At ease. After the afternoon classes ended, Lin Jianqing returned to his dorm feeling somewhat tired.
Not physical exhaustion, but an indescribable mental fatigue.
Guan Ju had kept him after class to ask a few questions. Her tone was gentle, and she didn’t press him for anything. But strangely, the more that was the case, the more uneasy Lin Jianqing felt inside.
He could sense that Guan Ju was genuinely worried about him. She was just a teacher who noticed her student wasn’t doing well, so she naturally offered a few words of concern.
This kind of ordinary, almost mundane kindness made Lin Jianqing feel at a loss.
Because he couldn’t say anything. He didn’t dare to. After all, his relationship with Shen Huaixue wasn’t something that could be brought to light.
Besides, the whole story was utterly absurd. He couldn’t exactly tell Guan Ju that he was currently being tied up by a female CEO with a contract, forced to learn makeup, wear women’s clothing, and play the part of some white moonlight every day, could he?
If he said that, Guan Ju would probably first suspect he was under too much mental stress. Then she’d consider whether to help him call the police, and the next step would be sending him to a mental hospital…
After that, Shen Huaixue would probably bail him out and then use the whole thing to mock him.
Thinking of this, Lin Jianqing leaned back in his chair and couldn’t help but sigh.
“What kind of mess is this…” he muttered to himself.
Just then, his phone screen lit up.
Lin Jianqing straightened up almost reflexively.
Shen Huaixue.
“Come over tonight.”
Lin Jianqing stared at the screen for a few seconds.
‘Here she goes again. This person always sends messages with this matter-of-fact commanding tone. As if she isn’t asking, but informing.’
Lin Jianqing initially wanted to pretend he hadn’t seen it, but soon a second message popped up.
“No need to wear women’s clothing. Just come normally.”
Lin Jianqing’s previously tense shoulders relaxed almost visibly. After they did, he was stunned himself.
‘Wait, why am I relieved about “no need to wear women’s clothing”?’
The more Lin Jianqing thought about it, the more terrifying it became. His bottom line seemed to be dropping lower and lower. How many days had it been?
He picked up his phone and replied.
“What for?”
Shen Huaixue responded quickly.
“To teach you touch-ups.”
Lin Jianqing: “…”
His silence was deafening. A few seconds later, he replied:
“Can I not learn?”
Shen Huaixue answered even faster.
“No.”
Lin Jianqing stared at those three words, nearly slapping his phone onto the desk. There wasn’t even a shred of room for negotiation.
At seven in the evening, Lin Jianqing still arrived at the entrance of Shen Huaixue’s residence. It wasn’t far from the school, but it was much quieter than the surrounding area.
The streetlights in the residential area were warm yellow, shining on the clean stone paths. Even the wind felt as if it had been filtered, carrying a faint, cool floral scent.
Lin Jianqing stood downstairs, looked up at the lights on the high floors, and suddenly felt like he was actively walking into an instance dungeon.
And the Boss of that dungeon was called Shen Huaixue. This instance dungeon would most likely end in failure.
The automatic gate opened. Lin Jianqing was already too tired to be surprised. He took the elevator up, and just as he reached the door, it opened from the inside.
Shen Huaixue stood behind the door.
She was dressed very casually today—loose black loungewear, her long hair falling over her shoulders, holding a glass of water. Without a jacket, she seemed much less sharp than usual, even a little languid.
Of course, Lin Jianqing had already learned not to trust appearances.
“Yo, you’re here?”
Shen Huaixue looked him up and down. Lin Jianqing changed his shoes and walked into the living room.
“Mm.”
Shen Huaixue watched his defensive posture and let out a soft laugh.
“I didn’t make you wear anything weird today. What’s with that expression?”
Lin Jianqing was silent for a moment.
“This is my normal expression.”
“Normal people don’t look like they’re about to run the second they walk in the door.”
“Then maybe the feng shui at your doorstep is bad.”
Shen Huaixue was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
“Oh?”
“Lin Jianqing, you’ve really gotten a lot bolder lately.”
Lin Jianqing didn’t respond. He noticed that every time Shen Huaixue said he was bold, her tone didn’t sound angry. It was more like she’d discovered a new toy. That made him even less inclined to respond.
