Chapter 35: Sister Turns Naughty

The office door wasn’t locked, but Director Wu had intercepted all the employees who’d come looking for President Meng.

Hearing the voices from beyond the door, Jiang Xiaoyi grew a little tense. She pinched Meng Chuning’s waist and pulled her more firmly into her embrace.

Meng Chuning froze at the somewhat dominant gesture.

Jiang Xiaoyi freed one hand and tugged at the fabric on her shoulder, searching for a more hidden spot.

“…” Meng Chuning’s shirt collar hung crookedly to one side, one button popped open, unable to fully cover her soft, pale skin.

“Sister,” Jiang Xiaoyi murmured, burying her face against the tender skin just below Meng Chuning’s earlobe, almost at the nape of her neck. “Is this okay here?”

“Y-Yes…” Meng Chuning’s voice came out soft. She reached up and clutched at the hem of Jiang Xiaoyi’s shirt.

With permission granted, Jiang Xiaoyi parted her moist lips and took that smooth patch of skin between them. Her tongue tip emerged, sucking slowly and firmly.

“…” Meng Chuning’s legs went instantly weak, and Jiang Xiaoyi had to scoop her waist up again to steady her.

Meng Chuning’s waist was so slender that Jiang Xiaoyi didn’t dare squeeze too hard. She lifted her face, her lips parting from the skin, and took in the soft, pale vista before her eyes.

She had no idea when Meng Chuning’s shirt button had come undone. The right side revealed a straight expanse of fair shoulder and neckline, the fabric taut against her ample curves.

“…” Jiang Xiaoyi reluctantly shifted her gaze back to Meng Chuning’s neck, where a fresh red mark glistened on the snowy skin.

Meng Chuning’s clothes were disheveled, her breaths coming in light pants. The flush at the corners of her eyes spread, a tingling numbness creeping from her neck down her spine.

Unable to resist, Jiang Xiaoyi brushed her fingertip against the damp corner of Meng Chuning’s eye. “Sister, you’re so beautiful.”

“…” Meng Chuning smiled dazedly. “Can you hold me for a bit?”

Jiang Xiaoyi’s hands paused mid-release, and she let out a soft “Ah.”

Leaning half against the bookshelf, Meng Chuning gazed up at her with flushed cheeks. “I… I can’t quite stand…”

“Mmm…” Jiang Xiaoyi’s arms encircled her waist fully now, feeling Meng Chuning surrender her full weight into the embrace.

Meng Chuning rested against her chest for a moment to recover, her cheek pressed to Jiang Xiaoyi’s shoulder as she quieted down. It was as if she could hear the rapid thump of a heartbeat.

Still holding her, Jiang Xiaoyi asked, “Sister, do you want to sit on the sofa?”

“Hm?” Meng Chuning lifted her eyes, still tinged pink, to meet hers. “Can’t you just hold me?”

The tone was too soft, too pleading. Jiang Xiaoyi had no defense against it.

“Of course I can.” Jiang Xiaoyi kept one arm around her waist, her gaze fixed on Meng Chuning’s face. “Sister, are you still mad?”

Meng Chuning shook her head gently. “No, I’m not mad.”

When she’d first heard Jiang Xiaoyi say she felt like a stranger, Meng Chuning had felt a pang of frustration. She’d only pretended to be upset to gauge her reaction—and she never could have imagined Jiang Xiaoyi would comfort her like this.

Good. Not mad anymore.

Jiang Xiaoyi let out a quiet breath of relief. Her dark, lustrous eyes met Meng Chuning’s as she reminded her, “Sister, seven minutes are up.”

A knock came from outside the office. Director Wu called, “President Meng, we’ll head to the conference room and wait for you.”

Meng Chuning cleared her throat. “Alright.”

“Sister, I think I tore your shirt.” Jiang Xiaoyi’s face reddened as she carefully straightened Meng Chuning’s disheveled collar.

The popped button was nowhere to be seen. Jiang Xiaoyi bent down to search the floor, hoping to find it and sew it back on.

“No need to look, Xiaoyi. I have other shirts.” Meng Chuning nodded toward the cabinet beside her. “Can you grab one for me?”

Jiang Xiaoyi opened the cabinet. On the top shelf sat several neatly ironed white shirts, identical to the one Meng Chuning wore.

Meng Chuning slipped off her shirt. Jiang Xiaoyi turned just in time to see her standing there in only a black business skirt, her full waves of soft flesh straining against sheer lace, the sight striking hard.

