Online Romance with an Iceberg Professor Backfired - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Exploration

Ye Wenzhu stood on the side, watching the intimate scene, and secretly observed Xie Zhen’s expression while she wasn’t paying attention. The more she looked, the more confused she became. Xie Zhen’s face showed shock, anger, and jealousy, but why were there also fear and trembling? Logically, rivals meeting should be an eye for an eye, but Xie Zhen’s demeanor was too strange. She seemed to be afraid of Jiang Xianhan, as if something was suppressing her. Ye Wenzhu’s mind was blank. After a moment of thought, she finally found a suitable analogy.

Mr. Zombie meets Master Thousand-Cranes.

Ji Pei turned her back to the classmates, held Jiang Xianhan’s hand, lacing their fingers together, and the moment she turned around, she restrained the smile on her lips. “Let me introduce everyone. This is my girlfriend, Jiang Xianhan.”

“Jiang Xianhan…”

“Professor Jiang who teaches philosophy at our school?”

“The one whose family owns a wealthy company…”

“But why is it a woman…”

“Didn’t the rumor go around when Ji Pei was in school that she wasn’t interested in men?”

A few people gathered, whispering, expressing admiration for Ji Pei’s good fortune, and revealing envious looks. When Ji Pei heard the last sentence, her gaze subtly swept across Xie Zhen’s face. All those rumors during their school days were quietly spread by Xie Zhen, who even shamelessly distorted the facts to claim that Ji Pei was dating her. A different sexual orientation from the norm was not an unspeakable secret for Ji Pei, but what she could not accept was Xie Zhen silently spreading rumors about her.

“Professor Jiang.”

“Hello, Professor Jiang.”

“Good evening, Professor Jiang.”

Jiang Xianhan nodded slightly, a faint smile gracing her lips as she addressed everyone. “I’m here to take Ji Pei home.” She held Ji Pei’s left hand. The identical red bean bracelet on her right wrist was faintly visible, becoming more conspicuous against her snow-white skin.

Xie Zhen watched as Ji Pei got into the car with Jiang Xianhan, her hands hanging by her sides involuntarily clenching into fists.

Ye Wenzhu yawned, pretending to take a phone call. “Hello? Ah, what, I forgot to turn off the gas at home?”

“Oh, oh, okay, okay, I’ll be right back.”

Ye Wenzhu had seen enough of the drama for the day. Seeing someone she disliked jealous, frustrated, and helpless made her heart soar like a hot air balloon—satisfying and thrilling. “Something came up at home. I won’t go singing. See you next time.” Ye Wenzhu hung up the phone, waved the car keys in her hand, and left with a swing of her bag. See you next time? I hope never.

The black Rolls-Royce sped away. Xie Zhen watched the car get further and further away, standing motionless in place. No one could guess what she was thinking. A flicker in her eyes seemed to churn with other emotions.

In the back seat of the Rolls-Royce, Jiang Xianhan held Ji Pei, gently pressing her down onto the seat, and leaned in to kiss her lips. The car interior was cramped and private. The partition between the front and back seats was raised, so no one knew what was happening behind.

Ji Pei naturally opened her lips, allowing Jiang Xianhan’s soft, wet tongue to invade. Her two arms tightly wrapped around the other woman’s neck, and she also wrapped her legs around Jiang Xianhan’s waist.

“…”

This position isn’t quite right. Ji Pei belatedly remembered that she was supposed to be the dominant one. She opened her eyes, swiftly flipped their positions, and pinned Jiang Xianhan beneath her. Jiang Xianhan was surprised by Ji Pei’s sudden assertiveness. Before she could react, her lips were immediately struck by something hard.

“Hiss…” Jiang Xianhan gasped, her eyes tightly shut, her brows furrowed into a deep frown. Ji Pei had been rash. It was too dark in the car, and she hadn’t found the right spot, hitting Jiang Xianhan’s lower lip directly with her teeth.

Jiang Xianhan extended her tongue to lick it. It was hot and painful. Her entire lower lip began to tingle. In all the days they had been together, the number of kisses was uncountable. She and Ji Pei started kissing almost the moment they opened their eyes. They thought of nothing else, their bodies and minds immersed in the most primal form of communication.

Ji Pei seemed to realize she had hit Jiang Xianhan again. She immediately stopped her movements and, like a small kitten, leaned in and licked Jiang Xianhan’s lower lip with her tongue. “I’m sorry…”

“Jiang Xianhan, I hurt you again.”

