After a Flash Marriage with a Professor - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Fight For No

Shen Junlan quickly went downstairs after a brief moment of reflection.

As she descended the stairs, she couldn’t help but think that she had truly been unfair to Ming Shu tonight. Being so rushed and having to leave Ming Shu alone in the room made her feel exactly like an irresponsible bad girl.

The light on the first floor was still on. Shen Junlan walked into the kitchen to wash her hands and saw Aunt Zhang tidying up ingredients in the refrigerator.

“Aunt Zhang, why are you still awake?”

“I heard the sound of the car outside and knew you were leaving again. I got up to check. Junlan, where are you going this late?”

Aunt Zhang hadn’t been asleep; she woke up specifically when she heard the movement. She had been like this for years, perhaps subconsciously afraid that Junlan would suddenly disappear like her mother, never to return.

Shen Junlan turned on the faucet, washing her hands while turning back to look at Aunt Zhang. “I received a last-minute business trip assignment to go to the United States. Please take care of Ming Shu for me, and call me if there are any issues.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“One week.”

Shen Junlan washed her hands clean, turned off the faucet, and took the clean towel Aunt Zhang handed her to dry her hands. She then walked straight out the door. Aunt Zhang called from behind, “Don’t you need to take anything with you?”

“My documents are enough.”

Shen Junlan left. Aunt Zhang saw her off at the door, watching the car quickly drive away and soon disappear.

Aunt Zhang turned back inside. She happened to look up and saw a shadow near the window of the lighted room on the second floor. She didn’t see clearly but knew it was the Madam. Just as she was about to say hello, the shadow flashed away quickly and disappeared. All she saw were the curtains swaying in the breeze.

Perhaps she’s getting old and saw wrong.

Aunt Zhang shook her head and smiled as she returned to the house. Now that the Madam was home, Junlan would definitely know to return home.

Ming Shu was leaning against the bedroom wall, her legs bent. She was a little unsteady on her feet and had to clutch the curtains for support. Her heart was currently racing from the shock of suddenly making eye contact with Aunt Zhang.

She had just wanted to secretly watch Professor Shen leave, so she had gotten out of bed and moved to the window. She hadn’t expected Aunt Zhang to still be awake.

Once her heart rate returned to normal, Ming Shu immediately headed to the bathroom. The dampness was uncomfortable, and she wanted to clean herself quickly. She turned the water to the maximum setting to rinse herself. She forgot to bring a new bathrobe, but since Professor Shen wasn’t here, she could just dry off and go out.

She opened the cabinet and froze.

Professor Shen hadn’t mentioned the strange pajamas incident again, and she had thought it was just temporarily forgotten. She hadn’t expected Professor Shen to silently prepare several sets of new, normal nightgowns for her to choose from, hanging in a whole row. Professor Shen’s own few bathrobes were in the right-hand corner, looking rather sparse in comparison.

There were also folded clothes underneath. Ming Shu curiously squatted down to look and took one out, instantly shocked again.

It was actually the same kind of weird, strange clothes as before!

Ming Shu quickly folded it back and put it away, then abruptly stood up, feeling a bit dizzy. She braced herself against the cabinet for a few seconds, quickly chose a new green slip nightgown to put on, and then went back to bed to lie down.

Feeling something wasn’t right, she immediately got up again, gathered the bed sheets, and put them into the laundry basket. She then looked for the spare sheets but couldn’t find where they were and didn’t want to bother Aunt Zhang.

Ming Shu could only brace herself and call Professor Shen.

Shen Junlan was a little surprised to suddenly receive a call from Ming Shu. She glanced at the vast darkness outside the car window and licked her lips, then worried that Ming Shu might have encountered some problem and immediately became serious.

“Professor Shen…”

Ming Shu’s voice was soft, especially when she found it difficult to speak, and it made Shen Junlan’s heart itch. It was like an arrow shot that couldn’t be recalled, yet she had been forced to abruptly turn back before reaching fulfillment. The hidden fire was burning even hotter.

“Are you feeling unwell?” Shen Junlan glanced at Master Ma driving in the front and lowered her voice to ask.

“No.”

A heavy weight lifted from Shen Junlan’s heart.

“I wanted to ask where the spare bed sheets are. I can’t find them.”

Shen Junlan looked at the moon outside the car window and smiled. The area near the airport was desolate, with nothing much to see, so she just stared at the moon. The moon was quite full tonight. She seemed to see Ming Shu’s face on the moon, looking wronged. Perhaps the little rabbit was a bit frightened because she had revealed a little more of her true nature tonight.

