After a Flash Marriage with a Professor - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Punishment

Jiang Lingyu was stunned. How could Professor Shen suddenly speak up?

Shen Junlan felt only joy and wasn’t aware of Ming Shu’s misunderstanding on the other end of the line. She even said another sentence.

“It’s late, Ming Shu. Don’t worry about me. Go to sleep.”

Go to sleep… Ming Shu shifted her gaze to the bewildered Lingyu, who was also looking at her.

They stared at each other. Lingyu instinctively opened her mouth to explain and raised her hand. “Ming Shu, things aren’t what you think.”

Ming Shu stood still, quietly listening to Lingyu’s explanation. She felt her guess was too absurd and instinctively dismissed it, willing to hear the truth from Lingyu.

“…Look!”

Jiang Lingyu lifted the adjacent blanket, revealing a doll underneath, and lifted her leg, no longer pressing the phone with her knee. She presented the facts directly.

“I’m on a call with Professor Shen.”

Ming Shu listened. Her heart, which had been suspended, slowly settled, only to be immediately filled with embarrassment.

The call hadn’t ended. Professor Shen had responded to the question she had just asked Lingyu. Didn’t that mean Professor Shen had heard everything she had just said?

Jiang Lingyu saw that Ming Shu wasn’t speaking. Since the matter was clear, she spoke openly on the phone: “Professor Shen, Ming Shu can’t sleep right now. Would you like to talk to her? I can give her the phone.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Jiang Lingyu excitedly waved at Ming Shu and offered her the phone. Ming Shu didn’t take it, so Lingyu moved to the edge of the bed and held the phone to Ming Shu’s ear, signaling her with her eyes to speak.

Ming Shu bit her lip tightly and didn’t utter a sound, but her face was flushed red, which Jiang Lingyu noted.

On the other end of the line, Shen Junlan leaned against the bed, her heart beating a little fast, and asked:

“Ming Shu, are you there?”

“Yes.” Ming Shu responded properly, like a student called upon to answer a question in class.

Ming Shu snapped back to reality. Thinking of the things Professor Shen might have said tonight, she glanced at Lingyu, then stood up from the bedside. “Professor Shen, let Lingyu rest. I’ll call you back from my room.”

Jiang Lingyu cooperatively ended the call with Professor Shen, allowing Ming Shu to return to the guest room to communicate with Professor Shen without any qualms.

How nice. Ming Shu now had secrets she couldn’t let her listen to.

Ming Shu felt a little guilty. She hadn’t minded Lingyu being near when answering calls before. This time, she just didn’t want Lingyu to hear the astonishing words from Professor Shen, lest it scare Lingyu.

“I’m sorry, Lingyu.”

“It’s okay. It’s better to eat less dog food anyway, or I’d be too envious to sleep. It’s normal for wives to have private conversations that others shouldn’t hear. If I ever date, I’ll be considerate of that too.”

“Lingyu, you’re so good.”

“I learned it from you. You were good to me first, so I’m good to you.” Jiang Lingyu was clear about her own boundaries. She had been hurt in the past when it came to making friends. When making new friends, she wouldn’t easily offer her genuine feelings. Her friendship with Ming Shu was also initiated by the severely socially anxious Ming Shu, who was the first to show kindness to her and pulled her out of a painful spiral.

Ming Shu smiled at her sideways. “Then good night. I’ll make breakfast and call you when I wake up.”

Jiang Lingyu smiled and nodded, watching Ming Shu walk out of her room intently.

Ming Shu returned to the unfamiliar guest room, closed the door, got into bed, and called Professor Shen.

Shen Junlan answered immediately. “Ming Shu, I waited 3 minutes and 59 seconds for your call.”

Ming Shu was astonished. Professor Shen calculated the time so precisely.

However, she didn’t understand the subtext of Professor Shen’s words and couldn’t figure out what Professor Shen wanted to hear her say. She instinctively apologized. “I’m sorry, Professor Shen. I talked a few more words with Lingyu and kept you waiting.”

“Apologizing again. When you get back, there’ll be one more punishment added to the night class.”

“Professor Shen!”

