Everyone is Crazy - Chapter 2

Perfect timing! Meng Xingci’s message arrived just as Qi Yu’s did, one above the other. Meng Xingci’s was on top. Tan Muxi saw the familiar avatar and realized a message had already been typed and sent. Withdrawing it now would only seem deliberate.

But it didn’t matter.

As long as she wasn’t embarrassed, the embarrassment would fall on someone else.

Tan Muxi ignored the message, closed the chat window with Meng Xingci without even glancing at what she had sent earlier, and walked out of the dressing room with Shan Yingfeng.

Outside, the sun was scorching, and the chorus of cicadas and birds filled the air. Shan Yingfeng carried her bag in one hand and held an umbrella with the other, walking behind Tan Muxi. Just as they stepped out of the filming base, a black SUV pulled up in front of them. Shan Yingfeng smoothly opened the car door and caught sight of the woman inside.

Liu Shuyun sat inside, head bowed as she scrolled through her tablet. Her slender fingers glided across the screen, her profile sharp and defined. With delicate eyebrows, lowered lashes, and a prominent nose bridge, her features painted a striking portrait. Perhaps the door had been open a little too long without Tan Muxi getting in, Liu Shuyun glanced over.

Shan Yingfeng instinctively straightened her posture, tightened her grip on the sun umbrella. Despite the sweltering heat and blazing sun, Liu Shuyun’s single glance sent a chill down her spine, making her break out in a cold sweat.

Rumors had it that Liu Shuyun had a volatile temper, unpredictable and easily angered. A single misstep could get someone fired. So far this year, Tan Muxi had already gone through three assistants. Shan Yingfeng was the fourth. Everyone in the company was watching to see how long she would last, so she was extra cautious in everything she did and said.

Of course, every time she saw Liu Shuyun, her heart raced. She dared only a fleeting glance, trying to gauge Liu Shuyun’s mood.

She was displeased.

Noticing this, Shan Yingfeng whispered a reminder, “Teacher Tan, time to get in the car.”

Tan Muxi snapped out of her daze, uttered an “Oh,” and got into the car. Turning to Shan Yingfeng, she said, “You can clock out now.”

Not daring to say more, Shan Yingfeng acknowledged and closed the car door, watching as the vehicle drove away. She then glanced in the direction where Tan Muxi had been staring, a silver car had just parked. Meng Xingci’s secretary, Ye Ying, looked at her phone with a hesitant expression, clearly unsure how to relay the newly received message to Meng Xingci.

Meng Xingci looked up, scanning Ye Ying’s expression, and asked, “Tan Muxi left?”

Ye Ying put away her phone, slightly surprised. “Boss Meng, how did you know?”

How did she know?

Tan Muxi had told her.

Even though Tan Muxi hadn’t sent any further messages after that one, Meng Xingci understood the implication. She said, “Inform Director He to shoot the other scenes first.”

Ye Ying nodded. “Right away.”

Then she gave Meng Xingci a puzzled glance.

Although Meng Xingci had never publicly announced her retirement from the entertainment industry, Ye Ying, having worked with her for so many years, knew exactly how many offers she had turned down. After filming Broken Willow five years ago, Meng Xingci shifted to investing, and her company was now thriving. Even during the toughest times, she had never considered returning to the entertainment world. Yet now, she had agreed to make a guest appearance.

Ye Ying truly couldn’t understand it.

If it were about her relationship with Director He, it didn’t seem deep enough to warrant this.

In her three years as Meng Xingci’s secretary, Ye Ying had never once heard Meng Xingci mention Director He’s name. Moreover, on the day Director He made the invitation, Ye Ying saw how shocked he was when Meng Xingci agreed. His jaw practically dropped to the floor.

Clearly, Director He hadn’t expected it either; he had only asked on a whim.

But Meng Xingci had agreed.

Though Ye Ying was utterly baffled, she adhered to the principle of doing exactly what her boss said without question.

