Chapter 13 The Cold and Beautiful Professor (13)

Chapter 13: The Aloof Professor (13)

Triple Zero further explained that the individual subjected to the "Obedience Water" would retain no memory of the entire event.

Qi Yan listened, his eyelids subtly lowering.

He intensely disliked being mistaken for someone else; Qi Yan's pride and inexplicable stubbornness simply wouldn't permit it.

Shen Juan had ignited a primal urge for conquest within him—why should he not possess both Shen Juan's body and soul?

Qi Yan had even meticulously planned the timing for the "Obedience Water." He envisioned Teacher Shen, intimately entwined with him on their marital bed, then making a video call to his ex-husband.

The rest of the narrative practically wrote itself.

Dark, insidious thoughts swirled repeatedly in Qi Yan’s mind.

Taking advantage of Mr. Yan to seduce his ex-wife was something Qi Yan was more than willing to do—and was, in fact, already doing.

Qi Yan lowered his gaze, noticing Shen Juan looking back at him. Due to low blood sugar, Shen Juan’s complexion was slightly pale.

He appeared fragile and sickly.

Qi Yan grasped Shen Juan’s wrist, his hot, raspy breath caressing the young man’s pale ear. With eyes like dark obsidian, he asked, "Teacher Shen, are you alright? Shall I take you to the infirmary?"

Shen Juan brushed a fallen leaf from Qi Yan’s shoulder. "I'm fine. It's an old issue—just low blood sugar."

Qi Yan offered no reply. Even if it was an old problem, a doctor's visit would bring peace of mind.

A healthy person wouldn't constantly feel faint. Moreover, yesterday, while he was fixing the faucet at Shen Juan’s home, Shen Juan's face had also paled for a moment.

Qi Yan decided to take Shen Juan to the infirmary, though he was unsure of its proximity.

Triple Zero, ever so perceptive, promptly displayed a map, even meticulously marking the route with arrows.

The infirmary was on the third floor of the nearby teaching building. There was a water dispenser at the corner, and just beyond it was the medical room.

It was deserted inside.

At this hour, the school doctor was on lunch break and wouldn't return for another hour or two.

Qi Yan pushed aside the curtain and addressed Shen Juan: "Teacher Shen, please sit and rest for a while."

Shen Juan didn't object. He sat on the sickbed, head bowed. From Qi Yan’s vantage point, he could only discern the beautiful, porcelain-like contour hidden beneath dark hair, and Shen Juan’s flushed lips.

Shen Juan looked up and said to Qi Yan, "I'm a bit thirsty. Could you get your teacher some water?"

Qi Yan assented and headed out.

The instant he vanished from the doorway, Triple Zero, lurking in the corner, was seized by the scruff of its neck by a slender, pale hand. Its yellow chicken-like body swayed precariously.

Dizzy and disoriented, Triple Zero dared not speak under Shen Juan’s half-smile, half-mocking gaze.

Shen Juan said coolly, "Obedience Water, spit it out."

Having pilfered system energy, Shen Juan could even eavesdrop on the telepathic communications between the system and Qi Yan. He was quite pleased with this—it allowed him to monitor Qi Yan’s every move without any blind spots.

Triple Zero's face contorted in misery as it reluctantly regurgitated a small bottle of Obedience Water.

Shen Juan examined the tiny bottle, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "I know it must be used within an hour, right, Mr. System?"

Triple Zero mumbled an affirmative.

Shen Juan looked down at it and suddenly smiled. "My husband rented a place across the street, but he doesn’t live with me. I have no idea what he’s doing, and it worries me."

"Mr. System, you know what to do, right?"

Triple Zero dared not refuse.

When Qi Yan returned to the infirmary, he saw Shen Juan still sitting upright on the edge of the bed, his expression unreadable, though his lips appeared paler.

*

Qi Yan hurried over. "I went to buy a cup downstairs. It took some time."

Since he didn’t have a cup with him, Qi Yan had to purchase a new one from the supermarket downstairs. He bought the most expensive kind, sterilized it with boiling water, and thoroughly cleaned it before filling it for Shen Juan.

All that took a considerable amount of time.

Qi Yan unscrewed the cap, and warm steam rose. "I tested the temperature. It’s not too hot."

A red mark lingered on the back of his hand—proof that he had indeed tested it.

Fortunately, the water dispensers at school usually weren’t scalding hot, so he wasn’t burned. Qi Yan recalled how, in the past, he couldn’t even properly soften instant noodles with the school’s hot water.

