The bathroom was empty, with only the sound of running water echoing inside.
After Lu Xian asked if she wanted to video call, there was a brief pause on the other end of the line.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Lu Xian had expected Ling Tingyu to scold her for being shameless or simply hang up.
To her surprise, Ling Tingyu responded cheerfully, “Yes, right now, immediately.”
Lu Xian: “…”
Talk about lifting a rock only to drop it on your own foot.
Before Lu Xian could even prepare herself, Ling Tingyu had already ended the call and sent a video request through WeChat.
Lu Xian suddenly caught a glimpse of bare skin in the video and quickly raised her phone before answering.
Ling Tingyu’s voice came through, tinged with complaint, “Why are you so slow?”
Lu Xian wiped her face, water droplets clinging to her lashes. “I wasn’t ready yet.”
“Ready for what?” Ling Tingyu chuckled, seeing how flustered Lu Xian was. “Scared?”
Lu Xian’s face filled the entire screen. “I’m not.”
Ling Tingyu clicked her tongue. “If you’re not, then move the camera back a little.”
The warm water cascading over her made Lu Xian feel unusually hot whether from the steam or something else, she wasn’t sure. She adjusted the temperature cooler. “Teacher Ling, any further and it’d be R-rated.”
“What’s wrong?” Ling Tingyu lay on the bed, propping her chin with one hand as she admired Lu Xian’s flushed cheeks. “Can’t I see?”
The night Lu Xian had marked Ling Tingyu for the first time, both of them had been fully clothed, never seeing each other’s bodies. Aside from biting the scent gland and kissing, there had been no more intimate contact.
“No, you can’t.” Lu Xian refused bluntly, placing her phone on a high shelf.
The shelf was level with her chin, so even from a distance, only her smooth shoulders and neck were barely visible, anything below that was left to the imagination.
Lu Xian glanced at the person on the screen. “You said you had something to ask me earlier?”
Unable to see what she wanted, Ling Tingyu sighed. “Lu Xian, I didn’t give you an A for your performance today, so you won’t advance directly. Are you upset?”
“No,” Lu Xian replied. “I know you have your own grading standards. I won’t argue.”
“But I did it on purpose.”
Lu Xian froze.
Ling Tingyu continued, “I deliberately didn’t want you to advance.”
Lu Xian quickly rinsed off the soap and turned off the shower. “Why?”
“Did you really join the competition just for Chang Yuhuan?” Ling Tingyu had been dwelling on this question since the show ended, which was why she couldn’t resist calling.
Lu Xian: “Teacher Chang is my idol.”
“You like her?” Ling Tingyu reminded her, “She’s fifteen years older than you and might already be secretly married.”
“I just admire her. And as far as I know, she’s unmarried.”
Lu Xian remembered the novel mentioning that after her last failed relationship, Chang Yuhuan had remained single with no intention of marrying.
“You know her that well?” Ling Tingyu stared at Lu Xian. “So when you mentioned divorce so casually that day, was it for her?”
“What? Where did that come from?” Lu Xian distinctly remembered Ling Tingyu telling her to leave and never come back, how had it turned into her wanting a divorce?
“It wasn’t for her.” Lu Xian told the truth. “I did it for the prize money.”
“Prize money?” Ling Tingyu found it amusing. “The prize money isn’t even as much as the monthly allowance I give you…”
Lu Xian responded with a hum, “No, there isn’t.”
Ling Tingyu remembered Lu Xian mentioning her desire to be self-reliant. Even if the prize money wasn’t much, she was willing to strive for it.
Lu Xian placed her phone on the bathroom counter, the camera facing the ceiling. Only after dressing did she pick it up again.
Ling Tingyu was at a loss for words even changing clothes had to be hidden from her. “Lu Xian, aren’t you afraid I might deliberately keep you from advancing later?”
“Of course I am,” Lu Xian chuckled. “So, could Professor Ling be a little fairer to me?”
Ling Tingyu replied, “That depends on my mood.”
“And how is Professor Ling feeling now?”
Ling Tingyu pressed her fingers to her temples. “Not good. I’m exhausted today, so my mood isn’t great.”
Recording for hours straight would naturally be tiring. Lu Xian softened her voice, “Go rest, alright?”
“But I haven’t showered yet.” Ling Tingyu was still in the evening gown from the show and had done nothing but call Lu Xian since returning.
Lu Xian sighed helplessly. “Then go shower quickly. It’s already very late.”
“But I’m all alone here, and I’m scared. Can you stay with me tonight?”
After the show, Ling Tingyu had gone straight to the filming location for tomorrow. The hotel arranged by the crew was quite a distance from the city, surrounded by mountains and the occasional eerie animal calls.
Lu Xian could hear the silence on the other end, punctuated by the odd bird cry.
“Alright, I’ll stay with you,” Lu Xian said, settling onto the sofa in the lounge. “I won’t hang up.”
“Mmm.” Ling Tingyu got up from the bed, propping her phone against the pillow so the camera captured most of the bedroom.
She was staying at a forest resort hotel, each villa independent and well-appointed. But alone in such a spacious place, even speaking echoed.
Lu Xian yawned, watching as Ling Tingyu rummaged through her suitcase for a change of clothes.
But Ling Tingyu seemed to have forgotten Lu Xian was still there. Gathering her long hair with both hands, she turned her back, reaching to unzip the gown.
As her elegant shoulder blades came into view, Lu Xian averted her gaze and set the phone down.
Lu Xian: “…”
A moment later, Ling Tingyu called her name.
“Lu Xian, are you still there?”
“I’m here,” Lu Xian replied. “What’s wrong?”
Ling Tingyu pouted in complaint. “Help me look, I think my dress is stuck.”
“…” Lu Xian brought the camera back to her face. On the other end, Ling Tingyu frowned, her mood worsening from the struggle with the dress.
“It seems jammed,” Lu Xian said. “Come closer. Don’t rush; take it slow.”
Ling Tingyu turned her back again, following Lu Xian’s instructions to carefully tug at the caught fabric. With a little effort, the dress slipped off easily.
“Done.” Ling Tingyu turned around, only to see Lu Xian’s chin on the screen.
The phone was so close to her that Lu Xian couldn’t see anything on Ling Tingyu’s side.
Ling Tingyu smiled, adjusting the angle as she sat on the edge of the bed.
“Lu Xian?”
Lu Xian responded immediately.
“Look at me.”
Unsure if Ling Tingyu was bathing, Lu Xian hesitated. “What is it? Just tell me.”
“Nothing much. It’s just that there’s another piece of clothing I can’t seem to take off. I need you to guide me.”
What kind of outfit could be so difficult to remove?
Taking her seriously, Lu Xian lifted the phone, focusing on the screen, only to see the Omega’s fair, slender legs.
Ling Tingyu sat sideways on the bed, her thighs bare and knees faintly pink.
Lu Xian took a slow breath: “Which one else?”
“Mmm…” Ling Tingyu slowly slid her panties down to her knees, hooking them there, then deliberately said, “This one’s stuck, I can’t get it off.”
The faint visual tease left Lu Xian nearly dazed. !?