She had finally endured her way to quitting time. Under the gaze of her entire team, Song Nanyin was the first to clock out, then, without a backward glance, she plunged headfirst into the elevator.

At this hour, most employees were still packing up or arranging what to do after work. Those like Song Nanyin, who had packed up in advance and hurried off right away, were few and far between.

The elevator was not crowded, holding only a handful of people. Seeing Song Nanyin standing inside with a cold face, a few of them nudged their companions, and those pairs, chatting and laughing, waited for the next car. Watching them, Song Nanyin pressed the close button without expression.

It was just as well they did not come up. Ever since her body had undergone that “mutation,” she had found herself increasingly sensitive to certain smells. Not the flavors of food or the air, but the breath each person carried, including her own.

During those three days of fever, she had felt a particularly strong orange scent clinging to her body. Now that the fever had broken, the smell had faded considerably, always lingering on her faintly, as if present yet absent.

Not everyone had such an aura. Most people simply carried the scent of perfume on them. So far, the only truly special one belonged to Liu Zhaoran.

Though Song Nanyin was reluctant to admit it, Liu Zhaoran did carry a special aura, the grass-smoke scent she had caught at noon. It was fresh and crisp, blended with the deep, heavy weight of thin smoke.

Realizing she was thinking about that jinx of a woman Liu Zhaoran again, Song Nanyin stamped her foot and click-clacked on her high heels all the way to the parking lot. Then she got into her car and drove toward the big mall she had set her sights on.

It was rush hour, so Song Nanyin had deliberately taken a side road to get there sooner. But who would have thought an accident on that road would box her in right in the middle of the through lane? Cars waited ahead, and a dense line stretched behind, leaving her wedged in between, unable to move an inch.

Frustrated, Song Nanyin propped her head on her hand, leaning in her seat and muttering curses at her rotten luck under her breath. She could see it clearly now: ever since Mercury retrograde began, she had not had a single day without some unlucky incident. And now, on top of everything, she had developed that kind of physiological problem.

More than an hour later, the road finally cleared. With all the time she had wasted, she might as well have taken the main road. She had gotten off work at five, and by the time she reached the mall it was already 6:09. Without wandering around the lower floors, Song Nanyin went straight to the lingerie stores she frequented.

It was only natural for a woman to enjoy buying lingerie, and someone with a figure like Song Nanyin’s naturally loved picking out all kinds of styles. The salesclerks here all knew her well. Seeing her arrive, they greeted her warmly and recommended several new sexy sets.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the new butterfly-wing set. The bra used three thin straps crisscrossing to shape the bust, a design perfectly suited to someone with a fuller chest like hers, letting her wear it without any burden across the front.

The matching panties were gorgeous too: three thin straps on each side, with a center of black mesh accented by fine red embroidery. Song Nanyin could almost picture how wonderful they would look on her.

She was just about to go try them on when she suddenly remembered the purpose of her visit. She gave those little panties a wistful look. Yes, they were beautiful, but they no longer suited who she was now…

“Well, actually, today I wanted to pick out some ordinary styles. I’ll just browse on my own.” Song Nanyin declined, then circled the store. To her surprise, she could not find anything even slightly understated. After a moment’s thought, she decided this shop probably did not have what she wanted and simply went to another store she frequented.

This one was a bit smaller than the previous shop, but it carried far more variety. Compared to the last one, which was all mature and sexy, this place clearly had many more ordinary styles.

Song Nanyin could not be bothered to choose for long. She casually picked out a few plain styles in fabrics that looked comfortable, placed them in the discreet clothing bag the store provided, and got ready to pick out some relatively simple bras as well. After all, since her panties had changed, wearing the sexy lingerie from home would only feel out of place.

She selected a few solid-colored bras in the lingerie section and walked to the fitting rooms to try them on. Just then, another person came over from the side. The instant their eyes met, Song Nanyin instinctively knitted her brows.

If she and Liu Zhaoran did not dislike each other so much, she would have suspected the other woman of being a pervert stalking her. How could she run into this jinx no matter where she went?

Seeing her, Liu Zhaoran was clearly taken aback as well. Her dark eyes swept over the lingerie in Song Nanyin’s hands, and she gave a faint smile.

