Forcibly Taken by My Student’s Mother - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Student’s Mother Puts On an Act

The next day, Tao Yao was practically humming as she hopped onto her second-hand mountain bike.

The early morning breeze carried a hint of chill, feeling exceptionally refreshing against her face. Her feet pedaled rapidly, the wheels emitting a light, crisp rustle against the pavement—matching her skipping heartbeat, which was currently brimming with hidden mischief.

She deliberately set off ten minutes earlier than usual, her mind playing various mini-theaters on a loop along the way:

Lu Xuelan changing into the wine-red silk slip dress, leaning against the study door, nonchalantly revealing her long legs, casting an indifferent glance toward her with those cold, elegant phoenix eyes…

Or even more stimulating—wearing that black lace slip directly, with only a silk shirt draped over it, her back looming indistinctly…

“Pfft—” Tao Yao braked suddenly, stopping at a red light, and patted her flushed cheeks.

Stop, stop. If I keep thinking like this, things will go south.

She was here to watch a joke and enact revenge, not to brainstorm her own “spicy” fiction.

But the smile at the corners of her mouth simply wouldn’t stay down. The thought of that high-and-mighty President Lu who had insulted her with the words “gold digger”, possibly wearing a sexy “battle robe” she had hand-picked, clumsily trying to get her attention, made her feel refreshed all over. Even the morning traffic jam seemed a bit cute.

When she arrived at the familiar luxury villa, Tao Yao’s mood index reached its peak. She rang the doorbell and even offered a rare, brilliant smile to the intercom.

The one who opened the door was the nanny, Auntie Zhang. Seeing Tao Yao so happy, she froze for a moment. “Teacher Tao looks to be in great spirits today.”

“Really? Maybe it’s just the morning air.” Tao Yao entered with a beaming smile, her eyes acting like searchlights, inconspicuously scanning the first-floor living room and the spiral staircase.

Unfortunately, she didn’t see the expected sexy silhouette, and she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment.

She quickly consoled herself: Maybe she’s upstairs? Or in the study? She couldn’t possibly be waiting for me that conspicuously, right? Given that woman’s fake-proper nature, she would definitely put up a front.

Thus, Tao Yao suppressed the urge to look around and walked as naturally as possible toward Su Xiaowan’s private study on the second floor.

Surprisingly, Su Xiaowan was already sitting at the desk today, though she was in a semi-paralyzed slump, twirling a rhinestone-encrusted pen. Her pink-purple short hair was a bit messy, and her face was a picture of utter boredom.

Seeing Tao Yao enter, she merely flicked her eyelids lazily. “Morning, Teacher Tao.”

Her tone was listless, a complete 180-degree turn from her usual over-energetic self who was always ready to pounce and harass her.

Huh? The little ancestor changed her nature today?

Tao Yao was surprised but didn’t think much of it. She was in a great mood today, so everything looked pleasant; even Su Xiaowan’s slacking behavior seemed like a rare moment of peace.

“Morning, Student Su.” Tao Yao put down her backpack and took out her lesson plan, her voice eight degrees softer than usual. “Today, we will continue discussing easily confused homophones…”

Su Xiaowan gave a mopey response, clearly uninterested.

Tao Yao didn’t take it to heart and delivered the lesson with full energy. Even when Su Xiaowan spaced out or fidgeted, she only corrected her with good humor, without a hint of impatience.

This unusual good temper finally caught Su Xiaowan’s attention.

“Teacher Tao,” she suddenly spoke, interrupting the explanation. “Did you… win the lottery? Or did you fall in love?”

“Huh?” Tao Yao blinked.

“Otherwise, why are you so happy today?” Su Xiaowan sat up straight, gaining some spirit as if she’d discovered a new continent. “The corners of your mouth are almost reaching your ears, and you haven’t scolded me yet. Did the sun rise in the west?”

Tao Yao subconsciously touched the corners of her mouth. Was it that obvious?

She was momentarily speechless. She couldn’t exactly say: “I’m waiting for your mom to come seduce me so I can watch the joke and slap her face,” could she?

“Ahem.” She cleared her throat, trying to suppress her smile and putting on a serious face. “The teacher is in a good mood because I see that you’re… well, at least sitting here today. There’s progress in your learning attitude.”

She felt a bit guilty even making up that excuse.

Su Xiaowan clearly didn’t believe her, casting several suspicious glances and muttering, “Weird… there’s definitely something fishy going on.”

