After a Flash Marriage with a Professor - Chapter 99

Chapter 99: Abandoning Domination

Faced with the clerk’s change, Ming Shu felt a bit lost. She instinctively looked at Professor Shen, who gave her a comforting smile. “Pick your favorite one first.”

Ming Shu still liked the first dress she saw the most: a low-key, luxurious champagne color, with a stand-up collar and a flowing skirt that touched the floor—a rather conservative design.

The clerk helped take down the dress and said with a flattering smile to Ming Shu, “Madam, this dress cannot be worn alone. I’ll help you.” The clerk said, pulling open the fitting room door and inviting Ming Shu in.

Ming Shu, however, didn’t move. She didn’t want the clerk to help her put it on. She felt extremely awkward.

Shen Junlan understood Ming Shu’s feelings and said to the clerk, “Thank you, I can help my wife put it on.”

The clerk’s smile froze for a moment, then she said, “…That works too. Just be patient when wearing it, both of you, and don’t damage the zipper.”

Shen Junlan nodded, took the heavy champagne-colored gown from the clerk, and led Ming Shu into the fitting room.

“Wife, take off your current clothes first,” Shen Junlan said with a smile, holding the gown.

Ming Shu turned her back, a little shyly saying, “Professor Shen, you turn your back first, too. No peeking.”

“Wife, isn’t that request a bit unreasonable? How can it be peeking when I look at my own wife?” Shen Junlan teased Ming Shu.

Ming Shu’s face flushed. “Anyway, no looking. We are in a public place. If you look, I won’t change.”

Shen Junlan immediately turned around upon hearing this. Her little bunny wife was as shy as ever, and her moral standards were higher than hers. She would cooperate.

Throughout the entire process of changing into the gown, Shen Junlan didn’t look around. She tried her best to restrain herself and very seriously helped her little bunny wife put on the gown.

The lighting in the fitting room was dimmer than outside, but Shen Junlan still felt that Ming Shu, in the gown, was sparkling. The dress was well-tailored, fitting Ming Shu’s graceful body perfectly. There was a faint scale-like design on the waist, a lighter shade of champagne than the rest, subtly shimmering. She didn’t know what technique was used, but it exuded a delicate brilliance.

Shen Junlan was momentarily stunned. She was speechless at Ming Shu’s beauty, unable to find the right words to describe Ming Shu at that moment.

Was she a fresh and sweet champagne rose, or a champagne-colored mermaid princess?

This was Ming Shu’s first time wearing such an expensive and extravagant evening gown. She felt extremely uncomfortable. She smoothed the skirt, which looked a bit like wisteria flowers, with both hands behind her, and then looked up at Professor Shen, asking with a panicked and uneasy look, “Do I look strange in this?”

If she didn’t look strange, why was Professor Shen staring at her like that?

“Professor Shen?” When Professor Shen didn’t respond the first time, she called again.

Shen Junlan finally snapped out of it, blurting out without thinking, “Wife, you are so beautiful.”

Ming Shu looked down, holding up the hem of the skirt, and asked, “Is Professor Shen saying the gown is beautiful?”

“You wear it beautifully. If someone else wore it, it wouldn’t have this effect.”

Ming Shu still felt awkward. Facing such luxury attire, she lacked confidence. “Professor Shen, are you comforting me?”

“No, it’s entirely from the bottom of my heart, Wife. If you don’t believe me,” Shen Junlan paused here, grabbed Ming Shu’s hand, and pressed it against her chest. “The heart doesn’t lie.”

A rapid thumping sensation traveled to her hand. Ming Shu withdrew her hand as if she had received an electric shock.

Shen Junlan leaned closer and whispered in Ming Shu’s ear, “Wife, what do you think? Do you believe me now?”

Ming Shu bit her lower lip and didn’t speak.

Shen Junlan continued to whisper in Ming Shu’s ear, “If we were at home, I definitely wouldn’t be able to resist…”

“Stop talking!” Ming Shu quickly raised her hand to cover Professor Shen’s mouth.

A few seconds later, Ming Shu opened the fitting room door to check the effect of the gown on her body.

Ming Shu was also stunned by the person in the mirror. It took her a while to realize that the person in the mirror was herself.

