I Woke Up and Found Myself Married to the Dean - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: She Will Pick Me Up After Work.

Wen Qingyan had injured her ankle, and since Si Nanyu currently “couldn’t” drive, their only option for getting to work was to call a ride. Once the car was confirmed to be downstairs, Si Nanyu helped Wen Qingyan slowly make her way down.

However, Si Nanyu had a new idea. The ride was taking a long time to arrive, so she whispered while they were in the elevator: “Should we… go to the garage instead?”

“I’ll see if there’s a car I can drive, and then we can cancel the order.”

“Are you sure you can drive?” Wen Qingyan asked skeptically. Si Nanyu wasn’t entirely certain either: “Probably… maybe?”

“Besides, I don’t have classes this afternoon. I can come back at noon to get a car, drive it near the school, and practice a bit?”

“Do you think that’s appropriate?”

Even if she didn’t have classes, it was still during work hours. For Si Nanyu to act this way right in front of the Dean of Instruction seemed… inappropriate. But the Dean had a leg injury, and Si Nanyu’s heart ached for her.

“Will I be fined? I guess that’s fine…”

“In the future, it shouldn’t just be you driving. That’s too tiring.”

“Plus, there are still several days left in the week. If the rides are always this slow, what will you do if you’re late?”

Si Nanyu didn’t care much about being late herself or skipping a bit of work; as long as there was a reward and punishment system, all her problems had solutions. But Wen Qingyan was different. As the Dean, she had to lead by example and couldn’t allow herself to be late. Si Nanyu cared deeply about that.

Still a bit unsure if Wen Qingyan would agree, she asked again before pressing the button for the second basement level: “Is it okay?”

“As long as you’ve thought it through,” Wen Qingyan’s tone softened, and her hand pressed the button for B2.

They arrived at the parking garage, but instead of walking toward the spot where Wen Qingyan usually parked, they headed in the opposite direction. Once they stopped, Wen Qingyan pointed to a row of vehicles and said: “These are all yours. Take your pick.”

Si Nanyu stood there, mouth agape. They… were all hers? And they were all SUVs.

Counting from the left: a bright orange Jeep Renegade, a red Wrangler, a green-plated New Energy SUV she couldn’t name, a newly purchased Tank 300, and two motorcycles. One of the motorcycles had obvious, severe scratches; she guessed it had been in an accident.

“Aside from these, you also bought a car for me, but I’ve never driven it.”

Perhaps seeing the shock in Si Nanyu’s eyes, Wen Qingyan added this detail with a hint of petty retaliation.

But Si Nanyu didn’t seem to mind. She said with certainty: “If that’s the case, I must have really liked it, but you probably felt it didn’t suit you.”

“So, which one should I drive?”

When Si Nanyu had delivered that Ora Ballet Cat, she hadn’t been this talkative. Aside from complaining that the Beetle Wen Qingyan liked was old, she had only said nonchalantly: “I think this suits you better.”

Was she explaining herself now? Si Nanyu knew—she knew Wen Qingyan didn’t like it.

“Is the little orange car okay?”

“Since I’m basically a novice, a smaller one should be easier to handle, right?”

Si Nanyu pointed at the Renegade, but Wen Qingyan immediately shook her head in rejection: “No, you can’t drive that one.”

“Why?”

“Because…” Because you said you bought this for us to go on trips together. But after buying it, they never had the chance to go on a road trip, and it had barely been driven. Wen Qingyan couldn’t bring herself to say that out loud.

Si Nanyu grew more confused: “Is there something wrong with the car?”

“…No.”

“Then why not? It’s the same color as the oranges you like to eat. Wouldn’t it be nice for me to drive you back and forth from work in it?”

“Work? Wasn’t it for… road trips?” Wen Qingyan’s voice grew quieter, but Si Nanyu heard those last few words.

Si Nanyu wasn’t currently in a “driving state,” but she knew a bit about cars. She looked suspiciously at the compact Renegade and said: “Even though it’s a Jeep and an SUV, it’s really not suitable for long road trips because it…”

Si Nanyu listed off several specs and reasons. While Wen Qingyan was slightly lost in the technical talk, she reached one conclusion: She had misunderstood again.

This car wasn’t meant for grand road trips; it was meant for daily commuting. Her expression turned sour instantly, and her eyes felt a bit stinging.

