After a Flash Marriage with a Professor - Chapter 34.2

Chapter 34.2

Jiajia raised an eyebrow. “Sister Lele, we’re not that close. If you could figure everything out about me, I’d be too boring.”

“Which is why I think you and Junlan are even more unsuitable. You’re not the type Junlan likes.”

The car abruptly braked, just as unexpectedly as it had started.

Jiajia tried desperately to suppress her anger, preventing it from being directed at the person who had kindly accompanied her home.

“I know the type Sister Junlan likes Yan Mingshu. You don’t need to keep reminding me. I’m not that shameless. When someone clearly rejects me, I won’t cling to them.”

“Mhm. That’s the spirit. You should find a different type to like in the future,” Yu Le smiled. After all, it’s just comforting a child. It’s not like she’s never done it before.

Jiajia didn’t reply. She restarted the car. There was a red light ahead. She waited for the green light, then drove normally the rest of the way home.

Arriving at her doorstep, they both got out of the car. Yu Le took out her phone, snapped a photo of Jiajia standing at her front door, and sent it to Shen Junlan.

She’s home. Tell Aunt Zhang too.

OK

Professor Shen was certainly concise. Yu Le put her phone away. The phone chimed with a “ding.” She checked it again. The professor had sent her a transfer of 5,000 yuan, with the note: Salary.

Yu Le laughed. Professor Shen was quite generous. She happily accepted it. Then she looked up and saw that Jiajia hadn’t gone inside yet. She raised her hand and waved at Jiajia. “Go in quickly. I need to get a taxi home and sleep.”

Jiajia instead ran back towards her.

“Is there something else?” Yu Le asked.

“I want to eat hot pot, BBQ, and cake. I also want milk tea and beer. Sister Lele, will you come with me?”

Yu Le hesitated for a moment, then narrowed her eyes and smiled.

“Sure. Professor Junlan just transferred me money, after all. Which one do you want to eat first?”

After receiving Yu Le’s message, Shen Junlan immediately informed Aunt Zhang, telling her to rest easy. Aunt Zhang was still worried about her and advised, “Junlan, you should go to bed early too.”

“Okay.”

To reassure Aunt Zhang, Shen Junlan got up and went to her room. She took a bath in the tub Ming Shu used, holding her phone above the water with both hands.

She still hadn’t contacted Ming Shu.

She believed she understood Ming Shu well enough to know that Ming Shu must be very upset about being insulted by Jiajia. An in-person comfort felt more effective than one over the phone when they weren’t together.

After much hesitation, Shen Junlan chose to contact Jiang Lingyu to ask about Ming Shu’s current situation. She was inclined to think Ming Shu would be sleeping with Jiang Lingyu, as they were close friends. If Jiang Lingyu didn’t reply, then they were likely both asleep, and she would have to wait until tomorrow to contact them.

However, she received a reply quickly.

Professor Shen, I don’t know if Ming Shu is asleep. She’s not in the same room as me. I know you’ve already figured out that I like Ming Shu, but I will restrain my feelings and try to avoid any suspicion. I hope you won’t stop Ming Shu from being friends with me. Ming Shu doesn’t have many friends; she’s very lonely.

Can we do a voice call? Shen Junlan felt there were many things to discuss, and a call would be more efficient.

Jiang Lingyu immediately agreed. Ming Shu was in the next room and shouldn’t be disturbed by her.

Shen Junlan proactively dialed the voice call. Jiang Lingyu answered immediately, nervously greeting her with “Professor Shen.”

Shen Junlan acknowledged her and said seriously, “Lingyu, I’m answering your question from earlier now. I’m not a tyrant and I don’t practice autocracy. Although Ming Shu is married to me, she is still free and has the right to make friends. I admit I feel a little jealous about her behavior, which seems to prioritize her friends, but I’m not completely unable to accept it. I will gradually communicate and compromise with Ming Shu to find a way of getting along that we are both satisfied with.”

