After a Flash Marriage with a Professor - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Under the Sun

Ming Shu was stunned for a long while before saying, “I was also planning to ask Professor Shen to have lunch with us.”

“That works out perfectly,” Shen Junlan smiled. “Wife, you can invite Miss Ling as well.”

“Okay.”

After the call ended, Ming Shu and Ling Han stood together at the entrance of the publishing house, waiting for Professor Shen to drive over and pick them up.

Ming Shu lowered her head, nervously looking at the top of her shoes, wondering how she should face Professor Shen’s students. She herself was once Professor Shen’s student, having graduated just a year ago, making her a senior to those students.

What should she do?

Ling Han noticed Ming Shu’s nervousness and tried to start a conversation.

“Ming Shu, you and Professor Shen are truly destined. Going abroad for a business trip at almost the same time. It’s probably that even God doesn’t want to see you newlyweds separated.”

“Not really,” Ming Shu thought for a moment and said. “If this opportunity had come up before, I wouldn’t have accepted it.”

“You chose to accept it because of Professor Shen, right?”

“…Mhm, instead of ‘accepting,’ it’s more like a brave attempt.” This was her first attempt to advance her career.

“That’s wonderful. So the legend that good love makes people brave is true.”

Ming Shu’s heart, which was almost suffocated by nervousness, gained a tiny crack from Ling Han’s affirmation, like a green sprout breaking through the soil. A bit of sweetness grew from the core of her nervousness, spreading outwards, trying to cover the emotions that made her uneasy.

She wasn’t sure if the feeling between her and Professor Shen could be defined as love, but from her unilateral perspective, she had indeed fallen for Professor Shen.

“It’s a very small probability to flash-marry and meet true love. Ming Shu, you are very lucky.” Ling Han smiled, suppressing the bitterness in her heart. “I think I forgot to congratulate you before. I sincerely wish you and Professor Shen a happy life together until you are old.”

“Thank you.” Ming Shu returned a bright smile. “You will also find your own happiness.”

“Hopefully.”

Professor Shen’s car hadn’t arrived yet. Ming Shu turned back to look at her reflection in the glass wall of the publishing house. She was wearing her work uniform today, still a white shirt and a black pencil skirt, with 5cm heels. Her smooth, long black curly hair was casually draped over her shoulders. She tidied it up in the reflection. She was still wearing her work badge on her chest, unsure whether to take it off or not.

“Calm down, Ming Shu. You’re just meeting Professor Shen’s students. Why are you so nervous? How did you manage when you met Professor Shen’s family?”

“Actually, I haven’t met Professor Shen’s family yet.”

Ling Han blinked in surprise, sensing something was off, and quickly stopped herself, afraid of making Ming Shu uncomfortable, and didn’t continue asking such questions. She changed the subject. “What kind of car does Professor Shen drive? I’ll help keep an eye out.”

Ming Shu turned back. “A rental car from the school. I don’t know the make, but I recognize it.”

“OK.” Ling Han glanced at the time. There were still more than three hours until work started in the afternoon. There was no rush. She had to admit that working with the American side meant a very comfortable work schedule.

Two minutes later, Shen Junlan arrived, parked the car by the side of the road, and rolled down the window to call Ming Shu and Ling Han.

When getting into the car, Ming Shu was hesitant. She didn’t know whether she should sit in the passenger seat or sit in the back with Ling Han. If she sat in the passenger seat, Ling Han might be awkward alone in the back. If she sat in the back, it wouldn’t be very good for Professor Shen.

“Wife, why don’t you sit in the back with Miss Ling? You two can chat on the way, and I’ll focus on driving,” Shen Junlan suggested gently, seeing Ming Shu’s dilemma.

Ming Shu got into the car and sat in the back with Ling Han.

On the way, the two didn’t say much. Instead, it was Shen Junlan, who was driving, who spoke first. “Wife, are you and Miss Ling’s work going smoothly?”

Ming Shu thought for a moment and said, “It’s alright.”

Ling Han said, “I think it’s going very smoothly. If this collaboration can be achieved, Ming Shu will definitely have played a big part.”

“Ling Han, you’re exaggerating. I’m not that great,” Ming Shu still wasn’t used to people praising her, especially when praising her work performance in front of Professor Shen. In the same field, in the presence of the esteemed Professor Shen, Ming Shu felt like she was showing off her mediocre skills in front of an expert.

