Married The Crybaby Childhood Crush First, Then Fell in Love - Chapter 5

Inside the car, Yan Qiu watched Lin Wanqing’s retreating figure disappear into the dormitory building.

The driver asked, “Boss, shall we return to the mansion?”

Yan Qiu didn’t speak, her gaze fixed intently on the now-closed door of the dorm building.

Her eyes behind the lenses were bloodshot, and she gripped the ebony cane, inlaid with a ruby, tightly in her hand.

If only she could stand up, she could have walked Lin Wanqing into the dorm door, put a scarf on her, or reached out to touch the soft, fluffy crown of her head.

She waited by the dormitory entrance until the early hours of the morning, only instructing the driver to leave after the light in Lin Wanqing’s room was completely extinguished.

Good night, Miss Bunny.

Yan Qiu greedily inhaled the faint scent of white lilies that still lingered in the car, and on the leather seat, she discovered a soft, fine strand of Lin Wanqing’s hair that had fallen.

She lifted the strand and placed it between her lips.

Her eyes held an infinite darkness and an inscrutable gloom, like a drowning person grasping at a fragile straw.

Soon, she would completely possess Lin Wanqing.

…

In the dorm room, Lin Wanqing shivered.

Lan Xiaoxiao leaned over the edge of the bed. “Qingqing, your phone is ringing.”

Lin Wanqing poked her head out from behind the computer and reached for the phone connected to the charger.

As she checked the messages, Lan Xiaoxiao gossiped, “I heard a senior from the adjacent department has been asking around for your contact information. She said she’s had a crush on you for two years and hasn’t found a chance to confess yet.”

Lin Wanqing’s fingers paused as she opened Yan Qiu’s chat window.

Lan Xiaoxiao peered at Lin Wanqing, sounding envious. “Apparently, there’s a handsome ‘little wolfdog’ guy who’s really good at basketball who also had a crush on you, but before he could confess, that senior scared him off. Now he avoids her like the plague.”

Lin Wanqing’s attention was entirely focused on Yan Qiu’s WeChat dialogue box.

Yan Qiu: The optimal sleep time is 9:30 PM to 7:00 AM. You have class tomorrow morning. Less than eight hours of sleep will lead to mental fatigue and memory decline during the day.

Yan Qiu: Go to bed early. Good night.

Lin Wanqing checked the time. It was 1:30 AM.

“…”

Lan Xiaoxiao asked, “Did the senior successfully court you?”

Lin Wanqing shook her head. “No, I haven’t even added her on WeChat.”

Lan Xiaoxiao wondered, “Then who is it? Could it be that basketball ‘wolfdog’? Sending lovey-dovey messages this late at night. I’m dying from the cuteness.”

Lin Wanqing said, “Don’t be silly. It’s… a friend telling me to sleep at 9:30 PM. Staying up late is bad for my health.”

Lan Xiaoxiao was surprised. “My eighty-year-old grandma still watches TV until ten.”

Lin Wanqing didn’t reply and pretended to fall asleep.

Lan Xiaoxiao muttered, “A friend who wants to manage your sleep schedule—does she want to be your friend, or your mother?”

Lin Wanqing: “…”

She dutifully turned off her phone, placed it under her pillow, closed her laptop, and lay down obediently.

In the darkness, the sound of Lan Xiaoxiao’s gaming keyboard was intermittently audible.

Closing her eyes, Yan Qiu’s recent message appeared in her mind. She could picture the serious expression Yan Qiu wore when she spoke those words to her.

Her tone wasn’t commanding, yet every word she spoke felt impossible to refuse.

She was a very strict older sister.

Lin Wanqing couldn’t imagine what married life would be like—her every word and action would be measured, scrutinized, and commanded. Surprisingly, she didn’t feel repulsed by it.

The next morning.

Lin Wanqing yawned after her first class, standing by the classroom door.

The dark circles under her eyes were a result of staying up late; she had woken up at 6:30 AM after only a short nap the night before.

The phone in her pocket vibrated. Lin Wanqing opened it; the caller ID was her mother.

