"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 38

Yan He had initially thought the dress Jiejie was wearing underneath her jacket was a deep green. Upon closer inspection, she realized it wasn’t a regular deep green, but a dark, inky green—a shade that had been subtly muted with gray mixed into a vibrant emerald.

Perhaps because the lighting in the private room was so bright, it shone upon Jiejie like rays of light embracing her goddess. Jiejie had applied careful makeup, making her eyes appear deeper and more sparkling. Yan He wondered if it was her imagination, but she felt that even the teardrop mole at the corner of Jiejie’s eye seemed more prominent.

Do people apply makeup to their moles?

Yan He didn’t know, but she guessed probably not.

The medium between the two of them seemed to have changed from air to some magical, viscous substance, where even breathing felt thick. Yan He looked at Jiejie’s profile, suddenly feeling dizzy—it must have been the lights. The row of lights overhead, alternating between warm and cool tones, was bright yet somehow gave Yan He a sense of disorientation.

The neckline of Jiejie’s dress was slightly low, offering a clear view of her delicate collarbone. That patch of skin was dazzlingly white, even rising and falling slightly with her breathing. Yan He only dared to glance quickly before looking away; she felt Jiejie’s collarbone was even more blinding than the lights above.

“You even brought a cake!” Shen Jinrong rested her chin on her hand and smiled at Yan He. Yan He sensed surprise, indulgence, and tenderness in her smile, but also—something else. It was as if a multitude of emotions, good and bad, were secretly hidden in Jiejie’s eyes, transforming into brilliant stars.

Yan He collected her thoughts: “Yes.” For a moment, she didn’t know where to look, so she lowered her eyes and carefully placed the cake she was holding on the table.

The way the “Little One” lowered her head and dared not look anywhere was too adorable, and Shen Jinrong couldn’t resist teasing her: “You dropped something.”

Yan He quickly looked up at her, then anxiously lowered her head to search the floor. After looking for a long time, she realized she had been tricked when she heard Shen Jinrong’s laughter.

“You’re a meanie,” the “Little One” completely gave up on looking at her and simply reached out to set the cake box straight on the table.

Shen Jinrong nudged her with the tip of her shoe, her voice light: “I’m sorry.”

Yan He flinched. Shen Jinrong could even see her throat swallow, and a blush gradually crept up her face. Shen Jinrong was seeing someone’s face slowly turn red for the first time, and it was a peculiar sensation.

Yan He’s skin was fair. When the blush appeared on her face, it was like red pigment slowly dissolving and spreading in water, eventually staining everything.

Yan He pressed her lips together, afraid to look at Jiejie, and her palms became sweaty. There was an intermittent, subtle sensation on her calf; the tip of the black high heel was nudging her playfully. It was as if all her senses were concentrated on her calf, focused entirely on the spot being touched.

Yan He really wanted to grab Jiejie’s slender ankle and tell her not to do that, but she was too timid. She opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but hesitated, and ultimately remained silent.

“I’m truly sorry,” Shen Jinrong said. Seeing that Yan He hadn’t spoken, she thought she was genuinely angry. She lowered the hand that was propping up her face and withdrew her leg.

Shen Jinrong leaned toward Yan He, raised her hand and waved it in front of her eyes, saying half-coquettishly and half-feigning distress: “You’re not really angry, are you?”

A rich fragrance wafted toward Yan He, somewhat like roses, but also mixed with a sweetness that intersected with tartness—like a rose placed next to an orange. Her scent was warm, seeming to possess an enchanting charm that spiraled upward with her body temperature in the not-quite-sealed space.

Yan He suddenly intensely craved a touch from her, even just once, a tiny bit, in a single spot.

“I’m not angry,” Yan He said softly.

Shen Jinrong’s beautiful eyebrows lifted slightly. She stared at Yan He’s shy profile for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. Her laughter was unexpected, and Yan He looked at her puzzled, as if asking why she was laughing.

Shen Jinrong missed the drunk “Little One” who would only hit straight on with her flirtation, always saying things that made her blush while maintaining a serious face.

“Don’t bring cake next time,” Shen Jinrong had just said this when she saw the “Little One” pout, blinking her eyes with a wronged look. She quickly added: “Eating sweets makes you fat!”

With that, she pulled Yan He’s hand to touch her own stomach and said with a smile: “See, I’ll get some chub.”

Yan He’s eyes widened.

Yan He thought… Yan He couldn’t think anymore. Yan He’s mind was blank.

“I…”

She started to speak but thought it was wrong: “You…”

That also seemed wrong.

Oh, my goodness.

Shen Jinrong released her hand.

What did I just touch? The smooth, slightly cool silk, followed by the warmth of her body. And then? The feeling of Jiejie’s slightly cool hand gripping her arm.

“But it’s okay! It’s my birthday today!” Shen Jinrong rubbed her head with a smile: “You have to eat cake on your birthday, right?”

Yan He nodded foolishly.

“The food here is quite good. The owner is a friend of mine,” Shen Jinrong winked at her. “I’ve already ordered. If there’s anything else you want to eat, you can add it.”

“Okay,” Yan He nodded.

The food was served quickly. Yan He focused entirely on picking up food and eating, not daring to look to the side at all.

Toward the end of the meal, Shen Jinrong asked her: “Don’t you think it’s a little hot?”

