Bai Ming stared wide-eyed at Herta.
She truly couldn't understand why this woman had gone from "let me take a look" to immediately laying hands on her.
Bai Ming tried to press a hand against Herta's shoulder to keep her from coming closer.
Instead, Herta lifted her hand and caught Bai Ming's slender wrist. Her fingertips traced slowly up along her arm, sliding to her shoulder—then lower, brushing past her collarbone.
Right before her eyes, a flush bloomed from Bai Ming's neck, spreading downward over her collarbone and chest, until even the tips of her ears were burning red.
The pale girl seemed to come vividly alive beneath her touch.
The ambiguous intimacy of it all sent goosebumps skittering across Bai Ming's skin. She felt like she was about to overheat on the spot.
"Wait—no—why?? Weren't we talking about the structure of my Saint Graph??"
Bai Ming was genuinely at a loss.
She replayed everything in her head and still couldn't figure out how things had escalated like this.
She'd just gotten a little shy. That was it.
So why was Madam Herta staring at her like she'd just discovered an amusing new toy?
The Herta I know isn't like this! Since when do you jump straight to handling me like this??
Shouldn't you be calling me incompetent, telling me my brain's hopeless, then casually upgrading my Saint Graph with a few flicks of your hand?
Then scolding me with that "I can't believe you" look and telling me to focus on proper research?
And finally—hard on the outside, soft on the inside—teaching me step by step how to build a better body for myself?
How did we go from chatting for two sentences to me getting pinned to a chair just because I blushed a little?!
I refuse!!
Yet in the face of Bai Ming's confusion and protests, Herta only felt utterly refreshed.
All those past irritations she'd endured suddenly seemed worth it.
Yes. Yes. This was exactly the expression she wanted to see.
She knew Bai Ming felt somewhat guilty about past things and wouldn't truly resist. But facing the aggression of the one-and-only Madam Herta, there was also that faint, reluctant give—like she half wanted to push back, half didn't.
And on top of that, Bai Ming cared too much about her pride to look willing.
That tangled look of wanting yet not wanting, daring yet not daring—and the slightly dazed expression brought on by sheer embarrassment—
It was delightful.
Herta pressed her shoulder forward, pushing down against Bai Ming's gradually weakening hand.
"Do you really want to know why?"
Bai Ming said nothing, but the look in her eyes said everything.
Herta smiled.
"You always say I hold grudges, don't you? Congratulations. You understand me perfectly. And this version of you? You'll probably only look like this once in your entire life. If I let it go now, wouldn't that be a waste?"
"Y-you're taking advantage of me!"
Bai Ming glared at her, clearly not expecting her to be this 'devious.'
"Call it that if you want. As my trophy, anything you say about me is basically praise."
Herta didn't care in the slightest about being called devious. Bai Ming was the one being cornered. The more she protested, the more it proved Herta was doing something right.
"And another thing. Making yourself a body—fine, you relied on Ruan Mei. But hiding it from me all this time? Did you really think you'd get away with that so easily?"
"W-what Ruan Mei…? I have no idea what you're talking about. Haha…"
Bai Ming tried to deny it, but Herta reached out and pinched her cheek, forcing her to meet her gaze.
"The craftsmanship on this body—Ruan Mei's style is all over it. You think I wouldn't notice?"
"Uh… well… Ruan Mei is better at creating lifeforms, and she just happened to be there, so…"
Herta kept smiling, but Bai Ming could feel cold sweat forming.
To Herta, this was important.
Running to Ruan Mei instead of relying on her?
That displeased her.
Even if she acknowledged that Ruan Mei excelled in life sciences, that was beside the point.
She was unhappy. End of story.
"You have a point," Herta said lightly. "But I'm unhappy. No objections allowed. And if you do have any, swallow them."
The complaint Bai Ming had been about to make died in her throat.
What could she even say to that?
She surrendered.
Seeing that stuck, speechless look, Herta chuckled and squeezed her cheek again.
"You know, since you were always using other people's bodies before, I've actually been quite restrained. But it seems that made you think I'm easy to talk to."
"Restrained? When were you ever restrained?!"
Bai Ming replayed their past interactions. That was restrained?
Herta just smiled and said nothing.
Then she snapped her fingers.
A force swept over Bai Ming, and in the blink of an eye, her white gown transformed into a short maid outfit trimmed with frills.
The design was elaborate and luxurious, with a faint touch of Lolita flair.
Her legs were wrapped in semi-sheer white stockings, and a garter hugged her left thigh, leaving a faint indentation. Even her hair accessory shifted into a classic maid's headpiece.
In an instant, her aura changed—from pure, saintly white to something adorably domestic.
"You're into this?!" Bai Ming yelped, staring at herself in shock.
Since when did Herta have this kind of hobby?
Herta merely leaned in and adjusted the low neckline and off-shoulder collar of the outfit with deliberate care.
"Don't talk nonsense. You're the one who likes this, aren't you? I saw how happy you were when you made Celenova wear something like this. So I decided to indulge you."
As her movements caused the soft curve beneath the fabric to sway faintly, Herta clicked her tongue.
"You've got a baby face, but that burden up front isn't small at all."
"Herta… you really sound like a pervert right now…"
"Oh, be grateful. Since you're being so obedient, I won't 'handle' you like that."
"You were actually planning to?!"
Bai Ming's voice jumped several pitches.
It was one thing to let her imagination run wild. Hearing Herta say it out loud was another matter entirely.
"What? Does it surprise you that I've considered it? With a face like yours, you practically invite being bullied. Only slightly less than me."
Herta returned to her seat, watching Bai Ming's reaction with clear interest.
How much of what she said was true and how much was teasing—only Herta herself knew.
"Just because of my face?"
