Please Marry Me (GL) - Chapter 15

A dormitory building at the Yingyu Academy of Sciences was being renovated, and there wasn’t enough temporary housing. The administration’s plan was to prioritize professors, but Song Rao proactively offered her spot to her students and moved back home.

However, not long ago, Song Rao’s experiment reached its middle phase. She was so busy she barely had time to eat. Word got out that a student had accidentally lost a set of experimental data, and even the usually mild-mannered Song Rao lost her temper. The entire team had to redo the experiments to recover the data, resulting in her coming home very late. To avoid disturbing Jiang Yi’s sleep, Song Rao took the initiative to move into the guest bedroom.

Jiang Yi, thinking Shen Siyun wasn’t the type to have the curiosity to inspect their bedrooms, had agreed.

She hadn’t expected to be so careless today!

Without a word, Jiang Yi hopped on one foot to the vanity, leaned down, and opened the bottom drawer to pull out a red booklet.

“Shen Siyun, Song Rao and I are just having a spat. Have you ever seen a couple that doesn’t argue? Do I really have to shove my marriage certificate in your face for you to believe me?”

Shen Siyun stared at the three stinging words—”Marriage Certificate”—on the red cover. She pursed her lips and remained silent. Jiang Yi knew the woman’s suspicions had been quelled and breathed a secret sigh of relief.

“Want to open it and take a look?” Jiang Yi held it out to her, intentionally provoking her. Seeing that Shen Siyun didn’t move, her lips pressed tight and her gaze dark, Jiang Yi opened it herself to admire the wedding photo of her and Song Rao.

“Your ‘spat’ with her… is that your excuse for fooling around today?”

Jiang Yi didn’t hear her clearly. “Since President Shen doesn’t want to look, I’ll put it away.”

As she turned to hide the booklet, the world suddenly spun. She was slammed into the soft mattress.

Shen Siyun pressed down on top of her, her knee wedged between Jiang Yi’s legs. Jiang Yi stared at the woman whose nose was nearly touching her own, her face pale with shock. Even worse, Shen Siyun’s hand was resting on her waist—a familiar, lingering touch.

“Does the great President Shen now refuse to even let go of a married woman!”

Jiang Yi glared at her, her breathing quickening. This posture was far too suggestive. Suddenly, a sharp pinch to the soft flesh of her waist made Jiang Yi’s face contort in pain. Despite this, she didn’t stop staring at Shen Siyun, terrified she would do something even more out of line.

Shen Siyun pulled out a phone, opened the calling interface, and handed it to her. Her thin red lips uttered words Jiang Yi never could have imagined:

“Call Song Rao now. Tell her you want a divorce. We can do it right here, right now.”

“Have you gone mad, or have I?!” Jiang Yi looked at her like she was a lunatic.

“Jiang Yi, I’m home.”

“Is the Mistress not home today?”

“She should be off work by now. Xiaogu, have a seat, I’ll pour you some water.”

“Okay, thank you, Professor.”

The voices of Song Rao and her student drifted in from the door. Shen Siyun felt the woman beneath her stiffen. Her red lips curled slightly as she leaned into Jiang Yi’s ear with a mischievous, wicked smile. “If they saw us like this, what do you think they would think?”

“It seems… divorce would be the only possible outcome.” Shen Siyun took satisfaction in her panicked expression and gave her earlobe a triumphant bite, her breath like orchids.

The sound of the student’s voice broke Jiang Yi’s composure. Her mind went blank. If it were just Song Rao, she could explain—Song Rao knew about her history with Shen Siyun. But with a student there…

She was Song Rao’s wife in name. If a scandal broke out, it would be Professor Song Rao’s reputation on the line. If it reached Song Rao’s parents, Jiang Yi would never be able to atone for it.

The sound of water being poured came from outside. It wouldn’t be long before Song Rao came in to check on her. Jiang Yi’s nerves were taut. She had to stay calm; she had to keep Shen Siyun quiet.

“Shen Siyun, if you do this, not only will Song Rao’s and my reputations be ruined, but yours will be too. Does the Eldest Miss of the Shen family really want to be branded a homewrecker?”

The smile on Shen Siyun’s face slowly flattened. “I’m a homewrecker?”

Seeing the woman was about to get angry, Jiang Yi quickly added, “It was just a metaphor…”

“Xiaogu, I’ll go to the bedroom to see if she’s back.”

“Okay, Professor.”

Song Rao’s footsteps approached from the living room. Jiang Yi’s panic was visible. Seeing that Shen Siyun had no intention of moving, and knowing she couldn’t push her off, she kept darting her eyes toward the door, cold sweat beading on her forehead.

“Shen Siyun, Song Rao is a professor. She can’t lose face like this.”

