Chapter 17: One Question

That strange feeling vanished in an instant. Jiang Xiaoyi lowered her eyes and carefully massaged Big Boss Sister’s ankle.

But in truth, she was only putting on a show of being obedient and attentive. Her mind was racing like an engine about to overheat and spew smoke.

How on earth was she supposed to tear Big Boss Sister’s black stockings?

Big Boss Sister’s stockings looked top-quality, without a single snag or run anywhere. Su Jiuyue’s suggestion was completely useless.

As Jiang Xiaoyi fretted, she glanced over and saw that Meng Chuning seemed to have fallen asleep.

Meng Chuning had her eyes closed, her posture completely relaxed. Her beautiful curves rose and fell with her steady breathing. From this angle, Jiang Xiaoyi accidentally caught a glimpse of the snowy white skin peeking out between the two buttons above Meng Chuning’s waist where the fabric had folded.

The black shirt strained against her lofty peaks, and the sight jolted Jiang Xiaoyi into averting her eyes.

“…” Jiang Xiaoyi’s cheeks burned hot. Her ear tips rapidly flushed with blood. To her shock, her mind conjured up the feel of that hand she’d grasped upon waking in Big Boss Sister’s home that morning.

What a grave sin.

Jiang Xiaoyi immediately shut down her wicked thoughts. Big Boss Sister had been exhausted from work and had fallen asleep, yet here she was fantasizing about ripping the woman’s stockings.

That bumped her sins up another level.

She’d just abandon the mission and forfeit the hundred thousand. She couldn’t risk leaving a bad impression on Big Boss Sister, no matter the cost.

She didn’t know how much time passed, but Jiang Xiaoyi’s rigid posture had left her back aching. Just as she was about to shift for some relief, Meng Chuning stirred awake.

“Xiaoyi?” Meng Chuning pressed the back of her hand to her still-sleepy eyelids and blinked slowly. “How long was I out?”

Jiang Xiaoyi checked the time. “An hour.”

Meng Chuning’s voice was husky and magnetic, not yet fully awake. “I slept that long? Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You looked so tired, Sister. I didn’t want to disturb you.” Jiang Xiaoyi gave her ankle a gentle press. “Does it still hurt?”

Meng Chuning shook her head with a smile. “Not at all. Thank you.”

“No problem.” Jiang Xiaoyi didn’t dare meet her gaze, her eyes fixed on some distant point.

Meng Chuning’s legs, which had originally been resting on her knees, were now fully draped across Jiang Xiaoyi’s lap, her thighs pressing snugly against Jiang Xiaoyi’s firm abdomen.

No wonder she’d felt so safe while dozing off. Meng Chuning found herself a bit reluctant to move. “Did you stay like this the whole time I was asleep?”

Jiang Xiaoyi’s posture was ramrod straight. Whether from tension or not, her back was perfectly arched. Wouldn’t that get uncomfortable after so long?

“Yeah.” Jiang Xiaoyi nodded, her reddened ear tips still yet to fade. “Now that I think about it, my legs are a little sore.”

Truth be told, Jiang Xiaoyi couldn’t relax at all. She kind of wanted to bolt.

That “tear the stockings” mission was damn near impossible for her.

She should have ditched it the moment it got tricky.

“Sorry.” Meng Chuning propped herself up on one elbow from the sofa. “Xiaoyi, you can take your jacket back now.”

Big Boss Sister was still covered by the jacket Jiang Xiaoyi had draped over her to prevent any wardrobe malfunctions. The pink-and-white athletic shirt pressed against the deep blue business skirt in a way that inexplicably set Jiang Xiaoyi’s nerves on edge.

It was almost like she had Big Boss Sister pinned beneath her.

Hiss—

There she went, letting her imagination run wild again.

Jiang Xiaoyi carefully removed the jacket, promptly shifting her gaze elsewhere.

Meng Chuning lifted her legs from Jiang Xiaoyi’s lap and planted her feet on the floor, a warmth blooming in her chest. She rose and went to the desk for a glass of water, then handed another to Jiang Xiaoyi. “Here, have some water.”

Having sat still for a full hour, Jiang Xiaoyi was parched. She took the glass and tipped it back to drink, licking away the sheen of moisture left on her lips.

Meng Chuning’s gaze lingered on those lips for a moment before she looked away and took a sip of her own water. “Xiaoyi, the crew’s having a get-together at Hengwan Pavilion tonight. Want to come with me?”

A crew party?

Jiang Xiaoyi hadn’t heard about it from Sister Lu Xi. If she hadn’t mentioned it, that probably meant they hadn’t planned to invite her.

