Forcibly Taken by My Student’s Mother - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Pretend, Keep Pretending, Both Women Are…

Tao Yao looked at Lu Xuelan helplessly, “Then… then what do we do now?”

“Let’s finish the movie.”

Lu Xuelan sat back down on the sofa. Tao Yao instantly froze in place.

Still watching? Continue watching those kinds of images?

But she had no choice.

If she went out now and bumped into Su Xiaowan, the consequences would be even more unimaginable.

She bit her lip, forced herself to walk back to the sofa, and sat as far away from Lu Xuelan as possible, her body as tense as a rock.

The film continued.

The next half hour was pure torture for Tao Yao.

The images on the screen became increasingly bold and explicit, the sounds more ambiguous and flirtatious. She was on pins and needles, her cheeks hot enough to boil water; she didn’t dare look toward Lu Xuelan at all and could only stare deathly hard at her own knees.

Meanwhile, Lu Xuelan remained calm, occasionally even offering a couple of comments.

Tao Yao criticized her wildly in her heart: Pretend, keep pretending, the two women are practically devouring each other! Still talking about camera movement? Still talking about emotional progression? What a load of crap about the ‘thematic core’!

Finally, the movie ended.

The end credits began to roll, and the soft ambient lights in the theater turned back on.

Tao Yao practically catapulted to her feet: “Can I leave now? Su Xiaowan should have gone back to her room!”

Lu Xuelan glanced at the surveillance feed on her phone; the living room was indeed empty.

“Mm, she’s back in her room.” She stood up. “I’ll take you home.”

“No, no need!” Tao Yao waved her hands repeatedly. “I can go back myself, it’s very close!”

“It’s late; it’s not safe for a girl alone.” Lu Xuelan’s tone brooked no refusal as she picked up her car keys. “Let’s go.”

Tao Yao opened her mouth, wanting to refuse again, but she ultimately had the sense to swallow her words.

Fine, if she wants to drive me, let her; it’s better than continuing this standoff here.

The two quietly left the theater and went upstairs. Lu Xuelan went to the garage to get the car while Tao Yao waited at the villa entrance. The night breeze was slightly cool, blowing against her burning face and easing some of the heat, but her heart was still beating very fast.

The black sedan drove out of the garage and stopped in front of Tao Yao.

The window rolled down, and Lu Xuelan looked at her: “Get in.”

Tao Yao opened the passenger door and sat inside. The cabin was filled with a faint, cold fragrance, the same as the one on Lu Xuelan’s body. She buckled her seatbelt and turned her head to look out the window, trying to minimize her presence.

The car drove steadily into the night.

They didn’t speak the whole way. Tao Yao didn’t know what to say, and Lu Xuelan was focused on driving.

The atmosphere was somewhat stagnant and subtle, but compared to the suffering in the theater, it was already much better.

Just as Tao Yao thought this silence would last until they reached home, Lu Xuelan suddenly spoke.

“The neighborhood where Teacher Tao lives doesn’t seem to have very good security.” Her voice was exceptionally clear in the enclosed cabin. “When I dropped you off last time, I saw there wasn’t even an access control system at the gate.”

Tao Yao’s heart tightened, and she mumbled: “Old neighborhoods are all like that, I’m used to it.”

“Living alone, you still need to pay more attention to safety.” Lu Xuelan paused, then suddenly changed the subject, “Which floor do you live on? Last time I only dropped you at the gate and didn’t go up to see.”

Tao Yao’s alarm bells instantly went off.

Go up and see? What does she want to do?

“Fourth floor.” She said stiffly. “The apartment is very small and messy; there’s nothing much to see.”

“Is that so?” Lu Xuelan’s tone was unreadable. “Then I should go up and see even more. As an employer, it’s only right to care about an employee’s living environment.”

“There’s no need!” Tao Yao’s voice rose abruptly. Realizing she had overreacted, she quickly lowered her voice, “Really, there’s no need, Director Lu. It’s too late, and you have to work tomorrow; I won’t trouble you to go up.”

“It’s no trouble.” Lu Xuelan turned the steering wheel, and the car entered the street where Tao Yao’s neighborhood was located. “I happen to want a drink of water too. You don’t mind if I go up and sit for a bit, do you?”

Tao Yao: “…”

She minded! She minded very much!

But what else could she say? She had already refused twice, and the other person was clearly determined to go up.

The car stopped at the gate of the old neighborhood. Lu Xuelan found an empty spot to park, then unbuckled her seatbelt and looked at Tao Yao with an expression that clearly said: Lead the way.

Tao Yao resignedly got out of the car and led Lu Xuelan toward the unit where she rented.

Along the way, her mind was a mess.

What exactly did Lu Xuelan want to do? Was she really just going up to look? Or did she have another purpose?

Even more terrifyingly, she suddenly remembered something.

Before leaving, she was in the middle of writing that Yuri novel based on Lu Xuelan.

Because she had left in a hurry, she hadn’t turned off her computer at all.

Which meant that on her computer screen at home right now, that document was likely still open. All those bold, explicit descriptions in the document, those plots based on Lu Xuelan…

Tao Yao’s blood ran cold.

No! She absolutely could not let Lu Xuelan see it!

She quickened her pace, practically rushing up the stairs. Lu Xuelan followed behind her, the sound of high heels clicking against the cement stairs echoing in the quiet stairwell; every step felt like it was treading on Tao Yao’s heart.

Reaching the fourth floor, Tao Yao fumbled with her keys. Because of her nervousness, it took several tries to insert the key into the lock.

