Wen Wanyuan crouched in the corner, peeking as Su Jinglan opened the door and stepped into the apartment across the hall. Her eyes widened in shock. No wonder she was the president—she’d actually moved right opposite for Ah Mu’s sake.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” Wen Wanyuan craned her neck, squinting to get a better look.
“Think of what?” Ning Jiuwei stood beside her, gazing openly through the open doorway toward the other side.
Did she really need it spelled out? Obviously, it was moving in right across from Ning Jiuwei, like President Su had—close enough to reap the benefits first.
“Let’s go eat dumplings. They’ll get cold.” Wen Wanyuan ran through the idea in her mind but kept it to herself. She tugged Ning Jiuwei over to the dining table and sat down next to her.
Four bowls of dumplings sat on the table, one portion set aside for Su Jinglan. Mama Ning harbored no fondness for her deep down, but she played the perfect host on the surface.
“She’s living right across from you?” Mama Ning took the seat opposite Ning Jiuwei, ideally positioned to scrutinize her daughter’s every reaction.
Ning Jiuwei nodded and took a small sip of soup.
She had a light appetite in the evenings and never ate much, so Mama Ning had served her just eight dumplings in a big bowl of broth.
Su Jinglan returned after changing into comfortable loungewear, the fresh scent of mint tea clinging to her. She settled beside Mama Ning.
A normal adult portion steamed in front of her. Su Jinglan glanced diagonally across at Ning Jiuwei, picked up her spoon, and smiled at Mama Ning. “Thank you, Auntie Ning, for saving me a spot at dinner.”
Su Jinglan was perfection in both looks and figure. Her cool voice softened with a unique gentleness as she spoke, her manners so impeccable that Mama Ning momentarily set aside her biases and offered a polite reply. “If you like it, come by anytime.”
Su Jinglan took a bite and praised her sincerely. “Auntie, your dumplings are delicious. Did Jiuwei learn to cook from you? Her dishes always hit the spot for me. I’d love to try more of your cooking sometime.”
That single sentence gave away the fact that Ning Jiuwei had cooked for her. Wen Wanyuan narrowed her eyes and nudged Ning Jiuwei’s leg under the table, shooting her a dark, resentful look.
“Jiuwei taught herself. She’s lived alone all these years, and even as her mother, I had no idea how skilled she was in the kitchen.” Mama Ning could see how much her daughter liked Su Jinglan. She sighed inwardly but kept a warm, maternal smile on her face.
Wen Wanyuan popped dumplings into her mouth one after another, nothing like Su Jinglan’s slow, elegant pace. In the blink of an eye, half her bowl was empty.
The conversation she’d been waiting for still hadn’t started, and with everyone else’s bowls still full, Wen Wanyuan slowed down. She tamped down her excitement and waited patiently for Mama Ning to broach the main topic.
“Little Su, how are things between you and Jiuwei?” In the quiet at the table, Mama Ning spoke up out of the blue, catching everyone off guard.
Here it comes—the real talk! Wen Wanyuan watched and listened with full attention, sitting up straighter to catch every expression.
Su Jinglan and Ning Jiuwei exchanged a glance. Ning Jiuwei smiled mildly, betraying no tension or nerves, her attitude impossible to read. Su Jinglan paused briefly before replying to Mama Ning. “You mean at the company, Auntie Ning? Jiuwei and I get along great on the job.”
“That’s not what I’m asking, Auntie.” Mama Ning cut right to it. “How’s your relationship going?”
Su Jinglan glanced at Ning Jiuwei again. Ning Jiuwei kept her eyes downcast, offering no cues, as if she were merely an observer.
These were matters of the heart, best addressed by the young people themselves. Ning Jiuwei should have fielded the question, but with Mama Ning asking directly in front of her and no denial forthcoming, it signaled acknowledgment of their dating. Su Jinglan couldn’t sidestep it. “I’m not sure how to put it, Auntie. Things feel great to me. For Jiuwei’s side, you’d have to ask her.”
