Forcibly Taken by My Student’s Mother - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Teacher Tao, Can You Let Me… Taste…

Seizing the moment to catch her breath, Tao Yao practically rushed toward the equipment rack with her limbs moving in uncoordinated sync. She haphazardly grabbed a foam roller, her fingertips trembling slightly. Lu Xuelan’s voice, however, came from behind her once more—not loud, but clear enough to nail her to the spot.

“Teacher Tao.”

Tao Yao didn’t turn around, her spine pulled taut like a fully drawn bow.

She heard Lu Xuelan let out a soft sigh, carrying that unique slight panting follow exercise; her voice was lower than usual: “It’s been a long time since I’ve exercised like this… it seems I’ve overdone it a bit.”

These words sounded normal enough.

Tao Yao steadied her mind and responded in a tone as professional as possible: “For a first trial class, the intensity is quite high. It’s normal for the body to react. Drink plenty of fluids and stretch well…”

“It’s not just muscle pain.” Lu Xuelan interrupted her, her voice moving a bit closer.

Tao Yao’s heart leaped.

“Here.” Lu Xuelan’s voice was almost pressed against the back of her ear, accompanied by the faint rustle of clothing. She seemed to raise her hand to lightly press a spot just above her heart. “It’s beating a bit fast, not very regular. So fast…”

She paused. Tao Yao could almost imagine her slightly furrowed brow.

“…And my body temperature seems to have risen quite high. It’s so hot.”

The tips of Tao Yao’s ears couldn’t help but turn red in secret.

These symptoms—increased heart rate and elevated body temperature after intense exercise—were perfectly normal. But coming from Lu Xuelan’s mouth, especially that phrase “it’s like I can’t catch my breath, it’s so hot,” instantly triggered some lethal memories for Tao Yao.

In those “teaching materials,” the flirtatious dialogue when characters grew close was: “Listen, my heartbeat…”

Lu Xuelan continued, her tone carrying a perfectly measured note of inquiry: “Coach Tao, how long does this condition usually last before it’s considered normal? Do you want to come over and listen to see if my heartbeat is normal?”

Tao Yao’s knuckles turned white from gripping the foam roller. She would bet her experience of having watched countless films that what Lu Xuelan was describing right now was a complete copy-paste of physiological reactions from certain ambiguous plots.

Even the way she asked—feigning calmness while hiding a hook—was identical.

But what could she say? A fast heartbeat, a high temperature—which one wasn’t a reasonable aftereffect of intense exercise?

Could she really jump up and accuse her: “This isn’t an exercise reaction, you’re just imitating the reactions from smutty movies to flirt with me”?

“Th—this varies from person to person!” Tao Yao turned around abruptly, barely daring to look Lu Xuelan in the eye, her voice fast and urgent. “Usually, resting for a while and replenishing electrolytes will do. Don’t overthink it, President Lu, it’s just a common exercise reaction.”

Lu Xuelan, however, acted as if she hadn’t heard a word. She remained clutching her chest, stripped of her usual dignified and serious demeanor. She looked very much like a “beauty clutching her heart,” and she intentionally lowered her voice to say: “Coach Tao, you should still come and listen. I feel a bit flustered, I can’t catch my breath.”

Tao Yao: “…”

She didn’t dare to actually go listen; she just wanted to hug her foam roller and run.

Fortunately, at this moment, a girlish yet mocking female voice cut in.

“Oh, Little Coach Tao, busy are we?”

Tao Yao looked up, her heart sinking.

Sure enough, it was Sister Zhang—the wealthy member who had harassed her before and had been making sarcastic remarks ever since Tao Yao coldly rejected her. Now, Sister Zhang walked over in tight-fitting gym gear, her gaze sweeping over Lu Xuelan who was sitting on the mat with her head down, a sneer hanging on her lips.

“I was wondering why you were always ‘unavailable’ when I tried to book your classes lately.” Sister Zhang drew out her words. “Turns out you’ve climbed onto a high branch. You’re serving her quite ‘meticulously,’ aren’t you?”

Tao Yao’s face turned white instantly, a mix of embarrassment and anger.

In this awkward silence, Lu Xuelan moved on the mat. She slowly used her arms to prop up her body and sat up, her movements carrying an innate elegance and sense of control. Even with sweat-dampened hair at her temples, her aura didn’t diminish in the slightest.

She unhurriedly wiped the sweat from the side of her neck before lifting her eyes to look at Sister Zhang.

