~~~
The car sped through the enveloping night, the rising partition and drawn curtains sealing off the outside world. Su Jinglan, unsatisfied with their heated kiss, swung a long leg over and straddled Ning Jiuwei’s lap, cupping the back of her neck to tilt her head up.
Ning Jiuwei’s words died unspoken as Su Jinglan’s sudden fervor blanked her mind. The suffocating tangle of their embrace sapped her strength to resist, and amid the surging tide of desire, she found herself helplessly wrapping her arms around the woman before her.
The kiss lingered all the way until they pulled up to the building.
Lin Fengmian unbuckled her seatbelt and stayed put in the front seat, scrolling on her phone with perfect tact, not interrupting the pair in the back.
Nourished by the kiss, Ning Jiuwei’s lips were now plump and rosy, shimmering faintly with moisture—and a subtle throb of soreness.
Su Jinglan’s lips curved into a smile as her fingertip gently traced Ning Jiuwei’s brows and eyes.
The thick, soft brows felt exquisite under her touch. Brimming with affection, Su Jinglan leaned down and pressed a kiss to her brow ridge. “Care to come up to my place for a bit, Teacher Ning?”
Assistant Lin had driven them to Fenglinwu Community instead of Xitang Mansion.
Still catching her breath, Ning Jiuwei finally managed to finish her earlier answer. “Su Jinglan, I don’t like any of those three.”
“Isn’t the answer me, Teacher Ning?” Hearing her own name, Su Jinglan had assumed Ning Jiuwei meant her—someone outside the options listed. Only now did she realize her mistake.
It wasn’t a total misunderstanding, though. Ning Jiuwei’s response proved that, compared to those three, she did prefer Su Jinglan.
Ning Jiuwei lowered her gaze, dodging the intense stare, her arms loosening from around Su Jinglan’s waist. Undeterred, Su Jinglan’s smile deepened as she gently cupped Ning Jiuwei’s cheeks, forcing their eyes to meet. “Your body tells the honest truth.”
With that, she kissed her again.
The kiss brushed lightly over her lips, sending a faint tremor through Ning Jiuwei’s frame. Su Jinglan tilted her head and leaned into her, hot breath fanning her neck. Eyes closed, she murmured into her ear with a smile, “Stay over tonight. Assistant Lin’s been driving all day—let her skip the extra trip.”
Ning Jiuwei burned hot enough for an ice-cold shower. Su Jinglan looked far too tempting right now; even a bodhisattva couldn’t stay unmoved, much less an ordinary mortal with desires of her own. “President Su, I can just call a cab home.”
The safest choice: put some distance between them.
“Does Teacher Ning really think she can head home tonight?” Su Jinglan radiated an aura that demanded submission—one she usually tempered around Ning Jiuwei. “I’m not letting you go.”
Held tight in the quiet car, bearing Su Jinglan’s full weight, Ning Jiuwei fell silent for a moment, steadying her churning emotions. “It’s not a good idea for us to share a bed tonight.”
“Then I’ll carry you upstairs, Teacher Ning.” Su Jinglan’s eyes lit up with eagerness. “I’ve never done anything like that before.”
Ning Jiuwei: “…”
In the end, Ning Jiuwei walked on her own two feet.
The residential complex was riddled with security cameras. If any nosy neighbors caught sight of them, it could end up splashed across the financial news’ entertainment beat.
The elevator whisked them to the 22nd floor, and they stepped into Su Jinglan’s home. Bursting with energy, Su Jinglan pinned Ning Jiuwei to the shoe-changing stool in the entryway cloakroom and kissed her. Ning Jiuwei threw up a hand to shield her face in clear refusal.
“I’ll grab your shoes.” Su Jinglan paused and fetched two pairs of house slippers from the rack, settling beside Ning Jiuwei to slip them on together.
