On the Wedding Night, I Transmigrated to After the Divorce – Chapter 34
by Little PandaRestraint
She has her own rhythm when it comes to flirting
Yu Yan watched her, clearly catching the restraint in those eyes beneath that furrowed brow.
The more restraint she showed, the more Yu Yan marveled and swelled with satisfaction, wondering what on earth Fu-jiejie was really thinking.
She had always loved watching people struggle on her account.
The woman before her finally pulled her hand free and strode away without a word.
This time Yu Yan didn’t chase after her. She only turned to watch her go—because she knew that today was enough. She couldn’t pull another parking lot chase like last time. That would make her seem like a dog-skin plaster1, desperate and suffocating, backing her into a corner.
When it came to the flirting phase, Young Miss Yu had her own rhythm. She had already held Fu Yunqing’s hand today. The associations and sensations that stirred up were more than enough for two people at this stage to savor and slowly digest. Fu-jiejie wasn’t the type to be won over with a single cup of Tangerine Pear Tea, she thought.
At least she had accepted it. At least—Yu Yan was certain—she hadn’t truly let go of her. She still cared. She was still paying attention. She still got angry over her menstrual cramps.
With all that established, the rest was simply a matter of patience. Easy.
Yu Yan left campus in high spirits, had lunch at a restaurant, and headed home. She did the math—they had been apart for two hours now. Time to send a message and pester her a little.
Yu Yan weighed her words with great solemnity:
【Does Teacher Fu think the Tangerine Pear Tea was helpful? Does your throat feel any better after drinking it?】
She cradled her phone and waited, hoping to see the “typing…” indicator at the top of the chat.
Nothing.
A full five minutes went by. Still nothing.
Maybe she hadn’t seen the message yet. Maybe she was still on her lunch break. Yu Yan set her phone aside to charge, took off her makeup, and decided to rest for a bit herself.
She had stayed up late last night, and today she’d woken at six in the morning to make it to Teacher Fu’s class. She hadn’t had a proper moment of rest all day.
She figured she’d sleep for half an hour or so. But the moment she closed her eyes, she didn’t surface again until the sky was nearly dark. Lu Yu had already come home from work. Yu Yan heard the commotion through a fog, rubbing her eyes as she rolled over. WeChat showed several unread messages—Lu Yu asking what she wanted for dinner, Jiang Xuan asking if she wanted to go out tonight, Chen Hao sending a photo of her dinner. Nothing from Fu Yunqing.
Her chat had been pushed down the list since it wasn’t pinned to the top. Yu Yan quickly pinned it.
“You slept this late? I asked what you wanted to eat and you didn’t reply, so I picked up some clams and beef. Steamed clams and stir-fried beef with onions—sound good?”
Yu Yan had no objections.
Lu Yu headed straight for the kitchen after work, but Yu Yan had no useful skills to offer. She stayed in bed until Lu Yu called her for dinner, then dragged herself up in a daze.
“What’s wrong?” Lu Yu took in her deflated expression. Had she failed again? She’d been so confident on her way out the door. “Did she take the Tangerine Pear Tea?”
Yu Yan nibbled on her chopsticks and nodded. Honestly, she was just groggy from oversleeping.
“She didn’t drink it?”
Yu Yan picked up a piece of beef, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “She drank it.”
“Isn’t that great, then?”
It was.
It really was.
Some progress, it seemed—but the moment contact broke off, that progress stalled.
Still no reply to her message. Chatting was the best way to build connection—back and forth, one line at a time, and under Master Yu’s expert direction, a flirtatious atmosphere was effortless to conjure. But how was she supposed to flirt without a reply?
How was she supposed to press her advantage? She didn’t even know when Teacher Fu’s next class was. She’d heard the professor didn’t teach many sessions. What if she had to wait ages? She couldn’t keep playing the student forever. She needed a different kind of contact, something fresh.
What did Teacher Fu do when she wasn’t teaching? Research? Running her antique shop? Traveling for business deals? She must be incredibly busy. Yu Yan wasn’t even in the same social class anymore—she couldn’t get into the places Fu Yunqing might frequent, let alone run into her by chance.
