I Woke Up and Found Myself Married to the Dean - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Rumors of Our Date Today!

The meeting between Wen Qingyan and Si Jiamu was purely accidental.

The cause of that accident, however, was Xu Jinghao.

With the National Day holiday approaching, the Art Department had yet to finalize the dates for the plein-air sketching trip. This unwritten rule had been around for as long as anyone could remember.

Having become close with Xu Jinghao, Wen Qingyan knew that for almost every statutory holiday at Zhennan as well as summer and winter breaks the teachers would take the students out for sketching trips.

The reason it was “almost” every holiday was that breaks like Dragon Boat Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival were shorter, giving students ample time to actually rest.

Therefore, a sketching trip for the October National Day holiday was a certainty, even if this upcoming Mid-Autumn weekend was not.

What Si Jiamu wanted to ask her about was exactly that the Mid-Autumn arrangements.

Coincidentally, before Si Jiamu could even reach her and Xu Jinghao, Xu Jinghao hurried off after receiving a phone call from her girlfriend.

This left Wen Qingyan and Si Jiamu staring at each other from a distance.

Si Jiamu was Si Nanyu’s half-sister. Ever since Si Xueyi passed away, the fragmented family had begun to recover some sense of warmth; naturally, Wen Qingyan’s impression of Si Jiamu was decent.

It was just that… even Wen Qingyan, who was usually a woman of few words, felt that Si Jiamu was excessively taciturn.

“Teacher Wen…”

“Did Teacher Xu say when she would be back?”

She wore her hair in a high ponytail. Though she possessed the same bright, striking features as Si Nanyu, she still gave off a somewhat gloomy vibe—especially lately, as her heavy bangs had grown out a bit.

“No… but it shouldn’t be long.”

“Jiamu, how have your studies been lately? Are you struggling at all?”

As an elder and as Si Nanyu’s wife, Wen Qingyan always tried to radiate as much kindness as possible when facing the sensitive and silent girl.

But Si Jiamu always avoided her. It wasn’t the kind of avoidance the “eighteen-year-old” Si Nanyu used to practice out of hidden malice; rather… it was a very natural avoidance inherent to Si Jiamu.

Aside from Si Nanyu and Xu Jinghao, Wen Qingyan hadn’t seen Si Jiamu not avoid anyone in all the years they had known each other.

This included her mother, Mu Yaoyao, and Qin Hua.

Wen Qingyan assumed that her lack of avoidance toward Si Nanyu was a sort of secondary dependence caused by emotional deprivation.

As for Xu Jinghao…

It was very much like how Si Nanyu used to be toward Wen Qingyan years ago.

When Wen Qingyan noticed this, Si Jiamu likely hadn’t even realized it herself.

She had great artistic talent. Her coming to Zhennan was partly due to Wen Qingyan’s influence, but even more so because of Si Nanyu; otherwise, she would have been a target for many competing schools.

But Si Jiamu’s personality was… overly dull.

In some aspects, she was a genius, but in many others, she wasn’t such as emotional intelligence and academic subjects.

It was a real headache.

Mu Yaoyao and Qin Hua had entreated her for help, and Si Nanyu had mentioned a few times that Wen Qingyan should speak to Si Jiamu’s teachers whenever possible. Even if she was aiming for the Academy of Fine Arts, she at least needed to pass her academic classes, right?

But Si Jiamu was even more difficult than Si Nanyu. Her grades in all subjects were poor, with her best performance hovering right at the passing line.

And she could easily slip below it.

“It’s okay. My mom added a few more tutoring sessions for me, so I wanted to know in advance how Teacher Xu is arranging the sketching trip.”

“Then when she gets back, I’ll have her tell you, alright?” Wen Qingyan asked softly. Before she could get an answer, she heard a vigorous shout from above: “Teacher Wen…!”

She recognized Si Nanyu’s voice immediately, but clearly, Si Jiamu was a bit startled.

The girl flinched instinctively and murmured, “Sister…?” She then blinked and looked at Wen Qingyan, as if seeking confirmation.

For some reason, she was unwilling to lift her head to verify for herself that the person shouting was Si Nanyu.

Wen Qingyan was forced to look up.

