I Woke Up and Found Myself Married to the Dean - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: What… Do You Want to Do?

Si Nanyu had forgotten many things, but her culinary skills were not among them.

Once they got home, she washed the vegetables and meat, prepared the side ingredients with meticulous precision, and got to work wearing an apron.

Wen Qingyan, meanwhile, fed Paigu who had just been returned from the pet store and waited at the kitchen door with him.

The kitchen was filled with cooking fumes. Despite the glass door separating them, Si Nanyu was worried Wen Qingyan might find it irritating. Seeing her standing there, she waved her hand: “Teacher Wen, you’ve been busy all day, go rest! I can handle this alone!”

There was a hint of pride in Si Nanyu’s voice. Wen Qingyan froze, suddenly remembering the first time Si Nanyu had ever cooked for her.

Si Nanyu had been twenty-one then. They had been dating for exactly three years. Doing her internship, Si Nanyu had rented an apartment near Zhennan. Wen Qingyan would visit occasionally during the week, and they would spend the entire weekend glued to each other.

Perhaps because Qin Hua and Si Xueyi had started their lives with a restaurant, Si Nanyu was naturally gifted in the kitchen.

Ever since the first time she tasted Si Nanyu’s sweet and sour spare ribs, Wen Qingyan never wanted anyone else’s.

Her spare ribs were perfectly sweet and sour, leaving a lingering taste that made one yearn for more.

Much like their relationship.

When it was sweet, it was intoxicatingly so; when it was sour, it made one’s eyes sting uncontrollably.

“Teacher Wen, what’s wrong? Is the smoke bothering you?”

“Quick, quick! Go back to the sofa, watch some TV, or play with Paigu. We’ll be eating ‘Paigu’ (ribs) very soon!”

Si Nanyu had always been exceptionally good at breaking a mood.

Just like now, while Wen Qingyan was sinking into a low mood fueled by nostalgia, she saw Si Nanyu pressing her face against the glass door, simultaneously advising her and… teasing the dog.

The negative emotions vanished instantly, replaced by a slight urge to scold Si Nanyu for bullying Paigu.

The dog understood exactly what was happening and was currently huffing in annoyance, twisting its body and wagging its tail away from her…

Wen Qingyan doted on Paigu. She patted his head and said softly, “Paigu, come on, I’ll get you some chicken jerky.”

Upon hearing “chicken jerky,” Paigu’s gloom disappeared, and he followed Wen Qingyan away happily.

Si Nanyu…

Si Nanyu felt she was less important than a dog.

The gaze Wen Qingyan just gave the dog was easily the gentlest she had seen from her in this lifetime!

In the past, Wen Qingyan was strict with her.

Now, she was cold!

Heartless, cruel… and..

The pot was about to burn!!!

Snapping her gaze back from Wen Qingyan and the dog, Si Nanyu turned around in a flurry to rescue the ribs before they scorched!

The most important part of cooking is the heat. These ribs were already braised to a perfect tenderness; they just needed the sauce to be reduced over a high flame.

Next, she started the eggplant with minced pork. Si Nanyu had her own secret for this dish: she first sautéed the meat until the pot was fragrant, then used oil to fry the eggplant until both sides were soft and golden. Then, she added the meat back in with a generous amount of soybean paste, a bit of sweet bean sauce, oyster sauce, and both light and dark soy sauce. Finally, she added chili, green onions, and a handful of minced garlic just before plating.

Everything was ready. The aroma was so mouth-watering it could make anyone swoon.

“Teacher Wen, dinner’s ready!!” Si Nanyu shouted, her earlier jealousy seemingly non-existent.

In this world… only Wen Qingyan and good food could not be let down.

She made a lot of rice, as these dishes were perfect “rice-killers”!

The first bowl was rice mixed with the savory eggplant; for the second… Si Nanyu prepared to mix her rice with the sweet and sour sauce from the ribs.

However, before she could take more than a couple of bites, Wen Qingyan, who was eating gracefully across from her, spoke up: “You’ve already eaten too much eggplant. It’s very oily. Have fewer ribs and don’t mix the sauce with your rice…”

“Eh? Once in a while is fine, right? The mixed rice is so delicious…”

“Suit yourself, then.”

