Maybe My Soulmate! (GL)

the click of the penthouse door was the only sound that mattered. it was mo yuxin's signal, the clean snap of a lock that separated the world where she was ceo mo from the one where she was just yuxin. outside, she was the architect of a tech empire that had clawed its way into the nation's top ten, a figure of icy composure and ruthless efficiency. inside, she was a predator, and her favorite prey was curled up on the ridiculously large white sofa.

su yubing didn't look up from her tablet. she was wearing one of yuxin's old, soft t-shirts and a pair of silk shorts that did nothing to hide the elegant line of her legs. a pair of reading glasses were perched on her nose, making her look more like a grad student than a global music icon whose voice was the literal soundtrack to billions of lives.

"you're late," yubing murmured, her voice the low, melodic hum that yuxin fell asleep to every night.

"had to crush a small rebellion in the r&d department," yuxin said, toeing off her heels. the relief was instantaneous. she padded across the marble floor, her movements silent. "they thought they could slip a buggy update past me. cute."

she came up behind the sofa, leaning down to breathe in the scent of yubing's hair—some floral shampoo that probably cost more than a mid-range car. her hands, which had signed off on billion-dollar acquisitions that day, slid around yubing's waist and moved north with unerring accuracy.

yubing sighed, a long-suffering sound that held zero actual suffering. "must you?"

"it's a medical necessity," yuxin whispered, her palms cupping the soft, full weight of yubing's breasts over the thin cotton of the shirt. she squeezed gently, her thumbs tracing circles. "my personal, dual-hemisphere stress-relief system. perfectly calibrated."

yubing finally put the tablet down, tilting her head back to rest against yuxin's stomach. "you're a menace."

"i'm your menace," yuxin corrected, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. she continued her ministrations, a familiar, comforting rhythm. they were perfect. not comically oversized, not small, but a perfect, glorious handful that fit her palms as if they were made for them. which, in yuxin's private theology, they were. "what's the diva of the century studying so intently?"

"lyrics for the new album," yubing said, her body relaxing completely into yuxin's hold. "and a proposal for a duet with that spanish singer, alejandro. his team sent it over."

yuxin's hands stilled for a fraction of a second. "the one who looks like he's perpetually starring in a cologne commercial?"

"he's very talented."

"i'm sure he is," yuxin said, her tone dangerously smooth. her hands resumed their work, a little more possessively this time. she dipped her head, nosing at the sensitive skin of yubing's neck. "but your best duets are with me. and we don't use microphones."

a soft laugh escaped yubing. "is that jealousy i hear, ceo mo? from the woman who was on the cover of 'fortune' looking like she could buy and sell continents?"

"it's not jealousy. it's quality control," yuxin murmured against her skin, her lips starting a slow trail downwards. she tugged at the collar of the t-shirt, exposing a pale shoulder. "i have a vested interest in my wife's collaborator choices." her fingers found the hem of the shirt and slipped underneath, making direct contact. yubing's skin was like warm silk. the nipple pebbled instantly under her thumb.

yubing's breath hitched. "yuxin…"

"shhh. board meeting's over." yuxin's voice was a low growl. she pulled the shirt up, baring yubing's torso to the cool air of the penthouse. she admired her work for a moment. they were beautiful, pale and round with dusky pink areolas. her property. she leaned down and took one into her mouth.

yubing gasped, her fingers tangling in yuxin's hair. the tablet was long forgotten on the floor. this was their ritual. the shedding of their public skins. mo yuxin wasn't a ceo here, and su yubing wasn't a goddess to be worshipped from afar. they were just two women, tangled up on a sofa, one of them with a very specific, very dedicated oral fixation.

"you're impossible," yubing breathed out as yuxin's tongue worked its magic.

"and you love it," yuxin mumbled around a mouthful of her wife. she didn't need a verbal confirmation. she could feel it in the way yubing's hips started to move, a subtle, seeking pressure against the back of the sofa.

later, much later, they were lying in their massive bed, tangled in sheets that probably had a thread count higher than the gdp of a small country. yubing was tracing patterns on yuxin's bare back.

"the foundation gala is next week," yubing said softly.

yuxin groaned, burying her face in the pillow. "do we have to? it's the most boring night of the year. a bunch of old money fossils and new money try-hards trying to out-donate each other."

