Online Romance with an Iceberg Professor Backfired - Chapter 28
Chapter 28: Desire
“Huh? Why are there two pairs of shoes at the door?”
Ji Fan noticed something was wrong the moment she entered. Her sister usually wore light-colored casual shoes. But the white, low-heeled, soft leather women’s shoes currently in the entryway definitely did not look like something Ji Pei would wear. Did they have guests?
The girl in the red jacket followed her in. Seeing Ji Fan turn sideways, alert, and hesitant to enter, she looked confused. “What’s wrong?”
“I feel like something is off in the house.”
The girl took out her phone, pressed 110, and held it to her ear. “Did a thief break in? I’ll call the police then!”
Ji Fan quickly snatched the phone from her hand. “Wait a minute! Let’s see what’s going on first.”
On the sofa, Ji Pei was drinking water from a mug, her face nearly submerged in it. Jiang Xianhan sat across from her, also holding a cup, but she was not as disheveled as Ji Pei. Jiang Xianhan was simply too strong. Ji Pei couldn’t push her away at all. In the end, it was Jiang Xianhan who voluntarily got off her, or else she would have surely frightened someone to death.
“Sister?” Ji Fan tiptoed inside. Seeing the two people sitting on the sofa, she was momentarily incoherent. “And Professor Jiang.”
“What are you… doing here?”
Ji Pei’s expression softened slightly. She put down her cup and said, “This is my house. Why can’t I be here?” Ji Pei’s gaze fell on the timid Ji Fan and the girl in the red jacket behind her. The girl looked familiar. Ji Pei quickly scrutinized her and realized this was the girl who had returned Ji Fan’s jacket a few days ago. The girl’s name was quite unique, and Ji Pei still remembered it. Gu Nian. What a name for a female lead in a novel.
“You brought a friend home.” Ji Pei’s face instantly became more amiable. She put down the mug, stood up, exchanged a glance with Jiang Xianhan, and walked toward Gu Nian. “Hello. I’m Ji Fan’s sister. We met last time.”
Gu Nian was surprised to see Ji Pei. She found her face very familiar. But Ji Fan just called her “sister,” yet the last time they met, she clearly said she was Ji Fan’s neighbor.
“Sister.” Gu Nian looked at Ji Pei and greeted her sweetly. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you properly last time.”
Jiang Xianhan, on the sofa, was quite perplexed by the conversation.
The more Ji Pei looked at Gu Nian, the more pleasant she found her. She was not only good-looking but also very polite. “Come in, have a seat.”
Gu Nian smiled and said “Okay.” Just as she was about to step in, Ji Fan grabbed her wrist. “Weren’t we going to have hot pot? Let’s go now.” Ji Fan desperately winked at Gu Nian, her gaze quickly sweeping over Jiang Xianhan on the sofa. She realized she must have unexpectedly returned and ruined their fun. Gu Nian understood Ji Fan’s hint and quickly nodded. “Yes. We already booked a table. We can go now.”
“Sister, we’ll be going then…” Ji Fan pushed Gu Nian and ran out, slamming the door shut, instantly vanishing without a trace.
Ji Pei was about to take out new slippers for Gu Nian to wear, have her sit down, and chat for a while. She hadn’t expected the two of them to collude in the blink of an eye.
However, seeing Ji Fan and this little friend Gu Nian reconcile, she, as an older sister, was quite relieved. It was Ji Fan who was in the wrong in the first place, changing her mind after meeting the person, deleting her as a friend, and not even wanting the jacket back.
Jiang Xianhan saw Ji Pei smiling toward the door and asked, “What’s wrong? Do you know that girl?”
“Oh, that’s Ji Fan’s online dating… friend.”
“Online dating?”
Ji Pei’s thoughts drifted back to the day she covered a class for Ji Fan. “The time I covered for Ji Fan’s class and you almost failed me, she was actually in S City for a face-to-face meeting, and it turned out…”
Jiang Xianhan couldn’t help but laugh. “It turned out to be a girl?”
“Yes.” Ji Pei sighed, thinking of Ji Fan’s clueless mind. “Before they started dating online, they didn’t even ask each other’s gender. They met like that, and it was a mistake right from the start, and she dumped her.” “She thought she was dating a handsome guy, and Gu Nian thought she was dating a girl. Neither of them asked about the other’s gender.”
