Forcibly Taken by My Student’s Mother - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: One Dares to Teach, the Other Dares to Believe, Truly…

Lu Xuelan was overwhelmed with work due to an overseas project.

Negotiations, meetings, and international calls bombarded her in rotation from morning till night. By the time she finally handled all the emergency matters, three days had already passed.

She was the only one left in the office.

Exhausted, she leaned back against her leather chair, raising a hand to rub her aching temples as she habitually took out her phone.

The screen lit up. Most of the messages in the list were unread work-related items; she swiped past them expressionlessly, eventually clicking on a familiar profile picture.

The message she had sent to “Tao Zhi Yao Yao” in her identity as “L” still sat at last night.

A simple greeting: “Are you there?”

It showed “Read.”

But there was no reply.

Lu Xuelan stared at the small grey “Read” text, her brow gradually furrowing.

She scrolled up through the chat history. Recent conversations were clearly much sparser; often she would send three or four messages before the other party replied once, and the content was brief and polite, radiating a deliberately maintained sense of distance.

It was as if she were a different person compared to the passionate and proactive girl of not long ago.

Lu Xuelan’s fingertips tapped lightly on the edge of the screen, and her eyes darkened.

Are young people nowadays… all this fickle? Clearly, not long ago, she was proactively sending those ambiguous messages, calling her “Sister” in an intimate tone and teaching her how to pursue her real-life self.

How had she started running hot and cold these past few days?

Avoiding her in reality, and beginning to distance herself online as well.

What exactly was she thinking?

Lu Xuelan felt her headache worsening.

She was not a person without patience; in the business world, she could lie in wait for years to set a stage, waiting for the optimal moment.

But matters of the heart… seemed inapplicable to commercial logic, especially when facing a contradictory entity like Tao Yao—pure and shy on the surface, yet bold enough to teach someone how to chase her behind the scenes.

She really couldn’t understand it anymore.

Lu Xuelan closed her eyes, and that kiss by the pool involuntarily surfaced in her mind. Tao Yao’s initial stiffness, the subsequent softening, even that clumsy and raw response… those reactions were so real they didn’t contain a hint of falsehood.

Clearly, the progress between them was good; why was she starting to avoid her again?

Lu Xuelan opened her eyes, a flash of irritability crossing them.

Her patience was nearing its end.

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Xuelan called her assistant into the office.

“You follow up on the remaining cleanup work,” she said while quickly signing documents. “Do not disturb me unless it’s an emergency.”

The assistant was somewhat surprised: “Director Lu, are you… leaving early today?”

“Mhm.” Lu Xuelan closed the folder and stood up. “Contact me by phone if anything happens.”

She grabbed her coat and car keys, heading straight out of the office.

She was going to find Tao Yao and have a proper talk. Regardless of whether the other party was playing some role-playing game or truly hesitating and retreating, she needed a definitive answer.

When the black sedan drove into the villa district, it was only a little past four in the afternoon.

Lu Xuelan parked the car and entered her home.

Auntie Zhang was cleaning the living room and looked a bit surprised to see her: “Director Lu is back so early today?”

“Mhm.” Lu Xuelan looked around. “Where is Teacher Tao?”

“Teacher Tao left just a moment ago,” Auntie Zhang said. “Lessons ended early today.”

Lu Xuelan’s footsteps paused.

She raised her wrist to check her watch—4:40 PM.

This time… was indeed quite a bit earlier than usual.

She turned and went upstairs, pushing open the door to the study.

Su Xiaowan was hunched over the desk doing homework. Hearing the movement, she looked up, and upon seeing it was her mother, she immediately sat bolt upright, a flash of guilt crossing her face.

“M-Mommy?” She blinked. “Why are you back so early today?”

Lu Xuelan walked to the desk and glanced at the open workbook; the problems were only half-finished.

“When did Teacher Tao leave?” she asked, her voice unreadable.

“J-just now.” Su Xiaowan’s gaze drifted. “Class ended at 4:30.”

“4:30?” Lu Xuelan raised an eyebrow. “I recall your schedule goes until five.”

“That was before,” Su Xiaowan quickly explained. “We adjusted the time today. Teacher Tao said she has some things to do over the next few days, so she moved the class time forward by half an hour… really, if you don’t believe me, ask Teacher Tao.”

She spoke quickly and urgently, terrified that Lu Xuelan wouldn’t believe her.

Watching her panicked expression, Lu Xuelan’s face darkened inch by inch.

Adjusting the lesson and ending half an hour early?