There was no expression on her face, but the sneer on Sister Zhang’s face froze the instant she recognized Lu Xuelan. Then, her expression shifted rapidly—from shock to disbelief, and finally into a trace of panic.

“Lu… President Lu?” Sister Zhang’s voice changed pitch instantly. “Wh—why are you here? What a coincidence…”

Lu Xuelan nodded almost imperceptibly, her tone flat: “Mrs. Zhang.”

No other words followed.

But those two simple words made cold sweat break out on Sister Zhang’s forehead.

She gave a couple of awkward, dry laughs, glanced at Tao Yao with a complex look, and hurriedly dropped a sentence: “I won’t disturb you, President Lu, carry on…” She then turned and walked away quickly, her back looking frantic.

A small storm, before it could truly pick up, was silenced by a single look from Lu Xuelan.

Tao Yao stood in place, looking in the direction where Sister Zhang had disappeared, then at Lu Xuelan who was wiping her wrists.

Once again, she clearly realized the chasm that lay between her and Lu Xuelan. It wasn’t just a gap in age, status, or wealth; it was two completely different worlds.

Lu Xuelan was the one in control—a single look could make people fall silent in fear and flee in panic.

Her own ridiculous revenge from before… in the face of such absolute class difference, it seemed so naive and powerless.

The atmosphere around the mat stagnated.

After Lu Xuelan finished wiping her hands, she set the towel aside and turned her gaze back to Tao Yao.

That gaze was still calm, yet it seemed to carry weight.

“Teacher Tao.” She spoke.

Tao Yao’s body stiffened.

“Lately,” Lu Xuelan’s voice wasn’t loud, but every word was clear, “you seem to be avoiding me.”

It wasn’t a question; it was a statement.

Tao Yao’s breath hitched.

Lu Xuelan paused, her gaze locking onto Tao Yao’s dodging eyes. “Teacher Tao, are you afraid of me?”

Being called out directly, Tao Yao’s throat felt dry: “N—no, President Lu. You are my employer, I… respect you.”

“Just respect?” Lu Xuelan tilted her head slightly, her gaze seemingly able to penetrate all disguises. “Or is it because… something else makes you feel the need to draw such a clear boundary?”

Tao Yao’s heart started pounding wildly.

She was terrified that Lu Xuelan’s next sentence would be a confession.

“President Lu, you’re overthinking it.” Tao Yao suddenly raised her voice, squeezing out an awkward smile. “I really haven’t been hiding. It’s just that lately… my schoolwork has been busy, and some things came up at home. Alright, that’s it for today’s trial class. You need to hydrate and rest after exercising. I… I have a group class to prepare for later, I’m leaving first!”

With that, she didn’t give Lu Xuelan a chance to speak and practically fled in a panic.

Tao Yao plunged into the aerobics room to prepare for her next group class. The mirror reflected her face, which was still flushed.

She took deep breaths, trying to push Lu Xuelan’s voice out of her head.

The music started, and members began entering the room.

Tao Yao stood at the front, wearing a professional smile, her cues crisp and her demonstrations standard—everything was like a preset program. However, her soul felt as if it had detached, suspended in mid-air, coldly watching herself operate with practiced skill.

Another voice was screaming in her head: “It’s over! Lu Xuelan is going for the direct approach! What should I do?!”

“Coach Tao?” a student called out.

Tao Yao snapped back to her senses, realizing she had been holding a lunge position for several seconds without speaking. She hurriedly pulled back a smile and continued her cues. Sweat slid down from her forehead—she didn’t know if it was the heat from exercise or something else.

For the sixty-minute class, she was like a precision robot.

It wasn’t until all the members had dispersed that she felt a collapse-like exhaustion.

She dawdled while packing her things, her gaze always drifting toward the private training area. It was empty.

Finally, she was gone.

She couldn’t tell if she was relieved or if her heart had sunk further.

Tao Yao changed into her own clothes, hopped on her mountain bike, and merged into the evening traffic. The wind was cool, blowing against her damp hair. She rode slowly, her mind a tangled mess.

Arriving home, fatigue surged like a tide. Her body felt sticky and uncomfortable; she walked into the bathroom and turned on the cold water.

The icy stream poured over her head, making her whole body shiver.

She tilted her face up and closed her eyes, wanting the cold water to douse the restlessness and panic in her heart. But the colder the water, the clearer certain images became—the sweat-dampened hair at Lu Xuelan’s temples, and those calm yet surging eyes when she drew close.