A look of helplessness crossed Lin Wanqing’s eyes as she walked to a secluded spot and pressed the answer button.

Qiao Lihua’s sharp voice came through the receiver. “I heard CEO Yan took you out yesterday. What did she say?”

Lin Wanqing replied, “Nothing much. We just had a simple meal.”

Qiao Lihua’s voice immediately rose an octave. “She didn’t mention investing in the factory?! Has the investment review passed? When will the money be transferred?!”

Lin Wanqing’s voice was as calm as ever. She found a quiet set of steps and sat down. “No, she didn’t.”

The jarring sound of a cup shattering came from Qiao Lihua’s end. “You idiot! Didn’t you know to ask?!”

Qiao Lihua paced back and forth in the room furiously. She had gone to great lengths to marry Lin Wanqing off, hooking onto the ‘large ship’ that was Yan Qiu, hoping to continuously extract benefits from her. Lin Wanqing’s situation in the Yan family was not a concern of hers.

She had a beloved younger daughter, born to her and her husband, who attended private schools, studied abroad, and integrated into high society—all of which cost a lot of money.

Lin Wanqing calmly said, “It wasn’t appropriate to ask.”

Qiao Lihua swore a foul oath, then paused for a few seconds. “Is CEO Yan satisfied with you?”

Lin Wanqing glanced at a black kitten sitting elegantly on a platform. “Probably satisfied?”

Qiao Lihua: “Did she give you any jewelry?”

Lin Wanqing: “No.” But she gave me hemostatic spray and topical wound medicine.

Qiao Lihua’s face was contorted with anger. She hung up the phone, secretly cursing her as a “worthless money-loser who doesn’t even know how to flatter people.”

…

Yu Fei: “Boss, this is the schedule for Miss Lin’s classes for the upcoming week, as you requested.”

Yan Qiu quickly scanned her class times.

Yu Fei then placed another file in front of her boss. “These are the dishes Miss Lin frequently orders in the cafeteria.”

Yesterday, Yan Qiu had deliberately ordered a table full of dishes based on Lin Wanqing’s childhood preferences, but to her surprise, Lin Wanqing only ate the nearest dish, which was the celery she disliked.

Miss Bunny has changed a lot since she was little.

Yu Fei looked at her boss with a complicated expression. Her professionalism kept her from saying anything aloud.

How to describe it? A little bit like a pervert.

To the point where one should probably call the police.

Yan Qiu meticulously read the information concerning Lin Wanqing, her attention more focused than when reviewing a construction contract for a new development involving billions of dollars.

Yan Qiu: “Do you have something to say?”

Yu Fei hesitated awkwardly. “I don’t know if I should say it.”

Yan Qiu’s forehead twitched. Since hearing about the Lin family’s plans to marry off Lin Wanqing, her temper had improved considerably, so much so that even her secretary was becoming unhinged.

Yu Fei said, “Mrs. Qiao called Miss Lin today, and she seemed to be hoping you would give Miss Lin some tangible benefits.”

Yan Qiu’s finger tapped on the desk, making a dull tack-tack sound. “Speak.”

Yu Fei vividly recounted the telephone conversation.

“Mrs. Qiao was being aggressive, slamming her hand on the table and shrieking sternly, ‘CEO Yan likes you so much, how could she not give you haute couture jewelry? Did you secretly pocket it without telling me?!'”

Yan Qiu’s eyebrow twitched, but she didn’t stop the secretary from continuing.

Yu Fei: “Then Miss Lin, helpless and fragile, like a little white flower in the wind, with a trembling voice, scared to death—her round eyes surely red from crying—”

“She quietly countered, ‘No, s-she really didn’t give me any QAQ'”

Yan Qiu: “…”

Yu Fei, speculating based on the scenario, used a tone remarkably similar to a melodrama narrator:

“Poor Miss Lin stood alone in front of the remote academic building. A cold gust of wind blew on her thin jacket, causing her delicate body to violently shiver. Mournfully, she heard the busy signal on her phone, which had already been hung up by her mother. Her empty heart was filled with helpless sorrow. How the lonely girl wished for the care of her family.”

