"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 27

Section 1: The Lure of the Hunt

I think it was me…

The elder sister lightly scratched her chin a few times; it was ticklish, yet carried a strange implication. Yan He  had a peculiar feeling, as if the elder sister’s hand would not stop there but would move somewhere else—say, her neck—or perhaps lower down to her collarbone and other places.

But when she wanted to savor the feeling, the elder sister withdrew her hand, like a deliberate tease, or the trap of a cunning hunter.

—Isn’t that right? You know it’s a trap, but you still took the bait.

Yan He stared fixedly at the elder sister, looking at her still-bright eyes and the enchanting red mole at the corner of her eye, trying to find some trace of emotion. Yet, all she saw in the elder sister’s eyes was tenderness and a smile.

“I’m sorry…”

Yan He apologized instinctively, her voice even softer. If Shen Jinrong (沈錦容) hadn’t been so close, she might have missed the words entirely.

Shen Jinrong’s left hand, which had just been flirting, was now placed on the table, her index finger tapping the surface rhythmically. The tabletop was made of a black, light-absorbing material; the elder sister’s fair fingertips tapping on it were like white jade against black obsidian, a vivid color contrast that was always striking.

Yan He thought, The elder sister always likes to tap something with her index finger when she’s thinking. Last night it was the steering wheel; this morning, it’s the table.

“Sorry for what?” Shen Jinrong was afraid she might have scared the young woman, so she no longer sat so close to her, straightening her back to lean against the chair. She raised an eyebrow and looked into the young woman’s eyes, asking, “What did you do wrong?”

Yan He looked at the mole at the corner of her eye. Perhaps because she had just washed up, the tear mole looked wet, as if a thin mist covered the deep red color, subtle and beautiful.

“Do you feel you did something wrong?” Shen Jinrong’s heart trembled slightly. Did the young woman feel regret? Or rather—did I, myself, do something wrong?

Yan He quickly explained, “No! I—I didn’t know that after I drank I would—” be like a different person, and say so many things I usually didn’t dare to.

“Is that so?” Shen Jinrong stroked her chin, her left hand resting on Yan He’s thigh, and she asked softly, “Is that truly the case?”

All of her senses were focused on the point of contact with the elder sister; it was as if a dazzling red flower had bloomed before her eyes. The elder sister’s smiling face blossomed in front of her, yet Yan He couldn’t see clearly. The elder sister’s face seemed to be blocked by a beam of white light—even though she was close enough to touch, she felt untouchable.

That white light quickly dimmed after its initial brilliance, but the elder sister still sat there, watching her and smiling. Yan He thought, The elder sister’s smile is brighter than any light.

The muscles in her thigh twitched. The elder sister’s body temperature, through her trousers, was merging with her own. This blending was silent yet swift. By the time Yan He noticed it, she found her thigh had completely given way—”Legs getting weak?”

Shen Jinrong tapped her thigh.

“No,” Yan He’s ear tips were fiery red. She turned her head, trying to shield herself from the elder sister’s prying gaze, but only ended up exposing her crimson ears.

Seeing her ear tips redden, Shen Jinrong withdrew her hand and laughed, “Alright! I won’t tease you anymore. Let’s eat.” She looked at the bread, fried eggs, and beautifully fried sausages on the table and smiled, “It looks like you’ve thoroughly acquainted yourself with my refrigerator.”

Yan He scratched her head, “I saw you had these things in your fridge, so I just made them.” Though the elder sister’s refrigerator was large, it was empty. Today’s breakfast was scavenged from the corners and crevices of the fridge.

“What do you want to drink? I’ll heat it up,” Shen Jinrong asked her. “I think there’s milk and things… and coffee! Do you like coffee?”

Yan He stood up, “I saw the coffee machine and coffee grounds. I’ll make it.” Although she had stood up, she didn’t walk away. Instead, she looked down at the elder sister, placed one hand on the back of the chair, and leaned in slightly, “I can do latte art. Would the elder sister like to see?”

Section 2: The Morning Coffee

—Shen Jinrong also couldn’t figure out how she’d been lured into the kitchen by the young woman. But somehow, she found herself holding a mug of hot water, leaning against the sink to warm her hands, intently watching the young woman’s busy back.

So this is what it feels like to have someone make you food…

The semi-open kitchen had excellent lighting. Shen Jinrong’s home was on a high floor, so the sunlight lost little of its intensity when it fell. She looked up and out. The weather outside wasn’t perfectly clear; large clusters of clouds were forming in the distance, threatening to turn into dark clouds.

But the sky right here was still bright. The morning sun was a faint pink, a color interwoven with sky blue and golden yellow, presenting a brilliant and cheerful hue in the azure sky.

Yan He had skillfully tamped the coffee grounds and began to extract the espresso. She placed the mug in the designated spot and turned to look at the elder sister.

The elder sister, dressed in khaki casual wear and blue Doraemon slippers, was gazing out the window, lost in thought. She seemed to sense Yan He’s gaze, turned back to look at her, smiled slightly, and asked, “What is it?”

Yan He smiled too, “Aren’t you the one who’s always asking ‘what is it’?”

