The Second Fall - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Compensating You

Rong Yushu currently had her back to Lan Cixing.

Even without seeing her expression, Lan Cixing could guess how much those fox-like eyes were curving. In any case, she was probably still angry with her, yet choosing this moment to side with someone else.

Lan Cixing lowered her head, her foot unconsciously drawing circles on the ground. She squeezed the card hidden in her hem; her chest felt increasingly heavy, and her thoughts were fragmented by Rong Yushu’s strange behavior.

Mu Huai, being favored by Rong Yushu, had eyes that practically lit up. The issue of her “lack of gaze depth” that the director had criticized earlier vanished instantly. She was about the same height as Rong Yushu, but now, because of her nerves, her knees felt soft. She lowered herself slightly and looked up at Rong Yushu, trying to maximize eye contact.

She thought that with enough eye contact, they would grow closer. Rong Yushu’s fox-eyes were naturally affectionate; when they curved slightly, the emerald green flashed like springtime, making people believe she had given all her tenderness to the person she was watching.

“Teacher Rong! She just bumped into me and was mean to me!” Mu Huai, swept up in the delusion, began to complain in a small voice, her tone fast and certain.

They had gotten along well today. Filming had gone smoothly. In the morning, when she didn’t understand a point, she had even asked Rong Yushu to coach her. You could still see their two small folding stools sitting side-by-side; Mu Huai was the one who had moved hers next to Rong Yushu’s.

Rong Yushu was here to help her, right? Mu Huai looked up hopefully, a faint blush on her face. To an outsider, she might have looked shy, but only she knew it was because she was lying. Her conflict with Lan Cixing was purely out of spite because she felt the Alpha was interfering with her attempts to get close to Rong Yushu. Lan Cixing hadn’t actually done anything to her, but what if she could ruin Rong Yushu’s impression of her?

Her heart rate began to accelerate.

“That truly is quite bad,” Rong Yushu said, casually pronouncing judgment on Lan Cixing.

Standing only a meter away, Lan Cixing heard it clearly. Her eyelashes drooped. She felt so frustrated she wanted to run away. She pinched the black card so hard the sharp edges dug into her palm, but she didn’t care about the pain.

“Is this bento box broken too? Let me see?” Rong Yushu continued to play favorites.

“I-it seems like a corner got chipped. Teacher Rong, this was for you… can we eat together?” The bento box was quite large; as Mu Huai clutched it, her hands looked small and delicate. She held the box to her chest and offered it to Rong Yushu. She had come specifically to have lunch with her. This was a meal freshly prepared by a five-star chef from Mu Huai’s household—leagues above the standard set meals provided on location.

Mu Huai clearly didn’t understand Rong Yushu at all. Yet, Rong Yushu actually reached out and took the bento box, seemingly about to go have lunch with Mu Huai.

A bead of sweat rolled down Lan Cixing’s temple. If Rong Yushu just let her go like this and walked away, it wouldn’t be so bad. Even if she was wronged and felt terrible inside, at least she wasn’t being targeted.

Rrrr-rip—!

The abrupt sound made Lan Cixing, who had been hesitantly backing away, look up at Mu Huai. Mu Huai seemed equally blindsided; her eyes still held their friendly expression, but her pupils had shrunk to tiny points.

The culprit, Rong Yushu, was currently holding the bento box. She had used it to snag a bright, obvious thread on Mu Huai’s skirt. Rong Yushu let go, and the box thudded to the ground. Mu Huai’s skirt tore open along a seam, completely ruined. The bento box was sturdy; it only made a single sound as it hit the ground without breaking open.

The sudden change was so jarring that Mu Huai couldn’t react for a moment. Watching this, Lan Cixing’s mind also fell into a buzzing state of confusion.

“Now it really is broken,” Rong Yushu said. She took a tissue from her pocket and slowly, methodically wiped her hands, as if she had just touched something filthy. The smile remained in her eyes, but with a flash of light, her tenderness turned into mockery. Her warmth became a chilling, sinister cold—not heavy, but like a mischievous child who had succeeded in a prank.

“Since I broke it, how about I compensate you?” Having finished wiping her hands, Rong Yushu put on a glove, crouched slightly to pick up the bento box, and held it out to Mu Huai.

Her aura was so oppressive that Mu Huai began to tremble. There were several seconds of silence. Lan Cixing’s eyes were wide as she unconsciously tilted her head to see what would happen next. She had heard and seen Rong Yushu’s arrogant words, but she still hadn’t processed who Rong Yushu was doing this for.

Rong Yushu caught Lan Cixing’s curiosity in her peripheral vision. A flash of boredom crossed her eyes, and she simply shoved the bento box forward. It was a posture that brooked no refusal.

“N-no, it’s fine, no need, don’t trouble yourself… it’s just a small thing.” But how could Mu Huai dare to accept her compensation? She couldn’t control her emotions well, and her voice carried a sob. She instinctively clutched her skirt; the torn gap was glaringly obvious, and it felt like a sting to her hands.