“…” A fierce blush surged up Jiang Xiaoyi’s neck, leaving her momentarily frozen.

Meng Chuning couldn’t help but laugh at Jiang Xiaoyi’s stunned expression. “Xiaoyi, the shirt?”

“Oh… right.” Jiang Xiaoyi ducked her head, biting her lip. She’d just stared so openly at her sister—did Meng Chuning think she was some kind of pervert now?

Meng Chuning took the fresh shirt and handed over the ruined one. “Xiaoyi, put this back in the cabinet for me.”

“Oh… right.” Jiang Xiaoyi moved like a robot following commands, stumbling over her words with a burning face—if robots could blush, anyway.

As she took the shirt, it still carried the warmth of Meng Chuning’s body. Jiang Xiaoyi unfolded it to fold properly and noticed the wrinkles her earlier grip had left.

“…” She squeezed her eyes shut. What had she done? How could leaving a hickey rip her sister’s shirt?

Hearing the rustle of fabric behind her as Meng Chuning dressed, Jiang Xiaoyi rubbed her scalding earlobes. The soft sounds were burning her ears.

Ding-dong—

【Random Task completed. Host Account balance: 600,000 yuan.】

“…” Jiang Xiaoyi bit her lip. She hadn’t expected to finish the task so quickly. She’d thought leaving a hickey would be tough.

Was her sister being too cooperative? She’d agreed to something so intimate.

But they’d done even more intimate things before, and Meng Chuning had seemed thrilled. This neck bite too—Meng Chuning had enjoyed it.

Jiang Xiaoyi thought back carefully. Hadn’t her sister said she wouldn’t bite… or she’d get mad? What did that mean…?

“Xiaoyi.”

Meng Chuning, now changed, walked over and stared at her ear. “You’ve rubbed your earlobe all red. Why so hard?”

Jiang Xiaoyi’s wandering thoughts snapped back. She dropped her hand from her ear and shook her head. “Sister, you should go to your meeting. I’ll head back.”

“Wait.” Meng Chuning leaned in closer. “Do I still feel like a stranger to you?”

It was a killer question.

“N-No, Sister. You don’t feel like a stranger at all.” Jiang Xiaoyi wouldn’t dare say otherwise now, terrified of making her mad again.

Meng Chuning smiled.

To make sure Meng Chuning wouldn’t forget her once they parted, Jiang Xiaoyi asked anxiously, “So, Sister… does that mean we’re familiar with each other now?”

Meng Chuning licked her lips and pivoted. “Not yet.”

What?!

“Not familiar where?” Jiang Xiaoyi’s eyes widened slightly. Was her sister still upset?

But on second thought, they hadn’t known each other long. They really weren’t that familiar. Did that mean, in her sister’s heart, they weren’t even friends?

Meng Chuning smiled lightly and walked past her toward the conference room.

“…” Jiang Xiaoyi stood frozen in place as her sister just left.

Suddenly, her phone chimed.

Jiang Xiaoyi opened WeChat.

M: 【Not familiar with the lights off.】

Xiao Yi: 【?】

After replying, it clicked for Jiang Xiaoyi’s pure but slow brain.

!!!

Her sister was teasing her on purpose.

…

Back in her hotel room, Jiang Xiaoyi crouched by her luggage, folding clothes, her mind still on that message from Meng Chuning.

“…” Her cheeks heated. Her sister must have been messing with her.

In the office, after saying they weren’t familiar, Meng Chuning had watched her reaction with a smile, her amusement growing at Jiang Xiaoyi’s tension. She was clearly toying with her.

When had her sister learned to be so naughty, teasing like that?

Once her luggage was packed, Jiang Xiaoyi burrowed under the covers. Darkness enveloped her vision, but her face burned hot, the picture of a girl flustered from being teased.

What did “not familiar with the lights off” even mean?

Aah, Jiang Xiaoyi didn’t want to overthink it, but she got it instantly.

God.

Too much.

She threw off the covers for air, but still felt overheated. She dashed to the bathroom, splashing her face with cold water, then patted her cheeks hard to snap out of it. Don’t overthink. Her sister didn’t mean that.

Maybe she just meant they weren’t familiar in the dark—after all, they’d never shared a bed with the lights off.

Jiang Xiaoyi: “…”

Where was her mind going? Sleeping together? What?

After an afternoon of wild thoughts, Jiang Xiaoyi decided to turn in early. Her brain wasn’t built for complicated stuff. She felt drained.

