Chapter 22

Fu Yilan was at a bar.

It couldn’t be that coincidental, that it was the same bar Lu Jing was going to, right?

Fu Haitang didn’t have time to ask. She was in the driver’s seat and didn’t even dare to breathe. If Lu Jing found out that she had slept with his future wife…

Fu Haitang: “…”

Fu Haitang wanted to cry. What did she have to fight against Lu Jing?

Once the truth was out, would she be able to survive if she fled to another country?

“You’re going the wrong way,” Lu Jing suddenly prompted.

Fu Haitang immediately lowered her head even more: “I’m sorry…”

The omega’s voice was like a mosquito’s buzz. Lu Jing glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “My schedule needs to be kept confidential.”

“Yes,” Fu Haitang said, turning the steering wheel and heading onto the elevated highway. The navigation system re-planned the route. Fortunately, the new route was only a few hundred meters longer. Thank goodness, thank goodness… Every second she spent alone with Lu Jing was an agonizing ordeal.

Fu Haitang put her eyes back on the road and focused on driving. Unexpectedly, Lu Jing’s next sentence made her break out in a cold sweat.

Lu Jing: “You’re a staff member of A-Station. Why are you at the Gu family residence?”

Fu Haitang: “I…”

Before Fu Haitang could explain, Lu Jing said, “Jingjing was the one who got you into A-Station.”

“Yes…” Fu Haitang smiled bitterly, then took off her hat. “Mr. Lu, please keep this a secret from the station. I really had no other choice…”

Lu Jing: “Jingjing is used to acting out. I don’t want to manage her, but I hope you can tell right from wrong.”

“Of course,” Fu Haitang promised. “You can rest assured about that.”

Lu Jing closed his eyes to rest. Fu Haitang quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

The next second, as the car went around a bend, Lu Jing suddenly asked, “You’re in charge of Class D. You must know why Fu Yilan was absent from the first performance.”

Fu Haitang: “……………………”

“Ms. Fu fainted in the changing room that day,” Fu Haitang said, opening her eyes and making something up. “But because there was an omega in heat on the 22nd floor, President Ren cleared everyone out of the 22nd floor beforehand and didn’t find Fu Yilan in the changing room until the smoke alarm went off and there was a fire. That’s when everyone found her.”

Lu Jing’s brows were furrowed.

Fu Haitang immediately added: “But don’t worry. I also happened to be at the hospital that day. When Fu Yilan was brought in, she was already out of danger. It seems she went back to the station that same day.”

Lu Jing: “She was in heat?”

“I, I’m not sure about that,” Fu Haitang said awkwardly.

“We’re here.” The car stopped at the bar entrance.

Lu Jing got out of the car discreetly, wearing a mask, and entered through the side door of the bar.

Fu Haitang immediately messaged Gu Jingjing to report Lu Jing’s whereabouts and hinted that she wasn’t absent from work for no reason.

(You stay there.) Gu Jingjing commanded. (You must tell me who Brother Lu interacts with and who he talks to!)

(Your ** card ending in 0527 has received a transfer of 200,000.)

Fu Haitang straightened up and counted the zeros again.

Gu Jingjing: (Find a corner or a private room with few people. Don’t get caught.)

Fu Haitang: (Yes!)

How could I get caught?

I just won’t go in, right?

Fu Haitang scoffed. She sent a message to Ren Qing: (President Ren, a new dim sum place opened in Haigang Alley. I heard their crab roe buns are very good. I’ll bring you two baskets to try tomorrow morning?)

Ren Qing didn’t reply.

Fu Haitang smiled.

Ren Qing wasn’t putting any public pressure on her about being fired, which could be a sign that she was relenting. She really was the female protagonist. With just a few words, she could make Ren Qing change her mind.

There was still one person she hadn’t messaged back. Fu Haitang typed out a sentence but hesitated before sending it. She deleted it word by word and opened the video again.

Fu Haitang calculated her cash. She had a little over 400,000 on her, which was way too little compared to the seven million Fu Yilan wanted.