Jiang Xianhan saw Ji Pei’s innocent, watery eyes in the dark, opened her mouth, and couldn’t utter a single word. Ji Pei was truly skilled at coyness, even when she did something wrong… Wait, she just didn’t see clearly and bumped my mouth. It’s not her fault. It’s all because it’s too dark.

Jiang Xianhan rubbed her temples, slowly opened her mouth, and hooked Ji Pei’s tongue, which was licking her lips, with her own. “It’s okay. It’s all because it’s too dark.”

Ji Pei placed one hand on Jiang Xianhan’s lower back, mimicking the back-patting technique Jiang Xianhan had used to comfort her before, and clumsily stroked her a few times. Jiang Xianhan cupped Ji Pei’s face, touching her forehead, nose, corner of the mouth, and chin with her lips. In the confined space, the ambiguous sound of kissing was incessant.

Ji Pei licked Jiang Xianhan’s lips, still unsatisfied. The wet, soft kisses moved down from her chin, blooming into patches of red hickeys on her neck. Jiang Xianhan’s skin was very fair, transparent, and thin. Pressing it slightly would leave a red mark. Her lips continuously sucked and kissed the delicate, soft skin. Jiang Xianhan endured until her face was flushed, and broken, husky sounds escaped her throat.

Ji Pei’s kisses were messy, lacking any technique, but it was this disorganized, chaotic kissing style that made Jiang Xianhan even more disoriented with desire. Jiang Xianhan’s fingers rested on the back of Ji Pei’s neck, slowly threading upward into her hair. “Mhm… not bad.” She kept encouraging Ji Pei, thinking this time should be close to…

!

In an instant, Jiang Xianhan’s eyes widened in disbelief. People came and went on the street, car horns blared. The Rolls-Royce was parked by the side of the road, seemingly waiting for a traffic light. After a while, a veiny hand grabbed Ji Pei’s hair and suddenly pulled her back.

“Let go…” Jiang Xianhan’s eyes were filled with hazy moisture, looking as if she was about to cry. Ji Pei had never seen her like this.

“Didn’t you say it was okay…” Ji Pei licked her moist lips, her eyes sparkling, immersed in deep recollection. Ji Pei recalled the soft, sweet, strawberry-flavored gummy bears she often ate as a child, so sweet they seemed to melt in her mouth. But before it could melt, Jiang Xianhan pulled her hair back. A slight stinging pain came. Ji Pei pursed her lips, staring at Jiang Xianhan with a look of mournful grievance. “Jiang Xianhan, you hurt my hair.”

Jiang Xianhan felt remorseful. Her fingers threaded into Ji Pei’s hair, gently rubbing and massaging. “Does it still hurt?”

Ji Pei reached back and touched Jiang Xianhan’s fingers. “You’re too rough.”

Jiang Xianhan smiled helplessly. “Oh? Who is the rough one?”

Ji Pei instantly fell silent. She nervously smoothed Jiang Xianhan’s clothes and then covered her with the coat in a futile attempt to hide what had happened. Seeing Ji Pei nervously turn her head away, Jiang Xianhan pinched her on the back of her neck, making her face herself. Her tone allowed no argument. “Open your mouth.”

Ji Pei slowly parted her lips, and then she heard Jiang Xianhan say, “Wider.”

Two fingers touched Ji Pei’s lips, running from left to right over her white, neat teeth, finally resting on those two sharp canine teeth. “Actually, I think you’re right. Those two canine teeth of yours should be filed down.”

Ji Pei suspected that the wildness of her previous life had not been fully tamed. She loved to use those two sharp canine teeth to bite Jiang Xianhan’s nose, lips, chin, and fingers, enjoying the process of grinding her teeth. But she always overlooked one important thing: Jiang Xianhan was fragile and needed protection, not to be treated like this by her. But every time the heat of the moment struck, Ji Pei would forget. Even when Jiang Xianhan was in pain, she wouldn’t speak up, instead comforting her with continuous kisses. Ji Pei secretly rejoiced in her heart but also felt uneasy. Jiang Xianhan seemed to indulge her too much.

“Do you know that you looked like a kitten who hasn’t been weaned and is hungry? You had to suck anything near your mouth.” Hearing Jiang Xianhan’s vivid analogy, Ji Pei’s entire face instantly flushed. She felt like her brain was short-circuiting.

