After a One-Night Stand with a Seductive Bad Woman - Chapter 3

Sheng Shubai had just arrived at the exhibition hall.

Hearing a notification, she glanced down at her phone and nearly stumbled.

She rubbed her temples and replied honestly, “It’s okay, but there’s room for improvement.”

Afraid of sounding too harsh and damaging the young man’s confidence, she added, “Mainly, you need to practice your kissing technique more. That bite was too hard. No teeth tonight.”

Just one night had left a noticeable bite mark on her lip.

When she met up with an old friend earlier, she had caught a knowing smirk in their eyes and cursed the boy inwardly for being so sharp-tongued.

We were both first-timers, she thought. How come I managed not to bite her?

“A miracle! Professor Sheng, the iron tree has finally bloomed!” her friend teased, accepting the Americano she’d brought.

Sheng Shubai glanced at the lush greenery of the plaza, pretending not to hear clearly, and abruptly changed the subject. “Yes, it’s late spring already, yet your city’s landscaping is still so vibrant.”

Two more vibrations.

I’ll study hard and improve together.

[Handshake][Handshake][Handshake]

What did that mean?

Sheng Shubai was initially stunned by the three cheesy handshake emojis. The phrase “improve together” made it hard not to suspect a veiled jab: her kissing skills aren’t exactly top-notch either.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Between “passive-aggressive sarcasm” and “polite but outdated sincerity,” Sheng Shubai leaned toward the latter.

Recalling Lu Jia’s various actions since last night, she tapped the upper-right corner to access the friend information edit screen.

Her finger hovered for a moment before she changed Lu Jia’s nickname to: Little Stick-in-the-Mud.

Lu Jia wasn’t particularly tired, so she returned to campus without stopping.

After experiencing what she had last night, she deeply resonated with her mentor’s words: Art truly originates from life.

Inspiration had struck her almost immediately. Midway through, Lu Jia tried to grab her tablet to jot down a few notes, but Sheng Shubai wouldn’t let her. The woman’s embrace was skillfully applied, making it impossible to break free.

Sheng Shubai insisted that finding inspiration required uninterrupted focus.

Lu Jia found this logic compelling.

She was indeed carried back to the desk. Sheng Shubai placed the stylus in Lu Jia’s hand, wrapped her arms around her from behind, and kissed the top of her head.

“Feeling more inspired now?”

Though her elbow could prop her up against the desk, her vision seemed clouded by a fog, making it impossible to distinguish specific lines within the intricate sketch.

Every time Lu Jia tried to seize a moment to draw, the person behind her seemed to share an uncanny telepathy, causing the stylus to stutter and twist erratically.

In the end… naturally, the drawing didn’t turn out as intended.

Still, marking a few curved lines that needed revision was enough to help her recall the flashes of inspiration, which was already a valuable outcome.

Lu Jia pulled out the previous drafts she had discussed with her mentor, printed them all, and laid them side by side for comparison. Her focus shifted from the woman’s expression and movements to adding details elsewhere in the composition.

She deliberately adjusted the position of the thin blanket in the line art to conceal a portion of the curve.

She revealed the half-hidden curve of the calf and slender ankle, adding several more creases to the bedsheets and the hem of the skirt.

When it came to refining the expression, Lu Jia unconsciously recalled her own reflection in the mirror last night.

She remembered the way the woman bit her lip and called out her name during their two subsequent encounters.

The memory of that recent experience remained vivid.

Noticing her breathing becoming uneven, Lu Jia steadied her mind.

Now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. With the opportunity to revisit the scene tonight, she needed to revise the line art first and then discuss it with her mentor in the afternoon.

If there were still areas needing refinement, she could use that as an excuse to observe Sheng Shubai again tonight.

The thought of relying on Sheng Shubai for reference once more filled Lu Jia with guilt.

Throughout the afternoon, after discussing the revisions with her mentor, Lu Jia buried herself in the supplementary materials her friend had sent, studying diligently to deepen her theoretical knowledge before their meeting tonight.

By evening, just before eight o’clock, Lu Jia arrived at the hotel on time and sent Sheng Shubai a message:

Miss Sheng, I’ve just arrived downstairs. Is it convenient for me to come up now?

Lu Jia wasn’t sure if Sheng Shubai was showering, but she had brought her own pajamas and toiletries for the night.

Last night, she had hastily put on one of Sheng Shubai’s nightgowns. The fabric was so thin that she felt cold on her chest and legs all night.

After waiting two minutes, Sheng Shubai replied that she had an unavoidable last-minute business dinner to attend. She would make an appearance and be back in about an hour, asking Lu Jia to go upstairs first.

Lu Jia agreed.

Even after a thorough shower, she still had nearly half an hour to spare.

She decided to pull out her tablet and continue reviewing the reference materials her mentor had sent her that afternoon.

It was a silver-medal-winning printmaking piece from many years ago, not from a particularly prestigious or well-known competition. The artist’s name was simply “L,” and no contact information could be found.

Yet the atmosphere of the artwork resonated perfectly with the alluring woman Lu Jia envisioned painting, making it an invaluable reference.

She searched the internet using various keywords and managed to find a few other works by the artist. However, due to the age of the pieces and the poor quality of the images, the lines became blurry when zoomed in.

Lost in concentration as she studied the tablet, headphones on, Lu Jia didn’t notice Sheng Shubai approaching until she was right beside her.

Startled by the sudden proximity, Lu Jia’s fingers instinctively returned to the screen.

“What are you looking at… a painting?”

Sheng Shubai’s gaze fell on the tablet Lu Jia was holding. The previously enlarged image shrank back to its original size. Sheng Shubai paused, her casual question hanging in the air for a moment.