A divorced, talentless, aimless unemployed woman chasing after her learned, cultured, filthy-rich ex-wife—the odds didn’t exactly sound promising.
Ah, so frustrating.
What to do? What to do?
Looking at the two dishes and soup on the table—quite decent in both aroma and presentation—Yu Yan had a flash of inspiration.
She opened WeChat and messaged Ran Ling: 【Ran-jiejie, could I treat you and Yu Boss to dinner?】
At that moment, Ran Ling had just finished her own dinner. Boneless against Yu Ting, she dangled a cat teaser, playing with the cats. The two cats had very different personalities and very different hunting styles—Dia Mei chased her prey relentlessly, fearless and direct, while Hua Hua crouched in the shadows, waiting with patient focus for the perfect moment. Both cats lunged at once and collided head-on. They looked thoroughly embarrassed, turning away to lick their fur, and Ran Ling laughed out loud.
Yu Ting held her close, watching her profile.
A gaze with a predatory edge, yet held carefully in check. The one being watched was entirely at ease—so natural about it, as though the family dog were staring at her, without the slightest unease. Occasionally their eyes met, and Ran Ling would simply glance at her, long accustomed to it.
The phone rested beside Yu Ting’s hand. It buzzed, the screen lighting up. Yu Ting glanced at it but didn’t pick it up or say a word. She simply turned her head, resting her chin on Ran Ling’s shoulder, breathing in her scent, watching her play with the cats.
By the time Ran Ling noticed the message, half an hour had passed.
“How did my phone get muted?” Ran Ling wondered. Yu Ting looked perfectly innocent, not saying a word. She must have pressed the button herself. Ran Ling replied to Yu Yan:
【What makes you want to treat us to dinner?】
Yu Yan, who had been guarding her messages for thirty minutes, replied instantly:
【To thank you for sending me Fu-jiejie’s WeChat, of course!】
Ran Ling: 【It was nothing. No need to go to the trouble.】
Yu Yan hesitated:
【Actually, I have a small favor to ask.】
Ran Ling: 【What favor?】
Yu Yan: 【I got my period today and didn’t have any pads on me. Fu-jiejie helped me out with that too. Since you two are friends, I thought—maybe we could all have dinner together. I’d like to ask you to invite her.】
Ran Ling was puzzled: 【Hmm? Why should I be the one to invite her?】
How to explain this? For some reason Yu Yan didn’t want to lie to Ran Ling. She answered honestly:
【Because I think she’d reject me.】
Ran Ling: 【So when we invite her, we should say we’re the ones treating her to dinner, and not mention you. Right?】
Ran-jiejie really was brilliant.
Yu Yan: 【Yes yes.】
Ran Ling: 【What if Yunqing gets angry?】
Yu Yan was about to type something when another message came through:
【If I trick her into coming and she actually gets angry, what if she blames me in her heart?】
Ah… That really was a serious problem.
She had some confidence in her ability to smooth things over, but she couldn’t be a hundred percent certain Fu Yunqing wouldn’t be upset. If she did get angry and Ran-jiejie got caught in the crossfire after doing her this favor, Yu Yan would deserve to be dragged out and struck by lightning2 to atone.
She needed to consider Ran Ling’s position and feelings.
Yu Yan pouted:
【Then never mind.】
She sent:
【I don’t want Ran-jiejie taking that risk for me.】
Then:
【twiddles fingers.jpg】
“She’s quite thoughtful,” Yu Ting remarked.
Ran Ling sighed. “Honestly, I’d quite like that free dinner.”
She’d been bored lately, with nothing interesting going on, and she was genuinely curious.
“I can help you trick Yunqing,” Yu Ting offered, seeing her interest.
Ran Ling smiled. “So obedient.”
Yu Ting gave her a look that said, Is this really your first time realizing how good I am?
Ran Ling stroked Yu Ting’s ear. “But I also couldn’t bear it if Yunqing took it out on Tingting.”
