After a Flash Marriage with a Professor - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Butterfly Needle

Shen Junlan felt a little dizzy. Mingshu’s wrist was so thin and pale, with purple veins clearly visible. Shen Junlan felt she could wrap her two fingers around Mingshu’s wrist with room to spare.

“Professor Shen?” Yan Mingshu saw that Professor Shen was staring, but she didn’t think too much of it. She assumed Professor Shen was also wondering why this kind of bathrobe wasn’t in her bathroom cabinet. Perhaps it belonged to a former girlfriend? That wasn’t something she should be thinking about.

Mingshu had been standing there for a while. The water on her body was evaporating, and she was starting to feel a little cold. Her nose began to itch. She quickly turned her head and sneezed, grateful that her reaction was quick enough that she didn’t sneeze on Professor Shen.

Hearing the sound, Shen Junlan, who had been lost in her accelerating fantasies, suddenly came back to her senses. “Just a moment. I’ll find you another bathrobe. If you’re cold, go soak in the bathtub and be careful not to catch a cold.”

As she spoke, her throat felt as if something was blocking it, dry and itchy. Shen Junlan swallowed, thinking that it couldn’t be Mingshu’s sore throat.

She knew better than anyone that she couldn’t blame Mingshu, yet she did, and she blamed herself even more. The fire had already started and was slowly spreading, wanting to burn Mingshu.

Yan Mingshu was indeed afraid of catching a cold and making her illness worse. She went back into the bathroom, looked at the creamy-white bathtub, not knowing how to use it. So she went back to the shower and turned on the hot water to rinse herself off.

Mingshu had taken baths before. The earliest she could remember was when she was a child. They didn’t have a bathtub, so they used a plastic basin. The hot water was heated on a stove. In the winter, in their small room, the water would often boil, so her mother would patiently help her bathe. At first, she would put some cold water in the basin and then add the boiling water little by little, so the water in the basin would always be warm. When all the boiling water was added and the temperature dropped, her mother would wrap her in a towel, carry her out, dry her off, and put on her cute and pretty little clothes.

When did things start to change? When her brother was born? No, that wasn’t it. Her mother’s love for her faded faster than she had imagined. Mingshu still didn’t know what went wrong.

As she grew up, she never took a bath again until after she graduated from college. Lingyu got her own apartment, and they would often spend weekends together. Lingyu knew she was stressed from work, so she would fill a bathtub with water and let her soak slowly, washing away a week’s worth of fatigue. Once, she used hot milk, which Mingshu thought was too extravagant and wasteful.

Lingyu had helped her so much. Today, when she was so miserable, Lingyu was the first one to show up and help her escape the nightmare.

But all she had done was cry. She hadn’t even had a chance to tell Lingyu that she had a shotgun wedding with Professor Shen. Lingyu had to find out herself and contact Professor Shen for help.

Yan Mingshu thought she must find a time to explain everything to Lingyu properly. Otherwise, from Lingyu’s perspective, she must be so worried about her.

“Mingshu.”

Professor Shen’s voice was mixed in with the sound of the water, a little unclear, but Yan Mingshu still heard it. She was more sensitive than most people. Unless she was focused on something, the slightest disturbance could startle her.

She turned off the water. Yan Mingshu was drying her body with a towel as she walked to the door and opened it, leaving a small crack.

“There are no other new bathrobes in the house. I found one that I’ve only worn once. I’m afraid you’ll have to make do with it for now. I’ll buy you a new one tomorrow.”

Yan Mingshu shook her head. “It’s fine. Thank you, Professor Shen.”

After taking the bathrobe from Professor Shen, Yan Mingshu closed the door. She looked down at the dark blue, Chinese-style bathrobe that Professor Shen had found for her. This time, she felt it was right. This was exactly how she imagined Professor Shen’s style.

After changing into the bathrobe, Yan Mingshu opened the door and went out. Professor Shen was sitting on the edge of the bed, flipping through a thick book. Yan Mingshu didn’t know if she should speak up and interrupt, so she remained silent.

Shen Junlan had been waiting for Mingshu to come out. She immediately sensed her presence and stood up with the book in her hand.

“Mingshu, does the bathrobe fit?”

