Sheng Shubai had been brushing her sleeves amid the flowers for more than ten years.
She could sweet-talk girls effortlessly, yet she never truly crossed into genuine intimacy.
It wasn’t until she met Lu Jia that she finally tasted the pleasures of the flesh—and at her age, no less.
A mutually beneficial arrangement; Sheng Shubai didn’t see it as anything worth being shy about.
Lu Jia had a clean, pretty look that matched her preferred little bunny type, and she wasn’t just a passive participant either—her skills had picked up quickly.
Aside from her major in printmaking, everything else suited Sheng Shubai’s tastes perfectly.
Or, from another angle, she got to pin down Rong Yi’s student in private.
It left her feeling utterly refreshed.
If not for worrying about putting the girl in an awkward spot, Sheng Shubai might have even dragged her over to Rong Yi just to brag. But on second thought, she dismissed it—she didn’t want to get skinned alive by that rigid, pretentious woman.
Sheng Shubai eyed the girl’s expression leisurely. “Little Lu, how about considering it?”
Lu Jia hesitated for a few seconds, fully aware that the proposal tempted her, yet it still felt off. “This would mean I’m getting the better deal. Or… could you add some other conditions?”
It was the first time Sheng Shubai had seen someone so eager to let her take advantage.
“Didn’t I say it already? Mutually beneficial.”
She smiled, her tone laced with deeper meaning. “After this, I’ll have to trouble you to work a bit harder.”
Sheng Shubai preferred being the active one.
After a few rounds, when it was Lu Jia’s turn, she liked it best when the girl took the initiative and ground against her. It was exhausting, though.
Seeing Lu Jia show a rare hint of unease, Sheng Shubai felt delighted.
Just as she turned to leave, she suddenly remembered something and looked back. “Oh, right—if we’re talking conditions, there really is one.”
Lu Jia straightened up, listening attentively. “Professor Sheng, go ahead.”
“Your bedsheets.”
Sheng Shubai glanced up and down at the cartoon lamb pajamas she was wearing, then added, “…and the pajamas too. Could you change them?”
Lu Jia looked down at herself. “Sure.”
In truth, her bedsheets had started out as a gray-and-white plaid set last night. But after two rounds soaked them through, there was no way they could sleep on them, so Lu Jia had pulled a spare set from the closet.
They couldn’t very well skip changing the sheets and cram onto the sofa all night.
Sheng Shubai followed Lu Jia’s gesture and indeed spotted two clumps of fabric piled in the laundry basket by the washing machine on the balcony.
“Sorry.”
She gave a light cough and looked away.
Vaguely, she recalled that after the first round last night, she’d been lounging on the short sofa in the bedroom, watching the girl bustle about, too spent to move much.
The bed was only a few steps away, but she’d lazily reached out for Lu Jia to carry her over.
Once the girl picked her up, she hadn’t stood steady—maybe from exhaustion, her arms lacking strength—and they’d tumbled onto the bed together.
Soft curves pressed and squeezed against her; her lips happened to land a few inches below Lu Jia’s collarbone.
Woody and faintly sweet, with an enticing freshness.
Sheng Shubai hadn’t held back and had darted her tongue out for a lick. At their youthful age, desire flared right back up easily, and so…
In the end, it was her fault.
Feeling a bit guilty, Sheng Shubai asked, “Do you have any more spares?”
“No worries. The sun’s been strong these past few days; they’ll dry quickly.”
Lu Jia paused. “But if these next couple nights… we still need to, then we’d have to go to your place.”
“…Doesn’t it hurt you?”
Sheng Shubai shot her a look. The loose cotton top hid most of her short pajama shorts, leaving her slender, long legs fully on display—except for the crucial spots.
The cooling ointment at the base of her thighs offered some relief.
But even just walking over those ten-odd steps had caused a few unintentional rubs, making her wince instinctively.
Lu Jia replied sincerely, “A bit. But I thought you might still want to.”
The implication was clear: if she really did, Lu Jia could endure it.
“…”
The woman’s expression turned indescribable. “Lu Jia, what exactly do you think I am?”
Even at just over thirty, she needed rest, didn’t she?
Since the topic of frequency had come up, Sheng Shubai thought it over and settled on twice a week with Lu Jia.
Their cycles aligned roughly, so that came out to about six times a month—not excessive.
Any extras would be by mutual consent.
“If I’m away on business sometimes, or you’re too busy and low on energy, we can skip or postpone.”
Sheng Shubai knew all too well that this girl was as dense as wood. She didn’t want Lu Jia flying out to whatever business trip destination just to hit the twice-weekly quota, so she made it clear upfront.
But she saw Lu Jia nodding along while tapping away on her phone screen.
