I Woke Up and Found Myself Married to the Dean - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Wen Qingyan, Look at Me!

With the school sports meet approaching, participants in every event were doing their best to ensure a good performance.

Si Nanyu was no exception, and neither was Qu Yixuan.

Si Nanyu only had two classes all day, scheduled for the late morning, which gave her plenty of time to train. After a brief teaching research group meeting around nine o’clock, she started warming up to hit the track.

The 5,000-meter run might not be much to many—like Qu Yixuan—but Si Nanyu wasn’t great at it. It wasn’t that she couldn’t finish it, but with her current speed, how could she compete with Qu Yixuan?

At the very least… she didn’t want to lose too embarrassingly.

With this goal in mind, Si Nanyu ran lap after lap on the track until she crossed paths with Qu Yixuan, who was teaching a PE class for a Grade 11 group.

“Teacher Si? Out for a workout?”

Their only prior conversation had been at the mixer. Back then, Si Nanyu didn’t know about Qu Yixuan’s feelings for Wen Qingyan, so her interaction had been perfectly normal “socializing.”

Clearly, normal socializing was no longer on the table.

Si Nanyu said with a smile, “Yes, Teacher Qu. I have the honor of representing our group in the 5,000 meters; I can’t let them down.”

“Unlike you sports professionals, a 5,000-meter run is probably a piece of cake even without practice, right?”

“Of course…” Qu Yixuan began with a hint of pride, but then paused, unsure of Si Nanyu’s underlying meaning. She eventually continued, “Well, not entirely. If you want a good ranking, you still need to…”

“Heh heh, of course!”

“Let’s both do our best, Teacher Qu.”

Si Nanyu didn’t mean much by those words; she was just being polite. The gap between her and Qu Yixuan was obvious.

However, that simple “Let’s both do our best” made Qu Yixuan’s expression change—a classic case of an unintentional comment causing an unexpected reaction. Qu Yixuan was notoriously petty and prone to overthinking.

“I think the one who needs to ‘do their best’ more is you, Teacher Si.”

“True, true. I’ll get back to it then!”

Si Nanyu kept her smile steady, meeting every jab with calm. Qu Yixuan watched her leave, feeling frustrated and helpless.

But something even more frustrating happened that afternoon.

The news that Si Nanyu had driven Wen Qingyan to work had spread. It wasn’t hard to guess who the source was.

Many who admired Wen Qingyan or those who harbored secret feelings for Si Nanyu—were heartbroken. Qu Yixuan was one of them.

Si Nanyu had messaged Wen Qingyan at noon, saying she was going back to practice driving. When she finally drove back to school, she spotted Qu Yixuan “training” on the far side of the field.

She was puzzled. Did her words from this morning trigger Qu Yixuan that much? Surely not?

She didn’t dwell on what Qu Yixuan was thinking. In the afternoon, she accepted Yang Miao’s invitation to the music room to check on the choir.

On the way, Yang Miao kept giving her suggestive looks. However, there were too many teachers in the hallway. After greeting everyone, Yang Miao was called away by her husband, Old Li, before they could talk. Si Nanyu headed to the music room alone.

Most of the students were excited to see her. A few of them were gathered around Tan Jing, looking at Si Nanyu expectantly. Si Nanyu didn’t quite understand why, but she couldn’t exactly ask the students directly. She sat in the corner, gave a few pointers, and let them rehearse.

About forty minutes later, Yang Miao returned and finally shed some light on the situation.

“I heard you drove Teacher Wen to work today?”

“Ah? That…” Si Nanyu scratched her head evasively, not knowing how to answer. Yang Miao leaned in and whispered, “They say you two are going on a date tonight?”

Si Nanyu wasn’t used to small talk, but she could be selective with her answers—especially this one.

“No, no, that’s not true…”

She had walked Wen Qingyan to her office, but when did she ever say they were going on a date? What kind of crazy rumors were these!

She wanted a date, sure, but Wen Qingyan’s leg was still hurt. What kind of date could they even have?

Subconsciously, Si Nanyu’s expression darkened. She asked Yang Miao, “Who said that?”

“It’s really not true? Then…” Yang Miao began to have second thoughts. She had heard so many versions of the story by now. She cited her source: “Little Wang from the Chemistry group.”

The Chemistry group? Little Wang?

So the rumor came from Wen Qingyan’s own subject group? As expected, nothing good came of Zhao Qing seeing them.

After the previous incident in the office, Si Nanyu had protected Wen Qingyan, but knowing that no one in the school really knew the truth, she instinctively wanted to avoid suspicion. How did they end up “going on a date” despite her efforts?

While Si Nanyu felt a secret twinge of joy, she felt she should explain.

“Teacher Wen and I…” She opened her mouth, but after a few words, she didn’t know how to finish the explanation.

She and Wen Qingyan were involved, after all. Their relationship had finally become more relaxed and natural—why should she deny it?

“Anyway, we aren’t going on a date today.”

Under Yang Miao’s expectant gaze, that was all Si Nanyu managed to say. After speaking, she walked away toward the students, feeling a bit shy.

But her escape was useless. Several students were watching her with very obvious, probing eyes. She glanced over and realized it was the group around Tan Jing. They looked like they were on the verge of… tears?

