I Woke Up and Found Myself Married to the Dean - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: The “Strength” to Carry You to Your Room.

How could Si Nanyu dare to kiss her?

However, being caught in her little private thoughts made her mind feel like it was exploding. She tried to act as if Wen Qingyan hadn’t said anything, so that they could just…

“Aren’t you going?”

Wen Qingyan truly acted as if she hadn’t noticed and as if she hadn’t spoken those words. She adjusted her emotions much faster than Si Nanyu.

Si Nanyu took the opportunity to follow her lead, nodding repeatedly: “Yes, yes, let’s go. We’re going home.”

Then… let’s pretend nothing happened.

But Si Nanyu felt a faint sense of being unsatisfied. On the way back, her eyes kept drifting toward Wen Qingyan’s red lips. Because they had been bitten earlier, there were still light tooth marks on the petals of her lips.

The gaze was obvious, but Wen Qingyan feigned ignorance. When they reached the car, she unlocked it and instructed Si Nanyu: “Take my bag out. We’re taking a taxi back.”

“A taxi?”

“Otherwise? Can you drive back?”

Of course… she couldn’t.

Si Nanyu gave an embarrassed smile and continued to hold Wen Qingyan, gently waving to hail a taxi. Everything is awkward the first time and familiar the second; while she was nervous the first time she gripped Wen Qingyan’s waist, after walking this far and helping her in and out of the car, she was getting used to it.

As soon as the car door closed, she naturally kept her arm around Wen Qingyan as they headed home.

Occasionally, she glanced at Wen Qingyan’s foot with concern and said: ” I’ll take you upstairs first, then go to the pharmacy, and then buy something to eat.”

She arranged everything step by step. Wen Qingyan naturally had no objections. Once they got home, she urged Si Nanyu to head out quickly.

This made Si Nanyu a bit reluctant to leave; she looked back at Wen Qingyan with every few steps. She didn’t feel quite right leaving her alone.

Wen Qingyan felt both helpless and a bit addicted to this attention. Actually, the ankle only hurt a bit when it was first twisted; it had improved a lot on the way back and wasn’t a big deal.

However, seeing Si Nanyu’s concerned gaze, Wen Qingyan didn’t say she was better. Instead, she tested: “I’m hungry.”

She wanted to see if Si Nanyu would bolt out the door the moment she heard she was hungry.

“Okay! I’m going to buy food right now!” “What do you want to eat?”

Her expression softened. Wen Qingyan bit her lip to hold back a smile. Staring at Si Nanyu, her voice softened as she said: “Xiaolongbao.”

“Xiaolongbao again?”

“Mm, is that not okay?” The question was a bit willful. As soon as the words left her mouth, both of them froze. Si Nanyu couldn’t control her smile, while Wen Qingyan was filled with regret. She lowered her eyes and said: “…Never mind. Buy whatever you want. I’m fine with anything.”

After Si Nanyu left, Wen Qingyan pulled her legs up and looked out the window. The traffic flowed endlessly, and the neon lights flickered. Her vision, however, grew increasingly blurry.

Her eyes stung; Wen Qingyan’s sense of regret deepened. It felt as though she were taking advantage of Si Nanyu’s memory loss to demand her affection the affection of an eighteen-year-old Si Nanyu.

This feeling gave Wen Qingyan a sense of cognitive dissonance. Every day she was accepting the “current” Si Nanyu, but she also deeply missed the Si Nanyu who held their memories and had walked with her for ten years. Yet, she also harbored a sliver of resentment toward the distant version of Si Nanyu.

The more she thought, the less clear it became what she truly wanted. Wen Qingyan hugged herself tightly, a flash of struggle in her eyes, before even that faded into a flat, silent calm.

The lights at the Xiaolongbao shop were half-off. The two owners were busy, clearly preparing to close up. Si Nanyu became anxious and quickened her pace, calling out: “Boss, one order of Xiaolongbao!”

“Eh? …This.” Luo Jiao, one of the owners, paused and looked hesitantly toward the back kitchen at the other owner.

