After a Flash Marriage with a Professor - Chapter 93

Chapter 93: Love Response

Ming Shu had originally planned to go to bed after reading the story to Professor Shen, but she didn’t expect Professor Shen to still be awake. Not only did she open her eyes, but she also said something that shocked her again.

Ming Shu sat stiffly on the edge of the bed, motionless and silent.

“Wife.”

Hearing Professor Shen call her, she looked down at Professor Shen. Professor Shen’s hand reached out to cover the back of hers.

The temperature was scorching. Ming Shu felt the heat of Professor Shen’s hand on her skin.

How could the addiction be so easy to overcome? Ming Shu realized her previous assumption that Professor Shen was asleep was a bit naive.

“Wife, why don’t you get on the bed?”

Ming Shu said, “I was just about to…”

Before she could finish, she was pulled by Professor Shen, who was already lying in bed. She fell unexpectedly onto her exclusive ‘flesh cushion’.

Afraid of crushing Professor Shen, she quickly shifted slightly to the side.

“Wife, are you avoiding me?” Shen Junlan asked.

“No,” Ming Shu said, “I have a question I want to ask Professor Shen.”

“Ask away, Wife.”

“Was Professor Shen teasing me just now?” Ming Shu was suspicious of Professor Shen’s sudden changes, thinking perhaps Professor Shen was pursuing a different kind of novelty.

Shen Junlan smiled, “Why would Wife think that? Wasn’t it me begging Wife to read a fairy tale? Was Wife teasing me?”

“Is it really that simple?”

“Mmm.”

“…Okay.” Ming Shu chose to believe Professor Shen. She didn’t think Professor Shen would have the presence of mind to tease her in this situation. At most, Professor Shen didn’t want to be too direct and chose to express her desire through an indirect method.

Ming Shu blushed and said, “Is Professor Shen sure she wants to be taken care of now?”

“Sure.”

Ming Shu indirectly confirmed that she hadn’t misheard earlier. Professor Shen indeed wanted her to take care of her, not the other way around.

Ming Shu breathed a sigh of relief. Since she had to get up early for work tomorrow and had very crucial tasks, the materials for the collaboration with the American publisher were all entrusted to her. They needed to be submitted for company review in the morning. If there were no issues, they would meet with the American party in the afternoon. The American team would arrive in the country in the morning, rest for a bit, and then have the meeting in the afternoon.

Ming Shu carefully recalled that the materials she organized were complete, including some very important agreements from her time in the US. Although there wouldn’t be any mistakes in her own company, she had cautiously locked them away. She treated both the materials handed over to her and those she collected and organized herself with utmost care.

“Wife.” Shen Junlan felt Ming Shu’s distraction. Although lying down, her hand reached up, gripping Ming Shu, and then gently squeezed, bringing Ming Shu back to attention with a start. “What are you thinking about? Why so distracted?”

“I’m… thinking about tomorrow’s work. I have a very important task,” Ming Shu arched her back, trying to retreat, but Professor Shen wouldn’t let her. She could only frown and endure the different, aching sensations from both sides.

“Work? Wife is thinking about work at a time like this?”

A trace of sadness leaked from Professor Shen’s deep eyes. Ming Shu immediately panicked. She said guiltily, “I’m sorry, Professor Shen, I shouldn’t be distracted.”

She clearly knew Professor Shen needed her now, so why was she distracted? Does work mean more to me than Professor Shen? Ming Shu’s mind jammed for a moment. These two things shouldn’t be compared.

“It’s okay.” Shen Junlan pressed Ming Shu’s shoulders and flipped their positions. In an instant, their places were vastly changed.

“Wife is just more suitable for lying down,” Shen Junlan said thoughtfully.

“But, didn’t Professor Shen want to be taken care of today?”

Shen Junlan smiled and shook her head.

Huh? No?

Ming Shu looked at Professor Shen in surprise. Professor Shen didn’t say anything more and directly kissed her. She closed her eyes and could only accept. The most immediate concern was to alleviate or resolve Professor Shen’s addiction.

Unexpectedly, Professor Shen was still as gentle as usual tonight. Soft, dense kisses rained down.

The flower bloomed. Ming Shu tremblingly opened her eyes. She saw a vase on the glass table in the hotel room, holding two roses leaning against each other, perfectly open. They weren’t intensely red, but carried an atmosphere of natural, romantic freedom.

Ming Shu’s own rose also blossomed under this romance.

