From Arrogance to Deference, Laughable in Retrospect

Bai Luoming followed the navigation directions and stopped outside Herta's office.

"This is great. With navigation, I don't have to wander around like last time and rely on little Herta to find this place."

As Bai Luoming spoke, he raised his hand to knock, but before it reached the door's sensor, the heavy alloy doors slid silently apart.

"Oh, nice. I don't even have to knock."

He stepped into the room and called out to the person inside.

"Ms. Herta, your delivery is here. Please sign for it."

Before his words had faded, he stopped dead in his tracks.

This time, his shoe didn't land on the cold metal floor. It sank into a soft, dark red cashmere carpet instead.

The office had been completely transformed. Not only had a carpet been laid on the floor, but an ornately carved round table and two high-backed chairs had also been placed in the middle of the room.

An exquisite bone china tea set sat on the table, steam rising from the teapot's spout. Beside it, a plate of neatly arranged pastries gave off a rich, sweet baked aroma.

Bai Luoming stepped back half a pace and looked up at the sign on the door: Herta's office.

This is the right place. No mistake.

With that thought, Bai Luoming turned his gaze back to the round table.

Herta sat in one of the chairs beside it, looking completely different from her usual self. Not only had she abandoned her usual witch's outfit, but she wasn't even wearing her pointy witch's hat.

In their place was a fitted white strapless dress, its hem falling just above her knees. Her hair, usually held down by her hat, was loose, falling naturally over her shoulders.

Without all those elaborate decorations, Herta's cold, hard exterior had been stripped away, giving her a gentle appearance.

Herta looked at Bai Luoming standing in the doorway, a flash of delight in her eyes quickly suppressed by her usual indifference. She extended her right hand, gesturing for him to take the empty chair opposite her.

"Sit."

Bai Luoming came to his senses, strode over, pulled out the chair, and sat down.

His gaze lingered involuntarily on Herta's neckline for half a second. The strapless dress left her collarbones and shoulders completely exposed, while the fabric below lay perfectly flat.

Looking at Herta's neckline, an utterly ill-timed thought popped into his head: With such barren land, will she really be able to feed a child in the future?

Herta sat opposite Bai Luoming, her gaze sweeping over his face.

His eyes were wandering, and a strange little smile hung on his lips. Her intuition told her that Bai Luoming definitely wasn't thinking anything good.

She didn't press him, simply making a mental note of it. Once she had won Bai Luoming over, there would be plenty of time to settle these scores.

Herta took the teapot by its handle and tilted it, sending amber tea swirling into a cup.

Her movements were practiced, and she deliberately slowed each step, as though putting on a bit of a show.

Bai Luoming looked at the refreshments pushed in front of him. Without giving it much thought, he picked up a pastry and tossed it into his mouth.

The instant his teeth broke through the flaky crust, an overwhelmingly powerful sweetness shot straight to the top of his head. Someone who didn't know better might have thought the pastry had been made with sugar instead of flour.

His taste buds dealt a devastating blow, he instinctively frowned, his tongue going completely stiff in his mouth.

"This pastry is way too sweet. It's sickeningly sweet. I'd suggest trying a different vendor. The taste really isn't good."

At that, Herta's hand froze as she poured. She looked at Bai Luoming expressionlessly, a trace of chill in her voice.

"I made those myself."

?

Bai Luoming still had the sickeningly sweet pastry in his mouth and was trying to swallow it. When he heard Herta's words, his expression froze.

His brain raced, trying to find a way out alive.

Bai Luoming swallowed the pastry with difficulty. Instead of rushing to speak, he picked up the tea Herta had just poured and took a small sip.

The slightly bitter aroma and scalding heat burst across his mouth, forcibly suppressing the cloying sweetness.

His eyes widened, his stiff expression shifting seamlessly into one of sudden realization.

"Wait."

Bai Luoming put down his cup, his expression utterly serious.

"I think my earlier judgment was seriously mistaken. The pastry is a bit too sweet on its own, but it's different with this tea."

Right in front of Herta, he took another small bite of pastry, then a sip of tea. He closed his eyes and chewed twice with great solemnity.

"Once the tea cuts through the sweetness, all the layers of flavor come out. Neither is quite enough on its own, but together they're a perfect match. As expected of you, Ms. Herta. Even the things you make have so much depth."

Herta stared straight at Bai Luoming, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.

"At least you have some ability to appreciate it."

Only then did Bai Luoming breathe a sigh of relief. It looked like the matter was behind them.

The atmosphere returned to normal.

Bai Luoming ate the pastry in small bites, using a sip of tea as an opening to ask a question.

"Speaking of which, what exactly did you call me here for today? You wouldn't say over the communicator."

Herta set down the bone china cup in her hand and leaned back in her chair, speaking casually.

"Nothing special. I asked you here to try my cooking and have a few routine checks while you're at it."

At the word "checks," Bai Luoming's hand shook violently, spilling a few drops of tea onto the dark red carpet.

The "special check" Herta had performed in this very office last time automatically replayed in his mind.

"What kind of checks? Like the one last time?"

Herta didn't answer directly. Her gaze lingered on his lips for two seconds.

"What do you think?"

Bai Luoming decided to put an immediate stop to this dangerous topic. He put down his cup and pushed the plate of pastries toward Herta, preparing to talk about something else to distract her.

"The refreshments were just the appetizer," Herta said before he could speak.

Her voice suddenly dropped, taking on an intensely oppressive tone. She rose from the high-backed chair, went around the carved round table, and walked toward Bai Luoming, one step at a time.

Bai Luoming tilted his head up, watching the figure draw closer. His body instinctively leaned back, pressing his back tightly against the chair.

"The appetizer? Then what's the main course..."

Before he could finish, Herta bent down and reached past his shoulders, bracing her hands on the armrests on either side of him.

The movement completely enclosed Bai Luoming within the chair's narrow space.

As she leaned forward, the neckline of her white strapless dress slipped down slightly, revealing a broad expanse of fair skin.

All Bai Luoming could see was Herta's face, just inches from his own. Her long hair fell across his cheek, carrying a cool, delicate fragrance.

Her body also blocked the office lights, enveloping Bai Luoming completely in shadow.

Herta looked down at Bai Luoming's startled expression and no longer suppressed the curve of her lips.

She lifted her hands from the armrests, swung one leg over Bai Luoming's knees, and straddled his lap.

Her movements were swift and clean, without the slightest hesitation. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers threading into the black hair at the back of his head.

Bai Luoming froze completely, his mind wiped blank.

"The main course delivered itself right to my door."

Herta spoke in a low voice, her warm breath brushing directly over his lips.

"You don't mind if I have a taste first, do you, little guy?"

Before Bai Luoming could answer, Herta lowered her head and kissed him.

Unlike the teasing oral examination last time, this time there was no excuse at all.

She kissed him hard, the hand buried in his black hair tightening until his scalp tingled.

The aggressive movement was like an urgent attempt to assert some kind of ownership, to wipe away all the various traces of scent clinging to him.

Bai Luoming recovered from his brief shutdown.

He didn't push her away. Instead, he raised both hands and wrapped them around her slender waist, returning Herta's kiss.

When they parted, Bai Luoming felt his lips beginning to burn and swell again. He gasped for air, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"Ms. Herta, the swelling in my mouth only went down yesterday."

Herta remained seated on his lap, showing no intention of getting up. She raised a hand and rubbed her thumb firmly across his lower lip, a look of satiated composure on her face.

"Yesterday is already in the past."

She paused and leaned close to his ear, her voice as soft as a sigh.

"What I want is now."