Tao Yao was clearly avoiding her on purpose. This realization made Lu Xuelan’s mood instantly plummet to rock bottom. She had originally thought that after these few days of cooling off, Tao Yao would at least be willing to communicate with her.

She hadn’t expected the other party to directly adopt the most thorough avoidance strategy.

“Is your homework finished?” Lu Xuelan’s voice cooled significantly.

“A-almost…” Su Xiaowan shrank her neck and quickly lowered her head to continue the problems.

Lu Xuelan stood in the center of the study, silent for a few seconds.

Then, she turned and left.

Reaching the top of the stairs, she paused. She didn’t return to her bedroom but went straight downstairs instead.

“Auntie Zhang, I’m going out for a bit,” she said to Auntie Zhang, who was in the kitchen preparing dinner. “No need to wait for me for dinner.”

“Understood, Director Lu.”

The black sedan drove out of the villa once more.

Lu Xuelan gripped the steering wheel, staring straight ahead; she needed to sort out some thoughts.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped in front of a quiet, detached building.

The doorplate bore the words “Qingyuan Psychology” in an elegant, low-key font.

This was a member-only VIP private psychological clinic. It operated on an appointment basis with extremely high privacy. Lu Xuelan had been a long-term client here for nearly ten years, and she was so familiar with the psychologist they were almost friends.

She parked and entered the clinic.

The receptionist saw her and rose with a smile: “Ms. Lu, you’re here. Dr. Zhou is waiting for you.”

“Thank you.”

Lu Xuelan followed the receptionist into the inner room.

The clinic was decorated to be warm and comfortable; outside the floor-to-ceiling window was a small courtyard with lush greenery. A faint scent of sandalwood drifted in the air, making one unconsciously relax.

Dr. Zhou Qingyuan was already seated on the sofa in the lounge area.

She looked to be in her early thirties, with a gentle temperament, wearing a pair of thin-rimmed glasses and a peaceful expression.

“Xuelan,” she greeted with a smile. “Sit. Tea or coffee?”

“Just water.” Lu Xuelan sat opposite her, draping her coat over the sofa armrest.

Zhou Qingyuan poured her a glass of warm water, keenly detecting the confusion between her brows—something not often seen in the usually calm and self-possessed Lu Xuelan. Lately, this patient seemed deeply mired in emotional problems, which was even more surprising to her. As a psychologist, she had even developed a rare bit of curiosity.

“How have you been lately?” Zhou Qingyuan asked softly, her tone like an old friend chatting.

Lu Xuelan was silent for a few seconds, picking up the water glass as if organizing her words.

“High pressure, feeling irritable,” she finally spoke. “At work… but not entirely.”

“Oh?” Zhou Qingyuan leaned forward slightly. “Want to talk about it?”

Lu Xuelan looked up at the swaying greenery outside the window.

“I think…” she said slowly, “it’s mainly an emotional issue.”

Zhou Qingyuan took a listening posture and asked cautiously: “The pursuit you mentioned last time—is there progress?”

“We kissed,” she said.

Zhou Qingyuan froze for a moment, then composed herself: “Was it… consensual and in a relaxed situation for both parties?”

This question was crucial.

She knew Lu Xuelan’s personality—strong, a high need for control, sometimes unconsciously exerting pressure.

“She responded,” Lu Xuelan said seriously. “And she was very invested.”

Zhou Qingyuan sighed slightly in relief, but her brow remained slightly knit: “Then… what happened after? Did the relationship develop further?”

“No.” Lu Xuelan’s voice lowered. “Starting the next day, she began deliberately avoiding me. Leaving lessons early, not replying to messages, eyes darting away when we meet… she even adjusted her teaching hours just to avoid me.”

She paused, then added: “She also said it was a misunderstanding and wants to keep a pure employer-employee relationship with me.”

Zhou Qingyuan’s brow furrowed even deeper. She put down her notebook, her tone very serious: “Xuelan, I must ask you a serious question.”

“Go ahead.”

“You really didn’t employ any… forceful methods that might make the other person feel uncomfortable, right?” Zhou Qingyuan chose her words carefully. “Like excessive verbal pressure, or an unequal relationship due to status and position?”

Lu Xuelan shook her head.

Not only had she not, but she also felt she had been very restrained.

“In fact.” She took out her phone, opened the chat interface, and handed it to Zhou Qingyuan. “She was the one who proactively approached me.”

Zhou Qingyuan took the phone, looking at the screen in confusion.

Lu Xuelan had obscured key private information, but enough of the dialogue remained. Those suggestions from “Tao Zhi Yao Yao” about “how to pursue a crush,” the intimate titles and interactions—it truly looked quite convincing.

