"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 16

The address Shen Jinrong  sent Yan He  was for a long-established café in the city center, though it was tucked away in a small, quiet corner with little foot traffic.

The road in front of the school was under construction, and the bus route had been changed. Yan He simply walked to the nearby elementary school gate to wait for the bus. Standing beneath the bus sign, she looked up at the LED screen next to it. Bright red characters clearly showed that the Bus 131 was still six stops away. A coffee cup was sitting on the stainless steel trash can next to the LED. It was now peak dismissal time, and groups of children wearing red scarves stood together in small clusters. The boys hadn’t hit puberty yet, and Yan He’s ears were filled with chirping children’s voices.

The weather wasn’t great today; it was gloomy, and the streets were still wet from the recent rain, splashing mud whenever a car drove past. The bus stop was a little crowded. Yan He took a step back, and her backpack accidentally bumped the umbrella of an auntie waiting for the bus nearby. Startled, she quietly murmured an apology.

The auntie smiled kindly and switched the umbrella to her other hand.

A biting wind was howling, trying to sneak down her neck through the collar of her coat. Yan He hunched her shoulders. Seeing that the bus wouldn’t arrive for a while, she turned and headed to the small shop behind the bus station, hoping to buy a scarf to ward off the cold. However, she couldn’t find one she liked and decided against it. She always preferred quality over quantity: if she couldn’t have the best, she wouldn’t settle.

The streets on both sides of the elementary school were lined with various shops. Yan He walked out of the scarf shop and went forward a couple of steps, seeing a flower shop not far away. Many flowers were displayed behind the glass door, and it looked a little lonely situated among the small shops. Before walking into the shop, Yan He pondered, This shop probably only sees good business during Teachers’ Day, right?

Two minutes later, she walked out holding a large bouquet of baby’s breath. The tiny flowers speckled the slightly dry branches and leaves, with pink, white, and light blue blooms opening cheerfully, full of vitality. Yan He had asked for the flowers in a hurry, and the owner’s wrapping was a bit rushed, but the pink-and-blue packaging was still pleasing to the eye.

Yan He walked briskly to the bus stop and managed to catch the bus just in time. She switched hands to hold the flowers and, with her other hand, fumbled to take out two coins to drop into the box. The sound was conspicuously out of place among the chorus of “Beep! Student Card.” The driver turned to look at her when he heard the coin drop. Yan He’s ear tips flushed. She buried her face in the high collar of her coat and quickly found a window seat.

Perhaps because the sky was clearing or her mood had brightened, Yan He felt the sky looked much brighter. The baby’s breath in front of her bloomed subtly, their light scent hard to detect—more of a fresh grassy fragrance than a floral one. What color is the smell of grass? Vivid green, mixed with the mist of the early morning?

She couldn’t help but recall Shen Jinrong’s actions and expression when handing the flowers to Tan Ning, and when she did, she realized Shen Jinrong’s movements had been somewhat unnatural, as if she were using the flowers to cover something up.

Shen Jinrong had changed seats and ordered another coffee. A cappuccino, topped with fine milk foam, sat on the table, emitting faint heat, with a small packet of sugar next to it. She suddenly found it amusing; given how much coffee she’d had today, she probably wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

She casually looked outside. Through the transparent floor-to-ceiling window, she could clearly see the passersby. Winters in the North are always harsh and hazy, and few people wear bright colors. The colors outside the window seemed like gray mixed with a touch of white. The whole world seemed to be reduced to black, white, and gray, as if wearing brightly colored clothes were a crime.

Shen Jinrong lowered her eyes and took a sip of coffee.

A bright flash suddenly appeared in her peripheral vision. Shen Jinrong noticed someone walking toward the café from a distance, holding a bouquet of flowers. She looked up, saw the familiar face, and the curve of her lips lifted into an arc that even she didn’t realize.

Yan He strained to push open the glass door, looking around, and saw Elder Sister sitting diagonally across from her, smiling faintly.

Yan He thought—at this instant, at this very moment—the aroma of coffee, the steam rising nearby, the low hum of the café’s central air conditioning, and the hushed conversations of the surrounding customers formed a brief, instantaneous memory. Beyond this profound memory was Elder Sister’s single, slight turn of the head to look at her.

How could a normal glance make one feel such tender attachment? How could it make one want to give everything they had to her?

Yan He couldn’t figure it out. Before she could, Elder Sister waved her over.

Shen Jinrong naturally motioned for her to sit down. Yan He took off her coat and placed it on the sofa next to her, setting the flowers on the table in front of Shen Jinrong. She kept her head lowered, uncomfortably avoiding Shen Jinrong’s eyes, and quietly said, “They’re for you.”

Shen Jinrong chuckled, cupping her chin, and asked: “Little one, why are you so shy just giving me flowers?” After speaking, she placed the flowers next to her, lightly tapped a bud with her index finger, her eyes sparkling: “I like them very much.”

Watching her movement, Yan He’s ear tips were red enough to drip blood. She barely managed a mosquito-like “Mm-hmm.” She felt that Elder Sister’s action of tapping the flower bud with her fingertip was too sensual, and she couldn’t help but think of things she shouldn’t. She didn’t dare look up; if she did, she would see the beautiful figure and tight waist of Elder Sister, encased in the black tight-fitting sweater.

