After Dreaming That the Top Student in My Grade Was My Wife - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Fast Friends as if of Old

 

In the early morning of the twenty-ninth day of the lunar month, before the alarm clock had even sounded, Tao Shuran was jolted awake by a barrage of message notifications.

 

After she finished the final exam summary last time, her mother returned her phone to her. After all, since she was going to the cat cafe with Jiang Hanqi every day to study, having a way to contact each other was convenient, though Jiang Hanqi had never actually reached out to her…

 

With great effort, she stretched her arm out of the warm covers, grabbed her phone, and immediately curled back up into a ball, phone and all.

 

It was Qi Wenwen, Tao Shuran’s best friend since middle school. Qi Wenwen had been locked away in a winter camp for an innovative English competition as soon as the winter break started. It was understandable that someone who had been isolated from the world for half a month would be so frantic.

 

Tao Shuran let out a yawn and tapped on the chat box. She used her pajamas to wipe the condensation off the screen, staring with bleary eyes at her friend’s string of gossip in a half-dreaming, half-awake state.

 

“Ahhh Shuran, you’ve made it big! You actually appeared in the same frame as the top scholar!!”

 

“Doesn’t Jiang Hanqi hate explaining questions to people the most? Why did she write the final exam summary with you!!”

 

“Did you guys talk? Is she easy to get along with?”

 

“I was only gone for half a month, and you guys have developed an affair! You actually told me before that Big Boss Jiang was the moon in the water—truly within sight but beyond reach. You were fooling me, weren’t you?”

 

“Tsk tsk, not bad. Your names are listed side-by-side on the front page. They match so well, it looks like a marriage certificate. When it’s printed out and given to every person in class, everyone will have a copy of your marriage certificate. Tsk tsk, not bad at all.”

 

Tao Shuran sucked in a breath.

 

That romance-brained Qi Wenwen! All she knows how to do is ship people! She shouldn’t have mentioned Jiang Hanqi to her before!

 

She couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart, but she was certain she had a bit of a headache. She replied honestly to each message:

 

“Just a task from the teacher.”

 

“Maybe she doesn’t hate it.”

 

“Easy to get along with.”

 

“No affair.”

 

“????”

 

Just as the last question mark was sent, Qi Wenwen called her: “Ahhhhhhh our Shuran has made it big!”

 

Tao Shuran burrowed into the quilt and replied in a hushed voice, “My parents are sleeping, keep it down.”

 

“Whose parents aren’t?” Tao Shuran could practically see the other girl rolling her eyes. “I didn’t rush back from Hangzhou overnight after the team-building just to discuss that with you.”

 

“Did you take a taxi back? That’s so tiring.” Tao Shuran checked the time; it was past three in the morning.

 

“Hehe, my parents drove to pick me up. They’re asleep now, and I just finished my shower.” Tao Shuran heard a deep breath from the other end. “I just finished my shower and wanted to catch up on messages, and I caught such a massive scoop.”

 

Tao Shuran had a headache: “What scoop? It’s perfectly innocent; we’re just studying together.”

 

“Is studying together not enough? Do you also want to sleep together? Hehehe.”

 

“Ahhh Qi Wenwen, stop talking nonsense!” She knew the other girl was joking, but considering the dreams she had been having lately, Tao Shuran felt a bit of a guilty conscience.

 

Over the next hour or so, Tao Shuran recounted everything that had happened since New Year’s Day in detail. Qi Wenwen clicked her tongue for a good while after listening and finally hung up the phone with satisfaction.

 

It was already five in the morning. Tao Shuran emerged from the covers to get some air.

 

She switched the chat interface to the class group and found the group file Qi Wenwen had mentioned.

 

The final exam summary was divided into two parts: one was the 3+3 done by Jiang Hanqi, and the other was likely a liberal arts summary the homeroom teacher asked other students to do.

 

The file was something Jiang Hanqi had edited and sent right in front of her, but Tao Shuran hadn’t clicked to look at it. Firstly, because the big boss had already explained her paper specifically, so there was no need to look; and secondly, she hadn’t actually participated in writing the summary…

 

Tao Shuran opened the file. On the cover page, just as Qi Wenwen had said, there was a row of regular script:

 

Compiled by: Tao Shuran, Jiang Hanqi

 

Neat and tidy.

