Chapter 70: Caught in the Act

Lu Jia didn’t have time to reply to the message before a phone call came in.

By the time she finished the call, she saw Sheng Shubai standing not far away, looking right at her.

The woman strode over quickly, frowning. “Why are you ignoring me?”

Lu Jia explained, “I was busy just now, and then I got a call, so I didn’t have time to reply. Professor Sheng, is there something you need?”

Sheng Shubai paused, the words she wanted to say dying on her lips. She fell silent. “…Nothing, I just came over to wander around.”

She couldn’t exactly say that because she hadn’t gotten a reply from Lu Jia, she’d searched the entire exhibition hall for her, wanting to see what the kid was so busy with, could she?

Last night, she’d only just told the other woman she needed some time to think.

She hadn’t come to a conclusion yet, and here she was, eagerly seeking her out. Sheng Shubai belatedly realized how out of character this was and subconsciously wanted to rub her brow.

She knew full well that she and Lu Jia would end up together eventually.

It was just that years of ingrained avoidance and emotional habits couldn’t change overnight. Rushing into a romantic relationship would make her uncomfortable. She was even more afraid that some instinctive resistance or reaction might hurt Lu Jia.

The kid might be dense, but she was sharper than anyone when it came to certain emotions.

Until she fully dealt with her avoidance issues, Sheng Shubai didn’t want to agree casually. It wouldn’t be fair to Lu Jia.

This was their first relationship.

Lu Jia had offered her heart on a platter; she owed it to her to open up fully and accept her in return to be a proper partner.

Lost in her own thoughts, Sheng Shubai saw Lu Jia nod. “Then I won’t keep Miss Sheng any longer. I have other things to handle.”

Sensing a hint of coolness in the girl’s attitude, Sheng Shubai frowned slightly but couldn’t very well ask about it in public.

The New Year Exhibition had plenty of interactive spots set up. She’d just circled the guides and volunteers; most of the students were busy with explanations or assisting at activities. They really did have a lot on their plates.

Maybe she was just too busy, too tired to show any emotion.

Sheng Shubai talked herself down, the irritation from the lack of reply easing a bit. She nodded too. “Go ahead and get busy. Want to grab dinner tonight?”

Lu Jia politely declined. “I’ve got plans with my senior sister and a few other girls. We’re celebrating one of their birthdays. I can’t bail last minute.”

Hearing the reason for the refusal, Sheng Shubai couldn’t push.

She gazed steadily at Lu Jia for a moment, her tone gentle. “Alright, I’ll head out first.”

She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination or if Lu Jia was truly too drained, but during their brief chat, the girl hadn’t smiled at her once.

That Rong Yi was something else, piling on all this work.

Talking about her prized student like she was some workhorse?

Sheng Shubai grumbled inwardly and didn’t linger. She figured she’d catch Lu Jia on a free evening and drag her off for a proper massage to unwind.

But contrary to her expectations, even after the two-week exhibition ended, she barely saw Lu Jia again. Aside from a few proactive visits to the site, Sheng Shubai was tied up discussing Song Lan’s recent touring exhibition with her older sister.

With the New Year approaching, plenty of young people returned to C City for the holidays.

Families came in droves to see the exhibition, keeping the buzz as high as opening day.

Lu Jia was always methodical in her duties.

The Academy Research Association usually did rotations every few days, but she came twice in three days, spending the remaining time holed up in the studio etching plates.

Sheng Shubai asked her out several times—either she was busy or already had plans.

One afternoon, she cornered her at the College Building. They’d barely exchanged greetings when Rong Yi’s voice came from behind. “Professor Sheng, Lu Jia has some questions to discuss with me. Mind giving my student back?”

Seeing the girl’s polite and courteous farewell, Sheng Shubai chalked it up to avoiding gossip at the academy and didn’t think much of it.

But from that day until now—six full days—she hadn’t run into Lu Jia again.

Their usual messages continued as normal, but they never chatted much anyway. Nothing like those tooth-rottingly sweet phrases Ji Jinnian had glimpsed on her screen, like “miss you” or “waiting for you.”

Sheng Shubai leaned against the wall by the door, scrolling up and down their chat history.

That afternoon, she’d messaged Lu Jia asking if she was free to try a new restaurant. By evening, still no reply.

So she’d come back to the old neighborhood and waited at the entrance for a while, planning to ask her in person when she returned.

The hallway window let in the evening light, casting her face in deepening shadows.

Something was off.

As she scrolled, Sheng Shubai suddenly realized that lately, she was always the one initiating conversations. Lu Jia hadn’t sent her anything proactive.

The one time she had was when Sheng Shubai was out with old friends she’d not seen in ages, and the girl checked if she’d gotten home safely.

No way had Lu Jia been pushed away one too many times and decided her personality was too much trouble, time to like someone else?

The absurd thought surfaced, only for Sheng Shubai to shut it down immediately.

Lu Jia wasn’t that kind of person.

Still, her brows furrowed involuntarily. Even an unrealistic notion made her impatient.

Her phone buzzed—messages from two contacts almost simultaneously.

Sheng Shubai opened Lu Jia’s first.