It felt just like an old married couple who’d shared a life for years. Head bowed, Su Jinglan couldn’t suppress a smile, the alcohol lending a misty allure to her beautiful eyes that begged to be ravished.
They took their time. Ning Jiuwei neatly returned her shoes to the rack—and swiped the pair by Su Jinglan’s feet while she was at it.
The doorbell chimed. At this hour, the only person who’d show up at Su Jinglan’s door was her assistant, Lin Fengmian.
Ning Jiuwei stayed seated. Su Jinglan glanced her way before rising to answer it.
She returned moments later, cradling a small cardboard shipping box. Ning Jiuwei caught Assistant Lin’s voice from the hall and eyed the package with curiosity.
What could be so urgent that it had to be delivered to Su Jinglan this late?
Spotting the intrigue in Ning Jiuwei’s eyes, Su Jinglan grinned. “Want to know what’s inside?”
When Su Jinglan took the lead like this, it was usually best to sidestep. Ning Jiuwei looked away. “I’m going to take a shower.”
She stepped into the master bedroom, then froze—this wasn’t her room. She spun back around, only to find Su Jinglan blocking the doorway, her gaze brimming with warm amusement. “Help yourself to pajamas in the walk-in closet, Teacher Ning. You’re sleeping in this bed with me tonight.”
Su Jinglan watched her slip into the bathroom, then carried the package to the bedside and tore it open.
No sound of running water came from the bathroom. As Su Jinglan inspected the box’s contents, Ning Jiuwei emerged.
“President Su, is it okay if I wear this one?” Treating herself like a guest, Ning Jiuwei politely sought the host’s approval.
Su Jinglan closed the cardboard box before Ning Jiuwei could peek inside. “Sure, Designer Ning. Wear whatever you like.”
The secretive gesture sparked Ning Jiuwei’s curiosity. “What’s in there?”
“Just some bedding supplies we might need,” Su Jinglan replied tactfully. “We can take a look together after you shower, Designer Ning.”
Ning Jiuwei had a vague inkling of what she meant but wasn’t quite ready to confirm it. “President Su can check them out on your own. Bedding supplies don’t interest me.”
For all her words, as she stood under the shower, Ning Jiuwei’s mind buzzed with speculation about those so-called supplies.
She’d brought her phone into the bathroom, perfect for a quick search. Drying her hands, she grabbed it and typed in “bedding supplies.”
Up came the standard four-piece set: fitted sheet, duvet cover, pillowcases.
No way that little box could hold all that.
Ning Jiuwei deleted the term and entered a much longer phrase instead.
The top result made her entire body flush hot. She dropped the phone and slipped back under the spray, cranking the water to full blast to drown out the thunderous pounding of her heart.
It took her ages to finally emerge.
Su Jinglan was lounging on the sofa with a psychology book. At the sound of the door, she looked up immediately. Ning Jiuwei, clad in her pajamas, kept her eyes averted as she headed for the bed.
“All yours, President Su. I’m done.”
Su Jinglan set the book aside and sauntered over. “President Su this, President Su that. Aren’t you and Teacher Ning being a little too formal?”
No formality meant getting personal—far too personal.
Ning Jiuwei pulled back the covers and perched on the edge of the bed, offering a soft smile. “Force of habit.”
Su Jinglan chuckled and headed into the bathroom.
The moment she was gone, Ning Jiuwei’s smile faded. She scanned the room, her gaze settling on the bedside table nearest the bed. Three unlocked drawers. That was where Su Jinglan had been sitting earlier.
The little box had vanished. Logically, for easy access, whatever was inside had to be tucked into one of those drawers.
A glance toward the bathroom—the rush of water was still going strong. Ning Jiuwei held her breath and reached out.
She eased open a drawer just wide enough for her hand. The neatly stacked contents leaped into view, and the heat she’d been holding back roared to life inside her. Ning Jiuwei slammed it shut.
Not exactly what her search had turned up, but close enough: finger cots, the kind two people needed for barrier-free intimacy in bed.