This rose had a dedicated gardener. The gardener loved the rose dearly, wishing to kiss and touch it all the time. But the petals were beautiful yet delicate. No matter how much the gardener liked it, restraint was needed. No one cared more for the rose than the gardener.

Lying back down beside Ming Shu, Shen Junlan, who held Ming Shu tightly, also saw the roses on the table. She whispered in Ming Shu’s ear, “Wife, do you see the flowers on the table?”

Ming Shu weakly nodded.

Shen Junlan said, “They are not as beautiful as yours.”

Ming Shu raised her hand to cover Professor Shen’s mouth, blushing as she “threatened,” “Sleep.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Shen Junlan smiled and cooperated, closing her eyes.

Waking up in the morning, Ming Shu’s first action was to stand up and check if her movements showed any obvious signs that could be noticed. Fortunately, there were none.

Last night, Professor Shen was ultimately merciful with both her hands and mouth.

Ming Shu happily turned back to look at Professor Shen, finding her propped up on an elbow, supporting her side profile, smiling at her.

It felt as if a gentle, warm breeze had blown by, and Ming Shu felt a surge of tenderness.

“Did Wife have a good dream?” Shen Junlan sat up and got out of bed.

Ming Shu shook her head, not speaking, just smiling.

The curtains were drawn, letting in only a weak morning light, yet Shen Junlan seemed to see bright, sunny weather, and her mood instinctively brightened as well.

“Wife, I had a good dream yesterday,” Shen Junlan shared generously. “It was very sweet, because Wife was in it. We continued last night’s sweetness for a long time.”

A splash of red was added to Ming Shu’s brilliant smile.

Ming Shu’s happiness lasted until she parted ways with Professor Shen at the company entrance.

Normally, Professor Shen wouldn’t specially get out of the car to see her off, but today, the two were so reluctant to separate. Ming Shu temporarily forgot the crucial work that had been making her anxious and stayed in the car for a little longer. When she got out, Professor Shen got out too.

Seeing Professor Shen out of the car, Ming Shu asked, “Professor Shen, why did you come down?”

“Because I found Wife to be especially reluctant to leave me today,” Shen Junlan said with a laugh.

Ming Shu’s face flushed with embarrassment. She nervously glanced around. Already, some colleagues arriving for work were looking at them. She was afraid of running into colleagues from her own office, worried about being teased and becoming office gossip again. Ming Shu didn’t want to be the center of attention at work; she just wanted to do her job well.

What you fear most is what happens.

Several recognized colleagues walked past Ming Shu, all stopping to greet her, “Deputy Group Leader.”

“Group Leader Ming Shu.”

They simply greeted Ming Shu, then secretly glanced at Professor Shen, knowing this was probably the legendary figure the company had always wanted to connect with, and also Ming Shu’s spouse. But no one had the courage to step forward, inquire, or ask Ming Shu for an introduction. After all, they weren’t close to Ming Shu.

Ming Shu politely returned the greetings to her colleagues. For some reason, being addressed like that in front of Professor Shen made Ming Shu feel deeply awkward.

Shen Junlan leaned close to Ming Shu and smiled, “Wife got a promotion, that’s amazing.”

Ming Shu bit her lip. She was still unaccustomed to accepting such compliments. She said awkwardly, “I told Professor Shen before.”

“I know,” Shen Junlan smiled, “At that time, Wife even specifically offered to treat me to a meal and ordered a one-carat diamond ring for me.”

“Professor Shen remembers so clearly?”

Ming Shu’s astonishment was indescribable. She had forgotten about the ring herself during this time.

“Mmm. I have to firmly remember Wife’s kindness to me.”

“Wife’s good points are also worth complimenting repeatedly.”

Hearing Professor Shen say such things, Ming Shu’s eyes couldn’t help but well up. Fearing Professor Shen would notice, she quickly lowered her gaze. She had grown up with a criticism-based education. Her mother spoke harshly, mostly criticizing and belittling her. Her father was slightly kinder but had no voice in the household.

Now she had severed ties with her mother, the head of the household, and had a new family. For the first time, she felt the love of a family, and she was also getting the encouragement-based education she had always lacked. Although she felt awkward, she didn’t reject it.

“Wife, are you okay?” Shen Junlan asked. She could sense some subtle emotional shifts in Ming Shu. It was as if a fixed magnetic field existed between them, and any fluctuation in the field was keenly noticed by her.