Shen Junlan walked out of the fitting room unhurriedly, smiling, “Wife is amazed by her own beauty, which proves I truly wasn’t lying to Wife.”

Ming Shu shyly looked down at her toes. Shen Junlan noticed Ming Shu’s shoes and smiled, “A mermaid princess also needs a pair of beautiful shoes to match.”

Ming Shu subconsciously thought that shoes matching this gown would be another big expense and couldn’t help but become anxious, feeling like she was a person draining Professor Shen’s money.

“It doesn’t have to be so much trouble, Professor Shen,” Ming Shu said. “We can look for a cheaper dress. Renting one for a night, one or two thousand would solve it, and maybe the shoes could be included. Lin Yu had experience with this kind of work before, I can ask her.”

“Wife, don’t you like this gown? Or is it that me spending money on you makes you feel burdened?”

“I…” Ming Shu didn’t dare to answer carelessly, fearing she might hurt Professor Shen’s feelings. After considering it, she said, “I like it, but I don’t think my liking is worth that much money. I do feel burdened letting Professor Shen spend such a large amount of money on me.”

“Wife, I think you are worth it, and your liking is worth it too. You know, Wife, before I met you, money wasn’t very useful to me. I have a lot of money, but I rarely had the desire to spend any. It was only after I met you that I felt my money had value. Money can help you solve the problems of your original family, it can give you a prosperous life, and I am very happy to be able to spend money on you, Wife. This is my thought. I truly didn’t fully consider if you would feel too much pressure accepting it. I apologize.”

“Professor Shen, I…”

Ming Shu didn’t know how to express her emotions at the moment. She felt like she was being ungrateful. Professor Shen was so good to her, willing to spend money on her, and even willing to self-reflect and consider issues from her perspective.

And what about her? Most of the time, she was passive, socially anxious, unconfident, and inarticulate. If she had married someone else, she would probably have been despised long ago.

Perhaps it was because Professor Shen was a teacher, better at communication and expression. She currently despised herself for being tongue-tied, wanting to speak but not knowing how to start, her mind a mess.

“Don’t rush, Wife.” Shen Junlan gently embraced Ming Shu. “Take your time. I will listen to you, listen to your true inner thoughts.”

Ming Shu nodded gratefully.

A thought suddenly flashed through Shen Junlan’s mind, and she asked with a self-deprecating smile, “Wife, sometimes is my way of being good to you too overbearing, making me seem not respectful enough?”

Ming Shu observed Professor Shen’s expression and nodded hesitantly.

Shen Junlan smiled and exhaled. “I’ll reflect and correct it.” In Shen Junlan’s view, problems that could be communicated clearly were not insurmountable difficulties.

Ming Shu shook her head again.

Shen Junlan asked, “Wife, what do you mean?”

“Professor Shen didn’t do anything wrong. It’s my problem,” Ming Shu said. She still instinctively blamed herself when faced with problems, feeling that she was unappreciative of her blessings and demanded too much of Professor Shen, who was already so good to her. No one is perfect, and Professor Shen was already a very ideal lover and marital partner.

“It’s not that you have a problem, Wife. It’s just that our ways of thinking are different. My way of thinking doesn’t mean it’s correct, and your way of thinking is not inferior to mine.”

The two were about to debate this issue when the store clerk, who had run off to the restroom and returned after they changed into the gown, came over, ending their previous conversation.

Shen Junlan squeezed Ming Shu’s hand. “We’ll save this discussion for when we rest tonight.”

A blush appeared on Ming Shu’s embarrassed face. Discuss it again while resting tonight? Discuss it while doing that?

The store clerk was a bit nearsighted and only saw clearly when she got closer. She was rendered speechless by Ming Shu’s beauty.

When Ming Shu was facing her earlier, she was slightly bowing her head, so the clerk hadn’t seen Ming Shu’s full face. Now, she finally saw Ming Shu’s features clearly.

This is… too beautiful!

Truly stunning!

More beautiful than some celebrities she had the privilege of seeing!

Ming Shu noticed the clerk looking at her. After the conversation with Professor Shen, Ming Shu had decided that she should also express her own thoughts appropriately regarding the gown. She needed to directly convey her attitude, not always let Professor Shen guess and ask.