“Thank you, Professor Shen. I’m so glad you think that way.” Lingyu thanked her happily. Heaven knew how much she feared losing Ming Shu as a close friend.

“Professor Shen, may I ask you one more thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“Ming Shu has been hurt a lot in the past and lacks confidence. You must have heard about it at H University a few years ago. I hope you can be patient, gentle, and tolerant with Ming Shu in the future, and not push her too hard.”

Shen Junlan smiled. “Wen Xuan said something similar before.”

Jiang Lingyu immediately tensed up and asked, “How did you reply then?”

“I think I only nodded simply then, but Wen Xuan trusts me. However, for you, girls are always more sensitive. I want to be clearer: Although my choice of Ming Shu seems superficial and like a joke to everyone, I am deeply convinced that Ming Shu will be my only and eternal wife.”

Jiang Lingyu’s mind stalled, like an internet connection that had suddenly cut out due to poor contact.

“You mean… you like Ming Shu? You genuinely like Ming Shu?”

“You don’t think so?”

“I thought… you only had a strong sense of possessiveness toward Ming Shu because you registered your marriage with her.”

“There is a component of possessiveness.”

Jiang Lingyu felt her blood boil. She no longer cared if she had a chance to be with Ming Shu; she only wanted Ming Shu to be happy. If Professor Shen genuinely loved Ming Shu and was reliable, she could definitely bring Ming Shu more happiness than she could.

Strong possessiveness might feel like a cage to those who cherish freedom, but for Ming Shu, who lacked love since childhood, it might be a constant, overflowing source of love that compensates for past deficiencies.

“Professor Shen, I have one more question. It might be a little presumptuous, but may I ask it?”

“…Mhm.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have liked Ming Shu while she was still studying at H University, would you?”

“No.” Shen Junlan immediately denied it.

“I had absolutely no such thoughts about Ming Shu then. I only thought Ming Shu was a good student with many problems, and as a teacher, I wanted to help her as much as possible.”

“Then did you… become infatuated with her looks after your reunion?”

Shen Junlan used a moment of silence to conceal her inner turmoil. The boldly questioning Jiang Lingyu was also extremely nervous. Prying into a professor’s private life was a dangerous and agonizing task, but for Ming Shu, she would continue to try, hoping to help Ming Shu extract more of Professor Shen’s true inner thoughts.

After a long time, Shen Junlan finally spoke again. “Let me put it this way: I am someone who doesn’t easily challenge societal rules. At school, I was her teacher, and I would never harbor any thoughts of liking Ming Shu. I remember every rule of the teacher’s code of conduct very clearly: teacher-student romance is a major taboo.”

“After Ming Shu graduated, we didn’t see each other for a year. During that time, I occasionally thought of a pretty, pitiful, and troublesome student I once had. After our reunion, that feeling grew wildly.”

“I’ve thought it over carefully. Although it all seems unreasonable, I think if Ming Shu and I hadn’t met on campus, I would have fallen for her sooner.”

“I understand, Professor Shen.” Jiang Lingyu was very satisfied with Professor Shen’s answer. A person who could strictly adhere to moral principles must be an honorable person. Professor Shen not only possessed morals but also courage. After the constraints were lifted, she could bravely pursue love.

In this moment, Lingyu felt Professor Shen and Ming Shu were a perfect match.

After Jiang Lingyu finished her questions, Shen Junlan asked her about Ming Shu’s state before returning to her room.

“I only know that before we parted, Ming Shu was very sad. Even though she didn’t say it, I know she was sad.”

“Professor Shen, may I also be so bold as to ask who the person who insulted Ming Shu was?”

“A young relative. I’ve already made things clear to her, and this won’t happen again.”

“A younger relative who likes you?”

“…Mhm. I can’t control that. I can only establish boundaries and not cross them. I can’t directly control other people’s minds.”

“It’s enough that your attitude is clear and you don’t act ambiguously toward others.” Lingyu finished, then paused slightly, suddenly realizing whether Ming Shu was also being seen as acting ambiguously with her in Professor Shen’s eyes.