Su Jinglan’s smile brimmed with warmth, her gaze locked on Ning Jiuwei. Ning Jiuwei swallowed her bite and raised her eyes. The instant their looks met, she broke into a radiant grin. “We’ve just started dating. We’re right in the middle of the honeymoon phase.”
Honeymoon phase? Su Jinglan privately questioned Ning Jiuwei’s grasp of the term. Whether in the bedroom or out of it, her affections never burned with urgent passion. She even projected a vague sense of detachment, as if she might pull away at any moment.
Wen Wanyuan stopped eating her dumplings.
The dramatic showdown she’d anticipated—parents trying to split the lovers apart—never materialized. Mama Ning simply nodded and let the subject drop.
Wen Wanyuan: “???”
One question, and she approved?
Wen Wanyuan’s gaze shifted from Mama Ning to Ning Jiuwei, who curved her lips in a faint smile toward her.
Suddenly, it clicked for Wen Wanyuan. Ning Jiuwei had already paved the way with her parents.
She was always meticulous, mapping out every step and clearing hurdles in advance. There was no chance of tears and ultimatums forcing a breakup.
Dinner passed peacefully without incident. Mama Ning didn’t stay the night. She quietly gave Ning Jiuwei a few instructions before heading home.
Once she was gone, Ning Jiuwei and Wen Wanyuan slipped into the study.
What could these childhood friends have to discuss that they couldn’t let her, the girlfriend, overhear? Su Jinglan idly flipped through channels with the remote, her attention fixed on the study door.
They stayed in there for more than half an hour before emerging. The Wen Wanyuan who came out was like a completely different person. She treated Su Jinglan with remarkable warmth and friendliness. Before leaving, she flashed a bright smile and bid Su Jinglan a fond farewell, clearly accepting her fully as Ning Jiuwei’s girlfriend.
Not just accepting her, but wholeheartedly supportive.
“Alright, Su Jinglan, I won’t disturb you two lovebirds any longer.” Wen Wanyuan grabbed her handbag.
Su Jinglan replied politely, “Goodbye, Miss Wen.”
“What Miss Wen? That’s too distant. Call me Wanyuan or Little Wanyuan from now on.” No need for an escort—Wen Wanyuan left Ning Jiuwei’s home with the ease of someone who knew it well.
The dramatic shift in Wen Wanyuan’s attitude sparked Su Jinglan’s curiosity. With no outsiders left in the house, she wrapped her arms around Ning Jiuwei without restraint, cuddling close and leaning on her shoulder as she pleaded for answers.
“She came around on her own,” Ning Jiuwei said, fighting back a smile, reluctant to spill the details easily.
Su Jinglan didn’t press the issue. “I believe whatever Teacher Ning says.”
Ning Jiuwei had expected her to wheedle a bit longer, so she was mildly surprised when Su Jinglan simply accepted it. Her gaze drifted from the TV screen to Su Jinglan, meeting her eyes. A flutter stirred uncontrollably in her chest, followed by a tingling numbness.
Su Jinglan brushed the tip of her nose lightly against Ning Jiuwei’s, her voice husky. “Does Teacher Ning know what it feels like to be in the honeymoon phase?”
An overwhelming craving gnawed at her sanity. Every desire flooding her mind centered on the woman before her—the one who stirred her emotions so deeply. Just looking at her was enough to awaken sensation down there.
Ning Jiuwei glanced down at herself in Su Jinglan’s embrace, her breathing uneven. “Isn’t this what we’re doing right now?”
Her grasp of the honeymoon phase clearly fell short.
“No.” Su Jinglan cradled Ning Jiuwei’s face and kissed her with fervent passion, her love spilling out in words and deepening from tender to intense.
“It’s like this—wanting to kiss the other person every moment, wanting to possess them completely.” Su Jinglan clutched at Ning Jiuwei’s clothes, the heat rising where her fingertips grazed skin. Her whispered words, low and restrained, teased like a feather across the heart.
“Su Jinglan.” Ning Jiuwei murmured her name softly. Su Jinglan tightened her hold, denying any chance of escape. She pressed her knee against Ning Jiuwei’s side, pinning her firmly to the sofa. “Jiuwei, don’t you want me?”
