Lu Jia fell silent for a few seconds, glanced at Sheng Shubai, then lowered her eyelashes again.
She shook her head.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Is it so good that you can’t describe it in words?”
Sheng Shubai narrowed her eyes. “Or… given our relationship, am I not worthy enough to know about this?”
She said this deliberately to provoke Lu Jia.
Sure enough, the girl immediately lifted her head, looking eager to explain. Sheng Shubai didn’t respond, just gave her a glance and quietly waited for what came next.
But unexpectedly, the girl paused again and said nothing.
Sheng Shubai almost laughed out of anger.
Now she wanted to know even more—what kind of person was this that Lu Jia guarded so tightly, refusing to reveal even a hint?
Lu Jia pursed her lips and suddenly changed the subject. “Miss Sheng, did you come back so suddenly tonight because of something?”
Originally, she had planned to have an online discussion with Shi Mengxi tonight about some final details for the exhibition setup.
But Sheng Shubai had returned unexpectedly, so she told the other woman they’d discuss it in person tomorrow instead.
Shi Mengxi had agreed, but two minutes later, she sent a message—a screenshot of tonight’s flight.
The only flight from Z City to C City that evening.
Calculating the time to take a cab from the airport to the residential complex, it meant Sheng Shubai had rushed back right after landing, with no time for anything else.
No luggage, covered in travel dust.
As soon as Sheng Shubai arrived, she came straight into her own apartment and wanted to do this with her.
Sitting on the sofa then, Lu Jia had heard the faint sound of water from the bathroom. She lowered her head again, looking at the line of text that popped up on her screen.
Shi Mengxi: “Does she know about Qin Yuan’s confession to you? Is she jealous and that’s why she rushed back in such a hurry?”
Lu Jia had replied at the time: “No way.”
But now, looking at the ambiguous glint in the woman’s eyes, Lu Jia felt an emotion she couldn’t quite read—or rather, one she didn’t dare to guess at on her own.
Could it be what she was thinking?
Lu Jia recalled their recent interactions with Sheng Shubai—the subtle, lingering ambiguity, and the concern she’d heard in the woman’s words just now. She just didn’t dare to be certain.
“It’s nothing. I came back because I wanted to.”
Sheng Shubai’s gaze slid to the side, avoiding Lu Jia’s eyes.
The girl’s pupils were clear and bright; the way she looked at her was always soft and obedient.
They had just finished cleaning each other up and turned on a bedside lamp. Now, the pale glow melted into her eyes, so beautiful that Sheng Shubai didn’t dare look too long.
Silence fell between them.
Lu Jia nestled in the woman’s arms, naturally pillowed against her soft chest.
Not getting the answer she had secretly hoped for, a faint sense of disappointment welled up. But in the next second, she caught an uneven heartbeat at her ear.
It wasn’t her own heartbeat, but… Sheng Shubai’s?
It had been a good while since they finished, and even she—the passive one who had been tossed around—had already recovered.
They were just lying there quietly, yet Sheng Shubai’s heart was racing.
Why?
This wasn’t exactly the best timing—at least, Lu Jia had never imagined bringing it up in a moment like this, right after they finished, during their pillow talk.
But the speculation she’d hesitated over for so long finally overrode her reason. Even though Lu Jia always sought stability in her actions, she couldn’t hold back anymore.
Propping herself up on one elbow, she sat up from Sheng Shubai’s arms and looked straight at the woman. “Miss Sheng.”
Sheng Shubai stiffened slightly.
It was rare to see such an intense gaze from the girl—it burned, making her heart tremble involuntarily.
She suddenly regretted harping on the topic.
The situation, which she usually kept firmly in control, seemed to be veering off course. Sheng Shubai tightened her lips, about to speak, when her wrist was seized.
“Your heartbeat is so fast.”
Lu Jia guided her hand, first pressing it to the woman’s chest where her head had rested moments ago.
Then, still holding the wrist, she pulled the warm, smooth palm to her own chest, separated only by the thin, soft sleepwear. “Mine too.”
She was gambling.
Why had Sheng Shubai kept circling back to the person who made her heart race?
Gossip? Curiosity? Neither seemed to fit.
Ruling out the other possibilities, Lu Jia bet on one outcome: She cared.
“Miss Sheng, Sheng Shubai.”
Feeling the struggle in the grip on her wrist, Lu Jia squeezed Sheng Shubai’s hand for the first time.
Her warm breath and voice melted into the lingering, tangled intimacy of the moment. Her gaze burned bright. “Do you like me?”
Lu Jia thought she must be incredibly bold, addressing Sheng Shubai by her full name like this.
But since the words were out, she went all in, laying everything bare. “The person I’ve always liked is you. Otherwise…”
“Lu Jia!”
Sheng Shubai cut her off, her expression forcibly schooled into cold detachment.
“Who says liking to make love means liking someone? If it’s because of those sweet nothings from bed just now, surely you’re not naive enough to take them seriously?”
Her heart pounded like a drum, but Sheng Shubai forced down the tremor, enunciating each word deliberately.
Even the last sentence slipped out with unchecked emotion, the rhetorical question laced with accusation.
Like a fox with its fur bristled, reacting instinctively to any intruder in its cherished territory.
Even with mental preparation, Lu Jia couldn’t help but be stunned.
Letting the woman pull her hand away, she spoke hoarsely. “You… don’t like me?”
But from her reaction earlier, it didn’t seem that way.
“That’s not something you should be asking.”
A faint metallic taste of blood bloomed on her tongue from biting it. Sheng Shubai brushed her aside and got out of bed. “Lu Jia, you’ve broken the contract.”
