After a Flash Marriage with a Professor - Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Picking Stars

Ming Shu’s hand shook violently. Her phone slipped, teetering on the edge of the bed, half-extended over the side.

She didn’t immediately reach for it. Instead, she hugged her knees, curled up, and stared blankly at the precarious phone, her vision blurring.

“Hello? Ming Shu, are you listening?”

“…Yes.”

“Did you hear what I just said?” A smile bloomed on Shen Junlan’s lips. “Not the ‘Are you listening?’ part, but the sentence before that.”

Ming Shu anxiously bit her lower lip.

She heard it. No, she hadn’t heard it, and she dared not hear it.

“N-no…” Ming Shu stammered in confusion.

Shen Junlan smiled. “Then I’ll say it again. Ming Shu, I like you.”

“Smack!”

With a loud sound, the wobbling phone fell from the edge of the bed and went completely dead. Ming Shu didn’t move to pick it up. She rested her head on her knees, hugged herself tightly, and tears spilled uncontrollably from her eyes.

She was raining again—crying uncontrollably.

Shen Junlan heard the loud sound too, which was a bit jarring. Calling Ming Shu’s name yielded no response, and she saw on the screen that the call had ended.

Shen Junlan felt something was wrong. Ming Shu’s reaction was off.

Was her approach wrong?

Was the confession too sudden, frightening Ming Shu?

Shen Junlan pondered for a few seconds, then gave up on calling Ming Shu back, choosing to send a message instead.

“Are you okay? Ming Shu.”

After waiting five minutes without a reply, Shen Junlan wasn’t annoyed. She only blamed herself for not gauging the timing correctly, unsure exactly where Ming Shu’s psychological defenses lay.

“It’s getting late. Get some rest. Good night.”

She waited another ten minutes but still received no reply.

Shen Junlan was extremely worried about Ming Shu and searched for reasons. She recalled their first meeting in the H University cafeteria, where Ming Shu was subjected to a public confession by a male student. The boy held Ming Shu’s campus ID card, trying to force her to agree to be his girlfriend. Shen Junlan happened to be going to the cafeteria with a student after answering some questions, encountered the scene, and used her status as a professor to end the coercive confession. Ming Shu was visibly trembling with fear. When Shen Junlan handed the campus card back to Ming Shu, the girl’s tears had dropped onto her palm.

The memory made Shen Junlan feel a sudden heat in her palm, as if Ming Shu’s tear had left an invisible hole that was now scorching.

Could it be that Ming Shu had a deep psychological shadow regarding public declarations of affection? Shen Junlan could only guess in this direction. Under normal circumstances, Ming Shu wouldn’t ignore her.

Tormented by worry, Shen Junlan turned to Jiang Lingyu, the person who knew Ming Shu best, for help.

Jiang Lingyu was already asleep and answered the phone groggily, instinctively assuming it was Ming Shu.

“Ming Shu, have you made up your mind?”

“The company’s project that requires a business trip to the U.S.—are you taking it or not?”

Shen Junlan paused. Ming Shu’s company had a business trip to the U.S.? Why hadn’t Ming Shu mentioned it? Or maybe Ming Shu had intended to tell her, ask for her opinion, or seek her help, but her sudden confession had scared Ming Shu away.

“Ming Shu, why aren’t you talking… ah.” Jiang Lingyu closed her eyes and yawned.

Shen Junlan said, “Lingyu, it’s Shen Junlan.”

“Professor… Professor Shen!” Jiang Lingyu’s sleepiness instantly vanished.

Why was Professor Shen calling her so late?

“Is there… something I can help you with?”

“I think I scared Ming Shu.”

“What did you do?”

“I told her I like her.”

Jiang Lingyu looked around her dark, unlit bedroom, completely dumbfounded. “Professor Shen just confessed to Ming Shu?”

“Yes, but it wasn’t formal. I just added ‘I like you’ at the end, and the call disconnected. I’m very worried about Ming Shu, so I called you.”

