I Woke Up and Found Myself Married to the Dean - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Just Learn to Listen to Teacher Wen.

“Sister Wen, what’s wrong?”

“Why are you so pale? Are you feeling unwell?”

“…No.” Wen Qingyan rarely faltered when speaking to Xu Jinghao, but right now, her turbulent emotions made her hesitate.

Fortunately, Xu Jinghao didn’t notice. Wen Qingyan let out a small sigh of relief, only to have her attention immediately grabbed by Xu Jinghao’s next words.

Beaming with a shy, radiant face, Xu Jinghao said: “Zhenzhen just said she’s taking me out for the National Day holiday~”

“It’s been so long since we went on a trip together.”

‘Zhenzhen’ was Xu Jinghao’s girlfriend, Shi Zhen. The two had always used cloying nicknames, and whenever Xu Jinghao spoke of their relationship, it sounded equally sugary.

If it weren’t for…

With the cinema incident fresh in her mind, Wen Qingyan might have seen things clearly now. She thought back to Xu Jinghao’s complaints on Saturday and the few times she had shown small bits of emotional distress in the past.

Wen Qingyan opened her mouth. As a friend, she really should warn her, shouldn’t she?

“Jinghao, your girlfriend… yesterday she—”

“Hao Hao!”

The topic was cut off before it could begin.

Xu Jinghao’s girlfriend suddenly appeared and waved. Xu Jinghao gave an apologetic look and ran toward Shi Zhen outside the gate.

Shi Zhen was significantly taller than Xu Jinghao. She stroked Xu Jinghao’s hair dotingly and said loudly, “Hao Hao, you’re such a scatterbrain. You left your phone behind. The clerk called me, so I went back to get it.”

“It’s all thanks to you~” Xu Jinghao hugged Shi Zhen coquettishly and thanked her sweetly, “Thank you, Zhenzhen.” Then, she stood on her tiptoes to kiss her cheek.

Witnessing this, Wen Qingyan almost couldn’t bear to look. Just as she was about to avert her eyes, she noticed Shi Zhen staring at her fixedly.

Wen Qingyan, of course, did not flinch; she met the gaze directly. Finally, Shi Zhen withdrew her eyes and whispered something into Xu Jinghao’s ear.

Xu Jinghao… practically melted into her arms, nodding before glancing back at Wen Qingyan. She let go of Shi Zhen and jogged back.

“Sister Wen, there’s still time left in the lunch break. I’m going to go buy some milk tea with Zhenzhen. Want me to get you one?”

“No thanks.”

Wen Qingyan rejected the offer without a second thought. She knew very well that Shi Zhen didn’t want Xu Jinghao to be with her right now. Furthermore, she suspected that by the time Xu Jinghao returned, the cinema incident from yesterday would have been spun into a completely different story.

“Teacher Wen, someone sent you milk tea!”

Wen Qingyan had the first period in the afternoon. When she returned to the office after class, Liang Yue who was on good terms with her teased her while pointing at her desk.

She turned to look. It was a taro paste milk tea from a famous brand.

Wen Qingyan lowered her eyes. She didn’t ask who bought it. Instead, she gave Liang Yue a slight smile and sat back down at her workstation.

Although Liang Yue’s tone was teasing, the reason Wen Qingyan got along with her was that she knew when to stop. After that one sentence, she simply smiled back and went about her own business.

However, there were others who lacked such tact. For instance, Zhao Qing, who had also just returned from class.

The teaching research groups at Zhennan were organized by subject ratios for easier management. Because arts and physical education were unique and had fewer teachers/classes, they were managed directly by the Dean’s Office. Wen Qingyan’s group was the Science Comprehensive group; Zhao Qing also taught chemistry and was in the same subject as her.

Ever since they met, they had been in a state of competition. To Wen Qingyan, this rivalry felt nonsensical. Zhao Qing had arrived a year after her and insisted on comparing everything. Especially after Wen Qingyan became the Dean of Instruction, this comparison and mockery had reached an extreme.

“My, my, has the ‘Iron Pear Tree’ finally blossomed? Even Dean Wen is accepting milk tea from others.”

‘Iron Pear Tree’ and ‘Blossoming’—these were clearly not kind words; they were bordering on insulting.