Fu Haitang locked the car door, contacted the real estate agent handling the transfer, and sent a message to the Gu family’s butler. The butler would sign the documents for Gu Jingjing for the transfer. She would handle her end of the process with the agent. This way, the apartment transfer could be completed in about three days.

As she looked up and down, two people stumbled and rolled onto the front of her car.

An alpha picked up an omega, put the person’s legs on his waist, and pushed her directly onto the hood of his car.

Fu Haitang: “…”

“Hey!” Fu Haitang rolled down her window and leaned out to shoo them away. “Don’t do it here… go get a room!”

The alpha and omega stumbled away, embracing each other.

She looked up again, and there were several couples going in and out.

It can’t be unsafe, can it?

Fu Haitang pursed her lips, reclined her seat, and prepared to take a nap. She would just give Gu Jingjing a simple excuse later that she couldn’t find Lu Jing, and then she could go home today.

She had a plan. The uncomfortable luxury car interior was cozy. The window was ajar, letting in a draft. Fu Haitang fell asleep quickly. When she closed her eyes, a floral scent lingered at her nose, wrapping around her and pulling her deep into the river of dreams.

“Eucharis lily…”

“Does it smell good?”

“Mmm…”

A mouth, red lips sucking hers. Fu Haitang could only see a chin in the cold light. It was demonic and beautiful.

“Yilan.” She was teasing her.

Fu Haitang woke up with a start, sitting straight up in her seat. She touched her lips.

“Was I dreaming?” Fu Haitang mumbled, reaching up and touching her face. It was clean.

Fu Haitang remembered half a chin in her mind, with a trickle of water, about to fall off, and her shining lips. It was very impactful…

KNOCK KNOCK. The car window was knocked on.

Fu Haitang came to her senses. “Hello, can I help you?”

A boy grinned, passing a flower into the car window to Fu Haitang. “Sister, wanna buy a flower?”

Fu Haitang pursed her lips, just about to refuse, when she suddenly found the floral scent familiar. “Eucharis lily?”

“Yes! Buy a bouquet for your partner, sister!” the boy said with a smile.

Fu Haitang took out a ten-yuan bill. “Give me one bouquet. This is a bar. You should go to other places…”

Boy: “Sister, one flower is a hundred.”

Fu Haitang: “…”

“I don’t want it anymore.” Fu Haitang threw the flower away and immediately rolled up the window.

“Hey! You…” The boy’s curses were blocked outside. The afterglow of the spring dream was hard to shake off. Fu Haitang couldn’t fall back asleep. A few minutes later, she got out of the car and walked into the bar.

Fu Haitang walked through the wild dancers, past the DJ booth, and to the bartender’s counter at the back.

A drink menu was placed directly in front of her. Fu Haitang took the menu the bartender handed her. She wasn’t good with alcohol, so she specifically chose a drink mixed with milk. It was 199 yuan per cup… She should’ve known not to come in.

The drink was mixed. Two long, slender fingers held the bottom of the glass and pushed it in front of her. Fu Haitang looked up and saw that Fu Yilan was wearing a mask, but Fu Haitang couldn’t mistake those eyes.

Fu Yilan’s gaze was very light, but when it landed on Fu Haitang, it felt like being scraped by a knife.

Fu Haitang: “What a coincidence.”

The bar was too loud.

Fu Yilan couldn’t hear. She leaned in closer and asked loudly, “What did you say?”

“I said!” Fu Haitang shouted excitedly. “What a coincidence!”

“It’s not a coincidence,” Fu Yilan said, leaning in a lot. “I came here to work, and you came here to have fun.”

Fu Haitang’s mouth twitched. She felt like she was being unfairly blamed. She covered both of her ears and shouted: “Why did you send me that video?”

Fu Yilan smiled, answering silently with her mouth: “Nothing.”

Since she wasn’t making a sound, Fu Haitang’s gaze naturally fell on Fu Yilan’s lips.

“…”

Fu Haitang took a sip of her drink. The milk foam covered the rim. She took a big gulp, and it was inevitable that a little stuck to her upper lip. Fortunately, the light was dim. Fu Yilan probably couldn’t tell, and Fu Haitang didn’t notice either.

