That night, Yong Le was surprisingly well-behaved.
She didn’t make any advances on Dong Enyu but instead held her close and slept through the night.
The next afternoon, when Dong Enyu woke up, she found herself alone; Yong Le had left without her noticing.
Slowly sitting up, she lingered in bed for a while before heading to the bathroom.
Dong Enyu took a quick shower, as she felt sticky from the disinfectant and medicinal smell that clung to her from Yong Le’s tight embrace the night before.
When she returned to the bedroom, she discovered Yong Le had come back, carrying two bags of food.
“Aren’t you supposed to be gone?”
Dong Enyu asked, surprised, as she wiped the water droplets from her hair and sat back on the edge of the bed.
“I went to buy something to eat,” Yong Le replied, handing her a convenience store sandwich while grabbing one for herself.
Her hair was messy, looking like she had just woken up, and her eyes were still a bit hazy.
Without her usual bold demeanor, she resembled a rock band lead singer who hadn’t slept for three days—disheveled yet charming.
Dong Enyu looked at the sandwich in her hand and felt an unexpected wave of emotion.
This was the first time since arriving at Star Diamond that someone had bought her food.
Just then, a phone vibrated.
Dong Enyu instinctively searched for her phone, but the sound was coming from Yong Le’s device.
She glanced at the screen and answered the call with a blank expression.
“You need something from me?”
Yong Le spoke while chewing, her words slightly muffled.
“Oh, okay, I’ll go.”
The call ended in just twenty seconds.
“If you have to go, then go ahead. I’ll take care of the mess,” Dong Enyu said, letting Yong Le leave the trash behind.
She planned to clean the entire room anyway, as she hadn’t properly tidied up since moving in, and some areas were covered in dust, which was quite disgusting.
“I’m going to collect some money from a few spots. Do you want to come?”
Yong Le said after finishing her soy milk, pulling out a cigarette only to find she was out.
Dong Enyu paused at her words and replied coolly, “I’m not one of Han Ge’s subordinates. It wouldn’t be convenient for me to go with you to collect money, and your gang has its own rules. I don’t want to be the subject of ridicule from your other brothers.”
“You think too much. Han Ge’s territory isn’t a secret. Don’t worry, if it’s something from the gang, I won’t mention it to you,” Yong Le said with a smile, patting Dong Enyu’s back.
Hearing this made Dong Enyu feel mixed emotions; while it meant Yong Le wouldn’t harm her, it also indicated she wouldn’t benefit her either.
After some consideration, Dong Enyu decided to go along.
Han Ge had many business ventures, even involving fish vendors in the market.
However, he entrusted the patrolling duties to his trusted subordinates, and Yong Le was one of them.
But as her status rose, she had been patrolling less frequently.
It was only because a manager had an urgent matter today that he asked Yong Le to collect protection fees.
When Yong Le got out of the car, Dong Enyu waited inside.
Usually, she wouldn’t have to wait long, as those people were quite compliant in paying.
If they didn’t, Han Ge wouldn’t protect them, and they would be threatened by other bosses.
It was a contradiction; they resented being controlled, yet felt threatened when they had freedom.
Thus, as long as their earnings were decent, they were willing to cooperate.
After a few stalls, Dong Enyu’s enthusiasm waned until Yong Le drove towards the Mountain Area.
After an hour of winding mountain roads, they arrived at the Homebrew Distillery.
As Yong Le got out of the car, several men at the entrance greeted her.
Dong Enyu was surprised; she hadn’t expected Han Ge to own a distillery, and a sizable one at that.
There were guards outside, and a few guard dogs were tied near the iron gate, making it heavily fortified.
A few minutes later, Yong Le emerged from the factory, holding two bottles of liquor.
“Here,” she said as she got into the driver’s seat, handing the bottles to Dong Enyu.
“What are these?”
Dong Enyu asked, cradling the bottles in her arms.
They looked expensive and didn’t seem like they were homemade.
“The manager just gave them to me. Keep them safe for me; he said they’re good stuff,” Yong Le replied while reversing the car.
She instructed Dong Enyu to place the bottles in the glove compartment and then pulled out a pack of cigarettes for herself.
“Did you finish your rounds?”
Dong Enyu asked, lighting one for herself.
“All done, but I still need to go somewhere,” Yong Le said, taking a drag from her cigarette and exhaling deeply, filling the car with smoke.
Dong Enyu asked her to roll down the window.
She only managed to take two puffs before extinguishing her cigarette.
Although Dong Enyu smoked, she preferred lighter brands, unlike Yong Le’s strong overseas cigarettes, which had a particularly heavy taste.
Dong Enyu listened to the radio along the way, gazing out at the passing scenery, feeling a bit dazed, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
When Yong Le woke her up, they had already stopped at the entrance of an alley.
Yong Le led Dong Enyu out of the car and turned into the Old Alley, where there was an old two-story building.
The spacious first floor used to be an Iron Factory but was no longer in operation, with the rusty iron roll-up door tightly sealed.
The second floor had several shabby rental rooms, but only one was occupied.
“Make yourself at home,” Yong Le said with a smile as she opened the door.
Dong Enyu was immediately taken aback.
The building was over fifty years old, with most of the peeling walls unpainted.
The old wood emitted a damp smell, and the sparse furniture was scattered about.
The living room had an old television, and the chairs were just small sofas.