Jiang Xianhan smiled. “You didn’t ask me either.”
“The app we used required real-name authentication, didn’t it?” Ji Pei sighed again. “Ji Fan has been like this since she was little, completely out of control. I’ve spoiled her.”
After Ji Fan and Gu Nian left, only Jiang Xianhan and Ji Pei remained in the large house. With fewer people, Ji Pei felt uneasy. She wanted to let the two cats and the dog out to create some noise and make it feel lively. But Jiang Xianhan was currently injured. What if the three little rascals got excited and jumped on her? What would happen if Jiang Xianhan’s injury got worse?
“Darling, you must be hungry. You just sit on the sofa and don’t move. I’ll go make you dinner.” Ji Pei smiled at Jiang Xianhan on the sofa, then turned and scurried into the kitchen, trying to distract herself by cooking.
However, Jiang Xianhan was not that easily fooled. She stood up, walked behind Ji Pei, and gently wrapped her arms around her waist. Soft lips pressed against Ji Pei’s ear, her breath like orchids. “Didn’t you invite me to your house as a guest? Why aren’t you spending more time with me?”
Ji Pei pretended to look at her watch and explained, “It’s already past five. We should have dinner.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xianhan leaned into her ear and smiled, still not letting go. Instead, she hugged her even tighter than before. “I’m not hungry right now, but…” Jiang Xianhan lifted Ji Pei’s chin, turning her head so that her lips gently met the corner of Ji Pei’s mouth. “I can have something else.”
Ji Pei’s cheeks were flushed. She subtly tried to move away, but it had little effect. “You’re injured. Don’t move around.”
Jiang Xianhan held up her right arm and smiled. “It’s already bandaged. Besides, it doesn’t hurt.”
Ji Pei gently held Jiang Xianhan’s wrist with one hand, afraid of touching her wound, being extremely cautious. “Doesn’t your left arm hurt? The doctor told you not to move. For a university professor, you’re not even listening to medical advice.”
Jiang Xianhan hadn’t expected to be lectured by someone so much younger than her. “Alright, I won’t touch you then.”
Ji Pei secretly breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear Jiang Xianhan say the next second, “But you can take the initiative. That way, I won’t get hurt.”
“…” Just as Ji Pei tried to counter with a response, Jiang Xianhan added, “Have you tried all those nice things I bought for you?”
Ji Pei was instantly thunderstruck. Why would Jiang Xianhan suddenly think of those things? She had never brought them up herself. Although Jiang Xianhan’s hands had been restrained and weren’t touching her abs, her mouth was becoming more and more provocative. “Put them on and let me see. I haven’t seen them yet.”
Ji Pei mumbled softly, “Haven’t you seen the photos before?”
Jiang Xianhan chuckled. “How can online compare to in-person? I want you to try them on one by one in front of me.”
As Jiang Xianhan continued to caress her, Ji Pei’s courage gradually grew. “Why do I have to be the only one wearing them? I want to see you wear them too.”
Jiang Xianhan paused slightly, the smile on her lips deepening. “Alright, I’ll wear them. But I’m afraid if I really put them on, I won’t be able to go home tonight.”
Ji Pei: “…” She stiffened her neck and said bluntly, “I’m not the type of person to be tempted by beauty. I’m very proper.”
Jiang Xianhan’s palm pressed against Ji Pei’s firm yet soft lower abdomen. She gently sucked on her earlobe. “Mhm, very proper indeed.”
“In that case, let me be the rogue here.”
Ji Pei: “…” She tried to struggle, but the resistance was futile. Remembering that Jiang Xianhan had studied Sanda, she didn’t dare make any small movements. So this is the highest level of shamelessness, maintaining a poker face while being a rogue. I’m truly impressed.
Ji Pei tried to change the subject. “Why did you study Sanda?”
Jiang Xianhan answered calmly, “When I was little, I was kidnapped by a group of Southeast Asian criminals. The kidnappers demanded two hundred million US dollars in exchange.”
Ji Pei’s heart sank upon hearing this. She immediately grabbed Jiang Xianhan’s hand that was rubbing her lower abdomen, gently rubbing her fingers. “Did those kidnappers… hurt you?”