She thought for a moment, then replied to Yu Yan:
【How about this. I’ll tell Yunqing that a friend wants to treat us to dinner. I won’t say who. She’s smart—she might guess it’s you, and if she doesn’t, even better. We’ll see if she’s willing to come. This way, I’m not lying to her.】
Yu Yan: 【Okay!】
Ran-jiejie was too clever. That was the perfect compromise. Even if Fu Yunqing ended up refusing, Yu Yan would still get to treat Ran-jiejie and Yu Boss—two gorgeous women—to dinner. She was already over the moon.
Hehe. Yu Yan quickly asked:
【What kind of food do Ran-jiejie and Yu Boss like? Chinese or Western?】
Ran Ling: 【Best to see what your Fu-jiejie likes to eat first.】
…
After they finished discussing, she set the phone down. A head burrowed in and planted a kiss on her neck—then was immediately swatted away. A faint red handprint appeared on the woman’s pale chin. She stood there with long lashes lowered, as though savoring the sensation, before finally lifting her gaze to meet Ran Ling’s.
“Are you itching for a spanking? You’ve been restless lately.” Ran Ling said, “Go to the room and prepare yourself. Be good3.”
The muscular woman slipped away from her and walked obediently into the bedroom. Ran Ling went to the bar and poured herself a glass of red wine, taking her time to finish it before stepping into the walk-in closet and selecting a fine leather belt.
She folded it in her grip and walked toward the bedroom, slapping it excitedly against her palm.
It wasn’t until the next afternoon that Yu Yan received Ran Ling’s answer.
Ran Ling had told Fu Yunqing that a friend wanted to treat them to dinner. She hadn’t said who. Fu Yunqing hadn’t asked. She’d simply agreed.
And Fu Yunqing still hadn’t replied to Yu Yan’s message. Clearly, Ran-jiejie carried a lot of weight.
Overflowing with gratitude, Yu Yan immediately began planning.
Treating several wealthy women to dinner meant the choice of restaurant had to be impeccable. Yu Yan knew plenty of excellent restaurants in Yuncheng—great food, great service, great atmosphere—but they were all very expensive. A meal for several people could easily run into the tens of thousands. She checked her balance. The money from her first two livestreams had already been spent over the past few days. Funds were dangerously tight.
So if she wanted to treat these beauties to dinner, she’d have to do another stream and charm some women into sending her gifts.
Mm.
Perfect. Yu Yan finally had her motivation for another livestream. After dinner she rested for a bit, then got to work on her makeup.
She hadn’t streamed in days, and her fans had missed her terribly. Not long after going live, several familiar IDs popped up in the chat, asking where she’d been lately and why she hadn’t been streaming.
She’d been busy chasing a woman, that’s why. But Yu Yan had enough professional awareness to know she couldn’t say that if she wanted their money. She offered a breezy excuse: “I had some things to take care of. Sorry about that, everyone. I missed you too~”
A few casual words and the fans were appeased. She kept an eye on the IDs entering the stream, and before long her Top 1 mommy4 arrived. The moment 【You Ruguo】 appeared, the corners of her lips curved imperceptibly.
A regular gift-sender commented: 【Is the streamer secretly a cat? You seem like a little kitty.】
A kitty?
Yu Yan struck a feline pose and gave a soft “Mm,” then asked warmly, “Do you like kitties?”
The comment: 【I have lots of cats at home.】
Yu Yan’s eyes brightened, clearly intrigued. “Really?”
“I’m so jealous. That sounds wonderful.”
The comment: 【If you like them, why don’t you get one?】
At that… Yu Yan’s expression fell.
She looked down at the water glass beside her desk and reached out to tap it with her fingertip. A beat of silence passed before she spoke. “I used to have one.”
“It’s just…”
She hesitated, her mood visibly dipping. The chat flooded with concern, assuming the pet had fallen ill or run away. Yu Yan quickly said, “No, no.”
“She’s fine. She should be fine, right? I don’t even know anymore…” Aside from her own WeChat avatar and a few photos on Weibo, Yu Yan hadn’t seen Honey at all. Her phone was bare—not a single photo.