The kitchen had only a sink and a gas stove, and the bathroom was so small that it could barely fit two people.
There was no separate bedroom; the blankets and pillows were piled in a corner next to the living room wall.
So shabby…
Dong Enyu could only think of those two words.
“Welcome to my Humble Abode,” Yong Le said, pulling Dong Enyu in and closing the door behind them.
Since she called it a Humble Abode, this was Yong Le’s home.
“You live here?”
Dong Enyu asked, astonished, especially when she saw that the house had no decent furniture.
She could hardly believe Yong Le would live in such a place.
She seemed so carefree, skilled in drinking and causing trouble, and adept at flirting, often frequenting hotels for fun.
She didn’t look like someone who could endure a life of poverty at all.
“Hey, this is my home. Do you like it?”
How could I like it!
Dong Enyu frowned, watching Yong Le change into clean clothes she pulled from a bamboo basket.
Unable to hold back, she said, “With so much protection fees, and such a powerful influence, does Han Ge exploit you all without sharing any profits?”
Why would she still live in such a miserable place?
Yong Le casually grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge and replied, “I do get quite a bit.”
“Then why are you still living in a place like this?”
Dong Enyu stood still, looking around, feeling a sense of injustice for Yong Le.
“This place isn’t bad; it’s quite peaceful.”
Yong Le actually liked this environment.
As she spoke, there were a few sounds coming from the kitchen windowsill, like something was tapping on the glass.
Dong Enyu walked over to take a look, and Yong Le opened the window, immediately five cats jumped in from outside, meowing and rubbing against Yong Le’s feet, acting all affectionate.
“Are these your cats?”
One of the small cats, white with brown spots, circled around Dong Enyu’s feet.
They didn’t seem shy at all and appeared very friendly.
Dong Enyu crouched down, trying to pet it.
At first, she only dared to extend a few fingers, afraid the cat would scratch her, but the little cat looked at her a few times and surprisingly came closer.
“They’re wild cats from the neighborhood. After feeding them a few times, they started visiting often.”
Yong Le came over to Dong Enyu’s side, crouching down to introduce a few of them.
“The white one is called Xiao Bai, the black one is Xiao Hei, the one with white spots is called Yuan Qiu, the black and spotted one is Xiao Hua, and the fat one is called Xiao Pang.”
“The names are so casual.”
Dong Enyu smiled slightly; Yong Le really had no talent for naming.
“What does it matter? As long as we know who we’re calling, that’s enough.”
She flipped one over and started rubbing its belly playfully.
Dong Enyu looked up and gazed at Yong Le.
The sunlight streaming in from outside illuminated her fiery hair warmly, and the colorful earrings on her ears sparkled brightly, dazzling like a real rainbow.
Her innate wild aura made every smile she showed brim with confidence.
However, Dong Enyu recently noticed that Yong Le’s smile had a hint of childishness, a playful and innocent vibe that naturally flowed out, making it impossible for her to dislike her.
Perhaps her behavior was quite rough, but she couldn’t deny that in certain small details, Yong Le was very thoughtful.
She would buy her food, sense her moods, take care of stray cats…
Yong Le wasn’t a bad kid, but it couldn’t be denied that she did many things that good kids wouldn’t do.
…She was a person who was both righteous and wicked, right?
“What are you thinking about? You’re lost in thought.”
Yong Le suddenly leaned closer, the scent of her perfume enveloping Dong Enyu.
“Thinking about you.”
She blinked and smiled a bit helplessly.
She laughed at herself for getting lost in thought about a little rogue.
“I’m right in front of you; there’s nothing to think about. Why not take some practical action?”
Yong Le knelt closer, wrapping her arms around Dong Enyu’s waist.
After saying that, she kissed her chin, her warm lips slowly moving, caressing.
“I said best friends wouldn’t do this.”
Dong Enyu pushed her a few times but couldn’t get her to budge.
“I also said this is emotional exchange.”
She enjoyed “exchanging feelings” with Dong Enyu, and there were no special sentiments involved—just touching her, hugging her, kissing her, teasing her, and then listening to Dong Enyu scold her a few times, watching Dong Enyu push her away.
Every time this happened, Yong Le felt like laughing; she knew Dong Enyu was quite reserved, saying no with her mouth while secretly enticing her.
Initially, she approached her because of Zhao Han, but now she clung to her because it was fun.
“Meow meow… meow meow…”
The five wild cats surrounded the two, looking up and meowing, with a few even rubbing against Dong Enyu.
“What’s wrong?”
She lowered her head to stroke the soft fur of the cats, asking softly.
But Yong Le suddenly grabbed Dong Enyu’s chest, fiercely kneading it, wrinkling her shirt.
“What are you doing! Don’t do that!”
She tried to resist, but Yong Le pushed her down to the ground.
No matter how much Dong Enyu pushed, she wouldn’t get up, and she slid her hand inside Dong Enyu’s shirt, forcefully touching her through her bra, the soft peaks being squeezed and deformed.
Dong Enyu grabbed Yong Le’s shoulders, trying to pull her away.
“They’re hungry,” Yong Le softened her grip, bending down, resting her forehead against Dong Enyu’s, their noses rubbing against each other.
Her fiery red eyes reflected Dong Enyu, and she stuck out her tongue to lick her lips, teasingly saying, “I’m milking for them.”