She explained with clear logic: “She deliberately approached me, teaching me how to pursue her real-life self. I think she must have feelings for me but is too embarrassed to be proactive, so she uses this method to drop hints. Furthermore, our chats are very intimate, completely breaking the boundaries of stranger netizens.”

“I pursued her according to her ‘proposals,’ and real-life contact progressed smoothly until the kiss.”

Lu Xuelan looked at her psychologist, her eyes filled with genuine confusion: “Isn’t this a carefully designed guidance? Why would she start retreating after guiding me to this step?”

Dr. Zhou Qingyuan’s expression moved from initial shock to incomprehension, then deep bewilderment, and finally settled on a strictly restrained sense of absurdity.

She pushed up her glasses, read the chat history several times, then looked up at Lu Xuelan’s serious face.

Forgive her for being older; she really couldn’t understand the tricks of modern youth in love.

“Xuelan.” She tried to guide with her gentlest tone. “Is there a possibility… that this netizen ‘Tao Zhi Yao Yao’ and the Teacher Tao you are pursuing in reality are simply two different people?”

“Impossible.” Lu Xuelan said with certainty. “I had the technical department check the IP address. It’s her.”

“Then…” Zhou Qingyuan continued to speculate: “Or, does that Teacher Tao not know that ‘L’ is you? Does she think she’s chatting with a stranger?”

Lu Xuelan shook her head firmly. “I’ve observed very carefully; she definitely knows it’s me. Besides, the timeline, the details, and her reactions all match up.” She paused, saying distressedly: “Moreover, if she didn’t like me, why would she respond to my kiss? That kiss… she was very invested, I could feel it.”

Zhou Qingyuan went completely silent.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, yet felt that all conventional analytical lines of thought were utterly unsuited for this matter.

One dares to anonymously teach someone else how to chase themselves, and the other dares to believe it and actually follow through, and they both tacitly agree not to pierce this layer of window paper… what kind of mental circuitry is this?

Seeing Zhou Qingyuan’s complex expression, Lu Xuelan summarized for herself: “So I speculate that she might have histrionic personality tendencies, enjoying this ‘dual identity’ role-playing game. On one side, she’s the pure and shy tutor; on the other, she’s the anonymous netizen secretly taking the lead and flirting with a student’s parent.”

“Once I want to clarify the relationship, she shows resistance. She probably just enjoys this sense of thrill.”

Zhou Qingyuan: “…”

She picked up her teacup and took a sip, using the movement to hide the twitching at the corners of her mouth.

After a long while, she put down the cup and rubbed her temples.

“Xuelan.” Her tone became exceptionally gentle, even carrying a hint of nearly grandfatherly helplessness. “I think… from a certain perspective, the two of you are quite… well-matched.”

Both had mental circuits that deviated from the norm—one dares to teach, the other dares to believe, and both have internal logical consistency.

Simply a match made in heaven.

Lu Xuelan seemingly didn’t catch the subtext in these words, instead nodding seriously: “I also feel we are very suitable.”

Zhou Qingyuan took a deep breath, struggling to maintain professional decorum.

“Since you’ve decided this is the ‘game’ she likes, perhaps you can temporarily ‘stay in character’ and observe her reactions. But be sure to mind the boundaries and ensure both parties are within a safe and comfortable range.” She emphasized specifically: “If she shows any genuine discomfort or resistance, you must stop. The premise of a game is that it’s consensual.”

“I understand.” Lu Xuelan nodded. “I don’t mind playing along with her in this game as long as she likes it.”

Watching her serious expression, Zhou Qingyuan hesitated.

She felt something was off… but couldn’t find where the problem lay for a moment.

Ultimately, she could only say with a bit of worry: “Well… good luck.”

“I will.” Lu Xuelan nodded firmly.

Meanwhile, Tao Yao was walking on thin ice during lessons at the villa.

She didn’t know that Lu Xuelan had already made such an “exquisite” interpretation of her behavior, nor did she know the other party planned to cooperate with her “role-playing” game.

She only knew that she was about to go crazy.

Because Lu Xuelan seemed exceptionally free lately.

Before, she would always leave early and return late, and they’d rarely meet a few times a week.

But these few days, she was often home in the afternoon, even appearing inadvertently near the study.

Sometimes she’d be holding a cup of coffee, leaning against the doorframe, her gaze seemingly drifting over Tao Yao while saying nothing.

But Tao Yao could feel that gaze remaining glued to her back.

