Chapter 49 - Introduction

Song Luli opened her heavy eyes. The morning sun nearly blinded her when it peered through the curtains. She blinked her eyes wearily, realizing she was sleeping on Long Jie's chest.

Long Jie was watching her, twirling locks of her dark hair around his finger, and she flushed instantly.

She still felt the warmth of the night they had—the dinner, the talks, the laughs, their oral performances at the end...

Last night, Song Luli felt courageous, but now she was feeling bashful by what happened. Long Jie kept his eyes locked on her. Song Luli was about to say something when she realized her throat hurt. She smacked her lips, tasting something bitter.

Realizing what it was, she glared at Long Jie.

Long Jie grinned frivolously when she began to pound on his chest gently with her fists, pretending to be angry. Long Jie laughed. He circled her waist as she tried to escape from bed. Song Luli glared at him even more. "I need to shower," she said hoarsely.

Long Jie nibbled on her neck as Song Luli instinctively tilted her head back, giving him access. He slid a hand from her torso to the waistband of her pants. She then stopped his hand, meeting his eyes. Her eyes raged furiously. Long Jie laughed, so Song Luli pounced on him, biting down on his collarbone hard, like a ferocious beast. Long Jie groaned slightly.

Song Luli pulled away, realizing that his expression had gone from amused to full of want. She detached herself from him, bolting towards the bathroom.

Long Jie was rather content with seeing this new side of his wife—angry and embarrassed.

Long Jie rose out of bed to get some clothes for Song Luli. When he returned, he heard her phone ring while she was still in the shower. He decided to answer it.

"Luli?" Lan Shufen asked.

"Luli can't be on the phone now. And it's Mrs. Long that you can refer to her," Long Jie said to him.

On the other line, Lan Shufen was sweating. "Yes, Mr. Long. Can I speak to Luli—erm, Mrs. Long?"

"No. Her throat's sore," Long Jie answered.

Lan Shufen placed his phone away from his ear. 'This guy could have just told me she was busy.'

"Tell her that filming has been pushed back for the afternoon. There will be a night scene."

"All right," Long Jie answered before hanging up the call. He then walked into the bathroom unreserved, leaving Song Luli's clothes on one of the towel shelves. He brushed his teeth as Song Luli washed her hair. The glass had fogged up, revealing her bare body, though he couldn't see clearly.

Long Jie heard the tap turn off, as she exited the shower, naked. Song Luli glanced at him and watched as Long Jie's eyes dart from her face, below.

Deep down, Song Luli was embarrassed, but she kept her face calm and unwavering. She wanted him to stare, to register this image of her because, in the next moment, he approached her swift. His breath hitched, and when he bent down to kiss her. She then placed a finger to his mouth. "Nuh-uh," she said hoarsely, meaning not right now.

Long Jie sighed. He leaned over her shoulder. "You may have the upper hand in terms of when and where we do things. But the longer you make me wait, the rougher I will get," he warned.

Song Luli's lips curled, but her sly smile turned genuine. "Good," she said. In her perspective, she wanted to take things slow with Long Jie. Last night proved that they couldn't deny their physical attraction, but Song Luli was afraid. She was scared of falling for him, for wanting more than what he's already offering.

If she fell in love with him, will he open up his heart for her?

"Lan Shufen said to come to set later. There will be a night scene," Long Jie told her. Song Luli slapped her head, "Of course. I nearly forgot."

Long Jie kissed the red spot she left behind. Song Luli was slightly shocked as he let go, stepping behind her, discarding his clothing, and stepping into the shower.

Song Luli changed into the clothing he left behind for her.

...

With the new term, Song Meiling made final preparations for school. She decided to go to class early, without Zhang Enyu because she would rather make friends on her own, without having a broody male accompany her out of pity.

She searched for her classes and was glad of her early arrival because it took longer than she thought to find the lecture halls.

Inside, she settled into one of the front seats, wanting to hear the instructor better. There were people already in class, waiting silently. Song Meiling slowly unzipped her bag, taking out a notepad, a pencil case, and a drawing pad.

Some students began to giggle behind her. Song Meiling turned her head slightly, realizing they were pointing at her expensive Louis Vuitton pencil case. Feeling embarrassed, she put it away quickly, trying to calm her nervous heart.

Feeling the stares lock on her, she began to draw in her sketch pad. Someone then placed their briefcase in front of her, and the chatter silenced. Song Meiling glanced up at Zhang Enyu's cold face.

He wasn't looking at her; he was looking at all the students. He then turned to approach the platform, writing his name on a whiteboard. He faced the class. "Hello. I am Instructor Zhang Enyu. I am currently a doctorate candidate, and I will be your English teacher."

Song Meiling's eyes widened, she shook. Z-Z-Zhang Enyu was her instructor?

She glanced at him, but he did not bother to spare one back. He continued to proceed with details about the school and his educational background before beginning the lecture.

He went through the simple basics quickly before glancing through the attendance sheet. "Miss Song Meiling?" He searched the students, pretending as if they did not know each other already. She raised her hand shyly.

"Miss Song," Zhang Enyu began, "Can you give me a sentence with a plural noun in it?"

Song Meiling thought hard about it. She wasn't good at English. She took the class as one of the credits, hoping to pick up the basics of the language. But she didn't know how to answer him.

"I thought this was Introduction to English," she said.

The class laughed, and it was certainly directed towards her. "It's not Introduction to Basics," said one of the students, teasing her. Song Meiling felt embarrassed to the point where she felt like tearing up.

Zhang Enyu's deep voice said, "Silence." He then pointed at the student who teased her. "Can you give me the rules and examples of affirming and denying the antecedent and consequents?"

The young man didn't answer. Zhang Enyu's lips curled cruelly. "All right then. Every student is at a different level; there is no judgement on how good they are or how much work needs to be done. My job is to ensure you learn from my lessons."

Song Meiling watched him in awe as he kept speaking. The entire time, he didn't meet her eye. She wondered how she will survive the term.