With a “click,” the door opened.

Tao Yao lunged inside, her eyes darting immediately to the desk.

Sure enough, the computer screen was still bright, and the document page was spread out blatantly on the screen.

Her brain buzzed. Without thinking, she turned around to block Lu Xuelan, who was about to enter.

“Director Lu!” she said urgently, her voice changing pitch. “Um… the house is too messy, I-I’ll tidy up first, please wait at the door…”

As she spoke, she reached out to block Lu Xuelan.

Because she was in such a hurry, her movement was a bit too wide, and she crashed directly into Lu Xuelan’s arms.

In that instant, Tao Yao’s first thought was: So soft.

Her second thought was: So bouncy.

Her third thought was: It’s over.

Lu Xuelan was knocked back half a step, but she quickly stabilized herself. She just looked at Tao Yao, who was sprawled in her arms, her gaze becoming somewhat subtle.

As if she had been burned, Tao Yao snapped away and explained incoherently: “S-sorry. I didn’t mean to. I just… the house is really too messy, I felt embarrassed letting you see…”

Lu Xuelan’s gaze moved over her shoulder and into the room.

The room was indeed small and the furnishings simple, but it was kept quite tidy. The computer screen on the desk was still lit; although the distance was a bit far to see the specific content, it was clear it was a document interface.

Her eyes deepened.

“Is Teacher Tao writing something?” she asked seemingly casually, taking a step forward.

“No! Just… browsing webpages.” Tao Yao quickly turned her body to block her view, her heart beating like a drum. “Director Lu, you-you really shouldn’t come in, the house is truly too messy…”

“It’s okay.” Lu Xuelan had already stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. “I don’t mind.”

She looked around the tiny space, her gaze finally landing back on the desk.

Tao Yao’s heart climbed into her throat.

She watched Lu Xuelan walk toward the desk. Each step felt like it was treading on her nerves. Just as Lu Xuelan was only two or three steps away from the desk and about to see the screen clearly—

Tao Yao steeled her heart, lunged forward, and directly pressed the power button on the computer tower.

“Snap!”

The screen went black instantly.

Lu Xuelan’s footsteps stopped.

She turned her head to look at Tao Yao, her eyes full of obvious inquiry.

Tao Yao squeezed out a smile that looked worse than crying: “Um… the computer was lagging a bit, I’m restarting it.”

Lu Xuelan didn’t speak, just watched her quietly with a gaze that seemed able to penetrate any disguise.

After a few seconds, she looked away, as if accepting the explanation.

“Teacher Tao’s home is very tidy.” She walked over to the small two-seater sofa and sat down. “Much better than I imagined.”

Tao Yao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart was still pounding.

She hurried to the kitchen to pour water, her hands shaking so much she almost spilled it.

“Director Lu, have some water.” She placed the water glass on the coffee table in front of Lu Xuelan and sat on a chair nearby, deliberately maintaining a distance.

Lu Xuelan picked up the glass and took a sip, her gaze slowly scanning the room.

The bookshelf held quite a few books, and a few movie posters were pasted on the wall—all artistic films. Two green plants were growing on the windowsill, looking quite healthy. Although the space was cramped, the owner’s care was evident.

“Besides teaching, what does Teacher Tao usually like to do?” Lu Xuelan asked conversationally after putting down the glass.

“Write… write some things.” Tao Yao said vaguely, then quickly added, “Just writing whatever.”

“Oh?” Lu Xuelan seemed interested. “What genre of things do you write?”

“…Novels.” Tao Yao forced herself to say. “Web novels, just writing whatever to earn some pocket money.”

Lu Xuelan nodded. “That’s quite impressive. If there’s a chance, could you let me see?”

“N-no, better not.” Tao Yao refused immediately. “It’s not written well, just for my own entertainment.”

Lu Xuelan glanced at her but didn’t press further.

For the next ten minutes or so, they chatted sporadically. Because Tao Yao was worried about the manuscript, she was preoccupied and gave perfunctory answers. Lu Xuelan seemed to notice she wasn’t fully present, and her words gradually became fewer.

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Finally, Lu Xuelan stood up.

“It’s getting late; I’m leaving.” She said. “You’ve just recovered; get some rest early.”

As if receiving a grand pardon, Tao Yao quickly stood up with her: “I’ll see you out.”

“No need.” Lu Xuelan walked to the door, placed her hand on the knob, and suddenly turned back.

The night light shone in from behind her, casting a hazy halo over her silhouette. Her eyes looked exceptionally deep in the dim light, swirling with emotions Tao Yao couldn’t understand.

“Teacher Tao.” She spoke softly, her voice much gentler than usual. “Remember to take your medicine on time. If you feel unwell again, call me anytime.”

Tao Yao blanked for a moment and then nodded: “…Okay.”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

The door closed gently.

Tao Yao leaned against the door and let out a long, long sigh of relief.

Then she suddenly remembered something, rushed to the desk, and pressed the computer power button again.

The screen lit up, and the system started. She stared tensely at the progress bar, praying in her heart: Please have auto-saved, please… Entering the desktop, she clicked the document with trembling hands.

The latest chapter she had written indeed hadn’t auto-saved. The last few hundred words were gone.

Tao Yao slumped in her chair, wanting to cry but having no tears.

But compared to this, what made her even more terrified in retrospect was that she was just that close to Lu Xuelan seeing those contents.

If they had been seen, if Lu Xuelan had recognized that it was written based on her…

Tao Yao shuddered, not daring to think further.