Her expression had been neutral, but she suddenly heard Si Nanyu whisper: “Wen Qingyan, look at me.”

Her eyes were full of a pitiful longing.

She looked exactly like her dog, Paigu, when begging for chicken jerky.

Wen Qingyan’s heart softened at the sight. Unconsciously, a smile spread across her face. Seeing this from the second-floor balcony, Si Nanyu beamed instantly and came running down the stairs.

At the same time, Si Jiamu turned her head, but she took a step back.

By the time Si Nanyu reached them, Si Jiamu had already retreated several paces. She brushed her heavy bangs aside and said, “Teacher Si, Teacher Wen, I’m going back to class now.”

The excuse reached their ears just as she was leaving, making it impossible to ask her to stay.

Si Nanyu blinked at her. Seeing the way Si Jiamu looked at her today was different from the last time like a mouse seeing a cat the smile Si Nanyu had for Wen Qingyan turned into a scrutinizing gaze.

Si Jiamu sensed this sharply. Her head dropped lower, and the frequency of her backward steps visibly quickened.

The amnesiac Si Nanyu made it hard for Wen Qingyan to predict what would happen next, so she stepped between the two of them and said to the desperate-to-leave Si Jiamu, “Watch where you’re walking.”

Since she was backing away and usually didn’t look where she was going, Wen Qingyan gave the soft reminder.

She didn’t expect that as soon as she finished speaking, Si Nanyu would tug on the hem of her clothes from behind. Wen Qingyan looked back slightly to see Si Nanyu smiling at Si Jiamu as she said, “Study hard!”

Si Jiamu paused noticeably. The wind caught her bangs, and Wen Qingyan clearly saw her eyes light up for a fleeting second. She nodded with a different kind of obedience than she showed Wen Qingyan: “…Mhm!”

“Aren’t you going to let go?”

Si Jiamu had already disappeared from sight, but Si Nanyu was still clutching her sleeve. Wen Qingyan couldn’t help but whisper the reminder, only for Si Nanyu to grip tighter, saying somewhat aggrievedly, “I saw you smile at her just now.”

“And if I didn’t? Should I have cried at her?” Wen Qingyan replied without thinking. She froze as soon as she said it. Si Nanyu hadn’t expected such an answer either and said bashfully, “It was just so gentle. I’m a little jealous.”

This self-proclaimed “eighteen-year-old” Si Nanyu, who had suddenly become so forward, was a bit much for Wen Qingyan to handle. Her heart skipped a beat.

There was an unexpected tenderness in her eyes, and her tone became very slow: “Si Jiamu was looking for Xu Jinghao.”

“I was merely interacting with her in a normal manner.”

The current Si Nanyu wasn’t fully aware of the situation between Si Jiamu and Mu Yaoyao, and there was a possibility she might not accept it, so Wen Qingyan felt it best not to speak too much of others’ business, even while feeling the need to explain.

She didn’t expect Si Nanyu to accept the explanation so quickly. Her eyes lit up with a hint of gossip:

“So, Si Jiamu likes Xu Jinghao?”

Hearing Si Nanyu ask this, Wen Qingyan didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

This concerned someone else’s affairs…

She could only remain silent.

However, Si Nanyu seemed to have made up her mind about it and didn’t press further. Instead, she asked a string of questions: “I just heard a few students in Si Jiamu’s class gossiping, so I said a few words to them.”

“They said Si Jiamu’s mother was a ‘mistress.’ I used to think so too, but just now, the words ‘she isn’t’ just blurted out of my mouth.”

“It’s like the answer was already in my head. What… what is actually going on, Teacher Wen?”

Of all the questions, this was the one that caught Wen Qingyan’s attention. She suddenly became urgent, grabbing Si Nanyu’s arm and asking, “An answer… in your head?”

“Yeah! But I don’t know why. I really want to know the truth now. Do you know it, Teacher Wen?”

Their focus was not on the same frequency. Wen Qingyan grabbed her because she wanted to ask if she remembered anything else.

But Si Nanyu was oblivious, her desire for knowledge simply peaking.

Wen Qingyan seemed to deflate instantly, remembering the doctor’s instructions: “The patient may recover their memory without any warning, but it’s also possible they never will.”

“As a family member, do not be anxious. Give the patient time.”

