I Woke Up and Found Myself Married to the Dean - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Popcorn and Cola.

“You’re only allowed to watch with me.”

A raging Si Nanyu was a rare sight.

Whether before or after her memory loss, Si Nanyu had always seemed to hold a permissive, indulgent attitude toward her in this regard. Because it was so rare, Wen Qingyan suddenly felt a flicker of interest. She took her hand away from the ignition, leaned back against the seat with her arms crossed, and looked into Si Nanyu’s eyes—which were gradually turning red with indignation and asked: “And why is that?”

“Even if I accepted the invitation, it would just be friendly socializing between colleagues. Why is it not allowed? Hmm?”

Wen Qingyan questioned her repeatedly with a mix of skepticism and playfulness. That final “Hmm?” was particularly melodic and gentle.

Entranced, Si Nanyu’s forceful momentum vanished. Instead, her face flushed a violent red, a heat that threatened to spread down her neck. Before she became too bashful to speak, she blurted out the line she had prepared: “We are a legally married couple. Seeing a movie… is nothing strange, right?”

Answering a question with a question.

A cold sneer tugged at the corner of Wen Qingyan’s mouth: “Heh… is that what I asked?”

“No.”

“But… as a legally married couple, I’m not allowed to forbid you from seeing one with someone else? Is that not okay?”

Si Nanyu summoned her courage over and over, using her most timid voice to speak the words hidden in her heart. She had made up her mind today: she was going to see a movie with Wen Qingyan! Not just a movie she wanted lunch, dinner, and a night walk with the dog together!

While Wen Qingyan was in her meeting, Si Nanyu had checked the latest releases. She remembered clearly that Wen Qingyan liked disaster movies. Back in her junior year of high school, Si Nanyu had been obsessed with them too, digging up old films from years past. Twice, she had accidentally let it slip and chatted with Wen Qingyan about the movie 2012.

Wen Qingyan had been very interested, but after a few brief comments, she realized the situation was inappropriate. She had put on a stern face and told Si Nanyu to keep her mind on her studies. At that time, Si Nanyu was immersed in the joy of seeing her crush every day; she nodded like a woodpecker and truly set aside the movies to study hard.

However, not long after, while clutching her textbooks, she had accidentally seen Wen Qingyan searching for recommendations similar to 2012 on her phone. Si Nanyu forgot all about “keeping her mind on her studies” and talked her ear off, describing every disaster movie she’d seen recently. Wen Qingyan listened at first, but later lectured her again: “Still not studying properly?”

With a flushed face, Si Nanyu had retorted: “No, it’s because I know Teacher Wen likes them, so I want to tell you everything.”

Wen Qingyan seemed pleased by that; her expression softened, and she gently told Si Nanyu to watch fewer movies. After that, neither of them brought it up again. There weren’t many good disaster movies in those following years anyway, so Si Nanyu never found the right opportunity to invite her.

But now… everything had changed. Their situation and their relationship were vastly different. She no longer had schoolwork to distract her, and her relationship with Wen Qingyan was no longer an unattainable dream. What reason did she have to back down? If she kept retreating, she might actually have to wait until Wen Qingyan divorced her.

The internal pep-talk of the past few days was proving effective. Seeing that Wen Qingyan remained silent, Si Nanyu prepared to push further: “We—”

“I’m hungry.”

Halfway through her pitch, Wen Qingyan interrupted. Si Nanyu tilted her head and recommended the restaurants she’d just looked up: “This BBQ place and this hot pot place are both very good—”

Unexpectedly, Wen Qingyan shot her a sharp look: “It’s almost one o’clock. Those two places are quite far from the cinema. And given your appetite, are you sure you can finish BBQ or hot pot in time?”

It seemed… she couldn’t.

Si Nanyu guiltily licked her lips and handed the decision-making power back to Wen Qingyan: “Then… what do you want to eat?”

Wen Qingyan said: “Whatever.”

“Whatever”—one of the hardest dishes to choose.

Si Nanyu was in a bind. She hadn’t actually considered what to do if Wen Qingyan didn’t like her suggestions. How was she supposed to choose “whatever”?

The car remained silent for a few minutes. Wen Qingyan didn’t wait for her to speak; she simply started the car and drove out. Si Nanyu swayed with the movement before realizing she hadn’t buckled her seatbelt. Once she was buckled, she looked at Wen Qingyan obediently.

Wen Qingyan frowned: “Remember to buckle up earlier next time.”

“Okay!” Si Nanyu nodded, answering very submissively. A second later, Wen Qingyan asked: “Thought of what to eat yet?”

Si Nanyu’s voice grew weak: “…Not yet.”

“Then keep thinking.”

Wen Qingyan’s mood seemed decent; her tone was light and not at all cold. So, even though Si Nanyu hadn’t decided, the corners of her mouth slowly curled upward. She realized Wen Qingyan was looking at her, so she pressed her lips tight, then opened them again.

Looking at Wen Qingyan, she said: “Then let’s have… Mao Cai?” She remembered correctly that Wen Qingyan liked spicy food but couldn’t handle too much heat. “Mildly spicy. I just saw a new shop with good reviews…”

Wen Qingyan clearly considered the suggestion, but she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel a few times and turned to ask: “Are we going to the cinema smelling like food?”

“Uh… that might not be great.”

Si Nanyu found herself in a dilemma once more. The types of food she liked weren’t actually that numerous. She was a foodie, but many things she tried didn’t taste that great to her; eventually, she’d developed a pattern of eating the same few things over and over.

“Let’s go have Malatang. The place you always go with Shao Ling.”