Of course she did. The pleasures of adulthood had seared that sensation into her very bones. The slightest provocation was enough to ignite the longing.
But Ning Jiuwei couldn’t voice her attachment and need the way Su Jinglan did. Shame held her back, and her ingrained habit of restraint kept her in check. Even as the ache swelled unbearably, she could endure it.
“This is the sofa.” Ning Jiuwei caught Su Jinglan’s hand, refusing intimacy anywhere but the bed.
All traces of Su Jinglan’s gentleness evaporated. She seized Ning Jiuwei’s hands and pinned them to the sofa backrest, her presence suddenly commanding. “Couples in the honeymoon phase don’t pick and choose occasions—living room, kitchen, sofa, dining table. They crave each other every moment.”
Her gaze locked intently on Ning Jiuwei, mere inches away. Excitement made her chest heave, each exhaled breath warm against her lips. Ning Jiuwei held her own breath as her mind went blank for a moment, vivid images flashing through. Adrenaline surged, quickening her blood and sending it rushing hot through her veins.
“Su Jinglan, can we go to the study?” Her voice emerged hoarse; Ning Jiuwei cleared her throat. She held still in Su Jinglan’s controlling grip, no hint of resistance, her eyes fixed on her with steady intensity. “I want to do something more meaningful with you in there.”
The words had barely left her lips when Su Jinglan swept her up from the sofa.
She kicked open the half-closed study door. Bursting with excitement, Su Jinglan set Ning Jiuwei on the desk and dove in for a kiss. Ning Jiuwei pushed at her shoulders and turned her head aside to evade it.
“Not this.” Ning Jiuwei’s breath came ragged. She fought to keep her voice steady as her pushing hands shifted to cradle Su Jinglan’s face, palms pressing against cool skin. Her gaze held deep affection and quiet hope. “I long to do something more meaningful with you.”
Su Jinglan was on the verge of losing her mind from the teasing. She reined in her surging emotions, one hand steadying Ning Jiuwei’s lower back while the other braced against the desk. “What?”
The two words rasped out, dry and rough, as if her throat had been scorched.
Ning Jiuwei slid down from the desk. Her legs buckled the moment her feet touched the floor, nearly sending her tumbling onto the carpet. Su Jinglan caught her in an instant, her strong arms pulling Ning Jiuwei securely back into her embrace.
“Where are you going?” The faint scent of cedar white musk drifted into her nostrils, sending Su Jinglan’s heart into a flutter. She couldn’t bear to be parted from Ning Jiuwei for even a second. Ning Jiuwei didn’t answer. Instead, she pried away the arms wrapped around her waist and circled behind the desk before sitting down.
The plush, comfortable chair cradled her body. Ning Jiuwei gripped the armrest and leaned over, pulling open the second drawer of the desk.
A brand-new, unopened tablet lay before Su Jinglan. Its pristine white box bore only a simple logo. Ning Jiuwei set it on the desktop and slid it toward her. “Let’s draw the design drawings for the annual new product together.”
It was the latest high-end model, complete with a Bluetooth magnetic keyboard and stylus pen. Su Jinglan already had plenty of tablets. Burning with desire and surprise, she stared at Ning Jiuwei. “This is the ‘more meaningful’ thing you had in mind?”
“President Su said before that you’d draw them with me.” When Su Jinglan made no move, Ning Jiuwei handled it herself, ripping open the plastic seal and lifting out the tablet.
It was a perfect night—why waste it on design drawings? Su Jinglan snatched the shiny new tablet from her hands and tossed it unceremoniously onto the desk. With a graceful stride of her long legs, she settled onto Ning Jiuwei’s lap.
Before Ning Jiuwei could react, she leaned in, brushing her own earlobe teasingly against Ning Jiuwei’s temple. Her arms encircled her tightly, and in a soft, vulnerable whisper that slipped straight into her heart, she murmured against her ear, “I don’t want to draw right now. I just want my girlfriend to pamper me. Teacher Ning… love me properly.”
~~~
