I Woke Up and Found Myself Married to the Dean - Chapter 23.2

Chapter 23.2

Last night, she was the one who kissed Si Nanyu. She was the one who pressed against her, grabbed her shoulders, and sat on her lap. And when her collarbone was kissed, she had said those kinds of things.

Wen Qingyan knew better than anyone how much she liked Si Nanyu, which made the shame even deeper especially when she saw the obvious red marks.

“Teacher Wen… you’re awake?”

Si Nanyu had woken up at some point. Wen Qingyan instinctively covered the marks and took a small step back.

“Wen Qingyan.”

Si Nanyu called her again, this time using her name. Wen Qingyan frowned in confusion and asked in a raspy voice: “Why did you suddenly call me by my name?”

“Because… because…”

Si Nanyu couldn’t find an explanation, or rather, she was too embarrassed to say it. Some memories were ingrained in her soul, so after waking up, she still habitually called Wen Qingyan “Teacher.” But everything she had thought about last night told her she couldn’t do that. Who wanted to maintain a teacher-student relationship with Wen Qingyan forever?

So she gathered her courage and used her name, but the result… didn’t seem great. Si Nanyu had no choice but to switch back in a low voice: “Teacher Wen.”

“Are you bored?”

The raspy voice only lasted for a moment. Wen Qingyan cleared her throat and became cold again. Si Nanyu was stunned. Seeing that Wen Qingyan was no longer awkward, she threw back the blanket, revealed her long, slender legs, and stepped onto the floor. She pointed to her collarbone: “This… did you do this?”

That red mark wasn’t like this last night; it wasn’t this red. And why were there two marks?

Si Nanyu lowered her head in embarrassment and answered softly: “…Yes, I did it.”

“Do you really think you’re eighteen, leaving these kinds of marks?” Wen Qingyan said coldly. She brushed past Si Nanyu and left.

Left behind, Si Nanyu felt timid again. She also felt that Wen Qingyan had a point. Two red marks—one of them was okay and could be hidden by clothes, but the other… it was too high up, almost on her neck. This was… truly a bit awkward.

In the bathroom.

Warm water slid down Wen Qingyan’s jaw, providing comfort and clarity. Her body had no obvious discomfort, so she realized that Si Nanyu hadn’t done anything besides leaving those two red marks.

But what about her? Had she done anything… excessive?

She didn’t want to ask Si Nanyu, nor was she willing to delve deeper. Wen Qingyan kept her eyes closed, trying to avoid thinking about it. She stayed in the bathroom for a long time before turning off the shower. When she was about to change, she realized she had rushed in without bringing a change of clothes.

Even though it was the bathroom in her own room, she wasn’t sure if Si Nanyu had left. After a long struggle, she finally called out: “Si Nanyu…”

After waiting two seconds and hearing no response, Wen Qingyan relaxed slightly. She turned the doorknob and gave it a gentle push…

Just as Si Nanyu was pushing the door open to come in.

Their eyes met, and the air was filled with awkwardness and silence.

With a loud “thump,” Wen Qingyan slammed the door shut. She left behind a bewildered Si Nanyu, whose face was turning a deep shade of red.

She just… wanted to ask what Wen Qingyan wanted for breakfast. So, should she apologize first?

“Wen Qingyan… what do you want for breakfast?” Si Nanyu eventually spoke up with hesitation. She figured as long as she wasn’t awkward about it, maybe things wouldn’t be so bad.

But Wen Qingyan didn’t see it that way. In reality, given her relationship with Si Nanyu, being seen wasn’t a big deal. But it was enough to make her feel ashamed. Despite having been intimate with Si Nanyu many times, she was always extremely shy and had to have the lights off. It was the same now. The shower she had just taken felt like a waste; Wen Qingyan felt as if her entire body was burning.

“…You, you go out first.”

“Anything is fine to eat.”

“Oh, okay.”

It wasn’t until she heard Si Nanyu’s footsteps fade away that Wen Qingyan felt a bit better. She looked at the shower head, paused, and then turned it back on.

It was more than half an hour later when Wen Qingyan finally came to the living room. She had put on light makeup and was wearing a casual shirt as she sat across from Si Nanyu. She was expressionless and showed no emotion. However, when she saw the small steamed buns (xiaolongbao), her eyes narrowed slightly.

