After a Flash Marriage with a Professor - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Iced Coffee

When a cup of iced coffee was thrown at her, Yan Mingshu was proofreading an important translation document for a client. The client had specifically requested that she make all edits with a pen and keep the document in perfect condition.

As she watched the brown stain spread across the paper, her first instinct was to wipe it dry. The cold, slightly bitter coffee flowed down the collar of her white shirt, and her body shivered instinctively. But before she could even wipe the stains off the important material, her hair was yanked hard from behind.

hiss

A short gasp of pain escaped Yan Mingshu’s lips. Her small, delicate V-shaped face was forced back, and her beautiful features, which she rarely showed openly, contorted in agony. Yet, even in pain, she was stunning—so glamorous that few people believed she was a normal woman from a respectable family who worked for a living.

The moment the well-dressed woman stepped into the office, her coworkers were on high alert. Seeing the woman’s furious face as she approached Yan Mingshu, they immediately had a strong suspicion.

The coworkers had already settled in to watch the show, but Yan Mingshu was still absorbed in her work, completely unaware of the danger looming behind her.

The plump woman went straight for the defenseless Yan Mingshu, grabbing, yanking, and pinching her fiercely. Yan Mingshu was both in pain and stunned, and the office erupted into chaos. Coworkers who normally had no interaction with Yan Mingshu were anxious, debating whether to report it to their boss. But no one moved. They all stayed put, continuing to watch this rare and exciting show in their otherwise boring work. Even people from the next department heard the commotion and quietly came to watch.

“Oh wow…”

“What’s going on?”

“Who’s pulling Yan Mingshu’s hair?”

“Is she a wife of one of the company’s bosses?”

“Yikes~”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk…”

The coworkers didn’t know much about Yan Mingshu. They had only heard a few unconfirmed rumors from other departments—like how Yan Mingshu had used connections from a certain big shot in the company to get in. As the gossip spread, it turned into a rumor that Yan Mingshu was the mistress of one of the company’s high-level executives.

GR was a top translation company in the industry, and it wasn’t easy to get in. Coworkers who knew nothing about Yan Mingshu felt a sense of superiority. However, in the two months since Yan Mingshu had joined, her work had been flawless, and she had even been praised by a manager at a company-wide meeting. The manager had told everyone to learn from Yan Mingshu’s work ethic, and the coworkers also knew about the company’s strict “wolf culture.” The company implemented a strict elimination system, so aside from her beauty, Yan Mingshu must have had some skills.

But what did that matter? People only ever believe what they want to believe.

Most of the coworkers watched with a sense of schadenfreude, arms crossed and whispering to each other. No one stepped forward to help, because Yan Mingshu usually put on airs and never bothered to talk to anyone.

Tears of pain streamed down Yan Mingshu’s face.

She managed to twist her body, protecting her hair with both hands. Her scalp was no longer in pain, at least.

“Ma’am…” Yan Mingshu finally managed to squeeze a word from her sore, inflamed throat, but before she could finish, smack!—a resounding slap landed on her left cheek, a stinging, burning pain. The woman’s right hand was adorned with a sparkling “pigeon-egg” diamond ring, which scratched Yan Mingshu’s delicate skin, instantly drawing a thin line of blood.

The slap shocked the crowd of spectators into silence. A female coworker who hadn’t been watching the commotion got up from her desk, walked over, and separated the two, forcing the well-dressed woman back a few steps.

The woman’s face was flushed with anger, and she was about to lash out again, but with a sharp clink, the diamond ring on her hand fell to the floor. Forgetting her fury, she knelt down in a panic to pick it up.

Yan Mingshu was pulled behind the helping coworker and noticed her buzz cut and the purple earring on her right ear.

Raising a hand to her painful, inflamed throat, she whispered a quiet “thank you.” The buzz-cut coworker glanced back at her before quickly turning away again. The woman had already picked up the diamond, fitting it securely back on her hand, her gaze passing over the buzz-cut woman and landing back on Yan Mingshu. She said viciously, “You knew you were a mistress and still ruined someone’s family. May you die a horrible death!”

The office erupted in an uproar. While everyone had privately guessed this much, hearing someone so bluntly accuse her set their blood on fire. Many of the married female coworkers sympathized, pointing their fingers and scolding Yan Mingshu. The male coworkers remained silent, backing away as if getting too close to Yan Mingshu would taint them with the scandal.