Si Nanyu thought she was imagining things. She wasn’t too bothered; she was here to teach. Explaining things to Yang Miao was one thing because they were close, but there was no need to explain to the students, right?

That’s what Si Nanyu thought, but the students felt differently.

Specifically Tan Jing. Today’s instruction didn’t include the four-hand piano playing she had expected. After class, her eyes were red with grievance as she approached Si Nanyu: “Teacher Si… did I do something wrong today?”

Yang Miao had already left. Si Nanyu had stayed behind to manage the classroom cleaning, so she was leaving a bit later. Most students were gone, leaving only the students on duty… and Tan Jing.

“No, you’ve made very clear progress lately,” Si Nanyu said standardly. But Tan Jing’s eyes turned even redder.

Si Nanyu: “……?”

Saying she made progress is a compliment, right? What is Tan Jing doing? Is she going to get a formal complaint?

“…Teacher Si, are you and Teacher Wen in a relationship?”

When the tearful question reached Si Nanyu’s ears, she breathed a sigh of relief—at least it wasn’t a complaint. But what kind of question was that?

Surprised by the boldness of high schoolers ten years in the future, a very awkward Si Nanyu denied it: “No, Teacher Wen and I are not in a relationship.”

—We are married!

She spoke with a smile, affirming her relationship with Wen Qingyan in her heart. But Tan Jing misunderstood. Her face immediately brightened with joy: “That’s wonderful, Teacher Si!”

“…What’s wonderful?”

“Nothing…” Tan Jing acted a bit coy. The redness in her eyes vanished, and she gave a sweet smile without answering. She turned to leave: “See you next time, Teacher Si!”

The students on duty happened to be Tan Jing’s friends. They met her at the door. The young girls began whispering excitedly, seemingly forgetting Si Nanyu was right behind them.

“Si Jiamu said Teacher Si had someone she liked. I told you it wasn’t true!”

“She spends all day staring at Teacher Xu; she’s unnaturally gloomy…”

“…Besides, what kind of character can the child of a mistress have? She’s not fit to call Teacher Si ‘Sister’!”

The first sentence made Si Nanyu want to go confront Si Jiamu. How could she go around telling people Si Nanyu had someone she liked!

The second sentence made Si Nanyu wonder: Is this Teacher Xu… Xu Jinghao? Does Si Jiamu like her?

The third sentence…

Si Nanyu couldn’t hold back. She shouted from behind: “Hey, you guys! What are you talking about?!”

Tan Jing hadn’t said anything; she had been dazed by her own emotions. When Si Nanyu shouted, she didn’t react immediately and just looked at her friends.

The other girls’ faces paled. They pulled Tan Jing away, walking fast while shouting back at Si Nanyu: “Teacher, we didn’t say anything…”

“Her mother isn’t a mistress! You guys shouldn’t…” Si Nanyu chased after them for a few steps, but the students rounded a corner before she could finish. She realized her reaction had been too intense.

Was her relationship with Si Jiamu… that good?

And how did she know Si Jiamu’s mother wasn’t a mistress?

When Qin Hua and Si Xueyi divorced, she was still young. She understood the word “divorce,” but it felt sudden. Plus, shortly after, Si Xueyi married Si Jiamu’s mother—Mu Yaoyao. The young Si Nanyu had naturally labeled Mu Yaoyao as a “mistress.”

But thinking about it now, why had she taken that for granted?

Clearly, there were three or four people who could shed light on this. The first was Qin Hua, one of the parties involved. Then there was Si Jiamu. Then Wen Qingyan. And finally… Mu Yaoyao herself.

Interacting with Mu Yaoyao was unrealistic and she felt a bit of aversions. Qin Hua… was out of town. It would be too abrupt to call her just to ask if she divorced because of a mistress. Besides, according to Qin Hua, they were currently partners in a factory. What kind of “harmonious” relationship was that? Si Nanyu couldn’t wrap her head around it.

So… that left Si Jiamu and Wen Qingyan. Si Nanyu naturally wanted to ask Wen Qingyan more, because she was the one she was close to.

After leaving the music room, Si Nanyu headed toward Wen Qingyan’s office. She wasn’t there. She checked the Dean’s Office. Not there either.

Just as she thought she was out of luck, she happened to see Wen Qingyan downstairs, talking to Si Jiamu.

The afternoon sun was bright. Si Jiamu’s back was to her, so she couldn’t see her well, but she could see Wen Qingyan’s expression clearly. Wen Qingyan was squinting slightly against the glare, but a smile remained on her face.

How could Wen Qingyan smile even more radiantly than she did when looking at her?

Suddenly, what Qin Hua said about the good relationship between her, Wen Qingyan, Mu Yaoyao, and Si Jiamu felt real.

Si Nanyu couldn’t define her own emotions; they were so complex she couldn’t catch them. She just felt that this scene… wasn’t okay.

She moved her feet, step by step, until she reached the corner of the wall. Like a jealous child, she leaned over and shouted: “Teacher Wen!”

Afraid Wen Qingyan wouldn’t hear or that she wasn’t expressing enough emotion, she called out softly: “Wen Qingyan, look at me!”

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