Chapter 72

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The weather was growing hotter by the day. Su Jinglan slipped off her outer robe, left in just a thin spaghetti-strap nightgown. The silky fabric glided over her smooth skin at the slightest touch. She threw back the covers, lazily crossing her long legs. Ning Jiuwei pulled her hand back, wrapping herself in the blanket and rolling over to face away from her.

Beneath the covers, heat raged through her body. Her heart felt tugged by silken threads, pounding wildly as if it weren’t her own. Su Jinglan’s gaze burned into her back, tempting Ning Jiuwei to turn around. She clenched her fists tight, fighting off the surging impulse to cross that forbidden line.

She could scarcely imagine what life would be like after breaching that boundary. Even now, it was almost more than she could bear. It was best if her relationship with Su Jinglan ended right here.

Su Jinglan propped herself up on the bed and leaned forward. The familiar scent of white musk wrapped around Ning Jiuwei with every breath, enclosing her in an invisible barrier she couldn’t see, touch, or escape. Ning Jiuwei lay still like a wild cat lying in wait for a sparrow, silently countering Su Jinglan’s approach. Whether she would pounce or hold steady was a secret only she knew.

“Designer Ning, may I ask you a question?” The respectful form of address and phrasing gave no hint as to what momentous query Su Jinglan had in mind.

Enduring the steadily climbing heat, Ning Jiuwei kept her eyes closed as she replied to Su Jinglan. “Please ask away, President Su.”

The bedroom fell silent after she spoke. Su Jinglan’s breaths, close at hand, brushed rhythmically against her temple. Ning Jiuwei’s skin prickled; for a moment, she had the vivid illusion that Su Jinglan was about to kiss her.

“Aren’t you going to ask after all, President Su?” Ning Jiuwei tracked the subtle shifts around her through her senses alone, her eyes remaining firmly shut from start to finish.

Su Jinglan’s lips curved upward. She placed a gentle hand on Ning Jiuwei’s shoulder. Ning Jiuwei’s heart lurched violently, and she turned instinctively to look.

One strap had slipped down Su Jinglan’s shoulder in her reclined pose, hanging loose to reveal tantalizing curves within. The half-concealed swells were utterly captivating. Ning Jiuwei’s breath caught; whatever words had been on her tongue slipped away, lost to the intoxicating vista.

She tore her gaze away, her throat working as she forced out a soft, steady voice. “If you’re not going to ask, then I’m going to sleep.”

“I do want to ask you, Designer Ning…” Su Jinglan pressed her shoulders with gentle insistence, turning her to face forward. Her eyes danced with mirth as they fixed unabashedly on the woman in her grasp. “Between Miss Wen and me, whose figure is better?”

The question steered Ning Jiuwei’s thoughts straight to their bodies. No comparison was even necessary—it was self-evident whose was superior. Su Jinglan was tall, with endless legs and a flat, taut waist and abdomen. That fleeting glimpse of her defined abs had unleashed a torrent in Ning Jiuwei’s heart, an image now seared permanently into her memory.

When Ning Jiuwei only dropped her gaze without replying, Su Jinglan tilted up her chin, compelling her to meet her eyes. Her thumb caressed the skin with featherlight tenderness. “Do I need to take it off so you can get a proper look before you answer, Designer Ning?”

Ning Jiuwei brushed her hand aside and delivered the response that pleased Su Jinglan. “President Su has the better figure.”

Had she claimed Wen Wanyuan was superior, Ning Jiuwei had no doubt Su Jinglan would have stripped away her lone remaining nightgown right then, forcing her to inspect closely and confirm whether Wen Wanyuan truly outshone her.

“Your answer sounds a bit half-hearted, Designer Ning.” Delight bubbled inside Su Jinglan, nearly enough to make her tail wag, though her expression feigned skepticism. She burrowed under Ning Jiuwei’s covers, molding her body flush against hers in intimate contact. “I’ll give you one more chance to speak from the heart.”

“Wanyuan has a little pooch; President Su has abs. Naturally, President Su’s figure is better.” Ning Jiuwei offered the reasoning to back her claim.

Su Jinglan let out a sudden peal of laughter the moment the words left her mouth.

They had gone swimming together that evening, and Wen Wanyuan’s figure had been on full display for all to see. Su Jinglan hadn’t spotted any pooch on her. “Jiuwei, talking like that so carelessly—Miss Wen would be furious if she heard. She doesn’t have one at all.”

“She’s been hitting the gym lately, so it’s not as noticeable anymore.” Ning Jiuwei laid out the facts. “And with President Su there, she was sucking it in the whole time. She only let it go once she was in the water.”

That earnest, straight-faced manner was utterly irresistible. Su Jinglan’s gaze lingered on Ning Jiuwei as desire wove through her body, tangling with her restraint and pulling her inexorably closer.