Wen Qingyan frowned instinctively. Just as she was about to retort, the door was pushed open from the outside.

“Did you grow a mouth just to eat sh*t?”

“A wilted cabbage leaf like you probably couldn’t bloom if you tried!”

The newcomer was Si Nanyu, looking aggressive with flushed cheeks. For a moment, the office went dead silent.

Wen Qingyan blinked, her breathing slightly hitching. Zhao Qing’s eyes went wide as she pointed at Si Nanyu in disbelief: “You… you…”

“Me what?!”

“Aren’t you just jealous that Teacher Wen has milk tea? I bought it, so what?”

Si Nanyu’s vocabulary was a bit limited when it came to insults; she only had a few phrases to throw back. But in the end, it was her raw sincerity that made Zhao Qing’s face fall. Zhao Qing pointed back and forth between Wen Qingyan and Si Nanyu.

Si Nanyu hated seeing people point at Wen Qingyan. She stepped in front of her and said unpleasantly, “It’s very rude to do that, you know?”

As she spoke, she felt a tug on her shirt. Si Nanyu turned around. Wen Qingyan whispered, “Aren’t you afraid people will find out?”

Find out… what? That she sent Wen Qingyan milk tea? Or that she liked Wen Qingyan?

“I’m not afraid.”

No matter what it was, Si Nanyu wasn’t afraid. After whispering to Wen Qingyan, she turned back to look at Zhao Qing. But Zhao Qing was already gone; she had long since stormed out of the office.

Aside from the two of them, the only one left in the office was Liang Yue. She was the most relaxed, but also the most observant. Having watched the drama, she didn’t offer an opinion and didn’t make things awkward. She gave them a smile and left.

With no one else around, Si Nanyu turned into a coward in a split second. Noticing Wen Qingyan’s inscrutable gaze, she squatted down by the desk and said piteously, “I’m sorry. I think I caused trouble for you. Will things be bad between you two later…?”

“No,” Wen Qingyan shook her head.

Instead, she looked at Si Nanyu with concern and reminded her, “Zhao Qing’s uncle is on the school’s board of directors.”

“So? What does that have to do with us? That doesn’t give her the right to talk about you like that.” Si Nanyu didn’t care. She wasn’t afraid of anything except Wen Qingyan being wronged.

Not noticing Wen Qingyan’s eyes softening, she began to ramble: “I’m not good with words, I only know how to say those few things. At worst, I’ll just use my hands…”

“I’m good at that!”

Since she was a child, Si Nanyu had been dragged into physical training by her father, Si Xueyi. Afraid his daughter might face danger, he forced her to learn grappling and combat. While not an expert, she was capable enough to handle tricky situations.

So Si Nanyu wasn’t afraid. At worst… at worst, she’d just call the police!

“Don’t cause trouble,” Wen Qingyan scolded sharply, guessing her thoughts. Si Nanyu’s round eyes darted around, and she suddenly beamed, asking shyly and cutely, “Are you worried about me?”

Wen Qingyan’s heart felt as though it had been ironed flat, leaving room only for Si Nanyu. This eighteen-year-old Si Nanyu. Even though the woman before her wore a twenty-eight-year-old shell—mature and bright—that clear, innocent gaze stirred ripples in her heart that hadn’t been felt in a long time.

Wen Qingyan lowered her eyes. She knew it was because of the eighteen-year-old Si Nanyu’s sincere feelings for her. But those feelings… how long would they last?

Her mood shifted abruptly. Feeling a sense of embarrassment and a reluctance to face it, her expression suddenly turned cold. Si Nanyu was stunned and confused, but didn’t dare ask.

She wanted to say something: “Teacher Wen, I…”

“In short, don’t do dangerous things. The people who care about you will worry.”

Wen Qingyan spoke vaguely. Si Nanyu blinked, even more confused.

In the end, Si Nanyu was “asked” to leave the office by Wen Qingyan on the grounds of being ‘busy.’ It wasn’t done with a cold face, but with a polite, natural, yet undeniable posture.

Knowing she had classes, Si Nanyu didn’t linger and left the office obediently. She had classes in the afternoon too and had to go watch the choir rehearsal. Although this sports meet was just a mock run for the choir before the school anniversary, both Yang Miao and Si Nanyu took it very seriously.