“Ma-Malatang?” Si Nanyu sat up straight in shock. She hadn’t expected Wen Qingyan to want to eat at that specific shop, and she had even gone out of her way to mention Shao Ling…

“Well, we didn’t go that often,” she instinctively countered. Wen Qingyan said nothing, turning the steering wheel and stopping at the entrance of the alley.

Only then did Si Nanyu realize that Wen Qingyan had been driving in circles near the school; she had decided on Malatang a long time ago. Furthermore, she hadn’t noticed when she asked, but thinking about it now—if this were the old Wen Qingyan, she wouldn’t have rejected the Mao Cai suggestion the way she just did.

Food from outside is unhealthy.

That was what Wen Qingyan should have said. But just now, Wen Qingyan only said they would smell like food. Wouldn’t Malatang do the same?

After getting out of the car, she tilted her head toward Wen Qingyan. As if guessing her thoughts, Wen Qingyan explained: “The smell of Malatang is much lighter than Mao Cai. Besides, there are seats outside.” Wen Qingyan pointed to the tables and chairs at the entrance.

The owner’s wife happened to be bringing out a bowl of Malatang just then. Seeing them, she greeted them with a smile: “It’s Teacher Wen! And… Xiao Si? You two actually know each other?”

The owner’s wife was clearly surprised. She set down the food and walked over to chat. The conversation revealed to Si Nanyu that, over the years, she had actually come here less frequently, while Wen Qingyan had come more often.

“The usual for both of you? Xiao Si is extra spicy, extra vinegar, less noodles, more veggies. Teacher Wen is more noodles, less spice.”

The owner’s wife spoke as she scribbled in her little notebook for the kitchen. Her tone conveyed a deep familiarity with both of them individually. Once she finished noting the order, she left, and the lively atmosphere turned quiet.

Wen Qingyan was always a woman of few words, and Si Nanyu didn’t know what to say for a moment. But she wasn’t used to silence, so she spoke first: “I didn’t expect you to like Malatang, Teacher Wen…”

“…Mm,” Wen Qingyan replied in a low, soft voice, gazing at Si Nanyu’s face somewhat blankly.

She could feel that Si Nanyu was trying desperately to say goodbye to her eighteen-year-old self. Her way of addressing Wen Qingyan and her behavior had been changing recently. But this one sentence placed her right back ten years ago.

Wen Qingyan felt a bit dazed. She found herself wondering what the eighteen-year-old Si Nanyu had really been like. Actually, she had tried hard to remember once, but after Si Nanyu’s college entrance exams, their relationship had suddenly become ambiguous and entangled, and she had gradually forgotten. In her eyes and heart, the more vivid and vibrant image was the Si Nanyu who was stepping toward maturity.

What about Si Nanyu? What did she think of her in her heart? Wen Qingyan suddenly wanted to know to hear it from the mouth of the twenty-eight-year-old Si Nanyu, not the one currently possessing an eighteen-year-old soul.

“Malatang is ready, eat it while it’s hot!”

the owner’s wife returned with two bowls. The silent pair thanked her and lowered their heads to eat in unison, not saying much.

The Malatang was very hot. To appear busy, Si Nanyu took a large bite, and as luck would have it, she got a mouthful of noodles, which were even hotter. She then remembered that Wen Qingyan’s portion had extra noodles and would definitely be even hotter.

Even though Wen Qingyan wasn’t as frantic as she was, Si Nanyu couldn’t help but advise: “It’s very hot, be careful.” She then silently pulled a tissue from her pocket and handed it to Wen Qingyan.

“Thank you,” Wen Qingyan said, naturally taking the tissue. She added: “You should eat slowly too, there’s plenty of time.”

“Okay!”

Si Nanyu’s reaction was much larger than Wen Qingyan’s; her joy and brilliant smile were written all over her face. Unlike herself, who was stingy and unwilling to cast everything aside.

By the time the Malatang was finished, Wen Qingyan was feeling a sense of self-loathing. Yet, she had to admit she was being infected by this Si Nanyu. A portion of Malatang that she usually found a bit too much was actually finished.

Si Nanyu was even more satisfied; she forgot herself after eating her favorite food and habitually took Wen Qingyan’s hand. By the time Wen Qingyan realized it, they were almost at the car, and she let go naturally. She got into the driver’s seat, and Si Nanyu sat in the passenger seat.

When they arrived at the cinema, their moods were different. Si Nanyu was delighted, while Wen Qingyan’s emotions were… hard to describe.

Since it was the weekend, the cinema was crowded. The elevators were packed, and the ticket collection area was just as congested. Si Nanyu instinctively shielded her, finding a relatively quiet spot.

She said crisply: “Wen Qingyan, wait for me here. I’ll go get the tickets and buy popcorn and cola.” Then, as if fearing she wouldn’t like it, she added: “Popcorn and cola are the standard for watching a movie.”

Wen Qingyan nodded gently: “Okay.”

Only then did Si Nanyu turn around and head to the queue with a light step. She was busy and bustling, yet enjoying every second of it.

As Wen Qingyan watched her, she gradually became lost in thought. She remembered the first time Si Nanyu had invited her to a movie.

It was the summer after Si Nanyu’s freshman year of college, before they were officially together. Si Nanyu had also been hopping and skipping to get in line and buy popcorn. The only difference was the question of the popcorn and cola itself.

Back then, Si Nanyu had asked very tentatively: “Teacher Wen, can I have popcorn and cola? Everyone else bought some…”

It was the same, yet somehow different. But undeniably, this was all Si Nanyu.

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