Song Nanyin actually rather liked steamed buns, though the kind she liked were shrimp soup dumplings filled with a shrimp ball. When you bit into one, your mouth filled with fresh fragrance and sweetness, and because they were small, they were perfect for breakfast.

At this moment, however, the bun against her face was a little too big. It was pleasantly warm, and its texture was soft and springy. An ordinary large bun would have caved in when pressed, but this one, stuck to her face, showed no sign of flattening no matter how long she squeezed it.

“Mm, strange.” Song Nanyin opened her eyes groggily, wanting to see what kind of bun was being so annoying. When her vision cleared, what she saw was Liu Zhaoran’s face, wreathed in smiles.

Looking this close up, Song Nanyin discovered that Liu Zhaoran really did have wonderful skin. The two of them were the same age, and for women approaching thirty, skin care was very important. On ordinary days Song Nanyin went to bed early and rose early, and she neither smoked nor drank, all because she was afraid of damaging her skin.

But what about Liu Zhaoran? She knew the other woman smoked; as for drinking, she was not sure. Yet with her face bare of makeup, Liu Zhaoran’s skin showed almost no obvious flaws. Apart from a little darkness under her eyes, she was lovely everywhere.

Song Nanyin’s mind went blank, and she forgot all about the “bun” in her dream. Only when Liu Zhaoran laughed did Song Nanyin realize that half her face was buried in the other woman’s chest.

“Team Leader Song is so hungry and thirsty this early in the morning? Want some milk? I can feed you.” Clearly, Liu Zhaoran had no sense of shame to speak of. Or rather, whatever shame she had had completely vanished in front of Song Nanyin.

Song Nanyin watched in a daze as Liu Zhaoran raised herself up and offered her chest to Song Nanyin’s mouth of her own accord. Pale, soft, tender mounds, capped with rosy, perky nipples. Watching this wanton display of Liu Zhaoran’s, only one thought crossed Song Nanyin’s mind.

The Black-Hearted Lotus had fully evolved, becoming a wanton and lewd black-hearted lotus. If she could, Song Nanyin really wanted to show Liu Zhaoran’s true, vile face to all those people who regarded her as their White Moonlight and goddess.

And had this woman taken off her nightgown while she was asleep? Clearly… clearly she had been wearing one before…

“Black-Hearted Lotus, do you realize your goddess image is completely ruined? Those little boobies of yours are so much smaller than mine. No way am I eating them.”

Song Nanyin shot back without mercy. She had thought Liu Zhaoran would be at least somewhat annoyed at being told she was small there, but instead the woman looked her over with keen interest, then lowered herself down.

“So Team Leader Song looks down on me for being small. But there’s nothing I can do about it, since I can’t have a second growth spurt. Still, the way they feel should be pretty nice. What you meant just now was that you want to feed me?”

Liu Zhaoran looked at Song Nanyin with utter seriousness, expectation glimmering in her eyes, as if Song Nanyin really had said she wanted to feed her milk.

The words were lewd, and the tone was positively wanton. And yet, as she said them, Liu Zhaoran’s smile was faint and gentle, the corners of her lips tilted up in the smile everyone knew. In short, she wore the appearance of a goddess untouched by the mortal world.

Such a smile and bearing, paired with those lewd words, created an unmistakable sense of dissonance.

“Hey, can you not say such dirty things with that goddess expression and tone? It’s weird.”

“Weird? What’s weird about it? Does Team Leader Song find it especially erotic when I’m like this?”

Liu Zhaoran was unbothered. Most of the time, in front of far too many people, she was used to wearing a mask. She did not find playing that role difficult or uncomfortable, but in front of Song Nanyin, she was unwilling to keep up even the most basic pretense.

“Hey, that’s enough of you. It’s early morning, stop being so lewd.” Song Nanyin never imagined she would one day say such a thing to Liu Zhaoran, let alone push away that pretty face with her hand. Pushed back by the Little Lion, Liu Zhaoran smiled and simply got out of bed from the other side.

“It’s still early. Sleep a little longer, I’ll make breakfast.” Having said that, Liu Zhaoran turned and went into the bathroom. Hearing her arrange the morning’s activities so naturally, Song Nanyin had the illusion that the two of them were dating.

Realizing her thoughts had wandered that far, Song Nanyin hastily shook her head and lay back down, trying to shake Liu Zhaoran out of her mind. But… mm… everything around her smelled of the Black-Hearted Lotus.

She took a sniff. It was actually rather pleasant…

Even though Liu Zhaoran had left, Song Nanyin still could not fall back asleep. She simply lay in bed playing on her phone, watching videos, browsing the news, or chatting a bit with Chai Yue, who was about to come back.

Learning that her best friend had found yet another new boyfriend and was bringing him home for the New Year, Song Nanyin, for some reason, inexplicably thought of that wicked woman Liu Zhaoran again…

Since she could not sleep, Song Nanyin could not be bothered to keep lying in bed. She got up, folded the blanket, showered, and went downstairs.

Her timing was just right, for Liu Zhaoran was carrying up the last plate of breakfast. It had to be said, Liu Zhaoran was highly deceptive. For instance, you might take her for a goddess, when in truth she was a lewd black-hearted lotus.

Liu Zhaoran had excellent bearing and looked like the kind of pampered young lady who had never lifted a finger for household chores. Song Nanyin had not expected her to be able to make breakfast, and to make it so exquisite each time.

