Forcibly Taken by My Student’s Mother - Chapter 24.2

Chapter 24.2: Inside the Camisole, There Seems to Be…

Lu Xuelan turned around.

The dark green silk made her skin appear even fairer, and the halter design perfectly showcased her shoulder and neck lines. Because it was tied slightly tight, the collar strained a bit, outlining her clear collarbones. The dress draped smoothly, tapering at the waist and flaring at the hem, shimmering like flowing water with her movements.

“How is it?” She turned slightly, looking in the full-length mirror. “Is it suitable?”

Tao Yao didn’t dare to look closely at all, nodding haphazardly: “V-very good, it suits you very well.”

“Is that so?” Lu Xuelan spun in front of the mirror, the hem tracing a graceful arc. “Then I’ll keep this one.” She walked back to the bed, picked up the black lace and wine-red silk nightgowns, and folded them together: “Teacher Tao has good taste; the ones you picked are all very good.”

Tao Yao let out a couple of dry laughs, but in her heart, she was grumbling wildly: I didn’t pick them at all! You were the one who brought them out!

“By the way.” Lu Xuelan suddenly remembered something and took several more unopened nightgowns out of the paper bag. “The brand sent a lot. Teacher Tao, pick a few you like and take them back. Consider it… helping me try them on and giving some feedback.”

Tao Yao waved her hands repeatedly: “No need, no need, Director Lu. I’m not used to wearing this kind of…”

“Don’t be so polite.” Lu Xuelan’s tone brooked no refusal. “These fabrics are very comfortable; you’ll know once you try them.”

As she spoke, she spread several nightgowns out on the bed.

Every single one was full of design flair, and every single one was… not very “proper.”

Tao Yao’s scalp felt numb looking at them.

“I-I really am not used to wearing this kind of thing…” she tried one last struggle.

“Just try it. Young people should have the courage to try different styles.” Lu Xuelan said as she picked up a camisole dress and handed it to her. “This one is relatively casual; it should suit you well. Or this pink robe—it complements your skin tone.”

Seeing the persistence in her eyes, Tao Yao knew she wasn’t getting out of here today without picking one.

She gritted her teeth, scanned them quickly, and chose the most conservative-looking one. It was a deep blue silk nightgown with a simple camisole style, calf-length, and a neckline that wasn’t too low.

“J-just this one then,” she said.

Lu Xuelan looked at her choice, a flash of a smile crossing her eyes: “Do you want to try it on now? See if it fits. If it doesn’t, I’ll have someone send a different size.”

Tao Yao refused immediately, her voice rising an octave: “No need! I’ll just try it when I get back. I won’t trouble Director Lu.”

Lu Xuelan seemed a bit disappointed but didn’t insist: “Alright then. Remember to wear it and let me see; I need to give feedback to the brand.”

Tao Yao gave a vague response, only wanting to end the topic quickly: “Director Lu, the materials you mentioned…”

“Oh, right.” Lu Xuelan seemed to just remember. She walked to the desk by the window, opened a drawer, and took out a folder.

She walked back holding the folder and handed it to Tao Yao.

Tao Yao reached out to take it.

But just as her fingertips touched the folder, Lu Xuelan didn’t let go.

Tao Yao froze and looked up.

Lu Xuelan was looking at her. Those deep eyes, under the warm yellow light of the bedroom, appeared exceptionally focused, swirling with emotions Tao Yao couldn’t understand.

“Teacher Tao.” Lu Xuelan’s voice was very soft, like a feather brushing against her eardrum.

“Hm?” Tao Yao responded instinctively, her heart inexplicably starting to race.

Lu Xuelan’s gaze fell on her lips, lingering for several seconds.

“You have something on your lip,” she said.

Tao Yao blanked and instinctively stuck out her tongue to lick the corner of her mouth.

“Did you just eat blueberries?” Lu Xuelan asked. Her thumb gently rose and brushed across the corner of Tao Yao’s mouth.

The touch was warm, carrying the slight roughness of a thin callus as it wiped over her skin.

Tao Yao went stiff all over, her mind turning blank instantly.