“I’m going crazy. Lu Xuelan won’t let me go,” she thought despairingly.

After rinsing with cold water for a long time, she haphazardly dried off and threw herself into bed.

Her body was exhausted, but her spirit was overexcited. Every detail of the day was magnified in the darkness, playing on loop.

After an unknown amount of time, fatigue finally overrode everything. Before her consciousness blurred into darkness, that bit of unfamiliar restlessness deep in her body—temporarily suppressed by the cold water—stirred faintly and stubbornly.

Then, the dream arrived quietly.

A dim, private space full of suggestion.

The air was thick, carrying the scent of post-exercise sweat and an ambiguous fragrance.

She was leaning against a cold mirrored wall, and in front of her was Lu Xuelan wearing a black silk slip dress. The thin shoulder straps had slipped to her arms, and the silk fabric was soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to her rising and falling curves.

Beads of sweat slid along the hollow of her collarbone, all the way down into the shadows.

“Coach Tao.” Lu Xuelan’s voice was raspy, with a slight pant. “You’ve sweated a lot.”

She reached out her hand, her fingertips tracing the sweat-dampened side of Tao Yao’s neck, following the pulse of the artery, moving downward slowly.

Tao Yao wanted to retreat, but the mirrored wall blocked her way. She wanted to push her away, but her arms felt too heavy to lift.

“Teach me.” Lu Xuelan drew even closer, their noses almost touching, her gaze locking onto Tao Yao’s panicked eyes. “How… should I relax here?”

Her hand finally landed.

Her palm was scalding as it pressed against Tao Yao’s tensed lower abdomen.

“Is this where I should tighten?” she asked in a low voice, her palm applying slight pressure, slowly kneading along the firm muscle.

The rustling sound of fabric friction was magnified in the silence.

“Or…” That hand moved upward, stopping beneath the ribs, at the spot where her heart was thumping like a drum. “Here?”

Tao Yao’s breathing was completely ruined.

She wanted to make her stop, but her throat felt blocked; she could only produce broken breathy sounds. Her body betrayed her will, trembling slightly under that touch, even… shamefully producing an unfamiliar restlessness that craved more.

Lu Xuelan smiled.

That smile was no longer calm; it carried a near-demonic aggression.

She leaned in, her lips almost pressed against Tao Yao’s earlobe, her warm breath entering the ear canal: “You don’t teach well. You should be punished.”

The next second, a scalding kiss landed on her earlobe.

“—Mmm!!!”

Tao Yao bolted upright in bed, her chest heaving violently, gasping for air.

In the darkness, there was only the sound of her own heavy breathing.

Another dream.

She raised her hand to cover her face, her palm touching a scalding heat. Cold sweat had soaked her pajamas, sticking to her back.

Deep in her body, a certain unfamiliar, forcibly awakened sense of emptiness was faintly acting up.

“—Aghhh!!! Why won’t you just let me go, you d*mn vixen!!!”

She screamed in a collapse, her voice raspy and carrying a desperate tremble.

After several days of high mental tension, being disturbed by absurd dreams at night, and facing Lu Xuelan’s tangible and intangible pursuit by day… even a person made of iron couldn’t hold up.

At 4:00 AM, Tao Yao crawled up feeling quite unwell. She didn’t think much of it, rolled over, and went back to sleep.

She slept until 9:00 AM.

Waking up in a daze, she felt her head hurting more and more; only then did she realize something was wrong.

She touched her forehead—it was a bit hot. She figured she had just caught a cold. She fished some cold medicine out of a drawer and swallowed it with water. The tablet slid down her throat with a bitter taste.

She checked the time; there were still a few hours before she had to go to the Lu house for lessons in the afternoon.

Tao Yao lay back down in bed, wrapped herself tightly in the quilt, and fell into a groggy sleep.

When she woke up again, it was already noon.

Her head felt heavier, her temples were throbbing with pain, and her throat was so dry it itched.

She took her temperature: 37.8°C, a low-grade fever.

She looked at herself in the mirror—flushed face, dark circles under her eyes—and gritted her teeth. “Forget it, don’t take time off. The family just got back on their feet; I can’t lose this job.”

She washed her face, changed her clothes, and felt her footsteps were light and hollow, but she still forced herself to head out.