Tao Yao smiled without saying a word and quickly pulled the topic back to the textbook. “Stop guessing. Come, let’s look at the next question…”

Her heart, however, felt like a happily bouncing rabbit. Her ears remained pricked, listening for any movement outside the door.

A footstep in the hallway? A soft creak on the stairs? Even the sound of the front door opening downstairs? Any slight rustle made her heart race as she looked over expectantly.

Unfortunately, for the entire morning, except for Auntie Zhang coming up once to deliver fruit and tea, the study door was never pushed open by anyone else.

The expected drama simply did not happen.

During the break, Tao Yao pretended to ask casually, “Is your mother… not home today?”

Su Xiaowan shook her head listlessly. “My mom? She went to the company early. Said she has an important international video conference today and might come back very late tonight.”

The tiny flame of excitement in Tao Yao’s heart was doused by more than half.

So she’s not home… I expected too much.

Once the initial excitement passed, it was replaced by deep disappointment and restlessness. She glanced at her phone from time to time; there were no new messages on her forum burner account, and L’s avatar remained gray.

Su Xiaowan, on the other hand, regained some vitality because she found Tao Yao particularly easy to talk to today.

“Teacher Tao,” she leaned in, her eyes sparkling. “Do you still work part-time as a coach at the boxing gym on weekends?”

Tao Yao nodded, a bit wary. “Yeah, why?” What kind of trouble is this young lady planning now?

“Teach me how to box!” Su Xiaowan instantly perked up, clasping her hands in a pleading gesture. “I want to learn boxing, I want to get abs, and be a super powerful ‘T’. I’d definitely be super popular and could pursue beautiful ‘Jies’!”

Tao Yao: “…”

Looking at this pink-haired girl dancing around, her head full of “getting abs to be a powerful T and chasing older women,” and then thinking of her mother who called herself a “P” on the forum and asked how to seduce her…

Like mother, like daughter! Is this bentness hereditary?

Tao Yao couldn’t help but roast them internally. Thinking of Lu Xuelan—and that piercing “gold digger” comment,  her mood grew even more depressed. The first step of her revenge plan was a failure; the target didn’t appear according to the script. This frustration was stuck in her chest, neither going up nor down.

“Student Su,” she waved her hand exhaustedly. “I am your Chinese tutor, not a boxing coach. Learn the curriculum first, then we’ll discuss the abs, okay?”

“Oh, Chinese can be learned slowly, but abs won’t wait!” Su Xiaowan was relentless.

Tao Yao didn’t bother with her anymore. Using the ultimate move of “I’ll tell your mother if you keep acting up,” she barely suppressed the little ancestor’s boxing passion and managed to finish the rest of the lesson.

Unfortunately, she didn’t see the student’s mother all day.

For the next two days, the situation remained the same. Lu Xuelan seemed exceptionally busy, leaving early and returning late; Tao Yao didn’t even see her shadow. That forum burner account, L, never lit up again, as if that bold conversation that night had just been a bizarre dream Tao Yao had.

Tao Yao went from expectation to disappointment, then to gradual calm, and finally almost gave up.

True. Who is Lu Xuelan? The CEO of a listed group, shrewd, capable, and haughty. That day was probably just a momentary lapse in judgment, or pure boredom, that led her to post that kind of thread on a forum. Once she cleared her head, how could she actually follow those obviously unreliable suggestions?

Tao Yao sighed, completely snuffing out the expectation of watching a joke and quickly putting the matter behind her.

She tutored Su Xiaowan as usual, enduring her various half-hearted attitudes and wild tangents, desperately chanting “one thousand yuan” to keep her peace of mind and suppressing the urge to get physical with the brat.

Until today, as the lesson neared its end, she was watching Su Xiaowan scribble characters like ghost talismans. Suddenly, the clear, rhythmic clicking of high heels on the floor echoed from downstairs.

The sound was unhurried, carrying a habitual sense of authority and coldness, approaching from afar.

Tao Yao and Su Xiaowan stopped their actions simultaneously, looked up, and met each other’s eyes. A flash of guilt and tension crossed Su Xiaowan’s face, like a primary school student caught slacking by their headteacher.

Tao Yao’s heart also skipped a beat unproductively.

The footsteps stopped outside the study door. Then, the door was pushed open, and a woman with a ten-foot-tall aura finally appeared in the doorway.

