The Second Fall - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Rong Yushu: “Isn’t Your Girlfriend Me?”

Benefactor? Transfer?

Lan Cixing couldn’t connect these words together; for a moment, she didn’t react. Not only her eyes, but even the tip of her nose seemed frozen, her breath caught in her throat.

“Ah?” A second later, a single syllable finally escaped her lips.

Lan Cixing was trying to figure out who on earth had transferred money to her. On the modeling side, the contract followed a “deposit first, balance later” format; the deposit was paid a few days ago, and her friend wasn’t kind enough to pay the balance in advance. Excluded. The job with Liao Yanning had resulted in a complaint; the agency boss wasn’t generous enough—she’d be lucky if he didn’t deduct her pay. Excluded.

It couldn’t possibly be Rong Yushu herself, transferring wages just to tease her with it. Lan Cixing didn’t think Rong Yushu was that bored. Moreover, their contract stated that wages would be paid upon completion.

Lan Cixing stood there in a daze for two full minutes before she managed to remember she had an online dating partner. The online partner had just transferred money to her today, which she had complained was too little.

However, Rong Yushu had already reached her own conclusion.

“It seems not. So, is it Xiao Ran showing her filial piety?” Rong Yushu rested her chin on her hand quite comfortably, looking up at Lan Cixing. Her emerald fox-eyes narrowed, sending a shiver through Lan Cixing.

“She’s more likely to bankrupt my house…” Lan Cixing muttered in response, showing no mercy in roasting her biological sister. A five-hundred-yuan game console and she dares to ask a stranger. Where is her upbringing?

In those few seconds of distraction, Lan Cixing felt a tug on her hem. Perhaps because the atmosphere was too relaxed, Lan Cixing didn’t have time to resist; after stumbling into a sitting position, it was even harder to take action.

Rong Yushu let go of her hem. Seeing that she had finally dragged her down, she tapped Lan Cixing’s cheek with satisfaction.

“Good girl. Eat.”

Two commands, both of which sounded like she was calling a dog.

“…” Although Lan Cixing had been “dog-coded” by fans every day back in the entertainment industry—with nicknames and fan-edits—she wasn’t an actual dog, and certainly not Rong Yushu’s.

Lan Cixing felt a bit displeased. Nevertheless, facing the rice bowl in front of her and feeling the Omega’s warmth against her elbow, she didn’t dare move. She wanted to shift slightly to the side, but Rong Yushu’s eyes were pinned to her waist, forcibly sucking back Lan Cixing’s escaping soul.

They had touched far too much today. Some of it was for the shoot. Some was entirely unnecessary. Lan Cixing suspected it was Rong Yushu’s wicked sense of humor, but without evidence, she couldn’t accuse her; she could only try to avoid it herself.

In the process of struggling with how to proceed, Rong Yushu moved. She had been reclining on the sofa, but now she sat up straight. Her intrigued expression made one instinctively afraid, and her close breath tickled Lan Cixing, making her feel uncomfortable all over.

Lan Cixing closed her eyes and steeled her heart, deciding to lie.

“My girlfriend transferred it.” The online dating partner I snatched from my sister… could be counted as a girlfriend, right? Lan Cixing wanted to pretend she was in a relationship to make Rong Yushu keep her distance.

To her surprise, Rong Yushu didn’t pull back. Instead, she leaned closer, her arm almost touching Lan Cixing’s shoulder. Her expression was quite vivid—one eyebrow raised, her gaze sharp. It was the look a fox might give after being tricked; not flying into a rage, but finding it interesting.

Lan Cixing was instinctively intimidated by this look. Yet, she still couldn’t escape further teasing.

Rong Yushu simply raised her hand. At such close range, and counting on the fact that Lan Cixing wouldn’t dare harm her employer, Rong Yushu naturally succeeded. She easily removed the mask Lan Cixing had worn for most of the day.