 

It… it’s nothing much.

 

A bit of fog appeared on the phone again. Tao Shuran turned her face away and used her sleeve to wipe it away bit by bit.

 

She dazed for a while, her mind a bit messy and her heart a little sweet.

 

Clearly, they had just been strangers before. On the night of the New Year’s Day performance, she had sat in the audience, listening to Qi Wenwen beside her sighing repeatedly: “A big boss is indeed a big boss. Tao Shuran, you should change your goal; it’s just too far away.”

 

“She was never my goal,” Tao Shuran had explained with a blush. At that time, Jiang Hanqi was standing on the stage hosting the program with composure. Though she didn’t show much emotion, she still seemed to be draped in a soft, satin glow. “I mean, she’s just my study goal.”

 

And yet, the next day, the big boss took the initiative to speak to her. On the third day, she handed her a thermos. On the fourth day, she wrote down key knowledge points for her. And now, they eat lunch together every day…

 

Tao Shuran wrapped herself into a cocoon with the quilt, wanting to catch up on sleep, but she couldn’t fall asleep no matter what.

 

Speaking of which, she hadn’t dreamed of her for a long time.

 

The early morning interlude eventually prevented Tao Shuran from catching up on her sleep. Consequently, within ten minutes of doing her winter break homework, she yawned three times in a row.

 

Jiang Hanqi, sitting opposite her, finally tapped the table lightly when she finished her fourth yawn: “Take a nap.”

 

“Huh?” Tao Shuran snapped back to her senses. Looking down, she saw a long streak had been drawn across her essay paper. She shook her head and insisted, “No, no, it’s fine. I can do it.”

 

Tao Shuran tapped the essay prompt with the tip of her pen with a troubled face, forcibly shifting the blame: “It’s all the fault of this terrible prompt. I have no idea what to write at all.”

 

Over the past two weeks, Jiang Hanqi had picked her up downstairs every day after breakfast with extreme punctuality. Then, the two of them would go to the cat cafe to pet cats and study, go out for lunch, and then return to the cat cafe to continue studying until evening.

 

Jiang Hanqi was not only highly efficient in her own studies but also an incredibly effective tutor. Although she claimed to have no experience and asked Tao Shuran to be patient with her, her knowledge system was complete, and she could always use vivid language to help Tao Shuran quickly grasp concepts.

 

First, she reviewed the entire curriculum of the previous semester for Tao Shuran from beginning to end, finishing the winter break homework in the process. Then, she previewed the entire curriculum for the next semester, circling the key points for lectures and the difficult areas that must be broken through. In two weeks, she had just finished the preview lessons yesterday.

 

Today was the last day of their pre-New Year study sessions because tomorrow was New Year’s Eve, and it wouldn’t be convenient to go out.

 

The only things left of Tao Shuran’s winter break homework were a few long Chinese essays, but with no inspiration and poor spirits, writing them felt doubly difficult.

 

The floor heating in the room was toasty. The tea-colored lights were like the winter sun, making one feel lazy. The beauty opposite her was focused on her computer, while the little beauty in her arms was already fast asleep, even exposing its belly.

 

It wasn’t that her, Tao Shuran’s, will was weak. It was truly that the environment was… too… suitable…

 

This was the last thought in Tao Shuran’s mind before she slumped onto the table and fell asleep.

 

She didn’t know how long she slept, but when Tao Shuran woke up, the scene had changed.

 

When she opened her eyes, what met her gaze was a dark brown wooden bookcase and a carved tea table. She was covered with a gray felt blanket, and her head was resting on something soft…

 

Tao Shuran froze for a moment and immediately turned her head. Sure enough, she saw Jiang Hanqi sitting upright on the sofa, letting her sleep with her head on her lap. Her left hand rested on Tao Shuran’s neck, and her right hand was holding a magazine she was reading.

 

The Economist.

 

The Economist—Jiang Hanqi had long passed the stage of academic necessity for it; she was likely reading it out of interest.