“Is it?” Yan He tilted her head and looked at her in confusion.

“It is a little hot,” Shen Jinrong answered her own question, put down her chopsticks, and tugged at the sides of her jacket, preparing to take it off.

Yan He immediately saw the thin strap on her shoulder. She quickly dropped her chopsticks and pulled her jacket back up, saying earnestly: “It’s quite cold.”

Shen Jinrong looked at her doubtfully.

“You’ll catch a cold.”

The “Little One” quickly let go, the tips of her ears flushed deep red.

The meal ended uneventfully—or perhaps not so uneventfully, thought Yan He, whose heart rate had been constantly racing for almost an hour.

“Alright! We can have cake now,” Shen Jinrong pulled the cake Yan He brought in front of them. The six-inch cake, even with its packaging, looked delicate and small. The whole cake was wrapped in a semi-transparent white box, topped with a pretty bow, and the white bag next to it held candles and paper plates.

Shen Jinrong took one out, opened the cake box, and took out the cake Yan He had bought. She looked at Yan He with a smile, still holding the candle, and asked: “Do you want to put the candles in… or should I?”

Yan He smiled back at her. When Shen Jinrong smiled, she couldn’t help but smile herself.

“You do it,” Yan He said softly: “After all, you’re the birthday girl today.”

Shen Jinrong laughed, the short burst of sound reaching Yan He’s ears. Since they were so close, Yan He could even hear Jiejie’s breathy sound.

“Then I will,” Shen Jinrong carefully placed the inch-long candle on top of the cake, looked at Yan He expectantly, and asked: “Can you turn off the lights? We’re going to light the candle.”

Yan He nodded, walked to the door, and turned off the lights.

The light from other private rooms subtly leaked in from somewhere. It wasn’t completely dark in their room—at least not to the extent of not being able to see anything. The moonlight outside the window was bright, shining through the window onto the table, forming a small, square patch of light.

Shen Jinrong’s eyes were bright, as if the bright moon wasn’t in the sky, but in her eyes.

She sat there, right in front of Yan He. They were so close.

She smiled.

Her lips parted slightly.

Like my goddess.

Yan He stared fixedly at her.

“…So, do you have a lighter?”

—Her goddess had spoken.

“Ah?” Yan He was stunned: “Ah!” She realized neither of them had a lighter, and the restaurant hadn’t provided matches. The candle couldn’t be lit at all!

Shen Jinrong burst out laughing.

The two of them sat in the dim private room, laughing as they looked at each other.

Finally, Yan He turned on the lights using her phone’s flashlight.

The brightly lit private room was the same as before, yet something was subtly different. Yan He looked at Jiejie and saw her wipe away the tears brought on by laughing with a tissue. She studied the cake for a while, then looked up with a knowing smile: “Why don’t you come over?”

Yan He walked over and sat down beside her. She was about to suggest she go ask the waiter for a lighter, but before the words could leave her mouth, she saw Shen Jinrong quickly reach out and swipe a finger across her cheek.

Yan He’s eyes widened. Only after seeing Jiejie’s mischievous smile did she belatedly realize what happened. The spot on her face Jiejie had touched felt cool, and the scent of the cake’s cream wafted toward her.

“Little Kitten,” Shen Jinrong smiled at her.

Yan He raised her eyebrow, also swiped a small amount of cream from the cake, and dabbed it on Jiejie’s nose: “Kitten Number Two.”

Shen Jinrong’s mischievous smile froze on her face. Her eyes widened. She seemed to have been attacked by the “Little One” before she could react. Her stunned expression was too adorable, her lips slightly parted, and her beautiful eyes were full of accusation toward Yan He.

Although Jiejie didn’t say anything, facing those eyes, Yan He felt an inexplicable tension, like a student who is suddenly called to the teacher’s office and spends the walk reflecting on whether she had done anything wrong recently. Was I too much? Should I not have put cream on Jiejie’s face?

“You little rascal! I put makeup on today!” Shen Jinrong slightly puffed out her cheeks and said angrily: “My makeup is ruined!”

She spoke as if she were angry, but her tone was soft and lacked any real force.

“This is a wonderful birthday wish for the birthday person,” Yan He said seriously.

Shen Jinrong was momentarily taken aback, then asked doubtfully: “Really?” as if she only half-believed her.

Yan He nodded forcefully: “Mmm!”

Shen Jinrong rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment, then announced very generously: “Fine, I’ll let you off the hook.”

Yan He smiled secretly, but her collar was suddenly grabbed by Jiejie. Unprepared, she almost fell into Jiejie’s arms.

“But you’re not the birthday person,” Shen Jinrong whispered softly. She looked directly into Yan He’s eyes and whispered into her ear: “Close your eyes.”

Yan He obediently complied.

Then, she felt a slightly cool lip press onto the cream on her cheek.

And then, a warm, moist touch.

“So, only I get to have this.”

Yan He opened her eyes and saw Shen Jinrong smiling, with the white cream still on her lips and the tip of her nose. Jiejie’s smile was cunning yet innocent, like a child who had finally received the gift she wanted.

She blinked and asked: “Right, Yan He?”

Yan He thought she would remember this scene for the rest of her life.

The cream on her nose, her smiling eyes, and the bright lights above shining into her eyes.

Shen Jinrong.

She silently repeated the three characters in her heart.

Jiejie.