After a Flash Marriage with a Professor - Chapter 84

Chapter 84

“Hey!” Qiao Qian was even angrier, seeing Jiajia completely ignore her and walk past to talk to the person she disliked even more, Yan Mingshu.

“You’ve been inside once already. Did your mother not teach you manners and how to be a good person, or did the police officers not teach you?” Jiajia retorted. She would not tolerate Qiao Qian’s overly spoiled, arrogant, or perhaps even psychopathic behavior.

“Jiajia.” Ming Shu pulled Jiajia, not wanting Jiajia to directly confront Qiao Qian and her group, especially since today was supposed to be a good day and nothing else should go wrong.

“What are you afraid of?” Jiajia stared at Qiao Qian, shielding Ming Shu behind her, and said without turning her head, “Sometimes you have to be tough with your attitude. Otherwise, if you’re gentle, kind, respectful, and accommodating, but the other person is unreasonable, they’ll just treat you like a soft persimmon to squeeze.”

“I didn’t accommodate her,” Ming Shu corrected softly.

Jiajia smiled. Precisely because of that, she was starting to see Ming Shu in a new light.

“Zhang Jiajia, what are you laughing at? Are you secretly talking bad about me while whispering over there?” Qiao Qian asked angrily, hands on her hips.

“Miss Qianqian, the world does not revolve around you. You’d better not be so self-obsessed,” Jiajia retorted sarcastically.

“You…” Qiao Qian wasn’t skilled at arguing and was always at a disadvantage in verbal confrontations. Her angry expression was intensely magnified on her face, making her refined makeup look hideous.

“You, and you! All of you, attack!” Qiao Qian pointed at the black-suited bodyguards surrounding her and commanded, “Snatch my cake, and grab these two people! I’m going to slap each of them!”

The bodyguards were horrified. Their duty, for which they were paid, was to protect Qiao Qian’s safety, not to use force to assist her misbehavior. For a moment, no one moved. No one was willing to risk imprisonment for a meager salary.

Qiao Qian roared, “Are all of you freeloaders? Are you deaf?”

The bodyguard captain endured the scolding, went up to Qiao Qian, and lowered his body to whisper, “Miss Qianqian, you just got out of there. Being this aggressive isn’t wise. Be careful not to go back in. Mrs. Qiao and Mr. Shen will be displeased.”

“I don’t care! Don’t use them to pressure me!” Qiao Qian was consumed by rage. She was determined not to easily let go of Zhang Jiajia, this servant’s niece who was supposedly nothing but had a good relationship with Sister Junlan and had caused her to be detained for a month. And Yan Mingshu—a bad woman from a poor background who had usurped and stolen her Sister Junlan’s wife position. She wanted both of them to pay the price.

However, her bodyguards were disobeying her.

Ming Shu noticed their internal conflict and pushed Jiajia to move out together. Jiajia, being pushed, asked confusedly, “What are you doing?”

“Leaving. This is a good opportunity. Do you really want to escalate the situation? Professor Shen and Aunt Zhang are waiting for us at home. Getting involved with the police again is definitely not a good idea,” Ming Shu said rationally.

Jiajia was displeased. She didn’t like sneaking away and preferred a direct confrontation, but she had to admit Ming Shu made sense. She shouldn’t sacrifice herself again by repeating her past mistakes just to fight Qiao Qian.

“Fine.” Jiajia got into the car with Ming Shu. Jiajia pressed the accelerator and quickly left the trouble spot.

Qiao Qian and her bodyguards were still a bit stunned until the bakery owner cautiously asked them to leave, saying the shop was closing down. Only then did Qiao Qian walk out of the store, filled with anger and unwillingness.

The bakery owner quickly locked the door, secretly glad that they hadn’t started fighting inside his shop.

Jiajia drove with her own style, prioritizing speed, looking a bit reckless but actually very steady. Ming Shu sensed that Jiajia was venting her anger and told her to drive carefully.

Jiajia bit the lollipop in her mouth, crushing it, and said, “I know.”

Back at the villa, Shen Junlan noticed the strange atmosphere between the two and also saw that Jiajia was unhappy, so she asked what had happened.

Jiajia didn’t say anything, so Ming Shu simply recounted their encounter at the bakery.

Aunt Zhang said worriedly, “Why is Miss Qianqian so persistent like a ghost? When will she ever let us be?”