Shen Jinrong smiled along with her. She heard the machine behind Yan He whirring, smelling the aroma of coffee spreading throughout the space. Whether it was the hot water or some other reason, Shen Jinrong felt a sting in her nose and a warm current flowing through her heart.

“You look very practiced,” she placed her cup on the side.

“When I was on an exchange in Italy, the house I stayed in had a coffee machine,” Yan He chuckled gently, “But I didn’t use it often. Italians seem to prefer moka pots.”

“I have one here, too,” Shen Jinrong raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised Yan He hadn’t noticed. She bent down and opened the cabinet door she had been leaning against, took out a silver-white moka pot, and smiled helplessly, “I wasn’t wrong, it is indeed here.”

As she bent down to look for things, her otherwise loose casual clothes tightened in certain places. Yan He could even vaguely make out the outline of a piece of clothing. She bit her tongue, quickly averted her gaze, and felt very sorry for her recent behavior.

“It seems our little domestic whiz isn’t completely omnipotent after all!” Shen Jinrong quickly rinsed the moka pot and handed it to Yan He. Seeing the young woman’s confused look, she pursed her lips and smiled again, “I’m just joking with you, young woman.”

Yan He took the moka pot, which had a little white, pointy-headed man in a suit painted on it.

“My previous landlord used one of these,” Yan He turned it over in her hands, then handed the moka pot back to Shen Jinrong, “It’s a great moka pot.”

Shen Jinrong shrugged, pointing to the coffee machine behind her that had long since stopped working, “Your coffee is ready.”

Yan He quickly turned around and asked her, “What would you like, elder sister? Cappuccino or something else?”

“Make me a latte art design,” Shen Jinrong leaned against the cabinet again, hands resting on the countertop behind her, and said unhurriedly, “Just one heart will do.”

“…Could you give me one heart?”

Yan He’s hand, pouring the milk, paused. She put the milk carton down in the distance, turned around, and looked seriously at Shen Jinrong.

Shen Jinrong was looking at her, too.

Then, Shen Jinrong heard the young woman’s firm reply: “Yes.”

She smiled.

Three minutes later, Yan He handed the coffee mug with a perfect heart on its surface to Shen Jinrong. The latter put down her water cup to accept it, looking at the flawless heart with a smile—”May I take a picture?” Shen Jinrong asked.

“Of course,” Yan He secretly blushed.

“Then may I post it on my Moments (WeChat/social media)?” Shen Jinrong asked her again.

Yan He froze, then nodded shyly, “Okay.”

Section 3: The Gift and the News

Before Yan He left, Shen Jinrong called out to her and mysteriously handed her a box, about the size of one containing a bottle of whiskey. The box was neatly wrapped in gift paper and placed in a paper bag. As the elder sister passed the item to her, she said mysteriously, “Open it when you get home.”

Clutching the gift from the elder sister, Yan He walked dizzily out of the apartment building.

The weather was sunny. As she stepped out of the building, sunlight fell on her, warm and cozy. A warm winter day was a rare treat.

She looked up. Everything around her mirrored the scene from last night, only transformed from night to day. There were many dry trees around, and the lawn was somewhat yellowed.

A Saturday morning, a gift from the elder sister.

Yan He walked towards the main gate.

The weather is really nice, isn’t it, elder sister?

Madam He  messaged her to say she would be home around two or three in the afternoon. Yan He didn’t want to wait idly, so she simply called Li Xiuxi (李修溪) to ask if she wanted to meet for lunch.

Li Xiuxi quickly replied, her tone a little hesitant: “Sure! Let’s meet! I actually have something I need to tell you.”

Yan He was a little surprised. She and Li Xiuxi had known each other for so many years; the latter was always straightforward and rarely hesitated like this. Her heart pounded a little, and she asked, “Good news or bad news?”

Li Xiuxi: “…[Cat expression of distress] You’ll know when you hear it. What should we eat? The ramen shop downstairs from your place?”

Yan He thought, Do we need to make an appointment to eat ramen? But she agreed anyway. On the way home, Yan He wondered, What would happen if the elder sister asked me out for ramen?

—Would the elder sister eat ramen?

Her thoughts were scattered and random. One moment it was the elder sister’s smiling face, the next it was the elder sister sipping wine from a glass, and then the elder sister’s profile, wearing glasses, bent over her lesson preparations.

But in the end, all of it dissolved into the moment when the elder sister leaned against the counter and asked her hesitantly, “Could you give me one heart?”

Yes, of course, I could.

Section 4: The Revelation

Yan He waited in their usual spot for ten minutes before the “Flower Butterfly” Li Xiuxi finally showed up. She rushed over tempestuously, poured a glass of water, and gulped it down, “Sorry, sorry, I’m late.”

“If you’re late, you’re late. I’m not in a hurry,” Yan He glanced at her watch, “My mom won’t be back for another two and a half hours.”

“What are you eating?” Li Xiuxi asked, catching her breath.

Yan He said, “I ordered a bowl of beef noodles. Order whatever you want.”

Li Xiuxi also finished ordering and then asked, “Did you see Shen Jinrong’s Moments post?”

Yan He was momentarily stunned, then reached for her phone: “…Not yet. Why?”

Li Xiuxi sighed, held Yan He’s hand, and said in a grave tone, “Shen Jinrong… might have a partner.”