"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 7

Knowing Yan He was returning, Ms. He and Mr. Yan were waiting at the airport early. The two stood in the airport lobby, checking the flight information Yan He had sent before she took off to confirm the exact arrival time.

“Why are we here so early?” Yan Guangming complained. He was already grumpy about being woken up early by He You. Now, looking at the LED screen above, he grew more impatient: “Look, look! C5643! Delayed! It’ll land in three more hours.”

Ms. He stood with her arms crossed, glancing at him and speaking coolly: “Yan Guangming, our daughter is coming home today. I don’t want to argue with you.”

Yan Guangming looked at his watch and was about to say something more, but he shrank his neck under He You’s sharp glare, mumbled something, and kept silent.

“We talked about everything that needed to be discussed during the year our daughter was abroad. Once the assets are notarized, we can go through the procedures,” He You’s tone was understated. Yan Guangming looked up at her, then tucked his hands back into his pockets and looked up at the flight information on the big screen.

“Let’s… not tell the child about this yet,” Yan Guangming hesitated, turning to look at He You standing beside him.

In preparation for picking up Yan He, He You seemed to have deliberately chosen new clothes. A light-colored silk scarf was tied around her long, slender neck, making her look elegant and refined. He You was a career woman, demanding of others and even more so of herself.

Since Yan He was a child, the two had discussed divorce, but due to various factors, the matter had dragged on until now, nearing its end. However, with Yan He returning soon, neither of them wanted to announce the news on a happy day.

“Alright,” He You nodded. She looked around: “I’ll go find a place to sit. What about you?”

Yan Guangming: “I’ll find somewhere to eat.”

“See you here in three hours then?” Ms. He nodded slightly, informing Yan Guangming in her usual, declarative way, and then walked away in her high heels.

Looking at her retreating back, Yan Guangming shook his head, adjusted his trench coat, and walked in the opposite direction.

When Yan He wheeled her luggage cart out, she had a neck pillow around her neck, her eyes were blurry from sleep, and her face still bore several red sleep marks. The airport was likely heated. She had been yawning constantly while waiting for luggage with Li Xiuxi. However, pushing her cart out and seeing her parents standing in a noticeable spot in the crowd, she instantly brightened up.

Yan He waved vigorously: “Dad! Mom!” Her steps were no longer wobbly, and she wasn’t sleepy anymore, feeling as if the fatigue of the past few days had been swept away.

Li Xiuxi slowed her pace, subtly taking a step back. Yan He noticed her falling behind and belatedly recalled that Li Xiuxi’s parents were divorced.

Yan He felt a bit guilty and slowed down with her, whispering: “No rush.”

Li Xiuxi was amused: “I have my girlfriend coming to pick me up. Why are you embarrassed?” She raised her eyebrow at Yan He, “Single dog Yan He, if you really feel embarrassed, hurry up and find the Matchmaker God to send that pretty Jiejie back to you.”

Her parents were nearby, and although she knew they couldn’t hear the conversation, Yan He’s ears still involuntarily turned red.

Having said that, Li Xiuxi accurately spotted her girlfriend in the crowd and happily ran off.

“Is it hot in the airport?” He You saw her ears and face were red and assumed she was hot. After giving Yan He a big hug, Ms. He raised one eyebrow, signaling Yan Guangming to push the luggage cart.

Yan He scratched her head, took off the neck pillow and hugged it. She replied, “It’s alright.” She caught a glimpse of Yan Guangming’s resentful look in her peripheral vision and, holding the pillow, gave her father a big hug too.

“Just this little luggage?” Yan Guangming asked. He remembered his daughter saying she bought a lot of things, but there were only two suitcases on the cart, one of which was a small carry-on.

Yan He looked at him strangely: “I mailed everything else I wanted to bring back before I came home. My mom even told me it had all arrived.”

Yan Guangming, realizing he had misspoken, coughed twice to cover his mistake: “Right, right, right, I remember now. It’s all at home. I’ve been so busy with work lately, I forgot.”

He You chimed in to smooth things over: “That’s right, your dad is a busy man these days, constantly tied up with meetings.”

Yan He didn’t suspect a thing and chuckled foolishly. The joy of reuniting with her parents overshadowed everything, causing her to miss the furtive looks her parents exchanged after sighing in relief.

He You casually changed the subject: “The weather in Europe is warmer than here, right? I don’t mean to criticize, but you attract mosquitoes too much. You attracted them at home, and now in Europe—it’s January, how are mosquitoes still biting you?”

Yan He froze, immediately thinking of her Jiejie retaliating by biting her back after she had bitten her neck last night. When her Jiejie bit her, she didn’t bite hard. After the gentle bite, she even kissed the spot soothingly.

The kiss mark on her neck felt hot, pulling Yan He back to last night—when they first started kissing, she was still clumsy. It was her Jiejie who gently opened her mouth, and when she was gasping for air, she paused the kiss in time, laughing low and hoarsely, teaching her: “Breathe.”

The tone was like a command. Yan He wanted to call her “Teacher” at that moment.

Her Jiejie’s body was warm and soft. When she murmured softly, she reminded Yan He of the legendary siren. The only difference was that the siren lured sailors with song, while her Jiejie only needed a soft laugh, a gasp, or a kiss to utterly charm her.

“…Little one.”

Her soft sigh, her helplessness, seemed to be infused into those three words.

But later, how did I fall asleep?

“Daughter? Yan He? Hey! Little Student Yan!”

After He You spoke a few sentences to Yan He, all she got was an absentminded “Mm-hmm” in return. Ms. He raised her eyebrow high, turning to look at her, and found Yan He’s steps were uncertain, as if she were walking on cotton, her eyes terribly unfocused.

—Looking closer, her ears seemed to be even redder.

Is it really that hot?

Yan He vaguely snapped back to attention. Seeing her parents’ worried eyes, she realized she wasn’t hugging her soft, sweet Jiejie but her own neck pillow.

Yan He was even more embarrassed. She chuckled: “I’m fine, I’m fine.”

“Are you too tired?” Yan Guangming patted her shoulder: “Hurry home and sleep, shake off the jet lag.”

He You also nodded: “That’s right. Go home, take a shower, and sleep. I had your dad make some dishes and put them in the fridge. If you wake up hungry in the middle of the night, just heat them up.”

Yan He rubbed her forehead, feeling herself starting to get dizzy.

Am I really just too tired?

Her heart felt empty, and her arms felt empty too. Her brain belatedly began to react—a wild thought suddenly flooded her mind and instantly took over. Once this thought appeared, it seemed to take root in her mind and couldn’t be shaken off.

—Since Jiejie left, I’ve felt out of sync with the world—why? —Is it because leaving Jiejie was just a dream?

Eating and going to the concert with Li Xiuxi was a dream, boarding the plane and seeing the evening sunset was a dream, the clear Chinese broadcast in my ear was a dream, hugging my parents was a dream, and walking out of the airport right now is also a dream.

This is just a deep sleep, isn’t it? When the dream ends, when I open my eyes, will I be able to see Jiejie again? Will I be able to hear Jiejie call me “Little one” again in her helpless voice?

Sitting in the car, looking at the familiar yet strange scenery outside the window, Yan He put the neck pillow around her neck, leaned against the car window, and fell into a deep sleep.

Sleep quickly, Yan He, you’ll be able to see Jiejie when you wake up!