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!

Jiang Lingyu screamed internally. If she was surprised, Ming Shu’s shock was understandable.

She had only recently suggested to Professor Shen that Ming Shu needed confirmed love, and Professor Shen had immediately taken action. She was a true woman of action, if a bit too sudden.

“Is there any way to fix this?” Shen Junlan asked, sounding rather troubled.

“You don’t need to fix it. Just express it a few more times at appropriate moments. Ming Shu has a unique past and finds it hard to believe others genuinely like her. Professor Shen will need to be very patient.”

Shen Junlan did not hesitate. “I have patience for Ming Shu, but I’m just very worried about her now. If I don’t do anything and wait for the right moment to express it again, when exactly would be the right moment?”

“You have to be extremely patient!” Jiang Lingyu emphasized.

Shen Junlan ultimately accepted Jiang Lingyu’s advice. She needed to be more patient with Ming Shu. As she often told herself, there would be plenty of time ahead.

Ming Shu was indeed not intentionally ignoring Professor Shen.

After her crying fit, Ming Shu had fallen asleep. When she woke up, she found she wasn’t sitting up as she had been last night; she was lying down, looking just like she did on any other morning.

Her mind was blank. Ming Shu got up, searched everywhere for her phone, and finally saw it lying on the floor.

Checking the time, Ming Shu panicked. She rushed into the bathroom, quickly washed up, and just as Aunt Zhang was knocking outside, she hurried out, forcing a nervous smile at Aunt Zhang as she rushed toward the door.

“I can’t eat breakfast today, Aunt Zhang. I’m running out of time.”

“There’s still a little time, Madam. I packed it for you. You can eat it in the car.”

Ming Shu took the food packed by Aunt Zhang and rushed to the car, racing against the clock.

“Old Liu, please drive a little faster,” Ming Shu pleaded.

Old Liu said, “No problem. I guarantee I’ll get you there safe and on time, Madam.”

Ming Shu held the insulated box, unable to eat anything. She stared at the time, extremely nervous.

Yesterday, she had delayed and delayed. But as the final deadline given by her assistant approached, she couldn’t stay calm anymore.

Old Liu did indeed drive expertly, dropping her off downstairs at the company with five minutes to spare before work started. Ming Shu dashed into the building, spotting a few company executives entering the elevator. She mustered her courage and squeezed in, unwilling to wait for the next one.

Vice President Zhang was in the elevator. He remembered Ming Shu. Ming Shu kept her head down, holding her breath, silently chanting: You can’t see me, you can’t see me, as if he were a supernatural being.

When the elevator doors opened, Ming Shu bolted out, arriving at her office with one minute to spare. It was a close call. She had nearly lost control of her normal work life.

“Ming Shu, why so late today?”

Ming Shu turned in a daze, seeing Ling Han beside her. Ling Han seemed to have swapped seats with a colleague.

“I woke up late today.”

“Wipe your sweat.”

Ling Han handed her a tissue.

As Ming Shu pulled out a tissue, her peripheral vision caught sight of the executives she’d seen on the elevator walking into their office, followed by the assistant.

Mia spotted Ming Shu in the crowd and visibly sighed in relief. She had worried Ming Shu wouldn’t overcome her psychological hurdle and wouldn’t show up for work today. Fortunately, Ming Shu had come.

The executives requested an on-the-spot assessment, starting with the oral translation position. The colleagues who signed up showcased their skills under the pressure of the executives’ scrutiny. The subsequent written translation position required a test.

Mia announced, “Now, all those interested in taking the assessment, please follow me to the conference room for the test.”

This position had the largest number of competitors. Ming Shu was surprised to see half the office stand up, including those who had failed the previous oral position and joined this round.

Ling Han, beside her, also stood up, looking at her expectantly.

There was no more time to hesitate. Ming Shu gritted her teeth and stood up.

Mia, standing at the front, smiled and said, “Everyone, please follow me.”