Sometimes she’d simply do nothing, just standing outside the window, watching her teach quietly through the glass.

Every time Tao Yao looked up and caught her gaze, her heart would race, and she’d quickly look away. But the more she did this, the more Lu Xuelan’s gaze became unfathomable, and that faint, trace-like curve at the corner of her mouth became more obvious.

As if she were watching an interesting performance.

“Teacher Tao,” Su Xiaowan whispered during a gap in solving problems, “Do you think my mom has been acting weird lately?”

Tao Yao was grading homework; hearing this, her pen nib paused: “…How is she weird?”

“She looks at me like I’m a pile of trash waiting to be processed.” Su Xiaowan made an exaggerated shrugging motion. “But when she looks at you… uh, it’s like she’s looking at a piece of cake she really wants to eat but is restraining herself because she’s on a diet.”

Tao Yao’s face went dark—what a precise and terrifying metaphor.

“Don’t talk nonsense.” She scolded softly, forcing herself to be calm. “Any more gossip and I’ll tell your mother you failed your last quiz.”

“No, no, no!” Su Xiaowan quickly begged for mercy. “I was wrong, Teacher Tao. I’ll do the problems right now!”

She buried her head and continued writing, but after a few minutes, she couldn’t help but whisper: “But seriously, Teacher Tao, haven’t you been a bit weird lately too? Every time you see my mom, it’s like a mouse seeing a cat…”

“Su Xiaowan.”

“I’m shutting up!”

The study returned to silence.

But Tao Yao’s heart couldn’t settle down at all. Just then, there was a light knock on the study door.

Tao Yao was so startled her hand jerked, and her red pen drew a long mark across the workbook.

Lu Xuelan pushed the door open, carrying a fruit plate in her hand.

Sliced mango, strawberries, and kiwi were arranged exquisitely, with small forks stuck in them.

“Take a break.” She walked to the desk and placed the fruit plate between the two. “Have some fruit.”

Her voice was natural, just like always.

But Tao Yao was as tense as a fully drawn bow.

“T-thank you, Director Lu,” she said softly, her fingers unconsciously twisting together.

Lu Xuelan didn’t leave immediately.

She stood by the desk, her gaze landing on Tao Yao’s face and lingering for a few seconds.

Then, she reached out and picked up a fork, skewered a piece of mango, and naturally held it out in front of Tao Yao.

“Try it, it’s very sweet.”

Tao Yao was stunned.

She looked at the mango held to her lips, then looked up at Lu Xuelan’s calm expression, momentarily at a loss.

Accept it, or not?

If she accepted, the action was too intimate.

If she didn’t, it would seem too deliberate.

In the instant she hesitated, Lu Xuelan’s hand moved forward slightly.

The fork lightly touched her lips.

The cool sensation made Tao Yao’s entire body tremble. She instinctively opened her mouth and took the piece of mango.

The fruit was sweet and juicy.

But Tao Yao couldn’t taste it.

Because in the moment she opened her mouth, Lu Xuelan’s fingers accidentally brushed against her lips.

A warm, delicate touch that left as soon as it arrived.

Tao Yao recoiled violently as if she’d been shocked. The movement was too large, and her elbow knocked over the water glass on the table.

“Ah!” Su Xiaowan cried out in surprise.

The glass toppled toward her workbook, and the water spread rapidly.

Lu Xuelan reacted faster than her, however. She calmly pulled out several tissues, one hand holding down the fallen glass while the other quickly covered the workbook, absorbing most of the water.

Then, she threw the soaked tissues into the trash and pulled out a clean one, handing it to Tao Yao.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice calm.

But Tao Yao clearly saw an extremely faint, fleeting curve at the corner of her mouth. That curve contained realization and playfulness, as if saying: See, she’s acting again.

Tao Yao took the tissue, her fingers trembling.

“I-I’m fine…” She lowered her head, not daring to look at Lu Xuelan again.

Her heart hammered in her chest, the vibration making her eardrums hum.

What on earth does she want to do?!

Tao Yao felt as though she were about to suffocate.

Watching Tao Yao’s flushed cheeks and dodging eyes, the smile in Lu Xuelan’s eyes deepened.

She really does enjoy this kind of thrill, doesn’t she?

Truly… a contradictory person.

She straightened up, her tone returning to its usual calm. “Continue your lesson.”

She turned and left the study, gently closing the door.

It wasn’t until the sound of footsteps vanished at the end of the hallway that Tao Yao let out a long breath. She slumped into her chair, feeling like she had just finished a marathon.