“What a coincidence, Team Leader Song. You’re buying lingerie too.” Liu Zhaoran acted perfectly natural, like she had run into a very familiar friend. Song Nanyin did not want to acknowledge her and was about to head for the one remaining fitting room when the salesclerk happened to walk over.

“Oh, you two ladies know each other? That’s wonderful. You see, there are quite a few customers in the back, and we’re a little short on fitting rooms. Would you mind sharing one? The space inside is quite large, and you’re both women, so it doesn’t matter.”

The salesclerk asked tentatively, her words clearly conveying her hope.

Song Nanyin was about to say that she and Liu Zhaoran were not close at all, but the other woman spoke first.

“Sure, then. Please show us in.” Just like that, Song Nanyin was backed into a corner. There was no way to claim they were strangers anymore, because the enthusiastic salesclerk had already opened the fitting room door and was inviting them in.

Song Nanyin had wanted to wait for another fitting room to free up, but when she turned and saw the people waiting outside the other doors, she ultimately chose to compromise.

As the salesclerk had said, the space inside was not small. Neither she nor Liu Zhaoran was heavyset, so it was fairly roomy. It was just that… before today, Song Nanyin could never have imagined baring herself in the same fitting room as Liu Zhaoran…

Well, maybe that word was going too far, but that was how Song Nanyin saw it. She was doing her best to curl up in the corner when, before she could say anything, Liu Zhaoran, as if no one else were there, took off her shirt, revealing an upper body in nothing but a white bra.

This stunned Song Nanyin where she stood. She never would have imagined that Liu Zhaoran, who usually carried herself like a goddess, would strip without a second thought in front of her. Hmph. Truly casual and wanton.

Song Nanyin grumbled inwardly, but she could not help letting her eyes wander over the other woman. To be fair, Liu Zhaoran’s skin was lovely, unblemished, the purest cool-toned white.

The two of them were close in height: Song Nanyin was 172 centimeters, and Liu Zhaoran was exactly 170. She had a slender, refined figure with upright posture, her back always held straight.

Song Nanyin could tell Liu Zhaoran kept up with fitness. The abdominal lines she had herself, Liu Zhaoran had too, and she even showed the outline of defined abs.

As she raised her arms to take off her clothes, her ribs stood out, tracing rows of delicate bone lines. Her breasts were perky, about a 32B by the look of them, far smaller than Song Nanyin’s.

Song Nanyin compared the two of them as she watched and ultimately concluded that she came out on top in every respect. Figure-wise, hers was obviously hotter. Liu Zhaoran simply was not in the same league.

And Liu Zhaoran was too thin. A body that skinny definitely would not feel as good in bed as hers. At the thought, Song Nanyin puffed out her chest with a hint of pride.

But then, on second thought, even if Liu Zhaoran’s figure was not as hot as hers, it truly was a goddess’s figure. Even naked, she carried an air of sanctity. Taking in her prominent collarbones and the unblemished straight line of her shoulders…

For some reason, the phrase “so nice to hold” popped into Song Nanyin’s mind. Liu Zhaoran’s slender waist looked like it would feel just right wrapped in one arm. And… the fragrance on her seemed even stronger.

Why did Liu Zhaoran smell so good? And her aura was not bad either. Her figure was not the sizzling type, but the goddess type was plenty delicious too. No wonder so many men liked her.

Song Nanyin stood there lost in thought, feeling the aura around her grow heavier and heavier. She frowned, then abruptly realized her own embarrassing physical reaction. Her whole face flushed red. She spun around in a hurry, turning her back to Liu Zhaoran, and looked down at her skirt.

Mm… there did not seem to be much of a bulge. Not very obvious. It should not be noticed, right? It was all Liu Zhaoran’s fault. Why did she have to change clothes in the same room as her for no reason, making her… making her end up like this. Song Nanyin felt both mortified and annoyed, and she no longer felt like comparing whose figure was better.

Liu Zhaoran had been changing clothes all along and had not looked at Song Nanyin at all. She had only vaguely sensed that the orange scent in the room, the one she could not ignore, was growing stronger.