Ling Han also smiled. “Ming Shu, let’s go together.”

Ming Shu couldn’t muster any expression; she wasn’t sure what her face looked like. Her facial muscles felt stiff. She nodded, about to walk out with Ling Han.

“Wait.” Ling Han raised a hand to stop her, smiling. “Your insulated box. Are you taking your breakfast with you?”

Ming Shu froze for a moment, then quickly put down the box. The two walked together at the end of the line toward the conference room.

After sitting down in the conference room, Mia handed out the test papers. Ming Shu examined the paper carefully. It was divided into two main sections: English-to-Chinese and Chinese-to-English. Further subdivisions included different commercial and daily life scenarios, as well as pure literary translation, which involved more knowledge of literary and cultural background.

Literary translation was challenging, and the company lacked talent in this area. Most of the documents the company handled were practical in nature, with very few literary works. Literary translations were usually handled directly by publishing houses and academic professors at universities, as the two areas of business were different.

In less than ten minutes, Mia’s monitoring viewpoint could see many people scratching their heads like elementary school students. The few who remained focused had a chance of winning.

Ming Shu found the test slightly difficult, but manageable. She had a slight advantage over her colleagues; literary translation assignments were usually assigned to her by the team leader. Initially, it was because no one in the team wanted to do it—translating literary works was hard, thankless, easily criticized by clients, and didn’t generate high overall economic benefit. Since everyone was reluctant, the team leader gave it to her.

It had turned into a blessing in disguise. By making a success out of what others didn’t want, she was noticed by management, singled out for praise in a meeting, and received a 10% raise.

When faced with a difficult question, she paused, recalling Professor Shen’s lectures, and applied the method Shen Junlan had taught her to arrive at the most suitable translation within her capabilities.

Ninety minutes later, she handed in her paper and returned to the office with Ling Han.

Ling Han saw that Ming Shu’s face was pale after leaving the conference room and urged her to eat something. Ming Shu didn’t dare, afraid of being reported for slacking off with so many colleagues watching.

Too well-behaved. Ling Han found Ming Shu’s obedience heartbreaking. Worried that Ming Shu couldn’t hold up, she went to the pantry and brewed a cup of brown sugar water for her.

“Drink this. It’ll give you some sugar.”

“Thank you.”

Before the end of the workday, Mia came over to announce the results. Everyone in the office, except for the two already selected for the oral position, was extremely nervous.

Ming Shu was so tense that she forgot to drink the brown sugar water Ling Han had given her.

Ling Han looked at Ming Shu’s lovely profile, sensing Ming Shu’s strong desire to go. She hoped Ming Shu would be selected, and she hoped to go with her.

The moment Ming Shu looked up for the results, Mia smiled and announced: “Congratulations to Yan Mingshu and Ling Han for being selected!”

Ming Shu was so excited her vision blurred. She quickly grabbed the brown sugar water and gulped down several mouthfuls.

“Congratulations, Ming Shu,” Ling Han said happily.

Ming Shu hugged the cup tightly, tears welling up in her eyes with joy. “Congratulations to you, Ling Han.”

The results sparked some discontent and protest. Some demanded to see their papers, feeling there was foul play in their not being selected. Mia ignored them and immediately told the five selected members to prepare for the overseas trip, stressing that time was of the essence.

Ming Shu was worried about her passport. Ling Han reassured her: “The company already handled that. It was processed uniformly when we joined for convenience on future business trips.”

Ming Shu had social phobia, and the company’s usual business trips had never involved her.

This time, the schedule was so tight there was no time to go home and pack. The company also instructed everyone not to prepare anything, ensuring that basic necessities would be provided, and replacement clothing would be company-prepared work uniforms.

Time was extremely rushed; Ming Shu felt as though she was being pushed along by it.

On the way, everyone got hungry and started eating the snacks they had brought. Only then did Ming Shu open her insulated box. The steamed dumplings, corn, and pumpkin pie inside were still warm.