She could still make a break for it now.
At the master bedroom door, though, Ning Jiuwei halted. She listened to her racing pulse, her hands slowly balling into fists at her sides.
With a deep breath, she returned to the bed, plugged in her phone, and lay down on her usual side.
Su Jinglan took her sweet time in the shower, scrubbing every inch until she gleamed. Once dry, wrapped in her bathrobe, she trimmed and filed her nails to a smooth, rounded perfection right there in the bathroom.
She pressed them gently against her palm—no sharp edges to snag skin. Hands washed clean with soap, she was ready. She stepped into the bedroom.
The figure on the bed lay curled on her side, facing away. Su Jinglan paused in the doorway, watching quietly for a few seconds.
“Ning Jiuwei?” She padded softly to the bedside and leaned down, bracing one hand on the mattress.
Eyes shut tight, Ning Jiuwei gave no sign she’d heard the gentle voice—not so much as a flutter of her eyelids.
Already asleep?
Su Jinglan checked the clock and blinked in surprise. Midnight already.
She eyed her own hands, then circled around to the far side and slipped under the covers.
All the while, Ning Jiuwei tracked Su Jinglan’s every move by sound, gauging the shrinking distance between them. Once the bedroom lights dimmed, she cracked her eyes open. They adjusted swiftly to the dark, every sense on high alert for the presence at her back.
A careful gap held for a moment, then came the faint rustle of sheets. A chill draft slipped through, followed by the steady approach of warmth. Ning Jiuwei held perfectly still as Su Jinglan’s arm slid around her waist in a loose embrace.
“I know you’re awake,” Su Jinglan murmured against the nape of her neck, basking in the familiar softness and scent. “I barely slept those two nights we were apart.”
Ning Jiuwei’s eyes flicked sideways, her mind flashing to the drawer. She stayed motionless.
As if sensing her thoughts, Su Jinglan paused, then whispered, “Teacher Ning figured out what those bedding supplies are, didn’t you? I just got them ready, just in case. Not for tonight.”
One wrong word, and she’d be ensnared. Ning Jiuwei kept up the pretense of sleep.
The hand at her waist crept downward, finding Ning Jiuwei’s fingers. It traced their slender length before curling gently around the tips.
“Su Jinglan.” Ning Jiuwei felt Su Jinglan’s desire as her scorching palm enveloped her slightly cool fingertips. It wasn’t the first time they had discussed adult topics. In the seductive night, Ning Jiuwei finally couldn’t hold back and spoke up. “What are you thinking?”
She thought of so many things—various positions that could last until tomorrow. Su Jinglan lay on Ning Jiuwei’s shoulder, her breathing uncontrollably hot. “No matter what I’m thinking, I respect your wishes.”
Ning Jiuwei rolled over and lay flat on the bed. Her eyes couldn’t make out Su Jinglan, who was so close at hand, but she could feel Su Jinglan gazing at her.
In the past, seeing Su Jinglan had given her a suffocating sense of fear. But as Su Jinglan drew closer, that feeling slowly transformed into anxiety whenever she couldn’t see Su Jinglan—as if she didn’t hold on tight, their feelings would slip away through her fingers.
“If I tell President Su to stay away from me, will President Su respect my wishes?”
Unable to see her expression, Su Jinglan could only judge Ning Jiuwei’s attitude from her tone. Her usual gentle voice held no trace of arousal—Ning Jiuwei truly wanted her to keep her distance.
“Yes.” Su Jinglan’s mood sank, and she let go of her hand.
She rolled over onto her own pillow, turning her back to Ning Jiuwei.
“Su Jinglan.” Ning Jiuwei scooted over and hugged her from behind. “Is the finger cot in the drawer?”
“Mm.” Su Jinglan didn’t catch on right away.
Ning Jiuwei pinched her belt and chuckled softly by her ear, “I might not take responsibility.”