Shen Juan didn’t hesitate. He took the cup and took a small sip. The warm water flowed over his tongue and throat, bringing a sense of comfort.

Qi Yan's gaze remained fixed on him. Under such scrutiny, Shen Juan found no opportunity to administer the Obedience Water. After a moment's contemplation, an idea struck him.

He spoke up, "Could you check if the school doctor has returned?"

Qi Yan stood up and glanced toward the door. The hallway outside was also empty. He shook his head.

When he turned back, Shen Juan was offering the cup, a smile gracing his face. "You’ve worked hard. Have some water."

Qi Yan harbored no suspicion. He took a large gulp, and the doctored water entered his system.

Before long, Qi Yan’s eyes grew unfocused, glazing over. It was clear he had become a mere puppet in Shen Juan’s hands.

Shen Juan signaled with a glance at Triple Zero, who promptly closed the door and stood guard outside.

The sun blazed scorchingly outside, while its poor host, drugged, was about to engage in daytime liaisons with the antagonist.

Shen Juan made no unnecessary movements. He sat on the edge of the bed, tilting his head up, quietly meeting Qi Yan’s gaze—or rather, simply studying Qi Yan’s face.

He harbored many questions, foolish romantic ones. Now was the perfect opportunity to bluntly ask if Qi Yan had ever truly cared for him.

Was he merely a tool for Qi Yan to accumulate points? Was his sincerity nothing more than a byproduct of Qi Yan’s mission?

Because he had finally surrendered to an uncontrollable love, did he deserve such a fate?

But Shen Juan asked not a single question.

Sitting on the bed, his beautifully pale face tinged with illness, he gazed at his husband’s blank expression. Shen Juan wrapped his arms around Qi Yan’s neck and sighed hoarsely, "I’m pregnant. Almost three months along."

"When the baby gets a little bigger, we can do an ultrasound. I want a 4D one, to see the baby’s face clearly. I hope they look like you—they probably will resemble you."

Shen Juan’s voice was soft and low. "If they take after me, it’d be too dull."

He guided Qi Yan’s hand to rest on his abdomen. "The baby is still small, but their heartbeat is strong. That’s good—they must be as strong and lively as you."

Qi Yan naturally felt nothing, and Shen Juan didn’t find it boring either, monologuing at length.

His lips brushed against Qi Yan’s ear: “I want to give the baby a beautiful name, but I’m too foolish—I just can’t think of one.”

“You’re foolish too—how could you think I could fall in love with someone else?”

Shen Juan’s eyes mirrored Qi Yan’s reflection; the twist of his lips resembled neither smile nor sob.

“Qi Yan, you don't know how hard this past month has been for me.”

Just a month ago, he had been discussing with his husband where to go on vacation after work was done. The weather had been a bit warm then, and he’d suggested going to Bali—they had a private beach there.

But in the blink of an eye, his husband had vanished.

Shen Juan rested his head wearily on Qi Yan’s shoulder: “It’s only been a month apart, yet why do we seem so many years apart now?”

He turned his face, gently tracing Qi Yan’s youthful, sharp eyebrows: “It’s wonderful that you’ve regained your youth, but why does my time keep rushing forward?”

Why could the system casually bring his husband into this world of the book, create countless vessels to house his soul, and even restore his youth while making him forget me?

Shen Juan fell silent for a long time, a metallic taste of blood seeming to linger between his teeth.

So many words had been trapped in his heart with nowhere to go. He didn’t want to appear weak, nor did he want others to know he was stuck in a failed, hopeless romance, unable to find a path where flowers bloom.

He bit Qi Yan’s shoulder, his tone odd and haunting: “That system will *never* take you away again.”

He had stolen a great deal of energy and altered the color of the love value detected by the system. As long as it didn’t revert to pink, Qi Yan would have no way to leave.

Unless one day, he lost control of the energy source, allowing the system to detect his still-pink, beating heart—still beating for Qi Yan.

How pitiful that he could only change the color of the love value.

Shen Juan caressed Qi Yan’s warm body. Ever since he’d strangled the consciousness within that other vessel, its heart had stopped beating, its skin no longer warm and soft—it felt like touching a silicone doll.

Shen Juan didn’t like that sensation. He preferred real skin, where he could feel the warmth of flowing blood when close, and when he touched Qi Yan’s neck, he could truly control the man’s life pulse.

Just like now.

His body pressed into Qi Yan’s embrace. Since becoming pregnant, the areas that had begun developing again were squeezed, and Shen Juan frowned slightly in discomfort.

They were filling up again, and there were no tools nearby to relieve it.

