It was rare for her to go out. Of course, Liu Ran didn’t want to be delivered like cargo, humiliated and toyed with, only to be sent right back immediately.
“I’ll wait for you.”
Ming Siyu took out the key to the Bite Inhibitor and tossed it onto Liu Ran, letting her unlock it herself.
The keyhole was at the back of her head. Liu Ran pinched the small key, less than two centimeters long, and awkwardly reached back to fumble for the keyhole. Ming Siyu just watched her movements without any intention of helping.
Her gaze drifted downward to the open collar. That patch of skin was flushed pink, and the bite marks on her collarbone were even redder than the surrounding skin.
The fingertips holding the cigarette tightened. Ming Siyu licked the corner of her lips.
Liu Ran wasn’t just pleasantly fluffy to touch.
The human parts of her body tasted pretty good too.
Ming Siyu didn’t linger any longer. She casually tossed the unlit cigarette into the trash bin, touched up her lipstick in the mirror, and pushed open the other door of the suite to leave. Before going, she warned Liu Ran once more: “Don’t leave my office.”
It took Liu Ran a while to finally unlock the Bite Inhibitor. She rubbed her reddened cheeks, inwardly cursing Ming Siyu as less than human.
She was thirsty and wanted to find some water. She searched the lounge for a long time but couldn’t find a disposable cup.
Her gaze shifted to the door Ming Siyu had just exited through.
Ming Siyu had said not to leave the office. The lounge was part of the office, so peeking into the office itself should be fine.
The office probably had disposable cups.
The moment she twisted the doorknob, Liu Ran straightened her back resolutely. After everything Ming Siyu had done to her, it was only natural to go to the office for a drink of water. There was no reason to feel guilty.
She didn’t need to worry about being seen by others either. When she’d come up with Secretary Wen, she’d noticed that this floor belonged entirely to Ming Siyu and was basically empty. President Ming’s office was even less likely to have anyone else.
At the doorway, it was indeed Ming Siyu’s office. The minimalist decor featured soft beige tones mixed with heavy solid wood browns, accented by black, white, and gray—a style that exuded a cold, ascetic vibe inside and out. It matched Ming Siyu’s outward appearance perfectly.
But the office wasn’t as empty as she’d imagined.
A woman with long wavy hair and red lips lounged crookedly on the cloud-like sofa, waving at her. “Hey, Si Si’s little treasure~”
…
Liu Ran had no choice but to sit down across from He Qiange.
After coming out of the underground laboratory, she’d developed a bit of social anxiety.
Interacting with someone like He Qiange, who could hit it off with anyone, made her even more awkward and clumsy. He Qiange’s gaze made her uncomfortable—playful, curious, brimming with scorching excitement, like appraising a rare breed of kitten or puppy at the market.
He Qiange’s eyes roamed over her once, then she tossed her hair.
“Hmm, as expected of the clothes I picked. You’ve displayed them pretty well too. No wonder Si Si likes you.”
Ever since she’d seen Liu Ran and Ming Siwei acting ambiguously on the surveillance footage last time, with Ming Siyu rushing home to “catch them in the act,” He Qiange hadn’t found another chance to ask Ming Siyu for photos. Today, bored, she’d come to play with Ming Siyu, only to run into her about to attend an important board meeting. And in the less-than-an-hour window before it started, Ming Siyu had an episode of Plush Hunger Syndrome.
According to Ming Siyu, during an outbreak, she couldn’t do anything else—just an insane craving for fluffiness. The drive from the company to her home was nearly half an hour one way, so there wasn’t enough time to go home for a quick pet. She’d tried everything fluffy in the office, but it barely alleviated the symptoms—like a cup of water on a burning cart.
After touching Liu Ran, other fluffy things didn’t really work for Ming Siyu anymore. It was rather like “once you’ve seen the ocean, it’s hard to be impressed by a pond.”
He Qiange immediately suggested: “Just have someone send the Little Wolf to your office.”