Ming Shu shared them with Ling Han. The other colleagues in the car smelled the aroma but were too embarrassed to ask, secretly swallowing their saliva.

This was Ming Shu’s first time on an airplane, and her first flight was an international one. She was terrified. Before boarding, she called Aunt Zhang, saying she was going on a business trip and wouldn’t be home for a while, telling her to rest well. She also sent messages to Lingyu and Wenxuan.

“I knew you could do it. Our Ming Shu is amazing!”

“Sis, you went abroad before me, congrats!”

Ming Shu had a sense of unreality. Fortunately, once she was on the plane, much of her floating fear dissipated. She even fell asleep on the flight and had a dream.

In the dream, Professor Shen said she liked her again. In the dream, her heart beat very fast.

She envied how easily Professor Shen could express love. She was still stuck at the stage of daring not to love and doubting her own worthiness.

Could she love Professor Shen?

She didn’t know.

But she had made a significant change for herself today: she had tried her best to fight for something, and in doing so, she had gotten a little closer to Professor Shen.

She was using the plane, flying at thousands of kilometers per hour, toward Professor Shen.

After the plane landed, the people she saw and the main language she heard had completely changed. Ming Shu began to panic again. She was utterly unfamiliar with this place. She followed the group closely, terrified of getting lost. Ling Han reassured Ming Shu not to worry, saying she would look out for her and wouldn’t let her stray.

Ming Shu was grateful. She asked Ling Han, “Have you been abroad before?”

“Mhm, I came here in high school.”

Ming Shu was shocked. Ling Han shrugged. “My family is wealthy. It was easy to go abroad.”

Ming Shu smiled with envy. The past was set; she couldn’t change it. But now, she could get better bit by bit.

But she was still too far from Professor Shen, like trying to pluck a star.

Because of the mismatch, even if she reached the star, she worried about losing it in the future. Professor Shen, this star, seemed to have descended voluntarily and chosen her, but a star, by its nature, was distant and would eventually return to the sky.

Ming Shu firmly believed that day would come.

But what was she doing now? She was trying to get closer to the star.

Ming Shu felt confused. How would Professor Shen feel after she had abruptly cut off contact the night before?

Feet on the same land. There was no time difference between them anymore.

As this thought arose, Ming Shu’s heart began to pound uncontrollably, just like in her dream.

By the time they reached the hotel arranged by the company, it was already late at night. Ming Shu wanted to contact Professor Shen, to explain her strange, confused behavior from yesterday, and to inform Professor Shen that she was now also in the United States.

Ming Shu had a strange feeling that Professor Shen was still awake. She gathered her courage and called Professor Shen.

Shen Junlan picked up instantly. This time, she didn’t dare to be overly enthusiastic. She didn’t speak, waiting for Ming Shu to start.

“Professor Shen, yesterday I…”

“It’s okay. You don’t need to explain. I understand. Blame me for being too impulsive.”

Ming Shu’s apology was suddenly caught in her throat.

“Professor Shen, there’s something else I wanted to tell you.”

“Tell me.”

“I’m… in the United States right now.”

Shen Junlan was startled. Her blood immediately boiled. All thoughts of not being overly enthusiastic were instantly forgotten.

“Wife, send me your address. I’m coming to you.”

Ming Shu couldn’t help but smile.

“What if it’s very, very, very far? You won’t be able to leave.”

“I don’t think Heaven would be that cruel to us.”

“Send me the address, wife.”

The two uses of “wife” made Ming Shu’s ears tingle. She hesitated for a moment, then sent her address.

Shen Junlan received the message, looked at it, and laughed. “It’s not far, wife. I’ll be there soon.”

“It’s less than 10 kilometers. I’ll drive over quickly. Wife, open the door for me later. I’m hanging up now to drive.”

Ming Shu sat on the edge of the bed in a daze, wondering what awaited her next.

Professor Shen wouldn’t be driving over to give her another late-night lecture, would she?

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