“Hello,” Ming Shu turned to the clerk, trying her best to suppress her inner unease and appear as confident as possible. “We might be running out of time. We won’t try on any other dresses. We’ll buy just this set today.”

“O-Okay,” the clerk beamed. A rarely seen great beauty buying one set meant her sales performance this month would also look good. After all, it was a luxury brand. A successful transaction was all that mattered.

“By the way, could we take a photo of you to print as a poster for our store’s promotion? We can offer a 30% discount!” The clerk strongly suggested. This was an excellent promotional opportunity. The store definitely wouldn’t lose out. This was a plan the store manager had previously approved for operation, provided the person was truly an unparalleled beauty.

Ming Shu hesitated. On one hand, she was camera shy. On the other hand, she was indeed tempted by the discount. It could save Professor Shen money!

Ming Shu looked at Professor Shen with some excitement. Professor Shen smiled apologetically and whispered, “Wife, if you do that, I’ll get jealous.”

“Then let’s not take the picture,” Ming Shu said.

“Ah? Are you really not taking the picture? You can get a 30% discount if you do!” The clerk was still trying hard to persuade them.

Shen Junlan took a gold card out of her wallet and handed it to the clerk, smiling. “No need. We don’t lack this bit of money. We are in a hurry, please be quick. Thank you.”

The clerk’s face froze for a moment, but faced with such a straightforward paying customer, her smile quickly spread across her face. “Alright. Just a moment. I’ll package it and check you out.”

“Would you like to register for a membership? You’ll get a discount on your next visit,” the clerk said out of professional habit. But when she looked up and saw Professor Shen’s gentle, smiling eyes, she closed her mouth and sped up her work.

How strange. The other person isn’t cold; they’re smiling. Why do I feel so much pressure?

After paying, Shen Junlan helped Ming Shu carry the exquisitely packaged gown out of the store, then led Ming Shu into another shoe store.

This time, the two were much more in sync. Ming Shu no longer acted coyly as before, choosing a pair of shoes she liked as gracefully as possible: five-centimeter champagne-colored high heels. This height wouldn’t tire her feet too much, and the color matched the gown.

Shen Junlan also refrained from displaying the “dominant CEO” behavior as before, restraining her urge to spend more money on Ming Shu. Making her wife comfortable was the most important thing. Life is long, and she would have many, many more opportunities to spend money on her wife.

With the gown and shoes purchased, Shen Junlan asked Ming Shu, “Wife, do you want to get a suitable hairstyle and makeup done?”

Ming Shu felt a bit tired and unenthusiastic. She realized that being a glamorous person was so exhausting. Everything from head to toe needed to be decorated, or it would easily seem unharmonious.

“I’m so hungry, Professor Shen. Can we go eat first?” Ming Shu whined, pulling on Professor Shen.

“Okay,” Shen Junlan agreed with a smile, taking Ming Shu to dinner first.

Ming Shu didn’t eat much dinner, afraid of her stomach distending and affecting the fit of the gown. She also didn’t dare to drink any alcohol, as she would certainly have to drink a little at the banquet, and she had a low tolerance for alcohol.

“Wife, you seem very nervous,” Shen Junlan said with concern.

Ming Shu said, “I am a little.”

There would likely be many people at the banquet, and most of them were influential and important figures. Ming Shu felt that she was only there to serve a supporting and lubricating role, a key figure, yet not that important. If she said she wasn’t important, she felt she was quite important.

“It’s probably because it’s your first time attending a banquet. You’ll probably be less nervous once you have more experience.”

“Mmm,” Ming Shu replied, lowering her head, already thinking about what Mia had told her. Mia said she could represent the company and invite Professor Shen to attend the banquet.

Ming Shu was initially reluctant because she felt that dragging Professor Shen into her work seemed inappropriate. Although it might help her career development, it was essentially leveraging Professor Shen’s influence.

She didn’t want to do that.

But now, due to her nervousness, Ming Shu really hoped Professor Shen could be by her side at the banquet tonight. Moreover, she was very curious whether Professor Shen would accept if she extended the invitation.

Curiosity drove Ming Shu to ask, and asking also made Ming Shu nervous.

After hesitating for a long time, Ming Shu finally asked, “Professor Shen, would you like to come to the banquet with me?”

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