In her desperation, Ming Siyu had accepted He Qiange’s proposal.
He Qiange finally got to see her friend’s Little Wolf in person. She was even more stunning than imagined.
An S-Level Alpha with top-tier beauty, plus those one-of-a-kind wolf ears and tail—it made He Qiange’s heart itch. She thought about buying a fluffy pet to play with at home someday.
After briefly introducing herself to Liu Ran, He Qiange eagerly dove into the gossip.
“Did Si Si lose her temper big time when she got home last time? Did she punish you… or something? You know, the person who went to Si Si’s house was her sister, and she’s already been exiled to G Country because of you.”
Ming Siwei had been punished so harshly; Liu Ran probably hadn’t fared much better.
Liu Ran frowned as she listened.
G Country? Wasn’t that the country farthest from A Country? Why would Ming Siwei go there? Was it really just because she’d pulled her along at the time?
Ming Siyu couldn’t be that petty, could she? She and Ming Siwei hadn’t even exchanged more than a few words. And Ming Siwei was Ming Siyu’s only sister.
But then again, even the most outrageous things seemed normal when pinned on Ming Siyu.
It turned out Ming Siyu was this ruthless not just to her, but to everyone.
Seeing her bewildered expression, He Qiange was surprised. “Si Si didn’t punish you?”
“Huh?”
Liu Ran snapped back to reality.
Punishment.
Did kissing her… count?
He Qiange’s expression turned strange.
Her friend had shipped her sister off to the other side of the planet, yet hadn’t laid a finger on the little plaything she’d bought? That wasn’t like Ming Siyu at all. Ming Siyu never went easy. Even if it was confirmed that things between Liu Ran and Ming Siwei were completely innocent, based on He Qiange’s understanding of her, Ming Siyu would’ve used the chance to teach Liu Ran a proper lesson.
This suggested Ming Siyu had really gone soft. Maybe Liu Ran was special to her, or perhaps because of her terminal illness diagnosis, thinking her days were numbered and wanting to accumulate some good karma—that cold, ruthless edge had faded quite a bit over the past few years.
He Qiange thought back to the day Ming Siyu had confided her condition to her.
Ming Siyu had gotten completely drunk, her eyes red-rimmed, the desolation in them like a barren wilderness in a rainstorm.
“Qiange, the doctor says I won’t live past twenty-eight.”
…
Thinking of this, He Qiange felt sympathy for her friend’s fate again. Liu Ran had caught Ming Siyu at a good time—post-diagnosis.
With earnest concern, she said to Liu Ran, “Si Si’s actually pretty pitiful. Her temper’s bad, so just give in to her. She calms down after blowing up anyway… She’s got a bunch of unreliable bloodsucking relatives at home, and it’s all on her to hold it together. It’s really not easy. Si Si says you like her a lot, so just be a little nicer to her.”
Liu Ran nearly laughed out of anger upon hearing this.
Ming Siyu, pitiful?
What kind of international joke was that? If Ming Siyu could be called pitiful, then she herself must be some world-famous jinx deserving a humanitarian rescue.
Humans’ joys and sorrows truly didn’t connect. And which eye of Ming Siyu’s had seen that she liked her? Every strand of her hair hated Ming Siyu!
Ming Siyu’s meeting lasted about two hours. During that time, He Qiange alternated between explaining how tough things were for Ming Siyu and asking Liu Ran, with keen interest, about the changes before and after her genetic modification. All topics Liu Ran hated. He Qiange was even more annoying than Ming Siyu—though Ming Siyu’s words were mostly unlikable too, at least she didn’t talk much.
Liu Ran mustered her courage, interrupted the conversation, and returned to the lounge. But she’d closed the door behind her when she left, and it required Ming Siyu’s fingerprint to unlock. She had no choice but to come back.
She finally endured until Ming Siyu returned. Ming Siyu was speaking flatly with Secretary Wen, and it looked like the meeting had gone smoothly.
