After I Woke Up, I Found Myself Married to the Dean - Chapter 1

[Teacher Wen, I like you so much.]

In a state between dreams and wakefulness, Si Nanyu repeated this sentence over and over. But as a piercing light hit her, she reluctantly opened her eyes. At the same time, she shut her mouth.

Her surroundings were unfamiliar. Aside from the blinding light, there were white walls and a constant beep-beep sound. Si Nanyu squinted to get her bearings. Then, she confirmed: she was in a hospital.

The beeping came from the monitors connected to her body. Heart rate normal, blood pressure normal, the rest… before she could see clearly, the door was pushed open from the outside.

Acting on instinct, she pulled the covers over her head and squeezed her eyes shut. She appeared to be in a deep sleep, but her eyeballs darting beneath her lids betrayed her unease and guilt.

Could she be at peace? Could she not feel guilty?

Absolutely not. Because the very first time she drank alcohol after reaching adulthood, she ended up straight in the hospital.

And as for the reason she was drinking… it was because of Wen Qingyan.

Wen Qingyan, the assistant homeroom teacher she had “interacted” with for nearly three years, and the woman she had secretly fallen for.

At the thought of Wen Qingyan, her mind began to wander. She remembered back in tenth grade when Wen Qingyan first arrived at their class as a student teacher. Back then, Wen Qingyan wasn’t exactly “gentle,” but she always gave a faint smile when asked a question. Her eyes, hidden behind her glasses, were incredibly beautiful, curving slightly when she laughed.

Si Nanyu had been captivated by those smiles, one by one. Of course, in all likelihood, Wen Qingyan never intended to captivate her, but she had fallen regardless.

Si Nanyu wasn’t exactly a “problem student,” but her parents were often called to school because her grades were at the bottom of the class due to her extreme academic bias. She hadn’t cared before, but after Wen Qingyan appeared, she started to care. Wen Qingyan taught Chemistry—a science subject that was a total disaster for Si Nanyu.

However, Wen Qingyan had a certain pull that made Si Nanyu want to get closer. She began to work desperately hard on subjects she used to hate. From her initial timid nervousness, by her junior year, she had become the student who frequented Wen Qingyan’s office the most.

She went just to see Wen Qingyan’s beautiful eyes. Over time, she would daze off while watching Wen Qingyan’s lips move, and after being snapped out of it by the teacher a few times, her cheeks would turn scalding hot.

Thanks to her persistence and Wen Qingyan’s patience, her science grades improved, and Wen Qingyan took up permanent residence in her heart. The kind that grows roots and can’t be pulled out.

So, after the college entrance exams (Gaokao) ended, Si Nanyu went to the school rooftop to get wasted. She drafted a long, sappy “confession essay” text message.

It chronicled everything from their first meeting. That day happened to be Wen Qingyan’s first day at the school. Because of her parents’ strained relationship, Si Nanyu was crying under a big tree by the school gate until her eyes were red. Wen Qingyan had handed her a tissue and a faint smile.

Unlike later on, Wen Qingyan wasn’t wearing glasses then, and her eyes were full of gentleness. Unfortunately, Si Nanyu was too young then, and too troubled by her parents’ affairs, to understand what that fluttering heart meant. But as time passed, she began to understand.

The confession message was detailed, pouring out the intense love of a young girl. While writing it, Si Nanyu had cried bitter tears multiple times—for herself, and for the Wen Qingyan she loved. She didn’t dare talk about “love” because her ability and experience were nowhere near enough. She only dared to say “like,” because her long-suppressed emotions needed an outlet.

But now… Si Nanyu only felt like she wanted to crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment. She could feel her clenched hands getting sweaty, and her heart was racing. She didn’t dare open her eyes.

Just then, voices drifted toward her… The voices grew closer, and Si Nanyu heard them hazily: “…It’s nothing serious, the heartbeat is strong. You don’t need to worry~”

It sounded like a female doctor, offering comfort. Offering comfort to whom? Her mother?

That seemed unlikely. After her parents divorced, the pressure on her mother, Qin Hua, had increased tremendously. Her entrepreneurial path was difficult, and Si Nanyu rarely saw her. This time was no different. Qin Hua had said she would accompany her for the Gaokao, but she hadn’t returned from the factory. It was her father, Si Xueyi, who stayed for a day and a half, followed by a driver. After the exams ended, she was sent straight home.

She lived with Qin Hua in a small two-story house they got after the divorce—the place where Si Nanyu grew up. When Qin Hua wasn’t home, a cooking lady would come over.

That day, she waited for the lady to leave, ate, and lay on her bed for half an hour before heading out. She hadn’t intended to drink, but the more she thought about never seeing Wen Qingyan again, the more miserable she felt. After buying a few beers at a street stall, she went to the school.

In short: she couldn’t figure out who the person in the room was.

Since the confession text hadn’t been sent before she blacked out from the alcohol, Wen Qingyan definitely didn’t know. No matter what, Wen Qingyan must not find out. As long as she didn’t send it, she could pretend she did nothing.

Thinking this way, Si Nanyu’s courage grew slightly. She squinted toward the bedside. Sure enough, the doctor was there, an older, slightly plump woman, smiling as she spoke to the person opposite the bed: “Vital signs are stable, and the tests show no issues. However, since there was a head injury, I suggest staying for a day of observation. Of course, you can also handle the discharge procedures for your wife now.”

Wife…?!

Si Nanyu’s ears told her she hadn’t misheard. It was almost certainly “wife,” but reality told her that was impossible. She was only eighteen, and she liked Wen Qingyan—another woman. There was no way she could be anyone’s wife!