Don’t be anxious, don’t chase with questions.

So, Wen Qingyan didn’t ask. Instead, she stared at her for a moment before explaining her confusion: “She indeed wasn’t. I remember you saying that her marriage to your father happened after his divorce from your mother.”

These were Si Nanyu’s own words. But as for the specific details, Wen Qingyan wasn’t entirely sure either; what she knew was mostly gleaned from overheard arguments between Si Nanyu and Qin Hua.

At the time, neither Qin Hua nor Si Nanyu had been willing to elaborate.

Wen Qingyan couldn’t continue further, so she simply repeated what Si Nanyu had once told her.

Si Nanyu clearly didn’t think much of it. Since Wen Qingyan’s answer served as a confirmation, she nodded in understanding: “Oh, I see…”

“Teacher Wen, do you have class later?”

“What…?” The jump in topics was so large that Wen Qingyan couldn’t keep up. Her counter-question made Si Nanyu a bit sheepish: “Just, if you’re not busy, should we walk around the school for a bit?”

“…Okay,” Wen Qingyan replied after a pause. Hearing this, Si Nanyu flashed a satisfied smile and finally let go of Wen Qingyan’s hem, walking side-by-side with her.

Si Nanyu was happy, but Wen Qingyan felt her own heart was like that hem Si Nanyu had been clutching—she couldn’t quite tell what had been released.

She wasn’t that happy.

Zhennan’s campus wasn’t small. Besides the high school section, there was also a middle school, but the management was strictly divided, leaving not that many places for a stroll. Before they knew it, they had reached the school gate.

It was time to head back.

They had been walking for over ten minutes, and neither had said much. Wen Qingyan didn’t know what to say.

Si Nanyu…

She was purely enjoying the happiness of being able to stroll through the campus with Wen Qingyan.

“We’ve reached the gate.”

“Let’s head back?”

Wen Qingyan whispered a reminder to the daydreaming Si Nanyu. Si Nanyu pulled back her smile and, following some sort of instinct, reached out to grab Wen Qingyan’s hand.

Actually, the two had kept a moderate distance throughout the walk with no intentional contact, though their shoulders had brushed a few times because of Si Nanyu’s floaty gait.

Being held by both hands made Wen Qingyan feel that the place that had just loosened up was now tightening again…

“Teacher Wen? Teacher Si?”

“You two are out for a stroll~~”

Upon hearing the voice, Wen Qingyan felt like she’d been hit by an electric shock. She pulled her hands away from Si Nanyu and turned around. Only when she saw it was Xu Jinghao did she manage to steady her nerves.

Coincidentally, she missed seeing Si Nanyu in the back, pouting slightly with displeasure.

The people walking toward Wen Qingyan and Si Nanyu were Xu Jinghao and her girlfriend, Shi Zhen.

Lately, Shi Zhen had been visiting Xu Jinghao frequently; even the elderly security guard recognized her.

Although not just anyone could enter the school, the guard turned a blind eye to her lingering by the gate within his sight, since she was the girlfriend of a faculty member.

Today, Shi Zhen acted differently. Usually, she would automatically avoid Xu Jinghao’s colleagues, but now she smiled and greeted Wen Qingyan and Si Nanyu: “Hello, Teacher Wen, and this is…”

“This is Teacher Si Nanyu,” Xu Jinghao introduced, seemingly oblivious to anything unusual, as she linked her arm with Shi Zhen’s.

Shi Zhen nodded and smiled at Si Nanyu: “So it is Teacher Si. We met last time.”

‘So it is‘ Teacher Si?

Si Nanyu didn’t understand Shi Zhen’s choice of words, but she answered naturally: “Yes, we have met.”

“Met? Where?” Xu Jinghao was clearly surprised and turned to ask Shi Zhen.

Shi Zhen smiled and playfully pinched Xu Jinghao’s nose, teasing: “Did you forget? I told you that when I went to the cinema with Candy last time, I thought I saw teachers from your school.”

“Now I know it was actually Teacher Wen and Teacher Si together.”

“Ah… was that the time you went to find inspiration from that disaster movie?”

“Yes.”

The interaction between the two gave Si Nanyu a shiver of disgust… She glanced at Wen Qingyan and saw her looking away, not really watching the couple. Her heart felt a bit better.