The bar was doing good business. Fu Yilan took an order from the person next to her. After mixing the drink, she stood back in front of Fu Haitang, her index finger on the menu: “What do you want to drink? I can pay for anything under 99.”

“…Thank you for your generosity, but the cheapest thing here seems to be 199 yuan a cup,” Fu Haitang replied, and then she chatted, mentioning the flower-buying incident.

Fu Yilan scoffed and shouted back: “How can you bully a child?”

In the noise, Fu Yilan’s voice was exceptionally clear. Fu Haitang couldn’t help but curve her lips. She felt like, at this moment, Fu Yilan was relaxed and happy.

“Fu Haitang!” The bar manager walked over and yelled at Fu Yilan, “Come here for a second. Go mix two Blue Lagoons for the private room on the third floor.”

Fu Haitang: “?”

Wait, what did that manager just call Fu Yilan?

Before Fu Haitang could react, Fu Yilan propped herself up on the counter, her upper body almost completely over the counter, and pressed her hand on Fu Haitang’s upper lip. She leaned in to Fu Haitang’s ear and said, “Wait for me!”

The lights from the dance floor hit them. The colorful lights instantly illuminated Fu Haitang’s embarrassment.

Fu Yilan’s knuckles were long and slender, and the touch was slightly cool. When she left, she even wiped off the milk foam on Fu Haitang’s mouth.

Fu Haitang: “…”

Fu Haitang looked left and right, afraid of being noticed by others. After confirming that Lu Jing wasn’t around, she recalled what Fu Yilan had just done to her. A tingling sensation came from the place on her upper lip that had been gently rubbed. It was like an electric current spreading through her bl00d and into her limbs.

…

If Lu Jing saw her, she would be finished. Fu Haitang buried most of her face in her arms, with only one eye exposed. She clearly saw Fu Yilan go around the back of the counter and walk straight upstairs.

Fu Haitang moved her hand, her fingertips lingering on her own lips. She then met the manager’s teasing gaze.

Manager: “Do you know Haitang?”

Fu Haitang: “What?”

“Fu Haitang.” The manager raised his chin and pointed in the direction Fu Yilan had left. “She’s working here part-time today, and a bunch of people have already come to ask for her contact information. The private room on the third floor also came here for her.”

Fu Haitang: “Who’s in the private room?”

Manager shrugged: “I can’t say that. Officials, wealthy people, celebrities, superstars. You know.”

Fu Haitang’s long eyelashes lowered slightly. Her palms were hot. She said to the manager, “Give me a glass of water.”

Manager: “Plain water is 99 a cup, ice is free.”

Fu Haitang: “…”

[Third-floor private room

Fu Yilan pushed the door open. A group of official and wealthy second-generation twenty-somethings were gathered here playing games. A man whose face was unclear was sitting in the corner in the shadows.

Fu Yilan pulled over the cart, quickly mixed two Blue Lagoons, and placed them in front of the second-generations. “Gentlemen, your drinks are ready. I’ll be going now.”

“You’re so pretty. Isn’t it a bit much not to mix a few more for us?” The second-generations threw down their cards, looked at each other, and asked with a laugh, “What’s your name?”

Fu Yilan didn’t answer.

Another one interrupted his companion. “Fu Haitang. I asked the manager.”

“That’s not my name,” Fu Yilan said.

“Who cares what your name is?” A bald man walked over and pulled Fu Yilan. “Come and look at my cards for me. If I win, it’s yours.”

The sound of a man’s leather shoes hitting the ground came from the corner. Someone teased, “Does the big star want to play too?”

Lu Jing walked out of the shadows. “What are you doing here?” He said to Fu Yilan.]

Maybe the plain water wasn’t enough to quench her thirst, or for some other reason, Fu Haitang ordered a whiskey. After finishing one cup, she ordered another. The manager laughed. “Didn’t you say you have no money?”

Fu Haitang: “I make a house a day. How can I have no money?”

The manager didn’t believe her. He yelled across the counter at Fu Haitang: “A house? You mean a toy sticker house.”