She finally realized that Rong Yushu hadn’t come to back her up. She had come to teach her a lesson on behalf of that Alpha. Why? Mu Huai was indignant, but she didn’t dare erupt.

“A small thing?” Rong Yushu repeated. The words made Mu Huai tremble violently. Tears hit her skirt, staining the “expensive” garment she had boasted about.

“Then my bodyguard didn’t break your clothes, so that was a small thing too, right? What did you need her to compensate you with?”

Mu Huai couldn’t answer. So Rong Yushu answered for her.

“A person?”

Mu Huai flinched, no longer even daring to tremble. She looked up at Rong Yushu blankly. But Rong Yushu had already turned around, shifting her gaze to Lan Cixing.

Rong Yushu simply beckoned with her finger. Like calling a puppy.

Lan Cixing actually took a step forward. Amidst the chaos in her mind, she obeyed Rong Yushu’s command by pure instinct. The only Omega she had ever marked was giving her a supreme order. And, of course, she was helping her.

Lan Cixing quickened her pace, coming obediently before Rong Yushu. She was as docile as a trained beast, needing only to crouch down, look up, and be fitted with a master’s collar. Her gaze was no different from a look of adoration.

And Rong Yushu, acting as her master, casually hooked her mask and pulled her a bit closer.

“Compensating you with a person won’t work. These few days, she is mine.”

Rong Yushu’s words stimulated Mu Huai’s mind, and their intimate actions dealt another blow. Mu Huai flinched again and finally couldn’t take it; she covered her face and ran away, not even caring about the bento box.

Lan Cixing’s face was very close. She didn’t even have the heart to think about what Mu Huai had done. Her eyes held only Rong Yushu’s emerald orbs and their shimmering light. Perhaps there was also some white tea scent, calmly bypassing her mask to drift into her nose.

Does this… count as a reconciliation? Is Rong Yushu not angry with her anymore?

Lan Cixing’s head was filled only with these thoughts, ignoring how fast her heart was beating or how hot and red her neck and cheeks were.

As soon as Mu Huai’s figure disappeared, Rong Yushu slapped away Lan Cixing’s face—which was close enough to kiss—and walked away without looking back. Her speed in changing expressions surpassed even the fickleness of summer weather.

“Hey, Boss!” Lan Cixing didn’t have time to be dazed. She hurried after her. Her slapped cheek didn’t hurt at all; instead, it burned with a heat that made her heart itch.

“Wait for me!” Lan Cixing was fast, but the set was crowded, and she wasn’t as nimble as Rong Yushu. Even wearing high heels for her role, Rong Yushu managed to stay ahead of her. Her receding figure turned the word “elegance” into a core trait.

Lan Cixing stopped shouting and focused on the chase, following her all the way to Rong Yushu’s dressing room. It was empty at the moment; it was noon, and the assistants were having lunch in the break room next door.

As soon as Lan Cixing entered, the door was locked by a slender hand. The dark green manicured nails glinted with a spiritual light, causing Lan Cixing to look down, then up again following Rong Yushu’s movements. She seemed completely controlled by Rong Yushu, her every move dictated by the other woman.

When Rong Yushu took a step forward, Lan Cixing took several small steps back. Rong Yushu suddenly turned and closed in, forcing Lan Cixing to retreat nervously. She easily trapped Lan Cixing in the corner, with nowhere to hide.

“Something the matter?” Rong Yushu was still standing half a meter away. She hadn’t come close, nor had she touched Lan Cixing’s body. Even so, Lan Cixing didn’t dare flee from under her nose. She could only swallow, trying to organize her nervousness into words.

“This is back for you…” Lan Cixing pulled out the black card. “It’s too valuable. Besides, our contract already set the wage. I can’t take this.”

She didn’t notice that because her head was lowered, her posture of holding the card up with both hands looked very much like handing over a love letter. Rong Yushu was a bit lazy, not standing perfectly straight, but Lan Cixing adjusted the height of her hands to match her. As long as Rong Yushu raised her hand, she could take the card.

But after a long wait, there was no reaction from Rong Yushu. Lan Cixing’s heart rate began to drop, her hormones leveled out, and the heat in her head cooled down. She even began to wonder if Rong Yushu had actually left. She had to quietly look up to confirm.

Rong Yushu’s leisurely smile crashed into Lan Cixing’s cautious eyes. Lan Cixing was momentarily stunned and tried to withdraw her hand. But the black card was pinched and snatched back by Rong Yushu. The card caught Lan Cixing’s chin, hooking her mask away.

Rong Yushu saw all of Lan Cixing. Her fox-eyes tilted at a dangerous angle. Her voice was more alluring than usual. “Since you don’t want my money, yet you still came to be my bodyguard…”

Instead of the card, it was Rong Yushu’s exquisite fingernail that touched her chin. The grazing contact caused a wave of goosebumps. Lan Cixing didn’t even dare to shiver.

“Can I interpret this as… you like me now?”

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