After getting out of the car, the two of them noticed a burning gaze. Ye Ying looked over, it was an acquaintance.

Seeing the two of them turn his way, Shan Yingfeng was startled and quickly nodded in greeting.

Meng Xingci gave a slight nod and led Ye Ying into the filming base.

Shan Yingfeng glanced in Meng Xingci’s direction, then at the car Tan Muxi had just left in, and shrugged.

Tan Muxi leaned back against the seat, slender fingers picking up a grape. The deep purple-red grape accentuated the pale fairness of her skin, which took on a cool, pale tone in the flickering light inside the car. Liu Shuyun was working, head still lowered. Tan Muxi peeled a grape and brought it to Liu Shuyun’s lips. The secretary, catching sight of this in the rearview mirror, immediately lowered the half-partition.

Only voices drifted over.

“Where did these grapes come from?” Tan Muxi asked.

Liu Shuyun said, “They were just shipped from Li City this morning.”

Her words weren’t entirely clear, probably because she was eating the grape just now. Normally, she hated being disturbed while working, but clearly, Tan Muxi didn’t count as “others.”

“Not tasty,” Tan Muxi said. “Not sweet. Let’s not get this next time.”

Liu Shuyun: “If they’re not tasty, why did you give one to me?”

Tan Muxi said, “Exactly because they’re not tasty that I gave it to you.”

A low chuckle.

In the end, no one knew who finished the grapes. When the secretary opened the car door, the plate was empty. Holding up a parasol, she handed it over as Tan Muxi took it with a smile, saying, “Thank you.”

Her smile was too brilliant, more radiant than summer flowers.

The secretary was dazed for a second. Feeling Liu Shuyun’s gaze on her, a fine sweat broke out on her back, but she quickly steadied herself. “You’re welcome.”

Tan Muxi reached out to link arms with Liu Shuyun, leaning against her as they walked toward the apartment. Only after they entered the house did the secretary get back in the car. While fastening her seatbelt, the driver said, “President Liu and Miss Tan seem really close.”

The secretary thought of what had just happened and nodded. “Mm.”

The driver added, “But isn’t President Liu.”

The secretary cut him off. “Xiao Liu.”

Xiao Liu was startled.

The secretary put on a professional smile. “Drive.”

Xiao Liu understood immediately and started the car to leave.

The secretary knew what Xiao Liu was going to say.

Didn’t President Liu have someone she liked? Wasn’t Tan Muxi just a substitute for that person?

She knew, the people in the company knew, and Tan Muxi knew too.

After entering the house, Tan Muxi hung up the parasol, put down her bag, and heard Liu Shuyun’s phone ring. Tan Muxi said, “I’ll go take a shower first.”

Liu Shuyun said, “Mm.”

Then Tan Muxi went into the bathroom. After removing her makeup, she applied toner and soaked in the bathtub. Hearing faint conversation outside the door, she put on the earphones beside the tub, and the world instantly fell silent.

In the comfortable environment, she nearly dozed off again.

Liu Shuyun had been on a business trip and returned last night. They had been up half the night, and Tan Muxi hadn’t slept well. She had gone to film at four in the morning, and now, soaking in the water, her body felt soft and relaxed, so comfortable she kept nodding off.

A knock sounded at the door.

Tan Muxi lifted her eyelids and saw a shadow at the bathroom door. She said, “Coming.”

Then she rose from the bathtub, rinsed off the bubbles, wrapped herself in a towel, and stepped out. Passing the mirror, she caught a glimpse of herself out of the corner of her eye. Tan Muxi paused, pulled off her shower cap, and her smooth, wavy hair cascaded down. She tousled her locks, a smile curling at the corner of her lips, and walked out of the bathroom.