Her knuckles were fair and slender; Sheng Shubai’s thoughts wandered for a moment before snapping back. “What are you doing?”
As soon as she spoke, the printer nearby hummed to life.
Sheng Shubai turned to see it spit out two A4 sheets, the fresh ink still warm on the black-and-white text.
It was a contract—drafted by Lu Jia just now.
The girl seemed oblivious to her speechless reaction and even shook her phone screen, handing it over. If there was anything to revise, she could print a new one.
Sheng Shubai rubbed her forehead. “Fine, let me see.”
Who drew up a contract like this, spelling out clauses one-two-three, complete with Party A and Party B?
Though the terms treated both parties equally, seeing herself listed as Party A made Sheng Shubai’s brow twitch faintly in satisfaction.
Lu Jia provided extras; she provided inspiration.
Mutually beneficial—perfect.
The contract looked fine, so Sheng Shubai took the pen Lu Jia offered and signed with a flourish. When she handed one copy back, she teased, “Do we need photocopies of our IDs too?”
Lu Jia hesitated for a second before the woman lightly tapped her head with the rolled-up contract.
“I’m heading back. Remember to come to the next door the night after tomorrow.”
Sheng Shubai tossed out one last line. “If you can’t grab new pajamas in time, just strip when you get in.”
Lu Jia clutched the contract and nodded. “Please turn the AC up a bit.”
She was afraid of catching a chill.
—
August remained sweltering.
Rong Yi wasn’t harsh with her students and knew how brutally hot the summer break was. Most of the required readings were assigned via chat apps, with discussions mostly online; she rarely summoned Lu Jia over.
As for Sheng Shubai, she was even more hands-off with students.
Lu Jia knew her schedule was mostly late nights and early mornings out, though she occasionally got messages to pick the woman up drunk from a bar at midnight.
Once back, they naturally ended up through the same door.
“Morning.”
Sheng Shubai emerged from the bedroom, covering a yawn. “You young people have such stamina.”
She probably was getting on in years; her energy just couldn’t keep up. Lu Jia had brought her back at one a.m., and it was nearly three by the time they slept.
She had a lunch meetup with friends and had set an alarm to get up early for makeup.
But when she opened her eyes, it was barely past nine-thirty, and the girl was already bustling in her kitchen.
It had been the same the last few times. She’d sleep till noon or mid-afternoon, and when she woke, Lu Jia would be gone, with a portioned lunch on the table and the takeout packaging neatly stacked aside.
Lu Jia had just pulled a bottle of yogurt from the fridge. The hem of her snow-white pajamas was embroidered with simple branch-and-leaf patterns—easy on the eyes.
She nodded. “Miss Sheng, good morning.”
Ever since she’d let “Professor Sheng” slip too easily in bed a few times, Lu Jia had been ordered to call her Miss Sheng outside of school.
Last night, Sheng Shubai had casually asked if there was breakfast. Lu Jia didn’t cook, but the woman was easy to please.
Her kitchen had a toaster anyway. Two slices of buttered toast and a glass of yogurt—that was breakfast sorted.
As the other woman sat at the table, Lu Jia had already eaten and didn’t linger. “I’ll head back first to water the plants.”
With the landlady’s permission, Lu Jia had set up a few pots on the balcony—from Brazilian rain trees to littleleaf pterocarpus, plus a lush jade plant.
She added, “I watered yours this morning already—no need to touch it.”
Sheng Shubai mumbled around her toast, “Got it, thanks.”
Nothing she tried to grow lasted half a year, except the turtle she’d bought with her older sister as a kid. Once, waking up at Lu Jia’s, she’d watched the girl water her plants and asked what they were.
Lu Jia had waited until the water soaked through before stopping, then looked up and asked if she wanted one too.
The next day, a perky Golden-Edged Lily Bamboo arrived.
It had wilted in Sheng Shubai’s hands after just ten days.
When Lu Jia spotted it after sleeping over, she’d written up a more detailed care guide the next day. Now, whenever she came over, she took charge of the watering and shading.
Sheng Shubai glanced at the lily bamboo near the south-facing balcony. Its pale golden leaf edges caught the sunlight beautifully, brimming with far more vigor than half a month ago.
She recalled it needed one or two hours of morning light daily; the sheer curtains were already drawn again, so it must be done.
“Lu Jia, you got up at like seven-something?”
Doing the math, Lu Jia had gotten barely over four hours of sleep.
Even if the girl hadn’t been on top all night, lying there was just as tiring.
Sheng Shubai called after her. “Don’t you have the academy’s freshman orientation this afternoon? That’ll take two or three hours—go back and catch a nap first.”
She paused, words about driving her there on the tip of her tongue, then swallowed them.
She was afraid of running into Rong Yi.
On the surface, better to keep the waters calm between them.
