Chapter 13: All Exposed

Night fell quietly.

The bathroom was thick with steam, blurring the vision; beads of water condensed along the lashes. Meng Yao’s face was flushed deep red as she lay back in the bathtub, with Zhao Xue straddling her.

The water had already drenched Zhao Xue. Her clothes clung tightly to her skin—a pale, almost sickly complexion, delicate yet thin enough that the lines of her bones were visible. Her jet-black hair was soaking wet.

Zhao Xue looked down from above. Her thin white shirt was saturated and plastered against her body, hovering on the edge of transparency, making the beautiful curves of her silhouette clearly visible to the naked eye.

Meng Yao simply watched.

Zhao Xue smiled before speaking, her eyes carrying a startling, seductive charm. She reached out a hand to stroke the hair at Meng Yao’s temple, her long fingers tracing the edges of her eye sockets. That gentle touch seemed to carry a hidden invitation, dancing on the nerves.

The sensation was itchy. Meng Yao wanted to seize that mischievous hand, but her wrists were bound with silk ribbons, leaving her unable to move. Instead, when the hand drifted near her lips, she gave it a light, soft bite.

Zhao Xue’s voice was laced with a smile. “Little puppy, you’re getting bolder and bolder.” It was a word that should have been insulting, but in this environment, it only birthed more ambiguity.

“Can’t take it? Hmm?” she added, her voice trailing off with a sugary sweetness. But her tone was incredibly raspy, as if blurred by the hazy mist of the room.

Meng Yao’s gaze pierced through Zhao Xue’s eyes, heavy and dark. “No.”

Always trying to act tough… Zhao Xue sighed inwardly. She leaned down and wrapped her arms around Meng Yao’s shoulders. Meng Yao’s shoulders weren’t soft like hers; they were lean and hard.

But Meng Yao’s lips were soft—very soft and very warm.

Zhao Xue kissed her, one hand cupping the back of Meng Yao’s neck. It was an awkward position; she sat atop Meng Yao, her entire weight pressing down on the other girl’s body. Her bare thighs were pressed firmly against Meng Yao’s lower abdomen.

Meng Yao closed her eyes, submissively allowing Zhao Xue to pry open her lips. She felt the other girl’s thirst, clearly aware that Zhao Xue was plundering every drop of moisture from her mouth. Zhao Xue’s fingers slid into Meng Yao’s hair, her fingertips rubbing against her scalp.

She kissed Meng Yao slowly and gently. Zhao Xue rarely took the lead, but she didn’t mind pinning Meng Yao beneath her—especially now, seeing Meng Yao with reddened eyes, completely under her control.

Heavy breaths tangled between them, and the scorching heat between their bodies continued to rise. Their tongues swirled together, creating a wet, rhythmic sound of suction.

After a while, Zhao Xue lifted her head. Her fingers touched her own lips; they had been kissing so much lately that her skin was slightly raw. She couldn’t help but let out a low laugh, her eyelids drooping as she looked at the drenched Meng Yao. “I’m a bit tired.”

As she spoke, she untied the silk ribbons binding Meng Yao’s wrists. Red marks had been etched into Meng Yao’s pale skin.

Zhao Xue stood up from the bathtub, her long, fair legs exposed without reservation before Meng Yao’s eyes. Meng Yao sat up in the tub; her shirt and pants were still properly on. Zhao Xue, however, was wearing only a shirt—one that was now wet and nearly transparent.

“Alright, that’s enough of this ‘little game’ for today.”

Zhao Xue was the sovereign of their relationship. Meng Yao nodded with feigned calmness, showing no objection. As she watched Zhao Xue leave, she didn’t realize that the desire in her eyes was strong enough to make anyone who saw it shudder.

The water in the tub had long since turned cold. Meng Yao submerged herself once more, lying back and closing her eyes. Her thoughts were a chaotic mess. If her hands hadn’t been bound by those ribbons, she might not have been able to stop herself from grabbing Zhao Xue’s thighs with bruising force.

She had thought that when Zhao Xue took off her pants today, she wanted to…

Her body had already surrendered to Zhao Xue. Meng Yao slowly opened her eyes, her gaze having returned to its habitual stillness. After cleaning herself up, she sat down at her computer.

— Y, you’re amazing! How did you write such a powerful program!!! — Preliminary operations have already begun! — I really want to meet you and see what kind of genius brain you have! — It’s on the market, and the response is great! Money has been sent to your account.

Meng Yao tapped the keys, her tone remaining cold.

— Mm.

The response was instant.

— Seriously, Y, when can we meet? (Starry eyes)

Meng Yao ignored the follow-up. She closed her laptop, her long lashes trembling slightly. In one of her past rebirths, she had used this program to make a lot of money, but it still hadn’t been enough to save her grandmother.

But this time, her grandmother was saved. She had initially earned this money to provide her grandmother with a better life, but now, another person had been added to the equation: Zhao Xue.

Even though Zhao Xue liked to call her a dog and toy with her, it was a fact that she had helped her a great deal. Meng Yao thought that if the day came when Zhao Xue had nowhere to go, she could support her.

She knew there was a better solution: she could tell Zhao Xue about the impending crisis her family faced. But in a secret corner of Meng Yao’s heart, a malicious voice whispered:

‘If the Zhao family goes bankrupt, she’ll be just like you—at the mercy of others. Including you.’

After being slapped by Zhao Xue, Bai Jianming had found it painful at the time, but he hadn’t expected his face to turn bruised by the time he got home. One could only imagine the force she had used.

He couldn’t go out with a handprint on his face, so he took a week-long leave of absence. He also refused visits from friends, too lazy to make up a lie. After waiting several days and seeing the manager working peacefully, he assumed Zhao Xue didn’t plan to pursue the matter further.

Bai Jianming lay on the sofa, took out his phone, and opened his latest messages. The moment he opened the picture, his phone nearly slipped and hit his face.

He sat up, his expression turning strange, carrying an unreadable meaning. He touched the cheek Zhao Xue had struck, and as if thinking of something hilarious, he let out a muffled laugh.

He remembered that the Zhao family seemed to despise homosexuality. To think that after failing to chase Su Xu, she turned around and made out with the person Su Xu apparently cared about.

Zhao Xue was truly quite disgusting.

Bai Jianming moved the photo into a folder. This folder was filled with “black material” on Zhao Xue—various bullying incidents, including her bullying of Meng Yao.

He actually detested Zhao Xue. He had hated her since the first moment he saw her. He would forever loathe a fool like Zhao Xue, who was loved by her family yet didn’t know how to appreciate it.

He was also very vengeful. He wouldn’t mind stepping on her once the Zhao family collapsed.

Thinking of what Su Xu had told him—that their four families had already begun slowly infiltrating the Zhao family’s interests—the overseas side wasn’t easy, but it was getting there. Bai Jianming narrowed his eyes with satisfaction.

He no longer had any interest in the “game” of toying with Meng Yao; looking at Su Xu, it seemed he had lost interest as well, though he didn’t know what the other two thought.

But now, the relationship between Meng Yao and Zhao Xue…

This was truly—too interesting.