Chapter 12: Sworn Enemies

There was a hanging chair, but Sheng Shubai wasn’t in a hurry to use it.

The air conditioning had long since chilled the glass to a biting cold.

Lu Jia’s back shivered as she hunched her shoulders, trying to burrow into the woman’s soft, ample embrace ahead of her.

But she was pressed back again, left to let her body heat gradually melt the glass’s chill.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s one-way glass.”

They were on a high floor.

When Sheng Shubai turned her around in her arms, Lu Jia had no choice but to face the nightscape of half the city.

She had no way out—Sheng Shubai wanted her eyes open.

“Didn’t you say you liked C City’s night view? Then look properly.”

A warm kiss landed on her earlobe, along with teasing murmurs that made Lu Jia’s legs buckle.

She was almost pinned against the glass, separated only by a thin layer of sleepwear fabric. The glass was too smooth to grip, and only the arm wrapped around her waist from behind gave her any leverage.

But it only made Lu Jia’s waist go weaker.

Her eyes reflected the bustling night scene, her long hair falling over her slender back, gradually scattering to the sides with the movements.

C City was famous for its vibrant nightlife; the city center loomed nearby, with several skyscrapers displaying clear character patterns on their exteriors.

They blurred into indistinct smears of color in Lu Jia’s vision, paling against the brilliant fireworks exploding in her mind when Sheng Shubai refused to let up and added another finger.

Before she could catch her breath, the woman scooped her up onto the hanging chair for more kisses, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.

Back on the bed, she seized the initiative for the night’s first round, going back and forth several times. It wasn’t until just before falling asleep that Lu Jia remembered the purpose of her visit.

She seemed to want to ask… about the relationship between Miss Sheng and Advisor Rong?

But she truly had no strength left to ask.

Her nose tip nuzzled into the crook of the neck, enveloped by a rich, soft fragrance that left Lu Jia dazed.

“Good night, Miss Sheng.”

With a murmur, Lu Jia quickly drifted off to sleep.

–

She woke from a night’s dreams.

When she stirred, the woman beside her was still asleep, her arm clamped firmly around Lu Jia’s waist.

With practiced ease, Lu Jia reached for the other’s wrist bone, trying to pry it loose. She used a bit of force, but unexpectedly, it wouldn’t budge today.

Lu Jia paused. Already held in an embrace, she only needed to tilt her head back slightly for her lips to brush Sheng Shubai’s jaw.

Looking up at the woman, she caught a fleeting curve of her lips.

“Miss Sheng, I saw you smile.”

Lu Jia gave up struggling and poked Sheng Shubai’s hand, her tone laced with the drowsiness of just waking.

Ever since their relationship had developed this way, Lu Jia knew how delicate the woman was in this regard. Even though she wasn’t often the initiator, her naturally rounded nails were filed down almost daily to avoid hurting the other.

Her cuticles were groomed lower and lower, and the presses against her carried no pain—just soft, tender fingertip flesh.

Sheng Shubai felt tickled by the pokes and couldn’t help curving her lips again. But she still didn’t open her eyes, her voice lazy: “No class this morning, right? Sleep with me a bit longer.”

With that, the arm around Lu Jia tightened further, clearly showing no intention of letting her get up.

It was still early September, and she liked setting the AC very low.

Having a little warm furnace in her arms made dozing off again far more comfortable.

“Miss Sheng… Professor Sheng.”

Lu Jia called her again, coaxing gently: “I have a document I need to send to Advisor Rong right away. I’ll come back and keep you company after, okay?”

After the freshman ceremony the day before, Rong Yi had sent her the reference works in the car.

Lu Jia had skimmed one during a break, but there were so many confusing parts she couldn’t make headway. She wanted to ask in person, but Rong Yi said she had an out-of-town trip tomorrow and asked Lu Jia to compile everything and send it over so she could review on the plane.

Just five minutes before knocking on Sheng Shubai’s door last night, Lu Jia had added her final question to the document.

It wasn’t early anymore, and she didn’t want to disturb her mentor at night, so she’d send it today.

Rong Yi’s flight was at 9:30 a.m., and it was nearly nine now—she needed to hurry.

Sheng Shubai opened her eyes, immediately released her hold, rolled to the other side, and yanked the blanket with her: “Go ahead. I’m sleeping.”

