Xia Yinuo’s expression turned subtle, and she didn’t respond.
"Why the face? It looks like you just swallowed a fly," Gu Yizhi teased. "Shouldn't a junior feel happy and fortunate to be liked by her senior?"
Xia Yinuo suddenly felt she was being too sensitive. "I’ll give it serious thought. It’s just that there’s still some time before graduation, so I need a bit of time. Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Senior Gu."
"That’s more like it," Gu Yizhi said. "You’re welcome to visit the company anytime. You’ll see a young team that will surprise you."
"Alright. Senior Gu, about that personal matter..."
"Oh," Gu Yizhi said nonchalantly. "Xiaotang mentioned going to Professor Tang’s house for dinner this weekend. Her mother has already started preparing. Remember to bring your fellow students along when the time comes."
Xia Yinuo breathed a sigh of relief. "Understood."
***
That evening, the Tang residence was packed, filling two whole tables. Aside from the current students, Gu Yizhi and Lin Shen arrived one after the other.
Lin Shen—the "Brother Shen" Xiaotang had mentioned—was tall and handsome, dressed in a sharp suit. He had the air of a successful young talent, drawing frequent glances from everyone present. He introduced himself to the group of juniors, explaining that he was also a student of Professor Tang’s from the same year as Gu Yizhi, and told them they could simply call him *Shixiong*.
What surprised everyone most was when Mrs. Tang asked the two of them when they planned to get married. Lin Shen replied with a smile that they weren't in a hurry, while Gu Yizhi offered no reaction at all. From Mrs. Tang’s tone, it seemed they had been a couple for years, yet the atmosphere between them felt off. It was clear they were close, but they didn't behave like a typical couple.
Xia Yinuo had no interest in gossiping. She checked her watch countless times throughout the night. Liang Jueyun’s flight was scheduled to land in C City at nine, and Xia Yinuo only wanted to finish dinner as quickly as possible to pick her up from the airport.
After the meal, the group chatted and played around. Tang Xiaotang pulled Lin Shen aside to pepper him with questions, her face full of admiration. Gu Yizhi barely spoke all evening, eventually slipping away to the balcony to smoke in silence.
Seeing that it was about time, Xia Yinuo apologized to the group, saying she had something to attend to and needed to leave early. As she hurried away, Tang Shuliang asked Ke Dinghao what Xia was so busy with. Ke Dinghao looked equally bewildered. "Could it be that spring has finally bloomed for her?"
Not long after Xia Yinuo left, the others also bid farewell to Professor Tang and his wife. After heading downstairs together, they said their goodbyes at the entrance of the complex. Lin Shen caught Gu Yizhi’s arm and asked, "You’ve been drinking. How are you getting home?"
Gu Yizhi didn't pull away, but she looked weary. "I called a designated driver."
Lin Shen stared at her, his gaze burning with intensity. Gu Yizhi kept her head down the entire time. Finally, Lin Shen let go. "Then be safe on the road."
"I will," Gu Yizhi replied.
Lin Shen sighed softly. "Smoke less."
"Okay."
***
Rarely was the road to the airport so clear. Xia Yinuo arrived an hour early and waited at the international arrivals gate.
Since it was still early, she sat on a bench, watching the bustling crowds. Luggage carts rolled past as people embraced and kissed, expressing the joy of reunion. When Liang Jueyun had left, she had insisted that Xia Yinuo shouldn't see her off. Since they had started their relationship, this was only the second time they had been apart for more than three days, the first being when Xia Yinuo went to Dalian for a conference. Xia Yinuo felt a strange sensation this time—perhaps because Liang had been in a foreign land in a different time zone, it made her feel particularly insecure.
Perhaps we can never truly know why we fall in love with another person. Maybe everyone has a void in their heart that requires a heart of just the right shape to fill. This sense of need accumulates gradually until you cannot bear to be apart, wanting to be bound tightly to them every moment of every day.
Xia Yinuo suddenly began to feel nervous.
The display screen showed that Liang Jueyun’s flight had landed safely. Half an hour later, she finally spotted Liang Jueyun among the emerging crowd. Xia Yinuo rushed forward and pulled her into a tight embrace. Liang Jueyun smiled, patting the person in her arms. "Alright, I'm back."
Xia Yinuo let go, feeling a bit shy. "Let's go home."
They got the car and hit the road. Xia Yinuo drove, turning to look at Liang Jueyun every time they hit a red light. She grabbed Liang Jueyun’s hand, her face beaming; she couldn't seem to get enough of her.
