After a Flash Marriage with a Professor - Chapter 91

Chapter 91: Heart Stabbing

Before getting off work, Ling Han reminded Ming Shu to check the application materials for the collaboration project with the American publisher. They had been informed that the project was about to move forward, and the team that had previously traveled abroad for a business trip would be the one to liaise with the American side.

Ming Shu focused on organizing the documents, delaying her departure a bit. She messaged Professor Shen to ask her to wait, and Professor Shen replied that she had time to go buy her a drink.

After finishing the materials, Ming Shu prepared to leave the office. Looking up, she saw one person still at a workstation with their head down. She couldn’t tell who it was and thought about asking why they weren’t leaving, but ultimately decided against it and left.

A few minutes after Ming Shu left, the person looked up with a cunning smile. After making sure Ming Shu wouldn’t return to the office, the person stood up and went to Ming Shu’s workstation, starting to rummage through the documents on her desk.

He checked all the files on the desk but couldn’t find what he was looking for. His eyes dropped, and he saw a small locked cabinet. The man smiled. He didn’t expect Yan Mingshu to be so cautious, but unlocking it was no trouble for him at all.

After unlocking it, the man stole the prepared materials. He lifted his hand towards the surveillance camera, and the person cooperating with him knew what to do. The security footage quickly turned to a black screen.

When Ming Shu reached downstairs, Professor Shen had just returned with the drinks.

Ming Shu received a cup of fruit tea and quickly took a sip. It was sweet and sour.

“Didn’t we buy afternoon tea this afternoon? Why did Professor Shen suddenly go to buy another drink?” Ming Shu asked curiously, thoroughly enjoying the drink.

Shen Junlan smiled, “My Moments were flooded with posts about the first milk tea of autumn. I also wanted to join you in finding some youthful sense of ritual.”

“It’s just a marketing ploy by businesses. It’s okay. Chasing that kind of ritual every time can be tiring and a waste of money,” Ming Shu said. She didn’t want Professor Shen to go out of her way for her. She wouldn’t feel that Professor Shen didn’t love her just because she didn’t buy her the first milk tea of autumn. Sometimes, pursuing such a sense of ritual could be exhausting.

In the office, Ming Shu heard many dating and married colleagues say that after getting together, their partners were no longer as enthusiastic or attentive as before, let alone paying attention to these trendy rituals. If they wanted them, they often had to give them to themselves. Ming Shu would listen silently or focus on her work, but sometimes colleagues would cue her in, asking if Professor Shen had changed before and after marriage.

This was a difficult question for Ming Shu to answer. Did she and Professor Shen have a “pre-marriage” phase?

It seemed not. Even if there was, it was too short to count. They got their marriage certificate on the day of their blind date. They hadn’t dated before marriage, and her love for Professor Shen had only developed after marriage.

Ming Shu just smiled. She didn’t like to be the center of office gossip or discuss her private life in front of others, so she just smiled and sidestepped the questions.

Perhaps because she was the deputy group leader, even if a minor one, she now had colleagues speaking up for her.

“The deputy group leader is shy. Everyone, stop asking. The facts already show that the deputy group leader’s marriage is very happy. Even on a workday, Professor Shen rushes over to spend a wonderful lunch break with the deputy group leader, just like today.”

The colleague speaking had coincidentally seen Professor Shen come to pick up Ming Shu during lunchtime.

Colleagues expressed their envy, envying Ming Shu for marrying well and finding a beautiful love that was still as sweet and harmonious after marriage as during a passionate courtship, unlike some of them whose marriage was merely finding a partner for cooperation, with love being minimal and interests being paramount.

Ming Shu listened absentmindedly as colleagues talked about their respective love lives and marriages, inevitably thinking about her own marriage with Professor Shen. If they were to follow a normal progression, they were currently in a relatively new relationship, in the passionate stage. Would this enthusiasm fade quickly, as her colleagues had experienced?

Thinking of this, Ming Shu suddenly wanted to retract her statement about not needing to pursue a sense of ritual. It felt like a negation of Professor Shen’s effort.

Shen Junlan smiled and said, “There’s nothing wrong with seeking a little novelty. This kind of conformity that steps into the trap of consumerism allows me to keep up with the times and makes me feel that the seven-year age gap between me and my wife is nothing.”