“I’m fine. I’m okay. Professor Shen, you should hurry to school, and I need to go into the company too.”

“Alright.” Shen Junlan replied, then stepped forward to hug Ming Shu again before reluctantly turning away.

All of this was being observed. Colleagues from Ming Shu’s office were all gathered by the window, and Ling Han was also standing nearby with a cup of coffee, watching.

Out of curiosity, Ming Shu also walked up to Ling Han and asked what she was looking at.

“Professor Shen and Qiao Qian.”

Upon hearing this, Ming Shu’s heart was no longer calm. She looked down too and saw two small figures with a clear gap between them. Professor Shen was deliberately maintaining distance from Qiao Qian.

“Qiao Qian said in the group chat of the office next door that she could persuade Professor Shen to cooperate with our company, so everyone is watching the drama.”

Ming Shu’s beautiful face was etched with surprise.

Work had started, but no one returned to their workstations, and Ming Shu didn’t either. She wanted to see how Professor Shen would respond to Qiao Qian.

Downstairs, Qiao Qian tried every trick in the book to persuade her, from playing the emotional card, saying she had admired Shen Junlan for years but never received a response, to promising never to target or make things difficult for Yan Mingshu again.

Shen Junlan listened indifferently until Qiao Qian was done. She said coldly, “Did you verbally misuse my connections to get into the company, and because I didn’t pursue it, you’re taking advantage?”

“Sister Junlan, I…” Qiao Qian panicked slightly, instinctively pushing the blame onto Yan Mingshu. “Is Yan Mingshu complaining to you, right?”

A mocking smile lifted the corner of Shen Junlan’s mouth. “Qiao Qian, you should reflect more on your own issues instead of taking it for granted that everyone should accommodate you, let you have your way, and be your stepping stone.”

“I never took you as a stepping stone, Sister Junlan, never.”

“Then how do you explain using my connections to get into the company?”

“That was just to spite Yan Mingshu and to show that my relationship with Sister Junlan is closer than hers.”

“…”

Shen Junlan didn’t expect such a childish reason. “Do you think saying that makes a lie true? A lie is always a lie. I will neither acknowledge you as my sister nor will I ever like you.”

Qiao Qian’s eyes turned red, and she whined, “Sister Junlan.”

“You don’t need to try to look pathetic in front of me. I’m not moved by it.”

Shen Junlan checked the time and turned away decisively.

“Sister Junlan!” Qiao Qian shouted hysterically, the sound echoing in the office building.

Shen Junlan didn’t even look back, leaving immediately.

The crowd watching the drama held their breath. After a while, they eagerly resumed their discussion.

“Qiao Qian was indeed all talk.”

“That voice sounded so pathetic.”

“Serves her right. Who would like someone who targets their own wife, especially when Qiao Qian is the daughter of Professor Shen’s father’s mistress.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, if you can’t do it, don’t make big claims…”

In Ming Shu’s office, many people were discussing the matter. Some even congratulated her, including a female colleague who usually struggled with her sister-in-law. Ming Shu didn’t know how to respond.

She was happy that Professor Shen rejected Qiao Qian, but she didn’t gloat over Qiao Qian’s public humiliation.

Someone else said, “Does this Miss Qianqian even have the nerve to come back to our company for a fake internship?”

“I don’t know. If she’s thick-skinned enough, maybe.”

“Group Leader Ming Shu, what do you think, based on your understanding of Qiao Qian?”

Everyone looked at Ming Shu.

Ming Shu couldn’t claim to understand Qiao Qian. She pursed her lips and shook her head, about to say she didn’t know, when she heard a colleague excitedly shout, “Qiao Qian left in a car!”

“Hahaha, is that considered fleeing in defeat?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Good riddance. Our company will be so much quieter and more harmonious without her.”

Among the crowd, most were happy, but in an inconspicuous corner, one person hung their head dejectedly. If anyone paid attention, they would notice his flustered look.

What if Qiao Qian just leaves like this? What about me? What if the company finds out about what I helped her do yesterday?

Although Qiao Qian said she would handle everything, if even Qiao Qian herself ran away, how credible were her words?

The man anxiously messaged Qiao Qian, constantly asking about the situation.

No one noticed the subtle abnormality of this man.

With the departure of a bossy young lady, people cheered for a while and then returned to work.

Ming Shu’s focus also returned to work. She was about to do a final check of the documents to be submitted. She took out her key, bent down to unlock the cabinet, and her hand paused.

The lock had been pried open by someone.

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