Jiang Xianhan scratched Ji Pei’s hair, watching her snowy-white skin instantly turn a faint peach pink. She was too young. She couldn’t hide any expression. Everything she thought was immediately displayed on her face after being spoken to like that. She was virtually transparent. Pure and cute, and so easily embarrassed. Jiang Xianhan looked at her pitiful yet delectable appearance, wishing she could hold her in her mouth.

“I think I heard Xie Zhen call you ‘Auntie’ just now?”

Ji Pei belatedly remembered this important matter. She nestled in Jiang Xianhan’s embrace, rubbing her head against the other woman’s chin. “So you two are relatives?” Xie Zhen and Ji Pei were the same age. When they first entered university, Ji Pei felt Xie Zhen was too mature, caring for her like an older sister, but all of this was done with ulterior motives.

Jiang Xianhan kissed the top of Ji Pei’s head. “We do share the same bl00d, but she is my sister’s illegitimate daughter.”

“…” Ji Pei heard something shocking again. She finally understood why all the dramatic plot twists appeared in wealthy families.

“Illegitimate daughter? But I remember your sister only having one child in the news.” The gossip Ji Pei knew was heard during afternoon tea with Liu Yanfen and other wealthy women. She heard those people say that the Jiang family’s eldest daughter was abducted by a man when she was a teenager. When she returned, she was pregnant. The pregnancy was too far along for an abortion, so she had to give birth and raised the child in a remote countryside. Later, the child’s biological father died unexpectedly, but everyone knew how the man truly died. Jiang Xianyun married a wealthy man from a matching family in her twenties and had a second child, but that second child suddenly died from an acute illness not long after her accident.

Ji Pei recounted what she knew to Jiang Xianhan, secretly observing her expression. “You’re right. That is indeed the case.” Ji Pei’s eyes widened instantly. She hadn’t expected those rumors to be true, and they were confirmed by Jiang Xianhan herself. “Then…” Ji Pei paused, unsure what to say.

Jiang Xianhan said expressionlessly, “After my sister’s accident, Xie Zhen was brought back, but hardly anyone in the family liked her.”

“However, she is my sister’s daughter. I should treat her well, ensuring she has no worries about food or clothing.”

Jiang Xianhan’s eyes narrowed slightly. She held Ji Pei’s hand, gently rubbing it with her palm. “So she’s your niece…” Ji Pei’s mind was a mess. She scratched her hair, recalling the words Xie Zhen had spoken to her today, a chill running down her spine. “I think she still hasn’t given up on me.”

Ji Pei looked up, rubbing her nose against Jiang Xianhan’s chin, and said worriedly, “What should I do? She said some weird things to me today and even said she wanted to continue being friends with me. I refused her.”

“Being loved is a good thing. If being loved becomes a burden, then there’s no need for it to stay.”

Ji Pei thought Jiang Xianhan was going to eliminate Xie Zhen and quickly sat up from her lap. “Don’t do anything reckless. She’s your niece. Just give her a warning.” Ji Pei grabbed Jiang Xianhan’s wrist and said, “I don’t think I’ll run into her again. Just let these things fade away with time. Who hasn’t encountered a few rotten people in their life? Even apples can have worms.”

After returning home, Ji Pei saw a message from Ye Wenzhu reporting that she was safe. She couldn’t help but want to tell her about what happened today. She had left in a bit of a hurry, and Xie Zhen had been hovering around her for half the day, staring at her from time to time. Ji Pei didn’t even want to smile and felt like breathing was a burden.

Jiang Xianhan’s arm was allowed to touch water. She eagerly invited Ji Pei to take a lovers’ bath with her. Ji Pei said, “Is that appropriate?” but her actions were faster than her thoughts.

She prepared fresh rose petals, poured some rose essential oil into the bathtub, pushed Jiang Xianhan into the bathroom, and quickly stripped off her clothes. Jiang Xianhan sat in the bathtub, her two arms resting on the edges, watching Ji Pei busy herself with scattering petals and bringing in cut fruit, constantly moving.

“Alright, two plates of fruit are enough. Come in quickly.”