That single moment gave Si Nanyu her chance. She pushed the buns toward her and introduced them with a smile: “The line for this place is always very long. I never could make it before because of work. I had time today, so I bought them. Try them, they’re pork and corn filling.”

“I know.”

“You used to buy them all the time.”

Whenever the blank past was mentioned, Si Nanyu always felt inexplicably uneasy. It was the same this time. She gave a forced laugh: “…Oh, really?” She scratched her head and sat down across from Wen Qingyan.

Her own breakfast was a savory pancake (jianbing guozi), one of her favorite foods. She hadn’t eaten much at the hot pot place last night, and now it was ten o’clock. She was actually very hungry, but Wen Qingyan across from her hadn’t moved. She didn’t dare move either.

“Eat,” Wen Qingyan said, picking up a bun with her chopsticks. Because it was too hot, she didn’t eat it immediately.

Si Nanyu’s pancake wasn’t hot, so she took a big bite. But as she chewed, it started to taste more and more flavorless. Because Wen Qingyan still hadn’t eaten.

“Um, do you not like it? Then I’ll go buy you something else…”

Wen Qingyan had just said she used to buy them all the time, so it was unlikely she didn’t like them, right? Si Nanyu looked at her with a face full of confusion.

Wen Qingyan simply put down her chopsticks and looked at Si Nanyu, who hadn’t even swallowed her food yet. “If I don’t like it, are you going to buy me something else?”

“Y-yes, I can.” Si Nanyu answered blankly. To her surprise, Wen Qingyan started to laugh.

She laughed until her eyes gently narrowed into crescents. Under normal circumstances, Si Nanyu had never seen Wen Qingyan look like this. But her face changed very quickly. In the next instant, Wen Qingyan stopped smiling: “When things get old, do they have to be replaced with something new?”

Si Nanyu never expected Wen Qingyan to say that. She jumped up from her chair, her emotions somewhat agitated: “I’m not!”

Realizing she overreacted, she dialed back her intensity and stammered: “Th-this… this isn’t the same thing at all. You can change the food you don’t like, of course, but people… people are different.”

“I’m going to get Paigu. He’s been waiting for me all night.” Wen Qingyan didn’t want to hear it anymore. She stood up and left the table.

After the steaming buns had been poked with several holes, not a single bite was ultimately eaten.

Before leaving work last night, Wen Qingyan had called the pet shop to say she would pick up Paigu later. But when she got to the bottom of the building, she hadn’t remembered, so she simply transferred some money and let the staff take care of Paigu for one more night. Although Paigu was used to the pet shop, he was also used to being with Wen Qingyan every weekend.

That was why Wen Qingyan was in a hurry to get him. Her pace was quick, but when she reached the underground garage, her steps slowed down. The parked Euler Ballet Cat was very conspicuous.

In fact, Wen Qingyan saw it every time she went out, but this time she seemed frozen, her gaze locked on it. It was a retro model, pink and white. Si Nanyu had insisted on buying it for her.

She hadn’t driven it once. Because of that, Si Nanyu had even thrown a tantrum.

“I know you like Beetles, but that style is too old and discontinued. This electric car is environmentally friendly and innovative.”

True, it was environmentally friendly and innovative. But no matter how new it was, it wasn’t the Beetle she loved. If you can’t get back what you love, then stop looking for it. She didn’t have to have anything she wanted, but Si Nanyu was always so persistent.

That was the biggest difference between them. Si Nanyu would try every means and rack her brains, regardless of whether it was right or wrong. Wen Qingyan wasn’t like that. If she didn’t like something, she didn’t want it. If she liked a person, she would be faithful to the end. Just like the way she loved Si Nanyu.

But she would also have many demands.

After Wen Qingyan closed the door and left, Si Nanyu finally looked away from the buns. she wanted to chase after Wen Qingyan, but what would she say when she caught her? She didn’t know. Just like this relationship she clearly felt that there was a major problem, but she couldn’t find a single place to fix it.

Si Nanyu didn’t finish her pancake either. She quietly cleared everything away and went out alone. She wandered aimlessly, walking lap after lap around the neighborhood before finally leaving. She still didn’t know where to go.