“Shen Siyun… please don’t be like this, okay?”

The person on top of her remained unmoved. Jiang Yi was almost in tears. “Shen Siyun…”

Shen Siyun took in her expression, gave her a harsh look, and spit out three cold words: “Where to hide?”

Jiang Yi froze for a second, then immediately realized the woman had compromised. Her hands trembled as she propped herself up on Shen Siyun’s shoulders. “…The wardrobe?”

“…”

Shen Siyun gave her a long, deep look, got off her, and walked into the wardrobe.

Almost the exact moment Shen Siyun closed the cabinet door, Song Rao twisted the bedroom doorknob and stood at the entrance.

“Jiang Yi, you are in here.” Song Rao smiled.

“Mhm.” Her taut nerves relaxed slightly as Jiang Yi forced a smile. “Song Rao, I was just napping. I didn’t hear you call me.”

“My student Xiaogu came over to pick up some files. I asked her up for some tea,” Song Rao explained. She suddenly noticed the wounds on her calf and walked over in a few quick steps. “What happened to your leg?”

Jiang Yi recounted the story of being hit by the flowerpot at the Jiayu exchange, omitting the details of what happened in the infirmary.

“That Manager Yin seems like a good person, even driving you back.” Song Rao noted the liniment on the coffee table. “I suppose she bought that medicine on the table, too?”

Jiang Yi glanced at the wardrobe and gave a guilty “mhm.” Terrified that Shen Siyun would hear, she hurriedly changed the subject. “Xiaogu is here? Should we ask her to stay for dinner?”

“I was actually planning on that. Since you agree, I’ll go tell her.” Song Rao turned to leave, then paused. “But we need to apply that liniment to your foot first.”

“Oh, my foot is fine.” Jiang Yi, fearing a repeat of the infirmary scene with Yin Lei, quickly refused. “Really, it’s not necessary, Song Rao.”

But her refusal was ignored. Song Rao went out to tell her student they were staying for dinner. The student initially declined but eventually agreed.

“Then I’ll trouble you for an extra set of chopsticks, Professor. That medicine… are you injured somewhere?”

“No, it’s your Mistress. Her foot was hit by a flowerpot today. I’m going to apply it for her.”

“You and the Mistress have such a good relationship.”

“You’re making me blush.”

Jiang Yi heard every word from the living room. Her face paled. She intended to get up and leave the bedroom to avoid provoking Shen Siyun further.

“Hey, Jiang Yi, don’t move around if you’re hurt.” Song Rao saw her struggling to move from the bed, rushed over to support her, and pressed her back down. “Sit still.”

“Song Rao…” Jiang Yi stole a glance at the wardrobe. She knew the door wasn’t perfectly sealed; Shen Siyun could definitely see and hear everything.

If she were pushed too far, Shen Siyun was exactly the type of person who might just walk out of the wardrobe in front of everyone. Throwing a fit and embarrassing people was her standard operating procedure.

In the past, Jiang Yi might have been certain Shen Siyun wouldn’t deign to do such a thing—the woman was proud, valued her self-esteem, and was a master of weighing pros and cons. Walking out would be humiliating. But today, she could no longer gauge Shen Siyun’s bottom line.

Jiang Yi’s mind was a mess. She pushed at Song Rao’s hand. “I really don’t need this. I already applied it in the infirmary.”

“Mistress, I’m Xiaogu.” A clean-cut girl stood at the door, greeting Jiang Yi. “Since you’re injured, maybe I should head out after all so I don’t trouble the Professor.”

Jiang Yi’s body stiffened. She nodded at her. “This little injury is no trouble.”

Song Rao insisted she stay. “I’ll just apply this for her. I’m cooking tonight; Xiaogu, if you don’t mind the trouble, you can help me out in the kitchen.”

Xiaogu hesitated. “Alright.”

Song Rao turned back, lifted one of Jiang Yi’s feet onto her lap, poured some liniment into her palm, rubbed them together to create heat, and pressed it onto the bruise. As she massaged it, she frowned. “The bruising is quite bad. You won’t be able to walk tomorrow. Should I call your company and ask for leave for you, Jiang Yi?”

“Jiang Yi?”

Getting no response, Song Rao looked up and finally noticed her expression. “What’s wrong? Why do you look so pale?”

Xiaogu looked over, worried. “Maybe it’s too much pressure?”

Under the gaze of both women, Jiang Yi bit her lower lip. She felt a cold stare boring into her back from the wardrobe. She was sitting on pins and needles, enduring unprecedented torment.

She looked at Song Rao and Xiaogu, forced a pained smile, and nodded along with Xiaogu’s suggestion.

“It is a bit painful… please be gentle.”