door to check.

The sudden sound startled Tang Yiling.

The zipper that was already impossible to pull up had now frozen completely in place.

Li Lan pushed the door open and saw Tang Yiling flustered to the point of panic.

Her lips curved slightly. “The zipper’s stuck?”

Tang Yiling nodded helplessly. “It’s in the back; I can’t really reach it.”

“Can you check whether it’s caught on the fabric?”

Li Lan gave a soft “mm” and walked up to her.

She was tall, and her arms were a little longer; she simply leaned in and reached around her.

Their fingertips brushed, and Tang Yiling shrank back as if she’d been burned.

Li Lan’s breath warmed the side of her neck; strands of hair fell against her cheek.

Her heart seemed to skip a beat, then began pounding violently.

The distance was too close, as if they were embracing.

Once the zipper was fixed, Li Lan stepped back half a pace.

Her gaze settled on Tang Yiling as she appraised her. “Looks good. Fits well.”

“Mm.” Tang Yiling lowered her head slightly and began to feel like killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.

“I’m going to change back into my pajamas.”

Li Lan seemed not to understand; she stood there without moving.

Tang Yiling raised a hand and turned her around by the shoulders. “You eat first. I’ll be out right away.”

Li Lan was not obedient; she turned back almost immediately.

Tang Yiling instinctively took half a step back and lifted a hand to cover her lips.

Her voice came out muffled. “The food was just heated up. If you don’t eat it, it’ll get cold.”

Li Lan gave another “mm” and still moved closer.

Tang Yiling was embraced once again.

Li Lan lifted a hand and pulled the zipper at her back all the way down.

Whether intentional or not, her fingertips seemed to graze Tang Yiling’s spine.

It was the first time Tang Yiling had seen Li Lan with such obvious amusement.

Li Lan lifted a finger and tapped Tang Yiling on the head. “What exactly is in here?”