“Professor Shen, I apologize. Ming Shu married you without ever having dated, so she really doesn’t understand these things. It’s my fault for not handling it properly. I shouldn’t have let Ming Shu come to spend her birthday with me after being married, and for two days and two nights like she was single.”

“But please don’t worry. There is nothing going on between Ming Shu and me. Especially Ming Shu, she only sees me as a good friend. Please don’t misunderstand.”

“Most importantly, we slept in separate rooms tonight!”

This explanation from Jiang Lingyu reminded Shen Junlan of a student she had caught during an exam. Someone had thrown a crumpled piece of paper near the student’s feet, and the student, without even looking at it, nervously stood up to prove their innocence.

Proving one’s innocence is always a black hole and a vortex.

“I trust you, and I trust Ming Shu even more.”

“Professor Shen, you have excellent judgment!” Lingyu slowly began to relax, no longer nervous because the other person was a professor.

Shen Junlan, however, wanted to hang up. She felt so tired, more tired than teaching a full day of classes to students. Unlike Ming Shu, she wasn’t socially anxious. If she wanted to, she could happily interact and chat with anyone.

However, she wasn’t accustomed to pouring out her heart to others, yet in a relationship, communication, exchange, and sharing of each other’s true thoughts are indispensable and important components.

Jiang Lingyu couldn’t grasp this point. She was currently very enthusiastic. “Professor Shen, if you ever have any minor conflicts with Ming Shu in the future, or any questions about Ming Shu’s preferences, I’d be very happy to help.”

“Although Ming Shu has few friends, she chose well with you as a friend.”

“Adding bricks and tiles to a best friend’s happiness is my bounden duty!”

In a flash, Shen Junlan felt like Jiang Lingyu was treating her as a comrade-in-arms for the revolution. She inwardly sighed that honest communication truly enhanced relationships.

Then should she and Ming Shu communicate more often—psychologically, of course, but physically as well.

A muffled “clang,” and Shen Junlan’s ear twitched. She guessed Jiang Lingyu had dropped her phone, followed by a crunching sound. She suspected Jiang Lingyu had stepped on her phone.

Shen Junlan: “?”

The next second, she knew what had happened. Jiang Lingyu said loudly, “It’s okay, Ming Shu, come in. I’m not asleep.”

Although Shen Junlan believed there was nothing between Ming Shu and Jiang Lingyu, she felt a little nervous at that moment. She leaned in to listen, thinking that Jiang Lingyu didn’t hang up because she wanted her to hear, essentially proving that there was nothing going on between her and Ming Shu.

“Ming Shu, you can’t sleep either?”

“Mhm.”

Ming Shu sat down by Lingyu’s bed, holding a pillow, her face full of worry.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Lingyu asked.

“Lingyu, do you think Professor Shen is sober yet?”

“Or is Professor Shen already asleep?”

“I don’t know,” Jiang Lingyu suggested. “You could try contacting Professor Shen.”

“I’m afraid of bothering her.”

“But you’re already married. It’s not bothering her if it’s a special circumstance where something needs to be clarified, right? Maybe Professor Shen is feeling the same way you are right now.”

“And what about the person who insulted you on the phone earlier? Are you just going to let it go? Aren’t you going to talk to Professor Shen about it?”

“No need to mention it.”

“Then why are you asking about Professor Shen?”

Ming Shu looked a little confused. After thinking for a moment, she said, “I want to know how Professor Shen is doing right now, and if she’s still feeling uncomfortable from being drunk.” She remembered how uncomfortable she was even when she wasn’t completely drunk.

“I’m not uncomfortable.” Shen Junlan was overjoyed to hear Ming Shu was worried about her so late at night. She couldn’t help but speak out directly.

The voice came from Lingyu’s bed.

It was Professor Shen’s voice. Ming Shu looked at the source of the sound, at the bulging blanket on Lingyu’s bed, her face a mask of shock.

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