The other owner had a bit of a fiery temper. Seeing Luo Jiao looking at her indecisively, she snapped: “What are you looking at me for? Give them their buns!”

“Oh, oh, okay.” Luo Jiao, as if receiving a direct command, packed the buns and handed them to Si Nanyu. After Si Nanyu left, Luo Jiao turned back dejectedly to the other owner, Bi Xiaxia.

She cried out aggrievedly: “Wife, those two orders were specifically saved for your midnight snack…”

Bi Xiaxia was exasperated. She flared up even more: “We’re running a business, okay? One order is enough for me.”

“But I… I wanted to eat with you~”

“There’s still wontons. You can cook wontons to eat,” Bi Xiaxia said dismissively. She then shifted the topic to Si Nanyu: “That ‘little top’ is really good to her wife.”

Hearing this, Luo Jiao’s face completely collapsed. A few days ago when Si Nanyu visited, her jealous wife had been sulking. Later, Luo Jiao had seriously analyzed the situation from her “absolute top” position: “That little sister is definitely a top. Look how long her fingers are, and she’s so considerate buying breakfast for her wife or girlfriend. Her wife is just like you loves Xiaolongbao!”

Bi Xiaxia was dismissive at first. Her “hubby” always felt the need to analyze the dynamic of every lesbian couple they saw. But as Si Nanyu started coming nearly every day, she found herself liking Si Nanyu more and more. The jealousy had shifted; now Luo Jiao was the one feeling sour.

“Wife, tell me, was I as pretty as that little sister when I was young?”

“Yes, yes, yes… happy now? You’re almost fifty and you’re jealous of a young girl!” Bi Xiaxia was speechless, but she indulged her wife, pinching her tired cheek and coaxing: “You’re the freshest. You’re fifteen, okay?”

“No, I have to be an adult. Twenty. And! I’m only forty-five…”

“That’s still almost fifty!” Bi Xiaxia teased her. Seeing Luo Jiao dejected, she laughed brightly… and then her eyes met Si Nanyu’s, who had just returned.

Si Nanyu had originally planned to buy buns for Wen Qingyan and find something else for herself, but after a quick walk, she had no appetite, so she came back. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but the owners were so loud that she had heard “That little top is really good to her wife” before even stepping in. She had heard everything else after that, too, and almost didn’t want to disturb them.

When their eyes met, she smiled and asked Bi Xiaxia: “…Are there any wontons left?”

“Yes, I’ll cook them for you right now!”

How could they refuse business? Bi Xiaxia agreed readily, only to turn around and see her wife pouting again. While boiling the wontons, Luo Jiao complained aggrievedly: “Didn’t you say I could have the wontons?”

“Isn’t there another portion? What’s the rush?”

“But you smiled at her, and I—”

“You’re a fool if you turn away business. Luo Jiao, please put away your ‘love brain,’ thanks!~”

Bi Xiaxia ignored Luo Jiao for the moment and handed the wontons to Si Nanyu personally. Because the kitchen and front desk were separated by a glass pane, Si Nanyu saw them whispering and bickering. Though she couldn’t hear them, she thought their dynamic was quite fun. Looking at Bi Xiaxia, she couldn’t suppress a smile.

“Thank you, Boss~~”

She left with her wontons, entirely unaware that a certain owner had turned into a “lemon” (jealous) once again.

Carrying Yunnan Baiyao and taro milk tea in her left hand, and wontons and Xiaolongbao in her right, Si Nanyu ran across the road and back home. It had been less than half an hour. Wen Qingyan was still curled up on the sofa, her eyes red. She looked surprised to see Si Nanyu back so soon.

Their eyes met. Si Nanyu tightened her grip on the bags and ran to the coffee table to set down the food. She took the Yunnan Baiyao, squatted down, and asked: “It hurts a lot, doesn’t it?”

Seeing the redness around Wen Qingyan’s eyes, her heart ached terribly. Unbeknownst to her, her own eyes were beginning to redden. Wen Qingyan stared at her, dazed, and only after a long moment realized why she looked this way. Wen Qingyan’s eyes were wet because her mood had been low earlier; her skin was sensitive, and even a little moisture was enough to make her eyelids flush.