Yan Mingshu’s throat was bitter with pain. She had severe social anxiety and avoided social interaction unless absolutely necessary. She just put her head down and worked. Fortunately, the translation job her friend had found for her only required her to have professional skills. As for team-building activities, she always shook her head and refused, rarely speaking up. Over time, her coworkers stopped looking for her for anything, and she was happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.

But as this moment proved, that quiet could lead to bitter consequences. Now, due to their lack of understanding of her, her coworkers were all turning on her.

The buzz-cut coworker who had stood up for her turned to her and asked, “Did you do something like that?”

Yan Mingshu’s throat ached to the extreme, and being wrongly accused at such a critical moment, the pain burned all the way to her heart. She shook her head desperately, signaling that she was absolutely not a mistress.

“Are you mute? Can’t you even talk!” the woman snarled, her left hand gently caressing the diamond on her right hand, as if afraid her wedding ring would fall off again, which would be bad luck.

“She seems to be sick,” a voice in the crowd of people offered.

The woman was about to erupt again when the sharp clicking of high heels rang out. The coworkers’ scalps tingled with dread, and they scrambled to get back to their desks, but it was too late. They could only part and make a path.

“What’s going on?” Mia, the assistant to the vice president, walked to the center of the storm. She glanced indifferently at the disheveled Yan Mingshu and the buzz-cut coworker standing in front of her before her gaze finally landed on the other woman. She recognized her—the vice president had attended the company’s anniversary party with his wife a few years ago.

“Madam Zhang, what brings you to our company?” Mia’s tone was still indifferent. She didn’t put on a friendly face for the woman.

Madam Zhang slightly reined in her fierce expression and smoothed her falling teal shawl. Her eyes slanted upwards as she asked brusquely, “You recognize me?”

Mia nodded. Madam Zhang then asked, “Are you her direct superior?”

“I’m Assistant Mia, the VP’s assistant,” Mia replied, neither subservient nor arrogant.

Madam Zhang stared at Mia’s cold face and froze. As if realizing something, her face turned sour.

The entire office was eerily silent. Yan Mingshu already had a cold and an inflamed throat. She had been reluctant to take a day off because her family was in desperate need of money, and taking time off would mean a deduction in pay.

The female employees’ work uniforms were white shirts and black pencil skirts. Yan Mingshu’s white shirt had long been soaked in iced coffee, and a large brown stain was impossible to hide. She could only hold her hand to her chest. Her nose began to itch, and she couldn’t help but let out a heavy cough, breaking the silence.

“Come with me,” Mia said to Yan Mingshu.

Dazed, Yan Mingshu followed Mia. She couldn’t help but look back. Many coworkers had eagerly started catering to the vice president’s wife.

Yan Mingshu couldn’t help but cough again, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. She finally arrived at Mia’s office but hesitated, afraid to step inside. She wondered if the assistant’s office was connected to the vice president’s office. She had never met the company’s vice president, but after seeing his wife, she was terrified.

Mia chuckled. Yan Mingshu looked up but quickly lowered her eyes again. She never had the courage to make eye contact with strangers.

“Come in, don’t worry. The vice president isn’t here.”

Only then did Yan Mingshu step inside the office. She kept her head down, not daring to look around, catching only a glimpse of a black sofa and a brownish-yellow wooden coffee table out of the corner of her eye.

“Sit down.”

Yan Mingshu still didn’t dare to move and only sat down after Mia gently pressed on her shoulder.

She kept her head down, filled with dread. She didn’t know what Mia wanted to talk to her about. Was it to ask about the truth of the recent fiasco or to fire her on the spot?

The position of an assistant came with a certain degree of authority.

She couldn’t lose this job. Yan Mingshu gritted her teeth and looked up. “Assistant, I didn’t…” Midway through the sentence, her throat ached so much that her voice gave out. She could only shake her head and gesture with her hands to show that she was not a mistress.

“I know,” Mia said, leaning over and patting her shoulder reassuringly. Yan Mingshu instinctively flinched.

Mia withdrew her hand, her expression complex as she looked at Yan Mingshu, who was indeed as socially anxious as Lingyu had said. After waiting patiently for a few seconds, she handed Yan Mingshu a clean white shirt and a black suit jacket. Yan Mingshu was too stunned to react, so Mia placed the clothes on her lap.

“There’s a small cubicle over there. Go and change first, and then we’ll talk.”