Fu Haitang held up a finger: “An apartment in the First Ring!”

The manager scoffed: “What’s wrong? Are you a big star or something?”

“I’m Fu Yilan,” Fu Haitang said, emboldened by the alcohol, and emphasized loudly, “My last name is Fu, the one on the trending topic! You know?”

Manager: “…”

The place was too noisy. The manager took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and shined it on Fu Haitang’s face. “You do look pretty good.”

Fu Haitang: “A thousand yuan for one autograph.”

The manager immediately changed his tune: “You’re a bit worse than me.”

Fu Haitang: “…”

Her phone rang. It was a message from Gu Jingjing.

Fu Haitang must have been drunk. She mixed up her name and Fu Yilan’s when she typed it and only realized the mistake after sending it.

(Mr. Lu is playing games with his friends in a private room. There’s only one omega in there, and it’s Fu Haitang.)

Gu Jingjing: (?)

Gu Jingjing: (Are you sick? Didn’t I tell you not to get caught?)

Fu Haitang: (You can rest assured, Miss. I definitely didn’t get caught!)

In the private room, the classic cliché of a hero saving a damsel in distress was playing out. Fu Yilan didn’t know when she would be able to come out, but at least her safety didn’t need to be worried about.

Fu Haitang passed out on the counter.

The manager said with a smirk, “No sleeping wherever you want!”

Fu Yilan threw the two cards in her hand, and amid the second-generations’ wailing, she received a message from the manager.

(Your celebrity friend is drunk.)

Fu Yilan played her last few cards, glanced at the time, and stood up: “My shift is over today, everyone. I’m not staying.”

No one stopped Fu Yilan. After several rounds of cards, everyone had lost enough.

…

Fu Yilan’s fingers were very long, and her knuckles weren’t prominent. They were pretty. The cool rubbing felt very comfortable, and her technique was comparable to a professional masseuse.

A tingling sensation came from her temples. Fu Haitang was dazed from the massaging. She smelled the familiar scent. Her rationality told her this couldn’t be happening. She arched her back to move away, but Fu Yilan held her down and rubbed her even harder.

“…”

Fu Haitang’s ear clip was red and hot. Fu Yilan glanced at her, smiled, and moved her hand away.

Fu Haitang had been drinking, and her voice was hoarse. The corners of her eyes were red from the alcohol. Her long eyelashes cast a shadow on her cheek. She looked incredibly sleepy.

Fu Yilan had seen enough. She propped her face up with her hand and looked at her. “Hey.”

Fu Yilan’s voice was too sexy. Fu Haitang tried hard to open her eyes, feeling the urge to kiss her neck. Fu Haitang swallowed her saliva. “I’m thirsty…”

Fu Yilan opened a can of Wangzai and handed it to her. “Sober up.”

Fu Haitang complained: “Only kids drink milk…” Then her gaze shifted to Fu Yilan’s coffee—there was a lip print on the coffee bottle.

The cup was moved over. Fu Yilan generously puckered her lips. “Drink.”

Fu Haitang: “Thanks.”

She drank it all in one go. In the end, she held the cup with both hands, her eyes locked on the red, blurry hickey she had made.

“An indirect kiss!” Fu Yilan said faintly. “You’re such a closet pervert!”

Fu Haitang: “…”

“Slander. I’m pure and innocent with you,” Fu Haitang said.

Fu Yilan leaned in and kissed her. After pulling away, she tilted her head and smiled: “How do you spell innocent?”

Fu Haitang’s throat was impossibly dry. “That day at the hospital, did the doctor give you an inhibitor?”

“A regular inhibitor,” Fu Yilan replied casually. “It loses control in a few hours. What about you?”

Fu Haitang lied without batting an eye: “Mine, too.”

Fu Yilan reminded her: “Remember to report that doctor.”

“…You, too.” Fu Haitang’s last word was swallowed by Fu Yilan’s lips and tongue.

The night was thick. The bar street reached its climax. In all the chaotic noise, Fu Haitang could clearly hear the sticky, wet sound of Fu Yilan kissing her.

And her own heartbeat.