“Fangfang, why don’t you pour me another cup of coffee?” Song Nanyin rubbed her aching head, blinked, and said wearily. Seeing that she’d already downed two cups and still wanted more, even Fangfang couldn’t stand by.

“Team Leader, you’ve already had two cups. People say that once you get older, you shouldn’t drink too much coffee. It’s bad for your health.” Fangfang said earnestly. Although it came from genuine concern, it wasn’t exactly pleasant to hear.

The two words “getting older” blared through her ears like a loudspeaker on endless repeat. Song Nanyin wanted to retort on the spot. Since when was she old? She was only 28, right in the prime of her life. Besides, when she went out, no one would take her for 28.

“Um, Fangfang, I think it’s necessary for me to teach you a few rules of workplace conversation. Rule number one: when it comes to a female boss, you never, ever say she’s old. Understand?”

Song Nanyin twirled her pen and made a gesture like she was highlighting a key point. Fangfang nodded. In truth, she knew she’d said something wrong herself, but there was no taking it back now.

“Then I’ll go pour you that coffee right away.” Fangfang grabbed the coffee cup and scurried off. But when she returned, she brought back not just coffee, but also a piece of news that left Song Nanyin speechless.

“Team Leader, the higher-ups just sent word that there’s a new proposal. They want you to follow up on it together with Director Liu. I heard the contract is no small matter, and General Manager Zhang specifically assigned it,” Fangfang said in a low voice. For anyone else, a big contract like this with a director was a good thing. The commission would surely be substantial, and there’d be more chances to perform in front of the higher-ups. For Song Nanyin, however, it was a nightmare descending.

She finally had it all figured out. She was in her Mercury retrograde, and her disaster star was definitely Liu Zhaoran. Every time she ran into her, nothing good ever came of it.

Since the celebration banquet that night, Song Nanyin had been avoiding Liu Zhaoran for three full days. In those three days, she’d barely slept, too anxious to rest. Again and again she replayed the scene of their contact that night. Besides the pain, she worried even more about whether the extra part down there had been felt by Liu Zhaoran.

Her clothes hadn’t been thin that night, and Liu Zhaoran’s gown had seemed pretty thick too, right? It shouldn’t have been that obvious, should it?

Besides that worry, her body was uncomfortable all over. Her period had come a few days ago, but unfortunately it had only lasted two days before stopping, and even during those two days the flow had been especially light…

On the contrary, every morning when she got up, her underwear was soaked through. The fluid she herself produced was embarrassing even for Song Nanyin to look at. Her body also felt inexplicably hot and restless. In short, every part of her was uncomfortable.

Song Nanyin worried about her physical condition but was too afraid to get checked, fearful that her secret would become known to all the world. Physical discomfort, mental strain, and having to scheme ways to avoid Liu Zhaoran in the office.

With all these buffs stacked together, Song Nanyin was miserable beyond words. And now the higher-ups were saying she had to work together with Liu Zhaoran? Wouldn’t that mean facing each other every single day?

A shrunken version of herself suddenly appeared in her head. Sledgehammer in hand, she chased frantically after Liu Zhaoran, only to miss her target entirely and take a spill herself.

There was nothing for it. Work assigned from above had to be done, and Song Nanyin still needed to eat. With a grim face, she clasped her laptop and headed upstairs. That was right. Since she was a team leader, she’d have to work out of the director’s office. That damned jinx…

Song Nanyin swore under her breath, her high heels clicking as she flung open the Director’s office door with a fierce air. At that moment, Liu Zhaoran was sitting on the sofa looking over the proposal. Seeing her come in, the woman broke out that affable, gentle smile.

Just looking at that smile made Song Nanyin’s stomach hurt. Any time she laid eyes on Liu Zhaoran, nothing felt right.

“Director Liu, good afternoon…”

“Team Leader Song, you’ve heard the news too, I take it. For the next month, the two of us will be working together to take care of this order.”

“I’ve heard that every one of Team Leader Song’s ideas is excellent. I’m very much looking forward to working with you. The team leaders of the Design and Sales Departments aren’t in today, so it’ll be just you and me, alone together.”

Liu Zhaoran said with a smile. Song Nanyin now regretted beyond measure that she hadn’t taken the day off and thereby escaped this trial. She darted a glance at Liu Zhaoran. The woman was flawless from her bearing down to her conversation, yet Song Nanyin could nevertheless detect the white lotus tea flavor within.

If Liu Zhaoran were a cup of tea, then it would definitely be the kind brewed with white lotus petals…

And what did she mean, “alone together”? Utterly disgusting…

“Oh. Well then, let’s get started. First, let’s go over the relevant details of the project.” Song Nanyin walked over and placed her laptop on her lap as a shield. With it there, like a fig leaf, she instantly felt much more at ease.

To tell the truth, from the moment the banquet ended, Song Nanyin had been terrified of running into Liu Zhaoran, mainly because she was afraid the other woman would bring up the events of that day. Now, sitting face to face in the same room, Song Nanyin’s nervousness swelled a thousandfold.

She kept a constant watch on Liu Zhaoran, afraid the woman might suddenly ask what her knee had bumped into that day. How should she answer? That a tampon had worked its way out? Or, even more shamelessly, say she’d been wearing a sex toy?