Jiang Xianhan chuckled. “No. But they were discussing cutting off one of my little fingers to threaten my family.”
Ji Pei remembered hearing Liu Yanfen and her friends talking about a notorious kidnapping case that happened twenty years ago. The eldest daughter of the wealthiest family in S City, the Jiang family, was kidnapped on her way home shortly after giving birth and celebrating her child’s one-month anniversary. Their youngest daughter, only eleven years old, was also kidnapped and went missing. After being missing for more than a month, just when everyone was heartbroken, the younger daughter of the Jiang family safely returned, driving the kidnappers’ car. However, the elder daughter was not so lucky. She suffered multiple comminuted fractures in her limbs and severe head trauma. After three days and three nights of emergency treatment, she still succumbed to a vegetative state.
It turned out that the poor little girl who was kidnapped was Jiang Xianhan. And the one who became a vegetable was Jiang Xianhan’s elder sister, Jiang Xianyue. Later, rumors circulated that Jiang Xianyue sacrificed herself to distract the kidnappers so her younger sister could escape. Unfortunately, she remained in a vegetative state for twenty years and still hadn’t woken up.
Ji Pei turned around, cupped Jiang Xianhan’s face with both hands, leaned toward her, and rubbed her nose against the other’s. “So, you learned Sanda after you returned?”
Jiang Xianhan and Ji Pei pressed their foreheads together. “Mhm, to protect myself.”
“I also heard them say that your sister…”
Jiang Xianhan sighed, her expression tinged with sadness, perhaps because she had long come to terms with it. “She had comminuted fractures in all her limbs, muscle necrosis, and both her arms and legs had to be amputated. The doctors said there was almost no possibility of her waking up.”
Ji Pei frowned. She rested her chin in the hollow of Jiang Xianhan’s shoulder and muffled, “It’s already a good thing that you came back alive.”
She rubbed her stomach, feeling that, given the circumstances, she should change the subject to distract Jiang Xianhan. “I’m a little hungry. How about we eat?”
Ji Pei opened the refrigerator door and found only a few withered vegetable leaves and half a shriveled piece of ginger inside. “…” I forgot to stock the fridge. “How about we go out to eat?”
Jiang Xianhan shook her head. She felt a bit dizzy but insisted, “I want to eat what you cook. I don’t want to go out.”
Ji Pei was inwardly delighted that her cooking was approved by Jiang Xianhan. “Then I’ll go to the supermarket to buy some things.”
Seeing that Jiang Xianhan wanted to go too, Ji Pei held out a hand to stop her. “You just got vaccinated, and your hand is bandaged. You can’t go.”
Jiang Xianhan’s expression seemed a little wronged. “But I want to be with you.”
Ji Pei pondered but couldn’t find the best solution. She decided to just order takeout.
The two cuddled together. Ji Pei sat cross-legged on the sofa, and Jiang Xianhan leaned on her shoulder, staring at Ji Pei’s fingers. Ji Pei’s fingers were long, clearly jointed, long and slender, with healthy-looking nails and a faint pink hue on the knuckles. They looked like the finest hands. Jiang Xianhan couldn’t resist. She took Ji Pei’s left hand and gently played with it in her palm, examining it like a piece of art.
Ji Pei had a tiny red mole on her left wrist, like a drop of red ink slowly blooming on her snowy white, delicate skin. She lowered her head under an impulse, and her soft lips landed on the red mole. Ji Pei felt a warm, moist sensation on the skin of her wrist and looked down at Jiang Xianhan’s action. “How is it? My hand is pretty, right? Several hand model agencies were fighting to sign a contract with me before.”
Jiang Xianhan caressed Ji Pei’s moistened wrist and asked, “Did you not sign?”
Ji Pei shook her head. Whenever she thought of anything related to her hand, she got goosebumps on her arm. “No, it’s too terrifying.”
Seeing Jiang Xianhan’s surprised look, Ji Pei explained, “I downloaded a noise app before and couldn’t find a suitable avatar, so I took a picture of myself holding a coffee cup, and the result was…” Ji Pei hesitated. “My private messages exploded! They were all trying to harass me!” Ji Pei became increasingly agitated. “I was so scared that I quickly changed the avatar, but the review took three days. You don’t know what I went through those three days!”