So, she wasn’t the only one who thought Shi Zhen was being too theatrical…

Wen Qingyan clearly wasn’t very comfortable either.

And since it was just a chance encounter, after a few brief words, Wen Qingyan suggested returning to work. Si Nanyu, of course, followed right behind her.

Once they were further away from Xu Jinghao and Shi Zhen, Si Nanyu couldn’t help but ask Wen Qingyan: “That Shi Zhen she did that on purpose, didn’t she?”

“Deliberately mentioning that we met at the cinema.”

“And Teacher Xu… she can’t really believe she went to see a disaster movie just for a shipwreck manga, right?”

Si Nanyu actually couldn’t stand Shi Zhen’s behavior, but since she wasn’t close to Xu Jinghao and didn’t know Shi Zhen at all, it wasn’t her place to say anything. She could only grumble to Wen Qingyan.

Wen Qingyan… she took Si Nanyu’s words to heart and said somewhat uncertainly, “Logically, she shouldn’t believe it.”

After all, Xu Jinghao had mentioned her suspicions about Shi Zhen before, yet today she seemed to believe her way too easily.

“Oh, well that’s good then.” Hearing Si Nanyu quietly breathe a sigh of relief for Xu Jinghao, Wen Qingyan stopped and looked at her.

Si Nanyu stopped too. Thinking Wen Qingyan was overthinking things, she explained flusteredly, “I… I just think you and Xu Jinghao are on good terms, so I…”

To her surprise, Wen Qingyan brought up something else: “The school is saying we’re going on a date today. Did you know?”

“I… I know?”

Hearing Si Nanyu ask back, Wen Qingyan frowned: “I am asking you.”

“I know. People are saying we’re going on a date after work today.”

Si Nanyu couldn’t quite tell what Wen Qingyan meant by asking. Was she afraid of people knowing, or not?

She herself wasn’t afraid.

But Wen Qingyan…

What was she thinking?

Si Nanyu blinked at her, waiting for a reply, but none came for a long time. She only saw Wen Qingyan biting her lip, something flickering in her eyes behind her glasses…

Oh.

She knew now.

She probably wasn’t afraid… right?

Si Nanyu stepped forward and nonchalantly took Wen Qingyan’s hand.

The moment she was caught, Wen Qingyan’s eyelashes fluttered. She didn’t move; she just waited for her…

“Teacher Wen, tonight, let’s go on the Ferris wheel, okay?” Si Nanyu suggested softly. This time, Wen Qingyan reacted. She shook her head: “No.”

Si Nanyu’s heart made a crack sound, but in the next second, Wen Qingyan said: “It’s too cold, I don’t want to go.”

“Just pick me up after work and take me home.”

“But what about the date? When you asked me about the date, wasn’t it because… you wanted to go?” Si Nanyu grew more confident as she spoke. She had only intended to ask, but she saw Wen Qingyan’s cheeks turn slightly red, her eyes hiding a faint expectation.

Suddenly, Wen Qingyan pulled her hand away, turned around, and ignored her.

Without thinking, Si Nanyu chased after her.

Wen Qingyan’s ankle hadn’t fully healed; it didn’t hurt to walk, but she couldn’t move fast, so Si Nanyu caught up in just a few steps.

She was moving so fast she nearly bumped into Wen Qingyan’s back.

In the end, with awkward expressions but bodies that were very much in a habit, they held onto each other.

The faint scent of white tea drifted between them. Wen Qingyan refused to look at her, but Si Nanyu leaned in and asked persistently, “Are we really not going?”

“They say that on a Ferris wheel…”

“Don’t be superstitious.”

Wen Qingyan, who hadn’t spoken for a while, was a bit of a mood killer the moment she opened her mouth. Si Nanyu hadn’t even gotten to the part about “couples” and “kissing.”

She could only ask dejectedly: “So I just pick you up after work?”

“Mhm! The date is a rumor, but I did tell them you’d be picking me up.”

“We must seek truth from facts.”

Seeking truth from facts… is that how you use that phrase?

Left behind by Wen Qingyan, Si Nanyu was full of confusion, feeling that Wen Qingyan was being far too serious!

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