Women, after all, always had times when they wanted it especially badly…

Song Nanyin’s head filled with wild thoughts, and she completely failed to notice that her entire face had flushed crimson. Seeing that she hadn’t answered for a long while, Liu Zhaoran raised her head to look at her. There was a red tomato staring blankly back at her, the corners of its mouth foolishly curled up.

Truly… stupid beyond belief.

Liu Zhaoran, of course, had noticed that Song Nanyin had been deliberately avoiding her these past few days. That was exactly why this collaboration had been arranged by her. She knew Zhang Kai owed Song Nanyin an explanation after the last affair, so Liu Zhaoran had taken the initiative to offer a way out.

This way, Zhang Kai could be put at ease, and she could also find an opportunity to have contact with Song Nanyin. For Liu Zhaoran, laying this kind of groundwork was not difficult at all. As long as it could bring her a bit of amusement amid her dull, tedious work, she naturally didn’t mind a little extra trouble.

Song Nanyin’s strange reaction at the banquet that day had indeed left a fresh impression on Liu Zhaoran. Moreover, that subtle sensation had occupied her thoughts for a long time after she returned home. By feel, it should have been a very soft and very small sphere. But… why would it be in that place?

Liu Zhaoran thought it over and vaguely concluded that it must be some kind of private feminine product. She hadn’t expected Song Nanyin to attend such an occasion wearing a sex toy. When she thought about it, that really was quite uninhibited of her…

“Team Leader Song, are you all right? Your face is very red. Are you feeling unwell?” Liu Zhaoran suddenly leaned in. As she approached, that familiar faint fragrance of hers drifted over as well.

It was faint and tranquil, like a thread of clear mountain spring in a crevice, carrying a hint of grass-smoke. Song Nanyin couldn’t describe the scent Liu Zhaoran carried with any single exact aroma. If she had to compare it to something real, it would be mint leaves placed in clear water, with a wisp of pale blue smoke added in, spreading and drifting into ripples of ice-blue.

The scent was so wonderful that every time Liu Zhaoran leaned close, Song Nanyin’s consciousness was seized by it. And this time, it was clearly worse than the last time in the restroom.

Her eyes half closed, she couldn’t stop herself from wanting to lean toward the woman before her, her jaw trembling slightly, her lips parting gently. Liu Zhaoran had no idea what had suddenly come over Song Nanyin, that she would be moving toward her with a flushed face.

A veil of mist clung to her eyes, making that pair of emerald green eyes glisten with bright, lucent light, like the finest jade. This Song Nanyin was unlike her usual easily-bristling self. She was like a tamed, obedient lion, with even a little of her foolish air gone.

Her bloodline made her nose exquisitely high and pert. Deep contours, vivid features, and cool-toned fair skin. Strictly speaking, Song Nanyin’s beauty was the kind that was extremely striking and aggressive. Perhaps that, too, was why most of her colleagues didn’t like her.

No one is willing to exist as a shadow, but no one can rival the sun’s brilliance.

Just as Liu Zhaoran’s mind wandered, the dazed little lion suddenly woke with a start. Song Nanyin stared blankly at her, then sprang up and rushed out, her flustered appearance as if she were fleeing some flood or savage beast.

Song Nanyin ran at full tilt, straight to the restroom on that floor. Since this was the director’s office floor, the restroom was probably used only by Liu Zhaoran on ordinary days, and it was kept spotlessly clean.

Her thoughts in chaos, Song Nanyin stumbled into a stall and sat down. Without a moment’s consideration, she immediately pulled off her underwear.

As the little piece of fabric slipped away, damp fluid dripped down, landing in the water inside the toilet bowl with a plop.

Song Nanyin didn’t know what had just happened to her, why she’d inexplicably developed such strange feelings toward Liu Zhaoran. She’d actually found the other woman’s scent delightful, and when she’d leaned in, she’d actually wanted to bite her…

That feeling had been especially intense, to the point that she’d nearly lost control of her instincts, craving Liu Zhaoran’s scent like a wild beast craving food. Just before she lost control entirely, Song Nanyin had fled here.

She looked at her soaked underwear in embarrassment, then at a certain part standing stiff and upright… She was utterly mortified.

How could this thing keep spinning without any gears… and completely outside her control…

Song Nanyin mocked it in her heart. She wiped at her underwear with a tissue, to no effect at all. She simply took out the panty liner in her pocket, planning to stick it on as a stopgap.

Just as she tore open the wrapper and prepared to put it on, the door that she hadn’t locked suddenly swung open. Before Song Nanyin had time to lift her head, the other woman’s voice arrived first.

“Team Leader Song, so you’re here.”

Liu Zhaoran’s voice was very soft, drifting, as if coming from a place far away, but the tips of her shoes were right there within Song Nanyin’s field of vision.

It took Song Nanyin a few seconds to react. She looked down at her skirt, which had slipped down. At this moment, she was holding a panty liner in her hand, and a certain extra part stood at proud attention. No matter the angle, it was very easy to see clearly…

Liu Zhaoran had seen it. Her secret had been discovered by the one person she least wanted to know…

Song Nanyin thought in a daze that if there were a brick before her, she wouldn’t need to think or hesitate. She would bring it down on Liu Zhaoran’s head first, then on her own.

“I saw Team Leader Song dash out and thought you must be feeling unwell. I never imagined that Team Leader Song would have such an interesting secret.”