“Ming Shu, you are truly excellent. You should be more confident in yourself.” After Ling Han finished speaking, she asked Shen Junlan, who was driving in front, “Professor Shen, what do you think?”

“I think Miss Ling is absolutely right. Wife, you should have more confidence in yourself. You are truly excellent. You are so eager to learn, and you even take night classes. How could you not be great?”

“So Ming Shu continues to study after coming home at night. No wonder her professional skills are so strong. Learning a language really requires continuous hard work, and you can’t stop even after working.”

“Yes,” Shen Junlan, as a professor, completely agreed.

Ming Shu sat quietly next to Ling Han in the back seat, saying nothing. She felt too embarrassed to speak. Professor Shen was lying.

The “night classes” Professor Shen referred to were completely different from what Ling Han imagined. Before marrying Professor Shen, Ming Shu did have time to study professional knowledge and relax after returning home, but after getting married, she barely had any private time in the evenings. Except for the two evenings she spent celebrating Lingyu’s birthday and the two days Professor Shen left early for her business trip to the US, she spent every other night with Professor Shen.

Although they hadn’t been married for long, the frequency made her blush every time she thought about it.

They arrived at their destination, parked the car, and all three got out. Shen Junlan walked over and took Ming Shu’s hand, saying to Ling Han, “The weather is nice today, perfect for a gathering. Miss Ling, this way, please.”

Ling Han felt privileged, as if she were being treated as an important guest. Ming Shu looked up. The weather was indeed very good today. The sun was directly overhead, and the sunlight was dazzling. She lowered her head after less than three seconds.

“Let’s go, Wife.” Shen Junlan held Ming Shu’s hand and walked forward. Ling Han walked beside them, feeling extremely envious. She envied Professor Shen for marrying Ming Shu, envied Professor Shen for openly calling Ming Shu her wife, and envied how truly happy they seemed.

The three of them walked into the restaurant. A group of students sitting in a corner by the window noticed them and excitedly stood up. Some couldn’t help but walk toward them.

“Shiniang, we’re here!”

The students were overly excited and momentarily forgot that this was a public place with other guests. Shen Junlan raised her hand and put her index finger to her lips. The students immediately fell silent, holding back from speaking, waiting for them to walk over and sit down.

People are instinctively drawn to beautiful things and people, and the students were particularly excited to see a great beauty. Since they couldn’t speak, the students were all silently screaming in their hearts.

Oh my god, how could someone make this ordinary work uniform look so good!

Shiniang is truly so beautiful! A beauty that holds up even when stared at up close.

“Behave yourselves. Don’t scare your Shiniang.”

“Lin Qiming, wipe your drool,” Professor Zhang reminded him with a look of disdain. The majority of the students subconsciously touched their mouths, afraid they had drooled too.

Professor Zhang was the last to focus his attention on Ming Shu. He carefully observed her for a few seconds, then showed a look of understanding and a smile.

He had seen Professor Shen’s wife before and had a deep impression. Beautiful female students were not uncommon in college, but a beauty like Yan Mingshu was extremely rare. And such a great beauty was a social phobic with no confidence at all. During the oral exam, Ming Shu couldn’t speak and even fainted in front of him, almost scaring him to death. Fortunately, there was surveillance, or he wouldn’t have known how to explain it.

In short, Professor Zhang had originally found Ming Shu, this student, quite troublesome. He had to ask Professor Shen for help with the oral exam in the end. Although the burden was transferred, he wasn’t completely at ease. Later, he learned from Professor Shen that Ming Shu had gone and spoken, and passed the exam. Although the score wasn’t very high, out of concern for the fairness of the exam and curiosity about whether Ming Shu had actually spoken, Professor Zhang checked the surveillance. Only after confirming there was no cheating or other tricks did he enter the final grade for Ming Shu.

This matter had bothered Professor Zhang for a long time. He even specifically asked Professor Shen how she managed to get Ming Shu to speak and take the exam normally like other students. Professor Shen had told him then, “Perhaps she’s not afraid of me.”