Liu Shuyun was still on the phone whether it was a new call or the previous one hadn’t been hung up, Tan Muxi didn’t ask. As she passed behind Liu Shuyun, Liu Shuyun grabbed her wrist. Tan Muxi lowered her eyes, feigning slight surprise. While still on the phone, Liu Shuyun pulled her to sit beside her. Tan Muxi, wrapped in a towel, faced her. Liu Shuyun held the phone between her shoulder and ear, using both hands to gather Tan Muxi’s hair and tie it up with a hair tie.

Tan Muxi didn’t move a muscle, like a puppet.

Only when Liu Shuyun leaned in did her shoulders tilt forward slightly. Liu Shuyun glanced down at the skin that seemed to carry a fragrance deep into the bones; pale and glowing with a dewy sheen. She looked at Tan Muxi’s expressionless profile, pure and innocent like a lily. Liu Shuyun pressed her fingertips against Tan Muxi’s neck, applying a bit of pressure as if pinching the stem of a lily. The veins in Tan Muxi’s neck pulsed under her palm. Liu Shuyun said into the phone, “That’s it, I’m hanging up.”

Then she put down the phone, her palm sliding from Tan Muxi’s neck to her cheek. Cupping Tan Muxi’s face, she pulled her closer, staring at her thin lips. Without makeup, they weren’t as vividly red, instead tinged with a soft pink. Tan Muxi grew uncomfortable under her prolonged gaze and was about to bite her lip when Liu Shuyun leaned in.

Tan Muxi bit Liu Shuyun’s thin lip.

Hard.

But Liu Shuyun made no sound, simply wrapping her arms around Tan Muxi’s waist and lifting her onto her lap. Tan Muxi, suddenly suspended in mid-air, instinctively wrapped her arms around Liu Shuyun’s neck, leaning against her shoulder. In an instant, they were face to face again.

Only this time, closer.

So close that when Liu Shuyun tugged at the belt of Tan Muxi’s robe, she was met with nothing but bare skin.

Tan Muxi had no choice but to hold her even tighter. The fabric of Liu Shuyun’s clothes was cold, the icy chill pressing against her skin, sending a shiver through her. Then, a pair of hands slipped inside the robe, their warmth driving away the cold. Tan Muxi’s body gradually heated up, her skin flushing a light pink.

Liu Shuyun sank into the sofa, their combined weight pulling them into a vortex that pressed their bodies even closer together.

Tan Muxi didn’t give Liu Shuyun a chance to look closely, keeping her face buried in Liu Shuyun’s shoulder, blocking her view. All Liu Shuyun could see was the cascade of hair draped over her shoulders, swaying with their movements.

Only when her body could no longer bear it did Tan Muxi bite Liu Shuyun’s clothes in protest.

Liu Shuyun didn’t relent. Tan Muxi’s teeth were sharp, as if about to tear through the fabric, leaving marks that burned with a fiery sting, spurring Liu Shuyun to move even faster.

Tan Muxi closed her eyes.

She knew this pervert only got more excited the more it hurt.

It would be best if she never stopped.

She bit down harder, imagining the final climax.

Liu Shuyun stopped.

Tan Muxi’s writhing body lost its rhythm, and she collapsed onto Liu Shuyun. Puzzled, she looked up at Liu Shuyun, who had put a little distance between them. Liu Shuyun used the edge of the robe to wipe her fingers, then gazed seriously at Tan Muxi’s hair, meticulously re-tying the disheveled strands, even carefully smoothing the stray hairs at her temples.

The desire in her eyes had vanished, replaced by a clear, detached gaze, as if she were looking at a porcelain doll. Only after shaping the doll to her utmost satisfaction did Liu Shuyun withdraw her hands.

Damn pervert.

Tan Muxi met Liu Shuyun’s gaze and smiled back at her. As Liu Shuyun’s hands slipped back inside the robe, Tan Muxi buried her face in Liu Shuyun’s shoulder once more.

The tooth mark on the clothing was strikingly visible. Tan Muxi pressed her sharp teeth against the imprint.

Liu Shuyun’s body stiffened in response.

Tan Muxi leaned close to her ear: “Faster.” She taunted: “Did you skip a meal?”