Wen Qingyan’s voice turned cold. Si Nanyu’s hand stopped. She took one last look at the alluring, glossy sauce of the sweet and sour spare ribs.

Silently, she picked up some plain white rice, her eating speed slowing down.

Wen Qingyan noted her movements. Trying to suppress her inner turmoil, she added: “You are twenty-eight, not eighteen. Eating too much late at night isn’t good for you!”

Wen Qingyan had said this many times in the past, but Si Nanyu had always responded with indifference. Repeating it now was just Wen Qingyan’s nature. Whether the other listened or not, she didn’t want to care—and couldn’t care.

She was just full of regret. A regret so deep it made her want to stop talking.

Even when Si Nanyu reacted to her words with a look of inexplicable shyness, Wen Qingyan remained expressionless.

Si Nanyu always ate faster than Wen Qingyan. She finished a bowl and a half while Wen Qingyan had just finished one. Wen Qingyan didn’t eat much eggplant; she focused more on the ribs.

Anyone could see that these sweet and sour ribs were exactly to Wen Qingyan’s taste.

Si Nanyu could sense Wen Qingyan’s mood, but she didn’t dare bring it up directly. She could only try to use what she was good at to distract her. She leaned in and asked, “Should I make sweet and sour ribs again tomorrow?”

Wen Qingyan’s lips twitched slightly in hesitation. Seeing this, Si Nanyu added a “heavy dose of medicine”: “I watched a short video today and learned how to make stuffed peppers with meat. That dish uses less oil, and it looks like it would be very tasty!”

This really worked. Wen Qingyan’s expression softened, but then her gaze turned sharp again: “Did you slack off during work hours?”

They had come home earlier today, so Wen Qingyan hadn’t changed into her nightgown yet. She was wearing loungewear—a blue and white striped T-shirt and grey shorts. She looked very casual and relaxed, which had made Si Nanyu feel much more at ease.

But that one look sent her right back into a state of panic.

“I… well… it was…” Si Nanyu racked her brain for an excuse, but the more she struggled, the colder Wen Qingyan’s gaze became, as if she were looking right through her. Eventually, she gave up and lowered her head to apologize: “Teacher Wen, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have slacked off.”

“It’s good that you know you’re wrong. Don’t let it happen again.” Wen Qingyan’s voice softened slightly. However, without waiting for Si Nanyu to look up, she turned and took the dishes to the kitchen.

Si Nanyu followed her immediately, trying to take the bowls: “Let me do it…”

“You cooked; I should wash the dishes.” Wen Qingyan spoke calmly as she put on gloves and began washing.

Si Nanyu didn’t leave. She stood behind her, staring.

As she stared, she became lost in thought, remembering Wen Qingyan’s silhouette from years ago.

Ten years had passed… Wen Qingyan seemed to have lost a lot of weight.

Her back seemed much more delicate now; even through the loose loungewear, one could tell her waist was excessively thin.

A flash of heartache and confusion crossed Si Nanyu’s eyes.

She knew exactly why her heart ached: because she liked Wen Qingyan—or more accurately, she loved her.

The confusion stemmed from the ten-year gap. She didn’t know how to love this version of Wen Qingyan.

Should she snatch the dishes from her hands? Or should she spend tomorrow, the day after, and all the days to follow feeding Wen Qingyan until she regained her health?

“Teacher Wen…” Si Nanyu’s nose stung. She called out in a raspy voice, her feet moving forward uncontrollably. Just as she reached out to touch her…

Wen Qingyan happened to turn around.

Si Nanyu’s breath hitched in nervousness. For a moment, she was completely disoriented. Finally… her gaze landed right on the soft curve of Wen Qingyan’s chest…

Her face instantly exploded in a bright red blush. She retracted her hand and looked up at Wen Qingyan with an incredibly guilty expression.

As expected, Wen Qingyan’s eyes were filled with obvious impatience and irritability.

Yet, for some reason, her ears turned a mysterious shade of red, and her voice trembled violently: “Si Nanyu… what do you want to do?”

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