"That's one reason. There's also your strange ability I still can't fully decipher—and your creativity. As a genius, it's hard not to pay attention to you."
"And as Herta, you're the first person who's dared to provoke me again and again. An opportunity to press you beneath me and bully you? Hard to ignore. Even if it involves some… private behavior. If it's you, I don't mind."
She spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, completely unbothered by how suggestive it sounded.
Perhaps she was even phrasing it that way on purpose, just to keep savoring Bai Ming's flustered embarrassment.
To be fair, she wasn't lying.
In terms of talent, Ruan Mei was someone Herta acknowledged, but Ruan Mei would never provoke her the way Bai Ming did.
Ruan Mei treated everyone the same, with a calm, distant attitude.
Bai Ming was different. She dared to challenge her, yet hadn't become her enemy.
Their constant bickering only deepened their bond.
And then there were those centuries after Bai Ming's shocking disappearance, which left a singular mark in both Herta and Ruan Mei's hearts.
Add to that Bai Ming's genuinely impressive abilities—powers even Herta admired, and phenomena she couldn't fully explain no matter how she researched them—
At this point, from every angle, Herta considered Bai Ming an ideal companion.
For research.
Or even for life.
At least, that was how she saw it.
Before, Bai Ming had always worn other people's faces and bodies, switching frequently. For various reasons, Herta truly had been restrained.
She rarely let her thoughts wander into anything personal, but today was different.
For the first time, Bai Ming stood before her in her own form.
Ruan Mei had guessed Herta would be excited.
She was right.
Herta was happy to see her—so much so that she hadn't immediately understood why.
But Herta wasn't ordinary. She quickly sorted out the source of that feeling.
Still, for a genius, matters of that sort barely qualified as seasoning in life.
So she took her thoughts in stride.
She even said them plainly to the person involved.
Meanwhile, Bai Ming's brain had nearly short-circuited.
What was that supposed to mean?
Herta couldn't possibly be saying she liked her… right?
That was Herta. The self-obsessed Herta.
Maybe she was just deliberately messing with her.
Herta, for her part, was quite satisfied with Bai Ming's reaction.
She had only answered because Bai Ming asked. Nothing more.
She hadn't expected any particular outcome.
So she didn't linger on the subject and moved on briskly.
"Anyway. Be my maid for now."
Bai Ming had half expected something like this, but hearing it still set off alarm bells.
"What do you mean, 'for now'?"
"It means I'll change you into more outfits later. Some from my private collection. Or perhaps the sets you designed for Celenova. I have to admit, your designs aren't bad. Just not suitable for wearing out."
Bai Ming's mind filled with question marks.
What did that mean?!
Was this a threat to turn her into a dress-up doll?
Refuse, and she'd get 'handled'?
Fine. A wise person knows when to bend.
She'd remember this humiliation.
And one day, if she found the chance, Herta better not blame her for what came next.
She steeled herself internally.
"Stop making faces. Drink your tea before it gets cold."
Herta lifted her cup and resumed her afternoon tea, nudging Bai Ming—who was still frozen in thought.
Bai Ming responded softly, sat up straight again, and picked up her cup.
Herta only wanted to tease her with a few outfit changes.
She had no real intention of ordering her around like an actual maid.
Of course, if Bai Ming herself enjoyed a bit of roleplay, Herta wasn't opposed to playing along.
However, that was a conversation for another time—better to table it until they finished their afternoon tea.
"Anyway, regarding the fact that you kept this from me... what was Ruan Mei's take on it?"
"Hmm... Ruan Mei told me that if you suddenly saw me in this body, you'd definitely get all excited. But it looks like my hunch was closer to the mark. You weren't excited at all; you were just pure fuming."
Bai Ming's dry remark coaxed a laugh out of Herta.
Still, Ruan Mei had hit the nail on the head. As for Bai Ming... well, the description wasn't exactly wrong when applied to her, either. It suited Bai Ming's personal circumstances perfectly.
Herta didn't particularly care whose idea it had been. There were only two people involved; regardless of who brought it up, the other had clearly signed off on it.
But as mentioned before, the bond between Ruan Mei and Herta was a flatter affair, rooted more in the sterile soil of academia. Besides, Bai Ming was the heart of this entire ordeal.
Consequently, the most Herta would do was toss a few complaints Ruan Mei's way before turning right back around to keep teasing Bai Ming.
--+--
Meanwhile, at her own secluded base, Ruan Mei continued her daily research.
Her mind drifted toward what was likely unfolding on Bai Ming's end.
Ruan Mei didn't keep a constant eye on the events at the Space Station, but she surmised it wouldn't take long for Herta to discover that Bai Ming had obtained a body of her own.
For all she knew, Herta might already be at the door.
At the mere thought of what might transpire between those two, the corners of Ruan Mei's mouth curled upward involuntarily.
She was a woman accustomed to compartmentalizing her emotions, someone who didn't naturally seek to forge deep connections with others. But that didn't mean she disliked such dynamics.
If anything, watching the way Bai Ming and Herta interacted brought her a quiet sense of amusement.
She could tell that, due to Bai Ming's previous state, Herta had been holding herself back in many ways.
That was why Ruan Mei had decided to keep a card hidden during the creation of the body—to leave a little "surprise" for Herta.
And while Bai Ming had spent the whole time fretting, saying things like "Herta might get angry," she hadn't shown the slightest hint of actually refusing. Clearly, she was enjoying herself just as much.
Though Ruan Mei was curious about how their latest bickering match was playing out, she ultimately decided not to disturb them. She would just squeeze the details out of Bai Ming later.
Yes, I'll just use a 'follow-up exam' as an excuse to have Bai Ming come over, Ruan Mei thought to herself.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL