The Disassembled Bed and the Art of Pretended Instruction

Luo Xuan’s home had two beds: one was a large bed, and the other was also a large bed… though it had been quietly disassembled.

Had there been two beds, Bai Jingjing might have simply chosen to sleep in the other, leaving Luo Xuan with no plausible reason to keep her close. Thus, on a particular weekend when Bai Jingjing was away, Luo Xuan had stealthily dismantled it.

Don’t ask; if anyone inquired, the official story was ‘dilapidated from age, a product long since scrapped.’

Having already showered, Bai Jingjing now lay stretched out on the bed, her modesty barely veiled by a single thin bath towel.

“Luo sister, what are you doing?” she inquired, her gaze fixed on Luo Xuan, who sat at the edge of the bed, clearly hesitant.

Luo Xuan flinched slightly. “I, I’m contemplating which skill would be best to teach you, considering I… I possess a great many.”

In truth, she knew not a single one, instead fabricating her answer on the spot.

“Alright then,” Bai Jingjing murmured, stifling a yawn. “I’ll just lie here for a while; wake me when you’re prepared.”

‘Oh, no! Don’t you dare!’

Luo Xuan swiftly scrambled onto the bed. “Alright, alright, I’m ready now, absolutely ready!”

‘If Bai Jingjing truly drifted off to sleep, would she genuinely be able to rouse her?’

With that thought, she too burrowed under the covers, settling on her side to face Bai Jingjing.

“Alright, then. For now, we shall focus on mastering the third skill.”

Bai Jingjing watched her silently, her small face a picture of unwavering seriousness.

While the first instance might have been a mere coincidence, and the second perhaps… another, the relentless recurrence of feeling an overwhelming unease whenever she encountered anything ‘lewd’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘sese,’ referring to something sexually suggestive or titillating), had led Bai Jingjing to a profound realization.

This brand-new body, graced by the stars and sculpted by the wishes of falling meteors, was outwardly as flawless as a goddess. Yet, just as Venus herself was not without imperfections, this body’s singular drawback lay in…

‘She truly couldn’t resist.’

Bai Jingjing found herself powerless; though her actions succumbed to the body’s demands, her mind still sought to justify them. ‘This isn’t for my own pleasure,’ she reasoned, ‘but rather to better excel at my future part-time endeavors.’

‘This is simply what it means to love what you do.’

Coincidentally, Luo Xuan harbored the exact same thoughts: ‘I’m not doing this for my own gratification; it’s solely to ensure my best friend has a superior experience.’

‘If it’s all for a friend, enduring any hardship (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘shang xueshan xia shuichi,’ meaning to go through great lengths or endure extreme difficulties for someone), what objection could there possibly be?’

Thus, the two young women, lying face to face beneath the covers, earnestly hypnotized… no, rather, convinced themselves that they were engaged in an act of profound selflessness.

Luo Xuan feigned teaching, while Bai Jingjing feigned listening.

“Look, first, you entwine your legs like this, just like that particular skill, what was its name again…?” Luo Xuan demonstrated, leading the way.

Bai Jingjing blinked with an air of pure innocence. “Entangling Roots?”

“Exactly! That’s the idea. Once you’ve entwined them like this, you’ve effectively gained control. And with them under your command, whatever comes next is entirely within your grasp.”

Whether it was a push-and-pull dynamic or a process of intimate adjustment, the initiative would firmly be theirs.

Bai Jingjing blinked, this time with a less-than-innocent glint in her eyes. “So, Luo sister, are you planning to teach me the art of push-and-pull, or the nuances of intimate adjustment?”

Luo Xuan’s breathing grew progressively heavier. “I was thinking we might begin with a bit of push-and-pull… or perhaps even combine the push-and-pull with intimate adjustment; they’re not mutually exclusive.”

“Mmm~”

Before long, both their breaths grew shallow and quick, their words becoming tangled and indistinct.

“Just like this… and that. The advantage is clearly… yours. These motions I just demonstrated… *huff, huff*… have you mastered them?”

“I… I don’t quite understand.”

Seizing the brief respite, the two young women exchanged a knowing glance, as if tiny hearts now fluttered within each other’s eyes.

“Perhaps… we should stop the lecture?” Bai Jingjing proposed, taking the initiative. “Might I simply… experience it for myself?”

‘There’s no need for further instruction; you’re merely feigning teaching, and I’m merely feigning learning. It’s rather tedious and quite exhausting.’

“That works,” Luo Xuan mused for a moment before readily agreeing. “Then, you shall simply… grasp it on your own.”

‘No more pretense, then. Let’s proceed directly.’

While the ‘lesson’ was a pretense, the ‘skill’ itself was undeniably real. As two pairs of supple legs (TL Note: ‘玉腿’ (yù tuǐ) literally means ‘jade legs,’ a poetic term often used to describe beautiful, slender female legs) engaged in a mutual ‘Entangling Roots,’ both young women found themselves utterly captivated.

This was a gladiatorial arena even more confined than the ‘Samsara Dead End,’ offering no escape. Two young ‘little tiger cubs’ (TL Note: ‘小脑斧’ (xiǎo nǎo fǔ) is a playful misspelling of ‘小老虎’ (xiǎo lǎo hǔ), meaning ‘little tiger,’ often used endearingly for cute, spirited girls) could only playfully nip at each other, occasionally finding themselves pressed intimately together, engaging in a delicate dance of adjustment.

And, naturally, the one responsible for the ‘push-and-pull’ was none other than Tuan Tuan (TL Note: ‘团团’ (tuán tuán) is a term often used playfully or suggestively to refer to breasts, particularly when described as round or bulging).

Engaged in a battle on two fronts, the consumption of her ‘provisions’ (TL Note: ‘粮草’ (liáng cǎo), literally ‘provisions,’ used metaphorically here for stamina or energy) proved too immense. Before long, Luo Xuan utterly expended… no, rather, utterly depleted herself (TL Note: A playful rephrasing of ‘一泄千里’ (yī xiè qiān lǐ), an idiom suggesting rapid exhaustion or ejaculation), leaving her with no strength left for further combat.

“Phew,” Luo Xuan exhaled, settling onto her back and closing her eyes. “That concludes today’s instruction. Good night.”

Believing she had thoroughly indulged herself, she drifted into a profoundly peaceful slumber.

Yet, mere minutes later, Bai Jingjing’s eyes fluttered open, and she let out a silent sigh.

‘I feel… it wasn’t quite as good as Sister Xia Chu’s… stamina.’

Luo Xuan might be asleep, but Bai Jingjing couldn’t simply follow suit; at the very least, she needed to change the bedding, lest she catch an unpleasant cold.

****

The following day at noon, a certain loli (TL Note: A Japanese loanword referring to a young, innocent-looking girl) intended to utilize her lunch break to discuss certain intricate details.

However—

[Xiaobai: Let’s call it a day for now; my condition isn’t suitable.]

[Lemon: Condition unsuitable??]

Bai Jingjing lay sprawled on the bed, emitting a soft yawn.

‘Indeed, it’s unsuitable. Last night was rather… ‘lewd’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘sese,’ referring to something sexually suggestive or titillating), so today I must exercise some restraint.’

[Xiaobai: Let’s postpone our discussion until the weekend; I need to prepare for my tutoring session.]

[Lemon: …Alright then.]

Bai Jingjing mused that this was for the best; the little loli ought to have a proper afternoon nap, for insufficient sleep might hinder her growth.

Provided, of course, that she could actually fall asleep, unburdened by the ‘details’ she had already conjured in her mind.

Later that afternoon, as they sat down for their evening meal, Bai Jingjing brought up her upcoming plans.

“Tomorrow, I’m scheduled for a tutoring session with Teacher Liu Wanqing, so Luo sister, you’ll have to prepare your own meal.”

“Mm-hmm, mm?” Luo Xuan, who had been idly chewing on her chopsticks, suddenly registered the implication. “You’re going as early as tomorrow?”

Bai Jingjing paused, considering that this particular ‘going’ should indeed be entirely innocent. “Yes, I’m going for tutoring tomorrow.”

‘This time, it’s genuinely for study, so there shouldn’t be any… ‘going all the way.”

“Then, would you like me to accompany you tomorrow?” Luo Xuan offered, her tone eager.

‘It felt a touch awkward to admit, but she truly had nothing pressing to do; being idle was, after all, simply being idle.’

“There’s no need,” Bai Jingjing replied after a brief hesitation. “Teacher Liu Wanqing is a kind person; we’ve met her before, you know. It’s merely a standard tutoring session.”

She had not disclosed to Luo Xuan the matter of Liu Wanqing having commissioned her for a manuscript, nor the plot and content of that particular comic draft.

Taking a thousand steps back, if Liu Wanqing truly posed a danger, bringing Luo Xuan along would be akin to a calabash doll trying to save its grandpa (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘hululuwa jiu yeye,’ referring to a situation where someone weak tries to help someone even weaker, often leading to both getting into trouble).

Therefore, she offered a gentle smile. “Don’t worry, Luo sister, it’s really nothing. It’s just a class, that’s all.”

‘With a little caution, surely a lesson wouldn’t transform into… a lesson *with* me, right?’

That evening, Bai Jingjing unearthed the comic she had drawn years ago and glanced through it once more. The plot within the comic had been designed by Liu Wanqing herself, and aside from the heart-pounding, ‘bulging’ (TL Note: ‘鼓鼓’ (gǔ gǔ) here implies a suggestive fullness or roundness, often referring to breasts in a ‘lewd’ context) ‘lewdness’ it contained, there were also some rather peculiar old tropes.

Yet, in reality, it had only been an order from a few months prior.

She had heard that Teacher Liu Wanqing was in her late twenties, approaching thirty, making her a few years older than Sister Xia Chu.

‘No, I shouldn’t look anymore; if I continue, my body will start acting strangely again.’ In any case, she had memorized the plot. She would simply pay close attention when the time came and proceed cautiously, one step at a time.