“They’re not in our room. They’re in the room facing north on the second floor. Open the cabinet; the ones on the top shelf were just sun-dried when the weather was good. They’re all very clean. Aunt Zhang cleans them regularly. You can choose one with a pattern you like, but they’re all custom-made, and the patterns I chose are all quite simple. When I get back, we’ll see what you like, and we can order a new batch.”

Ming Shu found the room and opened a huge cabinet against the wall, astonished to see it filled with neatly arranged bedding.

“Ming Shu, what do you think?”

“I…” Ming Shu swallowed. “These are enough. They all look very good. There’s no need to rush to change them.”

Ming Shu reached out and touched them. The fabrics were all extremely soft and skin-friendly. They must be very expensive.

Shen Junlan chuckled. “We still need to. When we have the wedding later, I’ll make sure to give you everything you should have.”

The wedding?

Ming Shu couldn’t just describe her reaction as “shock” now. She remembered clearly that when she and Professor Shen met for the blind date, both of them had explicitly stated that they could forgo a wedding, as their union was not a normal marriage in the universal sense.

Also, what did she mean by “give her everything she should have”? Professor Shen had already given her so many things. She often felt undeserving because what Professor Shen gave was beyond her own capacity. If it weren’t for Professor Shen, she wouldn’t be enjoying these things.

She warned herself to stay clear-headed and not to indulge in extravagant enjoyment, so that when she had to pull away later, it wouldn’t be too painful.

But Professor Shen had just told her that she wanted to have a wedding.

It must be that I misheard, or perhaps Professor Shen needed the universally accepted sense of ritual.

“Ming Shu, don’t you want a wedding?”

“I…” Ming Shu didn’t know how to respond at all.

“Wife, you’re still my wife even without a wedding. I just thought you might also want to wear a wedding dress once. No rush, take your time to consider. We have plenty of time.”

“Mhm… Have a safe trip, Professor Shen.”

After ending the call, Ming Shu’s mind was still reeling. She changed the sheets to a cream-colored set embroidered with orchids, lay back down on the bed, but still couldn’t sleep.

Why did Professor Shen suddenly want a wedding?

To Ming Shu, a wedding was a sacred ceremony, signifying that two people were making a promise of loyalty and steadfastness, meaning a lifetime commitment.

But then she also thought that marriage could end in divorce. A wedding couldn’t guarantee the maintenance of love. Furthermore, there was no love between her and Professor Shen. Perhaps a little—a kind of vague, misty love that she couldn’t see and dared not confirm.

The next morning, Ming Shu woke up without Professor Shen beside her. She washed up and went downstairs for breakfast. It was just her and Aunt Zhang. She suddenly missed the feeling of having Professor Shen join her for breakfast.

With Professor Shen gone, the dining table was silent. Ming Shu and Aunt Zhang ate faster than before.

She went to work, arriving almost half an hour early. Ming Shu sat at her desk, staring into space. She checked the time difference with the US on her phone—12 to 13 hours. It was still nighttime in the US. She had forgotten to ask Professor Shen when her flight was and when she was expected to arrive.

She felt like a somewhat negligent wife.

After a while, Ling Han arrived and called her over to the lounge area for coffee. Ming Shu didn’t refuse. She felt a little embarrassed, remembering what she had said to Ling Han while she was drunk.

“Ming Shu, I really didn’t expect you to get married so quickly.”

“Yes,” Ming Shu responded awkwardly. She hadn’t expected it either, marrying directly without ever dating.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. But are you going to keep it a secret indefinitely?”

“I don’t know about the future, but for now, I’ll keep it private,” Ming Shu said. “Thank you, Ling Han.”

“Don’t mention it.”

If they couldn’t be lovers, being friends was still nice. She genuinely liked Ming Shu on every level.

Five minutes before the start of work, the two returned to their desks. Ming Shu prepared herself and began her work for the day.

A little after 10 a.m., Vice President Zhang personally came to Ming Shu’s office. Mia also arrived. Ming Shu noticed that the colleagues’ gazes towards Mia had changed from awe to disdain, which made her feel uneasy. She looked at Mia, whose face held a smile, appearing composed.

The Vice President’s visit was to announce an internal company project. The company was planning a deep collaboration with an American publishing house, but the US company wasn’t entirely confident in their company’s capabilities, so they needed the company to send several excellent employees over for negotiations. The company planned to select a five-person team internally: one negotiation expert for guidance, two with solid foundations in bilingual translation and interpretation, and two who were confident, had a strong aura, and had fluent, authentic oral skills.