Riding her mountain bike, the usually easy journey felt exceptionally long today. The wind blowing on her feverish face actually made her feel a bit clearer, as if it wasn’t so hot anymore.

By the time she arrived at the villa, a layer of cold sweat had broken out on her back.

“Teacher Tao, you don’t look so well?” Aunt Zhang, who opened the door, asked with concern.

“I’m fine, maybe just caught a bit of a cold.” Tao Yao squeezed out a smile, her voice a bit raspy.

Going upstairs, she pushed open the study door.

Su Xiaowan was already sitting there. Seeing Tao Yao come in, her eyes lit up, but then she frowned.

“Teacher Tao,” Su Xiaowan stared at her face, “did you… put on makeup? Your face is so red.”

“No.” Tao Yao put down her bag and said in a raspy voice, “Probably just hot from riding the bike. Let’s start the lesson.”

She tried to concentrate, but after teaching for only a short while, her throat began to itch terribly and her head felt like a jumble of mush.

“Teacher Tao?” Su Xiaowan tilted her head to look at her.

“Ah… sorry.” Tao Yao shook her head, trying to see the textbook clearly. “Let’s look at this example…”

Her throat got itchier and itchier; she couldn’t help but cough a few times.

“Teacher Tao, are you sick?” Su Xiaowan put down her pen, her tone becoming serious. “Your voice isn’t right, and your face is abnormally red. Do you want to rest for a bit?”

“No.” Tao Yao refused quickly, even a bit urgently. “I’m fine, let’s continue.”

She forced herself to keep teaching, her voice becoming drier and drier, her tone turning flat. The temperature on her forehead seemed to be rising; her vision was clear one moment and blurred the next. She didn’t notice that the study door had been gently pushed open at some point.

A figure stood quietly at the doorway.

Lu Xuelan’s gaze fell on Tao Yao’s flushed profile. Seeing her forcing herself to stay upright while unable to hide her malaise, Lu Xuelan’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Tao Yao had another bout of violent coughing. She bent over, coughing as if her lungs would give out, tears seeping from the corners of her eyes.

“Teacher Tao!” Su Xiaowan stood up.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps rang out—steady and clear.

Tao Yao’s vision was going black from coughing. Before she could even straighten up, she felt the back of a cool hand gently yet undeniably press against her forehead.

The touch was too clear.

Cool, dry, and carrying a hint of that familiar cold fragrance.

Tao Yao froze completely; her coughing stopped abruptly.

She slowly lifted her eyelids.

Lu Xuelan was standing right beside her, leaning in slightly. She was wearing light gray loungewear, her long hair loosely pinned up, no makeup on her face. At this close range, her features looked even clearer and even more imposing.

Her hand was still against Tao Yao’s forehead, her gaze looking at her calmly.

“You have a fever.”

Tao Yao opened her mouth to speak, but her throat felt like it was on fire and her head was spinning. All the brave words she wanted to say were stuck in her chest.

Lu Xuelan had already straightened up, no longer looking at her, and turned to Su Xiaowan nearby: “Go call Dr. Chen and ask him to come over immediately.”

“Oh, oh, okay!” Su Xiaowan snapped out of it and hurried out.

“President Lu, there’s no need…” Tao Yao finally found her voice, though it was extremely raspy. “I’ll just go back and sleep…”

“Sit down.” Lu Xuelan interrupted her. She pressed a hand lightly on Tao Yao’s shoulder; the strength wasn’t great, yet it made her involuntarily sink back into the chair.

“Sick like this,” Lu Xuelan looked down at her, her voice very low, “and you still want to ride your bike back?”

Tao Yao was speechless.

The family doctor arrived quickly.

The diagnosis was much the same as Tao Yao’s own judgment: a common viral cold accompanied by a low-grade fever.

It wasn’t a big problem, but she needed rest, plenty of water, and to take her medicine on time.

“Young people have good constitutions, but don’t try to tough it out,” Dr. Chen urged. “It’s best to rest quietly until the fever subsides. Don’t expose yourself to the wind or overwork yourself again.”

After seeing the doctor off, Lu Xuelan returned to the study.

Tao Yao was still sitting there with her head hanging, looking very dispirited.

“The guest room has been prepared.” Lu Xuelan spoke, her arrangements orderly. “Stay the night. I’ll have Aunt Zhang bring your medicine up to you.”

