Forcibly Taken by My Student’s Mother - Chapter 23.1

Chapter 23.1: Warm, Soft, Carrying the Scent of a Person…

The eerie light of the computer screen reflected the ever-changing expressions on Tao Yao’s face.

She sat in her chair, staring at the document she had just closed, her heart still thumping from the close call. Sitting up straight again, her hand holding the mouse hesitated for a moment before she clicked open the backend of her Yuri novel.

The data popped up.

Looking at those numbers, Tao Yao felt as if she had knocked over a spice rack—a mix of all sorts of flavors.

Data this good… was something she had never achieved with her serious writing.

The comment section was filled with nothing but flowery praise, pleas for updates, and even tips from readers.

If she kept writing, she might actually make a significant amount of money. If that happened, she could end this exhausting tutoring job sooner, escape that old fox Lu Xuelan, and rid herself of this absurd situation.

The thought of being discovered by Lu Xuelan terrified her, yet giving up left her unwilling.

Two thoughts battled in her mind, pulling at her until her head ached.

She couldn’t help but think: Lu Xuelan has so much to do at the company every day, she’s so busy her feet hardly touch the ground—how could she possibly have time to read such niche web novels? Besides, someone of her status and position probably wouldn’t even come into contact with this kind of platform, right?

Ultimately, the desire for money and the urgency to escape her current situation outweighed her fear.

Tao Yao gritted her teeth and reopened the document.

Relying on her memory, she wrote today’s experiences into the story, her fingers flying across the keyboard. Strangely, once she started writing, every detail from the theater earlier—the dim light, the ambiguous sound effects, the tangled bodies of the two women, and her own feeling of being on pins and needles—surfaced clearly.

The more she wrote, the smoother it became.

Those images and feelings flowed through her fingertips and turned into words.

As Tao Yao wrote, her cheeks began to burn.

By the time she finished the latest chapter, it was already past 1:00 AM.

Tao Yao stopped, looking at the bold descriptions on the screen, and her rationality finally returned.

This… was written too specifically.

Although she changed the location from the villa basement to Leng Yue’s private apartment and blurred the movie’s content, the atmosphere and that subtle flirting were exactly the same as what happened today.

What if—what if Lu Xuelan actually saw it?

Tao Yao’s finger hovered over the delete key, hesitating for a long time.

In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to delete it all. She only slightly modified the most explicit descriptions to make them look less like a documentary. Then, she gritted her teeth and clicked “Publish.”

She comforted herself in a small voice: “Right, art comes from life.”

After posting, Tao Yao felt as if she had committed a crime. She quickly closed the webpage and got up to take a shower.

The warm water washed over her body, taking away some of the fatigue.

After the shower, Tao Yao threw herself onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Out of habit, she reached for her phone, unlocked it, and clicked on that forum app.

The message list for her alt account was empty.

L hadn’t sent her a message.

Staring at that gray avatar, Tao Yao suddenly felt a strange sensation in her heart.

Usually at this time, L would have already come to chat with her. Why was it so quiet today?

Did she feel things were progressing smoothly and no longer needed consultation? Or… was she brewing some even bigger move?

This thought made Tao Yao’s heart tighten.

She exited the forum and, as if possessed, clicked back into her novel’s backend.

Less than an hour after the new chapter was published, the comment section was already buzzing.

“Ahhh it’s updated! Author, I love you!”

“Cinema play! You’re so good at this! Sister Leng Yue is so flirty!”

“Lin Ye’s reaction is so realistic, it’s literally me ugh…”

“The author’s interactions finally aren’t like plain water! There’s so much tension! Did the author fall in love? How did you suddenly see the light?”

Seeing this comment, Tao Yao’s heart skipped a beat.

Falling in love? Seeing the light? She wasn’t falling in love; she was clearly being forced. Being pushed step by step by that old fox, she had no choice but to face this mess head-on.

She indignantly wanted to close the page, but her disobedient finger continued to scroll down.

More comments poured in.

“This setting of Leng Yue being abstinent on the surface but actually perverted/repressed is killing me! The author captured it so well!”

“Begging for more! I want to see Sister Leng Yue go a step further!”

“This story is the one I’m most obsessed with lately. The characters are amazing, the push-and-pull is so exciting.”

Amidst the stream of praise, Tao Yao couldn’t help but gradually lose herself.

No story had ever given her so much positive feedback. Those compliments were like magic, slowly smoothing over the unease and conflict in her heart, making her even more determined to keep writing.

Just as she was thinking, her phone suddenly vibrated.

Her heart tightened. She looked down; it was a message from L.

What was meant to come had finally arrived.

Tao Yao took a deep breath and clicked.

L: “Are you there?”

L: “There was progress today.”

L: “We watched a movie together, the atmosphere was very good. Afterward, I drove her home, and she even invited me to come in and sit for a bit.”

Staring at these lines, Tao Yao couldn’t help but grumble in her heart: Atmosphere was good? That’s just what you think. For me, it was pure torture! Invite you to sit in my home? You were the one who insisted on coming up, okay!

Her finger moved, and she replied with a single, perfunctory word.

Tao Zhi Yao Yao: “Oh?”

L: “I think she should be slowly starting to accept me now.”

Tao Yao practically wanted to reach through the screen and shake her awake: The only reason I didn’t explicitly refuse is because I didn’t dare to; I’m afraid of losing my job.

She took a deep breath and continued typing, trying to pull this person back onto the right track.

Tao Zhi Yao Yao: “Sister, I think you still shouldn’t be too optimistic. She might just be embarrassed to refuse directly. These things can’t be rushed. If you are too proactive, you might actually scare her.”

Right after the message was sent, the phone vibrated continuously.

L: “Scare her?”

L: “But I feel like she doesn’t seem to dislike my proactiveness.”

L: “Today in the theater, when I leaned close to her to speak, her ears turned very red.”

Tao Yao’s face flushed instantly.

She quickly touched her own ears, as if she could still feel the heat from that moment.

L: “And she let me into her room today. Isn’t that a form of tacit consent?”

Tao Yao was practically going crazy.

Was that tacit consent? That was being forced by you until there was no other way!

Her fingers tapped the screen rapidly, her tone almost pleading.

Tao Zhi Yao Yao: “Sister, you really need to calm down. Maybe she just doesn’t know how to refuse people. Think about it, you have that layer of relationship involving your daughter between you; it’s too complicated. It’s really not appropriate.”

L: “I don’t think it’s complicated.”

L: “Liking someone is liking someone, why bother considering so much.”

Tao Zhi Yao Yao: “Then what do you plan to do next?”

Tao Yao asked this question with a final glimmer of hope, expecting the other party to say something like “take it slow” or “observe more.”

However, L’s reply completely shattered her illusions.

L: “Since the relationship is already closer, I think I should be more proactive.”

L: “What do you think? Should I find an opportunity to initiate some more intimate behavior?”

Tao Yao felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

More intimate behavior? How else did this old fox want to seduce her? No! Absolutely not!

She typed with trembling fingers.

Tao Zhi Yao Yao: “Don’t! Definitely don’t!”

Tao Zhi Yao Yao: “Sister, listen to my advice, now is really not the time for that. How long have you known each other? How much do you know? Feelings need time to develop, you can’t be this rushed!”

L: “But I feel like enough time has passed.”

L: “I feel like intimate behavior can better help her quickly recognize her own heart.”

Staring at the screen, Tao Yao suddenly felt a bout of dizziness.

She finally understood—this person simply wouldn’t listen to advice.

No matter what she said, the other party could find a reason to interpret it in the direction she wanted.

An impulse to just “break the jar” and give up surged within her.

Tao Zhi Yao Yao: “In that case, I… I probably can’t give you any good suggestions.”

L: “?”

Tao Zhi Yao Yao: “I’ll be honest with you. All those experiences I mentioned before… were just bragging. I don’t actually have any romantic experience; all those theories were just things I saw online. I can’t help you. In the future… don’t ask me anymore.”

After sending this, Tao Yao felt as if she had used up all her strength. She threw the phone aside and slumped onto the bed.

She stared at the ceiling, her chest heaving. This should work, right? I’ve admitted I was bragging, so she should go consult someone else, right? Let it go, she really couldn’t take this double stimulation anymore.

The phone was quiet for a few minutes.

Just as Tao Yao thought the other party had finally given up, the vibration sounded again.

