Deceased Mother's Inheritance - Chapter 2
Chapter 2: How Did She Suddenly… Go Mad?
Yun Zhixue didn’t contradict her, because she wanted to do many, many immoral things.
She slowly rubbed the back of Meng Zhengyue’s neck, feeling the slight tension in the muscles beneath her skin. She couldn’t help but voice her displeasure: “You wore a new perfume to see that woman yesterday.”
“Mhm.”
Not only did she investigate, but she also tracked and monitored her.
“Who taught you to do this?”
Yun Zhixue didn’t answer.
“Your mother?”
“Your mother wouldn’t be able to do something like this.”
Yun Zhixue’s lips curved into a smile. Meng Zhengyue was beginning to realize she didn’t understand this child very well. She couldn’t tell if Yun Zhixue was disdainful, or if she was arrogantly pleased about something. She just couldn’t figure her out.
The two of them were at a standstill in the car. If Meng Zhengyue didn’t want to get out, Yun Zhixue wouldn’t dare to use force on her. Meng Zhengyue’s fingers were still on the steering wheel, lightly tapping the leather. The noise of the industrial city was infuriating to her.
The scent of milk on Yun Zhixue mixed with Meng Zhengyue’s perfume, creating a dizzying sense of agitation. Yun Zhixue leaned forward, wanting to kiss her lips, to cover and mark her completely with her own scent.
Meng Zhengyue didn’t get angry; she just tilted her head slightly. The kiss landed on the corner of her mouth. The touch was softer than she had imagined, carrying the sweet rose scent of her usual lipstick.
Yun Zhixue loved it, and she was becoming more and more unsatisfied. She reached out to turn Meng Zhengyue’s face back. In the next second, Meng Zhengyue raised her hand and placed it on Yun Zhixue’s shoulder. The force wasn’t heavy, but it was impossible to resist.
“That’s enough.”
The humidity after the downpour immediately rushed in, and Meng Zhengyue’s breathing became slightly quick. Her fingers trembled slightly. Her shirt was taut from the movement, outlining the beautiful curve of her waist—where the marks from her earlier grip still remained.
Just then, Meng Zhengyue’s phone rang. The screen showed an unfamiliar number. Yun Zhixue’s gaze fell on it even before Meng Zhengyue’s. The person on the phone’s voice was no less beautiful than Meng Zhengyue’s. She was definitely a pretty woman.
The woman on the other end invited her to dinner, and Meng Zhengyue accepted with a smile, using her natural gentle voice to praise the other person. “Okay, then thank you, Teacher Bo. I looked at the proposal yesterday, and it’s very good. You are very talented.”
Yun Zhixue listened quietly, and jealousy began to grow inside her, almost setting her on fire.
Meng Zhengyue looked up at her, saying into the phone, “Okay, Teacher Bo, see you tonight.”
Teacher, Teacher.
Her beautiful red lips made those two words sound exceptionally pleasant. It was a title Yun Zhixue would never be able to have.
Meng Zhengyue hung up the phone and leaned back. She turned her head to look at Yun Zhixue.
Yun Zhixue said, “Don’t go. Stay with me.”
Just yesterday they had been so physically close, and now she was already fantasizing again, wanting Meng Zhengyue’s hot body. Yun Zhixue hated this feeling of being unsatisfied.
Meng Zhengyue replied, “Yun Zhixue, mind your place. Your mother never made demands like this of me.” She glanced at the dozen or so bodyguards outside the car, then pulled the door shut, using her previously “broken” navigation to find the fastest route. They arrived at their destination in just half an hour.
Bo Muqing had brought an assistant. The young assistant’s face immediately flushed when she saw Meng Zhengyue. She timidly greeted her. Meng Zhengyue smiled and replied, “Hello to you, too.” She introduced Yun Zhixue frankly: “This is my child. She’s still in college.”
The child she spoke of looked well-behaved. She wore a black dress and had an excessively pale face. The skin on her neck was delicate, almost fragile, between the petal-shaped collar. The long legs under her dress were straight. On closer inspection, her outfit and Meng Zhengyue’s white shirt were a perfect match, with the same embroidery.
Bo Muqing handed the menu to Yun Zhixue and said, “Little one, why don’t you order?”