A hint of obscurity flashed in Jiang Xianhan’s eyes. She held Ji Pei’s wrist, caressing it with reluctance to let go. Ji Pei’s body temperature was cool. Her slightly protruding wrist bone was like jade polished by a natural stream, cool and smooth. Jiang Xianhan kissed it again, outlining it carefully with her lips and tongue. Ji Pei lowered her eyes. Her wrist was ticklish. “Why do you like my hand so much?”
Jiang Xianhan stated matter-of-factly, “I’m a lesbian too.”
Seeing Jiang Xianhan gently caress the mole on her wrist with her fingertip, Ji Pei couldn’t help but say, “I want to get rid of this mole.”
“No.” Jiang Xianhan rubbed her nose against Ji Pei’s wrist, feeling that the color, position, shape, and size of the mole were all perfect, hitting the spot that sparked the most desire deep within her. Ji Pei was too perfect. Even every strand of her hair was exactly how she liked it.
Ji Pei saw Jiang Xianhan’s deeply infatuated expression, which made her heart tremble. She couldn’t help but ask, “Why not?”
“I like it.”
Ji Pei didn’t like having moles on her body. She always felt that a dark mole suddenly appearing on flawless skin seemed out of place. Moreover, irregular moles carried the risk of turning into skin cancer.
But… She stared at the distinct tear mole at the corner of Jiang Xianhan’s right eye, and she couldn’t help but swallow. Well, it depends on the person. That mole on Jiang Xianhan was the icing on the cake.
When Jiang Xianhan wore glasses and maintained a serious expression, she looked cold and aloof, rejecting people from a thousand miles away. Many people couldn’t observe her up close, so they didn’t know what a maddeningly attractive beast she was when she took off her glasses.
When Ji Pei was in college, photos of Jiang Xianhan often circulated on the school forum and confession wall. There were high-definition large photos and blurry candid shots. Simply standing in one place, she was a pleasant landscape painting. When Ji Pei first saw the high-definition photos, she thought she was a newly debuted celebrity, not a university professor.
Jiang Xianhan was also the director of the school’s admissions office. It was clear she got the position based on her looks and talent, and she also had excellent handwriting. Ji Pei recalled the gilded admission quotes written on the admission letter from A University. They were likely personally handwritten by Jiang Xianhan.
Jiang Xianhan’s hands… Ji Pei secretly glanced at them several times. She belatedly realized that she could openly look, and even kiss them directly. She stopped being reserved. “I used to see your photos often on the forum and confession wall.” Ji Pei said honestly, “I thought you looked like a big star at the time, and I hoped to get into your elective class.”
Jiang Xianhan heard this and smiled. “Then why didn’t I see you in class?”
Ji Pei nervously fiddled with her fingers, explaining, “Well… at the time, they said you were too strict, so I…” Ji Pei’s voice got softer and softer. “I removed you from my list of options.” But Ji Pei didn’t expect that even though Jiang Xianhan was so strict, the spots in her class were gone in a second. Everyone knew why they were rushing to sign up.
For the first two years of college, Ji Pei always heard about Jiang Xianhan through Ran Feifei’s complaints. Ran Feifei managed to get into Jiang Xianhan’s class and dressed up beautifully every day, waking up at six in the morning to put on a full face of makeup, completely disregarding the feelings of her other roommates.
At that time, Ji Pei and Xie Zhen were still good friends. She often heard things about Ran Feifei from her. She said Ran Feifei was aiming to find a partner because the male-to-female ratio in Jiang Xianhan’s class was much higher than usual. To leave a good impression on Jiang Xianhan, most of the boys would style their hair and dress neatly and cleanly before every class, all hoping to catch Jiang Xianhan’s attention.
Xie Zhen said that Ran Feifei was from a small town and her ambition was to find a local man in A City for support. After hearing this, Ji Pei felt Xie Zhen was gossiping behind her back. Later, when she heard Ran Feifei talking on a video call with a man in a squeaky voice and inexplicably pointing the camera at them, she started to change her opinion of this person.
The dorm was a four-person room. Ji Pei felt that one abnormal person was enough, but then Xie Zhen, a heavyweight, suddenly appeared, scaring her into quickly packing up and leaving overnight.