Her tall figure was outlined in the pale glow. Lu Jia blinked dazedly, and as her gaze followed, it overlapped with the image of the woman not long ago, who had specially gone to pour her a glass of water.
“Sorry.”
Sheng Shubai didn’t turn back; her tone softened a fraction, but her words were merciless. “Lu Jia, we don’t need to continue anymore.”
The bedroom door closed inch by inch.
The woman’s figure vanished into the darkness of the living room, leaving her alone.
–
Late at night, in a hotel room.
“Huh? How did that happen?!”
Shi Mengxi stared at her little junior sister, who was downcast with drooping eyelashes, her jaw nearly dropping in shock.
Her own crush on Rong Yi was blasphemous and expected to be rejected.
But these two? They seemed so mutually affectionate—and Lu Jia even had fresh hickeys on her neck right now—yet Professor Sheng had just dumped her out of bed?
What a heartbreaker.
She shook her head repeatedly and poked Lu Jia’s arm. “Little Lu, how about it? Pack your bags and run away with me?”
Ever since being discharged from the hospital, Shi Mengxi hadn’t spoken to Rong Yi again.
They’d had almost no interactions.
It was as if the concern she’d seen from the woman during those hospital days had been nothing but her own delusion.
Shi Mengxi hadn’t expected Rong Yi to personally come to the exhibition hall site to oversee progress. On the first afternoon, she hadn’t been able to avoid her and couldn’t just leave midway, so she’d sat there in agony.
In the days after, she either communicated with Lu Jia online in real-time or deliberately staggered her schedule to avoid Rong Yi.
Even just being in the same exhibition hall was torture for her.
Shi Mengxi had bought a plane ticket for two days later, and her withdrawal application was already written—just waiting to be handed to Rong Yi’s desk. If not for needing to help with the exhibition, she would’ve left already.
She had a close friend from out of province who ran a bar and knew her dream of being a resident singer.
When Shi Mengxi said she couldn’t continue studying, the girl immediately patted her chest and invited her over—the bars had expanded to several locations now, more than enough to support her.
Lu Jia pursed her lips. “Senior Sister, actually… it’s not her fault.”
What kind of lovesick nonsense was this?
Shi Mengxi, ever clear-eyed about others’ affairs, nearly shook her junior sister’s shoulders.
Before, she’d thought they had real potential, so she’d urged Lu Jia to just ask outright. When the girl had hesitated and refused to speak up, she’d been more anxious than the person involved. Now that she’d finally taken the initiative… well, this was the result. Sigh.
But no matter how much she liked her, she couldn’t blindly make excuses for the other person, right?
Lu Jia just shook her head.
She still remembered the Sheng Family matters clearly, but she couldn’t reveal them to others, so she had no way to explain to Shi Mengxi.
“Senior Sister, she has her reasons.”
Lu Jia lowered her eyes and said softly, “It’s just… I don’t know how to face her anymore.”
She knew Sheng Shubai had feelings for her too; otherwise, she wouldn’t have dodged the question of “Do you like me?”
Lu Jia thought she must really be lovesick.
Even after being rejected, seeing Sheng Shubai’s instinctive avoidance had somehow made her own mood sink along with it.
But now, she didn’t need to worry about how to face her neighbor just one door away.
Because the next day, Sheng Shubai moved back to the faculty apartment at C University.
Lu Jia spent the whole day immersed in finalizing work at the City Art Museum, leaving early and returning late, so she didn’t find it odd that she didn’t run into Sheng Shubai.
Just minutes after getting home, her phone pinged with an unread message from Rong Yi. Thinking it was about the exhibition, Lu Jia set down her water cup and hurriedly opened it.
Rong Yi: “Did Professor Sheng move out from next door to you?”
Lu Jia stared at the short text on the screen, stunned. Her fingers tightened unconsciously around the phone’s edges.
She instinctively turned toward the entryway, then came back to herself.
“I didn’t know about this yet. Did she tell you?”
The other side showed “typing…” Lu Jia stared at the screen, unblinking.
During the day, she’d been measuring the height and distance of each painting frame down to the millimeter with a ruler. Only now did she notice the dryness in her eyes and rubbed them.
“I ran into her in the elevator when I came back to pick up some things. She said the renovations here are done, so she’s moving back.”
“You’re living there alone without anyone watching out for you. Be sure to stay safe; my phone’s on twenty-four hours.”
Lu Jia lowered her eyes. “Okay, thank you, Teacher.”
She remembered the first day she arrived at C University, when Sheng Shubai had tricked her into viewing the apartment. A few hours later, the woman had moved in with her bags, saying the faculty apartment was about to be renovated.
After knowing each other so long, she’d naturally asked about it in bed. The woman had admitted frankly that it was an excuse to get closer to her.
It wasn’t entirely an excuse—the apartment had indeed been renovated.
But the work had finished long ago, and Sheng Shubai had never moved back. Over time, Lu Jia had almost forgotten about it.
Now… it made sense that she’d move back to avoid her.
The interface lingered on the chat with Rong Yi; no new messages came.
Her heart was in turmoil.
With Sheng Shubai on her mind, she inexplicably recalled chatting with Shi Mengxi during a daytime break. Propping her chin, Shi Mengxi had grinned and fantasized with her about places to travel after leaving.
Once tomorrow’s opening ceremony ended, there shouldn’t be any more issues—that would be around when Shi Mengxi left.
The girl had specifically warned her not to tell anyone ahead of time.
If Senior Sister left without a word…
Would Advisor Rong be sad when she found out?
Lu Jia exited the chat with Rong Yi and let out a soft sigh.
