The Second Fall - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: The Jealous Fox

The doll was only a half-body bust. It had golden hair, closed eyes with long lashes, and exquisite features that felt hauntingly familiar. It had been heartlessly hurled onto the bed by Rong Yushu, face down.

Lan Cixing hadn’t seen the doll’s full face yet, but the sight of that shimmering gold hair gave her a heart-stopping fright. In her world, Rong Yushu was the only one with golden curls. Coupled with features like a porcelain doll, the sense of deja vu was overwhelming.

Lan Cixing’s scalp went numb. She was almost certain this realistic doll had been modeled after Rong Yushu. And this package was addressed to her. It looked for all the world like she had actually bought a “Mini Rong Yushu.” If this wasn’t the behavior of a pervert, what was?! Was that toy manufacturer insane? Why would they send her something like this?

“Sister, listen to my explanation!” Panicking, Lan Cixing grabbed her phone and began frantically searching for her order history. Fortunately, since she had just messaged An Yu, the interface was still open on her shopping orders.

“I really didn’t buy this kind of thing. It was just an auxiliary prop! Sister, please, look…” She rushed forward and caught Rong Yushu, who was already halfway out the door. Using rare force, she insisted on shoving the phone into Rong Yushu’s arms.

Rong Yushu’s face was frozen with a deathly chill, her emerald eyes sweeping over her with a gaze that could draw blood, yet she couldn’t stop Lan Cixing’s movements. With tears prickling the corners of her eyes, Lan Cixing finally forced Rong Yushu to look at the screen.

A minute of silence passed. Lan Cixing kept pushing the phone upward, regardless of Rong Yushu’s expression, desperate to prove her innocence.

“…Why are you showing me your chat with a netizen?” Rong Yushu’s brow finally softened. She turned back into the room, leading Lan Cixing with her. She sat straight down next to the realistic doll, crossed her legs, folded her arms, and looked up at Lan Cixing.

Only then did Lan Cixing realize that in her haste, her clothes must have brushed the screen, sliding the view back to her chat with An Yu. She tried to snatch the phone back, but the corner was firmly pinched by Rong Yushu.

“I can’t see it?” Rong Yushu’s eyes were sharp.

Lan Cixing did a rapid mental recap of her chat with An Yu today. Seeing nothing scandalous, she let go and knelt obediently before Rong Yushu, not daring to speak. Rong Yushu scanned the phone, her fingertip sliding across the screen occasionally. After a while, she tossed the phone back to Lan Cixing. Her face was expressionless, but she no longer radiated that icy chill.

Lan Cixing breathed a sigh of relief and clicked into the store page, determined to prove she hadn’t bought the doll. “Sister, I’ll ask the seller. They must have sent the wrong item.” Even if it was a mistake, it was too coincidental that it looked like Rong Yushu.

Lan Cixing took a cautious peek at the doll. Actually, the features were quite different from Rong Yushu’s. It was just that the hair color was identical, and with the eyes closed, it was easy for Lan Cixing to mentally fill in the emerald green irises, leading her to mistake it for the actress.

Kneeling before Rong Yushu, Lan Cixing opened the customer service chat and sent a photo of the doll. Her typing speed was much faster than when replying to An Yu.

“Did you send the wrong item? I ordered this: (Image)” She even sent a screenshot of the order.

The customer service replied instantly, but their attitude was far from professional. “What “wrong item”? Our shop doesn’t even make high-end products like that.”

“? What do you mean?” Lan Cixing felt a spark of temper at the attitude.

“That silicone doll with a custom face? It’s a bust; making one costs at least a few tens of thousands. You think I’d make that just to give it to you for free and lose money?” The agent’s tone was terrible, but the logic was sound.

Lan Cixing took a deep breath. “But I received this. If it wasn’t you, could it be the courier company?”

“Look at what you bought. I’m going to send you a 100,000-yuan item for 10 yuan? Am I crazy or are you?”

Lan Cixing couldn’t hold back anymore, a vein throbbing on her forehead. “I received the wrong item and came to ask you, what’s with this attitude?” She usually had a good temper, but she couldn’t stand this explosive customer service—especially while she was trying to prove herself to Rong Yushu.

The other side remained hostile: “Who knows what you actually bought. Buying random things and then blaming me.” They even issued a refund immediately, appearing as though they didn’t want to deal with her for another second.