Under the mask, her face was stunning. Lan Cixing’s features were exquisite and beautiful, not inferior to those stars who went viral for their looks alone. Her grey-blue eyes were the definition of charm. At this moment, her lips were pursed, and her expression was a mix of shame and annoyance—a different kind of flavor altogether.

“Little Beauty, isn’t your girlfriend me?” The fox’s eyes curved into a smile, looking enchanting and cunning. Her words were even more shocking and bold.

It was a genuine flirtation. Her Hong Kong accent’s unique lilt blended perfectly with her natural allure. The words “Little Beauty” alone dyed Lan Cixing’s earlobes pink. The words that followed nearly made Lan Cixing’s heart jump out of her throat.

She almost thought Rong Yushu had seen her talk with “An Yu” about “boasting”. But Rong Yushu should have only seen a transfer notification. She hadn’t chatted with An Yu since then, and her phone hadn’t been in Rong Yushu’s hands.

Lan Cixing suppressed her racing heart and carefully scrutinized Rong Yushu’s expression. Seeing a trace of playfulness, she finally relaxed. Rong Yushu was just teasing her. When they first met, Rong Yushu was like this too—pranking people all day long, which gave Lan Cixing a very poor first impression of her.

It had been seven or eight years. Rong Yushu truly hadn’t changed a bit. Perhaps because of the “accidental marking,” she hated her a bit more now, teasing her more severely without any sense of boundaries. Lan Cixing convinced herself of this and didn’t take it seriously.

“Boss, we haven’t seen each other in four years.”

Despite the fact that Lan Cixing had harbored subtle thoughts and even internal dialogues about bullying Rong Yushu, she was clear on one point: Rong Yushu could never be sincere toward her. Therefore, it was impossible for them to date.

Rong Yushu, seemingly finding it dull, withdrew her teasing gaze, though her pine-green nails inadvertently grazed Lan Cixing’s arm. This triggered a wave of itchiness.

It caused Lan Cixing to miss Rong Yushu’s first sentence.

“Not necessarily,” Rong Yushu’s voice said, blurred by the sensation of the itch.

Lan Cixing bit her lip, trying her best to ignore the discomfort in her arm. Even after four years, she still subconsciously wanted to hear every word Rong Yushu said, even knowing that nine times out of ten it was a joke.

“I don’t like the title ‘Boss.’ Today, you should call me Shushu.” Rong Yushu had already changed the subject, not lingering on the girlfriend matter. She turned her head to the other side and continued eating slowly.

She clearly didn’t want to talk to Lan Cixing anymore. Lan Cixing moved slightly closer, not forgetting to keep her distance to avoid skin contact, and finally heard her clearly.

…She knew Rong Yushu was being improper and teasing her. Where did “Shushu” come from? Does she want me to pretend to be a fan? They were clearly rivals before. Rong Yushu must hate her and enjoy bullying her.

Lan Cixing held her breath, refused to reply, and started eating from her bowl. Rong Yushu wasn’t in a hurry, taking her time just like before; she ate very slowly. She would take a bite and chew for several minutes, her fox-eyes staring blankly during the process, looking defenseless.

Lan Cixing, still huffing with annoyance, stared straight at this employer-slash-former-rival who had provoked her all day. Looking at her like this, she couldn’t help but remember a fan photo she had seen years ago. It was about six years ago. At that time, Lan Cixing and Rong Yushu hadn’t fought so fiercely. They had collaborated once, and Lan Cixing would actively search for Rong Yushu’s updates.

Back then, a photo of Rong Yushu eating blankly taken by a fan had gone viral. Eight out of ten “Crispy Skins” (fans) used that photo as their avatar. Six years passed in a flash. Lan Cixing still had that photo on her phone. Looking at the current Rong Yushu from a certain angle, Lan Cixing was startled to find she hadn’t changed much. Except her hair was dyed golden-brown and she had switched to a different pair of monocle-style glasses, which seemed a bit thicker.