Yan Qiu: “…You…”

Yu Fei: “Boss, that’s all the information I gathered.”

Yan Qiu: “You gathered it very well. Stop gathering it.”

She wasn’t a person whose work was easily affected by the actions of those around her. However, after the secretary left, the scene the secretary had described uncontrollably played out in her mind.

She knew that her secretary, who had been with her for many years, was not as steady in private as she appeared in public, and that the story was likely embellished.

Yan Qiu pinched her aching brow. Unable to focus on her work, she finally compromised:

“Get the car ready. We’re going to Y University.”

The secretary proactively took over the driver’s role and drove for her boss.

The black Bentley Mulsanne was very conspicuous parked on campus. Yu Fei deliberately drove it to the edge of a small grove below Lin Wanqing’s academic building.

Yu Fei: “Boss, are you planning to donate a library to Y University? If I may be frank, I think Miss Lin would rather have the warmth of a home than special treatment from the school.”

Yan Qiu: “…I am giving her the warmth of a home.”

Yu Fei paused for a long time, then suddenly shipped them!

When the bell rang for class to end, Yan Qiu watched from the car as Lin Wanqing emerged from the academic building, carrying a heavy stack of papers.

The injured finger was wrapped in the bandage Yan Qiu had given her; the wound on the back of her hand had scabbed over and was nearly healed.

Yu Fei: “Boss, look, Miss Lin’s frame seems even more delicate. She must be so tormented by Mrs. Qiao that she can’t eat or sleep and is wasting away. Look how the wind could just blow her away.”

Yan Qiu: “…You spoke well. Now be quiet.”

The documents Lin Wanqing was carrying were very heavy. Suddenly, a rushing junior accidentally bumped into her—

The papers flew into the air like snow, scattering over the cold steps.

“Ah, I’m so sorry! I have class now, I’m in a rush. Did I hit you?”

The junior stopped, sweat running down her face in her haste. She had two minutes until class started.

Lin Wanqing offered a faint smile. “I’m fine. You should hurry to class.”

The junior profusely apologized several more times with great gratitude before rushing into the academic building like a gust of wind.

Lin Wanqing bent down, picking up the scattered paper files one by one. Her fair, slender fingers picked up a sheet, and suddenly touched another person’s hand.

Lin Wanqing looked up. The person was smiling shyly, with an oval face and a Hong Kong-style perm. She wore a passionate rose and amber perfume and looked at Lin Wanqing with affectionate eyes.

“I’ll help you pick them up,” the senior said.

“Thank you for the trouble.”

Lin Wanqing and the senior quickly gathered all the papers. Only then did Lin Wanqing notice the senior was holding a large bouquet of flowers.

The senior handed the bouquet, as passionate as herself, to Lin Wanqing. “I’ve liked you for two years, Wanqing… Can we try dating?”

The senior placed a bandage with a bow tied around it among the roses.

“I’ve noticed your fingers get cut often. You should be careful.”

Lin Wanqing held the flowers and the papers, feeling bewildered and lost. Her rabbit-like eyes fluttered with confusion.

“I, I…”

The senior’s eyes were seductive. “Wanqing, you don’t need to answer so quickly. We have a long future to get to know each other.”

Lin Wanqing suddenly saw a woman in a wheelchair behind the senior. She held her ruby-inlaid ebony cane, and the sun reflecting off her gold-rimmed glasses made it difficult to discern her expression.

She looked very angry.

Lin Wanqing: “I’m sorry, senior, but I have a fiancée.”

She immediately pointed at Yan Qiu, afraid that a one-second delay would cause the CEO to misunderstand.

The senior: “?!”

Lin Wanqing quickly ran to Yan Qiu, still clutching the large bouquet of roses the senior had given her.

Lin Wanqing mumbled, “CEO Yan… that was a misunderstanding just now. Why are you here to see me?”

Yan Qiu looked at the glaring red roses. “Hmm. Class must have been tiring. Big Sister came to pick you up from school.”

Big Sister came to give you a bit of home warmth, but it seems you don’t need it.