Though Lan Cixing was poor, she didn’t care about the ten yuan; she was so angry her breathing grew rapid, and she prepared to file a formal complaint.

Having watched the whole thing, Rong Yushu finally sighed and pressed her hand down.

“Sister… I really didn’t buy it,” Lan Cixing heard the sigh, and her tears finally spilled over. She looked up, the bitterness she had suppressed for hours erupting into a steady flow. Her pale eyes turned red, the bridge of her nose stung, and her teeth chattered piteously as she spoke.

“…I bought it,” Rong Yushu admitted, out of necessity. She took Lan Cixing’s phone, finished the complaint Lan Cixing had started, and then pulled the kneeling puppy up onto the bed. Her movements were as quiet as ice, as if she weren’t confessing to something embarrassing and “bad.”

“I told you to soothe your glands, and you went and bought the most basic, useless mouthguard. What’s the point of that? If you’re going to use something, use the best.” Rong Yushu’s eyes were like torches, burning as she looked at Lan Cixing. Her green eyes were so deep it felt like she was reciting moving poetry.

Lan Cixing was stunned into a daze. She couldn’t process the words. Her favorite voice was pouring into her ears, but she couldn’t string the sentences together into anything meaningful. She woozily tried to lean toward Rong Yushu, but her shoulders were held firm.

The realistic doll ended up back in Lan Cixing’s arms. Rong Yushu forced it there.

“Use it now. I’ll watch.” After shoving it at her, Rong Yushu turned her head away. No one could see her expression.

But Lan Cixing understood. Rong Yushu wasn’t angry anymore. She was embarrassed.

“I—I won’t use it.” Lan Cixing’s mind whirled, pushing aside all irrelevant thoughts. Right now, she just wanted to coax back the Rong Yushu who was finally willing to speak to her.

“Don’t be difficult. Aren’t your glands uncomfortable?” Rong Yushu’s voice sounded muffled through her body, a bit choked up, as if she had just cried.

Lan Cixing remembered then: when Rong Yushu had opened her door, her eyes were bloodshot. The “fox eyes” had truly become roses—the whites were the petals, the pupils the leaves. It was a heart-wrenching sight; she must have cried for a long time to look like that.

Lan Cixing steadied herself, set the “Mini Rong Yushu” aside, and shifted to sit behind Rong Yushu. She spoke carefully, her voice barely a whisper. She sat close, her body perfectly still, not touching Rong Yushu at all.

“I won’t use it. I don’t want toys, and I won’t mark them. That’s why I chose that auxiliary prop—I wanted to wear it when I was… with you.” Her voice was soft, yet firmer than anything she had said all day.

All the fire and grievance vanished, replaced by the natural elegance of Lan Cixing’s true voice. She threw away her pride; having realized why Rong Yushu was angry, her subconscious had been working on how to explain. Now that she had the chance, she didn’t care how embarrassing the words were.

So, the person who became embarrassed was Rong Yushu.

It had been so long since she had seen such a blunt, bold, firm, and brave Lan Cixing. This was Lan Cixing’s true colors, unchanged after four years. It was this unique temperament that had first attracted Rong Yushu.

Thinking that speaking to her back wasn’t enough to convey her feelings, Lan Cixing moved back to face Rong Yushu. If Rong Yushu turned her head, she followed. If Rong Yushu turned her body, Lan Cixing followed tirelessly, determined to stay in her line of sight. Then she knelt and took Rong Yushu’s hand. She looked up with eyes full of light.

Rong Yushu’s ears were already burning hot. When Lan Cixing had said “when I’m with you,” Rong Yushu nearly cried from the sheer embarrassment of it. Now, forced to look at her, she really wanted to kick this thick-skinned “dog” away. She was almost driven to tears by the intensity of it.

But Lan Cixing gently placed Rong Yushu’s hand on her own head. She was the most proactive “submissive,” always handing the control Rong Yushu desired over to her.

“I won’t do it with anyone else, and I won’t mark anyone else, let alone a toy. It’s all yours. I only want you.”

Perhaps Lan Cixing didn’t realize that this sentence was no different from a confession. In fact, it was more direct than a confession. Rong Yushu felt her whole body ignite. She never expected Lan Cixing to speak this way. In the past, they had only been at a stage of unspoken ambiguity; neither had ever said sweet nothings to the other. No matter how deep the affection in their scripts, those weren’t them.