Yan Mingshu nodded her thanks and, holding the clothes, went to the small cubicle in the corner. She changed into the white shirt Mia had given her but held the suit jacket in her hand without putting it on. When she came out, Mia still insisted she sit down and handed her a cup of warm water.

She nervously took the cup, took a small sip, and waited for the verdict.

“You don’t have to be so nervous. I know you didn’t do anything like that.”

Yan Mingshu nodded heavily, so emotional that tears were about to well up. She couldn’t remember how many times she had been wrongly accused since childhood. She had been forced to quit her previous jobs for similar reasons—the wives of her bosses or coworkers would suddenly turn on her, or a male boss would try to pressure her into doing something.

This job was introduced to her by her only friend from college, Jiang Lingyu. At a time when her family was in desperate need of money, she had to keep this job no matter what.

When Yan Mingshu left the assistant’s office, she was wearing Mia’s black suit jacket, which was slightly too big. She was also carrying a brown paper bag with her dirty clothes inside and a stack of red bills. Mia had said it was compensation for her.

Normally, Yan Mingshu would have refused the money, but this time she didn’t. She was in such desperate need of money right now.

Holding the paper bag, she went back to her desk and wiped away the coffee stain. The materials were unsalvageable, but Mia had said the company would not hold her accountable and had even given her three days off. Yan Mingshu let out a sigh of relief and walked out of the company with the paper bag.

She was in such a poor state today that she didn’t want to walk the usual 806 meters to the subway and planned to just hail a taxi in front of the company.

Before she could even raise her hand, a dazzling red Porsche pulled up beside her, and the window rolled down. She saw a face full of fleshy jowls.

It was Mr. Huang, the pot-bellied rich merchant her parents had set her up with a few days ago. He was a wealthy businessman who dealt in processed meat products.

The night before last, Mr. Huang had brought many gifts and processed meat products from his company to their home. Yan Mingshu knew that her parents had already reached an agreement with him. All they needed was her nod of approval, and the million-yuan dowry would be theirs, enough to help her father pay off his loan shark debts.

The sight of Mr. Huang’s face made it difficult for Yan Mingshu to breathe. People were naturally attracted to good-looking people, but Yan Mingshu didn’t have high standards for her future partner’s looks. A phrase her mother had used to persuade her to marry him was very fitting.

“Mingshu,” her mother had held her hand tightly. “You’re so pretty. It’s hard to find someone more handsome than you.”

“Don’t look at what a person looks like; look at what he can do for you. Mr. Huang’s looks are… passable, but he can give you the money to save your father’s life.”

Yan Mingshu couldn’t accept it. She took two steps back on the stairs behind her. She was afraid that marrying Mr. Huang would give her nightmares.

In the luxury car, Mr. Huang awkwardly shifted to the passenger seat. Through the open window, he smiled at her with a face full of spring. His small eyes were sunken in his fat, and his thick, oily lips protruded outward. The flesh on his face was creased by his smile lines, and he seemed oblivious to her rejection. He spoke to her as if they were already a couple. “Mingshu, you’re off work so early today. I just arrived and ran into you. This is a sign we’re meant to be married. Get in the car and I’ll take you home.”

At the word “married,” Yan Mingshu’s face turned even paler. She shook her head and refused, but Mr. Huang ignored her. His thick, hairy hand reached out of the car window and tried to grab her. Yan Mingshu hurriedly backed away, missed a step, and fell dizzily onto the steps in front of the company. She let out a cry of pain but quickly got up, wanting to escape back inside the building. Mr. Huang quickly got out of the car, walked in front of her, and reached out to grab her again.

When he got closer, he saw the thin line of blood and the faint palm print on her face. Mr. Huang paused for a moment. “How did you get hurt? Did someone at work bully you? Ah, Mingshu, after you marry me, you can quit this terrible job. I’ll take care of you.”

“N-no…” The sound died in her throat.

Yan Mingshu could only shake her head desperately. She felt so overwhelmed with stress she’d just drop dead on the spot.

Mr. Huang’s fleshy hand was about to touch her face. She had nowhere to hide.

“Mingshu!”

An urgent female voice suddenly rang out. Yan Mingshu, in her panic, froze for a second. She turned to see her friend Jiang Lingyu jump out of a gray car and run anxiously toward her. Yan Mingshu inwardly let out a sigh of relief. She tried to give Jiang Lingyu a reassuring smile, but she could no longer stand. She passed out.

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