Lu Xuelan’s fingertip lingered at the corner of her mouth for a moment, then slowly moved down, gently pinching her chin.

The distance between the two had somehow become extremely close—close enough that Tao Yao could see her own reflection in Lu Xuelan’s eyes, close enough to smell the faint post-shower fragrance on her, mixed with a very subtle, cold scent that belonged to her personally.

Their breaths intertwined.

Tao Yao’s pupils dilated slightly. She could feel Lu Xuelan’s gaze fixed on her lips, burning and focused. Her body felt as if it were fixed in place, unable to move. She could only watch as Lu Xuelan slowly lowered her head—

Closer and closer.

So close she could feel Lu Xuelan’s warm breath brushing against her lips.

So close that in the next second, it seemed she would be kissed.

Tao Yao’s heart hammered frantically in her chest; the sound of blood rushing thundered in her ears.

She should push her away. She should immediately step back. She should refuse loudly.

But she did nothing.

As if under a fairy’s binding spell, she froze in place, and even… involuntarily, she slightly closed her eyes.

At that critical moment…

“Holy sh!t! Charge! Kill them! On the left, on the left! Oh, holy sh! t! Do you guys even know how to play?!”

From the room next door, the super loud sound effects of Su Xiaowan playing games suddenly erupted. Accompanied by intense background music, it pierced through the walls and exploded clearly in the quiet bedroom.

Tao Yao snapped her eyes open as if waking from a dream. Feeling as if she had been burned, she violently pushed Lu Xuelan away, retreating several steps until her back hit the wardrobe door hard.

She was incoherent, her cheeks red enough to drip blood. “I… I should go. I’ll look over the materials carefully. I’ll go back and help Xiaowan research schools, then… then I’ll get back to you!”

After saying this, not even daring to look at Lu Xuelan’s expression, she didn’t forget to grab the deep blue nightgown and the folder from the bed before turning and running, practically a narrow escape.

With a thud, the bedroom door was slammed shut.

Silence returned to the room.

Lu Xuelan stood in place, maintaining the posture from when she was pushed away, not moving for a long time.

She looked at the closed door. The dark colors swirling in her eyes slowly settled, finally turning into a bottomless gloom. That trace of an ambiguous smile on the corners of her lips had completely vanished.

She raised her hand, her fingertips lightly brushing her own lips; the temperature of Tao Yao’s breath seemed to linger there.

Then, she walked to the closet and expressionlessly changed out of the dark green halter nightgown, putting her daily shirt and trousers back on.

When she walked out of the bedroom, she had returned to her meticulous self.

She walked straight to the door of Su Xiaowan’s room. Without even knocking, she pushed the door open and entered.

Inside the room, Su Xiaowan was wearing headphones, sitting cross-legged on the carpet, her hands frantically operating her phone while she yelled: “Go! Why are you standing there! Oh, here I go—”

She didn’t notice someone was behind her at all.

Until a shadow loomed over her.

Su Xiaowan belatedly looked up. Seeing her godmother’s frost-cold face, her hand jerked in fright, and her phone “clacked” as it fell to the ground.

“M-Mommy?” she stuttered. “W-why are you here?”

Lu Xuelan looked down at her, her voice as cold as ice: “Su Xiaowan.”

“Present!” Su Xiaowan immediately straightened her back.

“From today onward…” Lu Xuelan said word by word, “you are not allowed to play games for one week. Computers, phones, tablets—all confiscated.”

Su Xiaowan’s eyes went wide instantly: “Why? I’ve been very good lately, I didn’t play with my phone during class, and I finished my homework on time!”

“There is no ‘why’.” Lu Xuelan didn’t listen to her defense at all, turning to leave. “If I hear you shouting while gaming one more time, the ban will be for a month.”

“On what grounds?” Su Xiaowan wailed behind her. “You’re a demon! A fascist! A tyrant!”

Lu Xuelan didn’t look back. She went straight downstairs, grabbed her car keys, and left the villa.

The black car drove into the night. Lu Xuelan gripped the steering wheel, looking at the road illuminated by the headlights. Her fingers longingly rubbed her lips, and her expression gradually turned dark.