This was the first time Rong Yushu discovered Lan Cixing had this side to her. She was truly overwhelmed with bashfulness. Tears welled up in her eyes, and a blush burned down to her neck. She looked more like a porcelain doll than the one she had despised—cute, fragile, and ready to shatter at a touch.

Rong Yushu trembled with a shy daintiness.

“If that’s not enough, I can sign a contract, and you can supervise me. I won’t use toys.” Whether Rong Yushu had bought it or the merchant had sent it by mistake, Lan Cixing had never considered the doll for a second. She only wanted Rong Yushu. She had made it crystal clear.

She looked into Rong Yushu’s eyes and saw tears. Thinking she hadn’t done enough, she tried to nuzzle Rong Yushu’s knee. But she was met with a light kick. The hand on her head slid away, and without hesitation, Rong Yushu slapped her.

“You—have some shame!” Rong Yushu was still shaking, truly crying from embarrassment now. Tears dripped onto Lan Cixing’s stunned face.

“Wuu…” A soft, delicate sound escaped Rong Yushu’s throat—a sound completely contrary to her usual aura—and she turned and fled. She was so fast that when Lan Cixing turned around, she couldn’t even catch a glimpse of her shadow. The door was slammed shut so hard the frame vibrated.

Lan Cixing remained there in a daze, kneeling obediently as if Rong Yushu were still guiding and commanding her. After a long while, she finally snapped out of it. Her cheek stung. Rong Yushu hadn’t held back; the slap had left a mark. But as she touched the burning skin, she blinked and found herself unable to stop smiling. It was as if that slap had been a kiss from Rong Yushu. Lan Cixing lowered her head and actually laughed out loud. Rong Yushu was always like this—thorny, beautiful, and toxically seductive.

But… she had actually cried from jealousy over such a small thing.

Lan Cixing picked up the doll to examine it. Rong Yushu said she had bought it for her. No wonder it looked like Rong Yushu. It was likely a custom order. She didn’t dare think too deeply about it; the idea was even more inflammatory than Rong Yushu being jealous. Just thinking about it made her glands start to act up.

She lightly brushed the doll’s face, her fingertip sweeping over the long lashes. As a custom piece, it was incredibly realistic; holding it felt like holding Rong Yushu herself—a naked, bust-version of Rong Yushu.

Lan Cixing’s gaze paused. She took a deep breath and hurriedly set the doll aside. She didn’t touch it again. She found a box to put it in, covering it up and putting it away. She had to find a chance to return it to Rong Yushu. But it wouldn’t be today.

She tried to push the door again. Still locked. Rong Yushu was probably still mad.

Lan Cixing waited at the door until the butler came to tell her to eat, saying it was Rong Yushu’s wish. She had no choice but to leave. After dinner, she returned to her room to pack some things. She planned to take her pillow and then have a proper shower.

Suddenly, her phone chimed. Confused, she picked it up. It was a message from An Yu. But she remembered she had turned on “Do Not Disturb.” Lan Cixing clicked in and saw a “Special Interest” tag. The message had bypassed her settings.

“…” Could An Yu hack her phone? Why was she always changing settings to grab her attention? Lan Cixing tried to find a way to turn off the notifications. These obvious alerts were inconvenient. If she were being intimate with Rong Yushu and An Yu sent a message, she’d have to delete her as a friend.

She fiddled with it for a long time but failed. Then she received another message. She felt forced to reply to soothe this bored rich kid.

An Yu’s question was hard to handle: “Little Blue Sky, you aren’t replying again. You aren’t off being lovey-dovey with your boss, are you?”

Lan Cixing was speechless. An Yu might have not only hacked her phone but also planted a camera on her. How else did she know everything so clearly?

“Yeah, exactly. I’m off kissing my boss.” Lan Cixing sent an eye-roll emoji.

“Is your boss really Shushu?” Just as Lan Cixing had tested An Yu, An Yu frequently tested her.

Lan Cixing was experienced and handled it with ease. “Hee hee, jealous?”

“Don’t lie to me.” An Yu, as expected, didn’t believe it.

“Then why ask. My boss isn’t famous; you wouldn’t know her even if I told you.” Lan Cixing replied while searching how to remove the “Special Interest” tag. By the way, An Yu wasn’t on her “Special Interest” list. But Rong Yushu could be.

“So do you like your boss? You’re always asking me about your relationship with her.” Before Lan Cixing could find the setting, An Yu was at it again, tireless.