The blanket covering Lu Jia suddenly slipped to just a corner; she didn’t grab it in time, and it slid down her side waist onto the bed.

She went silent for a moment. “Miss Sheng, you and—”

“I’m sleeping. Don’t disturb.”

The woman had buried her entire head under the covers, her voice muffled.

“Then do I need to come back later?” Lu Jia asked.

After half a minute with no reply from Sheng Shubai, nor any even breathing.

Lu Jia got it—she still had to come back.

Fortunately, it was just next door. Lu Jia went to the study, opened her computer, and sent the file. Only after receiving Rong Yi’s reply did she close the screen and head back to the bedroom.

Sheng Shubai remained in the same position, though the blanket no longer covered her entire face. Her beautiful forehead and brows were exposed, her palm clutching the blanket edge right at her lips.

Seeing that she seemed asleep, Lu Jia hesitated about getting back on the bed. After a few seconds, she thought maybe sitting cross-legged on the other side would work, but she’d need to fetch a blanket from her place first.

This woman kept the AC so low; staying in the chill too long gave Lu Jia stomachaches.

The girl was light on her feet and moved carefully; the mattress dipped only faintly. Yet Sheng Shubai opened her eyes and turned to her: “You’re back?”

Without her little warm body, the doze had been shallow.

Sheng Shubai narrowed her eyes, somewhat disdainfully tossing Lu Jia’s cartoon-patterned AC blanket to the foot of the bed. She lifted the covers and beckoned her in.

“Why are you so cold?”

Sheng Shubai frowned, habitually hooking Lu Jia’s calf.

Both wore sleep skirts, so their skin pressed naturally together, easily sensing each other’s warmth.

Her knee rubbed over the smooth skin but didn’t let go.

From entering until that moment of hesitation, Lu Jia had been steeped in the AC’s chill for several minutes; even if not cold before, she was now.

She let Sheng Shubai rub against her like a pillow, saying honestly: “I’ll warm up soon.”

Her body ran hot; she’d generate the heat back in no time.

Sure enough, within minutes, it was toasty again.

Sheng Shubai was very satisfied and now had the mood to ask about Lu Jia’s matters: “Did you send the document?”

Lu Jia nodded. “Yeah.”

She recalled the topics she’d failed to ask several times. “Miss Sheng, what’s the deal between you and Advisor Rong? Why don’t you get along?”

It only clicked for Lu Jia just now.

Almost every time Sheng Shubai mentioned Rong Yi, she referred to her as “that one.” And whenever topics involving Rong Yi came up, her expression turned odd, her gaze at Lu Jia hesitant.

There had been signs all along; she’d just never noticed.

No sooner had she spoken than her cheeks were pinched by the woman and tugged lightly.

Sheng Shubai’s tone was breezy: “We just don’t see eye to eye.”

In her early twenties, the collagen was plentiful—pinching felt great.

The pinch pulled a bit harder, tugging her lips apart too, making it hard for Lu Jia to speak clearly, her voice muffled: “Why?”

Sheng Shubai smiled, suddenly leaning close.

The woman’s clean, refined brows and eyes magnified before her; Lu Jia blanked for a second, her gaze falling into those mischievous depths.

“Maybe—she thinks I’m a bad woman who’ll lead a good student like you astray.”

The lilting, seductive tone, along with the rich scent, pressed a warm kiss onto Lu Jia’s lips.

Her kissing skills were still no match for the woman’s natural talent.

Lu Jia instinctively wrapped her arms around Sheng Shubai’s waist. Side-lying, their hair scattered on the pillow tangled together—deep black, indistinguishable.

When they parted, panting, Sheng Shubai still hooked her waist.

Her palm burned hot, kneading the soft side of her waist with suggestive intent.

Lu Jia struggled to pull her thoughts from the skin’s sensations.

Coming back to herself, she remembered the words and earnestly retorted: “You’re not a bad woman.”

Sheng Shubai clearly hadn’t expected that. She stared at Lu Jia for a few seconds, then her brows softened into a beautiful smile: “Oh?”

Lu Jia nodded and started counting on her fingers one, two, three—but the woman amusingly stopped her.

Her thumb rubbed back and forth over the wrist bone.