She didn’t want to look, but she couldn’t help herself.

After struggling for a few seconds, she picked up the phone.

L: “It doesn’t matter.”

L: “I think what you said before was all very useful.”

L: “Thanks, I will continue to share our progress with you.”

Tao Yao: “…”

She buried her face in the pillow in despair, letting out a muffled groan.

There was no saving her; this person was beyond help. And she was about to be beyond help too.

The next day was the weekend.

When Tao Yao woke up with two dark circles under her eyes, it was almost noon. She hadn’t slept well at all last night; her head was filled with everything L had said and the various “more proactive” actions Lu Xuelan might take.

After eating something simple, she checked the time. She still had to go teach Su Xiaowan this afternoon.

Tao Yao sighed and resignedly started packing her things.

Before leaving, she somehow picked out a T-shirt with a relatively high neckline and tied her not-too-long hair into a neat ponytail. Looking at the “dignified and conservative” version of herself in the mirror, she felt slightly more at ease.

When she cycled to the villa, it was exactly 2:00 PM.

Tao Yao rang the doorbell, and Auntie Zhang opened the door.

“Teacher Tao is here.” Auntie Zhang smiled and let her in. “Director Lu is waiting for you in the living room.”

Tao Yao’s heart thudded.

Director Lu is in the living room? Waiting for her? What does she want to do?

She changed her shoes and walked toward the living room with hesitant steps.

Sure enough, that familiar figure was sitting on the sofa.

Today, Lu Xuelan was wearing a cream-colored casual suit, her long hair loosely tied back. She was looking down at a tablet in her hand. Hearing footsteps, she looked up.

“Teacher Tao.” She put down the tablet, her expression normal. “You’re here.”

Tao Yao looked around but didn’t see Su Xiaowan.

“Director Lu, where is Xiaowan?” she asked with some confusion. “Is she not up yet?”

Lu Xuelan stood up and walked toward her.

“Xiaowan went out today,” she explained in a flat tone. “She said she’s been too tired from studying lately and wanted to rest this weekend. Seeing that her recent performance has indeed improved, I restored her allowance and let her go out to play with friends.”

Tao Yao was stunned. Went out? Then today’s class…

“She didn’t tell me there was no class today,” Tao Yao said instinctively, while the alarms in her head were already starting to blare.

Not notifying her in advance and letting her make a trip for nothing? This was clearly…

Premeditated.

“It was me who told her not to say anything.” Lu Xuelan seemed to see through her thoughts, her tone as natural as if they were discussing the weather. “I thought since Teacher Tao is here, it’s a good time for us to have a proper talk about Xiaowan’s subsequent study plan. She’s been progressing quickly lately, so I think we can adjust the teaching focus.”

Tao Yao grumbled wildly in her heart: Talk about what damn study plan? On the weekend? And when Su Xiaowan isn’t home? This excuse is way too obvious!

She squeezed out a smile: “Director Lu, since Xiaowan isn’t here, I’ll head back first. We can talk about the study plan before the next class, or you can just call me.”

As she spoke, she turned to leave.

“Teacher Tao.” Lu Xuelan’s voice came from behind her, unhurried. “Since you’re already here, why the rush to leave?”

Tao Yao’s footsteps stopped.

“I know of a private gallery; there’s a good exhibition today.” Lu Xuelan walked to her side, her voice lowering slightly. “Why don’t we go see it together? Consider it a way to relax, and while we’re at it… we can talk about Xiaowan’s studies.”

Tao Yao bit her lower lip, her mind racing for an excuse to refuse.

“I…”

“Teacher Tao teaches very well.” Lu Xuelan quickly interrupted her, adding, “Xiaowan’s progress is obvious to everyone. Therefore, I am considering increasing your hourly rate by another 20% starting this month as a bonus.”

All of Tao Yao’s words of refusal instantly jammed in her throat.

20%…

She quickly did the math in her head. The original hourly rate was 1,000; a 20% increase made it 1,200.

Four classes a week, three hours a day… that was… a lot of money.

Tao Yao was shamefully tempted.

She struggled for a few seconds. In the end, the desire for money triumphed over her caution.

“…Okay.” She heard her own dry voice. “Then… let’s go see it.”