Deep in thought, Liu Zhaoran cast a meaningful glance at Song Nanyin’s nape, hidden beneath her clothes, and discovered that Song Nanyin was still in the outfit she had worn when she came in.

The bras were in her hands, never tried on. And she was curled up in the corner with her back to Liu Zhaoran, like a big golden retriever being bullied.

“Aren’t you going to try them on, Team Leader Song? Lingerie is such an intimate thing, and every style fits differently. It’s better to try before you buy.” Liu Zhaoran said with a smile, though in truth she was wondering what trick this foolish woman was playing now.

“Who’s as… as shameless as you? I don’t have the habit of casually taking off my clothes in front of other people.” Song Nanyin said stubbornly, without even turning her head. Watching the bright red tips of her ears hidden beneath her golden hair, Liu Zhaoran raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Well, then, I’ll head out first.” With that, Liu Zhaoran took her selected lingerie to the register and paid. Seeing her finally leave, Song Nanyin breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly tried on the bras, and once she found them suitable, she went out to pay as well.

She had assumed Liu Zhaoran was long gone, but to her surprise, the other woman was still waiting for her. Seeing her looking over with a bright smile, lingerie in hand, Song Nanyin felt a pang of guilt for some reason. Because… the thing between her legs was still standing…

“Team Leader Song, the salesclerk told me that paying together today comes with a discount. I thought we could settle the bill together.”

Liu Zhaoran said it with a smile, which earned an involuntary eye roll from Song Nanyin. This woman was a director parachuted in from elsewhere. Her annual dividends alone were more than Song Nanyin’s two months’ salary. Would she really care about a few dozen yuan?

“Oh, whatever.” Because of the “discomfort” in her body, Song Nanyin had no energy to deal with Liu Zhaoran right now. After confirming that her skirt showed no traces, she listlessly walked over.

“That’ll be 7,786 yuan for the two of you, ladies. Will that be separate or together?”

“Separate.”

“Together.”

Song Nanyin and Liu Zhaoran gave two completely different answers. Song Nanyin glanced at Liu Zhaoran, but the latter had already taken out her phone and paid for both of them.

Song Nanyin watched as her packed panties were taken out one by one for repacking. She had bought ten pairs of panties and five bras, while Liu Zhaoran had bought only two bras…

Song Nanyin’s face flushed red, but she could not very well say anything harsh. She had no idea what had gotten into Liu Zhaoran, why she was paying for her. It was infuriating.

Without a word, Song Nanyin took her lingerie and walked to the door, saying she would transfer the money to Liu Zhaoran. But the latter took out her phone with a dark screen, saying it had run out of battery and shut down automatically. That had just been its last bit of power.

“Sorry, Team Leader Song. There’s no hurry anyway. You can give it to me when we’re at work on Monday.” Right, today was Friday. The two of them would not see each other in the coming days, and they had no contact information for each other, so the money really would have to wait until Monday.

Song Nanyin felt ill at ease. This was her first time owing money, and she owed it to Liu Zhaoran of all people. Her whole body felt wrong. She wanted to ask what the meaning of paying for her had been. Deliberately making fun of her, was she?

But when the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back. With so many people watching, she could not very well crush the White Lotus with her bare hands, could she…

“Oh. I’ll give it to you on Monday, then.” Song Nanyin said flatly, only to hear Liu Zhaoran laugh softly.

“Though I didn’t expect Team Leader Song’s underwear to be in such plain styles. And buying so many at once, too.” Liu Zhaoran’s smile was ambiguous, her tone inscrutable, and the curiosity in her eyes was plain to see.

She admitted that she had deliberately stayed behind to see what Song Nanyin was up to, but she had accidentally discovered something even more interesting. She refused to believe Song Nanyin would buy this kind of underwear. So why, then? Truly fascinating. She really wanted to know the reason.

“My business has nothing to do with you.” As if her sore spot had been struck, Song Nanyin snapped back fiercely, glared at her, then turned and click-clacked away on her high heels.

Watching her golden hair float behind her, Liu Zhaoran thought for a moment and smiled.

She really was like a lion with its hackles raised. Except… the kind crippled in both body and mind…