D*mn that Su Xiaowan.

Just a little bit more, and I would have kissed her.

On the other side, Tao Yao almost flew back to her rented room.

She leaned her back against the door, gasping for air, her heart still thumping wildly.

Just now… Lu Xuelan wanted to kiss her again, didn’t she?

And she actually didn’t dodge.

Not only did she not dodge, she even closed her eyes.

Tao Yao covered her face with her hands, feeling so ashamed she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

What was wrong with her? Why, at that moment, did her body completely refuse to obey? Why, when she clearly should have resisted, was there a faint trace of… expectation in her heart?

No, impossible.

She must have been dazed by Lu Xuelan’s ambiguous tactics; it must be that the pressure lately was too much and she had lost her mind.

Tao Yao shook her head, trying to shake out those messy thoughts.

She walked to the desk, threw the folder on it, and looked at the deep blue silk nightgown in her hand. She could even imagine what she would look like wearing it.

Tao Yao’s face turned red again.

She threw the nightgown onto the bed like a hot potato, her emotions complicated.

Stop thinking about it.

Regardless, she had already decided to draw a clear line with Lu Xuelan. Once this tutoring job ended, they would have no more interactions.

Tao Yao walked to the edge of the bed, looked at the deep blue nightgown, hesitated for a moment, but still ended up walking into the bathroom.

The warm water washed over her body, taking away the day’s fatigue and chaotic thoughts.

After the shower, Tao Yao dried her body. Gritting her teeth, she still picked up that nightgown as if possessed.

The soft silk fabric slid across her skin, cool and smooth. The straps were so thin they felt like they could break at any moment. The V-neck design left her collarbones completely exposed to the air, and the dress reached her calves, swaying gently with her movements.

Tao Yao looked at herself in the mirror, feeling uneasy. She had never worn clothes of this style; it was too… too strange, completely different from her usual sporty and casual style.

But undeniably, it looked good.

Tao Yao spun in front of the mirror, forced to admit that Lu Xuelan’s taste was indeed sharp. For a second, she couldn’t help but think of the sentence Lu Xuelan said: Remember to wear it and let me see the effect.

Her cheeks heated up again.

Wear it for her to see?

What a joke.

Tao Yao quickly changed back into her cotton pajamas printed with cartoon patterns, folded the silk nightgown, and stuffed it into the deepest corner of her wardrobe.

Out of sight, out of mind.

She lay back in bed and closed her eyes, trying to sleep.

But her mind repeatedly replayed that scene in Lu Xuelan’s bedroom—Lu Xuelan’s lowered eyelashes, the approaching breath, the finger brushing the corner of her mouth, and that near-kiss that almost landed.

As well as her own uncontrollably closed eyes.

Tao Yao flipped over irritably and buried her face in her pillow.

It’s over.

I think… I’m really turning gay.

Over the next few days, Tao Yao lived in a state of suspense.

When she went to teach Su Xiaowan, she would instinctively check if Lu Xuelan was home. Fortunately, Lu Xuelan seemed truly busy, leaving early and returning late for several days in a row; the two of them hardly met.

Su Xiaowan, on the other hand, was visibly withered.

“Teacher Tao, do you know?” she slumped on the desk, speaking weakly. “I don’t know what kind of fit my mom is throwing, but she confiscated all my electronic devices. I’m dying of boredom.”

Tao Yao felt a bit guilty and didn’t dare to respond, only offering vague comfort: “Maybe… your mom is worried you’re addicted to games and it’s affecting your studies.”

“But she never used to be this strict,” Su Xiaowan grumbled. “And I’ve clearly been very good lately… Has she become a psychological pervert from being single for too long? Her emotions are so unstable.”

Tao Yao felt even guiltier.

What could she say?

Could she say it’s because the sound of your gaming interrupted your mom’s “good business,” so she took her anger out on you?

She couldn’t help but feel a bit worried. Given Su Xiaowan’s flammable and explosive impulsive personality, if she ever found out the truth—

The teacher becoming the stepmother—she’d probably take Tao Yao down with her!