The bedroom was utterly silent, save for the sticky, wet sounds of their intimacy. Outside, footsteps gradually drew closer.
Meng Fanyu woke from her nap and knocked on the door. “Chuning, are you asleep?”
The noise from beyond the door made Meng Chuning tilt her face up, her body tensing as she grabbed Jiang Xiaoyi’s hand, which was still moving.
“Sis, what’s wrong?” Meng Chuning forced the words out, her cheeks flushed crimson. She could only clench her abdomen repeatedly to steady her breathing.
“There’s something I wanted to ask you. Are you free right now?” Meng Fanyu’s voice sounded a bit muffled through the door.
Jiang Xiaoyi’s scorching face buried itself in the crook of Meng Chuning’s shoulder as she whispered, “Sister, maybe I should go out there…”
“No.” Meng Chuning gripped Jiang Xiaoyi’s wrist, her legs clamping around her arm. “Sis, can whatever it is wait until tomorrow?”
Meng Fanyu seemed to pick up on Meng Chuning’s inconvenience and quickly replied, “It’s not that important. We can talk tomorrow.”
With that, the footsteps receded into the distance. Jiang Xiaoyi wrapped her arms around Meng Chuning’s waist from behind and asked, “Sister, were you really that nervous?”
Meng Chuning nodded, a light sheen of sweat on her skin. She hadn’t expected Meng Fanyu to show up out of nowhere, and it had startled her.
“Don’t be nervous, Sister.” Jiang Xiaoyi gently massaged her in reassurance.
Meng Chuning turned her face, twisting her body halfway as her waist and abdomen trembled. In a low voice, she murmured, “Xiaoyi… kiss me, okay?”
Jiang Xiaoyi leaned down and pressed a kiss to Meng Chuning’s flushed cheek. It felt like she had found her way without needing directions, but Jiang Xiaoyi still wondered if there was an even quicker path.
“Mm…” Jiang Xiaoyi turned her face, their lips meeting. Meng Chuning bit at her impatiently. “Xiaoyi…”
…
A ray of sunlight slanted through the window, spilling across the bed in the bedroom.
Meng Chuning lay on her side, her neck pillowed on one of Jiang Xiaoyi’s arms, with Jiang Xiaoyi holding her from behind.
“…” Meng Chuning’s eyes fluttered open groggily. Just as she started to roll over, she glanced down and saw Jiang Xiaoyi’s hand hadn’t moved. Her cheeks exploded with heat—she had really slept the whole night like this with Jiang Xiaoyi.
“Xiaoyi…” Meng Chuning reached out to touch Jiang Xiaoyi’s cheek. Jiang Xiaoyi hummed in response, then shifted her hand. “Sister… it’s so hot.”
Last night, Jiang Xiaoyi had kept pressing against her, diligently exploring, and even now she wasn’t letting up. It easily teased Meng Chuning until she bit her lip, her body going limp.
“Sister…” Jiang Xiaoyi felt Meng Chuning trembling. Still half-asleep, she tried to sit up and finally noticed something was off.
Meng Chuning clutched the pillow, her face flushing anew before she even got out of bed.
Jiang Xiaoyi chuckled, her hand sliding to Meng Chuning’s waist. She teased her a few more times before pulling away. “Sister, do you still have to go to the office today?”
“No…” Meng Chuning practically melted into the bed, burying her face in the pillow. She couldn’t manage another word.
Jiang Xiaoyi got up first and fetched a fresh set of sheets. Last night, with Meng Chuning clinging to her, she hadn’t had a chance to change them.
Meng Chuning sprawled on the bed, her white blouse wrinkled and bunched up around her waist. Below the deep dip of her lower back was a perky, pink peach of a rear. Glancing lower, her pale thighs bore red marks where they’d been gripped tightly.
“Sister…” Jiang Xiaoyi leaned in and kissed the nape of Meng Chuning’s neck.
“What?” Meng Chuning turned her face, just starting to speak.
Unable to resist, Jiang Xiaoyi placed her palm on Meng Chuning’s lower back and rubbed downward. “Sister feels so soft.”
…
In the YN Group office.
Meng Chuning stared at her computer screen, cheeks burning as memories of Jiang Xiaoyi pinning her to the bed made it impossible to focus on work.
The screen went dark then lit up again. Meng Chuning couldn’t concentrate at all, her ears filled with the echo of Jiang Xiaoyi’s coquettish voice.
“Sister feels so soft.”
“Sister… I don’t want to go to work today.”
“I want to stay home with you.”
“I don’t want to let go…”
After kneading for a full ten minutes, Jiang Xiaoyi had finally released her with reluctance and headed to the set. Meng Chuning had buried her face in the pillow, too embarrassed to look up as heat rolled through her. When she’d checked herself in the mirror that morning, she saw she’d truly turned into a peach—faint finger marks on both cheeks of her rear, making it look thoroughly ravished.
Meng Chuning rubbed her forehead. How had she noticed that Jiang Xiaoyi seemed especially fond of kneading her there?
Her computer chimed with a WeChat notification. Meng Chuning glanced over.
Xiao Yi: [Sister, did you head to work this morning?]
M: [Yeah.]
Xiao Yi: [But didn’t you say you were going to rest?]
That morning, when Jiang Xiaoyi had left, she’d helped wipe her down and change into a nightgown, urging her to rest properly at home.
After such an intense night, Meng Chuning had been exhausted enough to sleep all day. But a call from Meng Qinglan had summoned her, and she hadn’t dared refuse. She’d dragged herself out of bed.