The thought of the night class made Ming Shu’s face hot. Being at Lingyu’s house and hearing Professor Shen say that made her feel extremely ashamed.

It was a good thing she was back in the guest room. Otherwise, Lingyu would be right there, asking her: What’s night class? Does Professor Shen tutor you? Is it work guidance?

Shen Junlan decided not to challenge Ming Shu’s thin skin anymore. After a silent chuckle, she asked seriously, “Did you have fun with Lingyu today?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Happier than when you’re with me?”

Ming Shu didn’t know how to answer this either. She felt Professor Shen had been strange all day.

Shen Junlan asked gently, “Are you still treating me like your teacher? Does every question of mine require deep thought before you can answer?”

Since their reunion, Ming Shu had mostly given her this feeling, as if she were still in a university classroom. Every time she wanted to do something to Ming Shu, there was an extra layer of subtle taboo.

Especially at night, Ming Shu was a good student, and she was a good teacher, a conscientious teacher who put her heart and soul into the night class.

Good students aren’t always quick to accept, and they occasionally resist. That’s okay. She had patience, and for Ming Shu, she could have even more patience.

“Did you miss me today?” Shen Junlan asked casually, not expecting Ming Shu to answer.

Ming Shu said, “…Yes.”

Now, it was Shen Junlan who didn’t know what to say.

A faint atmosphere of intimacy connected the two ends through the phone waves, but it didn’t last long, shattered again by the serious, good student.

Ming Shu asked, “Professor Shen, are you really okay?”

“Are you worried about me?” Shen Junlan tried to steer the atmosphere back.

“…Mhm.”

“I’m fine. If there was a problem, it’s already solved. Don’t worry about what Jiajia said. I’ve had Yu Le help take her home.”

Ming Shu said okay. She wouldn’t hold a grudge against Jiajia. She rarely argued with people, and for the sake of Professor Shen and Aunt Zhang, she couldn’t hold things against a young girl.

“Was the person who took Jiajia back the sister who took care of you tonight and fed you hangover soup?”

“Mhm.”

Shen Junlan knew what Ming Shu was going to say next, so she answered directly. “I just received a message from Yu Le. She has safely taken Jiajia home. You don’t need to worry.”

Ming Shu was relieved. Although she was socially anxious and didn’t interact much with people, she knew that a young girl with Jiajia’s temper leaving in a fit of pique could lead to trouble. It was best that a reliable friend had helped take her home.

“Ming Shu, why is the attention you give others always more than what you give me?” Shen Junlan couldn’t help but compare again.

“Ah… is it?” Ming Shu hadn’t realized this problem at all. In her view, caring about Jiajia wasn’t just about Jiajia; it also related to Professor Shen and Aunt Zhang.

“Yes. Add another punishment.”

With two already added, Ming Shu didn’t dare to speak anymore, afraid of triggering Professor Shen’s hidden punishment mechanism again.

“Good night, Professor Shen. See you tomorrow night.”

She’s been scared again and is trying to escape. Shen Junlan smiled and agreed, letting Ming Shu go to sleep. She also turned off the lights and lay down. Tomorrow night was still a long way off, but she could see Ming Shu in her dreams.

On the other side, in a bustling night market, Yu Le led Jiajia on a food and drink spree, first buying cake and milk tea, then BBQ, and finally going to Haidilao for hot pot.

The service staff at Haidilao were overly enthusiastic, which Jiajia disliked. As she ate, she started to cry. Despite a group of people trying to comfort her and cheer her up, Jiajia was still upset. Yu Le asked the helpful staff to leave them alone.

With fewer people watching her make a spectacle of herself, Jiajia’s mood improved slightly. She expected Yu Le to comfort her, but Yu Le didn’t. Yu Le was busy enthusiastically studying the various hidden ways to eat at Haidilao.

Jiajia watched her blankly, her tears gradually stopping.

“Sister Lele, you can eat with such relish.”

“Do you want some sliced fatty beef, shrimp paste, and beancurd sheet rolls?”

Yu Le directly tempted the young girl with food. Jiajia swallowed, not speaking. Yu Le ate it herself.

“It’s really delicious.”