"Look, as soon as you come back, the country's smog has cleared up!"
Liang Jueyun patted Xia Yinuo’s hand gently. "Stop playing around. Focus on the road."
They drove into the complex, parked, and got out. Neither spoke, moving in silent harmony as they unloaded the luggage. Xia Yinuo had even specially bought groceries, planning to cook for Liang Jueyun. The moment they stepped into the elevator, Xia Yinuo grabbed Liang Jueyun’s hand. Liang Jueyun shot a quick glance at the security camera above, while Xia Yinuo looked down with a secret grin, tightening her grip.
With a *ding*, they stepped out of the elevator.
Liang Jueyun pulled out her keys and opened the door. Once inside, she dropped her things. Without turning on the lights, she grabbed Xia Yinuo, who was still standing at the doorway, pinned her against the back of the door, and kissed her fiercely.
Xia Yinuo felt a sharp sting of passion, then surrendered completely. Cupping the back of Liang Jueyun’s head, she responded fervently, deepening this explosive, earth-shattering kiss. Liang's tongue invaded her mouth with a dominant, unquestionable force—a far cry from her usual composed style.
They didn't pull apart until they were both breathless. Within ten seconds, they were pressed together again, though this time it was much gentler. All their longing and tenderness melted into the space between their lips.
After a long while, Xia Yinuo leaned her head on Liang Jueyun’s shoulder, steadying her breath before saying, "Go take a shower and rest. I’ll go make dinner for you."
"Okay."
By the time Liang Jueyun finished her shower and emerged wrapped in a bathrobe, it was already eleven at night. "Little Bao" had taken off her coat and was wearing a cute little apron, standing before the kitchen stove like a virtuous little wife.
In high spirits, Liang Jueyun walked into the kitchen and pressed herself against Xia Yinuo’s back, wrapping her arms around her waist. "What delicious thing are you making?"
Little Bao raised her spatula, staring straight ahead as she announced solemnly, "The Xia Family's Nutritious Noodles!"
Next to the cutting board lay an A4 sheet of paper covered in dense text, while a pot of plain water was boiling on the stove. Liang Jueyun gave Xia Yinuo’s waist a gentle pinch. "Being both a driver and a chef—you’ve worked hard. But it’s taking this much effort just to boil some noodles? Tell me, Master Chef, do you actually know what you're doing? I seem to recall a certain someone only knows how to make 'Stir-fried Tomato and Egg' and 'Stir-fried Egg and Tomato'!"
Little Bao turned around and winked at Liang Jueyun, saying with mock seriousness, "Eh! How did you know I was making Tomato and Egg Noodles? Well, as they say, a driver who doesn't want to be a cook isn't a good PhD! So please, do not doubt my professional abilities!" Having said her piece, she pouted and gave Liang Jueyun a kiss on the cheek before turning back to continue studying her recipe.
Watching Xia Yinuo’s obedient and earnest profile, Liang Jueyun couldn't help but lean in to kiss her ear and neck.
Xia Yinuo was ticklish; she shrank her neck back and begged for mercy. Seeing that Liang Jueyun had no intention of stopping, she warned, "Teacher Liang! You can't do this! Do you have any idea how serious the consequences of teasing the chef are? You won't get any food!"
Liang Jueyun breathed softly into Little Bao’s ear, "Is that so? Actually, I ate a little on the plane. I'm not that hungry..."
This was undoubtedly an invitation. Quick-witted as she was, Little Bao immediately turned off the gas, dropped the spatula, turned around to pull Liang Jueyun into her arms, and began a new round of oral combat.
Outside the window, the night was deep and the starlight flickered. Inside the kitchen of the Liang residence, the ambiguity escalated, the atmosphere thick and lingering.
The kitchen wasn't large to begin with. Before she knew it, Xia Yinuo was pressed against the refrigerator door again, her hands straying beneath Liang Jueyun’s bathrobe to roam over her smooth back. Liang Jueyun wasn't wearing anything under the robe; Xia Yinuo had realized that the moment Liang had hugged her from behind.
Suddenly remembering something, Xia Yinuo called a halt to the mood. Panting, she asked, "Senior, do you have some kind of special fetish for refrigerators?"
Liang Jueyun caught Little Bao’s wandering hands and chuckled. "No! Why do you ask?"
Xia Yinuo jumped in indignation. "Then why am I pressed against the fridge every single time!"
