"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 99

Perhaps she shouldn’t be thinking this way.

Yan He thought that any thought she was having right now was a blasphemy against Shen Jinrong. Yet, she wanted to blaspheme her, wanted to see her cry, wanted to see her mark her pale neck, wanted to—wanted to bully her.

The water from her Jiejie’s hair slowly dripped onto the floor. Some was absorbed by her bathrobe, leaving slightly darker marks.

Marks again.

If she were to detail them, Shen Jinrong had left many marks on Yan He—physical ones that had once existed: bite marks on her lips, hickeys on her neck. But physical marks always fade. More lasting were the marks she left on Yan He’s heart.

—Her Jiejie, drinking wine, eyes hazy with tipsiness, chatting with Yan He about the economic history of the Western world. Yan He was completely lost but was immersed in the tenderness in her eyes. She thought that she loved her confident Jiejie, loved her bright eyes, loved how she shone brightly in the fields she excelled in.

—Her Jiejie, dining elegantly, taught Yan He how to taste wine, how to judge the quality of the wine and the glass, and how to mix a drink to her liking.

—Her Jiejie, sipping coffee, deliberately holding the cup to taste it, telling her how different roasting methods produced different flavors in Ethiopian coffee beans.

—Her Jiejie, head lowered, working. Yan He watched her slender fingertips quickly typing on the keyboard, finishing a dozen pages of documents in just a few minutes.

The citrus scent that always accompanied her, like the burst of strong aroma the moment a lime is sliced; the way she tilted her head to put on her earrings, the pearl earring reflecting a soft glow on the tip of her ear; the wristwatch she always wore, the strap still a bit too large even when fastened to the innermost hole, the thin strap only able to shield her from the prying eyes of strangers, but unable to block the gaze of the person who loved her.

Yan He thought, What can I do for her?

What can she do for her?

Shen Jinrong was wiping her hair. She used the hotel’s hairdryer to only partially dry her hair, planning to apply some hair care oil before continuing to blow-dry it. Seeing Yan He sitting there blankly, staring at her in a daze, she paused and asked, “What are you looking at me for?”

Yan He’s pupils trembled. She snapped out of her daze and flusteredly replied, “N-nothing.”

But the statement sounded even more like a confession, as if trying to conceal her recent thoughts.

Shen Jinrong found her hair care oil in her bag, a small tube in a brown bottle. She poured some into her palm, rubbed her hands together for a moment, and began to evenly apply it to the ends of her hair.

“Let’s go skiing tomorrow,” Shen Jinrong casually said, pointing to the ski gear not far away.

“Okay,” Yan He asked, “Should we drive or take the bus?”

When they came up earlier, the front desk had given them a tourist map, similar to the one the front desk at the Rome hotel had given them, marking the fun places in the area. Yan He had also asked her the most convenient way to get to the ski resort.

“Did you ask the front desk? What did she say?” Shen Jinrong wiped her hair carelessly. Her movements were full of a lazy aesthetic. Her eyes drifted, looking at an unknown place, seemingly absentminded, yet also as if she were watching Yan He at all times.

Yan He spread the map out on the desk: “She said we could drive; the resort provides parking. But she suggested we take the bus the first time because it’s all mountain roads, and it snowed heavily the day before yesterday, making driving difficult.”

Shen Jinrong nodded thoughtfully and said, “Then let’s take the bus.”

The lighting was dim. It was almost time for bed, and they hadn’t turned on all the lights. To see the map clearly, Yan He only turned on a small desk lamp on the writing desk. The soft light fell onto the desk, showering the surface with light.

Shen Jinrong leaned over next to her to look at the map. Yan He was sitting in the chair and felt a wave of fragrance wash over her. The familiar citrus scent was mixed with the aroma of verbena, like the sweet scent of a lemon cake, and also like the fresh smell of grass on a mountain top.

A strand of her hair fell disobediently, resting right next to Yan He’s face. That strand of hair was still moist, and it touched Yan He’s cheek lightly, dampening it.

Yan He felt the faint wetness on her face. The contact was brief, yet it kept happening occasionally afterward. The spot on her face that was damp felt cool. Even though the air blowing from the central air conditioning was warm, it felt cool when it hit the water marks.

It’s strange, she thought, but my ears are burning hot.

Her Jiejie leaned down, focusing on the map. Her moist fingertips traced the map, pointing from their current location all the way to the ski resort. She said, “Looking at this, it really is all mountain roads. So, what time should we leave tomorrow?”

Yan He didn’t hear what she said—or rather, she heard it, but it went in one ear and out the other. Her Jiejie’s voice returned to its source without being processed by her brain.