Today, ten years later, everything besides Wen Qingyan and Qin Hua was foreign to her. Everything was unfamiliar. The roads were foreign, the new high-rises were foreign… so she headed toward a place she knew.

She returned to Zhennan, but she didn’t go in. Instead, she watched the school gate from a distance. Ten years had passed, and even the school gate had been renovated. Nothing was the way it used to be. At that moment, the urge to capture the past was incredibly strong. After crouching there for a long time, Si Nanyu suddenly ran out toward the small alleys near Zhennan.

She ran through them one after another. She wasn’t fast, but she was steady. She finally stopped when she reached a familiar storefront.

During her senior year, whenever she got tired of the cafeteria food, she would sneak off to this spicy hot pot (malatang) shop. Wen Qingyan was the assistant class teacher then, mainly in charge of student life. She might not have known at first, but over time, she found out. In fact, Si Nanyu knew that Wen Qingyan would come to the snack street, yet she still went inside without hesitation.

She came more and more often, until even the owner recognized her face. It was simply because it increased her chances of seeing Wen Qingyan.

“Eh? Aren’t you… little Si? A rare guest indeed!”

The owner’s wife was still that plump auntie, just with more wrinkles. Her speaking style hadn’t changed at all. Si Nanyu had finally reached a familiar environment. She greeted the owner’s wife with a bright smile and found a corner to sit down.

The owner’s wife was talkative. While taking the order, she said: “You haven’t been here for a few years, but your friend comes quite often…”

“Friend?”

“Yeah, the one sitting in the other corner.” Seeing that Si Nanyu didn’t recognize her, the owner’s wife pointed her out.

She saw a back—a small patterned shirt, low-waist jeans, and short hair with blue highlights. Since when did she have a friend like that?

“Si Nanyu!”

“Si Nanyu, why didn’t you say anything when you came?”

The person turned around. The more Si Nanyu looked, the more familiar she seemed, until she finally recognized her. However, she was vastly different from her memories.

The person walked over with her hands in her pockets and a cigarette in her mouth. When she reached Si Nanyu, she took one out and offered it to her, asking coolly: “Smoke?”

Was this… really Shao Ling?

The Shao Ling Si Nanyu knew had long black hair, liked to wear light-colored shirt dresses, and always stood by another person’s side with a sweet smile. She looked like a perfect student. Ten years later, she truly couldn’t have imagined that Shao Ling would change so much.

So she asked in a very hesitant voice: “Shao Ling…?”

“If it’s not me, then who? You really don’t want one? You actually quit when you said you would.” Shao Ling sighed. She didn’t stand on ceremony with Si Nanyu either; she brought her own bowl of malatang over and sat across from her, puffing out smoke.

Si Nanyu thought she would be repulsed, but it was only psychological. Physically, she didn’t feel anything, and she couldn’t even really smell the smoke. Did she really used to smoke?

Another mark on her history. Si Nanyu felt a bit annoyed. She looked at Shao Ling with a bit of irritation, took her cigarette away, and said in a rather unpleasant tone: “Stop smoking, it’s bad for you. And it’s a bad influence near the school.”

“Oh right, you’re a teacher now. Different from me.”

Even though she had changed so much, Shao Ling was still Shao Ling—the friend she had been close with since middle school. Although they weren’t together in high school, they had always remained very close, and even their hobby music was the same.

It was fine to joke and tease. After saying that, Shao Ling put her cigarette pack away and started scolding Si Nanyu: “Why haven’t you been in touch for the past half month? No replies to WeChat, no answering the phone. By the way, Boss Qu is looking for you…”

This malatang shop was a place both she and Shao Ling loved. It had been a long time since she’d eaten there. After a few greetings, they started eating.

She ignored the first part of Shao Ling’s sentence. As for the second part… who was Boss Qu?

Just as she was about to ask, Shao Ling said with total exasperation: “Don’t tell me you forgot her too? The one from Tao Yi’s company.” Shao Ling spoke with a bit of disdain.

Seeing this, Si Nanyu’s thoughts jumped. She ignored Boss Qu and thought of the matter between her and Tao Yi.

“You and Tao Yi…”

As soon as Si Nanyu spoke, Shao Ling immediately waved her hand: “No contact, no contact. I’ve never been in touch with her.” Then she quickly changed the subject: “Your wife lets you eat this now?”