 

Just as Tao Shuran blinked her eyes to see which issue it was, that hand with slender fingers placed the magazine on the sofa.

 

“Baby, you’re awake?” Likely because she hadn’t spoken for a long while, Jiang Hanqi’s voice carried a hint of hoarseness.

 

“Mm…” Tao Shuran instinctively rubbed her head against Jiang Hanqi’s lap. Having not been this close for half a month, she couldn’t help but want to smell more of the faint, fresh fragrance on Jiang Hanqi’s body.

 

Jiang Hanqi looked down at Tao Shuran with a smile, her left hand gently kneading one of Tao Shuran’s earlobes: “Do you plan to do anything?”

 

“No,” Tao Shuran turned over. She looked at Jiang Hanqi for a while, and suddenly, out of nowhere, courage flared in her heart. She boldly used her outer arm to encircle Jiang Hanqi’s waist. “Just like this is fine.”

 

She missed her a bit; she wanted to hold her for a while longer.

 

“Okay.” Jiang Hanqi’s voice was full of indulgence. She picked up the magazine she had set aside and continued reading.

 

After a while, a muffled voice came out: “Jiang Hanqi, do… do you… do you like me?”

 

She actually knew this was just a dream, but this dream was just too real. During this period, she had been spending time with the real Jiang Hanqi every day, and she often felt that reality and the dream world were overlapping.

 

Especially after listening to Qi Wenwen’s nonsense in the middle of the night, her heart was in a mess, and she didn’t know what to do.

 

The hope that had long been buried deep in her heart seemed about to break through the soil.

 

“Mm, I like you.” Jiang Hanqi placed the magazine on the tea table, cupped Tao Shuran’s face with her right hand, and stroked it gently.

 

“Re… really?”

 

Jiang Hanqi started to laugh.

 

She used her left hand to support her, lifting Tao Shuran slightly, and then she herself lay down across the sofa, encircling Tao Shuran in her arms with her right hand: “Mm, really.”

 

“Then… then how much do you like me?”

 

“I like you very, very much.” As Jiang Hanqi spoke, she pinched Tao Shuran’s face with her right hand. Tao Shuran looked up slightly from Jiang Hanqi’s arms, revealing a pair of watery eyes. Her shy and timid appearance was heart-stirring. Jiang Hanqi tightened her hold and kissed Tao Shuran’s forehead, her voice somewhat raspy. “I love you.”

 

“But,” Tao Shuran felt her face turning even redder. She bit her lip and repeatedly warned herself in her heart that this was just a dream. “You… why would you like me?” I am so ordinary, and I can’t do anything well.

 

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re smart, beautiful, and cute. You’re perfect in every way.”

 

Tao Shuran felt that what Jiang Hanqi said was as good as saying nothing.

 

She felt she was truly too shameless—not only marrying the goddess and having a child in her dreams but also making the goddess tell such bold-faced lies with her eyes open.

 

How could she be worthy…

 

As Tao Shuran thought about it, she felt her eyes growing warm. She held Jiang Hanqi tightly and buried her head deeper.

 

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Jiang Hanqi asked, stroking her little head when she noticed she hadn’t spoken for a while.

 

There was a long silence from that side. Jiang Hanqi pulled Tao Shuran up a bit with some concern and saw her precious wife’s reddened eyes. Jiang Hanqi frowned, her tone somewhat anxious: “What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

 

Tao Shuran shook her head, turned her face, and buried her head in Jiang Hanqi’s arms again: “I… I just feel that the dream is very good, and I don’t want to wake up.”

 

“Okay.” Tao Shuran heard the other person let out a soft laugh and stroke her back. “Then let’s sleep a little longer.”

 

No matter how beautiful a dream is, it only makes waking up more irritating.

 

This was exactly how Tao Shuran felt right now.

 

She sat up from the window seat. A soft blanket was padded beneath her. Looking to the side, the blanket that had been covering her had slipped down with her movement.

 

Jiang Hanqi had been looking at her computer, but hearing the movement, she turned her head to look at her: “It’s one o’clock. Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?”