She thought about it, then said with quiet certainty, “She must be healthy and strong by now, being taken such good care of. By my count, she’s nearly three—a big kitty now.”
The chat buzzed with curiosity—if the cat was fine, why couldn’t she see her? Yu Yan didn’t know how to explain. She thought of what Fu Yunqing had said to her in the parking lot that day: she was the one who had abandoned Honey. She had no right to see her, no right to say she missed her.
She didn’t want to bring that into a livestream and make light of it. Her expression grew visibly wistful, and for a long moment she said nothing. The chat only got more excited—gossip was coded into their DNA.
Then 【You Ruguo】’s ID drifted across the screen, followed by twenty rockets. Yu Yan blinked, a little startled, her attention instantly redirected. Her eyes curved into crescents as she chirped, “Thank you for the rockets, You Ruguo-jiejie! Love you~”
Another twenty rockets in complete silence. The hearts of wealthy women were truly inscrutable. Yu Yan’s good mood returned in full force. She moved past the cat topic and launched a warm offensive of her own.
“Has jiejie had dinner yet?”
“Was jiejie happy today?”
“Has jiejie been busy all day?”
“Making this much money must be so exhausting.”
…
For a sister who quietly exploded gold coins5, a little flattery was only proper—on the chance it would land and she’d send even more. And it worked. The gifts kept coming, and within an hour Yu Yan had earned more than enough to treat the sisters to dinner. She ruthlessly ended the stream and went hunting for restaurants.
She picked a restaurant and a time, sent the location to Ran Ling, and received an OK in reply. Satisfied, Yu Yan went to take a shower, mentally running through what to wear when she saw Fu-jiejie tomorrow, what kind of makeup to do, what persona to adopt. She’d shown up as a student every time so far—should she go sexier this time? Cute only got you so far. Sexy was what really knocked a woman out.
Mind wandering, she finished her shower, toweled her hair as she walked to the bed, and picked up her charging phone. She opened Fu Yunqing’s chat. The message asking whether the Tangerine Pear Tea was helpful, whether it tasted good—still sat there alone and unanswered. Over twenty-four hours now.
Read. No reply.
Yu Yan felt a twinge of frustration. She suddenly wasn’t so sure she could read Fu Yunqing anymore.
What if Fu Yunqing saw her tomorrow, got furious, and walked straight out? It seemed unlikely, but the risk was real. She needed a contingency plan, fast.
Lying in bed, staring at the ceiling like a student wracking her brain over an exam, her thoughts drifted. She found herself thinking about the livestream earlier—about those twenty rockets 【You Ruguo】 had suddenly sent.
When she’d first received the gifts she’d been a bit bewildered. Thinking back on it now, she quickly understood why.
Was it because she’d seen Yu Yan get upset and hesitant when talking about her cat—felt bad for her, wanted to cheer her up—and so she’d sent all those gifts at once? Such a direct, brute-force approach. She loved it.
Yu Yan thought that she was probably a woman of few words but genuine kindness. Cold on the outside, warm on the inside. A very good wealthy woman indeed.
Footnotes
- 'Dog-skin plaster' (gǒupí gāoyào) is Chinese slang for someone clingy who sticks around and will not go away, like a traditional medicinal patch.
- 'Struck by five thunderbolts' (wǔ léi hōng) comes from the Chinese oath 'tiān dǎ wǔ léi hōng' — may heaven strike me with five thunderbolts. It describes a punishment so severe it could only atone for the gravest offense.
- 'Guāi' (be good) is a common Chinese term of endearment used as an affectionate command, equivalent to 'be good' or 'be a good girl.'
- 'Bǎng yī māmā' (Top 1 mommy) is livestreaming slang for a streamer's top donor, combining 'bǎng yī' (Top 1 on the leaderboard) with 'māmā' (mommy) as an affectionate honorific.
- 'Bào jīn bì' (explode gold coins) is Chinese internet slang for spending a large amount of money, originally from gaming culture. In livestreaming, it refers to a viewer who quietly sends many expensive gifts.
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