Lan Cixing exhaled. “Why are you asking so much about her? Are you a spy trying to gather intel?” Her tone was a bit impatient.

“I’m just curious. You mention her so much, it’s like you care about her a lot.] An Yu made a joke to change the subject. [Which one do you like more, her or Shushu?”

“Shushu.” Lan Cixing hesitated; something felt off. Her boss and Rong Yushu were the same person. What was there to choose?

“Are you really a ‘dream girl’ (stan) for Shushu?” After knowing Lan Cixing was an Alpha, An Yu seemed to believe her previous nonsense more and more.

“Mm.” Lan Cixing didn’t bother to refute it. In the past… she really was a “dream girl” for Rong Yushu. If she didn’t want to call it a nightmare, she had indeed dreamed of her repeatedly. Now that she had entered the dream, Rong Yushu was by her side. How could she not be a dream girl?

“Who do you like more, me or Shushu?” Lan Cixing had finally found the “Special Interest” settings. She didn’t want to reply, so she used a difficult question to try and get An Yu to log off.

To her surprise, just as she finished setting Rong Yushu as her “Special Interest,” she saw An Yu’s reply.

“You.”

Unhesitating, and incredibly firm.

Lan Cixing logged off in a panic, forgetting to turn off An Yu’s “Special Interest” notification.

The night was pleasant. Lan Cixing took her pillow, leaving her phone behind. She went to Rong Yushu’s door and tried it; it was still locked. So she knocked.

She arrived early, only eight o’clock. According to Rong Yushu’s habits, she definitely wouldn’t be asleep. Rong Yushu certainly heard her but didn’t reply. Lan Cixing wasn’t in a hurry. Coaxing a fox wasn’t easy. As long as the fox didn’t drive her away, she would keep trying.

“What is it?” After waiting a long while, Rong Yushu’s voice came through the door, muffled.

“Sister, I miss you.” Lan Cixing stood pressed against the door, her head resting on the frame. Her longing was as deep and suppressed as her voice.

Rong Yushu went silent again. Lan Cixing pressed the door handle. Still angry. “Sister, can’t we sleep together tonight? We did for the last two nights.” She had brought her pillow; if Rong Yushu didn’t agree, she’d have to sleep right here on the spot.

“…Mommy. I know you’re still angry, but you have to let me in so I can coax you.” Another half hour passed. Lan Cixing’s face was still against the door. She didn’t mind the trouble.

She was incredibly patient, unaware that Rong Yushu was currently curled into a ball inside the room. Hiding under the covers, Rong Yushu’s entire body was flushed pink. Her breathing was rapid, as if Lan Cixing were doing something to her from across the door.

All afternoon, Rong Yushu had been replaying Lan Cixing’s words in her mind. Then she saw Lan Cixing say without hesitation that she was her “dream girl.” She wanted to treat those words as truth. She knew Lan Cixing was insecure and had barriers; she knew Lan Cixing could say she liked her but refused to tell her directly, only acknowledging their status as bed partners. That was why she didn’t dare go out to see her now. Her prideful acting skills were nothing before Lan Cixing’s intuition. She was afraid her intense feelings would scare the girl away.

Lan Cixing was always the most proactive “submissive.” Rong Yushu wanted to hand the initiative to her. But she missed her so much. Rong Yushu bit the blanket, the corners of her eyes red. A drop of sweat slid past her eye, soaking into the pillow along with a tear.

A moment later, she heard Lan Cixing knock again. Rong Yushu got up, unwrapped a lollipop, and put it in her mouth. She waited for her body to overheat and then slowly cool down. Only then did she discard the stick, turn off the lights, and crawl back under the covers.

She remotely unlocked the door. When that shameless “dog” pressed in and gently embraced her, Rong Yushu closed her eyes and squeezed out a drop of water.

She so wanted… she so wanted to be caught by the nape of her neck by Lan Cixing. To become her prey and be devoured.

Payday arrived. Lan Cixing woke up slowly, not quite sure which room she was in. Her phone was on the nightstand. After a few moments of grogginess, she opened it.

She saw a text: [Your bank card ending in xxxx has received a transfer of 1,000,000.]

Lan Cixing was instantly awake. Wasn’t her salary only one yuan?! Where did a million come from?

She remembered she had forced her way into Rong Yushu’s room to sleep. She turned around, but Rong Yushu was nowhere to be found.

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