After a One-Night Stand with a Seductive Bad Woman - Chapter 15

Whether Rong Yi intended it or not, nearly an hour had passed by the time she finished explaining the techniques.

With something weighing on her mind, Lu Jia found herself unusually distracted during Rong Yi’s lecture and guidance.

Yet every time her attention drifted, she would hear Director Rong clear her throat softly, pointing with her carving knife to areas of the printing plate that required extra care, urging them to be particularly meticulous.

Lu Jia glanced at her watch only twice, surprised to realize how much time had slipped away unnoticed. She worried she might be keeping Sheng Shubai waiting too long.

Or perhaps… had Sheng Shubai already left?

The thought surfaced, but she immediately dismissed it.

When Sheng Shubai had left earlier, she had clearly said she would wait for Lu Jia. She wouldn’t break her promise.

With the technical explanation nearly complete, Shi Mengxi had already prepared a pre-treated new plate and was ready to test her carving skills. Seeing Lu Jia’s injury, Rong Yi didn’t let her try carving. Instead, she waved her off, reminding her to be careful on her way home, her expression suggesting unspoken concerns.

Lu Jia knew what Rong Yi wanted to say. She offered a polite smile. “Goodbye, Teacher.”

As soon as she stepped outside, she pulled out her phone. No new messages.

After sending a message, she learned that Sheng Shubai was indeed still waiting for her in the underground parking garage.

Lu Jia hurried downstairs, yanked open the car door, and was immediately greeted by the cheerful melody of a piano piece playing from the speakers.

“Your mentor looked furious earlier. Did she give you a hard time?” Sheng Shubai asked, leaning back lazily in the driver’s seat and turning to look at her, her voice brimming with amusement. “Did she say a lot of bad things about me? Tell me everything. I want to hear it too.”

Lu Jia rubbed her temples. She had unconsciously picked up this habit from Sheng Shubai; whenever she had a headache, she would instinctively massage the area.

“It wasn’t too bad. Director Rong just told me to stay away from you.”

Sheng Shubai burst out laughing, pinching Lu Jia’s cheek. “Just that? I don’t believe it.”

Lu Jia shook her head. “That’s the gist of it.”

“Don’t worry,” Sheng Shubai assured her. “She won’t find out about our ‘arrangement’.”

Sheng Shubai knew her limits and reassured Lu Jia.

In fact, Lu Jia found it almost a relief that Rong Yi now knew they lived across from each other. It meant they no longer had to sneak around like they were having an affair. Before, Sheng Shubai had to pick Lu Jia up at odd hours, waiting until the parking lot was deserted before letting her slip out of the elevator and dash across to the car.

It felt more like a clandestine affair than an actual affair.

But they weren’t really having an affair. They were just neighbors with mutually beneficial arrangements.

Sheng Shubai, also a mentor, considered that Lu Jia would have to work under Rong Yi for another three years. Even though she couldn’t stand her colleague, she wouldn’t provoke her too aggressively, lest she make things difficult for Lu Jia.

However, if she could get under that woman’s skin, she might not resist teasing the younger woman in front of Rong Yi.

Lu Jia listened to her words and paused. “Anything is fine.”

I’ll just have to explain to my mentor a few more times, she thought.

Back at their apartment complex, Sheng Shubai didn’t actually have the heart to make congee.

Having brought home a little “injured” patient—even if it was just a finger injury—she felt compelled to nourish Lu Jia.

Dinner was nearly half an hour later than usual.

Lu Jia rubbed her stomach with her left hand, having already finished a bottle of yogurt, when Sheng Shubai brought over two bowls of noodles. “This will have to do for now. I’ll take you out for something better next time.”

Lu Jia glanced at the noodles Sheng Shubai had called “just something to tide us over.”

Thinly sliced beef, leafy greens, shrimp, and a fried egg—the toppings alone were more than she usually ate for a meal.

She paused, then recalled their conversation at the studio. “Next time, will we go for congee?”

Sheng Shubai shot her an amused glance, clearly understanding Lu Jia’s unspoken thoughts. She nodded. “There’s an authentic Cantonese seafood congee place nearby. I’ll take you when we have time.”

The woman deliberately brought a fork over. In truth, Lu Jia could still use her index finger even after the bandage, but under the woman’s watchful gaze, she silently switched to her left hand.

As a child, Lu Jia had been left-handed. Her family never tried to correct her, telling her to do whatever felt comfortable.

It was only when writing at school that her left-handedness caused problems. Her desk partner complained that they kept bumping elbows, threatening to stop sitting with her if it continued.

