"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 85

“I wasn’t overthinking,” Yan He insisted stubbornly, retracting her ardent gaze and mumbling quietly.

In the enclosed space of the car, Shen Jinrong naturally heard her mumble. She checked the rearview mirror, confirmed there were no cars in front or behind, and quickly glanced at Yan He. Seeing the young woman twisting her hands on her lap, she let out a soft laugh.

“I say, little Yan He, why are you so adorable!” Shen Jinrong’s words drifted lightly into Yan He’s ears, like a silent, enchanting spell.

Yan He quickly looked up at her, but her eyes inadvertently caught a glimpse of her bra strap beneath the unbuttoned collar of Jiejie‘s shirt. Her breathing hitched. Just as she was about to look away, she unexpectedly made eye contact with Jiejie.

The moment their eyes met, Yan He’s cheeks flushed crimson. She lowered her head like a thief, daring not to look again.

How—how could this be! Jiejie, your strap is showing!

It was only a glance, perhaps less than a second, yet in that brief moment, the scene was firmly imprinted in her mind. Why would Jiejie wear a black bra under a light-colored shirt?

Shen Jinrong’s shirt was likely made of silk, which gave it a certain loose, lazy feel. The shirt was a light shade of green, as if a lot of white pigment had been mixed into the green, making it almost ivory-white. She had loosely rolled up the shirt sleeves, stopping at her elbow. Yan He noticed that her skin was fair, perfectly complementing the delicate silk material.

After just having filled the gas tank, Shen Jinrong had placed her jacket on the back seat. She had unfastened the top button that was originally buttoned all the way up. When the sun shone directly on her earlier, she unbuttoned another one. At first, only her exquisite collarbone was faintly visible; now, a hint of the scenery further down could be vaguely glimpsed.

—For a moment, Yan He felt a pang of disappointment that she wasn’t sitting opposite Jiejie.

The position of the second button was clearly just right. Looking from the passenger seat’s angle—Yan He only dared to steal a glance; she didn’t dare look any further.

“Do you want to see the sea?” Shen Jinrong, who had been glancing at the navigation, spoke again.

Yan He’s tone was questioning: “Didn’t we say we were going to Naples to see the sea?”

Shen Jinrong pursed her lips, her tone soft and tender, like a plea: “But that’s only after we finish skiing! That won’t be until after Christmas next week, which is still a long time away!”

It was indeed a long time away, but wouldn’t they go eventually?

“Hmm… we can, yes. Where should we go to see it?” Yan He looked at the map on her phone: “There are many coastal cities.”

“Is there anywhere you want to go?”

Yan He didn’t have any special feelings for the sea. She thought that the destination itself didn’t hold a special meaning. Going to the seaside or going to the mountains was just a difference in environment. Travel only held deep significance when done with a special person.

“No,” she shook her head, answering honestly.

Shen Jinrong smiled gently and snapped her fingers again. Yan He noticed that when she was driving, her movements and speaking tone took on a certain uninhibited and carefree quality.

It was like…

A true elopement.

Yan He began to invent a strange story in her mind—for example, that she and Shen Jinrong had known each other for a long time, but their families disapproved of them being together, so on a dark and windy night, they chose to elope.

The plots of movies, TV shows, and novels she had watched seemed to be proving useful now. Yan He was amused by the story she had just imagined.

Shen Jinrong raised an eyebrow: “What are you laughing about?”

“Ah! I was thinking about whether we’d see cats and dogs by the sea,” Yan He stopped laughing and told Shen Jinrong.

Shen Jinrong started to seriously consider the question: “We definitely will. I often see dogs playing near the beach.” After speaking, she glanced at the “puppy” beside her and also laughed.

Both of them laughed because of their own inner thoughts, yet neither knew exactly what the other was laughing about. Yan He laughed a little too fiercely. When she straightened up, her elbow accidentally hit the air vent on the front right, and she instinctively let out a quiet “hiss.”

“Did you hit it? Are you okay?” Shen Jinrong also heard the dull “thud” sound just now. She frowned, seeing only Yan He pouting and rubbing her elbow with a wronged expression.

“It’s nothing, nothing. It just hurts a bit.” Yan He instinctively said she was fine, but meeting Jiejie‘s concerned gaze, all the grievances in her heart spread out—it was so strange. It was just a small thing, and she always had little bumps and scrapes before, but she was never this wronged. Yet, being next to Shen Jinrong, she felt an inexplicable urge to depend on her, to act spoiled, and to be comforted by her.

Truly like a child.

Yan He commented on her own behavior internally.

Shen Jinrong reached out to rub her head, but feeling it was inappropriate halfway through, she pinched Yan He’s arm where she had just hit it, saying softly: “There, there, no more pain.”

Yan He was amused by her: “Jiejie!”

Shen Jinrong raised one eyebrow: “What’s wrong? Are you going to manage how I soothe a child?”

Yan He pursed her lips and smiled, offering no answer.

A little while later, Shen Jinrong said: “If you don’t have anywhere in mind, how about we go to Pisa? The sea in Pisa is next to a forest park. Oh! We could also go up the Leaning Tower. Have you been up?”