“It seems… it doesn’t quite fit,” Yan Mingshu said, a little embarrassed. She felt she was making the bathrobe look ugly. She couldn’t help but look down at herself. The bathrobe didn’t have a good effect on her. She wasn’t as tall as Professor Shen, and the cut was completely wrong. The most beautiful curves and contours of a girl’s body looked strange because the bathrobe didn’t fit.

Professor Shen probably wouldn’t want to wear this bathrobe again.

“I’m sorry, Professor Shen, I…”

“You don’t need to apologize. It’s my clothes that don’t suit you. It’s not your fault.” Shen Junlan looked away, walked to the desk near the window, and opened a small cabinet to look for something.

“Mingshu, wait a moment. I’ll make a small adjustment for you.”

A small adjustment? Does Professor Shen also know about fashion?

Yan Mingshu stood still, her feet not moving, but her hands were. She was using the dry white towel to absorb the water from her hair so as not to get the floor of Professor Shen’s room wet.

She didn’t have to wait long, probably less than a minute. Professor Shen came back with a pin in her hand. It was a beautiful, silver butterfly shape. Yan Mingshu didn’t deliberately seek out pretty things or have a strong desire to have them, but as a girl, she naturally loved beauty, and her gaze couldn’t help but follow it.

The silver butterfly was in Professor Shen’s hand, and she also noticed Professor Shen’s hand. The nails were clipped very cleanly, and her fingers were the longest she had ever seen. For a moment, she felt like she was back in her student days, accidentally glancing at a classmate’s manga. The protagonist’s hands in the manga were just like this.

“I’ll pin it for you.”

The young woman was lost in her own world again. Shen Junlan walked directly toward her. She regretted getting this bathrobe. It was so conservative, like a long robe worn by an ancient scholar. The frog buttons were fastened all the way up to the neck. Mingshu didn’t seem to mind the heat, and every button was neatly fastened. In school, she must have been the kind of student who followed the rules that teachers loved, but seeing this beautiful face, it was inevitable to have other thoughts.

“Professor Shen…” Yan Mingshu was startled awake. The hand of Professor Shen she was observing was moving to her neck.

“What… are you doing?” She emphasized the word “you.”

Shen Junlan continued her actions, unaffected, with a smile on her face as gentle as a spring breeze. “I said I’d help you adjust it, Mingshu. Did you forget?”

“…Oh…”

Aside from holding her wet hair and cooperating, Yan Mingshu didn’t move. She felt guilty. Professor Shen was helping her, so why was she instinctively guarding against her?

The frog buttons from the middle of her neck to her collarbone were all unfastened. Yan Mingshu felt a little chill on her chest, and a warm gust of wind came in. She knew it was Professor Shen pinning the butterfly pin for her. The warm air was Professor Shen’s breath. She bit her lip. Her originally lowered eyes slowly looked up. She was too embarrassed to look at herself, and she trusted that Professor Shen wouldn’t look improperly.

Shen Junlan was indeed not looking improperly. She was focused on adjusting the bathrobe that belonged to her onto Mingshu’s body. The scent from Mingshu and the scent of her own usual body wash mixed together, entering her nostrils. She composed herself, telling herself that it was not the right time yet.

She pinched a little bit of fabric between her fingers, then relaxed, adjusting it repeatedly, and finally found a suitable and aesthetically pleasing angle to pin the butterfly. She placed her hands on Mingshu’s shoulders and took a step back. The movement was smooth and didn’t startle Mingshu. She looked at her own work of art and smiled with satisfaction.

“Want to look in the mirror? It suits you very well now, but the color is a bit old. You would look better in younger colors.”

“No need.” Yan Mingshu refused to look in the mirror, very decisively.

Shen Junlan was a little surprised. She thought that pretty girls like Mingshu loved to look in the mirror and couldn’t help but check themselves out whenever they saw something reflective. Mingshu seemed to be different.

“Then we won’t. Just know that you look beautiful.”

Mingshu was stunned for a moment. This was the first time she had heard Professor Shen call her beautiful.

“I just made some cream of corn soup. Want to go down and have some first?”

“…Okay.” Yan Mingshu actually wanted to dry her hair first, but she didn’t want to refuse Professor Shen’s kindness, so she agreed.