Ming Shu felt a mixture of sweetness and sourness in her heart, biting the straw as she said, “Professor Shen is knowingly jumping into the trap of consumerism.”

Shen Junlan replied, “It’s fine. It’s perfectly acceptable to spend within your means to gain some fresh happiness. The key is to spend responsibly and not overspend chasing trends.”

Ming Shu nodded in agreement. Just like her past self, she needed to subsidize her family with the money she earned, leaving little left for herself. She didn’t have enough funds to pursue these things, so she consciously chose to avoid the trap of consumerism.

Now, her financial situation was no longer as difficult as before. Even if Professor Shen hadn’t bought it, she could afford it. This small purchase within her means would not cause her any burden.

Ming Shu was in a good mood and joked with Professor Shen, “I saw online that real heiresses receive gifts like helicopters and projection planetariums. An average person, even if they received them, wouldn’t have the psychological capacity to accept them naturally.”

“Not necessarily.” Shen Junlan laughed, “Wife, you are still a little too naive. There are many people in this world who want to get something for nothing and who wouldn’t complain about having too much money or too many expensive gifts.”

Ming Shu was slightly surprised. She felt Professor Shen made sense. She had been judging others by her own standards just now. Ming Shu’s life experience taught her that besides the beauty she was born with, she had to strive for anything she wanted. She had to study hard to get into a good university and work hard to improve her professional skills for a good job. The highly valuable beauty she possessed brought her far more trouble than benefits, until she met Professor Shen.

A terrible past and a beautiful present seemed to suddenly find a balance.

Although there were still some tricky issues to resolve, Ming Shu felt that she was now infinitely happier than her past self, who lived in constant fear.

Ming Shu suddenly wanted to give Professor Shen a gift, so she asked, “Does Professor Shen want anything recently? I will give it to you to the best of my ability.”

Shen Junlan licked her lips, looking at Ming Shu tenderly, her gaze full of longing. What she wanted was clearly implied.

Ming Shu felt her brain briefly short-circuit like a malfunctioning appliance. She turned sideways and said, “I don’t remember what I just said. Professor Shen, please forget it too.”

“I have a good memory. Forgetting things is not that easy, especially when it’s a good promise from my wife; it’s even harder to forget.”

“Try hard to forget,” Ming Shu insisted. She regretted digging her own grave in a moment of love-struck impulse.

Shen Junlan let out a long sigh, looking very regretful, “When did Wife learn to be so cheeky?”

Ming Shu said, “I didn’t.”

Ming Shu asked suspiciously, “Doesn’t Professor Shen get tired of doing this so often?”

“No,” Shen Junlan said with great certainty. She didn’t know if it was because her time with Ming Shu was still relatively short, but her obsession with Ming Shu’s body had never lessened.

Ming Shu was very puzzled by this. In all the things she had seen and heard since childhood, she couldn’t think of a single couple that could be considered harmonious and happy. Most lived together with constant arguments, chaos, and even physical fights.

In her understanding, the pleasure sought from the body should be very short-lived. Many news media and literary works mentioned that after a while, the relationship between couples often turned into family affection, and the desire for the other person easily faded, leading them to seek novelty. The inherent unfaithfulness of some people was also why so many people cheated.

Thinking about this serious issue, Ming Shu felt it was necessary to have a good talk with Professor Shen.

“Professor Shen, if you ever fall in love with someone else in the future, please don’t hide it from me and cheat secretly. I hope you can communicate with me about any issues, just like now, and we can solve the problem together.”

“If I fall in love with someone else?” Shen Junlan repeated Ming Shu’s question in confusion. She wasn’t sure why Ming Shu suddenly brought this up.

“Mmm.” Ming Shu nodded, “If Professor Shen falls in love with someone else, tell me directly. I will step aside and won’t pester you, allowing you to be with the person you love legitimately.”

“Step aside? Not pester me?” Shen Junlan slightly narrowed her eyes. Her emotion gradually shifted from confusion to anger. Why would Ming Shu think she would fall in love with someone else?

“Professor Shen, don’t be angry. I’m just making a hypothesis.” She put a warning out, knowing Professor Shen had gotten angry the last time this topic came up.

