THE BILLIONAIRE BEHIND THE PROFESSOR
1084 Words
Aurora woke before dawn.
The conversation from the previous night refused to leave her mind.
"Then I'd spend the rest of my life regretting every moment I made you cry."
She had replayed those words so many times that she barely slept.
When she walked downstairs, she found Shen already dressed in a charcoal suit instead of his usual black turtleneck. His silver-white hair was neatly styled, and he was fastening a pair of cufflinks she had never seen before.
He looked... different.
Not like a professor.
More like someone who belonged on the cover of a business magazine.
"You have class today?" she asked absentmindedly.
Shen looked up from adjusting his watch.
"No."
Aurora frowned.
"You never miss class."
"I have another meeting."
He picked up a leather folder from the table.
"I'll leave first."
Without waiting for another question, he walked out.
Aurora watched him through the window as a sleek black Rolls-Royce pulled into the driveway.
A chauffeur stepped out, opened the rear door, and bowed respectfully.
"Good morning, Chairman."
Chairman?
Aurora blinked.
Before she could think more about it, the car disappeared through the gates.
Mrs. Chen entered the dining room carrying breakfast.
"Professor Shen looked handsome today, didn't he?"
Aurora nodded absentmindedly.
"He looked... important."
Mrs. Chen smiled.
"He always does."
---
Westbridge University...
David wasn't in class.
Aurora remembered he had asked for some time after confessing his feelings, and she respected his decision.
She settled into her seat and tried to focus on the lecture from another professor.
Halfway through the morning, her phone vibrated.
It was a message from Professor Miller.
> Miss Blake, Professor Shen left an important research file in his office. Since you live nearby, could you bring it to the Shen Group Headquarters? His assistant is waiting for it.
Aurora frowned.
Shen Group Headquarters?
She had never heard him mention a company before.
Curious, she replied.
> Of course.
---
Professor Shen's office was empty.
She found the blue folder neatly placed on his desk exactly where Professor Miller had described.
As she picked it up, something slipped out.
A black card.
She bent down and picked it up.
The words engraved in silver nearly made her drop it.
Shen Group
Shen Zhenyu
Chairman & CEO
Aurora stared at the card.
"No..."
Her heart pounded.
Chairman?
CEO?
There had to be some mistake.
Maybe another Shen Zhenyu.
Maybe—
She quickly shook her head.
There couldn't be two men with the same rare name working in the same city.
She slipped the card back into the folder.
"I'll ask him later."
---
Half an hour later...
Aurora stood outside the tallest building in the business district.
The skyscraper disappeared into the clouds.
Huge silver letters decorated the entrance.
SHEN GROUP
Luxury cars lined the driveway.
Men and women dressed in expensive suits hurried in and out of the revolving doors.
Aurora looked down at her simple jeans and university sweater.
"I definitely don't belong here."
She took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The marble lobby was breathtaking.
Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling.
A grand piano sat near the reception desk.
Everything screamed wealth.
A receptionist smiled politely.
"Good afternoon."
Aurora nervously approached.
"I... I have a file for Professor Shen."
The receptionist froze.
"Professor?"
Aurora nodded.
"Professor Shen Zhenyu."
The woman's eyes widened slightly.
"You mean Chairman Shen?"
Aurora's stomach tightened.
"I... suppose?"
The receptionist immediately stood.
"Please come with me."
Before Aurora could protest, four security guards surrounded her.
Not threateningly.
Protectively.
One pressed the elevator button reserved for executives.
Aurora looked around in confusion.
"Is all this necessary?"
The receptionist smiled.
"The Chairman instructed us that if Miss Aurora Blake ever visited, she should be escorted directly to him."
Aurora's breath caught.
"He... told them about me?"
The private elevator opened.
Moments later, the doors slid apart on the top floor.
The receptionist gestured toward a pair of enormous wooden doors.
"Chairman Shen is waiting."
Aurora hesitated.
Then she knocked.
"Come in."
She slowly pushed the door open.
The office was unlike anything she had ever seen.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the entire city.
Original paintings decorated the walls.
A long conference table occupied one side of the room.
At the far end...
Shen sat at his desk.
Gone was the black turtleneck.
He wore a perfectly tailored navy suit.
Several executives stood before him, nervously presenting reports.
One middle-aged man stammered over a financial presentation.
"I... I'm sorry, Chairman."
Shen closed the report calmly.
"You lost the company twenty million dollars."
The man's face turned pale.
"I can explain."
"I don't want excuses."
His voice was calm.
Cold.
Professional.
"I want solutions."
Nobody dared breathe.
Aurora had never seen him like this.
He wasn't just respected.
He was feared.
One executive noticed her standing by the door.
"Chairman..."
Shen looked up.
The instant his eyes landed on Aurora...
Everything changed.
The icy expression on his face softened.
"Meeting adjourned."
The executives looked stunned.
"But, Chairman—"
"We'll continue tomorrow."
No one argued.
Within seconds, the room was empty.
Aurora stood frozen.
Shen walked toward her.
"You found the file."
She slowly held it out.
"You..."
Her voice barely worked.
"...you're the Chairman?"
He accepted the file.
"Yes."
"And..."
She swallowed hard.
"...the CEO of Shen Group?"
"Yes."
"You never told me."
"You never asked."
Aurora laughed in disbelief.
"So while I've been worrying about assignments..."
"...you're running one of the biggest companies in the country?"
He didn't deny it.
Her mind raced.
Everything suddenly made sense.
The luxury penthouse.
The endless meetings.
The security.
The chauffeur.
The expensive watches.
She had thought he was simply a well-paid university professor.
She had been so wrong.
"Why teach at the university?" she asked quietly.
For the first time, Shen smiled.
A real smile.
Small, but genuine.
"Because that's where I met my wife."
Aurora stared at him.
The words warmed her heart despite herself.
She quickly looked away.
"I should go."
As she turned toward the door, Shen gently caught her wrist.
She froze.
His touch was warm.
Careful.
"I never hid this from you to deceive you."
"Then why?"
He looked into her eyes.
"Because I wanted you to know Shen Zhenyu the professor..."
"...before you knew Shen Zhenyu the billionaire."
Aurora searched his face.
For the first time since their marriage...
She realized she knew almost nothing about the man she called her husband.
And somehow...
That frightened her more than all the secrets she had uncovered.
- Writer