The kiss brushed the corner of her lips, inching slowly toward the center. Su Jinglan caught Ning Jiuwei’s resisting hand and pinned it to the pillow. She coaxed her lips apart, the kiss deepening from tentative to consuming as she drank in her breath and drew it into herself.

Amid the endless tangle, Ning Jiuwei offered the faintest response. Fireworks erupted in Su Jinglan’s heart, their splintering blasts reverberating through every limb. Her fervor intensified, sending shivers of electric bliss that left her adrift.

In a brief pause for air, Su Jinglan smiled and pressed a kiss to Ning Jiuwei’s nose, her affection spilling over.

Ning Jiuwei shielded her eyes with one hand, gasping for breath in mortified silence.

Lips could lie, but the body’s reactions could not. Su Jinglan’s kiss was both tender and passionate, sending Ning Jiuwei’s heart into a frenzy. That electric thrill coursing through her entire body, that intoxicating softness she’d never felt before—it was almost too much for her to bear.

Summoning the last shreds of her rationality, Ning Jiuwei pushed Su Jinglan down.

“Jiuwei, do you know how?” Su Jinglan took hold of Ning Jiuwei’s hand and guided it to her own body, slowly moving downward.

The anticipation of what was about to happen made her breath catch. Ning Jiuwei’s heart pounded wildly, and she nearly forgot to refuse. She stopped her own hand, halting Su Jinglan. “No.”

The orange glow illuminated her exquisite features, her fair skin tinged with a faint blush. Su Jinglan curved her lips in a smile and continued guiding Ning Jiuwei’s hand downward, to the edge of her nightgown. In a slightly husky voice, she murmured, “Then let me teach Teacher Ning how to do it.”

“Su Jinglan.” Ning Jiuwei wrapped her arms around Su Jinglan, burying her face in the crook of her neck. Her breath was scorching hot, like boiling water against Su Jinglan’s skin, searing straight into her heart. “Don’t.”

Her body trembled faintly, her tension and fear plain to see. Su Jinglan’s heart melted entirely. She gently stroked Ning Jiuwei’s head, soothing her. “I’m sorry. I got ahead of myself.”

She wanted Ning Jiuwei so badly it hurt, a swelling ache of desire.

Ning Jiuwei closed her eyes, gradually calming her emotions. She clung to Su Jinglan, afraid to let go, lest Su Jinglan tempt her again with her beauty.

Su Jinglan turned off the light and shifted positions, sliding off Ning Jiuwei to lie beside her on her side. Ning Jiuwei wrapped an arm around her waist, showing no intention of releasing her.

They fell asleep in each other’s arms. Su Jinglan tenderly smoothed the stray hairs from Ning Jiuwei’s temple and cradled the back of her head protectively.

Deeper into the night, moonlight spilled halfway into the room. The lights of countless homes flickered out beneath the curtain of darkness, and the howling wind outside grew ever clearer. Ning Jiuwei let out a quiet sigh and pulled her hand away, creating some distance between herself and Su Jinglan.

She had come so close to giving in. Her body still quivered from the excitement, and the impulse buried deep in her heart raged like a bloodthirsty beast. If released, it could lead to something uncontrollable. She didn’t want to hurt Su Jinglan.

Exhausted from their exertions, her body slipped easily into sleep. Su Jinglan, carried into dreams by their deep kiss, slept soundly beside Ning Jiuwei, blissfully unaware.

The new workday dawned. Employees dragged themselves into the office, pale and weary. Su Jinglan, however, arrived brimming with energy and radiant vitality.

The usually frosty expression on her face softened into a rare gentle smile as she passed the open-plan office. Her subordinates greeted her, and she nodded to each one, the faint amusement in her eyes making them wonder if some happy event had occurred.

Jiang Shiyao took a sip of coffee at her desk and followed Su Jinglan’s gaze thoughtfully.

“Assistant Tan, when is Teacher Ning coming to the company?” Jiang Shiyao finished her coffee and approached Tan Yushu’s workstation with her tablet in hand.

Tan Yushu glanced at the tablet, assuming Jiang Shiyao wanted Teacher Ning to review her design drawings again. “Designer Jiang.” She crooked a finger, beckoning Jiang Shiyao closer.

Without hesitation, Jiang Shiyao leaned in, bending down until her ear was near Assistant Tan’s mouth.

“Has Designer Jiang forgotten what Designer Ning said?” Assistant Tan reminded her. “The annual new product.”

Of course Jiang Shiyao remembered that Ning Jiuwei was also designing the annual new product. She propped her tablet on the desk and whispered back in the same low tone, “I’m looking for Teacher Ning about something else, not to have her review my annual new product design drawings.”