On the table were two sandwiches, along with fried eggs and scrambled eggs. Another plate held vegetable salad and taro paste, and beside them were hot milk and coffee. Next to the toast were three different kinds of jam.

Such a breakfast spread already counted as extravagant to Song Nanyin, since she was too lazy to get up early and could not cook. On workdays she basically made do with a cup of coffee at the office as breakfast. But here at Liu Zhaoran’s, well, how to put it… all three meals a day had truly improved by a huge margin…

“Team Leader Song, try it. It’s basically the same as what you’ve had before.” Liu Zhaoran noticed the light that flashed through Song Nanyin’s eyes. Of course she knew Song Nanyin liked these things; otherwise, how could she have coaxed the woman into staying with such offerings?

Liu Zhaoran lived exquisitely in many respects, and that refinement extended beyond her own appearance to food, clothing, housing, and transport. She disliked ordering takeout, and because she had previously worked abroad, she had developed a considerable skill in the kitchen.

For Liu Zhaoran, cooking was not a hassle in life but a pleasure. She loved to cook but hated housework, so she had no choice but to hire a part-time housekeeper, yet she intensely disliked strangers coming into her home.

Song Nanyin’s arrival happened to fill exactly that gap. The Little Lion, though quick to bristle and prone to looking lazy around the house, was unexpectedly someone who loved tidiness. Liu Zhaoran had observed that even as a temporary guest, Song Nanyin would habitually clean the room, and if she saw anything messy, she would immediately tidy it up.

Liu Zhaoran had said before that the two of them suited each other. In truth, that suitability was not limited to the bed; it extended to everyday life as well.

Song Nanyin ate the breakfast before her, complete in color, aroma, and taste. Though her tongue and teeth were both clamoring over the deliciousness, not the slightest hint showed on her face.

Watching her bite into the sandwich and casually wipe her hands after finishing, Liu Zhaoran noted the small raise of her eyebrow and waited quietly for Song Nanyin to speak.

“Mm, the taste is all right. But lately I’ve been in the mood for Chinese food. I want those shrimp soup dumplings, not the frozen kind.” Song Nanyin spoke without the least hesitation, then raised her head to gauge Liu Zhaoran’s reaction.

But the latter simply hummed in acknowledgment, without the displeasure Song Nanyin had expected.

“Sure. I’ll make them for you tomorrow morning. After work this evening, we’ll stop by the supermarket and buy the ingredients.”

“Ah? Oh…” Song Nanyin had not expected Liu Zhaoran to accept her request so readily. Aside from her surprise, she was very happy as well. Her thoughts were written all over her face, easy to see. Liu Zhaoran picked up the suit jacket beside her and put it on, then suddenly paused mid-step.

“Team Leader Song, is the reason you want to eat steamed buns because this morning’s bun was too small?” Liu Zhaoran suddenly asked. At first Song Nanyin was puzzled, wondering when she had eaten a steamed bun. It was not until Liu Zhaoran walked over and gently brushed her chest against Song Nanyin’s that she understood what she meant.

“Hey… what… what are you talking about? When did I ever eat your bun…”

“It’s precisely because you didn’t that I feel a little let down. So it turns out I’ve already become too small to hold Team Leader Song’s interest.”

Liu Zhaoran sounded somewhat dejected, her last syllable sinking along with her mood. Seeing her lonely back, Song Nanyin stopped in her tracks. She thought Liu Zhaoran was supposed to be quite confident; she hardly seemed like the type to nurse a grudge over being told she had small breasts.

And besides… how should she put it? Song Nanyin actually rather liked Liu Zhaoran’s there. Small as they were, they felt good and looked especially pretty and cute.

“Hey, Black-Hearted Lotus, yours aren’t really that small, you know. Don’t feel insecure. They’re actually pretty big, and they look really nice.” Walking behind Liu Zhaoran and getting into the car with her, Song Nanyin saw that the other woman still would not say a word, so she could not help quietly offering comfort.

Only then did Liu Zhaoran’s expression soften at Song Nanyin’s words.

“Mm, I see.” Liu Zhaoran held back a smile and stayed quiet the entire way, not speaking again until they reached the company.

“Team Leader Song, I’ll head upstairs first. You said you wanted us to come to the company separately. We’ll still meet here in the evening.”

With that, Liu Zhaoran, departing from her usual manner of wearing a smile, went straight upstairs. Seeing her walk away without even looking at her, Song Nanyin still felt that petty Liu Zhaoran was angry.

Because she was preoccupied with Liu Zhaoran, Song Nanyin was restless all day. She wanted to apologize to Liu Zhaoran formally, yet she also felt there was no need to make such a fuss. But women really did mind that sort of thing, did they not? Take herself, for instance: if someone commented on her chest, she would be upset too, would she not?

With that thought, Song Nanyin opened her phone after all, found Liu Zhaoran, and sent a crying cat sticker with “I’m sorry” written on it.

After sending that apologetic sticker, she turned off her phone with a red face, not even daring to look at how Liu Zhaoran might reply, certain it would be terribly awkward.

Five minutes later, once the heat in her face had faded, Song Nanyin turned the phone back on.

But Liu Zhaoran had not replied…

Song Nanyin grew even angrier. She switched the phone off and flung herself hard against the back of her chair.

That Black-Hearted Lotus, Liu Zhaoran, was really infuriating.