“Sorry, Miss Sheng. I was busy all afternoon and just noticed my phone was accidentally on Do Not Disturb. Advisor Rong called us for a group dinner, so I can’t make it for food.”

It was a reply to her earlier message.

Sheng Shubai lowered her gaze slightly. “I have something important to say in person. Message me when it’s over, and I’ll pick you up, okay?”

Lu Jia: “Sure, I’ll wrap up as soon as I can.”

The other message was from her older sister:

“How’s it going? Head chef’s in place, restaurant’s booked and decorated. I rushed the team over from Z City specially. The whole ambiance is designed to perfection—guaranteed to have little Lu teary-eyed and saying yes to you.”

Sheng Shubai went quiet for a moment. “She says she’s not free.”

It had only clicked for her last night.

She’d thought her decades-long habits were hard to break.

But last night, she’d stumbled on a vlog—just an ordinary daily record of a couple’s simple weekend downtime.

At the end, the view outside the window at dusk, somewhere on a coastal city. Winter’s faint sun turned the breaking waves to gold. Two long-haired women nestled on balcony cushions, just their backs to the camera.

In that instant, Sheng Shubai thought: If only that were Lu Jia and me.

That’s when she knew she’d fallen completely.

It wasn’t after acknowledging her feelings that she started opening up.

Long before she even realized it, Lu Jia had already crept in step by step—until now, fully inside.

It was past eleven at night by then.

At over thirty years old, Sheng Shubai planned her first confession to a woman for the first time, feeling a bit at a loss.

No wonder she’d rushed it, calling her sister in the dead of night for backup. Everything was set by afternoon, and that’s when she messaged Lu Jia.

But no reply came, and she couldn’t find her at the exhibition hall.

Only now did it hit her—this kid was really avoiding her.

Sheng Shubai’s gaze darkened.

A minute later, she got a message from an Academy Research Association girl with the celebration banquet restaurant address—she’d just asked for it.

Sheng Shubai grabbed her car keys and headed downstairs decisively.

Even if it took tricks or force, tonight she’d drag Lu Jia to the restaurant and confess.

–

The restaurant private room.

What was called a celebration banquet felt more like an excuse for everyone to gather one last time before the New Year, after all their hard work.

After replying to Sheng Shubai, Lu Jia glanced at Shi Mengxi for the umpteenth time. Advisor Rong sat between them.

With all the academy students around, she could only pull out her phone discreetly. “Senior sister, tone down the looks a bit. It’s too obvious.”

Shi Mengxi shifted her gaze from her screen, touching her nose sheepishly. “Got it.”

Earlier, her stares had been glued like super glue—who knew who’d drunk that bottle tonight.

Lu Jia sighed inwardly. She was worrying for her senior sister, afraid someone would notice.

Under Rong Yi’s watch, Shi Mengxi stuck to juice.

Lu Jia’s tolerance was decent now. When some booze-loving girls called the server for fruit wine, she ordered a bottle too.

This fruit wine was lighter than Lu Jia expected.

With New Year just days away, their next meetup wouldn’t be until after winter break—next year. The mood turned rowdy, everyone laughing and egging each other on to drink.

All girls present, no one dared mess with Rong Yi. Shi Mengxi by her side clutched her juice.

Lu Jia, always good-natured and a major contributor to the exhibition, naturally became the main target for the Academy Research Association girls.

After clinking glasses with a watercolor senior sister from next door and finishing her second bottle, Lu Jia made an excuse to slip out for air—and to call Sheng Shubai that she was ready to be picked up.

The alcohol rose with the room’s warmth—not drunk by a long shot, but her cheeks felt hot.

Seeing her flushed face, the senior sister asked with concern, “You okay?”

The party’s only half over; knocking someone out would be bad form, especially with her mentor right there.

Lu Jia waved it off. “I’m fine, just need some air.”

She stepped out of the room and rounded the corner a few steps in when a sudden force pulled her aside against the wall.

The familiar soft, fragrant aura enveloped her first.

Lu Jia’s vision swam, then focused on the woman before her. “Miss Sheng?”

How had she gotten here?

Sheng Shubai had one arm around the girl’s waist, the other gently cushioning her head from the wall.

Her breath brushed Lu Jia’s ear, husky and soft. “Lu Jia, have you been avoiding me?”

Lu Jia froze.

Before she could explain, her lips were sealed.

The kiss carried a sting of nips, bold and unapologetic in the corridor nook by the window.

“Sheng… Miss Sheng.”

Lu Jia barely pushed her away. Seeing the woman lean in again, she hurried, “Advisor Rong and the others are right in the room. This will… mmph…”

Rong Yi again.

This woman had blocked her from seeing Lu Jia days ago, and now she was the shield against kissing.

“No mentioning her name.”

Sheng Shubai huffed, pinning Lu Jia’s wrist to the wall. “Who do you like more—Rong Yi, or me?”

How could they even compare?

Lu Jia thought: one was her mentor, the other her beloved. She wasn’t so confused between respect and love.

The woman’s kissing skills were masterful.

Nearly half a month without a kiss from Sheng Shubai, and Lu Jia melted easily, her waist going soft.

She instinctively hugged back, shifting for a better angle, when she vaguely spotted a familiar figure at the corner, staring over with a frosty expression.

A jolt sobered her instantly.