“Oh, I see.” Tan Yushu smiled, propping her chin on her hand with keen interest. “So what exactly does Designer Jiang want with Designer Ning?”

Only once she knew the details could she decide whether to tell Jiang Shiyao.

“It’s a long story.” Jiang Shiyao tilted her head with a sweet smile. “Just tell me when Teacher Ning is coming, Assistant Tan. Will she be here today?”

“Not necessarily.” In a burst of kindness, Tan Yushu shared what she knew. “Designer Ning is teaching at Jiangji University. She definitely won’t be here this morning, but this afternoon? Designer Jiang, you could send her a message. Maybe she’ll tell you.”

“Does Assistant Tan know which classroom Teacher Ning is teaching in?”

Tan Yushu shook her head with a laugh. “I only know it’s the psychology course.”

With so many classrooms in the school and multiple psychology courses running at the same time, Jiang Shiyao frowned thoughtfully back at her workstation before deciding to try her luck at Jiangji University.

They wouldn’t let her in.

Jiang Shiyao was stopped at the school gate. The security guard informed her that, for the time being, no non-students or alumni were allowed into Jiangji University unless someone from inside came out to escort them.

Su Jinglan entered the President’s Office of the Design Division but left after just a few minutes.

Returning to the familiar top floor, she was greeted by Assistant Lin, who brought a thick stack of files. Before reporting on work matters, Assistant Lin updated her on Ning Jiuwei’s whereabouts.

“She’s gone to Jiangji University again?” Su Jinglan recalled that Monday mornings also featured Professor Shi Wanxu’s psychology course.

Assistant Lin nodded. “Is President Su heading to Jiangji University? These documents aren’t urgent.”

“You can step out first.”

Every single one of Ning Jiuwei’s reactions lingered in her mind, not a single minor detail overlooked. As Su Jinglan reminisced about the night before, the corners of her lips curved upward uncontrollably. In the empty office, with no one else around, she let herself laugh freely.

But then she remembered waking up to find Ning Jiuwei already gone, and her smile faded.

Shi Wanxu taught four classes a week, including two on Monday mornings during the first and second periods. The first one started at eight, which meant Ning Jiuwei must have gotten up at seven—or possibly even six.

Su Jinglan summoned Assistant Lin and asked her to look up Wen Wanyuan’s contact information.

As a designer at DM, Wen Wanyuan had a public contact line. Phone calls were first routed through her assistant for screening before reaching her. Su Jinglan pulled up the details from the digital business card and added her work WeChat account.

Wen Wanyuan handled her own WeChat verifications. Su Jinglan’s request included the words “Ning Jiuwei,” and it was approved almost immediately.

“Ah Mu?” Naturally, Wen Wanyuan wasn’t about to take it at face value. She sent a voice message: “Is that you?”

Su Jinglan replied: It’s me, Su Jinglan.

Wen Wanyuan nearly hurled her phone across the room. Su Jinglan sent her the address of a restaurant and suggested they meet at noon.

Right on the dot, Wen Wanyuan mustered her courage and showed up for the appointment. The restaurant sat on the banks of the Jiangji River, offering sweeping views and stunning scenery. When she arrived, Su Jinglan was gazing out the window at the river.

“President Su.” Wen Wanyuan called out, pulling her attention back.

“Miss Wen, please have a seat.” Su Jinglan’s expression remained calm and unruffled as she regarded her.

A familiar pair appeared at the restaurant entrance: Ning Jiuwei and Shi Wanxu, chatting and laughing warmly as they walked in side by side.

Spotting Su Jinglan and Wen Wanyuan by the window, Ning Jiuwei’s gaze sharpened. She stared directly at them without a hint of subtlety. Su Jinglan sensed it and glanced toward the door.

Wen Wanyuan, seated across from her, was caught in a storm of inner conflict. She’d spent the entire way there agonizing over how to placate Su Jinglan and keep her from digging further. Now, confronted so unexpectedly by Ning Jiuwei, her heart lurched. All her hesitation and indecision vanished in an instant, replaced by pure guilt and fear.

Even if they hadn’t exchanged a word, getting caught together by Ning Jiuwei would spark misunderstandings impossible to clear up.

“Miss Su, Miss Wen—what a coincidence bumping into you here.” Ning Jiuwei took a seat at the table right beside theirs. “Wanxu and I are here for lunch too.”

It wasn’t “Doctor Shi” or “Teacher Shi,” but an intimate use of her given name. Su Jinglan’s suspicions deepened. Shi Wanxu smiled, utterly unfazed by Ning Jiuwei’s familiarity, and settled into the seat across from her.

Terrified, Wen Wanyuan stared at Ning Jiuwei like a frightened little sparrow. Ning Jiuwei gave her a gentle smile, then turned and asked, “When did the two of you get so close?”

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