Wen Yao touched the water in the bathtub that had been prepared. The temperature was a bit hot, so she adjusted it.

"Are you going to take a bath?" Jiang Shuyi had entered the bathroom at some point and hugged Wen Yao from behind.

She leaned down and pecked Wen Yao's earlobe, saying, "Baby."

Wen Yao turned around in her embrace, looking into Jiang Shuyi's eyes, feeling her heart melt.

"Jiang—"

Before she could say Jiang Shuyi's name, Jiang Shuyi gently bit Wen Yao's lips.

The two immediately began kissing each other, even forgetting to turn off the shower in the bathroom.

The air was filled with warm steam, the sound of water splashing, Jiang Shuyi slowly backed up while holding Wen Yao, and they kissed each other, leaning against the bathroom mirror.

Their clothes were in disarray from the shower.

Jiang Shuyi used her back to close the bathroom door, gently stroking Wen Yao's hair near her ear with her fingertips. She smiled, biting her lip, "Can you still stand, professor?"

"...Jiang Shuyi." Wen Yao sighed, looking at her with a hint of annoyance.

Jiang Shuyi shrank back slightly and immediately apologized, "I was just kidding—"

"Baby..." She bit her again.

The sound of dripping water echoed in the bathroom.

"...I'm tired."

Wen Yao sighed and squinted at Jiang Shuyi, looking a bit dazed.

Her long eyelashes fluttered gently, her lips glistening enticingly.

Jiang Shuyi gazed at Wen Yao, as if still wanting more, and bit her neck.

Wen Yao endured with a sigh, her forehead glistening—whether from sweat or the water from the bathtub, she couldn't tell.

She let this big dog nibble on her neck, feeling ticklish.

The scent of roses and lemon balm mixed together, creating an irresistible aftertaste.

"One last time." Jiang Shuyi looked at Wen Yao eagerly, unwilling to let go.

Looking into her eyes, the earlier fatigue seemed to return to Wen Yao's body. She gently wrapped her arms around Jiang Shuyi's neck and sighed, "Really, this is the last time..."

". . ." Wen Yao leaned weakly against the edge of the tub.

"Baby." Jiang Shuyi said as she leaned closer again.

Wen Yao wanted to sit up but realized she had no strength to escape.

Seeing her expression, Jiang Shuyi playfully raised her hands, "I won't do anything else, just hold you."

Perhaps due to exhaustion, Wen Yao felt as if she could see Jiang Shuyi's tail wagging behind her, "You seem really happy."

"Because I am really happy! I never expected the Professor to like me so much."

Jiang Shuyi said joyfully.

". . ." Wen Yao was momentarily at a loss for words, staring at her in silence.

"I always thought you really disliked me. When you were my professor, you were always stern with me, criticizing me and giving me extra assignments..."

Jiang Shuyi complained as she bit Wen Yao's mole.

— At this rate, she's really going to leave a mark there.

"But you are my first love, and that makes you really special to me."

"Although sometimes, you really are too much."

Jiang Shuyi murmured softly, her voice tinged with a hint of grievance, "Sometimes I wonder why you had to be so harsh back then. There was really no need to say such heartless words. You can be really frustrating sometimes..."

"Jiang Shuyi..."

Hearing Jiang Shuyi say this stirred up a wave of guilt in Wen Yao that she couldn't shake off.

Jiang Shuyi buried her face in Wen Yao's shoulder, as if recalling the past.

"Let me make it up to you." Wen Yao turned around, smoothing Jiang Shuyi's hair.

When Jiang Shuyi heard "make it up," she perked up immediately, sitting up straight.

"Huh? How are you going to make it up to me?"

"...You think about it."

"How many times can you make it up to me?"

— As expected of this alpha, she immediately thought about the number of times.

Realizing that Jiang Shuyi's grievances might have been more than once, Wen Yao sighed and reluctantly said, "Three times."

Jiang Shuyi pursed her lips and quickly added, "Then you have to tell me you like me right now."

". . ."

Wen Yao hadn't expected Jiang Shuyi's request to be so simple.

Although, for Wen Yao, those words weren't something she could easily express.

But she meant it, she was willing to fulfill any wish of Jiang Shuyi's at that moment.

Moreover, she had already said this once in the lab just now. Wen Yao thought if it were her, she definitely wouldn't waste a wish like this.