“Even a hypothesis is unacceptable.” Shen Junlan paused, feeling a pain in her chest. “Wife, have you forgotten what you once promised me?”

Ming Shu couldn’t recall immediately, so she shook her head.

Shen Junlan reminded her, “You promised never to leave me.”

Ming Shu explained, “So I said it was a hypothesis, and it’s about the scenario where Professor Shen falls in love with someone else and no longer likes me. In that case, Professor Shen probably wouldn’t want me to stay around as an eyesore.”

“That situation will never happen,” Shen Junlan said, frowning.

Ming Shu fell silent. There weren’t many times when she and Professor Shen had conflicting views, and usually, as long as both were willing to talk, they could resolve it. But this time seemed a bit difficult.

Shen Junlan pondered for a while and asked, “Wife, are you lacking confidence in yourself, in me, or in our love?”

Ming Shu thought seriously for a moment before saying, “A bit of both the latter two.”

No one doesn’t wish for a long-lasting love, but does such love truly exist? Ming Shu dared not conclude on something she hadn’t experienced to the end. But one thing was certain: she genuinely lacked the confidence that Professor Shen would always love her, that her love would never change.

In the office, the most discussed topic among colleagues was that love was the least reliable thing. Whether a person cheats or not depends not on whether they love you, but on their moral character and boundaries.

Ming Shu naturally trusted Professor Shen’s character, so she hypothesized a scenario where Professor Shen simply stopped loving her one day in the future. She hoped Professor Shen could tell her honestly rather than forcing herself to stay with her.

Especially after the recent events Ming Shu experienced, the confidence she had built up previously was so easily shaken. She realized that individual confidence could only be directed toward oneself; others were variables, difficult to control.

Even if Professor Shen said she loved her now and could never leave her, no one could predict the future. Ming Shu didn’t want to be lost in sweet words. She was afraid of losing herself, afraid that if she lost Professor Shen one day, she wouldn’t be able to live independently and would suffer forever.

“Wife, are you looking for a way out for our bad ending?” Shen Junlan had never considered these things. She only thought about living happily ever after with her little bunny wife.

Now, some uncontrollable variables had appeared in her ideal happy life, and she was trying to find a solution. However, she found that her little bunny wife was treating her as an uncontrollable variable too, asking questions that hurt her a little.

But at the same time, Shen Junlan could understand. In her relationship with Ming Shu, she seemed to be the dominant one, which was related to their respective overall circumstances. Relatively speaking, it was not problematic for Ming Shu to have such considerations out of reality and logic. Yet, she still felt a thorn had been jabbed into her heart.

“Professor Shen, are you angry?” Ming Shu asked tentatively.

These were important issues that she truly cared about. Even if Professor Shen was angry, Ming Shu still wanted to clarify them with her.

Shen Junlan didn’t speak. She leaned over, gently lifted Ming Shu’s chin with her finger, and kissed Ming Shu fiercely.

It was as if Ming Shu was about to leave her the next second.

In the car, Ming Shu closed her eyes and cooperated willingly.

Shen Junlan was slightly surprised. Then, she kissed heavily, like a plunderer, giving Ming Shu no space to breathe. She explored with her tongue, gently and violently intertwining with Ming Shu’s. Ming Shu was a little overwhelmed. She felt like she was about to suffocate in this kiss.

Ming Shu only felt her heart beating faster and heavier. The world grew dim, and she had a sense of impending death, as if the apocalypse was about to descend. Initially, she was afraid of this feeling, but later she realized there was no real danger, and she always survived the wolf’s jaws.

She became somewhat fearless, even finding enjoyment in it. She loved the wonderful feeling of being kissed by Professor Shen until the world went dark, as if only the two of them were left. At this time, she didn’t have many worries; there was only Professor Shen, the Professor Shen who demanded a kiss from her.

Shen Junlan was constantly aware of Ming Shu’s condition. She knew how crazy her addiction could get, but she could always control herself because the person was Ming Shu, her beloved little bunny wife.

She released Ming Shu, watching her gasp for air in front of her. She glanced out the car window. It was already dark. Her heart was beating wildly, filled with intense craving.

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