At the time, this girl was the only one in class who would keep her company during activity periods while Lu Jia carved wood. Not wanting to lose her only friend, Lu Jia reluctantly switched hands.

Now, more than a decade later, using her left hand felt awkward.

After a moment’s thought, Lu Jia decided to switch back. The wound had already healed; it only hurt a little when pressed.

“If the wound reopens later, how do you plan to shower tonight?” Sheng Shubai asked, noticing her subtle movement.

Lu Jia sighed inwardly. This stubborn child was impossible to control.

Lu Jia blinked innocently. “Has Miss Sheng ever hesitated to help me shower before?”

The implication was clear.

Sheng Shubai smiled faintly. “Very well.”

The shower proceeded much as before, except this time Lu Jia’s right hand was pressed firmly against the wall, preventing her from instinctively raising it to shield herself.

“Be careful not to get it wet,” the woman said with utmost seriousness, her tone leaving no room for argument. Yet the force with which she pressed Lu Jia’s wrist against the cool, tiled wall was unmistakable.

Back in the bedroom, bathed in dim, suggestive light, Lu Jia could barely make out the two figures.

She arched her back and tilted her head, intending to take the initiative, but the woman seized her hand and guided it forward. Their lips met perfectly, stifling half her breath.

Tossed and turned repeatedly, the knuckles of her left hand, gripping the bedsheets, strained until they went numb before she finally had a chance to take control.

With her right hand incapacitated, she had already tried every other method.

Kneeling between the woman’s legs, Lu Jia had just finished tying her hair when something unfamiliar was tossed beside her.

The texture was novel—silicone.

Only when Sheng Shubai switched on the light did she see its shape: a smooth, palm-sized device with rounded curves.

Lu Jia had heard of such things, but this was the first time she had seen one in person.

Under the woman’s knowing gaze, she pressed the power button. Her fingertip brushed against the recessed area, and the vibration startled her.

“Just… put it there?” she wondered, thinking, How could anyone withstand this intensity?

Sheng Shubai bent her leg and nudged Lu Jia’s hand with her knee. “Yes. I’ve heard they’re quite effective.”

It was indeed quite effective.

Lu Jia lowered her gaze, observing the woman’s pursed lips, stifled moans, and the grip on her arm. She could tell Sheng Shubai was very satisfied.

“Does it work well?”

Perhaps feeling less involved this time, Lu Jia found herself asking this obvious question, unsure why.

The pale, slender arch of Sheng Shubai’s foot tensed. Her voice softened and lingered, “Not bad.”

Lu Jia lowered her eyes, remaining silent.

This woman has never praised me like that before.

With this thought, she reactivated the device and pressed it against Sheng Shubai again.

The woman’s aching waist stiffened instantly. Unable to evade, Sheng Shubai instinctively reached for Lu Jia’s hand, but hesitated, fearing she might touch the wound.

“…Lu… Jia.”

After two nearly uninterrupted sessions, Sheng Shubai’s voice trembled. “You… wait a moment…”

Lu Jia pretended not to hear.

She didn’t know where she found the courage to defy the woman’s words at such a moment, something she’d never done before.

Only when the inexplicable unease in her heart dissipated did Lu Jia drop the device and lean down to embrace Sheng Shubai. But the woman, having regained her strength, swiftly seized control once more.

“You like playing this game, don’t you? Not letting me stop?”

Sheng Shubai narrowed her eyes, her tenderness toward the injured woman vanishing. Gripping the small, oval device, she slowly pressed it against Lu Jia’s body, her thin lips parting slightly. “Then we’ll use it until it runs out of power, darling.”

Lu Jia was hoist by her own petard, utterly drained this time.

Moreover, Sheng Shubai’s hands were uninjured, allowing her to press down on Lu Jia with both hands, inside and out…

When the storm finally subsided, Lu Jia instinctively reached to embrace Sheng Shubai, only to have the woman pull her right hand away. Sheng Shubai’s fingers gently traced the bandaged index finger, her touch feather-light.

This woman… is she going to do it again? Lu Jia thought, already past 1 a.m. She really couldn’t take any more.

But then Sheng Shubai raised an eyebrow, her gaze filled with tender amusement. She pressed a soft kiss to the tip of Lu Jia’s unbandaged finger.

“That device is quite effective.”

The warmth of Sheng Shubai’s lips lingered. Lu Jia’s lashes fluttered, and she instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but her body remained still.

She realized that her hidden thoughts were laid bare before this woman.

“Still, I think I prefer this. When will it heal?”

The ten fingers are connected to the heart.

And now, it seemed, to the pulse that throbbed between them.