She remembered when the car was bought; they were newlyweds. Si Nanyu was working hard at Zhennan, and she had just been appointed Dean. The workload at the office had her overwhelmed. Si Nanyu had excitedly introduced the car, saying she bought it for “them.”

Wen Qingyan didn’t understand cars. She never imagined that Si Nanyu, a fresh graduate, would spend all her performance earnings on a car that wasn’t actually great for long-distance travel. Furthermore, back then, when would she have had the time?

She had rejected the proposal without a second thought, and the car had sat there ever since. More importantly, she had labeled the car in her heart as the one meant for their outings together.

Wen Qingyan felt a surge of grievance. Why didn’t Si Nanyu just say one more word back then?

Even if it was a bit unfair to the current Si Nanyu, Wen Qingyan whispered: “You never told me that before.”

“In the future…” Halfway through the sentence, Wen Qingyan stopped herself. She felt that after spending time with the “eighteen-year-old” Si Nanyu, she was becoming a bit spoiled, instinctively wanting to use a commanding tone.

Si Nanyu didn’t give her the chance. She smiled and said: “Then I’ll explain everything clearly from now on.”

Her tone was so natural and casual that it made Wen Qingyan feel like she was overthinking. And she was. She thought too much before Si Nanyu answered, and even more after. She even wondered: they were the same person, so why was there such a huge gap between them?

But was she herself entirely blameless for that gap? No. Long ago, Si Nanyu had been this enthusiastic, but that fire had been invisibly extinguished by her many times over the years.

“Okay. In the future… let’s make everything clearer,” Wen Qingyan said, biting her lip. The words carried multiple meanings, but the Si Nanyu who remembered nothing couldn’t be expected to understand the subtext.

They could only focus on the present.

Wen Qingyan walked slowly toward the car. After a few steps, she said: “Didn’t you say you’d pick me up and drop me off?”

“Any later and we’ll be late.”

Wen Qingyan didn’t want to miss the chance to be chauffeured. But after saying it, she still felt a bit self-conscious. She quickened her pace, but her ankle throbbed, forcing her to slow down after a few steps. Si Nanyu quickly caught up, supporting her elbow, and chirped with a cheerful smile: “Yep! I’m taking you to work~~”

Wen Qingyan’s cheeks flushed slightly. She nodded and leaned her weight toward Si Nanyu. Arm in arm, they walked to the car door.

However, neither of them opened it. Si Nanyu stood there, and so did Wen Qingyan. The latter signaled with her eyes for Si Nanyu to open the door.

Si Nanyu held out her hands: “I don’t know where the keys are…”

She didn’t know, but Wen Qingyan did. It was clear she had forgotten that Si Nanyu wouldn’t remember this. She felt a wave of embarrassment. She handed her own car keys to Si Nanyu and told her: “They’re in my car.”

Si Nanyu had given her a spare set of keys for every one of her vehicles, just in case. Now, they were finally being used.

What they thought would be a difficult commute turned out—thanks to Si Nanyu’s extraordinary natural talent to be incredibly smooth. Neither of them was late.

At the school parking lot, Si Nanyu wanted to help Wen Qingyan to her office, but Wen Qingyan suddenly grew reluctant. She mumbled: “I… I can do it myself.”

“Really?” Si Nanyu didn’t believe her, so she didn’t let go of her hand. Naturally, she guessed why Wen Qingyan was acting this way and already had an excuse ready.

“If anyone sees us, we’ll just say we bumped into each other in the parking lot, or the stairwell, or anywhere.”

“We’ll just say it was a coincidence.”

“I won’t let it be a burden to you.”

To… me? A burden?

Wen Qingyan was sensitive to those words. She thought to herself: No, it won’t. But she was already being led by Si Nanyu toward the office building.

Just before they reached the door, Wen Qingyan turned away, her face red, and said to Si Nanyu: “I don’t think…”

“Teacher Wen, I’m heading out first!”

Si Nanyu didn’t wait for her to finish; she ran off like a gust of wind. Wen Qingyan turned around in a daze, only to see Zhao Qing walking toward her.

Zhao Qing was grinning, her eyes full of hostility as she asked: “Oh? Things have progressed this far? Teacher Si personally dropping you off for work.”

“Will she be picking you up after work too?”

“Yes. She will pick me up after work.”

Wen Qingyan looked straight ahead, her gaze becoming resolute.

Unfortunately, Si Nanyu had run off too fast; she saw nothing and heard nothing.

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