On the living room coffee table, cosmetics were already laid out. It was similar to the set she’d had in the office this morning, but with a few more items on the side—small mirrors, cotton swabs, oil-blotting sheets, and a few compact powder cases.
The sight of these things made Lin Jianqing’s head ache again. Because his bottom line with Shen Huaixue was gradually lowering, he didn’t actually reject women’s clothing or cosmetics anymore. It was just that he found them too troublesome.
“Didn’t you say touch-ups?”
“Right.”
Shen Huaixue sat down on the sofa and patted the spot beside her.
“Come here.”
Lin Jianqing stood still. Shen Huaixue looked up at him.
“Do I have to invite you again?”
“Can’t I sit across from you?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
“Why?”
“The distance is too far. I can’t teach you.”
Lin Jianqing glanced at the sofa, then at Shen Huaixue. He felt that wasn’t entirely the truth.
But in the end, he still sat down—though he deliberately kept some distance from her.
Shen Huaixue looked at the obvious gap between them and raised an eyebrow.
“Are you afraid I’ll touch you?”
Lin Jianqing’s expression was calm.
“I just think maintaining a proper social distance is healthy. And for me, it’s safer.”
“I’m not going to eat you. Besides, I think the social distance between us is already perfectly healthy. I’ve started seeing you as my little sister.”
Shen Huaixue rested her chin on her hand and looked at him.
Lin Jianqing: “I—!”
Lin Jianqing didn’t know how to retort, so he could only sulk in silent frustration. Shen Huaixue picked up a small compact case and handed it to him.
“Let’s start with the simplest thing. Do you know how to touch up after your face gets oily?”
Lin Jianqing took the compact and examined it seriously.
“No.”
“Take a guess.”
“Wipe it on my face?”
Shen Huaixue looked at him, silent for two seconds. Then she laughed. Lin Jianqing immediately frowned.
“What are you laughing at? Did I say something wrong?”
“It’s not completely wrong.” Shen Huaixue picked up an oil-blotting sheet from the side. “But if you just pat powder directly on your face, you can probably go to class tomorrow with a blotchy face.”
Lin Jianqing looked at the blotting sheet in her hand.
“Then why don’t you just teach me directly? Why make me guess?”
“Because watching you say the wrong thing with a straight face is entertaining.”
Lin Jianqing took a deep breath. He told himself he couldn’t get angry. Getting angry meant losing.
Shen Huaixue placed the blotting sheet in his hand.
“Use this first.”
Lin Jianqing took it and studied it. It was just a thin piece of paper, nothing special. He pressed the blotting sheet against his face, his movements stiff as if he were pasting a talisman.
Shen Huaixue watched for a few seconds, then couldn’t help reaching out and grabbing his wrist.
“Not like that.”
Her fingers were cool. The moment they touched his wrist, Lin Jianqing’s body stiffened slightly. Shen Huaixue acted as if she hadn’t noticed, guiding his hand to gently press against the sides of his nose and forehead.
“Here. Press gently. Don’t rub.”
They were very close—so close that Lin Jianqing could smell the faint fragrance on her.
It wasn’t too sweet or strong. It was like some kind of cool woody scent. Shen Huaixue had her head down, her attention seemingly entirely on his face. Her movements were very gentle, and her tone was unusually mild.
“If you press too hard, you’ll rub off the base makeup.”
“Mm,” Lin Jianqing murmured softly.
Shen Huaixue looked up at him.
“What are you nervous about?”
“Nothing.”
“Your eyelashes are trembling.”
Lin Jianqing immediately averted his gaze. Shen Huaixue looked at his reddening ear tips, and the corners of her mouth slowly curved up.
As a High-Level Psychic, she could naturally observe the subtle changes in Lin Jianqing’s body.
“Lin Jianqing.”
“What?”
“Why do you blush so easily?”
“I’m not blushing.”
“Your ears are red.”
“It’s hot.”
“Hot again? Didn’t you use that excuse earlier today?”
“It’s my constitution.”
Shen Huaixue laughed, her shoulders shaking slightly.
“You use that excuse every time.”
“Because it’s true.”
“Well then, your constitution is quite convenient—it only acts up when I’m teasing you.”
Lin Jianqing didn’t say another word. By now, he had learned that the best way to deal with Shen Huaixue’s teasing was to play dead.