As the year drew to a close, events at every company piled up one after another. Whether employees were willing to take part or not, under the leadership’s “imperial decree” that even “nonessential” occasions called for attendance, everyone had to put on a show of harmony and joy as they went to party after party.

The weak cannot choose how they die, and office drones cannot choose which establishment they will end up drunk in tonight. The only saving grace was that Zhang Kai wasn’t too stingy as a boss, so he treated everyone to the most famous leisure club in town.

The place was called Xiaoxiang Pavilion, said to be part of a chain. The name had a classical, antiquated charm, carrying a faint hint of the pleasure quarters of ancient times. But those special services aside, the atmosphere at Xiaoxiang Pavilion really was excellent, and the food coming out of its kitchen was genuinely delicious.

Zhang Kai generously reserved the 34th and 35th floors of the club. One floor was for relaxing, massage, bathing, and rest, while the other was the perfect place for everyone to eat, drink, and chat about anything and everything.

Song Nanyin showed a complete lack of interest. By contrast, some of the young people in the planning department were like schoolchildren about to go on a spring outing, excitedly discussing whose car they could hitch a ride in after work.

Those who got along went in twos and threes; those who didn’t went alone. Song Nanyin was neither. As a low-level manager, of course she drove herself.

In November, Jiahai City saw its first light snowfall. At 16:48, nightfall came nearly an hour early. Song Nanyin packed up her things, touched up her makeup, and with no intention of changing clothes, headed out just as she was.

She took her car keys down to the parking lot. There weren’t too many people around yet, so she spotted Liu Zhaoran’s car at a glance. And of course, Zhang Kai, getting into it with a smile.

The two chatted and laughed, utterly unaware that Song Nanyin was still in the parking lot, and drove off, leaving behind only a shapeless puff of exhaust.

Song Nanyin snorted inwardly and curled her lip. The phrase “shameless pair” suddenly popped into her head. Then a voice drifted up: they were a talented man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven. What right did a monster like her have to object?

Oh, right. She wasn’t objecting to this match. She just felt a little uncomfortable. As for where that displeasure came from, she couldn’t find its beginning herself.

So she gave it neither respect nor blessing.

She understood. And she cursed.

To spare her eyes any more misery, Song Nanyin deliberately drove around outside for a while, and only pulled into the club once most of the people there had probably already arrived. When she got there, some colleagues had already finished dinner and gone upstairs to enjoy the hot springs.

The rest were chatting and drinking in groups, or huddling together to play games. Song Nanyin didn’t know what was wrong with her eyes. Among so many people, she had to spot Liu Zhaoran at a single glance.

The Black-Hearted Lotus was still dressed in white today, a loose, draping silk blouse tucked into pure white trousers. She sat casually at a table in the center, her jet-black hair loose around her, smooth and gleaming like satin. She was playing games with a group of people, and Zhang Kai sat right beside her. How to put it… a little sleazy. At least, that was how it looked to Song Nanyin.

Playing games. She certainly had the leisure for that.

As Song Nanyin thought this, the miniature version of her in her heart rolled on the ground, rolled her eyes, and shouted that Liu Zhaoran was a Black-Hearted Lotus.

She imagined that if the voice in her heart could be broadcast through a speaker in a distorted form, the whole club would be ringing with her curses at Liu Zhaoran right now. At the thought of that scene, Song Nanyin curved the corners of her lips and picked a relatively secluded corner to sit down, eat, and drink.

Liu Zhaoran, of course, noticed that Song Nanyin had arrived. She was just curious why the other woman, who had left so early, was only showing up now. Liu Zhaoran played the game with her mind elsewhere. She could also see that Zhang Kai, who had proposed the game, wasn’t after the game itself, but after her.

The man had changed his cologne again, and his hair had been carefully styled. But Liu Zhaoran’s thoughts were elsewhere. Dealing with Zhang Kai only took 5 percent of her attention; the rest, naturally, all drifted over to Song Nanyin.