“What…?”

When Shao Ling waved her hand, Si Nanyu took another bite of the malatang. It was so delicious she almost stumbled, so she didn’t quite hear the question. Seeing this, Shao Ling pointed at her bowl: “Malatang.”

“Didn’t you tell me that your wife doesn’t let you eat malatang, malaban, or…” Shao Ling listed a whole series of foods Si Nanyu used to love. The more she spoke, the harder it was for Si Nanyu to put the food in her mouth. She held her chopsticks and said to Shao Ling: “I’m the eighteen-year-old Si Nanyu. I have amnesia. I don’t remember anything from these past years.”

There were only the two of them in the corner now. After weighing it in her mind a few times, she decided to explain the situation. Shao Ling was naturally stunned, but she thought it was a joke.

“What new game are you playing now? To get your wife’s attention?”

To get Wen Qingyan’s attention…? By faking amnesia? Or maybe by smoking, racing cars, or… why were her schemes so clumsy!

The more she thought, the darker Si Nanyu’s expression became. Shao Ling sensed something was wrong and leaned in closer: “Are you for real? You really have amnesia?”

“Really.” Si Nanyu pursed her lips and answered with certainty: “I don’t know anything about the past ten years.” Then she lowered her head to eat her malatang while waiting for Shao Ling to process it.

“You you you! You really have amnesia?” Shao Ling was so excited she almost jumped. She pointed at Si Nanyu and then at herself: “Then do you still remember me?”

Si Nanyu nodded: “I remember. I remember the eighteen-year-old you—long flowing hair, pure and cute, with a secret crush on Tao—”

“Shut up!” Shao Ling suddenly stood up. Startled, Si Nanyu blinked. Shao Ling sat back down with an embarrassed, red face. She turned her head away and said: “J-just talk about your own business, no need to include me.”

“Oh.” Si Nanyu agreed. Shao Ling looked at her, then gritted her teeth and said: “We dated. We broke up.” She didn’t intend to hide anything from Si Nanyu. Since Si Nanyu used to know anyway, it didn’t matter if she said it again since she’d forgotten.

Si Nanyu didn’t press for details, just nodding: “Oh, okay.”

This made Shao Ling feel uncomfortable. She wondered why she didn’t ask more. The floodgates of conversation opened uncontrollably: “Tao Yi is now a famous actress. I’ve become part of her dark history.” The bitterness was overwhelming, but Si Nanyu didn’t want to keep asking.

She was very familiar with both Shao Ling and Tao Yi. Shao Ling was her middle school classmate, while Tao Yi was someone she met at a training center. They later went to Zhennan together. They were in the same grade but different classes, but since they were both art students, they were often together.

The three had the same hobbies and naturally played together. Over time, Shao Ling fell in love and had a crush on Tao Yi for several years. Tao Yi liked her too, but they never officially dated in high school, claiming they didn’t want to interfere with their studies. In reality, though, their private interactions were no different from being in a relationship. Si Nanyu was both a third wheel and a link that bound the two of them together.

She was a bit curious, but also afraid of touching Shao Ling’s sore spot. Shao Ling seemed to truly not care anymore and gave a rough summary of what had happened between the three of them over the years: “During the university entrance exams, didn’t you say you were going to the Southwest? Tao Yi and I… felt it was quite a pity.

Later, because your relationship with Wen Qingyan suddenly became close, you didn’t go. The three of us finally formed a band in university. Tao Yi, of course, was the lead singer. That’s also when she and I got together. We started playing at bars in our senior year, participating in small programs, and going to music festivals. After graduation, there was a very popular music show, and we made a name for ourselves. Later…”

“Later…” Shao Ling said it twice, then paused. She lowered her head to pick at a few vegetable leaves in her malatang before saying: “As you know, the lead singer is always the easiest person to remember in a band. The more shows we did, the more famous Tao Yi became. We drifted apart. You joined Zhennan. I… I’m still at the bars.”

Shao Ling’s mood grew lower as she spoke. Even though Si Nanyu had caught a glimpse of her old self when she mentioned university life, when she brought up their drifting apart, her eyes were full of gloom. Si Nanyu was very interested in filling in ten years of memories, but if it had to be built on her best friend’s pain, then it wasn’t worth it.