She wore a high-quality, off-white long silk trench coat, the belt tied loosely to outline her slender waist. The hem of the coat swayed slightly with her steps, revealing matching suit trousers and pointed high heels underneath. Her hair was meticulously pinned back, showing a smooth forehead and a beautiful neckline. Her makeup was exquisite, her red lips striking.

She was covered tightly from top to bottom; not even an extra inch of skin on her neck was visible.

Tao Yao’s gaze quickly swept over her entire body, and then, the tiny remaining sliver of her fantasy shattered completely with a “pop.”

No black backless slip, no wine-red leg-baring dress, no cheongsam or lace peeking through. There was only a “keep-away” elite aura.

Sigh… Tao Yao sighed silently, unsure if she was disappointed or if it was just “as expected.” She knew it. How could the other party actually follow through? She had indeed been excited for nothing that night, like a fool.

Lu Xuelan’s gaze lingered on Tao Yao’s face for half a second. Her eyes were calm and waveless, as if she were looking at an insignificant tutor who had nothing to do with the “P” on the forum who was struggling with how to attract a “T.”

Then, her gaze turned to Su Xiaowan and the crooked, error-ridden dictation spread across the desk.

Lu Xuelan spoke, her voice clear and cold, devoid of warmth. “Teacher Tao, has Su Xiaowan made any progress in her studies recently?”

Tao Yao instantly felt a bit guilty. Progress? Forget progress; it was good enough that she wasn’t regressing. She subconsciously looked at Su Xiaowan, and the two quickly exchanged glances, both seeing the words “it’s over” in each other’s eyes.

Su Xiaowan spoke first, trying to fudge her way through: “It’s… it’s okay! Mommy, why are you back so early?”

Lu Xuelan didn’t answer her. She walked straight to the desk, picked up the dictation paper, and scanned it. Her brow furrowed imperceptibly, and she said coldly, “Su Xiaowan, this is the result of your studies?”

Su Xiaowan shrank her neck and defended herself in a small voice: “My… my hand slipped… Chinese is too hard…”

“Hand slipped?” Lu Xuelan put down the paper, her gaze sharp. “I heard from Auntie Zhang that for the past two days, you’ve either been distracted in class or pestering Teacher Tao to teach you boxing and how to get abs?”

Su Xiaowan’s face fell instantly, and she muttered softly, “Why does Auntie Zhang tell you everything…”

“It seems you truly have no interest in learning Chinese, and your attitude is extremely improper.” Lu Xuelan reached a conclusion, her tone turning even colder.

Su Xiaowan gave up on herself, sticking her neck out and bringing up the old subject: “Then… how about we do what I said before? Let Teacher Tao be my private translator and travel with me. Learning while playing, immersive learning—the effect will definitely be better than sitting here!”

“Shut up.” Lu Xuelan’s voice dropped suddenly, carrying an indisputable authority. “Don’t even think about that.”

Su Xiaowan instantly became like a cat with its neck squeezed, not daring to speak again, though her face was still full of defiance.

Lu Xuelan stopped looking at her and turned her gaze toward Tao Yao, who had been standing to the side, trying to minimize her presence.

“Teacher Tao.” she spoke in a business-like tone. “Regarding Su Xiaowan’s learning situation and the follow-up teaching plan, I think we need to talk privately.” She turned slightly, gesturing toward the door. “Please follow me to the study.”

With that, she turned, the hem of her silk trench coat drawing a sharp arc as she took the lead out of the room.

Tao Yao’s heart skipped a beat. A private talk? Was she going to be fired because the teaching results were too poor? Although she hadn’t been very focused these past few days, the main responsibility clearly lay with Su Xiaowan, the uncooperative student!

Tao Yao grew inexplicably nervous. Following behind Lu Xuelan, her gaze involuntarily fell on the woman’s back. The belt of the trench coat was tied a bit loosely; as she moved, one could faintly see the slenderness of her waist…

In her mind, she uncontrollably overlaid this rigorous, stereotypical image with those hot pajama pictures from the forum chat logs. Then, comparing it to the current professional attire that was rigorous to the point of being stereotypical… Sigh, I really was overthinking.

She felt a bit disappointed, yet also… relieved? At least she didn’t have to face a situation so awkward she’d want to dig a hole with her toes.

Intertwined complex emotions made her mood fluctuate wildly as she followed Lu Xuelan into that extremely cold-style study. She was far less excited than she had expected to be—no “holding the leverage and about to slap her face” feeling. Instead, she felt a bit like a student being called into the office for a lecture.