Because of this, Professor Zhang hadn’t been able to let it go for a long time, agonizing over whether he had a frightening appearance. After confirming that it wasn’t his own issue, he guessed that Ming Shu had suffered some trauma and harbored a deep fear of people who resembled her trauma.

Now, Ming Shu had become Professor Shen’s wife. He had to say, this was truly a destined fate.

“Let me introduce you all. This is Yan Mingshu, my wife, a former student of H University, and your senior,” Shen Junlan said with a smile, holding Ming Shu’s hand.

“Senior?”

“Shiniang is our senior?” The students were even more shocked.

“Don’t overthink it. I only married her after I reunited with her a year after she graduated.”

“Oh! Oh oh! Oh oh oh!” Tian Tian exclaimed a few times excitedly, her eyes shining.

The male student named Lin Qiming said with a glum face, “It’s a shame she’s a senior and not in the same cohort as us.”

“Lin Qiming, you still haven’t given up on poaching Professor Shen’s wife,” a girl who felt the same regret teased.

Lin Qiming said, “I’m just thinking about it.”

“This is Ling Han, Miss Ling, your Shiniang’s colleague,” Shen Junlan introduced.

The students all greeted Ling Han and asked for her contact information, saying they wanted to consult about some issues related to GR Company. Ling Han agreed, opened her QR code, and let the students scan it.

Someone squeezed in from the back and said, “This sister is also pretty! Short hair is so cool and handsome!”

Ming Shu was pulled by Professor Shen to meet Professor Zhang. Professor Zhang greeted her with a smile. “Ming Shu, long time no see.”

Seeing her former teacher again, especially after having embarrassed herself by fainting in front of him, Ming Shu almost couldn’t lift her head. But she forced herself to straighten her back and gather the courage to greet him. “Hello, Professor Zhang.”

Ming Shu vaguely felt Professor Shen’s hand behind her, helping her maintain her spiritual backbone.

“Sit down and eat,” Professor Zhang said.

The meal was much more relaxed than Ming Shu had imagined. The atmosphere was harmonious and pleasant. They talked about popular words and memes among young people. Occasionally, Professor Shen and Professor Zhang would test them on how to appropriately translate some Chinese popular words into English. This was always the quietest time.

Professor Zhang called on Ming Shu to answer. Ming Shu hesitantly shared her opinion and received affirmation and praise from the two professors, as well as fervent admiration and compliments from a large group of students.

“Shiniang is so amazing!”

“Shiniang is great!”

“I want to become as amazing as Shiniang!”

Ming Shu couldn’t handle such enthusiastic praise and felt she wasn’t worthy, but deep down, a little confidence gradually grew from these genuine and kind affirmations.

After the meal, everyone discussed going back to the hotel for a short rest before heading to the publishing house in the afternoon. Ming Shu and Ling Han received enthusiastic invitations from the students to visit their accommodation and see the results of the research projects they had been working on these past few days.

Ling Han didn’t mind. Instead of resting, it might be better to go and take a look. However, she didn’t agree immediately and looked at Ming Shu. Ming Shu was unsure how to respond and looked to Professor Shen for help.

Shen Junlan tightened her grip on Ming Shu’s hand, raised it, and said, “I apologize, but the teacher has other arrangements. I need to take your Shiniang to look at rings. Professor Zhang is back and will be leading your team.”

“Miss Ling, would you like to visit our hotel?”

“Mhm, I don’t have anything else to do, so I can go take a look.”

As they were parting ways, Professor Zhang handed Ming Shu a large, thick red envelope. Ming Shu refused to take it. Professor Zhang smiled, “Take it, Ming Shu. Professor Shen was so righteous to take over my work when I was having issues. I must show my appreciation. Just consider it pocket money from an elder.”

Ming Shu still didn’t dare to accept it. She had never received such a generous amount of pocket money. Shen Junlan also didn’t take it and smiled, “Professor Zhang, Ming Shu and I haven’t held a wedding yet. Keep this money and use it as a wedding gift then.”

“I’ll give another wedding gift then. Just consider it my affection for this child, Ming Shu,” Professor Zhang said.