“So… this is a perk of your interview?” Shen Jinrong’s face was beaming, her eyes fixed on the secretly shy young woman, an urge to tease rising within her.

“Huh?” Yan He was startled and instinctively looked up, only to meet Elder Sister’s playful gaze. She instinctively lowered her eyes again, landing right on two attractive, rounded forms.

Yan He blushed from her ear tips down to her neck, resolutely keeping her head down and daring not to look again.

Shen Jinrong laughed heartily. Yan He’s face buried itself even deeper. Shen Jinrong calmed her laughter, remembering the young woman’s purpose for coming today, and stopped teasing Yan He: “What are your questions?” She paused, the smile reappearing, and her voice dropped a few octaves, like a tender, intimate whisper: “Little reporter?”

The tail end of Elder Sister’s voice rose slightly, the last syllable a teasing breath. Yan He raised her eyes to look at her. When she finally had the courage to meet Elder Sister’s gaze, she realized that Elder Sister’s eyes had been fixed on her the whole time. She was half-reclining on the sofa. Yan He saw the necklace around her neck, its pendant resembling Saturn and its rings, shining brightly in the hollow where her collarbones met.

Whether it was due to the light or not, Elder Sister’s eyes seemed to hold stars.

Meeting her gaze, Yan He shivered all over. After several secret deep breaths, she finally calmed down and, putting on a serious face, said: “Professor Shen, hello. I am here to interview you about—” The carefully chosen words she had pondered on the way suddenly faltered. Yan He paused, then continued, feigning composure: “—your selection into the ‘Ten Thousand Talents Program’.”

Shen Jinrong raised an eyebrow and took a refined sip of coffee: “Ah, that. What questions do you have?”

Now that the conversation was in her professional domain, Yan He gained confidence. She pulled her notebook from her backpack; she had written down all the questions she wanted to ask. After quickly scanning them, she said, “There are six questions in total, covering your current research and previous academic experience.”

Shen Jinrong nodded and quietly said, “Wait a moment,” then raised her hand to call the server. She asked Yan He: “What would you like to drink? My treat.”

Yan He tilted her head, her peripheral vision catching the cup placed in front of Shen Jinrong, calculating what kind of coffee it was.

Shen Jinrong noticed her gaze and said to the server: “She’ll have a Cappuccino too, thank you.”

Yan He quietly asked her: “How did you know what I wanted to drink?” Could she be a mind-reader?

Shen Jinrong lifted one eyebrow: “I thought you’d want to have the same thing as me.” Her tone was certain when she said this, and even her gaze was full of confidence. But then she quickly changed her tone, even sounding a little downcast: “Did you not want to, after all?”

Her switch was so fast that Yan He thought Elder Sister’s confidence just now had been her own delusion. She quickly said: “No! I did want to!”

Meeting Elder Sister’s smiling eyes, Yan He realized belatedly that Elder Sister had been teasing her just now. She avoided Elder Sister’s eyes and secretly smiled.

The coffee was served quickly. Shen Jinrong picked up her cup and drank a couple of sips, saying to Yan He: “Their milk foam is quite good.”

Yan He took a sip and said, not to be outdone: “It’s not as good as the one I make!” She had a secret agenda, wanting to show off the things she knew how to do to Elder Sister bit by bit.

Sure enough, Elder Sister took the bait: “Oh? You can make coffee too?”

Yan He looked up at her. When Elder Sister smiled, her eyes curved, as if even the tear mole at the corner of her eye was smiling. Yan He felt her heart pound wildly. She feigned calmness: “M-hmm, I can also do some simple latte art.”

Shen Jinrong was amused by her. The young woman claimed she only knew “a little,” but her tiny invisible tail was practically wagging furiously, her eyes sparkling as if to say: Hurry and ask me! I know so much more!

Shen Jinrong, in a mean-spirited move, didn’t give her a chance to show off and changed the topic: “What are your questions?”

Yan He’s sparkling eyes dimmed slightly, but she quickly recovered, beginning to demonstrate her professional skills to Elder Sister.

She asked in detail, and Shen Jinrong answered in detail. After the fifth question, Shen Jinrong waited for the next one, but saw the young woman close her pen and notebook, as if to conclude the interview.

“Aren’t there six questions?” Shen Jinrong asked, a little confused.

Yan He placed the pen and notebook aside, took a deep breath, and clenched both hands, as if giving herself encouragement for what she was about to say.

“This last question is my personal question,” Yan He avoided Shen Jinrong’s gaze, gathering immense courage. “Elder Sister can choose to answer it or not.”

Hearing her call her Elder Sister, Shen Jinrong understood and gave a slight nod, signaling Yan He to ask.

“Elder Sister, do you currently…” Yan He felt her palms were covered in sweat. She plucked up the courage to look into Shen Jinrong’s eyes. Elder Sister’s eyes were profound, like a deep pool with no visible bottom. At this moment, Yan He saw her own reflection in those eyes.

Then, Yan He asked: “…have a lover?”