In a hazy half-sleep, her phone buzzed against her waist.

“Hss…” The vibration numbed her side. She fumbled blindly for the phone and answered with her eyes still shut.

“…Hello?”

Jiang Xiaoyi’s voice carried a lazy drawl. After her “hello,” she rolled over, phone to her cheek, and heard the voice on the other end.

“Sleeping?”

“Mmm…” Jiang Xiaoyi mumbled in reply, struck by how gentle the voice was—like it was coaxing her.

Meng Chuning settled back into her chair and rubbed her brow. “I sent a ton of messages, no reply. Was about to come find you.”

“Ah?” Fully awake now that she recognized Meng Chuning’s voice, Jiang Xiaoyi sat up. “Sister, what’s up?”

She checked WeChat and saw 13 unread messages under M’s avatar.

Jiang Xiaoyi scrolled through them, her finger pausing on one from half an hour ago.

Her brows furrowed at the noisy background on Meng Chuning’s end. “Sister, are you still at a dinner?”

Meng Chuning hummed faintly. “The subsidiary’s tricky project closed successfully. Now I’m chatting details with the producer. Just calling to say I’ll be back late.”

It was already nine. How late would “late” be?

The line carried the crisp clink of glasses toasting repeatedly, amid the boisterous chatter of a crowd, voices slurring with drink.

Jiang Xiaoyi flicked on the light. The sudden brightness made her squint as she asked, “Sister, have you been drinking?”

Business dinners meant alcohol, and she recalled how Meng Chuning had gotten utterly wasted off half a bottle of red wine at the bar last time. Worry gnawed at her.

Meng Chuning told someone, “I’m not drinking tonight,” then murmured to Jiang Xiaoyi, “…No.”

“…” Jiang Xiaoyi grabbed a jacket from her suitcase and headed out. “Sister, where are you right now?”

Meng Chuning gave the address clearly. “You coming over?”

Jiang Xiaoyi was already hailing a cab. “Yeah, Sister. I’ll come pick you up.”

On her end, Meng Chuning told Director Wu to keep talking with the producer and director. She stepped out to meet someone.

The subsidiary project had succeeded thanks to President Meng’s help, saving Director Wu’s job too. Elated, Director Wu raised a glass. “To a pleasant partnership.”

Seeing her partners in high spirits at the table, Meng Chuning hadn’t wanted to dampen the mood and had a few drinks herself.

Now hearing Jiang Xiaoyi was coming, Meng Chuning slipped out early to get some air and the alcohol scent.

For some reason, when Jiang Xiaoyi asked if she’d been drinking, she felt a twinge of guilt—like remembering her lousy fake-drunk act last time.

Faking drunk wasn’t her forte. True drunkenness might be tough too. Right now, she was just pleasantly buzzed.

Ten minutes later, a taxi pulled up. Meng Chuning looked over. “Xiaoyi, you made it.”

From a few steps below, Jiang Xiaoyi tilted her face up and saw Meng Chuning’s flushed cheeks.

No way that was someone who hadn’t drunk.

Jiang Xiaoyi climbed the steps and stopped right in front of her. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by, causing Meng Chuning’s collar to flutter open just a bit. The red mark that had been hidden all afternoon was now exposed.

“…”

Jiang Xiaoyi lowered her head and leaned in closer to Meng Chuning’s neck.

Meng Chuning’s gaze flickered, and her body softened again. She thought Jiang Xiaoyi was about to bury her face in the crook of her shoulder.

Jiang Xiaoyi sniffed lightly and said, “Didn’t you say you hadn’t drunk any alcohol?”

“…”

Meng Chuning paused, realizing she’d overthought it.

Her face flushed as she struggled to find words. Jiang Xiaoyi assumed she was drunk and reached out to support her elbow. “Sis, how much did you drink?”

Hearing that gentle voice, Meng Chuning suddenly wanted to play drunk. She mumbled incoherently with her mouth half-open. “Dunno…”

“…”

Jiang Xiaoyi was at a loss for words. If she was this wasted, there was no way she could go back to schmoozing with clients.

Just then, Director Wu’s call came in. Jiang Xiaoyi picked up Meng Chuning’s phone and answered. “Hello, Director Wu. Yeah, President Meng… she’s drunk. I’ll take her home first.”

Director Wu’s booming voice carried through the line. “President Meng’s drunk?! But she didn’t drink…”

Before he could finish, Meng Chuning pretended to stumble and leaned into Jiang Xiaoyi’s arms. Then, as if by accident, she ended the call. Looking innocent, she asked, “What was Director Wu going to say…? Should I call back?”

