Sheng Shubai slammed on the brakes and stopped in front of the College Building.
The window on the side of the silver-white SUV rolled down. The woman glanced at Lu Jia, who was obediently waiting on the steps with her bag, and said coldly, “Get in.”
The car door closed.
After blowing cold wind at the building entrance for seven or eight minutes, Lu Jia was enveloped by the warmth inside the car. Her usually fair cheeks flushed a light pink, though it was unclear whether it was from the wind or the heat from the heater.
Sheng Shubai gave her a sidelong glance and touched the back of the girl’s cool hand. “Didn’t you know to wait in the lobby? Standing out there in the cold for so long, just because you’re young?”
Lu Jia pursed her lips and pulled out her phone to open the chat history.
She pointed to the line that read “Waiting at the college gate” and looked straight at the woman with her clear pupils.
Sheng Shubai was choked by her response and muttered in mild annoyance, “Such a blockhead.”
Her expression remained unpleasant, but her tone clearly lacked the irritation from when she had told Lu Jia to get in the car.
Lu Jia knew she had been let off the hook this time—it wasn’t for nothing that she had endured that wind earlier—but she still needed to explain herself.
“Miss Sheng, I’m sorry. I told Professor Rong about what happened back then without your permission.”
Lu Jia said sincerely.
Sheng Shubai gripped the steering wheel and drove back at the speed limit, not even glancing at her. “Just an apology? No sincerity.”
Lu Jia knew exactly what would show the most sincerity.
She fell silent for a moment. “I just assigned all the tasks. Today… from now until noon tomorrow, nothing else will interrupt us.”
When Sheng Shubai had messaged her, Lu Jia had known that this time, there would inevitably be some back-and-forth.
Whenever Professor Rong came up before, the woman would torment her even more.
Today was even worse…
So, with great foresight, she had distributed the tasks, preparing for the possibility of not checking her phone until evening or even later.
“Fine.”
Sheng Shubai nodded, stopped the car, and hauled Lu Jia upstairs along the way.
Some things weren’t suitable to discuss on the road.
It wasn’t until they were leaning on the sofa that Sheng Shubai crooked her finger, beckoning the now-changed Lu Jia over to sit in her lap.
“Why did you suddenly tell your mentor?”
She lifted the thin strap on the girl’s shoulder, her palm sliding down to cup the warm softness filling her hand.
Lu Jia held her breath. “I-I heard Mentor mention some past events.”
She was smart, with an excellent memory, and recited the words almost verbatim before explaining, “I didn’t want… mm… you two to keep misunderstanding… each other.”
The sentence broke off three times.
It was because the woman’s actions grew even more excessive, rubbing back and forth over the scant fabric, even hooking the damp patch and pressing down, causing a lot to overflow.
Sheng Shubai listened to Lu Jia’s words with a calm expression from start to finish, gesturing for her to continue.
Only when she got to the part about emailing Sheng Shuyun did her gaze flicker.
No wonder her sister had made a special trip to C City back then, claiming it was a business trip, yet spending several days following her to school. She had thought it was for some collaboration, but it turned out to be…
By the time Lu Jia finally finished, she had already clutched Sheng Shubai’s sleeve and whimpered through two collapses.
Sheng Shubai felt the fabric of her own thigh soaked through and finally let it go. “Got it. I’ll thank her later.”
Since that was the case, Lu Jia could have told her.
She owed Rong Yi a favor—the thanks from not long ago should have come from her.
“So… Miss Sheng, does this mean you and Professor Rong have cleared up your past grudge?”
Propping herself up on the woman’s shoulders with both hands, Lu Jia finally caught her breath and asked softly.
Sitting on the other’s lap after such treatment.
The suit pants were stiff, and she was wearing almost nothing. Her inner thighs rubbed back and forth with the movements, making everything feel soft.
When Sheng Shubai had picked her up from school, she had sat in the car the whole way, wearing a wool coat over a shirt.
After arriving home, she hung the coat in the entryway but kept the shirt on, looking perfectly proper. Yet the girl in her lap was clad in fabric that, all told, was smaller than two palms, something she had changed into right away.
Sheng Shubai raised an eyebrow. “No such plans.”
The idea of smiling at that woman was unimaginable.
At most, considering the past and this kid’s sake, her attitude toward Rong Yi would upgrade from an irritating colleague to a familiar one she had some obligation toward.
Lu Jia didn’t push it. At least now, Professor Rong wouldn’t nag her endlessly, and Miss Sheng wouldn’t drag things out every few days.
Though she actually quite enjoyed the latter.
But Lu Jia always remembered what the woman had said earlier—that she couldn’t possibly develop anything with Rong Yi’s sister.
Now that the barrier between them was gone, did that mean… Rong Yi’s student might be back in consideration?
She just couldn’t ask outright, and soon she had no mind to anyway, as she was held and repositioned, sinking entirely into the sofa.
Sheng Shubai didn’t rush to the bedroom.
After all, just a few hours earlier, they had been on the bed there, with Lu Jia even buried in her chest.
Right there on the sofa, with a thick blanket padded under her knees—it wasn’t uncomfortable. Sheng Shubai leaned down to kiss the girl’s soft, tender lips, the one she craved most.