So she started talking about her own life from waking up in the hospital to her daily interactions with Wen Qingyan over the past half month. Shao Ling’s emotions were indeed drawn in by Si Nanyu’s story. The more she listened, the more she frowned. She was confused by Si Nanyu’s description. Finally, she asked a lethal question: “So, do you have amnesia, or did you travel through time? From eighteen to twenty-eight.”

“I don’t know.” A flash of confusion appeared in Si Nanyu’s eyes, and she shook her head. Amnesia and time travel comparing the two to her current situation, what was the difference? Besides, time travel was too unrealistic. It wasn’t something she wanted to delve into.

“Right now, I only want to know how Wen Qingyan and I got along during these ten years.” This was the reason Si Nanyu wanted to be honest with Shao Ling. She had no one else to ask, and even if she did, no one could tell her. Qin Hua obviously knew, but not much. Wen Qingyan… she didn’t want to say.

“Well, in university we were all too busy. At that time Tao Yi and I had just started dating…” Shao Ling paused at the mention of Tao Yi, then skipped over her and continued: “It was probably in our second year of university when you told me you were together with her. After that, things got even busier.

It wasn’t until we formed the band that I started seeing your wife. She… should love you quite a lot. Just from listening to you talk, I can tell she’s a different kind of person than us. But for you, she would go to noisy bars every weekend to pick you up after work. You guys happened to be among the first batch of same-sex couples to get married. You were so proud back then.

At the wedding, the four of us hung out together. However, that was also the last time.” Shao Ling sighed when she said that. Si Nanyu sensed something and guessed that what followed might have been her and Tao Yi breaking up.

She wanted to interrupt so she wouldn’t have to continue, but Shao Ling laughed and said with a completely nonchalant attitude: “Later Tao Yi and I broke up, and the band dissolved. We lost touch for a while. When we got back in contact, you didn’t even mention her anymore. I haven’t seen her again either. Come to think of it, it’s been nearly two years, right?”

After parting from Shao Ling, Si Nanyu walked home. Along the way, she thought about their conversation especially the words about Wen Qingyan: “She… should love you quite a lot.” Then followed: “You didn’t even mention her anymore” and “nearly two years.”

Things were fine when they got married, so why did they change so much after? Si Nanyu couldn’t figure it out. Even before she parted with Shao Ling, she couldn’t understand how she and Wen Qingyan had ended up like this. The photo covered with a cloth, the cold Wen Qingyan, the aggrieved Wen Qingyan. And… so much more.

With her thoughts in a muddle, Si Nanyu reached the bottom of her building. She looked up at the dark room and turned back around. She walked out of the neighborhood. She deleted the sentences about the broken relationship from her mind. She only remembered the question Shao Ling asked her before they parted: “So what do you plan to do now?”

She had blurted out: “What else can I do? I like her. Regardless of what I’m like, I like her. Since I can’t remember, I’ll find it back. I’ll find everything back.”

Her love for Wen Qingyan had been intense since she was young. It was just intense in her own heart. The lost ten years of memory let her know she had expressed it and succeeded. She had been courageous. And she was certain that her love for Wen Qingyan would never change. She had to try to be brave, to be brave once again.

Si Nanyu kept telling herself this in her heart. She didn’t remember how many times she said it. She only stopped when she was about to leave the neighborhood. She looked around blankly, only then realizing that searching aimlessly like this would take forever. She should call Wen Qingyan.

The call was answered quickly. Wen Qingyan seemed to be outside and in a somewhat pleasant mood: “Nanyu, is something wrong?”

Si Nanyu was stunned for a moment before asking: “Where are you?”

There was a moment of silence on the other end. After a long while, Wen Qingyan’s voice came again: “…I’m at the artificial lake.” The lighthearted tone was gone; Wen Qingyan had become rigid again.

Si Nanyu’s heart rose and then fell. She paused for a moment before saying: “I’ll go find you.”

“…Okay.”

After parting from Si Nanyu that morning, Wen Qingyan had gone to the pet shop to pick up Paigu. The pet shop wasn’t far from Xu Jinghao’s home. A few times when Wen Qingyan was picking up or dropping off Paigu, she would take the same path back and occasionally bump into her. Today was the same—she happened to run into Xu Jinghao, who was seeing her girlfriend off.

