Chapter 7: Compensation

Refusal was a right, but certain people made it impossible for you to exercise that right.

Yan Jingyao hadn’t used an especially forceful tone, but the confidence in her eyes, the slight lift of her brows, and the barely perceptible smile at the corners of her lips all implied coercion.

“I’ll compensate you. President Yan recommended you and said you were highly professional. You’re Ren Jingxi’s student, aren’t you? I know Professor Ren too.”

She had invoked two people’s names in one short sentence. Ji Lan fell silent and studied her face for a long moment. “But I would be assuming responsibility for this, wouldn’t I?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. When the time comes, our law firm will issue a statement clarifying that psychological assessments aren’t decisive evidence for determining whether someone is good or evil. It’s simply something we currently need.”

Ultimately, what they wanted wasn’t the assessment itself, but the evaluation of a qualified professional. Of course Ji Lan understood the implication.

However, this presented an opportunity she could exploit. “May I choose my compensation?”

“Of course.” Yan Jingyao didn’t think too deeply about it. It would ​stolen content​be nothing more than money or access to her connections. The corner of her mouth curved into a slightly suggestive smile. “What would you like, Professor Ji?”

Ji Lan looked away and answered noncommittally, “I’ll think about it. But I need to teach my next class now.”

“All right.” Yan Jingyao finally released her. “I’ll wait for your answer.”

After leaving Yan Jingyao her phone number, Ji Lan headed up the stairs on the other side to teach her next class. Yan Jingyao remained where she was for a while before turning toward the exit.

Her feet hurt and her legs ached, so she could only carry her high heels in her hands.

That Professor Ji certainly had quite a temper. Yan Jingyao stopped and bent down to massage her calves. Ji Lan had truly left her in a miserable state.

Classes were in session, so there were no students in the corridor. She walked several more steps across the cold tiles with bare feet when a tall, slender young woman suddenly came around the corner.

“Excuse me, classmate~” Yan Jingyao called to her cheerfully. “Could you help me? I’m one of your senior alumnae.”

The young woman looked slightly bewildered. After hesitating for a moment, she approached ​read the original at bailiantales.com​and gently supported Yan Jingyao by the arm.

Yan Jingyao was hardly shy. She immediately draped an arm over the young woman’s shoulders and leaned half her body against her. “Thank you. What department are you from?”

“The law department.”

“Oh, then you’re my direct junior. What’s your name?”

“Lu… Lu Xiaoci.”

“What a cute name. What year are you in?”

“My second year…”

“Oh~”

The teaching building’s exit wasn’t far away, but the parking unauthorized copyarea was some distance from there. Yan Jingyao couldn’t possibly walk there barefoot, so Lu Xiaoci took her over on her electric scooter.

“Thank you.” Attorney Yan didn’t forget to radiate her seductive charm. She took out a business card and handed it to her adorable junior. “Keep this safe. After you graduate, if you want to become a lawyer, you can apply at my firm.”

Lu Xiaoci obediently nodded. She had large, round black eyes, pure like a young deer’s yet slightly timid. Yan Jingyao smiled and bent down to get into her car. “Bye-bye.”

…

Ji Lan eventually did visit the law firm. She brought a scoring sheet for the psychological assessment. Jiang Ying personally received her, copied and distributed the forms, then compiled and published the results.

Yan Jingyao was busy moving and didn’t attend. Pei Jinxi had found her a vacant, furnished loft. She went to a furniture market, selected a few necessities, arranged them inside, and moved in with only her bags.

At the same time, she had numerous professional connections to reestablish. Once the controversy surrounding the firm subsided, she didn’t see Ji Lan again. More than a month passed without her noticing, and she assumed that her brief encounter with the woman had simply come to an end.

One morning, she had just climbed out of bed and shuffled toward the bathroom, scratching her disheveled hair as she went to wash up. With toothpaste foam still in her mouth, she suddenly heard the front door.

Who was it?

Anyone visiting before nine was probably Chen Jin or Pei Jinxi. Yan Jingyao dawdled for a while before finally going downstairs to open the door.

Unexpectedly, it was Ji Lan.

“Pro-Professor… Professor Ji… Ji Lan?”

She was so surprised that she couldn’t decide how to address her, eventually settling on her name. “Why are you here?”

She was even more curious about how Ji Lan knew her address.

“Hello.” Ji Lan was as aloof as ever, her face showing little emotion. “May I come inside before we talk?”

Fine. Yan Jingyao could only let her in. The house was sparsely furnished, and there was nothing with which to entertain a guest. She casually pulled out a chair beside the dining table. “Sit down. Would you like some bottled water?”

“Thank you, but I’m not thirsty.”

Yan Jingyao went into the kitchen anyway. Ji Lan sat down, placed her laptop on the table, folded her hands together, and raised her gaze to examine her closely.

Around thirty years old. Approximately one hundred and seventy-four centimeters tall. An upright figure, well-proportioned, with no visible physical flaws. Her hair was black with a grayish tint, wavy, and extended approximately fifteen centimeters past her shoulders.

Like a precision instrument, Ji Lan recorded every observable and estimable detail within seconds. The moment Yan Jingyao turned around, she shifted her gaze away and seemingly scanned the house without particular interest.

The furniture was simple and arranged with perfect neatness. Judging by how the seasoning jars on the kitchen counter were all positioned precisely along the center line, she might possess some mildly compulsive tendencies.

“Did you come here for something?”