Bo Muqing was indeed beautiful and thoughtful. The restaurant was playing Meng Zhengyue’s famous song, “Forever,” a light tune with a youthful melancholy. Everyone in the room except Yun Zhixue liked the song. Yun Zhixue ordered according to Meng Zhengyue’s tastes, showed the order to her, and then Meng Zhengyue handed it to Bo Muqing.
The assistant asked, “Teacher Meng, you must have been about 20 when you sang this song, right?”
“Actually, I was 18,” Meng Zhengyue replied.
Meng Zhengyue’s ID said she was two years older than her actual age. She had an older sister who was registered and then given away, and the family was too lazy to go through the trouble of getting a new registration, so she inherited her sister’s.
Yun Zhixue attended to her every need, putting a straw in the glass and bringing it to Meng Zhengyue’s lips. Meng Zhengyue’s hand rested on the back of Yun Zhixue’s chair, her fingertips just an inch from the hair that hung down. She took a sip of juice. Meng Zhengyue’s charm was boundless when she talked about work. She was captivating, and the two people opposite her couldn’t take their eyes off her. During the meal, Meng Zhengyue picked up a shrimp and put it on Yun Zhixue’s plate.
Yun Zhixue’s heart trembled. As she was chewing, she heard Meng Zhengyue say, “I love this, Teacher Bo. You put a lot of thought into it.”
Meng Zhengyue and Bo Muqing’s ideas were very compatible, and they had a very deep conversation about music and dance. Bo Muqing even wanted to write a song for her and handed a half-finished draft to Meng Zhengyue, whose lips curved into a slight smile.
Everyone loved Meng Zhengyue.
No one didn’t love Meng Zhengyue.
Yun Zhixue slowly wiped her lips.
Then she went to straighten Meng Zhengyue’s napkin, and the friction of the cloth knocked over the juice cup, and Meng Zhengyue’s knee got soaked. Yun Zhixue leaned in to wipe it off. She was so close it looked like she was in Meng Zhengyue’s lap. The assistant got up to hand them a wet wipe. Meng Zhengyue lightly stepped on Yun Zhixue’s foot under the table, but on the surface, she had a professional smile. “It’s fine.”
Bo Muqing smiled faintly and handed her the contract.
“She still needs to think about it. She might not have much time. We have to go home,” Yun Zhixue said.
“We can cover the travel expenses,” Bo Muqing said with a laugh.
“Don’t mind her. She’s recently…” Meng Zhengyue looked at Yun Zhixue’s finger as it traced her hand, which was terribly itchy. She tightened her grip on the cup, then put it down and unbuttoned her cuff. “…in her rebellious phase. She’s clingy.”
The contract wasn’t signed. Meng Zhengyue felt bad and went to pay the bill, but Bo Muqing had already paid in advance and offered to change the venue to Jing City.
Meng Zhengyue just smiled. Her mouth itched; she wanted a cigarette.
“Okay, let’s talk next time. I have to go now. Something came up.”
Bo Muqing glanced at her “child.” She was well-behaved just a moment ago, but now her eyes were dark. Many years ago, Bo Muqing had seen Yun Jing once. At that time, Meng Zhengyue was still madly in love with Yun Jing, and they were intimately close. Yun Jing had spent a fortune on her. Yun Zhixue… she didn’t seem to be an adult at that time.
Nie Yu’s knuckles were white as she clutched her pen. After a long struggle, she finally mustered the courage to run out and ask for an autograph. In the meeting room, facing her idol Meng Zhengyue, she didn’t dare to disrupt the work atmosphere. As soon as she rushed out the door, her pupils shrank at the sight before her, and she instinctively took a half step back. At the end of the hallway, Yun Zhixue was using her hand to shield Meng Zhengyue’s back from the stains on the wall. The two of them were so close that their lips were almost touching and their breaths mingled.
“Have you had enough?” Meng Zhengyue’s voice wasn’t scolding. She looked down at her, her tone helpless. “What do you want?”
“She touched you here. When she handed you the menu,” Yun Zhixue’s thumb heavily rubbed the back of her hand until the skin turned a faint red. “And she looked at you here,” her finger slid toward the collarbone that rose and fell with her breath.
“What about you… haven’t you been looking down, too?” Meng Zhengyue shot back. “…Do you want to unbutton my shirt right here and now?”
“Yes, I do.”
“?”
“You’re so possessive. I won’t bring you with me next time.”
Yun Zhixue pursed her lips.
When the elevator “dinged” open, an employee came up. Meng Zhengyue quickly composed herself, resuming her dignified appearance, and walked into the elevator, holding Yun Zhixue’s wrist.
