"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 88

The two ultimately had dinner at a bar in the city center. Yan He wanted to drink alcohol, but Shen Jinrong stopped her. Jiejie‘s eyes slanted toward her: “No drinking.”

There was a faint glimmer of moisture in those eyes. Yan He pouted: “Why not?”

Shen Jinrong smiled and chided her: “Asking the obvious.”

She had figured it out: the young woman always liked to ask questions to which she already knew the answer. For example—why wouldn’t she let her drink?

Yan He started to feel a little embarrassed and awkwardly adjusted her collar, but the ordinary hoodie collar couldn’t completely conceal the hickey Jiejie had left on her neck. The one on her collarbone was easier to hide; she could just pull the collar up, but what about the one on her neck?

She simply gave up, openly displaying the mark Jiejie had left.

Shen Jinrong subtly glanced at the mark on her neck, smiled with satisfaction, raised her glass of red wine, and toasted Yan He from a distance: “Happy holiday.”

Yan He raised the glass of water beside her, pursing her lips in a smile: “Happy holiday, my Professor Shen.”

Their glasses clinked, producing a crisp, clear sound and a faint humming moment during the collision.

Professor Shen smiled, raised her neck, and took a small sip of red wine. The color was a deep red, leaving a light stain on the glass wall as it slid down.

Yan He looked down at her own glass. Clear water flowed within the cup, the ice water hitting the sides, causing a faint mist to appear on the outer layer. When she picked up the glass, her fingertips inevitably got damp.

Shen Jinrong lifted her gaze. Through the glass, her sight was cast toward the tall tower of the distant city hall, with its massive bronze-colored clock hanging high at the top. The clock face below moved slowly, surrounded by a faint circle of light along the dial.

“Do you know which is taller, the city hall or the cathedral?” Shen Jinrong suddenly asked.

Yan He replied: “I heard from my friend that the clock on the city hall and the one on the cathedral over there each symbolize the power of the government and the church, and their height represents the extent of their power.” Yan He couldn’t remember the rest. There were many people strolling in the central piazza, mostly couples, some walking dogs.

Shen Jinrong smiled: “I think I might need to study some history.”

“Are you going to teach history then, my Professor Shen?”

She said the word “my” again. Shen Jinrong seemed to not mind, or perhaps she tacitly accepted it. Yan He couldn’t guess her thoughts; Shen Jinrong just smiled slightly and said, “Okay.”

Yan He only knew that her heart leapt with joy because of that one word.

“It’s said that the original founders of Siena and the founders of Rome were two brothers, raised by a she-wolf.” Shen Jinrong indicated a direction: “As we walked past earlier, there was a bronze statue in the open space next to a bookstore, depicting the she-wolf and two children.”

Yan He tilted her head slightly; she knew which sculpture Shen Jinrong was referring to.

“Yan He?” Just as the two were chatting, a surprised female voice broke the calm.

Yan He looked up. It was a friend of hers. She was standing outside with a few Italians. Seeing Yan He sitting inside, she pushed the door open and hurried toward her, her face full of surprise: “I thought it was you at the supermarket earlier! When did you arrive?”

As she spoke, she turned and smiled at Shen Jinrong, greeting her and asking with a smile: “Is this your—” Yan He didn’t speak. Facing someone who spoke Chinese, she didn’t dare say this was her girlfriend. She simply winked at her friend, then proudly puffed out her chest, revealing the hickey on her neck.

Shen Jinrong awkwardly raised her wine glass and took a sip. It was a little embarrassing to be openly called out for biting the young woman’s neck, but fortunately, the lighting in their seating area wasn’t too bright, so her blush wasn’t too obvious.

“Oh, oh, oh—” The friend winked back, indicating she understood. After introducing herself to Shen Jinrong, she asked: “Didn’t Li Xiuxi come?”

That didn’t seem right. The words were barely out before the girl regretted it. Yan He was clearly here on a honeymoon (?), so why was she asking about Li Xiuxi?

“She’s interning. I’m on holiday,” Yan He explained simply.

Shen Jinrong’s phone chimed a few times. She glanced down at the caller ID, frowned slightly, and nodded to Yan He and her friend, saying: “Excuse me, I need to take a call.”

Yan He nodded with a smile, watching Shen Jinrong walk out the door.

Her friend laughed: “Well, well, well, when did you start dating such a beautiful Jiejie?”

Yan He rubbed her nose: “I met her at the beginning of the year.” She quickly added: “We haven’t defined our relationship yet.”

“Oh—” Her friend laughed, pointing at the hickey on Yan He’s neck, teasing: “I mean, it’s like this, and you haven’t defined your relationship yet?”

Yan He shied away, mumbling timidly: “I’m preparing to confess, I’m preparing.”

“Alright, alright,” her friend laughed: “A few of us are meeting up to drink at the bar across the street. Are you coming? Old Xu is coming too.”