Shen Junlan noticed her hesitation. She raised her hand to touch her wet hair, which was still dripping water droplets. She gently rolled it up a few times and wrapped it directly in the towel on Mingshu’s shoulder. “It’s a good idea to dry your hair after you eat. Let the towel absorb some of the water first.”

“Thank you, Professor Shen.” Yan Mingshu lowered her head, too embarrassed to look at Professor Shen.

Just now, Professor Shen had accidentally touched the back of her neck. She had shrunk her neck and shoulders, almost pinching Professor Shen’s hand. She wondered what Professor Shen would think of her.

“It’s nothing.” Shen Junlan smiled and leaned closer. “Mingshu, you’re just more sensitive. That’s not a bad thing.”

Yan Mingshu kept her head down and thought that it was a bad thing for her. She was always jumpy, and people who didn’t know her would think it was strange.

“Let’s go. Let’s go downstairs and eat.”

Yan Mingshu followed Professor Shen downstairs. On the way up, she hadn’t paid attention, but now on the way down, she noticed how long the corridor was.

She followed Professor Shen all the way to the kitchen, acting like a silent little shadow.

“It’s a good thing I put a lid on it before I went upstairs to find you. It’s still warm.” Shen Junlan took off the lid and picked up the bowl.

Yan Mingshu immediately asked, “Professor Shen, is there anything I can do?”

She had already been so much trouble for Professor Shen today. She even had to take the trouble to cook for her. In this marriage, the only thing she could contribute was to provide a little more care. But now, Professor Shen was the one taking care of her, which made her feel uneasy.

“Go to that cabinet over there, pick a spoon you like, and rinse it off.”

Yan Mingshu was stunned for a moment. Following Professor Shen’s instructions, she opened the cabinet. But instead of choosing one, she was afraid that Professor Shen would have to wait, so she just grabbed a plain white porcelain spoon, rinsed it under the tap, and quickly caught up to Professor Shen.

When they got to the living room, Yan Mingshu didn’t sit down until Professor Shen did.

Shen Junlan smiled faintly. “Mingshu, why are you sitting so far away from me?” They were almost at opposite corners. One had a bowl of cream of corn soup in front of her, and the other was just holding a white porcelain spoon. It was a strange sight.

“Come sit next to me.” Shen Junlan patted the soft sofa beside her.

Yan Mingshu walked over with the white porcelain spoon and sat down. Professor Shen pushed the still-warm food toward her and said gently, “Eat. Jiang Lingyu said you haven’t eaten anything tonight.”

Yan Mingshu scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth. She was too nervous to taste anything.

“I made it. Does it not taste good? Next time, I’ll ask Auntie Zhang to make it for you.”

Yan Mingshu’s hand holding the white porcelain spoon trembled. She looked up in a panic. “Did you make it yourself, Professor Shen?”

“Yes. Maybe my cooking skills have gotten worse since I haven’t cooked in so long. It doesn’t taste good.”

Yan Mingshu was so shocked that her throat choked up. She lowered her head and quietly took another spoonful, tasting it carefully. It was slightly salty, warmly sweet, and delicious.

“It’s good!” She looked at Professor Shen with wide eyes. She had heard that direct eye contact showed sincerity, so to make Professor Shen believe her, she didn’t look away this time.

“Really? Let me try.” Shen Junlan took the spoon from Mingshu’s hand. Her hand touched Mingshu’s, which was soft, with bones so small it felt like there were none.

Yan Mingshu realized the spoon was no longer in her hand. She watched as Professor Shen reached out to scoop up some food and said in a hurry, “Professor Shen, I used that spoon.”

Shen Junlan paused. Yan Mingshu reached out, took the spoon back, and sighed in relief.

“Wait a moment. I’ll get you another spoon.”

However, just as Yan Mingshu stood up and before she could take a step, an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back.

Losing her balance, Yan Mingshu’s heart almost jumped out of her throat.

Very quickly, she fell heavily and bounced once. There was no danger. It was as if she was in a fast-moving car, and when danger struck, a seatbelt held her tightly.

After a while, she regained her senses.

Yan Mingshu belatedly realized she was sitting on Professor Shen’s lap, and the thing wrapped around her waist wasn’t a seatbelt but Professor Shen’s arm.

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