Wen Qingyan wasn’t in a good mood, and Xu Jinghao’s mood was average as well. Xu Jinghao’s girlfriend was her university classmate; they both studied fine arts. However, compared to Xu Jinghao’s profession as a teacher, her girlfriend preferred being a freelancer, so she chose to draw comics and serialize them on an app.

It was her editor who called her away. Xu Jinghao was feeling sulky and jealous. When she saw Wen Qingyan, she couldn’t help but complain: “She’s gone again. We agreed to spend this weekend together. One phone call and she was called away.”

Xu Jinghao’s tone had a rare hint of girlishness. Wen Qingyan looked at her and felt she seemed a bit different. After spending an entire night with a girlfriend, it was impossible that nothing had happened. She had no interest in prying into someone’s private life, but it made her think of herself. She unconsciously clutched her already tightly fastened shirt, then quickly let go.

But Xu Jinghao was sharp-eyed and experienced; she saw something unusual immediately. She didn’t point it out directly, instead asking indirectly: “Relationship improved?”

It was practically the same as asking directly. Wen Qingyan shook her head expressionlessly: “No. Just got bitten by a dog.” Her words were vague yet revealing. Those who understood, understood.

Perhaps it was a case of “the gun misfiring.” Xu Jinghao nodded knowingly, then sighed and said seriously: “I think something’s wrong with her.” The “her” was obviously Xu Jinghao’s girlfriend.

If Wen Qingyan felt there were non-principled issues in her relationship with Si Nanyu, then Xu Jinghao often felt there were principled issues with her girlfriend.

“She put on perfume this morning. We’ve been together for five or six years. Except for the year we just got together, she rarely wears perfume. But recently… anyway, something’s wrong with her. Why would she need perfume to see an editor? When she sees me, she’s always a mess…”

As usual, Wen Qingyan didn’t interrupt or offer comfort. she wasn’t used to it. Even if Xu Jinghao knew some things about her and Si Nanyu, she still wouldn’t talk about many of the details. Similarly, when faced with the small details Xu Jinghao mentioned, she mostly remained silent and didn’t offer an opinion.

“Forget it, whatever. Let’s go eat. I found a restaurant that allows dogs. Okay, Teacher Wen~?” Xu Jinghao’s mood was unpredictable. She complained a lot but didn’t want to think too deeply about it. She would go with the flow—if they broke up, they broke up. So she dragged Wen Qingyan and Paigu to the restaurant she had scoped out earlier.

It wasn’t the first time Wen Qingyan had eaten with Paigu and Xu Jinghao. Paigu was very familiar with her as well. After the meal, Xu Jinghao couldn’t sit still and teased Paigu, saying she wanted to take him out to play.

For so many years, Wen Qingyan’s life had been simple—a straight line between two points. School to home, work to home. It wasn’t until she fell in love with Si Nanyu that her life became colorful. So she had very few friends.

The only one she could talk to now was Xu Jinghao, and the only person she had occasional small gatherings with was her as well. After experiencing the colorful world and returning to a dull life, Wen Qingyan wasn’t used to it. Fortunately, there was Xu Jinghao. When Xu Jinghao talked a lot, she listened. When she talked less, Wen Qingyan talked even less. And Paigu liked her a lot too. Wen Qingyan really had no reason to refuse Xu Jinghao; she just treated it as a way to relax.

Going out was a happy thing. Combined with the two lively characters, Xu Jinghao and Paigu, Wen Qingyan’s smile increased throughout the afternoon. On the way back, Xu Jinghao even teased her: “If our types didn’t clash, and if I didn’t have a girlfriend, Sister Wen, I would really pursue you!” Xu Jinghao was joking now, forgetting her jealousy from earlier and habitually mentioning her girlfriend again.

Wen Qingyan didn’t remind her, instead refusing seriously: “No, I belong to Si Nanyu.” Even though Wen Qingyan knew Xu Jinghao was joking, she still answered seriously. After answering, she herself was stunned for a long time.

Her cheeks were a bit red. Fortunately, Xu Jinghao hadn’t heard clearly; she was looking down and playing with Paigu. Wen Qingyan bit her lip and joined in, teasing Paigu from time to time. Paigu would circle around her acting spoiled. The shyness was driven away. Wen Qingyan smiled gently and stroked the fur on Paigu’s head.