Xiao Yi: [Does it hurt, Sister?]
Xiao Yi: [There wasn’t any wetness when I tried this morning.]
Jiang Xiaoyi was so direct. As if she hadn’t had any.
Meng Chuning’s face heated up. “…”
Xiao Yi: [Without “hand lotion,” Sister, it’s hard to get in.]
Meng Chuning’s breathing hitched. She typed back hastily in rebuttal.
M: [I did have some.]
Meng Chuning rubbed her cheeks. Why was she discussing this with Jiang Xiaoyi over WeChat? It was mortifying.
A knock sounded at the glass door of the office. Shen Ling pushed it open. “President Meng…”
Seeing Meng Chuning’s flushed face turned toward her, Shen Ling startled. “President Meng, are you okay?”
“…” Meng Chuning touched her cheek—it was burning. Just thinking about it all made the blush impossible to suppress.
“I’m fine.” Meng Chuning cleared her throat. “What is it?”
Shen Ling said, “Chairman Meng wants you to come see her.”
“Got it.” Meng Chuning stood, trying to walk naturally to Meng Qinglan’s office. She pushed open the door, and Meng Qinglan glanced her way.
Meng Chuning wore a high-neck chiffon dress today, the hem falling past her knees to cover the bends of her legs. Her chestnut hair cascaded down, concealing her neck. Nothing should be visible.
“Chuning.” Meng Qinglan noticed her awkward gait. “What’s wrong with your leg?”
“…” Meng Chuning forced composure. “I bumped into the edge of a desk on my way in. It’s just a bruise.”
“You can bump into something while walking.” Meng Qinglan didn’t dwell on it. “Is it bad? Should you go to the hospital?”
Meng Chuning shook her head vigorously. “No need. It’ll stop hurting soon.”
Fortunately, Meng Qinglan hadn’t noticed anything. Meng Chuning’s cheeks warmed slightly, and she avoided direct eye contact.
Meng Qinglan nodded. “Good, as long as it’s nothing serious.”
Meng Chuning felt a mix of surprise and flattery. Meng Qinglan had spotted her odd walk at a glance today and even shown concern. Before, Meng Qinglan had never noticed little things like this—not even remembering her birthday amid her busyness. Now she was attentive to such details.
A pang of soreness and softness filled Meng Chuning’s heart. She hoped Meng Qinglan would pay more attention to her from now on.
“Chuning.” Meng Qinglan slid an investment file toward her. “We’re not investing in Friends Together.”
Meng Chuning opened the file. Meng Qinglan had marked the investment proposal as rejected. She’d originally been against it herself, but Jiang Xiaoyi’s participation had changed her mind, sparking a sliver of hope that Meng Qinglan might approve.
Among the eight guests on the friendship variety show, four were somewhat well-known in the industry. The other three had even bigger names than Jiang Xiaoyi. The program crew couldn’t afford to offend them and might target Jiang Xiaoyi.
Following the usual variety show playbook, Jiang Xiaoyi had drawn the sacrificial script. Post-production editing could even paint her in a bad light. Worried about Jiang Xiaoyi getting bullied, Meng Chuning wanted to invest to gain leverage. That way, if the crew tried to smear her, they’d have to weigh offending YN Group and its repercussions.
Meng Chuning hesitated, then said, “Mom, I have to invest in this show.”
Meng Qinglan eyed her. “You know Ye Yiwen is participating too?”
Meng Chuning nodded. “I only found out a few days ago.”
“Then why…” Meng Qinglan frowned. “You know YN Group doesn’t want any ties to her. This show is deliberately hyping her up, and you still want to invest?”
“Mom, I’m investing in this show.” Meng Chuning said firmly. “The crew wants to push Ye Yiwen because she has backing too. But wanting to promote her is one thing—whether they can make her a star is another. What if there’s a guest on the show the audience ends up liking even more?”
Meng Qinglan narrowed her eyes. “Who?”
“…Just an example.” Meng Chuning said. “You’ve seen so many shows—you know how they work.”
She pressed on. “Mom, think it over. Friends Together is one of the hottest programs right now. Lots of investors are eyeing its buzz. Plus, Jing Ying is joining too. Supporting my own artist can’t be wrong, right?”
Meng Qinglan studied her. “Is this really about Jing Ying?”
Meng Chuning nodded guiltily. Moments later, Meng Qinglan said, “You really seem set on this.”
“Yeah.” Meng Chuning had no confidence in swaying her. Meng Qinglan’s decisions were final; no one changed them. She expected to be dismissed immediately.
Disappointment creased Meng Chuning’s brow as she waited. Instead, Meng Qinglan flipped open the file, signed it, and handed it back.
Meng Chuning froze. Meng Qinglan shook the document. “Any other issues?”
Meng Chuning took it quickly, shaking her head. “No.”
Had Meng Qinglan gone soft? Meng Chuning’s heart raced. Growing up, her suggestions were always shot down. This time, she’d actually gotten her way.
Meng Chuning smiled. “Mom, thank you.”
Meng Qinglan’s lips curved faintly.
“Mom…” Clutching the folder, Meng Chuning hesitated, tempted to push her luck. “About me and Xiaoyi…”
“I haven’t approved you and Jiang Xiaoyi.” Meng Qinglan cut her off. “Come talk to me when she has some achievements.”
Meng Chuning swallowed the rest. “Got it, Mom.”
