The Back Seat of a Bicycle

"I... I'm not cold anymore. Let go of me..."

Tang Yue's cheeks burned with embarrassment, and warmth returned to her chilled body.

Mo Xie had looked so tender when he showed concern for her just now. It was almost unfair!

What girl wouldn't feel her heart stir when a boy cared for her like that?

Truth be told, Tang Yue's heart had fluttered in that moment, and her pulse had quickened.

But she was Mo Xie's teacher! What was she doing, letting one of her students make her heart race?

Seeing Mo Xie's face up close made her blush even harder. Her heart sped up again.

Of all the men Tang Yue had ever met, she thought he was the most handsome. No contest.

She was afraid that if she didn't pull away, she might not be able to stop herself...

Mo Xie felt that Tang Yue's hand had grown warmer, so he let it go.

"Can you stand?"

"I think so."

With Mo Xie supporting her, Tang Yue managed to stand. She was much steadier than before.

"By the way, how did you find this place? I'm sure I shook you off."

Once she had recovered, Mo Xie asked the question that had been bothering him most.

"Huh? You admit you were the person I chased this afternoon?!"

Tang Yue's beautiful eyes widened as she stared at him in disbelief.

"If I didn't want to admit it, I wouldn't have come out to find you. Answer my question first."

Tang Yue smiled confidently and pointed toward Chenxi's entrance.

"Simple. Your bicycle was parked outside."

Mo Xie looked over. Sure enough, his bicycle was parked by the entrance.

He smiled as it clicked into place. He hadn't expected a habit of his to give him away.

"As sharp as ever, Teacher Tang Yue. But you waited out here for four hours? Are you crazy?"

One moment, Tang Yue was basking in her own cleverness and Mo Xie's praise. His next words stopped her cold.

"You... how do you know that?!"

Mo Xie pointed to the streetlamp above her and explained with a smile.

"There's a hidden camera right above you. We could see everything you did."

Tang Yue's cheeks heated up again, this time with mortification.

When the security guards had come to investigate earlier, she had thought she was well hidden.

But they had known she was crouching there all along. They just hadn't said anything.

She was devastated. She had even thought Intermediate Mages had grown so powerful that they could sense her the moment they used magic.

So she had been the fool all along, letting everyone make a joke of her!

"Why didn't you come down sooner?"

Tang Yue was sure Mo Xie had waited on purpose because he wanted to see her embarrass herself.

"That's not fair! How was I supposed to know you'd really stay down here the whole time? I thought you'd leave after a while."

His innocent expression only made Tang Yue angrier. She reached out and gave his waist a hard pinch.

"Hey, don't pinch me!"

He might have been tough, but the waist was still a man's weak spot. Women knew that trick always worked.

Anyone passing by would have thought they were a young couple flirting on the street!

Tang Yue realized how intimate her gesture had been and hurriedly put some distance between them. She was so muddled that even her judgment seemed affected.

She was about to summon her authority as a teacher and give Mo Xie a proper talking-to when her stomach betrayed her with two loud growls.

"Hungry?"

Mo Xie asked gently, smiling.

Tang Yue had embarrassed herself enough for one night. She said nothing and nodded.

"I haven't eaten either. Wait here. I'll take you to get something."

Mo Xie ran off. Before long, he returned on a bicycle.

"Hop on, beautiful Tang Yue."

He patted the back seat with a grin.

"I'm your teacher. Show some respect!"

Tang Yue shot him a glare, displeased with the way he had addressed her.

"You're only four or five years older than me. No need to fuss, right, Judge Tang?"

Mo Xie spoke as if it were nothing.

"How do you know that? You... you investigated me!"

Tang Yue froze, then stared at him in shock.

"You stopped bothering me recently, so you must have received the notice. It's hardly surprising that I got hold of your file."

Tang Yue thought it over. He had attracted the attention of the Southern Military District's top brass, after all. It wasn't strange that he could access her information.

"Don't you know it's rude to tell people a woman's real age?"

Even though she understood, Tang Yue was still a little annoyed. She gave a huff.

"All right, stop complaining and get on."

Mo Xie patted the back seat again, urging her to hurry.

Tang Yue eyed the bicycle. A seat mounted on the back of a road bike looked rather odd to her.

She took a few steps forward, but Mo Xie stopped her.

"You're like a child. Button up the coat. If mine flies away, are you going to replace it?"

He helped Tang Yue put on the coat she had draped over her shoulders and fastened it, then nodded in satisfaction.

"Won't you be cold without it?"

Tang Yue looked at Mo Xie. He had given her his coat and was wearing only a thin shirt. She couldn't help asking.

Hearing the concern in her voice, Mo Xie smiled and shook his head.

"Thanks for worrying, but I'm in good shape. A little cold won't bother me."

Since he had put it that way, Tang Yue didn't insist. She gathered her skirt and sat on the bicycle's back seat.

She raised her hands, unsure where to put them. After a pause, she settled for clutching the hem of his shirt.

Feeling the tug on his shirt, Mo Xie couldn't help smiling. He turned to see Tang Yue at a loss.

"Don't tell me you've never ridden on the back of a bicycle."

Tang Yue frowned and answered honestly.

"I haven't."

"Even if you haven't, you've seen how it's done, haven't you? Hold on to my waist. You don't want to fall off halfway there."

Tang Yue hesitated. She wasn't comfortable doing something so intimate with a boy.

But then she remembered the terrifying speed he had reached that afternoon, when even a car couldn't catch him. Fear won out, and she wrapped her arms around Mo Xie's waist.

Ever since she had met this little rascal, they had already been close more times than she cared to count. What was one more?

Tang Yue was starting to think Mo Xie had been sent from heaven just to drive her mad.

Who threatened a guest with a knife the first time she visited his home? He didn't know the first thing about treating a woman gently!

Mo Xie pressed down on the pedals, and the bicycle rolled slowly onto the road.

From the back seat, Tang Yue found none of the wobbling or heart-stopping danger she had expected. The ride was remarkably smooth, as though the extra passenger made no difference at all.

It was so steady that she almost felt as if she were riding in a car rather than on a bicycle.

"You ride perfectly well. What was all that talk about falling off? Do you give girls rides often?"

The question came to Tang Yue's mind, and she asked it before she could stop herself.

She didn't even know why she had spoken without thinking. She simply wanted to hear his answer.

"What are you talking about? You're only the second girl to ride on the back."

"The second? Who was the first?"

"My little sister. You met her at my place."

"Oh, her..."

Tang Yue remembered the innocent-looking girl who had been so hostile to her at Mo Xie's home that night.

"I remember her surname was Ye. How is she your sister?"

"Xia is my sworn sister, but I think of her as my own little sister."

At the mention of Xia, Mo Xie's expression softened, along with his voice.

But Tang Yue was a woman too. She knew exactly what Ye Xinxia's hostility toward her meant, and she smiled faintly.

"Your sister really likes you."

"Sure does!"

Mo Xie grinned, missing the double meaning in her words.

Tang Yue understood enough and said no more.

A new book is underway. Please support it with recommendations, favorites, continued reading, monthly votes, and tips!