“Sister Wen, you’re so good to Paigu.”

“…Yes.” Wen Qingyan didn’t deny it, her smile growing wider: “Because Paigu is also good to me.”

Paigu seemed to understand the praise and rubbed against Wen Qingyan’s hand joyfully. His eyes couldn’t leave Wen Qingyan at all. Xu Jinghao watched from the side and felt as if she understood something. Wen Qingyan seemed cold and reserved, but her heart was warmer than anyone’s. What she loved most was a love that was wholehearted and consistent. Because she was that kind of person herself—it was just her cold exterior that masked it all.

“Wen… Wen Qingyan…!” Si Nanyu had run all the way to the artificial lake. She ran up to Wen Qingyan with excitement, her breath short and her face red from running.

The person and the dog had their backs to her. Hearing the sound, they turned around together. Wen Qingyan watched her faintly as usual, while Paigu took one look and turned his head away. The leash was in Wen Qingyan’s hand. Seeing this, Wen Qingyan let go and patted Paigu’s head, saying softly: “Don’t run too far.” Paigu seemed to understand, gave a little hop, and went off to play with other dogs.

Si Nanyu had already walked up to Wen Qingyan. When Wen Qingyan turned around, she saw her enlarged face. For a moment she was confused, raising her eyebrows and asking: “What exactly do you want?”

“I… I…” Si Nanyu felt timid again. The words “I like you” rolled around in her mouth, but in the end, she didn’t dare say them. She closed her eyes and pointed at Paigu: “I want to walk the dog with you!”

Wen Qingyan obviously didn’t believe her, but she didn’t expose her. She gave a soft “um” and turned to watch Paigu playing nearby. Si Nanyu opened her eyes and saw Wen Qingyan watching intently. She felt a bit sour in her heart. She leaned in and asked: “You like Paigu that much…”

“Yes, I like him.” Wen Qingyan said without any hesitation. She turned to look at Si Nanyu and added: “I still have to thank you for bringing Paigu home.”

Before she was with Si Nanyu, Wen Qingyan had no interest in anything. After being with Si Nanyu, her interests grew, but she still didn’t dare raise a dog. But Si Nanyu dared; she even dared to bring a dog home behind her back. For so many years, she had always been passive, enduring something. So after her initial anger, she was still captured by Paigu’s cute appearance. Paigu also brought a lot of fun and difference to her life, so her thanks to Si Nanyu was sincere.

But Si Nanyu felt even more sour. To put it simply, she had sent herself a “love rival.” She secretly competed, approaching Wen Qingyan step by step. Wen Qingyan didn’t notice at first. By the time she realized, Si Nanyu had gently hooked her arm. When she turned her head, Si Nanyu’s lips brushed against her face.

There were streetlights by the artificial lake—not very bright, but enough to see people clearly. Enough to see Si Nanyu, whose face was as red as an apple and whose eyes were blinking constantly. Wen Qingyan took half a step back, still feeling that something was wrong. She asked again: “Si Nanyu, what exactly do you want from me?”

The atmosphere had reached this point. Even if Si Nanyu was a bit awkward, she still gathered the courage to speak: “Wen Qingyan.” She rarely called her name with such determination. Wen Qingyan’s heart rose when she heard it.

In the next instant, Si Nanyu gripped her arm tight and shook it gently…

“I like you.”

“And then?”

Wen Qingyan truly hadn’t expected Si Nanyu to suddenly declare her feelings, but what then? She asked impatiently: “What exactly are you trying to say?”

It was different from what she had expected. Si Nanyu had naively thought that saying those words would make Wen Qingyan’s mood softer, but she hadn’t expected… She had no choice but to push through and say her unprepared thoughts incoherently: “I went to the mixer yesterday because I knew you were going. I wanted to find you. And I’ve been thinking a lot these past few days especially today. We might have many misunderstandings, but I like—”

“Like. Heh…” Wen Qingyan interrupted bluntly. She took a few steps back, crossed her arms, and lowered her eyes: “Si Nanyu, do you know…”

“In these past years of ours.”

“The thing we’ve lacked least of all is ‘liking’.”

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