“My nose bridge… it’s poking…”
Lu Jia tilted her head back in a daze, staring at the ceiling, wanting to pull away. But not only was her waist held fast by the woman, the sofa behind offered no retreat.
Her knee bends were firmly gripped by Sheng Shubai, draped over her shoulder.
Her palm cupped soft, silky long hair. Lu Jia unconsciously pressed closer but didn’t dare use force, afraid of hurting her.
She didn’t know how much time passed.
After several waves, the final one everywhere, Sheng Shubai finally withdrew her hand.
Lu Jia’s vision swayed before refocusing, only to see wet spots on the woman’s shirt where two buttons were undone at the collar.
Sheng Shubai didn’t take it off. She leisurely rolled up her sleeves to her forearms before scooping Lu Jia up by the waist and carrying her back to the bedroom.
From midday straight into the night.
It seemed insatiable and tireless—even Lu Jia, who always ate her three meals on time, lost track of the hours.
No breaks in between, though she took the initiative twice by rolling over. A gentleman uses his mouth, not his hands—she wasn’t a gentleman, so they took turns.
Releasing the full, soft spot she had been sucking, Lu Jia looked down at the woman’s reddened eye tails and the seductive, hazy gaze.
Usually in control, she always appeared effortlessly adept no matter what.
Only in these moments, beneath her, lost in pleasure, did charm and desire intertwine in her eyes, nearly drawing Lu Jia in.
Almost bewitched, she leaned to Sheng Shubai’s ear and murmured softly, “Miss Sheng, you’re so beautiful.”
Immersed in boundless allure, she was willing.
–
Lu Jia’s estimate was spot on; it was indeed evening when they finished.
Longer than the contract renewal time, but fortunately, she had squeezed in gym sessions lately and didn’t collapse like last time.
Even though… they had done it last night too, it was still within her limits.
Her phone held messages from the Academy Research Association members. Knowing she was busy that afternoon, they had only summarized the must-approve items into one message block and left her alone.
Nestled in the woman’s arms, Lu Jia replied to the messages and sent progress updates to Rong Yi.
Sheng Shubai glanced down at her screen, spotting the familiar contact name. Remembering the past the girl had shared, she sent Rong Yi a thank-you as well.
“You’re welcome. Anyone would have helped.”
Rong Yi replied after a bit, adding, “Is Lu Jia with you?”
Since that morning, after asking if Lu Jia was at the college, Rong Yi hadn’t seen her. That afternoon, other students had come for advice on the exhibition setup.
Sheng Shubai’s left hand hooked Lu Jia’s chin, her thumb rubbing the soft skin as she typed one-handed: “Yes, accompanying her to find some inspiration.”
Lu Jia saw the screen too and turned to look at her, hesitating to speak.
“What, it’s not?”
Sheng Shubai pinched her chin and kissed her gently. “Didn’t you just say during it that you got new inspiration?”
Rong Yi didn’t think much of it.
She often spent hours sketching on paper for inspiration, losing track of an afternoon easily.
But since this person was with her student, she politely added, “Thanks for the trouble, Professor Sheng.”
Sheng Shubai chuckled lightly and, under Lu Jia’s surprised gaze, typed casually: “No trouble. Professor Rong had quite the strength in the college hallway yesterday—that must have been tough.”
Last night, when Rong Yi had carried Shi Mengxi all the way to the parking lot, a friend had called to describe it vividly, as if they’d seen it themselves.
Lu Jia was stunned by the retelling, her jaw nearly dropping.
There was a long silence on the other end until a delivery notification popped up. Then, in the chat, a single line appeared.
Just two words: “Doing fine.”
Not planning to tease the colleague further, Sheng Shubai tapped Lu Jia’s shoulder, and they got up together.
After all that exertion, they needed to eat something to replenish.
Hot meals were laid out. It was evening again, just after intimacy, with the girl in front of her wearing her shirt, collar open to reveal her collarbone dotted with several kiss marks.
The scene was strikingly similar.
Remembering something, Sheng Shubai told Lu Jia, “That aroma diffuser Shen Zhiwei gave you before the C City test didn’t detect anything off. But I still feel uneasy. In a few days, after my business trip, I’ll swing by Z City on the way back and have my sister check it properly.”
Lu Jia was starving and focused on the grilled lamb chops in her bowl.
It had been a while since she’d heard Shen Zhiwei’s name, so she blanked for two seconds before recalling the diffuser that had only passed through her hands before going to Sheng Shubai.
She nodded obediently. “Check it however you want. I don’t need it anyway.”
Even if Shen Zhiwei’s gift had no issues, she didn’t want to use it.
Realizing the implication, Lu Jia paused and looked up at Sheng Shubai. “Miss Sheng, another business trip? How many days?”
Sheng Shubai went on out-of-town or out-of-province trips every few days—for guidance, exhibitions, lectures, conferences, and seminars. The job looked leisurely but could get hectic, flying to two or three cities in a week sometimes.
Fortunately, most were short—two or three days—and their collaboration wouldn’t suffer.
Sheng Shubai pondered. “After the trip, back to Z City—a total of seven or eight days.”
Fresh from hours of satisfaction, Lu Jia didn’t bring up any “preemptive compensation.”
But unlike last time, when she thought she’d be in Z City for a week and felt guilty about the contract, her mindset now was different.
Thinking of over a week without seeing her, even before she left, Lu Jia already missed her.