While driving, Meng Zhengyue asked again, “How did you find me?” Meng Zhengyue had been very discreet. Her makeup was minimal, she took cheap transportation, and she was staying in an old part of the city.
“Telepathy, I guess,” Yun Zhixue said.
Nonsense.
“Yun Zhixue,” Meng Zhengyue said, calling her name out one word at a time. “Answer me.”
The authority of a mother hung over her. Yun Zhixue’s breathing tightened, and her tone softened a little. “Don’t be so mean.”
Suddenly, the answer became unimportant. Meng Zhengyue looked at the silver phone on the center console. It was a gift from Yun Zhixue. She had earned the money from selling handmade goods at a school charity fair. Meng Zhengyue had been so surprised when she received it that she immediately replaced her new phone with it. She hooked her finger around Yun Zhixue’s cheek and suddenly gave her a wicked smile. “Baby, if I use this phone to book a room at the Royal Hotel with your mother, will you know that, too?”
Yun Zhixue looked directly at her, her expression crumbling little by little. Meng Zhengyue bent her finger and lightly tapped Yun Zhixue’s forehead. “Behave.”
They didn’t end up going to the airport. Meng Zhengyue didn’t take red-eye flights; she didn’t put up with that kind of hardship. Yun Zhixue had booked a room at a five-star hotel with extravagant decor. Meng Zhengyue felt that the place didn’t match her vibe. She pulled out the wooden hairpin from her hair, ran her fingers through it to loosen her curls, and took off her shirt, throwing it to Yun Zhixue. She was left wearing only the black tank top underneath, revealing her stunning figure.
Yun Zhixue smoothed out the wrinkles in the shirt, folded it neatly, and draped it over her arm. She was well-behaved and refined, just like a good daughter following her mother. They entered the room and closed the door. A few bodyguards stood outside. One of them placed a black briefcase on the table. Meng Zhengyue took out a cigarette and held it between her fingers. She had quit smoking a long time ago, partly to protect her voice and partly to maintain Yun Zhixue’s health, but these past few days she kept wanting to break her promise. She frowned in frustration, about to break the cigarette and get it out of her mind. Behind her, Yun Zhixue took out a lighter and leaned in to light it for her. The flame reflected on half of Meng Zhengyue’s face.
The hot air was swirling. Yun Zhixue looked at her red lips as they held the cigarette butt.
“That’s enough. Go do your homework. You’re going back to school early tomorrow morning.”
“What about you?” Yun Zhixue looked at her with an unwavering gaze.
“I don’t belong to you. Don’t look at me like that.”
“But my mother died, and I inherited you.”
Meng Zhengyue’s morals were already pretty loose, but this statement still shattered her. She said, “I shouldn’t have taught you those things back then. Is this ‘imprinting’? Are you trying to make your mother your wife?”
Before, this child was so well-behaved, innocent, and naive. Her knowledge of intimacy was nonexistent. She would even cry and say she didn’t know how to pleasure herself. Meng Zhengyue had held her and taught her everything, but she didn’t know where things went so wrong.
Yun Zhixue put the lighter away and walked toward the briefcase. Meng Zhengyue lazily pondered their relationship, and how it had soured from her feeding Yun Zhixue milk to now having to feed her her own. Did it start before her mother or after?
The smoke drifted a bit far. She got up to go outside and smoke, her eyes catching a glimpse of the corner of the briefcase. Yun Zhixue’s fingertips lightly stroked the silver chains inside the case. The metal gleamed coldly under the light. Meng Zhengyue exhaled white smoke. At this moment, she wasn’t aware of the danger. She wanted to go closer to see, but she felt that the smoke was irritating, so she stopped and asked from a distance, “What’s that?”
Yun Zhixue lowered her head, carefully holding the thin chains and bringing them over to her. She explained, “They’re chains to bind you with.”
Meng Zhengyue froze. “Are you insane?” “You little brat.” She scolded her, “Don’t come any closer. Kneel!”
“Okay, I’ll be good. You can do anything to me…”
Yun Zhixue obeyed her every word. She knelt beside Meng Zhengyue, looking up at her with eyes that were unusually dark. “But, Mommy, you can’t leave me.”
Meng Zhengyue couldn’t understand. She had nurtured her with her own hands, turning a withered weed into a delicate rose. Her former stepdaughter.
How had she suddenly… gone mad?