Jiajia: “…”

Jiajia started grabbing food from the pot herself. Yu Le saw that she was finally eating properly and encouraged her to try various ways of eating, from the fatty beef, shrimp paste, and beancurd sheet rolls to a self-made creamy egg yolk pasta. Jiajia’s appetite was huge.

“Sister Lele, you really are a high-end restaurant owner. You know how to eat!”

By the end of the meal, Jiajia’s stomach was bloated, and she was hiccupping, turning her back in embarrassment, feeling her image was completely ruined.

“You are not allowed to tell Sister Junlan, or we’re cutting ties.”

“Cutting ties?” Yu Le was practically doubled over with laughter. “So young, and such a heavy burden to carry.”

Jiajia turned back. “Just tell me if you promise or not.”

Yu Le raised both hands, smiling. “When a young one makes a demand, how dare I refuse?”

Jiajia finally relaxed. Yu Le paid the bill, and the two left together.

Outside the restaurant, Jiajia suddenly remembered she hadn’t had beer and tugged on Yu Le’s arm. “Sister Lele, we still haven’t been to the bar.”

“You don’t need to go to a bar to drink beer.”

Yu Le went into a convenience store, bought a can of fruit beer for Jiajia, and handed it to her.

Jiajia looked disgusted and didn’t take it.

“Sister Lele, are you looking down on me? I can drink baijiu.”

“Impressive,” Yu Le gave a thumbs-up.

Jiajia was flustered by the compliment. “Sister Lele, why aren’t you following the script?”

“I only use scripts for people I like.”

“You don’t like me?” Jiajia pressed.

“Do you need me to like you?” Yu Le opened the tab of the can with one hand. “Drink it. If you don’t drink the fruit beer, you won’t get anything. I’ll knock you out and send you home.”

Jiajia looked at her in shock, a hint of fear in her eyes. She quickly took the can and took a sip, only to choke and start hiccupping again.

The hiccups were intermittent yet prolonged, sounding like a goose honking.

Yu Le chuckled softly.

“Sister Lele, are you making fun of me? Honk!”

“No.”

“Yes, you are, Honk!”

Yu Le secretly recorded the sound. Jiajia chased her, demanding she stop laughing and delete the recording. Yu Le played the recording back to her.

Jiajia covered her mouth, but the honking-like hiccups continued.

“Get in the car quietly, and I’ll delete the recording when we get home.”

“You won’t secretly make a backup, will you? Honk!”

Yu Le shook her head. “Your sister is an adult who keeps her promises.”

Jiajia was thoroughly managed. She cooperated and got into the car, still hiccupping relentlessly.

Yu Le called a designated driver and sat in the back seat with Jiajia. Because Jiajia’s hiccups were so distinctive, the driver couldn’t help but laugh.

Jiajia clenched her fists. Yu Le grabbed a bottle of mineral water, twisted the cap off, and handed it to her.

“Take a sip of water and try to swallow it in three parts.”

Jiajia followed the instruction, and it actually worked a little. After trying this three times, the hiccups finally stopped.

Finally, she safely delivered the girl to her doorstep. After watching Jiajia go inside, Yu Le returned to her own home. After showering and lying in bed, she thought about how much trouble young people could be.

Yu Le hesitated for a moment, then reported the later situation to Shen Junlan in detail, naturally omitting the part about Jiajia’s hiccups. If she mentioned that, Jiajia would probably come after her with a knife next time.

She complained a bit, and finally asked: “Professor Shen, you married a young one. Is it also a lot of trouble? Are you sure you can handle it?”

Yu Le was genuinely curious. People say marriage is the grave of love. Although Ming Shu didn’t seem to actively cause trouble, the situation at home was complex, and the details were still unknown.

She waited for 10 minutes and received no reply. Yu Le gave up. It seemed yesterday’s problem was solved, and Shen Junlan was fast asleep.

Shen Junlan woke up in the afternoon, saw Yu Le’s question, and replied with a smile: “Enjoying every minute of it.”

Yu Le woke up in the afternoon, hungry. Despite this, the first thing she did was check her phone. She turned it on and saw Shen Junlan’s reply.

Enjoying every minute of it.

No, it was absolutely infuriating!

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