But *Obedience Water* wouldn’t leave any memories anyway.

Shen Juan released his arms, drawling as he articulated Qi Yan’s name: “Qi Yan.”

The man’s glazed eyes turned toward him.

Shen Juan’s lips curved slightly as he lifted his pale neck, his tone lazy and seductive: “Undo my buttons with your teeth.”

Qi Yan was now a perfectly obedient doll, doing whatever Shen Juan said. His body immediately moved toward Shen Juan, leaning down slightly, his teeth catching on the suit button.

His tongue nimbly worked into the buttonhole, and the dark button popped open, revealing the white shirt and the young man’s lean waist.

Qi Yan was truly obedient now. After biting open the bottom button, he moved upward, freeing one button after another from their holes, until only the one near the collarbone remained dangerously loose.

Shen Juan’s slender fingers carded through Qi Yan’s soft black hair, very much like encouragement.

“Click—”

The last button was bitten open, revealing the young man’s pale, luminous neck and snow-white shoulders, and also…

The fabric was soaked through with milk. The antiseptic-smelling infirmary now carried another scent—a faint, sweet fragrance.

Qi Yan’s chin rubbed against his collarbone, his eyes looking up at Shen Juan like a puppy waiting for instructions.

The smile in Shen Juan’s eyes grew deeper. Under the influence of the *Obedience Water*, if he didn't give a new command, Qi Yan wouldn’t make any other move.

He stroked the boy’s hair: “Now, nurse at your second favorite place.”

The white shirt fell away to either side. Shen Juan’s collarbone was thoroughly kissed by Qi Yan before being drawn into the man’s mouth.

Qi Yan’s face buried into the hollow of his shoulder, his head lowered, sucking by instinct. Shen Juan whimpered in pain but didn’t stop him.

He gently touched Qi Yan’s hair, his voice husky yet sweet: “No rush, it’s all yours.”

As time passed, it visibly deflated.

Shen Juan’s knuckles relaxed, then suddenly clenched. He could hear the sounds of military training from the sports field.

It was the new students’ enrollment season, and military training had just begun. From this angle, he could see their youthful, energetic faces—as if they, too, could be seen.

The transparent glass gave Shen Juan the illusion that they were being watched.

If any of them happened to look up, they would see their seemingly composed, serious, always bespectacled, abstinent and rigid teacher willingly lying in a narrow medical room, being wantonly defiled by a man.

A scorching electric current shot up Shen Juan’s spine. The flush coloring his eye corners might have been from shame or excitement.

Once the swelling pain subsided, Shen Juan pushed himself up. His collar fell apart, the pale skin shimmering over his shoulders like soft waves.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, caressing his boy, lips parting slightly. Shen Juan smiled and gently tapped Qi Yan’s lips: “Now, bite me. Leave your favorite kind of marks.”

Qi Yan followed the command, biting with careful pressure into Shen Juan’s neck, leaving a strawberry mark.

Qi Yan now acted solely on his commands. Once the effects of the *Obedience Water* wore off, he would remember nothing of what was happening now.

He wouldn’t know that he had personally left deep kiss marks on his wife.

If one day in the future he happened to see them, he might misunderstand, thinking someone else had left them, whipping up a storm in his heart.

Shen Juan’s fingertips traced the nape of Qi Yan’s neck. Beneath his glassy eyes lay a cold clarity.

The strawberry marks were vivid and bright. Shen Juan’s spine arched, his shoulder blades trembling slightly with his body. His voice was low and hoarse: “The other side too. Make them symmetrical.”

Teeth bit down again, the man’s searing lips working against his skin, forcing Shen Juan’s breathing to grow increasingly ragged.

Two identical kiss marks were exposed under the clear sky. Shen Juan, pleased, smoothed his clothes: “Darling, now turn your back to me.”

Qi Yan obediently turned away. Soon, a firm yet yielding male body pressed against his back, and the fabric on his shoulder was tugged down.

Then, Qi Yan’s shoulder was bitten. Shen Juan bit down hard, teeth marks and lip prints blooming together, blood welling up.

He tugged down the fabric on the other shoulder, but before Shen Juan could pull off Qi Yan’s clothes, he heard the sound of the door opening.

The school doctor had returned.

If they stepped inside, they would see the always composed and detached Shen Juan shamelessly entangled with a man.

Worst of all, Shen Juan could feel Qi Yan stirring awake, but he hadn’t given any command.

The *Obedience Water* was wearing off.

Under these twin pressures, Shen Juan’s eyelashes quivered faintly.