Yan Jingyao placed a bottle of mineral water on the table, pulled out the chair opposite Ji Lan, and sat down. She angled her body slightly to the side, resting one bent arm along the back of the chair in a comfortable, relaxed posture.

Dominant, uninhibited, and possessing a strong desire for control, Ji Lan thought. Just as expected of a woman who casually flirted with strangers and drove without watching where she was going.

A fresh knot of irritation formed in her heart. She disliked this woman—intensely. But she had to ​bailiantales.com​keep reminding herself that everything was for the truth.

“Are you observing me?”

Yan Jingyao spoke abruptly. Her brow lifted almost imperceptibly, amusement filling her gaze. “As expected of a psychology professor.”

Impatient with her, highly observant, and heavily guarded, Ji Lan concluded. Without revealing anything, she calmly shifted her gaze away and concealed every trace of her contempt and distaste.

“I came because I wanted to discuss something with you.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you say I could choose my compensation? I conducted the psychological assessments without charging any fee.”

“Mmm. And?”

“So I’ve come to collect my compensation.”

She opened her laptop and turned it toward Yan Jingyao. “I’m conducting a new study, and I’d like you to be one of my subjects.”

The Word document read: Research on the Psychology of Romantic Relationships. Several consecutive tables appeared beneath the title.

“You want me to be a research subject?”

Yan Jingyao was somewhat speechless, her eyes clearly saying, Like hell I believe you. “Are you joking? Why did you choose me?”

“You appear to have extensive romantic experience.”

What a tactful way of putting it, Yan Jingyao complained inwardly. Her phone suddenly rang, so she stood up. “Excuse me. There’s something I need to handle first.”

Ji Lan indicated that she understood. Yan Jingyao went upstairs, entered the study, closed the door, and answered the call. “Hello, Mom?”

“Jingyao, well… I have a friend, and her daughter…”

“Is it Ji Lan?”

“Huh? Mmm…”

Now she knew how Ji Lan had found her home. As expected, her mother was behind this. Yan Jingyao rubbed her forehead. “Mom, why did she come to my house? She says she wants me to be a research subject for some paper.”

“Cough. Well, um, Jingyao… she’ll temporarily be staying with you for a while. She’ll leave after some time.”

“What?”

What the hell? Yan Jingyao couldn’t believe her ears. “No, why should she be allowed to live here?”

“Her mother and I were high school classmates.” Yan Rui actually sounded guilty. “Anyway, she’s only borrowing a room for a few days.”

“What do you mean, borrowing a room… Hello? Hello?”

She had actually hung up. Yan Jingyao fumed. There was definitely something fishy going on!

After going downstairs, she couldn’t be bothered to waste words with Ji Lan. “You can’t live here, and I won’t be your research subject.”

Ji Lan remained perfectly calm. “Your mother called you, didn’t she?”

“…”

“She was the one who said I could stay here.”

Ji Lan had apparently anticipated that Yan Jingyao wouldn’t allow it and had gone directly to her mother. Yan Jingyao stared at her and felt as though she had punched a ball of cotton. Even her anger had nowhere to land.

Ji Lan had truly found her weak spot.

Having another person in the house would be unbelievably inconvenient. Yan Jingyao rapidly considered her options. When her gaze landed [bailiantales.com]on Ji Lan’s laptop, an idea came to her.

She walked over and flirtatiously tilted Ji Lan’s chin upward. “All right, Professor Ji. But I’m afraid your research on romance will have to begin with this.”

Before Ji Lan could react, Yan Jingyao lowered her head and kissed her. Her lips pressed against Ji Lan’s, and she caught them between her own, gently sucking once.

The kiss ended quickly. Ji Lan’s heartbeat fell into disarray for several seconds—her first kiss, the first time she had ever kissed a woman, had been stolen.

The atmosphere suddenly became ambiguous. A lingering fragrance remained upon their lips, and Yan Jingyao unexpectedly found herself reluctant to let the sensation disappear. She raised her thumb, stroked Ji Lan’s lips, and stared at her.

The skin beneath her fingertip was soft, delicate, and warm. “Professor Ji, has anyone ever told you that your lips resemble Monica Bellucci’s?”

Ji Lan wore more lipstick than she had during the lecture. Her lips were exquisitely shaped, small yet full, with a perfect balance between the thickness of her upper and lower lips. Combined with her features, they gave her a cool yet captivating beauty.

Yan Jingyao hadn’t looked closely last time. Now, as she carefully studied her, she found Ji Lan’s lips remarkably alluring. “Your lips are truly beautiful. You have excellent bone structure too.”

True beauty lay in the bones rather than the skin. Ji Lan’s features were read the original at bailiantales.com well-defined, yet they didn’t possess the excessively sharp, deep contours common among Westerners. Instead, they were soft.

Her eyebrows were slender and dark, while her eyes were clear. Yan Jingyao thought the distance between her eyes and brows was also perfectly proportioned, which was why she was so beautiful.

Unfortunately, she didn’t seem fond of smiling. She had been the same during class—rigidly proper, cool, and aloof. She was undoubtedly beautiful, but far too distant.

What was another term for it—an unattainable flower on a lofty peak?

“Are you finished looking?”

Ji Lan was also studying Yan Jingyao. She suddenly said, “I’ve heard that people with thin lips are skilled with words. Attorney Yan is quite attractive and possesses a face destined to draw romantic attention. You must be very good at sweet-talking your lovers, aren’t you?”

The implication was clear: Yan Jingyao was going to become her research subject, whether she liked it or not.