Hearing Jiang Xianhan’s urging, Ji Pei placed the plate of strawberries and grapes on the side, took off her clothes, and stepped into the water. Before she could sit down, Jiang Xianhan leaned over and kissed her lips. Their soft legs intertwined underwater. Ji Pei’s loose hair was soaked, tangling with Jiang Xianhan’s hair. It was impossible to tell whose was whose, and the strands were covered in bright red rose petals.

Jiang Xianhan initially wanted to suggest whether she and Ji Pei should try something in the water, but it seemed unlikely to work. Ji Pei was inexperienced, completely a blank slate, and needed her to carefully write on it from beginning to end. If she started with something too difficult, what if it shattered her confidence again?

She picked up a bright red strawberry with her mouth, pressed it against Ji Pei’s chest, propped her hands on the other woman’s collarbones, and fed the tip of the strawberry to Ji Pei. Ji Pei bit the tip of the bright red strawberry with her teeth. The sweet and sour red juice flowed down the corner of her mouth to her chin, and then pat it dripped into the hot water from the tip of her chin. She tilted her head back, trying to take the strawberry away, but Jiang Xianhan held it firmly in her mouth.

Ji Pei knew instantly that someone was deliberately teasing her, so she simply bit off all the remaining strawberry tips, hugged Jiang Xianhan, and pushed her toward the edge of the bathtub. The red strawberry juice smeared the lower halves of both their faces. Jiang Xianhan was forced to swallow all the mashed strawberry bits. Ji Pei licked away the remaining strawberry residue mixed with juice with her lips and tongue.

Ji Pei’s thigh rested between Jiang Xianhan’s legs, trapping Jiang Xianhan within her embrace. The two were similar in size, both having slender waists and long legs, yet Jiang Xianhan felt a sense of oppression when cornered by Ji Pei. Was it because she was too young and too reckless?

Jiang Xianhan had seen others have passionate romances when she was younger. She had always been indifferent to such things, even scoffing at them. But now, she was cornered by a child seven or eight years younger than her, and she was enjoying this inexplicable sense of oppression. It seems I’ve been alone for too long.

“Professor Jiang, what are you thinking about?” Ji Pei picked up another strawberry, bit off the tip, and leaned in to kiss Jiang Xianhan. “Are you thinking only about me? Are you thinking about… um… in the water?”

Jiang Xianhan cupped some shower gel in her palm. It was rose-scented. She rubbed the shower gel in her hands to create fine, snow-white foam, then stroked Ji Pei’s smooth, white back. “You’re right. I’m thinking about how to do it with you, but it’s not safe in the water. If you get an infection, it wouldn’t be worth it.”

Ji Pei suddenly remembered what she had read before: avoid certain kinds of sexual activity underwater, as there was a high chance of infection. Swelling and soreness were minor issues, but contracting gynecological issues would be a greater loss. The thought made her shiver.

The water in the bathtub had become murky. Ji Pei pressed the button beside her, starting to drain and refill the clean water. As the water slowly drained, she had Jiang Xianhan lean forward and gently scrubbed her back. “Professor Jiang, your skin is so white! I can’t even see a single spot or mole.”

Ji Pei gently stroked Jiang Xianhan’s back with her palm. Her fingers lingered on her waist for a while, then scooped up clean water to rinse the snow-white foam from her back. A soft, warm kiss landed there. Ji Pei smiled and massaged Jiang Xianhan’s shoulders. “Professor Jiang taught all morning today. You must be exhausted. Allow little old me to serve you well.”

Jiang Xianhan closed her eyes and relaxed her body. “That’s a good massage. Very comfortable.” While kneading her shoulders, Ji Pei recalled when she and Ye Wenzhu used to massage each other, and she casually said, “Ye Wenzhu used to massage me like this. I’m just applying what I learned. Today, I finally…”

Jiang Xianhan’s eyes instantly narrowed dangerously. “What did you say?”

Ji Pei quickly retracted her statement. “Nothing… nothing… You misheard me.”

Jiang Xianhan turned around, her back against the edge of the tub, her gaze piercing. “You took a bath with Ye Wenzhu?”

Ji Pei swallowed, realizing her explanation was making things worse. “Two girls taking a bath together isn’t a big deal, is it?”

Jiang Xianhan pinched her temples. Seeing Ji Pei’s timid look, she felt she had overreacted and scared her. “Did you and Xie Zhen ever help each other bathe?”

Ji Pei stared at Jiang Xianhan’s sharp, almond-shaped eyes, uncomfortably swallowed, pursed her lips, and slowly lowered her head.