Si Nanyu’s mood plummeted. It had taken less than two minutes to go from shy and flustered to terrified, all because of Wen Qingyan’s expression, her movements, and… that WeChat message.
WeChat had burst onto the scene ten years ago. Though Si Nanyu had registered an account, she rarely used it and never developed the habit of checking it. If not for staying in touch with Wen Qingyan, she could go days without opening the app.
So a pile of unread messages had accumulated.
Her body had gone rigid, and she was desperate to find the truth.
There were quite a few unread ones, but they were all trivial nothings, harmless enough. Except for the one Wen Qingyan had seen.
“Tomorrow.” “Wanna meet up?” “Hotel room…”
That message, packed with so many keywords, came from Shao Ling.
Si Nanyu quietly breathed a sigh of relief and looked up, wanting to show Wen Qingyan, wanting to explain, but Wen Qingyan had already turned and was walking out of the office.
Si Nanyu gritted her teeth and followed.
They had agreed to go home together, so Wen Qingyan waited for her in the parking lot, only starting the car once she saw her approaching. Her face was cold as frost as she said softly, “Get in.”
Si Nanyu couldn’t read her current mood, but she was certain it wasn’t good.
Trepidatious, she climbed in and buckled her seatbelt. Only when they were pulling out of the parking lot did she work up the nerve to speak. “That message just now… it was from Shao Ling.”
“From the records, I think she was inviting me to play games…”
“Teacher Wen, you… you should still remember her, right?”
“…I remember.” Wen Qingyan paused before answering, and her expression visibly eased.
But then her tone shifted sharply. “You’re still hanging out with her?”
“I, I, I… did… did she do something?”
Si Nanyu asked in confusion, and it was Wen Qingyan who froze for a moment before letting out a soft laugh. “I forgot. You have amnesia.”
She bit down hard on the words “amnesia.”
Si Nanyu instinctively sat up straight, pressing her back firmly against the seat.
Any relief she’d felt at Wen Qingyan’s improved mood vanished completely.
She stared at the tear mole half-hidden by the arm of Wen Qingyan’s glasses, her breath tightening. It took her a long moment to get the words out. “Teacher Wen, I’m sorry.”
Sorry, again.
Wen Qingyan grew impatient, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel a few times and letting out a sound through her nose. “Mm…”
The car fell silent after that.
Si Nanyu had no idea how long the drive was. She just kept her head down while Wen Qingyan focused on driving.
About fifteen minutes later, the car parked. As Wen Qingyan reached behind her for something, Si Nanyu reacted instantly, reaching over as well. “Here, let me…”
Then pain bloomed across her forehead. She frowned, realized what had happened, and leaned forward toward Wen Qingyan in a rush…
She actually knew that Wen Qingyan’s head was rather fragile. Every time she asked her a question and lifted her head to speak, she’d bumped into her.
Wen Qingyan always said it was nothing, but Si Nanyu always saw her eyes rimmed with red.
This time was no different. Wen Qingyan was still holding her forehead, still teary-eyed.
But this time…
Her eyes were brimming with grievance.
Even if it lasted only an instant, Si Nanyu caught it.
She already felt a little guilty for not remembering anything, and now she felt utterly monstrous. Out in the world, she was all smooth talk and empty bluster, but in front of Wen Qingyan she was hopelessly clumsy with words. She racked her brain, and all she managed was, “Let me blow on it, okay?”
The moment the words left her mouth, she nearly bit her tongue, her hand unconsciously pinching her thigh, trying to knock some sense back into herself.
But to her surprise, Wen Qingyan gave a small nod, the grievance surfacing again as she softly said, “Mm…”
Nervousness and excitement tangled together as Si Nanyu pursed her lips and slowly leaned in toward Wen Qingyan.
And for whatever reason, she closed her eyes too, then smacked straight into Wen Qingyan’s glasses frame. She opened her eyes, and that tiny tear mole at the corner of Wen Qingyan’s eye landed right in her heart.
It was like a rabbit, bouncing up and down.