“Teacher Tao.” Su Xiaowan spoke carefully. “Your… your face is so red.”

Tao Yao raised her hands to cover her face; it was terrifyingly hot.

“It’s the heat,” she forced an explanation.

Su Xiaowan glanced at the thermometer on the wall—22 degrees, constant temperature.

But she was wise enough not to call her out.

“Um…” She hesitated, yet couldn’t help saying, “Teacher Tao, is there something… between you and my mom?”

Tao Yao’s heart skipped a beat.

“What could there be?” She feigned composure. “She’s the employer, I’m the tutor. It’s as simple as that.”

“But I feel like my mom is…” Su Xiaowan weighed her words, “specially different toward you.”

“Different how?”

“Just…” Su Xiaowan scratched her head. “She never used to proactively bring me fruit before, and she certainly wouldn’t… feed someone else.” She paused, adding softly: “And the way she looks at you, her eyes are really… not quite right.”

Tao Yao went silent.

Even a student as dim as Su Xiaowan could see something was wrong?

Before she could think of how to quibble—no, explain—Su Xiaowan continued: “Teacher Tao, do you think my mom saw that I like you, so she’s pretending to have feelings for you to make me give up? Novels are always written like that; the person the daughter likes is broken apart by the mother, and she goes abroad in sorrow. Right? It must be that; I’m simply too smart.”

Tao Yao: “…” What kind of ghost novels are you reading? You have no aesthetic sense at all.

Thinking she had found the truth, Su Xiaowan excitedly babbled non-stop: “Teacher Tao, my mom must want to use this method to break us apart and make you reject my pursuit. Teacher Tao, you absolutely must not fall for it.”

“Write your homework properly.” Tao Yao really couldn’t listen anymore. “Any more nonsense and you’re writing ten extra pages.”

Su Xiaowan let out a wail and didn’t dare speak further.

Over the next few days, Tao Yao continued her ostrich strategy, using every possible means to avoid contact with Lu Xuelan.

But Lu Xuelan seemed determined to break her defenses.

She no longer just watched from afar but began to manufacture various accidental encounters.

For example, when Tao Yao finished class and was leaving, they would happen to meet at the stairs.

Or when Tao Yao was explaining a problem to Su Xiaowan, she would conveniently come in and sit on the nearby sofa, quietly reading a book—though Tao Yao could feel that her gaze was on her half the time.

Most lethally, she began speaking in that… meaningful tone.

“Teacher Tao looks very good in that outfit today; it complements your complexion well.”

Tao Yao was leaning over to get a reference book from the shelf at the time; hearing this, her hand jerked, and the book almost fell.

“T-thank you, Director Lu.” She didn’t even dare turn her head.

“However.” Lu Xuelan walked a few steps closer, her voice lowered as she spoke near her ear: “I prefer how you looked in that blue silk nightgown.”

Tao Yao’s head felt like it exploded.

She spun around abruptly, eyes wide as she stared at Lu Xuelan.

The other woman was perfectly composed, as if that sentence just now was ordinary small talk.

“That deep blue nightgown—have you tried it on yet?” Lu Xuelan asked, as calm as if discussing the weather.

“I… I haven’t tried it yet.” Tao Yao stuttered. “I’ve been… quite busy lately.”

“Is that so?” Lu Xuelan tilted her head slightly, a smile flashing in her eyes. “Then remember to try it. I want to see the effect.”

Having said that, she carried her teacup and left leisurely.

Leaving Tao Yao alone, frozen in place, that sentence replaying repeatedly in her mind.

“I want to see the effect…”

Tao Yao was so ashamed and indignant she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

That night, she returned home and found the washed deep blue silk nightgown still hanging on the balcony.

It looked exactly as if it were mocking her.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lu Xuelan sat in her study, looking at her phone screen.

This process of pulling back and forth… was indeed very interesting.

Watching Tao Yao clearly terrified yet feigning composure, watching her vacillate between the identities of the pure teacher and the bold netizen.

The corners of Lu Xuelan’s mouth couldn’t help but turn up slightly.

She picked up the black tea by her hand and took a light sip.

The tea fragrance was pervasive, reminding her of the faint scent on Tao Yao, like the smell of grass after being baked in the sun.

Very clean.

Unlike everyone she met in the business world; perhaps that was why she was willing to play this game with her.

Lu Xuelan put down the teacup and spoke softly to herself, her voice carrying an indulgence she hadn’t even noticed:

“Teacher Tao, just how much longer are you going to keep acting?”

She was becoming a bit impatient, even starting to crave closer contact.