“No need. I already told Director Wu I’d take you home first.” Jiang Xiaoyi stood there stunned for a moment, then looked down at the woman in her arms. “Sis, can you walk on your own?”

Meng Chuning tilted her face up and shook her head. “Dunno.”

“…”

Jiang Xiaoyi decided not to argue with her drunk sister. She wrapped one arm around her waist and took a few steps forward.

Meng Chuning looped her arms around Jiang Xiaoyi’s waist. The corners of her lips curved up slightly before she tugged her own collar open even wider.

“Sis…” Jiang Xiaoyi grabbed her hand. “Don’t fidget.”

She noticed that drunk Meng Chuning liked messing with her clothes—last time it had been hiking up her skirt, and now it was pulling at her collar.

“Xiaoyi, look…” Meng Chuning’s pale fingers brushed the side of her own neck.

The snowy skin bore a clear red mark. Jiang Xiaoyi glanced at it hastily, her face heating up. “Look at… what?”

“Huh?” Meng Chuning furrowed her brows pitifully. “Doesn’t it look like the color’s faded?”

It was normal for the mark to lighten after an afternoon, especially given how hard she’d sucked. It would probably linger for another couple of days.

Jiang Xiaoyi gave a slow hum. “A little.”

Meng Chuning let out a soft sigh. “Do you know what it means when the mark fades?”

What could it possibly mean? Jiang Xiaoyi drew a blank. “What?”

Meng Chuning bit her lip gently. “It means we’re growing apart.”

“…”

Jiang Xiaoyi nearly got pulled into Meng Chuning’s bizarre logic. “Sis, you’re drunk. How about we go home and sleep it off?”

Meng Chuning’s voice turned soft and pleading. “Do you want to grow apart from me?”

Jiang Xiaoyi truly regretted her slip-up in the office earlier. Meng Chuning had held onto it even while drunk.

Stared down by those eyes, Jiang Xiaoyi didn’t dare brush it off. “No.”

Meng Chuning suddenly felt her acting skills weren’t half bad. She kept up the watery-eyed gaze. “But what if the mark fades?”

After a few seconds’ pause, Meng Chuning watched as Jiang Xiaoyi raised her hand. A warm thumb pressed against the mark on her neck, rubbing until the color deepened, then pulled away.

Jiang Xiaoyi glanced at it. “There. It’s deeper now.”

Meng Chuning: “…”

Jiang Xiaoyi smiled as she coaxed her. “Still growing apart?”

Meng Chuning: “…”

That wasn’t it at all.

“Sis?” Jiang Xiaoyi noticed her sister’s expression shift again. It almost looked like she wasn’t drunk—more like the stern, disappointed look she’d given in the office.

A few seconds later, Meng Chuning puffed out her cheeks and asked softly, “Do you think I’m easy to fool just because I’m drunk?”

“I… don’t think so.” Jiang Xiaoyi found drunk Meng Chuning incredibly clingy, completely different from the cold, angry version who’d stormed out of the office earlier.

She wasn’t easy to fool at all.

“Xiaoyi.” Meng Chuning pressed closer to her, her eyes hazy. “So… what should you do?”

Jiang Xiaoyi’s body went rigid as she froze. Meng Chuning tilted her face up expectantly. “Xiaoyi… we’re not close…”

“Sis…” Jiang Xiaoyi sighed lightly, echoing the message Meng Chuning had sent her. “Then let’s go home, turn off the lights, and get close?”

Meng Chuning’s flushed cheeks burned even hotter. She hadn’t expected Jiang Xiaoyi to say that. Afraid she might back out if it was just coaxing, Meng Chuning nodded. “Okay.”

One sentence and Meng Chuning was compliant? Jiang Xiaoyi hadn’t realized this worked so well on her drunk sister.

But as she glanced down, she saw Meng Chuning’s cheeks growing redder—not just from the alcohol, it seemed.

Had her words caused another misunderstanding? Still, it was Meng Chuning’s own line, so she probably hadn’t meant anything else by it.

Meng Chuning grabbed Jiang Xiaoyi’s hand, eager to leave. “Come on… Xiaoyi.”

Pulled along at a brisk pace down the steps, Jiang Xiaoyi felt a bit warm.

“Sis, slow down. No rush.” Watching Meng Chuning’s light, quick steps, Jiang Xiaoyi wondered doubtfully if her sister was really drunk.