The boundary between her thoughts and memories grew blurred. Lan Cixing’s eating speed slowed down, her eyes unconsciously following Rong Yushu’s movements. She watched how her cheeks moved, trying to guess where her unfocused eyes were looking.

Lan Cixing relaxed without realizing it. Suddenly, a smiling fox appeared in her field of vision. Lan Cixing nearly dropped her chopsticks and quickly retracted her gaze. But she was still caught by Rong Yushu.

Half a day had passed, and Rong Yushu had only eaten a tenth of her meal. She set the bowl aside, and someone took it to be reheated. Rong Yushu happened to lean down, looking at Lan Cixing from a lower angle, her gaze like a snake biting at Lan Cixing’s eyelids.

Being stared at made Lan Cixing feel as if she were poisoned—her limbs were paralyzed, and she didn’t even dare to blink.

“Hmm? Dare to look but not dare to admit it?” Rong Yushu blew gently on her earlobe.

Lan Cixing folded and curled to the side like a startled hedgehog.

“Always staring at me… do you have a secret crush on me?” Rong Yushu wouldn’t let her off. Her hand rested on her arm again, stroking her skin, focused on the goosebumps that had popped up.

Rong Yushu knew the answer to that question best of all… she just wanted to see her make a fool of herself.

“I—I really have a girlfriend!” Lan Cixing couldn’t take it. At this point, she had to make up a girlfriend even if she had to lie. Her head was hot; her whole person was flushed red.

“Where did you meet? How long have you been dating? Omega, Alpha, or Beta? Have you met the parents?” Rong Yushu cocked her eyes, throwing a string of questions at her. Her soft voice sounded like it had a hidden edge.

“…” Lan Cixing couldn’t answer any of those questions, giving herself away in a second.

“Heh.” Rong Yushu’s nails tightened. She pinched a small patch of Lan Cixing’s skin, leaving a mocking red mark.

Just when Lan Cixing thought she would continue teasing her, her tone shifted.

“Alright, Little Beauty. Don’t be angry; I didn’t mean to say you were ugly.” Her tone carried a hint of a “pleasing” vibe.

For a moment, Lan Cixing felt a complex surge of emotion, trying to distinguish which character Rong Yushu was playing in that sentence. In the next moment, the tide of her heart pushed the emotion back down, dispelling the heat in her mind.

Let her act. She thanked Rong Yushu for taking the time to humoring her in the midst of her busy schedule.

“I’m not angry.” Lan Cixing spoke slowly, packing up the bowls and chopsticks, and even helping Rong Yushu get the reheated portion. “I know you were helping me.” Her desire not to show her face in the entertainment industry was too obvious; Rong Yushu could certainly see it.

They were always like this. Rong Yushu looked at her as if she were transparent, seeing through all her thoughts. But looking at Rong Yushu was no different from “exploring flowers in a fog”—always hazy, unable to see clearly and unable to touch.

“Then aren’t you going to call me Shushu to thank me?” Rong Yushu followed beside Lan Cixing, walking with a bit of a skip.

Lan Cixing glanced at her. She’s acting again. Rong Yushu is so addicted to acting.

“I’m your boss, right? It’s only natural for me to set rules for you.” Rong Yushu had no expression even after being scrutinized, her smile remaining.

“You didn’t write that into the contract…” Lan Cixing set the food down for her and stood to the side, intending to dutifully act as a bodyguard.

Rong Yushu finally found it boring this time, focusing on her meal and no longer teasing Lan Cixing. After eating, Rong Yushu had to go to the set one more time. The bodyguard had to follow. Lan Cixing was packing her things and was about to put on her mask.

Rong Yushu pinched that old mask, threw it away with a flick, tossing the long-overdue mask into the trash can. Then, she took a new mask out of her pocket, opened the packaging, and unfolded it. She stood on her tiptoes slightly in front of Lan Cixing.

Lan Cixing was stunned and instinctively lowered her head. The mask was perfectly fastened onto her face. Rong Yushu’s fingertips still carried the crisp scent of white tea. The sensation as they brushed past her ears was soft, yet hinted at something sharp.