Jiajia walked over again to comfort Aunt Zhang, saying, “Aunt, she’s not that powerful. She didn’t dare to do anything to me or the Madam today. She’s crazy, but her bodyguards aren’t crazy with her. They aren’t murderers; they won’t dare to do anything outrageous.”

Shen Junlan said, “That’s true. Shen Muhua’s attitude towards Qiao Li and Qiao Qian seems less affectionate than before. To stabilize Shen Muhua, Qiao Li will also make Qiao Qian restrain herself, but no one can say what Qiao Qian will do when she goes crazy.”

“She’s so crazy, is there something wrong with her mentally?” Jiajia casually grumbled.

“Let’s not talk about her. Let’s eat,” Aunt Zhang steered the conversation back to normal.

When they were resting that night, Ming Shu told Professor Shen, “I have a bad feeling.”

“About Qiao Qian?”

“Mmm.” Ming Shu pointed to her right eyelid, “It’s twitching again.”

Shen Junlan reached up to massage Ming Shu’s eyelid and then gently kissed it, “Don’t overthink it, Wife. Relax. If you encounter Qiao Qian again, you must tell me. We’ll face it together.”

“Okay.” Ming Shu agreed verbally, but the feeling of unease in her heart grew stronger.

This unease was confirmed a week later.

The day for Wen Xuan to go abroad had arrived. On this day, Yan Hongbo and Qin Shu, Ming Shu and Shen Junlan, Ling Yu, and because Ling Yu came, Yu Le also came.

It was Wen Xuan’s first time at the airport for an international flight. He was going abroad alone to study, feeling very nervous and excited, and he was overwhelmed by the sight of so many people seeing him off.

“So many people,” Wen Xuan’s hand, gripping the handle of his black suitcase, was sweating profusely. He sincerely said goodbye, “Dad, Mom, Sis, Brother-in-law, Sister Ling Yu, and,” Wen Xuan paused when he saw Yu Le next to Ling Yu, and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. Yu Le smiled and said, “Let me re-introduce myself. My name is Yu Le, and I’m a friend of your sister, brother-in-law, and Sister Ling Yu.”

“Miss Yu.” Wen Xuan addressed her that way, and finally said goodbye to everyone.

Yan Hongbo and Qin Shu held Wen Xuan’s hands, unwilling to let go. Ming Shu stood nearby. Although she didn’t pull at her brother, she also felt a lot of reluctance and worry.

Shen Junlan comforted Ming Shu, “Wife, Wen Xuan has grown up. He can take good care of himself.”

Finally, Yan Hongbo and Qin Shu had to let go. They each pulled out a roll of cash from their pockets and tried to stuff it into Wen Xuan’s hand. Wen Xuan couldn’t refuse, so he accepted it, not forgetting to instruct before leaving, “Even when I’m gone, Dad must keep it up and not touch gambling again.”

Yan Hongbo raised his hand to swear, “If I ever gamble again, may I not have a good end. I’ll give all my wages to your mother after I get paid.”

“Go with peace of mind, Son. We’ll keep in touch by phone.”

The farewell ended. Just as Wen Xuan was about to go through security and head to the waiting area, several airport police officers suddenly chased after him and violently subdued Wen Xuan on the floor. Wen Xuan struggled a few times, but after being tightly held, he was helped up and taken away like a criminal being escorted.

“Wen Xuan!”

“Wen Xuan!”

Yan Hongbo and Qin Shu lost their composure and rushed over, “What are you doing? Why are you arresting my son? My son is supposed to go abroad today. Can you afford to ruin his future?”

Ming Shu also ran forward. Overcome with worry, she asked, “May I ask what crime my brother committed? Why are you arresting my brother?”

The police officers ignored Yan Hongbo and Qin Shu, the slightly unruly middle-aged couple. Only when a young, beautiful woman who showed respect for their profession asked did one of them simply reply, “Someone reported Yan Wenxuan for drug trafficking. We are requesting his cooperation for an investigation, as per regulations.”

“This is not a request for cooperation; you are using excessive force,” Ling Yu observed their arrest in detail.

“I apologize, but due to the special nature of our job, we cannot take people involved with drugs lightly. Please understand.” After saying this, the officers ignored them and escorted Yan Wenxuan away for investigation. This action caused a small commotion at the airport.

Everyone was agitated, except for Shen Junlan and Yu Le. The only two who remained calm exchanged glances for a second, silently acknowledging that their thoughts must have coincided.

Shen Junlan said, “Someone deliberately chose this time to report him, specifically to prevent Wen Xuan from leaving the country smoothly.”