It was obvious Song Nanyin hadn’t dressed up specially. Apart from a quick makeup touch-up, she was still wearing the dress she had worn to the office. Even so, her beauty was impossible to ignore. Like her brilliant golden hair: even if you tossed her into a field of sunflowers, she would still be the most dazzling little lion among them.

Liu Zhaoran looked over and saw several male colleagues gathered around Song Nanyin. The atmosphere over there couldn’t compare with the liveliness here, but it was nowhere near cold either. Song Nanyin made idle small talk with these male colleagues whose names she had forgotten, raising her glass and tipping her head back to drink.

Granted, the wine tasted good, but Song Nanyin was in no mood to savor its sweetness right now. She was annoyed, and the source of that annoyance, from the parking lot to this very moment, had been Liu Zhaoran.

She watched that Black-Hearted Lotus sitting with Zhang Kai, one moment him urging her to drink, the next her urging him. Every time Liu Zhaoran spoke to Zhang Kai, she wore her trademark smile, radiating goddess charm. The more she did, the more Song Nanyin sneered.

What was that all about? She said she would come find me tonight, and instead she was huddled with that dog Zhang Kai, playing some game of you toast me, I toast you.

Song Nanyin wasn’t a drinker by nature, had no knowledge of or interest in wine, and rarely drank on ordinary days. But she was upset right now, so she couldn’t help drinking a few extra glasses. Especially after hearing that these drinks were premium goods Zhang Kai had specially bought from abroad at great expense, she suddenly couldn’t resist drinking even more.

These drinks weren’t high in proof, but they had a strong kick and went to the head easily. After a bottle went down, a faint blush had already appeared on Song Nanyin’s face, making her fair cheeks look all the more delicate and ravishing.

Liu Zhaoran watched her hazy eyes. Those emerald eyes, once suffused with moisture, were stunningly beautiful, and they no longer carried the studied aloofness of ordinary days. Liu Zhaoran glanced with displeasure at the male colleagues around Song Nanyin. The way those men looked at her did not sit well with her.

This feeling was possessiveness running rampant.

Seeing that Zhang Kai was already somewhat drunk, Liu Zhaoran decided to call it a night here. She found an excuse and stood up to leave. Seeing this, Zhang Kai tried to pull her back, but she dodged him with a sideways step.

Liu Zhaoran was very good at taming men like Zhang Kai, and she knew he wouldn’t do anything too out of line in full view of everyone. So, in a few words, she shook off Zhang Kai and walked over to Song Nanyin’s table.

“Team Leader Song, you look pretty drunk. Let me take you home.” Liu Zhaoran said with a smile, looking down at Song Nanyin, who was hugging a wine bottle and still wanted to drink. She hadn’t expected this woman to down two whole bottles. And to get drunk off just two bottles was, well… a bit too much bravado, wasn’t it?

“Mm… Black-Hearted Lotus, wh… what are you taking me home for? Go back to your… ga… game.” Song Nanyin was a little tipsy by now, probably more so than she appeared.

Seeing her cradling an empty bottle and mimicking a drinking motion, Liu Zhaoran couldn’t help curving the corners of her lips. She glanced at the bewildered colleagues nearby, walked over, helped Song Nanyin up, and let her lean against her.

“I’m sorry, Team Leader Song is drunk. I’ll take her back first.”

“Ah, Director Liu, take care. Should we call a designated driver for you?”

“No need. I’ve already arranged one.”

Liu Zhaoran supported Song Nanyin as they walked out, leaving behind a group of somewhat baffled colleagues. They had heard that Song Nanyin and Liu Zhaoran didn’t get along, but judging by the looks of it, they seemed to be on pretty good terms? Women’s friendships, truly hard to predict.