 

The gentle voice was exactly the same as in the dream.

 

“Mm, whatever you say.” Tao Shuran pretended to rub her eyes to hide her loss of composure.

 

As usual, Jiang Hanqi picked the restaurant. Over these two weeks or so, they had almost finished visiting all the popular food spots in this commercial area.

 

Since she hadn’t known when Tao Shuran would wake up today, Jiang Hanqi hadn’t had someone take a number in advance. To avoid the crowds in the main restaurants, they chose a tea restaurant that served food quickly.

 

Tao Shuran kept her head down, cutting the red bean lava French toast on the plate in front of her, unable to emerge from the low atmosphere.

 

Sitting opposite her, Jiang Hanqi appeared perfectly serene, but her fingers were scrolling through the information on her screen at an extremely fast pace.

 

“Why is a girlfriend suddenly unhappy?” “What to do if a girlfriend is unhappy during a meal?” “Why would a wife be angry upon waking up?“

 

Jiang Hanqi’s solemn expression softened slightly. After hesitating for a moment, she still asked: “What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

 

Hearing those familiar words, Tao Shuran almost choked. She cleared her throat, intending to gloss it over, but as soon as she looked up, she met Jiang Hanqi’s eyes.

 

She was looking at her quietly, with what seemed to be concern in her eyes.

 

Just like in the dream.

 

Tao Shuran hurried to lower her head, her heart in a state of complete chaos.

 

She held the table knife in her right hand, scraping the cocoa powder on the plate with a slight sense of being at a loss.

 

She murmured for a while, saying in a low voice: “Do… do you find it very strange?”

 

The surroundings were a bit noisy. Tao Shuran’s voice was very soft, but Jiang Hanqi still sensed the trace of grievance in her words.

 

“I mean, our… our relationship.” Tao Shuran sat forward a little bit and continued, “Clearly, we weren’t familiar before, but suddenly the relationship became good.”

 

“I… I mean, it’s just my feeling.”

 

“Clearly, we had never spoken before, but you still gave me study guidance. At such an important time before the exam, you spent time and energy organizing example questions for me. I heard that you never explain questions to anyone, yet you’ve tutored me on my schoolwork for two weeks straight.”

 

“I… I don’t know why.” Why you’ve suddenly become different toward me, making someone as ordinary as me seem special.

 

Jiang Hanqi nodded, indicating she understood: “But isn’t that how it should be?”

 

“Huh?” Tao Shuran was a bit dazed.

 

“The Book of Rites emphasizes that courtesy demands reciprocity. Isn’t this what I should do?” Jiang Hanqi added seriously, “You bought me yogurt. I am very grateful to you and should naturally do what I can for you.”

 

 A person as amazing as you is actually lacking that one bottle of yogurt.

 

Tao Shuran’s train of thought was disrupted by Jiang Hanqi. She was momentarily dumbfounded, pausing for a bit before continuing: “But since the day the grade slips were issued, we’ve started studying together every day and eating together, like very good friends. You brought me to pet cats, treated me to lots of delicious food, and spoke well of me in front of my mother. You are very good to me…”

 

“Is… isn’t this strange?” Tao Shuran spoke somewhat hesitatingly, “That day, I even scolded you for no reason and cried. I cried so uglily, but you didn’t blame me; instead, you came to coax me.”

 

“And actually, I’m not the kind of person who would cry in front of others; that day was an accident…” Tao Shuran’s tone became hurried, even becoming incoherent. She bit her lip and quickly stopped. Pausing for a bit, her voice rose slightly as she emphasized, “I’m not trying to win your sympathy.”

 

“Mm, I know.” The corners of Jiang Hanqi’s mouth couldn’t help but curl up slightly. She felt her hand itching to stroke the young girl’s little head.

 

“Ranran, do you know the phrase, ‘Friends with white hair as if new, fast friends on the first meeting as if of old’?”

 

Tao Shuran’s eyes widened slightly. She looked at Jiang Hanqi, and Jiang Hanqi also gazed at her, as if wanting her to know how sincere her words were.

 

“I am very glad you let me get to know you.”