"You're very punctual to the college academic meeting, Professor Xu."
Li Na glanced up from the report she was writing for the dean of the College of sciences.
Zhang Xiu, her best friend, was standing in the doorway of her office with a sarcastic smile tinting her lips, leaning against the frame.
She gave her the same sarcastic smile. "Yeah. I was slightly busy."
"Busy hun? Do you have apple Juice in your cupboard?"
"Yes." Li Na kept her eyes on her report as Xiu, her best friend kept dragging her feet towards the cupboard.
Xiu reached for the Juice in the cupboard by the gigantic shelf, coming around the desk to the doorway. And Li Na raised her head up, realizing that Xiu was watching her, frowning. She stopped and raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"I don't know. You look…good. Glowing. Happy. Something good happened recently?" Her gaze dropped to the side of her neck and Li Na knew what she was looking at.
The deep red mark Li Jun had left there since Friday morning has not faded due to her soft skin.
"Yes," she said. "It did." Though good seemed too lousy a word to describe what had happened between her and Li Jun.
"Is it your wealthy, sinful-bodied post-graduate student?" Xiu lifted a brow and smirked at Li Na.
"Yes," Li Na mumbled as she shies away from looking at Zhang Xiu's dubious look, "How about we go for lunch at the Cafeteria?"Li Na asked as a way to change the topic.
Xiu nodded as she kept on looking at Li Na with a happy grin " I'm happy for you that you broke the ice covering that vajayjay"
"Zhang Xiu, stop teasing me"
Xiu nodded and stood up and mercifully didn't ask any questions or say anything, which was good, because she didn't want to answer them.
Thursday's event of Thursday slash Friday was nice. It had been a key in a lock. The opening of an abyss she'd been trapped in, allowing her to step outside for the first time in years. And she was still feeling the effects of that, even till now.
She went off down the corridor in the direction of the lecturer Lunch area, Zhang Xiu following behind Li Na as she kept on humming a tune about young love, Li Na turned back and rolled an eye at her as mortification seeped down into her bones.
"So I heard that the most workaholic plant-obsessed lecturer in the science college wants to take a long-term leave?" she asks Li Na A.K.A. The most workaholic plant-obsessed lecturer, before taking a long sip from her Juice.
Li Na nodded as she strode across the hall to order their food, after collecting the food trays, she went back to the table kept by her best friend Xiu.
"Yeah, I decided to take a rest after my long stay at NTU without any vacation.
I was supposed to be working out the details for my next seminar with the international student in two months or so," Li Na explained.
"Well, That's great news," Xiu exclaims. "I'm sure you would've told me all about it, had you returned any of my messages yesterday or today. Well, who am I to complain. Love, Ha! What a powerful potion you are, thou art sent my frigid friend into the land of unrecoverable flexibility and made her open up her closed up sensuality.."Xiu stood up and bent her side in mockery as she pretended to faint.
Lecturers that were there were amused by her display as they turned to look at their table.
Li Na's cheeks flush with chagrin at Xiu's theatrics, and her eyes drop to the floor."Hey! Xiu, what's it with your Elizabethan love speech, tone it down a bit. Gee, I'm sorry, I forgot to switch on my phone, but I've just been…uh, really busy, okay. "
Li Na's cheek warmed as she could feel her friend's curious stare fixed on her, and she really wished she could get a magic wand and disappear right now from the table.
"Oh! Beautiful Li Na, I'm sure you were very busy," she mocks, but Li Na didn't reply.
Switching her attention back to her lunch, she flashes her pearly whites at Li Na. "So, Li Na, Did you enjoy it?" Xiu wiggles her eyes at her
"What concerns you," Li Na mumbled.
"Come on, Li Na, humor this single mother in search of love lust stories" Xiu teased her friend."
"Really, Xiu you know we are being watched, right?"Li Na eyed her.
"Oh come on little Li-Li" Xiu whispered into Li Na's ear
"Don't call me that, well…It was such an eye-opening experience, submerging myself in a completely different nature of experience, not like the one I'm used to. I was amazed that it can be enjoyable, Xiu, I just can't help remembering what Chen Yi...that Man did to me. You know he will soon be released from prison. The fear that he will find me soon is eating me up. The fear that I'm involved with a younger man is also making me feel guilty that I dare not to feel too happy."
Xiu slams her fork down on the tabletop, causing all the staff surrounding them to tear their stares over to them. She bent down in an imitation of apology as She turned back to Li Na and glared at her.
"Don't you dare feel any stupid guilt, it's been a long time coming for you to experience such good in your life after a long time. Do You know how many times I've been wishing that you would see someone who will be a piece of a perfect puzzle to complete you. Since you enjoy it. Don't dare compare it with what happened that time with that Fool called Chen Yīn'àn. What he did was rape and a terrible act of immoral conduct...Okay."
Xiu pointed at Li Na when she saw her winced at the name that caused her nightmare. "Yes! Try and start saying his name. He is not Voldermort(He who must not be named). What you did back then was brave by handing him over to the security. It's just that the system is fucked up. They should have cut off his head, three years prison, what bullshit. See, don't be afraid." she announces, exasperated.
"Li Na, You're happy just now, don't let your past weigh you down, and the way you're thinking is completely unnatural. You really need to relax. It's all gonna be okay; I promise. Sudden show of real love tends to make us women a little crazy…not that you would've ever known before now, you need to take it step by step and enjoy it."
Li Na Jerked up to look at Xiu who was talking passionately as if she was one of her students, Xiu shakes her head at her dumbfounded expression.
"It's enough, Xiu, I get the crux of what you are saying now" Li Na smiled, no longer able to remain quiet. Xiu's words made her heart flutter with gratitude as her current level of fear and confusion was reduced.
"I get what you are saying, love doctor, What about Le Le?" Li Na asked as she watched her friend stuff her face with food.
"Oh, he's fine, though he has been asking for you. What's up with you making younger men fall for you? Even my lovely little boy is addicted to your face. Boy, we're the same age but I feel older. Li Na, my awesome fairy Flower doctor, show me the way.." she pleaded softly.
Li Na continued to eat while shaking her head at Xiu's amusing antics, but she felt an instinctual reason to turn around. She felt a prickling sense as she turned around and saw the person that was walking towards her.