“I…” Not having been invited made Jiang Xiaoyi hesitant to go.

Meng Chuning seemed to read her thoughts and explained with a smile, “Here’s the thing—the party was only decided this afternoon. They haven’t notified everyone yet.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than Jiang Xiaoyi’s phone buzzed three times in succession.

Sister Lu Xi: [Crew gathering at Hengwan Pavilion tonight at 7 PM. Don’t be late.]

Sister Lu Xi: [I’ve got something tonight, so I’ll pick you up after it ends.]

Sister Lu Xi: [Don’t overdo the drinking, but drink when you need to.]

Sister Lu Xi had sent three messages in a row, ever the worrywart where Jiang Xiaoyi was concerned.

Jiang Xiaoyi’s mood instantly brightened from cloudy to sunny. So the crew hadn’t forgotten her after all.

Xiao Yi: [Got it, Sister Lu Xi. If you’re busy tonight, no need to pick me up. I’ll cab home and text you the license plate number.]

Meng Chuning watched her slender fingers tap away at the screen.

Once she’d replied, Jiang Xiaoyi pocketed her phone and let out a deep sigh of relief. Thank goodness she hadn’t lost her head and torn Big Boss Sister’s stockings just now. Otherwise, she couldn’t imagine the awkwardness.

“Sister, can I really go with you?” Jiang Xiaoyi knew Hengwan Pavilion was members-only. Without an invite from one of their families, there was no getting in.

“Of course.” Meng Chuning glanced at the time. “We’ll head out in half an hour. But in the meantime, you might have to wait while I finish up some documents.”

Jiang Xiaoyi nodded at once. “No problem. I’ll sit right here.”

The sofa was incredibly soft. Jiang Xiaoyi sank into it comfortably, finally letting her body relax fully. Sitting so tensely beside Big Boss Sister earlier had left her back sore.

Meng Chuning threw herself into her work with total focus. She sat slightly turned to the side, the computer screen’s soft glow outlining the sharp bridge of her nose and the gentle curve of her soft pink lips. Jiang Xiaoyi’s gaze drifted unconsciously with the light to those lips, leaving her staring in a daze for a moment.

Big Boss Sister was just too stunning.

How could anyone be so perfect—gorgeous, hardworking, like a heroine straight out of a novel?

Jiang Xiaoyi could still feel the residual warmth of Big Boss Sister’s body on her thigh, and her cheeks heated up again.

Half an hour slipped by unnoticed. Meng Chuning saved her files and shut down the computer, then turned to look. Jiang Xiaoyi was staring right at her.

Caught red-handed, Jiang Xiaoyi wrinkled her nose slightly and met her eyes steadily, pretending nonchalance—as if to say she wasn’t sneaking peeks but looking openly.

Meng Chuning chuckled softly. “We can go now.”

“Oh, right.” Jiang Xiaoyi slipped on her jacket and followed behind Meng Chuning.

At the glass office door, Meng Chuning paused and turned back.

Jiang Xiaoyi nearly bumped into Big Boss Sister but stopped in time. “What’s up, Sister?”

“Um…” Meng Chuning hesitated for a beat. “There’s a question I want to ask you.”

She hadn’t forgotten what Jiang Xiaoyi had said on set earlier, praising her.

“Wear high heels and step on me.”

Meng Chuning had seen the phrase online but only in passing, without much thought. After getting back from the set, though, she’d deliberately searched “big sis step on me” on Weibo.

The results were almost all clips of beautiful women striding in high heels or overhead shots of feet.

The comments were even wilder.

[Sis, step on me hard // spicy]

[Don’t lie, sis—that was me she stepped on // thrilled]

[It’s me, me! I still haven’t wiped the footprint off my face // joyful]

[I’ve already laid down—sis, wake me up tomorrow with your morning step service // hehe]

[Slurp slurp, sis in heels, come sleep with me—no, step on me]

So “step on me” was the same as “sleep with me.”

Meng Chuning fully grasped the naughty implication behind “big sis step on me.” And thinking of Jiang Xiaoyi saying it to her with flushed cheeks made her heart race. She kind of wanted to ask her about it face-to-face.

“What question?” Jiang Xiaoyi asked.

Meng Chuning probed cautiously, “Is getting stepped on in high heels some kind of… play?”

“…” Jiang Xiaoyi’s breath hitched. Big Boss Sister actually knew.

Meng Chuning, in her heels, was nearly as tall as Jiang Xiaoyi, her presence dominating. Her voice rose playfully at the end. “Hm?”

After a long pause, a soft “mm” escaped Jiang Xiaoyi’s throat.

Meng Chuning zeroed in. “So you want to play with me?”