Ming Shu realized, asking, “Is it someone from the Qiao family?”

“It should be. I trust Wen Xuan would never touch drugs,” Shen Junlan said.

“Wen Xuan definitely wouldn’t,” Ming Shu affirmed. Yan Hongbo and Qin Shu also vehemently denied it.

Everyone gathered to discuss what to do. Shen Junlan said, “The ticket can be rescheduled. The issue now is whether the Qiao family only made a false report or if they also tampered with the items Wen Xuan was carrying.”

“What if they tampered with his things?” Ming Shu asked anxiously.

“Don’t worry, Wife.” After comforting Ming Shu and her family, Shen Junlan walked to a relatively quiet corner to call Qiao Qian.

Qiao Qian quickly answered, her voice sounding very happy.

“Sister Junlan, you haven’t changed your phone number! You finally took me off the blacklist.”

Shen Junlan felt a headache upon hearing Qiao Qian’s voice, “Qiao Qian, I don’t want to beat around the bush. You know why I’m calling you.”

“I do?” Qiao Qian feigned a surprised tone, “Could it be that Sister Junlan has forgiven me, missed me, and wants to talk about marrying me after dumping Yan Mingshu?”

“Absolutely not, Qiao Qian. I will not marry you. I don’t like you. The false report was your doing, wasn’t it?” Shen Junlan asked. She quietly activated the recording function.

But this time, Qiao Qian chose to play dumb and didn’t confess as she had before.

“False report? What false report? Isn’t that illegal, Sister Junlan? Did someone file a false report against you?”

It seemed pointless to ask further. Shen Junlan hung up the phone and blocked and deleted Qiao Qian’s number again.

She returned to Ming Shu’s side and said, “We’ll go straight to the police station.”

Wen Xuan was thoroughly searched inside and out. The police confirmed that Wen Xuan was neither carrying nor addicted to drugs before releasing him.

The group waited from afternoon until dark, finally reuniting with Wen Xuan. The police apologized, explaining that upon receiving such a report, they had to respond for the sake of public safety.

Shen Junlan said, “I understand. But can the person who filed the false report be arrested?”

“I’m afraid not. The person used a public phone to report it, and it was not under a real name.”

Shen Junlan spoke with the police a few more times. The police stated that they would treat any future reports targeting Wen Xuan with caution.

“It’s okay, rescheduling the ticket is fine. It’s not the enrollment date yet,” Wen Xuan comforted everyone.

Ming Shu said, “Yes, tomorrow or the day after is fine.”

Shen Junlan didn’t speak. She saw someone walking toward them directly ahead. It was Shen Muhua, Qiao Li and Qiao Qian, and several black-suited bodyguards. One of the bodyguards was being restrained by two others, just as Wen Xuan had been restrained by the police earlier.

Qiao Qian had been standing behind with her mother, but upon seeing Shen Junlan, she couldn’t help but jump out and say, “Sister Junlan, you won’t even listen to my explanation. I really didn’t do anything bad like filing a false report. It was the bodyguard who protected me who secretly came up with this idea to vent his frustration for me because he felt I was wronged. I didn’t do anything at all. The other bodyguards and Uncle Shen can all testify for me.”

None of these people were trusted by Shen Junlan. Qiao Qian’s claim that they could testify for her struck Shen Junlan as ridiculous.

Qiao Qian, however, explained very earnestly, “After the almost-clash with Yan Mingshu and Zhang Jiajia at the bakery last week, my mother didn’t let me leave the house this whole week. How would I dare to do anything bad? Sister Junlan, everything I’m saying is true.” Qiao Qian blinked her cosmetically enlarged eyes. Through her large contact lenses, Shen Junlan saw no sincerity at all, only a false display of feigned pitifulness.

Shen Junlan felt like she was watching a clumsy liar who thought they were very clever. The liar was completely in character, but the acting was extremely poor. Shen Junlan suddenly felt a bit nauseous. Any normal person wouldn’t believe that someone who habitually bullied others could be so innocently pitiful—it was purely a pretense.

Shen Junlan didn’t believe Qiao Qian’s words. She only cast a complicated look at the restrained bodyguard. That was the scapegoat, but likely one who had received benefits and was willing to bear the blame.

She acted as if she hadn’t seen Qiao Qian, holding Ming Shu’s hand, and walked up to Shen Muhua. She looked at Shen Muhua seriously and said, “Keep your people in check. If they do anything bad to the people around me again, I will not sit back and wait, and I will never forgive you.”

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