Liang Jueyun had an epiphany. "Oh! Right! Then let's change locations!"
Stumbling from the kitchen to the living room and then to the bedroom, they collapsed onto the bed. From the burning intensity in each other's eyes, they both knew exactly what was coming next.
The bedroom was dim, but the light spilling in from the living room allowed Xia Yinuo to see the enchanting view inside Liang Jueyun’s bathrobe. Liang Jueyun sat up and reached out to undress Xia Yinuo, but Xia Yinuo hurriedly said she would do it herself. She bashfully shed her apron and sweater, only for Liang Jueyun to issue a command: "Everything. Take it all off."
"Oh..." Xia Yinuo continued to undress, trembling slightly.
Liang Jueyun sat cross-legged on the bed, propping her chin on her hand as she watched Little Bao with a playful, teasing look. She said with satisfaction, "Indeed... a soft voice, a lithe body, and so easy to pin down..."
Halfway through undressing, a humiliated and angry Little Bao lunged forward to tug at Liang Jueyun’s bathrobe. "In the interest of fairness!"
"I think what happens next might be even more unfair," Liang Jueyun said, flipping over to pin Xia Yinuo down, a wicked smile on her face. "Some people don't exercise enough and have no strength to speak of. In the critical moment, they can only be the one on the bottom!"
Xia Yinuo let out a series of protests while lying on the bed, but she was held fast by Liang Jueyun. Liang Jueyun laughed, looking down at Little Bao. Her long hair cascaded down, and the view from her loosened bathrobe revealed the faint curves of her full breasts, her firm stomach, and... defined '11-line' abs! Little Bao felt the blood rush to her head, her eyes turning red with fluster.
*Damn it! Teacher Liang, it’s fine if you spend your time reading literature, but do you have to be so into fitness? This feeling of seeing but not being able to 'eat' is truly...*
Liang Jueyun leaned down and dominantly kissed Xia Yinuo’s mouth. Xia Yinuo immediately went quiet. Liang Jueyun still carried the scent of her body wash, and it smelled wonderful.
Tossing the rest of Xia Yinuo’s clothes aside, Liang Jueyun’s hot, burning kisses fell upon Little Bao’s cheeks, eyelids, lips, earlobes, and neck, moving all the way down, setting Xia Yinuo’s entire body ablaze.
Xia Yinuo could clearly feel their bodies intertwining; the slick, intimate contact was intoxicating. She closed her eyes, her whole body tense, not daring to breathe. A strange, unprecedented sensation surged within her, leaving her too overstimulated to speak.
Liang Jueyun returned to Xia Yinuo’s eye level and released her hands. Overwhelmed by shame and excitement, Xia Yinuo simply covered her eyes. Liang Jueyun laughed, gently pulling her hands away. "Bao, look at me," she whispered. Xia Yinuo’s gaze was dazed. As their eyes met, Xia Yinuo felt she was drowning in Liang Jueyun’s tender gaze, and she gripped the collar of the bathrobe tightly.
Liang Jueyun caressed Little Bao’s face and asked, "No legends about the ancient East this time?"
"Huh?" *At a time like this, Teacher Liang, you actually remember the joke from our first kiss?*
Xia Yinuo gritted her teeth and replied, "In the ancient East, there is a dragon! Her name is China!"
Liang Jueyun let out a soft giggle. "I was actually going to ask if you had any wishes you wanted to come true!"
The little lion growled in a low, flushed voice, "My current wish... shouldn't you be very clear on what it is by now?!"
"Don't be nervous," Liang Jueyun teased, nipping at Little Bao’s ear. "Actually, come to think of it, American sex education for teenagers is quite good. I won't treat you poorly, Shijie promises!"
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
林深 | Lin Shen | A former student of Professor Tang, Gu Yizhi's contemporary.
深哥哥 | Brother Shen | A nickname for Lin Shen used by Tang Xiaotang.
师兄 | Shixiong | Senior male fellow student/disciple.
夏小宝 | Xia Xiaobao / Little Bao | An affectionate nickname for Xia Yinuo.
轻音柔体易推倒 | Soft voice, lithe body, easy to pin down | A playful ACGN trope/slang describing a submissive partner.
川字腹肌 | 11-line abs | Defined abdominal muscles (resembling the character '川').
古老的东方有一条龙 | In the ancient East, there is a dragon | A reference to the song "Descendants of the Dragon," used here as a callback to a previous joke.