The teachers at H University who had taught Ming Shu were all somewhat aware of her situation. For a period after the oral exam, even the teachers who paid absolutely no attention to campus gossip knew that a beautiful girl in the English department had been subjected to malicious rumors. On her way to class, in the library, and in the cafeteria, she would be drowned out by all kinds of malicious comments. Some vulgar students would even directly ask Ming Shu in English, “How much?” The incident had a widespread impact and was of a malicious nature. The school officially refuted the rumors but could not track down the source of the gossip.

The school was concerned about Ming Shu’s mental health and called in Ming Shu’s mother to discuss whether Ming Shu should take a year off from school and continue her studies when the situation improved.

Unexpectedly, Ming Shu’s mother only felt embarrassed. Not only did she fail to seek justice for her child, but she also questioned her daughter in front of the teachers in the office about whether she had truly misbehaved, asking Ming Shu if she had really gone out to sell herself and how much money she had made. In the end, she naturally didn’t let Ming Shu take a break, saying the family didn’t have extra money to support her for another year. Ming Shu’s mother even demanded that Ming Shu earn her own money for the remaining academic year’s tuition by working part-time during her spare time and summer and winter breaks, which shocked the teachers. At this time, instead of caring for the child, she was blaming her. No wonder Ming Shu, a girl who was so beautiful, was so self-conscious and socially anxious.

The teachers couldn’t help but feel sorry for such an innocent and well-behaved student who was suffering.

Professor Zhang, Ming Shu, and Professor Shen all simultaneously recalled this painful memory, regardless of whether it had happened to them.

“Take it, Ming Shu.” Professor Zhang tucked the red envelope into Ming Shu’s palm. “It’s just thick because of the smaller bills, not all large ones.”

Ling Han and the students stood quietly on the side, feeling that the atmosphere between Professor Zhang, Ming Shu, and Professor Shen was completely exclusive, as if they were missing a piece of important information.

“Wife, accept it.” Shen Junlan leaned close to Ming Shu’s ear and whispered, “There will be opportunities to return the favor in the future. Professor Zhang and his wife are currently trying to conceive.”

Hearing Professor Shen say this, Ming Shu finally accepted it. “Thank you, Professor Zhang.”

Professor Zhang finally smiled in satisfaction and didn’t forget to tease them. “Professor Shen can’t bear to be separated from you, Ming Shu. I wish you both a happy marriage.”

The students also excitedly shouted a bunch of blessings, rushing to say:

“Professor Shen and Shiniang must be happy!”

“Always like newlyweds, always sweet!”

Someone mixed in with the crowd said, “Shiniang, if you ever get divorced, consider me. I’ll take a love number to queue up.”

“It’s you again, Lin Qiming!” A group of girls came over and hit Lin Qiming’s head. Lin Qiming scurried away, covering his head.

“Ow, ow, I know I was wrong! Professor Shen and Shiniang must be happy!”

Amidst Lin Qiming’s wails, Shen Junlan took Ming Shu’s hand, turned around, and walked to a nearby jewelry store to look at rings.

“Professor Shen, are we really going to choose rings?”

“We can also look at other jewelry.”

The two walked from an open space to a shaded area under some trees. Ming Shu suddenly stopped. Shen Junlan also paused.

Ming Shu looked up at the sky. Broken pieces of sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves. The sun was still very dazzling.

“Wife, what are you looking at?”

Ming Shu smiled and shook her head. “Nothing.”

The two continued to walk forward, and as they left the shade, the scorching summer sun shone directly on them without any cover.

Shen Junlan was worried that Ming Shu might get sunstroke and asked, “Wife, are you hot or thirsty?”

Ming Shu shook her head again, her eyes curved like crescent moons, with a bright smile. She felt so happy. She and Professor Shen had publicly revealed their relationship like this. There were no criticisms or doubts as she had anticipated. Instead, all they received were blessings as bright as the sun above them.

Shen Junlan had never seen Ming Shu this happy before. She looked as if she was laughing silly. Concerned, she raised her hand to check Ming Shu’s forehead temperature, slightly lowering her head to look.

Ming Shu allowed Professor Shen to check her, her bright eyes quickly darting left and right, glancing around. Not far away, a couple was kissing on the street.

Watching Professor Shen, whose concerned gaze was getting closer and closer, Ming Shu’s heart thumped like a drum. Carrying the sun-drenched blessings, Ming Shu stood on her tiptoes and quickly kissed Shen Junlan on the cheek.

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