“Mm… Black-Hearted Lotus, wh… where are you taking me?” While waiting for the designated driver, Song Nanyin, chilled by the cold wind, recovered a little of her senses. She wrinkled her nose, sniffing Liu Zhaoran’s scent, and felt that the Grass-Smoke Scent smelled even better on the wind.

“Home.”

“We don’t share a home. I’m not going.”

Song Nanyin pouted, deeply unhappy at the thought of Liu Zhaoran and Zhang Kai’s interactions today. She whined and tried to get away, but Liu Zhaoran held her tightly and wouldn’t let go. Her brain was fuzzy, and Song Nanyin dizzily leaned back into her again.

“Team Leader Song, you bullied me and won’t even give me an explanation? I’ve been waiting for you all night.”

“What explanation? What waiting all night? You Black-Hearted Lotus, you were clearly too busy being all lovey-dovey with Zhang Kai to come find me.”

Song Nanyin said in a hoarse voice, looking especially wronged. Listening to her soft muttering, Liu Zhaoran finally found the real reason Song Nanyin had been drinking.

“I never touched him, and I never held him the way I’m holding you. How can that be called lovey-dovey? Besides, Team Leader Song bullied me, and I haven’t gotten even yet. I have no mood for anything else at all.”

“Stop going on about being bullied. Didn’t you do that to me first? Isn’t what you did to me just as outrageous?”

“Team Leader Song, my methods may have been presumptuous, but everything I did was to find the truth about the changes in your body. I have data reports for every study. Would you like to see them yourself?”

Liu Zhaoran spoke with righteous conviction and total confidence. Song Nanyin hemmed and hawed for a long time, her face flushing bright red, but she couldn’t produce a single word of rebuttal. Indeed, Liu Zhaoran had research data for everything…

“Besides, if we really want to dig deep, what Team Leader Song did to me that day was already attempted rape, and you hurt me too.” Liu Zhaoran sounded somewhat sorrowful. Song Nanyin was so startled by her words that she sobered up by a few degrees.

“Watch your wording, okay? We’re both women. Wh… where would there be any need for that word?” Song Nanyin glanced at Liu Zhaoran, feeling that she was becoming more and more shameless.

“In any case, what Team Leader Song did that day made me very uncomfortable. Tonight, come back with me first. Once you’re sober, we’ll have a proper talk.” As Liu Zhaoran spoke, the designated driver had arrived. Song Nanyin was pulled into the car by her and, in the end, was brought back to Liu Zhaoran’s home again.

Arriving at this villa once again, Song Nanyin felt complicated. The first time, she had been forced to come. The second time, she had been tricked back by Liu Zhaoran’s lies. And the third time, which was now, she had come again.

What sheep was stupid enough to deliver itself into the tiger’s mouth three times?

“Team Leader Song, let’s take a shower first, and then we’ll talk.” So saying, Liu Zhaoran led Song Nanyin to her room, while she herself went to the other side to wash.

Compared to her usual baths, this time she washed with extraordinary care, meticulously cleaning and trimming her nails, and then placed the finger cots she had prepared in advance into the pocket of her bathrobe.

Liu Zhaoran didn’t think of herself as intending anything outrageous. She hated coercion and liked things to happen as a matter of course. So she would make Song Nanyin take the initiative and beg her to give it to her.

Liu Zhaoran went into Song Nanyin’s room. The woman had already showered and was blow-drying her hair. Watching her golden hair blown into disarray, a few stray golden strands swaying gently, Liu Zhaoran smiled. She walked over from behind, wrapped her arms around Song Nanyin’s waist, and pulled her lightly toward the bed.

Song Nanyin hadn’t expected Liu Zhaoran to do this. She hadn’t expected this woman to do such a thing at all. For a moment, shock and astonishment overwhelmed even her control over her own body. By the time she came to her senses, Liu Zhaoran had done something even more outrageous than what she herself had done that day.

This Black-Hearted Lotus had actually hidden handcuffs on the railing at the head of the bed in advance, and simply cuffed her with them just like that…