Yang Miao cared about results and performance effects, but her earnestness happened to match Si Nanyu’s. Tan Jing’s piano playing wasn’t great. Without needing Yang Miao to say anything, Si Nanyu took it to heart. After her class with Class 2, she took a breath and went to the music room.

The students were practicing, and Yang Miao was there. Seeing her, she waved: “Nanyu, over here.”

Si Nanyu went over and stood by Yang Miao, listening to her talk about Tan Jing’s issues. After the rehearsal ended, Si Nanyu stepped in herself to give some instruction. Piano was the instrument she had practiced longest, followed by violin, then bass and guitar; she even dabbled in drums. Her interests were wide.

However, her favorite instruments were the violin and bass. Even with the piano, which she had studied the longest, being out of practice for too long made her a bit rusty, and she wasn’t sure how to help Tan Jing improve.

She was deeply focused on the problem, so she didn’t see Yang Miao slip out of the classroom to chat with Wen Qingyan.

“Xiao Wen, here to watch the rehearsal again?”

Yang Miao greeted Wen Qingyan warmly and asked about the mixer from before. Mentioning it, the first thing Wen Qingyan thought of wasn’t the mixer, but the time she was bitten by a drunk Si Nanyu. Her ears turned slightly red, and she spoke vaguely: “…Sorry to have troubled you, Sister Yang.”

“Actually, I…” She wanted to say she had a partner, but then she saw Si Nanyu in the classroom—not just teaching, but sitting down to play a four-hand piano piece with a student.

The words ‘I have a partner’ died in her throat. A flicker of anger even rose up. She didn’t actually want to be cold-faced all the time, she just couldn’t control it. She tried to smile at Yang Miao: “Actually, the research group still has work to do.”

“Sister Yang, I’ll be going now.” It was a bit like a retreat.

For the rest of the time, Wen Qingyan was actually quite free. She didn’t return to the office but walked around the track for over an hour. She only went back near clock-out time, subsequently receiving a WeChat from Si Nanyu: What do you want for dinner?

I don’t want anything.

Wen Qingyan closed her eyes and didn’t reply. She grabbed her bag and walked straight to the parking lot.

Her mood had been fluctuating all day. Wen Qingyan was ready to be difficult, but seeing Si Nanyu squatting on the ground waiting for her, her emotions stabilized slightly. Then she thought with annoyance: Why am I always led by the nose by Si Nanyu?

Then… Si Nanyu actually walked over and took her hand, complaining coquettishly: “Teacher Wen, why didn’t you reply to my message?”

“Were you too busy and forgot?” Si Nanyu even made excuses for her.

But Wen Qingyan’s gaze was entirely caught by her hands. These hands. Playing four-hand piano with someone else.

Still feeling out of sorts, Wen Qingyan remained silent until they got into the car. She briskly took out a wet wipe and looked at the confused Si Nanyu: “Wipe them.”

“?” Si Nanyu tilted her head and didn’t take it.

Wen Qingyan repeated with patience: “Wipe your hands.”

“Oh right, I played the piano today. So many people use it, it’s not very hygienic!”

Si Nanyu seemed to realize and took the wipe, cleaning her hands thoroughly before handing it back to Wen Qingyan: “I just held your hand, you should wipe yours too.”

“That way we’re both clean.”

Clean…?

Behind her glasses, Wen Qingyan’s eyes narrowed. Clearly, she was pleased. Coupling this with Si Nanyu’s actions in the office today, her mood improved significantly.

She kept a faint smile on her face all the way home. Si Nanyu was completely baffled again. Although she didn’t understand, Wen Qingyan was happy, which seemed like a good development, right??

Does that mean she could…

“Teacher Wen, let’s rewatch Titanic today.” “Okay.”

“Teacher Wen, I want to eat Malatang with extra cilantro.” “Okay.”

“Teacher Wen…” “Okay.”

In the car, no matter what Si Nanyu said, Wen Qingyan almost always said “Okay.” Si Nanyu felt immensely satisfied and made a note in her phone memo:

 As long as I learn to listen to Teacher Wen and be good, she will… say “Okay” to everything! Like wiping hands.

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