It was only for a moment. Rong Yushu turned around; this time she didn’t lead Lan Cixing, but walked toward the set on her own. As her figure grew distant, the scent faded too.

It took a moment for Lan Cixing to feel like she had landed on the ground. She should have clutched her racing heart, but her hand inexplicably went to her earlobe. The heat from Rong Yushu’s touch remained there. The mask retained the scent of the Omega’s pheromones. It was very faint, but the sweetness went straight to her heart.

Lan Cixing kept her head down and covered her ears as if afraid the mask would fall off, quickly catching up to Rong Yushu. When Rong Yushu turned her head to confirm her presence, she suddenly leaned down.

She whispered into Rong Yushu’s ear, her breath light.

“Sister Shushu.”

The voice was quieter than background noise, yet it added two more words than Rong Yushu had requested.

Rong Yushu personally delivered her “Model Employee” to her doorstep. Lan Cixing sat next to Rong Yushu, feeling a bit awkward.

Rong Yushu always knew where my house was…

Lan Cixing looked out the window quite deliberately, blocking the influence of the white tea scent beside her. She remembered clearly. Years ago, she had told Rong Yushu the location of her home. She had hoped Rong Yushu would come to visit. In her youth, she had possessed a naive enthusiasm. But until the day she quit the circle, Rong Yushu had never come.

Now, after so many years, Lan Cixing hadn’t said where her home was, yet Rong Yushu had accurately stated the address.

No words were spoken throughout the trip. Rong Yushu was probably just giving an employee special treatment, dropping her home since it was on the way, just as she had said earlier. Don’t overthink it. Lan Cixing slowly let her gaze go blank as she looked into the distance.

“Check my message tomorrow morning.” As they neared the destination, Rong Yushu spoke.

“Okay.”

They had exchanged work WeChats today. Lan Cixing had even thought that this meant they had each other’s contact information again. The previous one already had a red exclamation mark. And Lan Cixing didn’t dare use that account again.

Reaching the stop, Lan Cixing got out. After closing the door, she walked to Rong Yushu’s side and intended to thank her through the window. Rong Yushu didn’t look at her but listened to a few words. Then she suddenly turned her head and winked at her.

On anyone else, it would be a flirtation. But when Rong Yushu did it, Lan Cixing only took a step back, as if facing a great enemy.

“Remember to handle your rut. Your pheromones are leaking out~” As expected, what Rong Yushu said wasn’t anything nice. Paired with the wink, it looked like a provocation. What was worse was that as soon as she finished speaking, she had the driver speed away.

Lan Cixing was left alone on the spot, clutching the back of her neck, her whole body burning. No wonder Rong Yushu hadn’t teased her the whole way back.

Did my pheromones leak?!

Rong Yushu, as an Omega, had no reaction at all and even specifically reminded her—she really must hate her!

Lan Cixing entered her home with a red face and a burning brain. Without even questioning her sister about the game console, she dashed into the study to rummage through the medicine cabinet for suppressants.

Lan Baian turned on the light and saw it was her sister, feeling quite speechless. “Sis, why didn’t you turn on the light? I thought a thief had broken in.” She already had a stick ready.

Lan Cixing paused her movements, turning back to see her sister staring at her with disdain. Lan Cixing stopped her hands and stood up. “Do you smell my pheromones?”

Lan Baian set the stick aside and slapped Lan Cixing on the back. “If I did, could I be this calm? Even biological sisters shouldn’t enter their special periods together. But you, Sis… you seem to have the scent of Omega pheromones on you. Am I getting a sister-in-law soon?” The last part was spoken with great excitement. Lan Baian’s eyes lit up.

Lan Cixing fell silent for a moment. “That’s impossible. Get back to your studies. I’ll make supper.” She slapped Lan Baian back. Sister-in-law? More like sister-rival.