The girl’s frame was delicate; one hand encircled it entirely, with room to spare.

Pressing slightly down along the inner wrist bone, the pulse and tendons pressed against her fingertip—a sensation Sheng Shubai loved.

Lu Jia felt comfortable too, thinking: Someone who endlessly provided her with inspiration like this, and so considerate in bed as a partner—how could she be a bad woman?

Naturally, they went another round, lingering until nearly ten when Sheng Shubai finally woke fully.

She poked Lu Jia’s cheek lazily: “You get up first.”

Lu Jia obediently rolled out of bed, even tucking the vacated half of the blanket back around the woman.

By the time Sheng Shubai emerged from the bedroom after washing up and preparing breakfast—

“Your phone vibrated a few times earlier. Someone looking for you?”

Sheng Shubai rubbed her brow and pointed toward the bedroom. “On the nightstand.”

Lu Jia set the yogurt on the table. “Okay, thanks.”

She wasn’t in the habit of checking her phone much, had few contacts in her social apps, and her family usually called directly. Except for Sheng Shubai and Rong Yi on special notification, everyone else was set to vibrate.

Checking her phone, it was Shi Mengxi.

“Little Lu, I heard you mentioned Professor Sheng right in front of our mentor yesterday?”

“Not to speak ill, but our mentor and Professor Sheng really don’t get along—total incompatibility.”

“I’ve been here a year, and they see each other all the time but haven’t exchanged a word. They pass without a glance…”

“Get together offline sometime; I’ll fill you in!”

A string of messages; Lu Jia read them and replied with a single “Okay.”

When she’d asked Sheng Shubai earlier, the woman had been vague, mentioning a few things without details.

Lu Jia was just curious how deep the rift went. After all, she’d be under Rong Yi for three years; if she upset either, her collaborations—and being at Sheng Shubai’s mercy in those situations—would suffer.

For once, her emotional IQ was on point; she didn’t press Sheng Shubai again. That afternoon, she headed to Shi Mengxi’s studio.

Shi Mengxi had entered the College Building that morning only to be cornered by two new junior sisters for gossip, leaving her jaw on the floor.

She never imagined that the sweet, well-behaved Little Lu could step on a landmine so precisely. No wonder Advisor Rong had that icy expression in the car yesterday—she hadn’t seen the mentor like that in ages.

Holding her coffee, Lu Jia watched Shi Mengxi draw the curtains and lock the door, puzzled as she stood: “Senior Sister, need help?”

Shi Mengxi waved her off. Even knowing the studio was soundproof, she dragged her chair to the farthest spot from the door.

Her fingertips tapped the desk sporadically as she considered her words: “Truth is, I don’t know the exact grudge between Advisor Rong and Professor Sheng either, but it seems to go back to when they were students.”

Lu Jia nodded: “Undergrad, apparently.”

Shi Mengxi blinked: “Where’d you hear that?”

She didn’t know the details, only hearsay from previous seniors: during grad school, a planned exhibition had sparked a fierce public argument where neither gave face.

She hadn’t realized it predated even that.

Lu Jia said honestly: “Professor Sheng… Miss Sheng told me.”

Shi Mengxi was surprised: “You’re close with Professor Sheng?”

But if they were truly close, Lu Jia wouldn’t be clueless about their mutual avoidance.

Lu Jia mumbled: “A little familiar. We collaborate.”

Familiar with her body, anyway—not much else.

Their meetings were casual, but chats were mostly scheduling nights—which night, her going over or waiting for the woman.

Come to think of it, she didn’t know much about Sheng Shubai.

Her fingertip paused on the cup rim.

Shi Mengxi hesitated: “Did Professor Sheng ever mention if she and Advisor Rong had… any other kind of relationship before?”

Lu Jia: ?

The question was tactful—had they dated, broken up badly, hence the bad blood? Lu Jia got it, nearly spilling her coffee.

She recalled how, after their first night of intimacy, Sheng Shubai had held her close with a lazy, smug tone in her voice, saying that it was her first kiss and that the experience had felt pretty good.

She paused. “Probably… not?”

She really didn’t dare ask Sheng Shubai that question. Otherwise, it wouldn’t just be a matter of three hours.

She might truly never see the sun rise the next day.