Lu Jia was clearly very familiar with this artwork.

Regaining her composure, Sheng Shubai asked, “Are you studying printmaking?”

Last night, when Lu Jia had shown her the printed draft of her graduation project, Sheng Shubai had only glanced at it, not bothering to inquire about her specific major.

Now, seeing this artwork, she realized Lu Jia was studying this field.

Lu Jia nodded, her curiosity piqued. “Miss Sheng, do you know about printmaking too?”

Most laypeople were more familiar with watercolor and oil painting. Recognizing this as a printmaking technique at a glance suggested Sheng Shubai had some knowledge of the subject.

Sheng Shubai took a few seconds to reply, her tone neutral. “I’ve just heard of it.”

Before Lu Jia could respond, Sheng Shubai turned away, placing her bag in the corner of the table. “I’ll go wash up first. You can get back to work.”

Lu Jia watched Sheng Shubai’s retreating figure, hesitating to speak.

When Sheng Shubai emerged from the shower, she gathered her damp hair ends. Her long, wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders, contrasting sharply with the expanse of pale skin exposed at her chest.

She glanced at Lu Jia’s pajamas, her expression unreadable. “You’re wearing that to bed?”

When she had first returned, she hadn’t paid attention to the girl’s outfit.

Now, seeing dozens of cartoon sheep in pink and white all over the pajamas, Sheng Shubai fell silent. She hadn’t even counted two sheep before feeling sleepy.

“I specifically looked for this in the closet,” Lu Jia said. “It’s the most suitable one.”

Seeing that Sheng Shubai’s tone had returned to normal, as if the inexplicable gloom from earlier had been just a fleeting moment, Lu Jia didn’t ask about it and continued with the conversation.

She had clearly taken great care in choosing her pajamas before coming.

Compared to the usual styles she bought, this set—brought from home during the Lunar New Year—was practically the tallest among the short.

Sheng Shubai didn’t believe her.

But when Lu Jia actually showed her the purchase records, it was true: plain, long-sleeved, long-legged pajamas with tiny dots, all from the same store.

The neckline reached all the way to her chin, and even on the model, the outfit radiated an air of austere indifference from top to bottom. This person had bought four sets in different colors.

“Because they’re really comfortable,” Lu Jia explained. “And we don’t need to worry about appearances in the dorm.”

Lu Jia hesitated for a moment, swallowing back the next sentence: “Or I’ll just buy different pajamas next time.”

She knew Sheng Shubai was only here on a business trip.

Besides, the final draft of her graduation project would be finalized soon, meaning there would be no more opportunities to see each other in pajamas.

“Or just not wear anything at all?”

Compared to the glaringly white cartoon sheep, Sheng Shubai would rather see other white things—things that were not only beautiful but also soft to the touch.

Lu Jia clutched her buttons. “I’ll get cold.”

Based on last night’s experience, each session lasted so long that even with the air conditioning on, her exposed navel made her feel vulnerable to catching a chill.

Even during her usual afternoon naps, she always made sure to pull a corner of the blanket over her stomach, even when wearing pajamas.

Sheng Shubai rubbed her temples. “But if you wear that, I’ll feel like I’m with a minor. It’s really unsettling.”

“You promised this morning that I could take the lead all night, didn’t you?”

Her words struck home. For Lu Jia, who always kept her promises, this was a decisive checkmate.

After some discussion, Lu Jia chose to temporarily drape Sheng Shubai’s shirt over herself, fastening only the two buttons around her waist, leaving the rest open.

Sheng Shubai rarely wore shirts, and the few she owned were all loose and oversized. Lu Jia was only a few centimeters shorter than her, and the shirt’s hem barely concealed her skin below.

This time, they weren’t in the bathroom.

The blanket was spread out in front of the full-length mirror, allowing Lu Jia to carefully observe what kind of poses the sketch required for reference.

Kneeling on the soft, plush blanket, bathed in the warm glow of the overhead light and the bright halo around the mirror, Lu Jia leaned against Sheng Shubai for support and gazed into the mirror.

Modeling for herself, even for the second time, still felt remarkably novel.

Sheng Shubai was an exceptional instructor.

She guided Lu Jia’s hands, demonstrating how to strike poses that captured the essence of the sketch, providing crucial reference points for the painting.

While focusing on observing her own expressions, Lu Jia recalled several points of confusion from revising the sketch earlier that day and shared them with Sheng Shubai. The woman paused for a few seconds, glanced into the mirror, and gestured for Lu Jia to turn sideways.

As Lu Jia gradually realized the flaws in her line drawing, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration. Miss Sheng was truly remarkable.

She tilted her head to praise Sheng Shubai, her cheek brushing against the woman’s hair. Freshly showered, the ends of her hair were still damp, leaving faint, watery marks on the light brown blanket.

The soft glow of the LED strip lights diffused across her vision.

It wasn’t just Sheng Shubai’s slender, elegant hands that caught the light; the warm, watery hues also illuminated her wrists and forearms.

Everywhere, the light resembled warm, creamy jade, so beautiful that Lu Jia couldn’t tear her eyes away.

She stared intently, hoping to imprint these details in her mind for future reference when drawing beautiful women.

By the time she had memorized the reference poses she wanted, it was late, and she prepared to rest. Lu Jia instinctively tugged the corner of the blanket over her navel, afraid of catching a chill, but Sheng Shubai stopped her.

“Mmm…”

The words Lu Jia was about to speak caught in her throat as the woman lowered her head and kissed her earlobe.

Then came a soft, teasing whisper:

“If you cover up, I can’t continue referencing the details. But I have a way to keep you warm without needing the blanket.”