"Is it really that simple?"

"I just want to hear you say you like me. That's the thing I want you to do the most right now."

With her wet hair falling on Wen Yao's shoulder, Jiang Shuyi said earnestly.

"If you find it simple, then say it to me every day, once in the morning when you wake up, and once at night before you sleep."

"Saying it too often would make it sound insincere." Wen Yao said lightly.

"Twice a day, is that too much?"

". . ."

"And, I can tell you really like me when you say it." Jiang Shuyi insisted.

"Anyway, I like hearing it. You should say it more, I won't get tired of hearing it."

Wen Yao didn't know what kind of filter this person had put on her seemingly expressionless words, but because this was the compensation Jiang Shuyi wanted, she had no choice but to say it.

"...I like you."

Her voice was not loud, and it sounded a bit cold.

Jiang Shuyi giggled and leaned in, "Hehe, I like you too. What do you like about me?"

". . . " Wen Yao didn't expect her question to take such a probing turn.

"Do I need a reason?"

"You can't just like me for no reason, right?"

Jiang Shuyi grinned mischievously, staring into her eyes, determined to hear an answer.

After a moment, Wen Yao said, "Because you're silly."

". . ."

Jiang Shuyi lowered her head at this answer, pouting in dissatisfaction as she looked at Wen Yao. Her tone was quite stubborn.

"If I'm silly, can I still rank second in the class?"

Wen Yao casually responded, "Having the knowledge to pass exams doesn't conflict with being silly."

". . ." Jiang Shuyi knew she couldn't win this argument and looked at Wen Yao with a childish expression, muttering softly, "Isn't there any other reason? Like, I'm beautiful, athletic, or my pheromones smell nice..."

Wen Yao glanced at her expression, paused for a moment, and said quietly, "But those reasons wouldn't be why I like you."

After a while, she gazed into Jiang Shuyi's eyes and said softly, "...I just want to be with you."

"Being with you makes me feel happy."

". . ." 

Jiang Shuyi felt embarrassed, her heart beating rapidly.

—How could she say such heartwarming words with a straight face?

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Jiang Shuyi nudged Wen Yao's shoulder with hers.

"So you really like me that much... I feel the same way."

— She really does look quite silly.

Wen Yao thought silently.

After their shower, both of them lay on the bed, exhausted.

Jiang Shuyi turned over, pulled Wen Yao into her arms, and took a deep breath of Wen Yao's pheromones. "I really love this rose scent."

"I haven't slept well these past few days without it."

Jiang Shuyi's voice was low, sounding a bit dreamy.

". . ." Wen Yao felt like she was wrapped in a bouquet of lemon balm.

"Wen Yao, one last question. When did you start liking me?"

". . ." Wen Yao paused for a moment, "I forgot."

"You're lying," Jiang Shuyi immediately pouted in disbelief, "You're so much smarter than me, with such a good memory, how could you possibly forget?"

"Are you shy and don't want to tell me?" she concluded with a laugh.

Wen Yao sighed as she looked at her. "Not everyone can remember things like that."

"Is that so?" Jiang Shuyi muttered softly, sounding somewhat disappointed.

Maybe it was from expending all her energy during the shower, or perhaps she really hadn't slept well these past few days, but Jiang Shuyi fell asleep not long after.

Wen Yao heard her breathing and gently stroked Jiang Shuyi's face. She felt that Jiang Shuyi had also lost weight. She withdrew her hand and leaned against Jiang Shuyi's shoulder.

Just as Jiang Shuyi said she never expected to like her, Wen Yao had never thought Jiang Shuyi would like her either.

Compared to the cute, younger girls who often surrounded Jiang Shuyi, Wen Yao and Jiang Shuyi had a significant age gap, they didn't seem to match.

She truly couldn't remember when she had started liking this person.

It was just that in the long, monotonous flow of life, suddenly someone like her appeared.

In their interactions, she felt comfortable with her. Before she knew it, she realized that she might actually like her...

She couldn't pinpoint when she had started liking this person.

By the time she became aware of these feelings, she had already liked this person for a long time.

"I'm sorry." Wen Yao's voice sounded very gentle.

"I regret not understanding your feelings."

"Actually, when you gave me that fountain pen, I wanted to accept it..."

"I was always very happy when you were by my side."

She paused for a moment and slowly continued,

"...I like you even more than you can imagine."

---

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