She intended to explain, but seeing Si Nanyu clumsily opening the medicine and preparing to roll up her pant leg… Wen Qingyan bit her lip and decided to be a little dishonest.

“It hurts.”

With those pitiable eyes and a soft, delicate voice, Si Nanyu became even more flustered. She looked up at Wen Qingyan. Out of guilt, Wen Qingyan turned her face away slightly and mumbled: “…Don’t look at me.” She paused, then added clearly: “Don’t look at me like that.”

How… am I looking? Si Nanyu tilted her head in confusion, her gaze bright but puzzled.

Wen Qingyan felt a bit hot and instinctively tugged at her collar. This was a mistake—she clearly felt the gaze watching her change. It became heated. But only for an instant before it died down.

Si Nanyu began to apply the medicine very seriously. Her movements were gentle and soft, like… an indescribable feeling swirled in Wen Qingyan’s heart. A tingling, fluttering sensation.

“…That’s enough.” “It doesn’t hurt that much anymore.”

After much internal conflict, Wen Qingyan finally told the truth. Her foot had stopped hurting a while ago. Although it was slightly uncomfortable, she had walked from the window seat to the sofa by herself. She had just been in a bad mood and wanted to “rely on” and “bully” Si Nanyu a little.

But she was the one suffering for it now. The tingling sensation remained, and her ears were burning. When she bit her lip and told Si Nanyu to stop, she felt incredibly embarrassed. All the mental walls she had built were no match for Si Nanyu’s unintentional touch.

“It really doesn’t hurt? It still looks a bit swollen to me…” Si Nanyu said worriedly, her hand not quite pulling away.

Wen Qingyan didn’t dare look at her, nor did she want Si Nanyu looking at her. She changed the subject: “I’m hungry, I want to eat.”

Injured legs were important, but eating was also a top priority. Wen Qingyan easily manipulated Si Nanyu’s priorities. This time, after only a moment of hesitation, Si Nanyu stood up and agreed: “Okay, let’s eat first.”

Eat first?

Wen Qingyan caught the implication in her words. Before she could react, Si Nanyu held a Xiaolongbao to her lips. She coaxed her gently: “Come, open up.”

“…My hands are perfectly fine,” Wen Qingyan reminded her softly.

Si Nanyu was dismissive: “It’s fine. You’re the one who’s unwell, so don’t overexert yourself.”

Is eating a bun overexertion? Wen Qingyan wanted to argue, but there wasn’t much point. The bun was already pressing against her lips, and Si Nanyu seemed to be applying a bit of pressure, so she had to open her mouth. Once the first one was swallowed, the second and third were much easier.

After half an order of buns, Wen Qingyan felt a bit parched. Seeing this, Si Nanyu handed her the taro milk tea.

“Your favorite taro milk tea, 50% sugar.”

The cup was much easier to hold than the buns. Wen Qingyan didn’t say anything this time; she grabbed it, pointed at the wontons Si Nanyu had left sitting for a while, and said with a red face: “Hurry up and eat, or the wontons will get cold. I’m almost full anyway.”

“…You’ve only had a few, how can you be full?” Si Nanyu questioned her.

Wen Qingyan’s movement to bite the straw froze. She turned her head stiffly, slightly annoyed, and feigned coldness: “I told you to eat, so eat.”

However, with her pant leg half-rolled up, her collar slightly open, her cheeks flushed unnaturally, and the straw in her mouth, her “coldness” carried no weight at all. Si Nanyu even wanted to laugh because she felt Wen Qingyan was acting tough because she was worried about her.

“I’ll eat, I’ll eat right now.” “I need to eat to have the strength to apply your medicine and send you back to your room.”

Si Nanyu meant nothing by it and immediately started on her wontons. But Wen Qingyan, watching her back as she ate ravenously, forgot to bite the straw. Her cheeks burned.

She automatically interpreted the words as: I’ll have the “strength” to apply your medicine and “send you” (meaning put you to bed) in your room.

Just how would she be “sent”?

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