Was she hallucinating? Did they say “life”? Or…

Though her eyes were closed, Si Nanyu’s brow furrowed unconsciously as she pondered this. Her eyes moved restlessly under her lids. She didn’t realize it, but the more she thought, the more chaotic it felt. Just then, a faint sigh came from the person beside her.

The moment she heard it, Si Nanyu’s entire body stiffened. She was far too familiar with that sound. Whenever she was asked a deep question and needed a long time to answer, Wen Qingyan would sigh like that, then patiently explain it to her.

Before… Si Nanyu loved that sound, because it meant Wen Qingyan cared. But now, it was different. She could sense impatience and exhaustion.

Knowing Wen Qingyan was right beside her, Si Nanyu mentally prepared herself and turned over. She opened her mouth: “Wen… uh! Cough, cough…“

Her voice was dry and raspy, the words getting stuck.

“Is pretending to sleep fun?”

The person beside her spoke, took a few steps back, and leaned against the bedside, looking at her against the light. Her arms were crossed, her expression cold, and there was a faint trace of fatigue and annoyance in her brow.

Si Nanyu blinked rapidly, feeling a chill down her neck.

Crap. She’d been caught drunk by Wen Qingyan! And she’d even ended up in the hospital like a loser.

Si Nanyu shrunk back, using her hands to prop herself up, and called out pleasingly: “Teacher Wen…”

“Heh.”

Wen Qingyan’s eyes, which usually held a hint of a smile, were ice cold. She adjusted her glasses and let out a cold snort.

Si Nanyu instinctively swallowed. She wanted to admit her mistake, she wanted… she wanted to ask Wen Qingyan not to tell Qin Hua. She was eighteen now; she could take responsibility for herself. But that snort choked all her words back. After a long moment of flushed silence, she could only stammer: “Teacher Wen is right, Wen…”

Wen Qingyan clearly hadn’t said anything yet, so in her eyes, it looked like Si Nanyu was trying to gloss things over and brush her off again. Her expression cooled further, and she looked away from Si Nanyu.

Just then, the door was pushed open again. Wen Qingyan looked over and saw Qin Hua walking in like a whirlwind. Qin Hua rushed to Si Nanyu’s side, pointed at her, and began to shout: “Do you want to die? You’ve managed to land yourself in the hospital again!”

Si Nanyu saw her clearly now: shoulder-length short hair, walking with an aura of authority—it was her familiar mother, Qin Hua.

Si Nanyu blinked in terror. It’s over, she thought. Everything is over. Even if she hadn’t been too scared to ask Wen Qingyan not to tell her mom, it was too late now.

“You’re not serious about your work, and you spend your weekends causing trouble! Is a holiday meant for you to flirt with death?”

“I’m going to sell all that scrap metal of yours sooner or later!”

Qin Hua’s face grew darker as she scolded. Si Nanyu watched with a racing heart. She only remembered seeing Qin Hua like this when she was very young. Usually, it was when she fought with Si Xueyi. But in the year since the divorce, Qin Hua always felt she owed Si Nanyu something; because they spent so little time together, she usually treated her with a gentle face.

Si Nanyu found it bizarre, but she didn’t miss the keywords in Qin Hua’s rant: Work, weekend, scrap metal.

Among these, the word “weekend” felt strange. With the heavy workload of senior year, Si Nanyu hadn’t had a proper weekend in a long time. What “weekend” was she talking about?

“Mom… what on earth are you talking about?” Si Nanyu asked softly.

Qin Hua froze for a second, then looked at Wen Qingyan before saying, “What are you playing dumb for?!”

“I’m not playing dumb! It was just one time getting drunk…” Si Nanyu talked back, but her voice grew smaller and smaller as her confidence wavered.

Her intuition told her something was very wrong. She blinked innocently, which only made the furious Qin Hua even angrier. She raised her voice in frustration: “Little Wen is so busy with work, yet she has to take time out to clean up your mess!”

“Mom, the doctor suggests staying for a day of observation,” Wen Qingyan interrupted, silencing Qin Hua.

Si Nanyu, however, was completely lost in the wind.

What did Wen Qingyan just call her mom?

Mom…?

Si Nanyu looked back and forth between Wen Qingyan and Qin Hua, utterly baffled. She was certain she had misheard. Or maybe she was still dreaming.

But Wen Qingyan had already escorted Qin Hua to the door, speaking softly. She seemed to be intentionally lowering her voice, so Si Nanyu could only catch fragments:

“Mom, I have a meeting this afternoon. I’ll have to trouble you to stay with Nanyu for now. I’ll come by tonight…”

“It’s my fault Nanyu is so immature. Little Wen, you go be busy. I’ll be here tonight…”

Qin Hua protested a bit, but Si Nanyu couldn’t hear the rest. After they finished talking, Qin Hua gave her one more hateful glare before saying to Wen Qingyan, “I’ll go buy some food. You eat before you go back to work.”

Once she had sent Qin Hua off, Wen Qingyan closed the door and walked straight back to Si Nanyu’s side.

Si Nanyu bit her lip and asked, full of confusion: “Teacher Wen, why did you call my mom…”

“Is it fun?”

“What…?” Si Nanyu released her lip and looked up at Wen Qingyan.

This was the first time since waking up that she had looked at Wen Qingyan so closely. Her black frames were gone, replaced by rimless glasses. Her features seemed softer, and there were even faint, tiny lines at the corners of her eyes…

She wasn’t giving a lecture like before. Instead, her eyes were slightly red.

She leaned down and asked, word by word: “Si. Nan. Yu. Is it fun to pretend you have amnesia?”

“Is it fun to use your bedroom tricks out here?”