“Teacher Wen, I’m sorry!”
At a complete loss, Si Nanyu opened with an apology, and the moment she finished, she realized she’d stepped on a landmine.
She watched Wen Qingyan swallow her grievance, wrap herself back up in coldness, and lean away. Taking off her glasses, Wen Qingyan said expressionlessly, “No need. Just grab the things from the back seat.”
“I…” Si Nanyu wanted to say something, but she didn’t know what.
In the end, all she could do was sullenly pick up the gift bags and get out of the car in silence.
Wen Qingyan took two of the bags from her hands and walked ahead without a word.
Si Nanyu stayed right on her heels.
In the elevator, they had no choice but to stand face to face, yet Wen Qingyan still refused to look at her, brow furrowed, biting her lip.
Si Nanyu knew her head must still hurt.
Her own head had been hard as a rock since childhood, and Wen Qingyan was so afraid of pain…
“Little Wen, Nanyu, you’re back so soon?”
The elevator doors had opened at some point, and Qin Hua, wearing an apron, poked her head out and greeted them with delighted surprise.
Then she reached out and took the bags from Wen Qingyan’s hands. “Why bring things home, honestly!”
“And even if you did, you shouldn’t be the one carrying them. Si Nanyu should!” Grinning, she handed everything over to Si Nanyu, who took it instinctively. Then she saw Qin Hua’s gaze fix on Wen Qingyan’s face, her mouth falling open in an exaggerated gasp. “Little Wen, what happened to your forehead…”
Wen Qingyan said nothing, but her eyes drifted, entirely against her will, toward Si Nanyu.
Alarms blared in Si Nanyu’s head. She stepped between the two of them and said with a sheepish smile, “Mom… it was me, I wasn’t paying attention just now…”
“You! What good are you? Worrying people every single day, and now you’re getting people hurt!”
The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart. Si Nanyu’s smile froze, and she looked toward Wen Qingyan.
By then, Wen Qingyan had already walked a few steps ahead, regarding her and Qin Hua with cool indifference. Even Qin Hua’s voice stirred no emotion in her, yet the moment Si Nanyu looked over, a flash of grievance crossed her eyes.
Then she spoke up to smooth things over. “Mom, Nanyu and I were carrying things just now and bumped into each other by accident.”
“Accident, accident… Si Nanyu has an ‘accident’ every single day…”
Ever since learning that Si Nanyu had smacked into Wen Qingyan, Qin Hua’s mouth hadn’t stopped, and neither had her feet. She went to fetch the medicine kit and had Si Nanyu apply it to Wen Qingyan.
And while handing it over, she jabbed Si Nanyu’s arm hard and whispered, “Behave yourself. Stop making your wife angry!”
When it came down to it, Qin Hua still favored Si Nanyu.
The tenderness she showed Wen Qingyan came from pity, a measure beyond what she felt for Si Nanyu, and it was also, in a way, making up on Si Nanyu’s behalf.
She was exasperated beyond words. Si Nanyu had married such a wonderful wife and didn’t know how to cherish her.
“Go on, hurry!” Before heading back to the kitchen, Qin Hua even gave Si Nanyu’s rear a pat to spur her into action.
But how could anyone describe Si Nanyu…
The more she was pushed, the less it worked.
She already felt sorry. Even if it hadn’t been intentional, she really had hurt Wen Qingyan, and apologizing was only right.
But the way Qin Hua carried on, it was as if Si Nanyu had committed some terrible offense.
She bristled, sulking a little.
She didn’t know anything. So why did she have to… bear all of this?
And not far away, Wen Qingyan had been watching Si Nanyu the whole time.
She hadn’t caught everything Qin Hua said to her, but after so many years, she had a fair idea.
She also knew Si Nanyu’s feelings had been stirred.
Wen Qingyan lowered her head. Without her glasses, everything felt disorientingly exposed. Her hands clenched and unclenched, over and over.
The hope in her heart had fallen through completely.
She knew Si Nanyu wouldn’t be coming over to coax her again anytime soon.