“President Lu, there’s really no need to trouble…” Tao Yao looked up, attempting one last struggle. “I can call a car to go back, I…”

“Teacher Tao.” Lu Xuelan walked in front of her and stopped. From the high vantage point, her shadow enveloped her. “You are Xiaowan’s tutor and you fell ill during working hours. By any measure of reason or sentiment, it is my responsibility to ensure you receive proper care.”

“What a d*mn high-sounding reason,” Tao Yao complained inwardly, but she truly didn’t have much energy left to argue.

She admitted defeat, lowering her eyes, looking completely like she was resigned to fate.

Watching her silent acceptance, Lu Xuelan’s gaze softened slightly. She reached out and directly supported Tao Yao’s arm.

“Can you walk?” she asked.

Tao Yao wanted to say she could walk on her own, but as soon as she stood up, another bout of dizziness hit her and her body swayed. Lu Xuelan’s arm steadying her, transmitting warm body heat through her clothes.

“Slow down.” Lu Xuelan’s voice was close to her ear, her breath brushing against her feverish earlobe.

Tao Yao, groggy and dazed, was half-supported and half-carried out of the study by Lu Xuelan and led up the stairs.

The feeling of impending doom overwhelmed her.

The guest room was the same one where she had changed into the dress before.

The curtains were half-drawn, and the indoor light was soft. The bed was already made, clean and fluffy.

Lu Xuelan helped her sit by the bed, picking up a thermos and a small pillbox from the nightstand. “Warm water, fever reducers. If the fever hasn’t gone down in half an hour, there are cooling patches for physical cooling here.”

Her arrangements were meticulous and impeccable.

Tao Yao looked at her. Through her fever-blurred vision, Lu Xuelan’s face didn’t seem quite so aggressive anymore; there was even a faint, blurred softness to it.

“Thank you,” she whispered with a heavy nasal tone.

“Then, Teacher Tao, get some good rest first.”

Lu Xuelan didn’t say anything more; she just gave her a look, then turned and gently pulled the door shut.

The sound of the door closing was very light, yet it landed on Tao Yao’s heart like a sigh.

She finally couldn’t hold up anymore and lay down on the soft pillow. Between the bedding was the scent of clean sunlight and a very faint, cool fragrance belonging to this house. Drowsiness swallowed her like a tide.

The chaotic dream returned once more—bizarre and surreal—but there was no longer a gym or a black slip dress. There was only an endless maze. She kept running, and there was the sound of persistent footsteps behind her, always following at a constant distance.

After sleeping for an unknown amount of time, Tao Yao woke up in thirst.

Her throat felt as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper—on fire.

She opened her eyes groggy and dazed. The room was dark, with only a sliver of cool moonlight leaking through the gap in the curtains.

She propped herself up; her head was still a bit heavy, but the dizziness had subsided significantly and her body was no longer so hot.

The fever should have broken.

On the nightstand, several items were placed: a glass of warm water, a pack of tablets with two already popped out, and a palm-sized exquisite tin box with a mint leaf pattern printed on it.

Tao Yao picked up the water glass; the temperature was just right.

She swallowed the pills, the bitter taste spreading out. She furrowed her brow, her gaze falling on the box of mints.

Possessed by some impulse, she opened the tin, took out a small light-green candy cube, and put it in her mouth.

A cool sweetness instantly melted on the tip of her tongue, carrying a rich mint aroma that dispelled the bitterness of the medicine.

With the candy in her mouth, she leaned against the headboard, staring blankly at the sliver of moonlight.

Her body felt lighter, but her heart was a mess, as if… like a tangled ball of yarn.

“Click.”

An extremely faint sound—the sound of a doorknob being turned.

Tao Yao was startled. With the candy still in her mouth, she turned to look.

The door was pushed open a crack, and the soft light from the hallway wall lamp spilled in, outlining a tall and slender figure. Lu Xuelan was wearing a dark silk bathrobe with the belt loosely tied, her long hair draped over her shoulders. Stripped of her daytime makeup, she showed a rare softness in the gentle light.

Standing at the doorway, she looked at Tao Yao’s face, examining her carefully.

Her voice was much lower and softer than during the day, carrying the slight rasp of someone who had just woken up. “I wasn’t at ease, so I came to check on you.”

She walked in, lightly pulling the door behind her but not closing it tightly. Her footsteps approached the bedside almost silently.

Tao Yao subconsciously held her breath, the candy in her mouth, not moving an inch.