As her Jiejie leaned down, the sash of her bathrobe slightly loosened. The neckline, which had completely covered her collarbone, dropped a few inches. Yan He glanced, catching a glimpse of her deep cleavage.

—Just one look, and she didn’t dare look again.

Yan He wanted to remain calm, but her eyes couldn’t stop looking at her Jiejie. She simply used her hand to cover her left eye, pretending to hold her forehead in a self-conscious gesture: “What?”

“I didn’t hear you clearly just now.”

Shen Jinrong didn’t notice what she was thinking and repeated herself: “I was saying, what time should we leave tomorrow?”

“The ski resort is—” Yan He’s finger traced the map, finally landing on the timetable in the bottom right corner: “Oh, it opens at eight-thirty in the morning. It takes twenty minutes to get there from here by bus.”

“Then let’s leave at ten past eight,” Shen Jinrong did not straighten up. One of her hands rested on the desk, the other on the back of Yan He’s chair. From the other side, she was practically holding Yan He in her arms.

Her voice, after bathing, was slightly hoarse and low, ending with a sensual tone. The final breath of air softly brushed past Yan He’s ear. Just as Yan He was about to say something, she heard Shen Jinrong chuckle quietly.

The laugh resonated right by her ear, subtle yet stirring the air around her.

“Little puppy.”

In a panic, Yan He leaned back against the chair, but bumped into the hand that was resting on the chair back.

Shen Jinrong sighed slightly, her lips moving even closer to her ear. She called out again, “Yan He.”

Yan He tightly pursed her lips, as if searching for an outlet for her current turmoil.

“… Do you not have anything to say to me?”

After saying this, Shen Jinrong leaned back slightly, giving Yan He some space. Yan He turned her head and met her eyes.

—How could anyone have eyes so beautiful?

How could anyone make a person fall so completely just by making eye contact?

Yan He was still in a panic. Many scenes flashed across her mind like a movie, finally settling on the World Tree necklace she had just put away. But—she wanted to confess to her Jiejie under the Christmas tree.

The night after tomorrow—she could confess to her on Christmas night.

Less than forty-eight hours left.

“Jiejie…”

Her Jiejie was too close. She had completely lost the ability to think and could only barely utter these two words. After speaking, Yan He tightly pressed her lips together, afraid that in the next second, she would be unable to stop herself from revealing everything.

She only heard herself say those two words. Did she say anything else? Why did Jiejie sigh and then leave?

Yan He felt dizzy, only sensing her Jiejie’s lips gently kissing her own. She quietly said, “Goodnight kiss.”

“Goodnight, little Yan He.”

That night, Yan He suffered from insomnia. She thought about many things—but listening to her Jiejie’s even breathing beside her, she turned to look at her, reached out, and traced the outline of her lips.

Could her lips—belong to me forever?

She quietly got up and walked over to the suitcase beside the desk, where she saw a purple bottle. Yan He frowned. She glanced at Shen Jinrong, confirmed that she was sound asleep, and then crouched down to look at the bottle.

Melatonin?

Yan He lowered her eyes and put the bottle back exactly where it had been. She didn’t stand up but sat directly on the floor. A thick layer of carpet covered the floor, but Yan He felt a faint coolness creep up her back. She suddenly thought that her Jiejie might genuinely have trouble sleeping.

She remembered in Vienna, when she woke up, her Jiejie was already sitting on the sofa reading a book. Was she awake all night then?

Did Jiejie bring melatonin because she needed enough sleep to stay alert while traveling with me?

—Yan He had never felt that Shen Jinrong’s love was so silent and profound.

She suddenly felt a stinging in her nasal cavity. She sniffled but felt congested, and her brain became sensitive due to temporary lack of oxygen.

She wanted to cry. She thought of the scars on Shen Jinrong’s wrist and the things her aunt had told her.

Why must the world be so harsh to Shen Jinrong? She had done nothing wrong, yet she had to endure all these things.

Yan He hugged her knees and finally couldn’t hold back, letting the tears fall.

The Jiejie she loved, the one she loved with all her heart, should not be treated this way.

In her sleep, Shen Jinrong let out a soft sound, murmuring, “Yan He…”

Yan He stood up and walked to her side, lowering her gaze.

Jiejie, in those nights when I was deeply asleep, did you call out to me like this, too? What did you dream of? And how did I come to mind?

“Little rascal.”

She heard her Jiejie mumble again and suddenly smiled. She crouched down beside her Jiejie and whispered, “I’m here.”

Her Jiejie, perhaps dreaming of something, pouted and mumbled something else, then turned over.

Yan He stood up, looked down at her, and finally just sighed softly, leaning down to give her a kiss on the lips.

Jiejie, just one more day and a half.

I want to give you everything.