"we have to. you're a patron, and i'm performing one song," yubing reminded her. "it's for a good cause. and you get to show me off."

yuxin turned, a wicked glint in her eye. she propped herself up on an elbow, her gaze dropping pointedly to yubing's chest. "oh, i'll show you off. i'm thinking of a dress that has… structural challenges. something that requires a lot of support. my support."

yubing rolled her eyes, but a blush crept up her neck. "you'll do no such thing. my stylist has already picked out a gown. it's very elegant."

"elegant is boring," yuxin pouted, leaning in to capture a nipple between her teeth, biting just hard enough to make yubing squirm. "i prefer… accessible."

"you're a child."

"i'm a connoisseur," yuxin corrected, releasing her. "and i appreciate fine art." she flopped back onto the bed. "fine. we'll go to your boring gala. but you owe me. the entire night, every time some desiccated old board member tries to talk to me about stock options, i'm going to be thinking about what's under that 'elegant' dress. and when we get home, you're paying your debt."

yubing smiled, a slow, secret smile that made yuxin's heart do a stupid little flip. "who says you have to wait until we get home?"

yuxin's eyes widened. "are you suggesting… a tryst in the coat check? a quickie in the disabled bathroom? my god, yubing, you're corrupting me."

"one of us had to," yubing said, and she leaned in to kiss yuxin, slow and deep, a promise of the chaos to come.

..

..

the night of the gala arrived, as all dreadful, socially-mandated events do. mo yuxin stood in their walk-in closet, which was roughly the size of a starter apartment in the city below, and scowled.

su yubing was a vision. her stylist had, indeed, chosen an 'elegant' gown. it was a deep sapphire blue that shimmered under the light, cut in a way that clung to her curves before flaring out at the floor. it was tasteful. it was classic. and to yuxin's immense frustration, it was stubbornly opaque.

"it's a crime against humanity," yuxin declared, adjusting her own black tuxedo, tailored to perfection. "hiding national treasures like that. there should be laws."

yubing, who was fastening a diamond necklace, laughed. "if you had your way, i'd be attending this in a string bikini."

"a tasteful string bikini," yuxin amended. "with diamonds. but yes." she walked over, her hands immediately finding their home on yubing's waist. "you look beautiful, baby. boringly, frustratingly beautiful."

"and you look like you're about to foreclose on an orphanage," yubing teased, turning to face her. she straightened yuxin's bow tie. "try to look like you're enjoying yourself. for me?"

"i'm always enjoying myself when i'm with you," yuxin said, her voice dropping. "even when you're fully clothed." she leaned in, her lips brushing yubing's ear. "that promise you made… about not waiting until we get home. i'm holding you to it."

yubing's shiver was barely perceptible. "we'll see if you can create an opportunity, ceo mo."

it was a challenge. mo yuxin fucking loved a challenge.

the gala was exactly as awful as yuxin had predicted. the ballroom was overwrought with gold leaf and chandeliers. the air was thick with expensive perfume and quiet desperation. yuxin plastered on her corporate smile and navigated the room with yubing on her arm. they were the ultimate power couple, a perfect fusion of art and commerce, and the cameras flashed incessantly.

yuxin endured conversations about quarterly earnings and disruptive technologies. she nodded politely as a wizened old man, whose family had probably come over on the mayflower with a chest full of stolen silver, explained his new yacht to her. all the while, her hand rested on the small of yubing's back, a constant, possessive touch.

then she spotted him. zhao wei. a rival in the tech space, a man whose entire business model seemed to be a half-assed imitation of her own. he was slimy, with a smile that never reached his eyes, and he was currently making a beeline for them.

"ah, yuxin! and the lovely miss su," zhao wei oozed, his eyes lingering on yubing for a moment too long. "a pleasure to see you both."

"zhao," yuxin said, her voice flat. "i'm surprised you have time for charity. i heard your latest product launch was… a learning experience."

the jab hit its mark. zhao's smile tightened. "every venture has its risks. not all of us have the… good fortune… to be propped up by a celebrity spouse's fame."

the air grew cold. yubing's hand tightened on yuxin's arm, a silent warning. but yuxin just smiled, a chillingly pleasant expression.

.

.

.

To be continued.