Yan He nodded: “I’ve been up. The stairs are steep and narrow, plus the tower is slanted, so you always feel like you’re going to fall down; it makes you dizzy.”

Shen Jinrong laughed: “Me too. I went with a group of colleagues. We were there for some sort of conference nearby, and Professor Zhao, who was covering my classes, was with us. He said at the time that they might stop allowing visitors to go up at some point, so we should quickly go and see.”

“Professor Zhao is from your department, right? I haven’t taken his class,” Yan He asked.

“Oh, right!” Shen Jinrong suddenly remembered that the young woman had only come to audit one of her classes. The ingrained professor’s consciousness stirred: “I’m teaching a freshman course this semester. If you want to learn some knowledge about economics, you can come and audit.”

Yan He blinked: “Just auditing?” In what capacity? She couldn’t possibly do it as Professor Shen’s girlfriend, could she? Even though she wasn’t yet.

“Just don’t audit my class,” Shen Jinrong said with a beaming smile, pointing at her: “Otherwise, I’ll call you out, little one.”

Yan He felt awkward and quickly changed the subject: “What fun things are there to do by the sea in Pisa?”

The radio had switched to an English song at some point. The rhythm was no longer as lively as before, but rather a somber, lyrical one that sounded like a plea for a lover to stay. The climax featured a mixed male and female chorus, alternating between low murmurs and soaring highs.

“There’s probably not much to do in December,” Shen Jinrong thought for a moment: “I just wanted to see the sea. Of course, if you don’t want to…”

“Let’s go!” Yan He eagerly interrupted her before she could finish.

“Okay, we’ll go,” Shen Jinrong smiled.

The car drove to Orvieto. Shen Jinrong exited the highway. The highway and the train station were close, so she simply bought a cup of coffee from a small shop next to the station, and then turned to ask Yan He if she wanted one.

Yan He refused, picked out a piece of chocolate, and helped Shen Jinrong pay for the items.

They sat at a corner table in the shop. Yan He sat in the corner, leaning against the wall. She asked Shen Jinrong if she wanted the chocolate. After receiving a negative reply, she tucked the chocolate into her portable bag: “Jiejie, are you tired?”

Shen Jinrong cradled the coffee cup and stretched her neck: “I’m okay. My neck hurts from sitting for a long time.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Yan He’s warm fingertips landed on the back of her neck. The back of her hand briefly rubbed against Shen Jinrong’s silk shirt a few times: “Is it here?”

The temperature of the young woman’s fingertips was slightly higher than her neck. The instant they touched, Shen Jinrong shivered violently. Then, the young woman began to lightly knead and massage the area, completely absorbed in the task. The slightly rough skin of her fingertips touched Shen Jinrong’s skin, making her instinctively breathe rapidly.

In a place Yan He couldn’t see, her right hand gripped the corner of the table tightly. The fingertips hidden beneath the tabletop had already turned white.

Tingly and pleasant. The massage technique was excellent.

Shen Jinrong’s mind went blank. She subconsciously thought that if their relationship wasn’t so ambiguous right now, if Yan He was just a masseuse and she was her customer, she would give Yan He full marks. But not now—here, in a small shop, in a corner where no one was paying attention.

Shen Jinrong’s throat rolled, and she evaded Yan He’s hand, awkwardly lifting her coffee cup to drink a large gulp as if to quench her thirst. Then she said: “That’s enough.”

That’s enough, already, Yan He.

Yan He’s hand remained in the position it was just in. After being evaded by Jiejie, her eyes quickly flashed with confusion, incomprehension, hurt, and grievance. Then, she carefully hid those emotions, only showing a smile and asking nonchalantly: “What’s wrong?”

What’s wrong?

How dare you ask me what’s wrong?

Shen Jinrong couldn’t very well tell her that the massage had given her an odd feeling. Meeting the young woman’s searching eyes, she could only say: “Nothing. It was good. I just wanted a sip of coffee.”

Her excuse was weak. Yan He lowered her eyes and quietly murmured, “Mhm,” her peripheral vision sweeping past the owner standing at the counter.

Why resist physical contact with me? Is it because you don’t want people to see our closeness? Or is it some other excuse?

However, since Shen Jinrong wouldn’t say, she couldn’t press further. She only said: “Let’s rest for a while before we go.”

Shen Jinrong nodded: “Then I’ll go to the restroom.”

After cleaning up the “mess” she had just created in the restroom, Shen Jinrong let out a long breath. She walked up to the mirror, washing her hands while looking at her reflection.

A flush of red was on her cheeks, a living, breathing beauty.

She braced her hands on the sink, thinking: Is my attraction not strong enough? Why hasn’t Yan He confessed yet? She set a deadline for herself in her heart: if Yan He hadn’t confessed by Christmas, she would be the one to clarify their relationship.

Shen Jinrong sighed, covering her face as she thought about her reaction just now.

Why am I so sensitive?

It’s all Yan He’s fault! It definitely must be her fault!