Lu Xuelan stopped by the bed and naturally reached out her hand, her cool palm lightly pressing against Tao Yao’s forehead.

She held it there for a few seconds before moving it away.

“The fever is gone.” She reached a conclusion, a very faint relaxation in her voice.

“Mhm,” Tao Yao hummed a vague response, the candy sliding once on the tip of her tongue.

Lu Xuelan didn’t retract her hand. Instead, maintaining that posture, she leaned in slightly. The distance between the two closed instantly. Tao Yao could see the exquisite collarbone beneath the opening of her bathrobe and could smell the faint fragrance of her after-bath skin—it made her heart flutter for no reason.

The moonlight illuminated half of Tao Yao’s face, as well as her cheek slightly puffed out from holding the candy and her lips shimmering with moisture.

Lu Xuelan’s gaze fell heavily on her lips.

The air seemed to stagnate; only their shallow breaths intertwined in the silence.

Time was stretched out, every second clearly discernible.

Lu Xuelan’s gaze slowly moved up from her lips to meet Tao Yao’s somewhat dazed and panicked eyes. Deep within those eyes, something seemed to be burning silently—intense and focused.

She leaned in closer. Their noses were almost touching.

Tao Yao could feel her warm breath brushing against her own lips, carrying a cool minty scent—

Was it the taste of the candy she had just eaten?

“Teacher Tao.” Lu Xuelan spoke like a midnight whisper, raspy enough to grate on one’s eardrums.

Tao Yao’s heart pounded wildly. Subconsciously, she licked the candy cube.

This tiny movement did not escape Lu Xuelan’s eyes; her gaze darkened abruptly, like ink that wouldn’t disperse.

“A mint?” she asked in a low voice, her gaze tightly locked onto Tao Yao’s moist lips.

Tao Yao’s neck was stiff as she nodded. The candy slid in her mouth, making a faint, wet sound.

Lu Xuelan drew another fraction closer, close enough that Tao Yao could see her own panicked reflection in the depths of Lu Xuelan’s eyes. Close enough that she could no longer tell if the warm breath was her own or the other’s.

“Is it sweet?” Lu Xuelan asked, her voice extremely raspy, every word carrying a hook.

Having just woken up from a fever, Tao Yao’s mind was a complete jumble. The days of mental torture, the weakness from illness, the impact of beauty at close range, and the sensory confusion of the cool sweetness in her mouth… all her defenses crumbled.

She got lost in those deep eyes. Instinctively and vaguely, she hummed an “Mhm” and nodded.

The tip of her tongue once again unconsciously slid across the surface of the candy.

She didn’t even realize what kind of scene she was creating: her flushed cheeks, her moist and dazed eyes, her slightly parted lips shimmering from the candy, and that unconscious licking motion—it all combined into a picture that was provocatively self-unaware.

Lu Xuelan’s breathing grew a fraction heavier.

She looked at Tao Yao, looking at those eyes filled with shimmering moisture. The last trace of restraint was shattered in the silence of the deep night by something surging and long-accumulated.

She slowly—extremely slowly—lowered her head.

Her lips were almost touching Tao Yao’s.

Their warm breaths melded; the cool, sweet fragrance of mint diffused between them.

Then, Tao Yao heard her ask in an even lower, raspier tone—one filled with danger and temptation—word by word:

“Teacher Tao, can you let me… taste your candy?”

Time seemed to come to a complete standstill at this moment.

Tao Yao’s muddled mind, like rusted gears, turned with difficulty.

Taste… the candy? How do you taste it?

She blinked blankly, meeting Lu Xuelan’s eyes that were right in front of her, burning with dark fire. The desire swirling within was so blatant and so fierce it almost swallowed her.

In a flash, a belated and terrifying translation exploded in her mind—

“Teacher Tao, can I kiss you?”

“!!!”

Help. Of course not!

Her mind finally cleared at this moment, frantically sounding the alarm and screaming a refusal.

However, at the very second she opened her mouth wanting to say the word “No,” her head seemed to have a consciousness of its own. Extremely faintly, dazed and confused… it gave a small nod.

The movement was tiny—so small it was almost invisible.

But Lu Xuelan saw it, and Tao Yao realized it as well. After that single nod, boundless panic and regret hit like a tsunami.

She wanted to explain, wanted to say she was just muddled from the fever…

But it was too late.

In the second after she nodded, before the panicked expression on her face could even fully unfold.

Lu Xuelan had already kissed her.