Chapter 14: Provocation

Rong Yi glanced at Shi Mengxi, who was smiling awkwardly opposite her, then looked straight at Lu Jia.

Her gaze was as calm as ever, yet it carried an unfathomable darkness.

The two students—the former had come to tip her off and now looked as guilty as a quail, while the latter shrank back, also like a quail.

She subtly glanced at Sheng Shubai without a change in expression. The latter was holding Lu Jia’s hand.

Well, more precisely, her wrist.

When she noticed Rong Yi’s gaze, this woman even deliberately wiggled her fingers, lightly taking Lu Jia’s hand in a proper ten-finger interlock.

Rong Yi didn’t think it was her student’s fault.

Clearly, this woman had forced the issue. Hadn’t Lu Jia tried to pull away but failed?

“Professor Sheng, when do you plan to let go of my student?”

She spoke flatly.

It had been who knew how many years since she’d initiated a conversation with this ordinary colleague. The eyes behind her gold-rimmed plain glasses were as still as an ancient well, as if stating a simple fact.

My student.

Hearing the emphasis on those two words, the beautiful peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly.

Sheng Shubai curled her lips into a smile. “Professor Rong is truly a good mentor, even concerning herself with where her students go in their private time?”

Rong Yi nodded. “It’s simply a teacher’s duty.”

Sheng Shubai’s eyebrow arched, her tone sharp in retaliation. “What about going home, then? Does Professor Rong need to manage that too?”

Lu Jia’s hand hurt from her grip.

Her skin and flesh were naturally delicate; even a slight force usually left marks, and now it was probably red all around.

Her fingertip quietly brushed the back of the woman’s hand. Using the line of sight as cover, she soothingly stroked Sheng Shubai, trying to smooth down the fox fur that had bristled up.

This woman’s words were far too ambiguous.

Rong Yi’s brows furrowed as she looked at Lu Jia with uncertain inquiry. “…Going home?”

“Yes, I’m currently living in one of Professor Sheng’s houses.”

Finally it was her turn to speak, but the tense atmosphere hadn’t eased at all.

Lu Jia hurriedly explained, “It’s in that neighborhood I mentioned to you before. Professor Sheng and I are right across from each other.”

Empty house, across the hall—not living together.

Rong Yi’s tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, though she still looked displeased.

“Lu Jia, you—”

“What, is there some flood dragon or fierce beast at my place that makes it unlivable?”

Sheng Shubai cut in first, her tone laced with provocation.

They were still in the College Building, and Rong Yi didn’t want to argue with this woman. She frowned. “Little Lu, why haven’t I heard you mention before that you rented a place from a fellow teacher at the school?”

Lu Jia thought to herself, How could she dare mention it?

“Classmate Shi can live under the same roof as you, so why can’t Lu Jia and I live across the hall?”

Sheng Shubai no longer held her wrist; instead, she intimately draped an arm over Lu Jia’s shoulder. “Shubai and Lu Jia get along very well—as neighbors, we’re quite satisfied.”

She deliberately emphasized the word “as,” thickening the ambiguous undertone.

Lu Jia felt guilty, listening with trepidation.

She thought, Miss Sheng just told me to watch my words in the College Building, so why now…

Rong Yi didn’t think in that direction; she simply turned grim at the thought of her obedient student living right across from Sheng Shubai.

“Little Lu, I happen to have something to discuss with you.”

Rong Yi casually found an excuse to keep her there. “Regarding the Relief Engraving Technique we talked about last time, Mengxi made a suitable semi-finished piece a few days ago. I’ll explain it to you both later.”

Lu Jia hesitated for a few seconds, but Sheng Shubai readily released her shoulder. “Since Professor Rong wants to guide her student, I naturally won’t interfere.”

She hooked her palm around Lu Jia’s, her fingertip tapping a few times. Right in front of Rong Yi, she winked at the girl. “I’ll wait for you in the car.”

Her tone was light and airy, the ending note laced with seductive charm.

Since she’d already promised to go back together, Lu Jia had no intention of refusing. She nodded. “Okay.”

Rong Yi’s face darkened even more.

Lu Jia and Shi Mengxi followed closely behind her, step by step.

At the studio door, catching her mentor’s gaze, Shi Mengxi tactfully waited outside.

The studio door closed gently. The evening light filtering through the window cast a dim pallor over the room, making the atmosphere inexplicably heavy.

“…Little Lu, you should try to keep your distance from Professor Sheng.”

Rong Yi spoke as objectively as possible. “Her personality is just like that—she enjoys teasing young girls and does it to many people. If she says anything to you—it’s all just jokes. Don’t take it seriously.”

After all, they’d both been at C University for over a decade, from students to professors. Except for different majors in grad school, they’d always been in the Academy of Fine Arts.

Rong Yi knew exactly what kind of unreliable personality Sheng Shubai had.

Moreover, back then, she’d seen with her own eyes how lightly that woman flirted with words toward her own younger sister.

She’d been quite angry just now.

They’d disliked each other for years; a few verbal spars weren’t worth dwelling on.

But her student was young, just a first-year grad student.

Even if she’d heard some rumors and knew Lu Jia’s looks matched this colleague’s preferences perfectly.

Given her own antagonism with Sheng Shubai, she didn’t believe there was any sincerity in that woman’s deliberate approach.

If Lu Jia couldn’t resist those teasing words and, living right across the hall, fell headlong into an illusory whirlpool…

A professor and a student—how could that be?

Lu Jia nodded. “I know.”

“…As long as you have a sense of proportion.”

Rong Yi had never gossiped about others behind their backs; she just made a few pointed remarks.

From their interactions lately, she knew Lu Jia’s personality well.

She poured all her heart into printmaking. Forget romance—even her interactions with others were faint and distant. If not for the few gatherings she’d organized, she probably wouldn’t even know her senior sisters or peers.

Since she couldn’t interfere with Sheng Shubai’s behavior, she only hoped this uncarved jade would awaken later.

At least, not be coaxed away by a bad woman with a few sweet words.

Rong Yi held her thermos cup and took a sip of chrysanthemum tea to clear heat and reduce fire. “Go open the door and let Mengxi in.”

Lu Jia had just turned when she remembered something.

She turned back, looking at Rong Yi with a serious tone. “Teacher, actually Professor Sheng is a good person. She’s very caring toward me. It’s not as… unserious as you say.”

Lu Jia hesitated for two seconds, choosing a relatively fitting adjective.

Though she didn’t know the details of their past, she could feel what kind of person Sheng Shubai was firsthand.

She often picked her up from the bar, had seen Sheng Shubai chatting happily with all sorts of girls in the booths, but never any excessive physical contact.

Just like when the woman had chatted with her about their pasts—they’d only done it with each other.

The first kiss, proactive but not very experienced, and… those nights where, though gifted, she’d only grown more adept after a few times.

She didn’t think Sheng Shubai was casual.

Nor did she believe that beyond the obviously teasing words in daily life, those intimate actions were mere “jokes” as Rong Yi put it.

They had a proper contractual relationship; all of it was serious.

Lu Jia knew her mentor had a rigid personality and probably harbored misunderstandings about Sheng Shubai, so she tried to explain on her behalf.

Rong Yi: “…”

She would rather Lu Jia were joking with her.

Realizing her previous words might have been in vain, Rong Yi sighed, softened her tone, and earnestly advised from another angle:

“But she is a professor after all, and you’re still a student. It’s best to keep some distance.”

The door was already open.

Shi Mengxi had been waiting right outside and caught those words perfectly.

She lowered her head, gripping her phone. Her fingertips curled against the frame, hiding the dimness in her eyes.