“This project will be heavily factored into promotion and salary increase assessments. I hope everyone will enthusiastically compete. Those interested should sign up with Mia first.”

The Vice President left after speaking. Mia stayed behind. The office was buzzing, but only two people immediately stepped forward to sign up: one was the team leader, who was the most socially adept and articulate in the office, and the other was Ling Han.

Ming Shu only thought of Professor Shen, who had gone to the US, wondering if she had arrived yet.

“Only 2 people?” Mia asked. The office quieted down, and people looked at the thoughtful Ming Shu.

“Ming Shu, come out with me.”

Abruptly called, Ming Shu stood up and followed Mia out of the office. The colleagues inside the office started whispering again. This time, the focus of the fire wasn’t Ming Shu, but Mia.

“The tainted mistress isn’t resigning? Can the company keep her?”

“Maybe the Vice President has a lot of power.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I’ve always thought the Executive Assistant position was more intriguing than a secretary.”

Ling Han, amidst this group of colleagues, suddenly recalled what Ming Shu had told her earlier and couldn’t help but speak up: “Instead of wasting time discussing baseless rumors, you should think more about how to improve yourselves.”

A colleague, disgruntled, muttered softly, “We know you’re great. You better get selected, don’t embarrass us.”

The team leader stepped in as a mediator. “Alright, everyone. Say less and get back to work.”

Five minutes later, Ming Shu returned to the office.

After work, Ming Shu was preparing to go out to eat with Ling Han as usual. Ling Han asked her, “What did Mia talk to you about?”

“Mia said I could try to compete, but I don’t think I’m good enough. I might not be able to speak fluently in front of strangers and would weaken the overall team’s presence.”

Ling Han asked, “Ming Shu, do you want to go? Don’t overthink anything. Just think about whether you want to go.”

“I… I’ve never been abroad.”

“You do want to go abroad, don’t you, Ming Shu?”

Ming Shu remained silent. She genuinely wanted to go out and see the wider world, but she was inwardly terrified, not to mention having to shoulder an important company mission.

“You are excellent, Ming Shu. I don’t think my professional skills are as good as yours, but I dare to try. Why don’t you try too? Maybe we can be companions. Try to have some confidence in yourself.”

“I…” Ming Shu lowered her head, like a balloon suddenly losing air, shrinking back to its small, deflated original state.

Confidence was also a luxury for her. She really wished she had confidence.

But confidence wasn’t something you could simply will into existence.

“It’s okay. Mia said the registration deadline is midnight tonight. You can think about it some more.”

Ming Shu asked, “Ling Han, do you really think I can do it?”

“Come on, Ming Shu, you’re the one the manager specifically praised in the meeting.”

“But I just put my head down and work. I’m not suited to represent the company outside.”

Ling Han smiled and patted Ming Shu’s shoulder. “There’s no unsuitability. It’s just division of labor. Solid professional skills in bilingual translation and interpretation isn’t that exactly you?”

A gust of air was injected into the balloon, but Ming Shu was still unsure if a balloon like hers could actually fly.

“Let’s go eat first,” Ling Han said.

Ming Shu nodded. Just as she was about to step forward, she felt her phone vibrate in her hand. She looked down and saw an incoming video call from Professor Shen, not a voice call, but a video.

Ming Shu felt a little flustered.

Ling Han suggested, “If you want privacy, we can go to the top floor. I’ll go with you and stand guard. Don’t be scared.”

“Won’t that be too much trouble for you?”

“It’s no trouble. I want to go up and get some air too.”

The two took the elevator up to the top floor. Ling Han kept her promise and stood by the railing near the stairwell, enjoying the breeze. Ming Shu was a bit afraid of heights, so she squatted near a wall a short distance from Ling Han and called Professor Shen back via video.

The video finally connected. Ming Shu saw Professor Shen wearing a white bathrobe and asked, “Professor Shen, have you arrived?”

“Mhm. Just finished showering, getting ready to rest.”

Ming Shu remembered the time difference. It must be late at night there. She felt Professor Shen must be exhausted after such a long journey and said, “Then Professor Shen should go to sleep quickly.”

“Wait a moment.”

Ming Shu was slightly stunned. “Does Professor Shen need me for anything else?”

“I want to look at my wife a little longer, so I can have a sweet dream.”

Ming Shu couldn’t bear hearing Professor Shen say such things to her. She blushed instantly every time.

Shen Junlan enjoyed seeing Ming Shu look shy and pressed on: “Wife, I miss you so much. Do you miss me?”

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