Lan Baian scratched her back and, under her sister’s intimidation, returned to the study. She was still muttering, “It clearly is Omega pheromones…” Her sister acted as a bodyguard for Omegas often, but this was the first time. Could she be blamed for being excited?

Lan Cixing still went to deal with the white tea scent on her body. Lan Baian was also an S-rank Omega, sharp enough to identify Rong Yushu’s pheromone scent from that tiny concentration; she wouldn’t mistake an Alpha’s pheromones.

Lan Cixing breathed a sigh of relief. Rong Yushu was teasing her again! She knew she couldn’t have failed to control her glands and let pheromones escape. After all, she was an S-rank Alpha; although she was a hair’s breadth away from being top-tier, she wouldn’t be like those low-grade Alphas who couldn’t control their glands without stimulation.

Except… Rong Yushu was so certain, as if she knew she was about to enter her rut. How did Rong Yushu know?

At that moment, Rong Yushu was taking a bath in her large apartment. She had a lollipop in her mouth. The scent of fir was clear and ethereal, while the underlying charred flint scent was extremely aggressive. It was the pheromones of a certain Alpha.

Rong Yushu pulled out the lollipop and held it, letting this specially flavored pheromone lollipop emit its unique fragrance. A faint metallic sensation mixed with the charred scent slowly drifted through the bathroom. Rong Yushu was enveloped by the Alpha’s pheromones, a sense of security embracing her.

She let out a breath, then stuffed the lollipop back into her mouth and bit down. The candy was also a specially made spicy flavor. The sweetness wasn’t pure; the spicy stimulation hit Rong Yushu’s head, making her eyes water a bit.

It was a nearly self-torturing taste, yet Rong Yushu liked it very much. After swallowing the candy completely, she even licked the stick clean. Then, she reluctantly threw away the flavorless stick. There was no one else’s scent in the bathroom anymore.

Rong Yushu then got out of the bath and dried herself. Her phone screen lit up at that moment. Rong Yushu’s fingertips were still wet, but she didn’t care and tapped it open. It was just a message from her subordinate.

“Tsk.” Rong Yushu went back to drying her hands methodically. Once she was completely comfortable, she lay on the bed and scrolled through her subordinate’s messages. It was the chat history between Lan Cixing and a supplier.

What a dangerous person. Why ask her for orders…

Rong Yushu’s finger scrolled past the sentence about “nude body double” and paused there. Her lashes covered her eyes. The fox had closed her eyes; a silent, unreadable expression was the most ominous response. The air also stagnated.

After a long time, Rong Yushu tapped the screen. Her dark green nail scratched across the protective film, leaving a mark that ran through the “Model” order page.

“Little Miss, should we stop it?” Her subordinate knew her well, estimating she had finished reading before sending the inquiry.

Rong Yushu tapped the screen boredly, not replying. She switched accounts and opened the chat interface with Lan Cixing—specifically, “Lantian Yeast (Learning-Averse Edition).”

Looking at the empty chat box, Rong Yushu petulantly sent ten red envelopes over. With a grim face, she tapped the voice message button.

Lan Cixing’s screen flashed several times. She was having supper with her sister, and her phone happened to be right next to her. Lan Cixing didn’t intend to check the messages. It had nothing to do with money, and it certainly wasn’t from Lan Baian; Lan Cixing was afraid it was the buzzkill agency boss or something similar—out of sight, out of mind.

Lan Baian was attracted by the flashing. “Sis, you’re so charming. So many people are chatting with you.”

“…More like so many people are picking on me.” Lan Cixing spoke and, as if to prove it, took her phone to unlock it. She saw the notification for fifty-two red envelopes.

Lan Baian’s eyes widened. Before she could let out her first exclamation, she clearly saw Lan Cixing’s contact name for the sender.

“Sis! You—you’re chatting with An Yu!” Lan Baian’s scream pierced the room.

Lan Cixing’s hand slipped, and she tapped the voice message sent by An Yu.

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