Old Xu was a mutual friend. Yan He shook her head: “I won’t go. Say hello for me. I’m keeping her company tonight.”

Her friend raised an eyebrow high: “Seriously! Fine, fine, fine. Then I’ll wish you two a long and happy relationship in advance.” She patted Yan He’s shoulder. The two turned their heads to look toward the door, where the Italians waved their hands.

“I’m leaving then? Message me if anything happens.” The friend smiled and stood up to leave.

“What’s wrong?” The caller was Shen Jinrong’s secretary. “It’s quite late in China, isn’t it?”

“Yes, President Shen. Regarding what you asked me to keep an eye on, Mr. Jiang and his—” The secretary paused, seemingly finding the word difficult to say: “—his mistress, both have returned to China.”

Shen Jinrong frowned: “When did this happen?”

“Yesterday. I called you as soon as I found out.”

Shen Jinrong lowered her eyes: “Okay, I know. Let me know immediately if there are any issues with Jiang Qiang.”

“Yes. Also, regarding the sperm cryopreservation you asked me to check on concerning your father before his death, they replied to us. It was indeed done. However, they said that if the person has passed away, they will deal with the materials according to the law. I have already sent the relevant documents to your email.”

Shen Jinrong’s face was calm, revealing no emotion: “I understand.”

Is this what Wang Dingyun relies on? Is just this one thing enough to make her so fearless?

Shen Jinrong sneered: “Good. Keep me posted on any other developments. I’m hanging up now.”

She hung up the phone, let out a long breath. She was quite annoyed now. She chatted briefly with the young Italian men standing at the door and then saw Yan He’s friend walk out.

The two exchanged polite greetings. The friend said: “Hello, we’ll be leaving now.”

Shen Jinrong smiled and nodded: “Okay.”

She pushed the door open and, by the time she reached Yan He, she was back to her usual calm and composed self.

“Is it urgent?” Yan He asked her.

Shen Jinrong shook her head: “It’s nothing serious, just some work matters.”

She didn’t elaborate, and Yan He didn’t press. She smiled, encouraging her to try the dish that had just arrived: “Try this! It’s a Tuscan specialty. It tastes pretty good.”

Then, Yan He touched her chin: “If we go to Pisa and Naples, it’ll definitely be easy to get seafood.”

Shen Jinrong simply smiled and said nothing.

Later, Yan He would think that Shen Jinrong’s smile at that moment might have held another meaning, but at the time, she didn’t know.

After returning to the hotel, the two finished washing up and lay in their respective beds. Shen Jinrong leaned against the headboard, wearing thin-rimmed glasses, her iPad illuminated. Yan He saw her occasionally scroll the screen, her expression growing increasingly serious.

Yan He turned over to face Jiejie, watching her concentrate on the tablet, and let out a long sigh. She propped one arm under her face, trying to get comfortable.

As if aware of Yan He’s gaze, Shen Jinrong looked up. Her glasses reflected the room’s light. Through this layer of brightness, Yan He couldn’t clearly see her eyes. Even if she did, she might not be able to read the emotion in Jiejie‘s eyes, Yan He thought randomly. Jiejie was always good at hiding her emotions, especially negative ones, never letting her see them.

“If you’re tired, go to sleep first,” Shen Jinrong’s voice was gentle, but also sounded extremely fatigued: “I have a few things to take care of.”

Her voice held a sense of helplessness Yan He had never heard before, as if she was at a loss about the situation. Her tone was still gentle, and Yan He knew she was trying to soothe her.

So, Yan He tentatively asked: “Can I help with anything?”

Shen Jinrong smiled: “It’s nothing major. Just be a good girl and sleep.”

There she goes again—she was always like this, only thinking of solving problems by herself.

Yan He pursed her lips, finally nodding silently, and obediently turned over to sleep.

Shen Jinrong looked at her back and sighed softly.

If she had a choice, she wouldn’t want to deal with this mess either, but she couldn’t help herself; she couldn’t ignore these matters.

Shen Jinrong softened her voice: “Little Yan He.”

Yan He moved slightly but didn’t turn around.

“Little one,” Shen Jinrong gave a helpless smile, walked barefoot to her bedside, squatted down, and poked her back: “You forgot something, didn’t you?”

Yan He flipped over, covering her face with the duvet, her voice muffled: “Forgot what?”

“Uncover your face and I’ll tell you,” Shen Jinrong said with a smile.

Yan He secretly opened a small slit: “What is it?”

Without warning, Shen Jinrong pulled back her duvet and dropped a kiss on her lips.

“Mmm… you forgot the goodnight kiss.”

Shen Jinrong gave a mischievous smile: “Right?”

“Mmm… my little one tastes like strawberry.”

Yan He covered her lips in alarm—Ahh! My lip balm is strawberry flavored!!