Chen Nannan voiced her disdain, yet her hand clutched the milk tea cup so tightly that the paper container crumpled slightly in her grip.
Shen An figured that if she squeezed just a little harder, the milk tea was bound to spill over.
“Eek!!”
No sooner had the thought crossed Shen An’s mind than Chen Nannan let out a perfectly timed squeal.
In her tension, she gripped the cup too forcefully, and the result unfolded exactly as Shen An had predicted: milk tea bubbled up from the straw.
To make matters worse, it splattered across her face. A few thick, white droplets dotted the area around her cheeks and even landed on her vividly painted lips.
Instinctively, Chen Nannan darted out her pink tongue to lick away the errant drops of milk tea.
“Uh… sorry about that.”
She gave an awkward, silly laugh, but Shen An’s slightly heated gaze only made her more uneasy.
Was there more?
She stuck out her tongue again, swirling it around her lips in a full three-hundred-sixty-degree sweep to ensure every bit was clean.
“All gone now?”
Chen Nannan asked softly.
“There’s still a bit. Let me wipe it off for you.”
Shen An chuckled lightly, pulling a tissue from his pocket. With careful attention, he dabbed at the remaining milk tea on her cheeks.
It was just a simple act of wiping away a mess—nothing out of the ordinary.
So why… why was her heart suddenly racing?
Thump, thump.
Chen Nannan’s thoughts drifted as her eyes locked unwittingly onto his.
In that moment of eye contact, Shen An’s gentle ministrations, paired with his indulgent gaze, unwittingly stirred a tiny ripple deep in her heart.
It rose softly, like a pebble dropped into still water, sending circles of waves spinning through her chest.
Once he had wiped her clean, Shen An didn’t look away. He continued to gaze at Chen Nannan’s face, meeting her flustered and shy eyes.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
She couldn’t hold out any longer and averted her gaze, murmuring, “Not clean yet?”
“All clean now.”
Shen An balled up the tissue and set it aside, his voice soft. “You just squeezed so hard that your lipstick got a little smudged.”
“Really?”
Chen Nannan fished out her small purse and pulled a compact mirror to inspect herself.
Sure enough, her lipstick was smeared in places, and she had inadvertently eaten some of it off, leaving those spots faded.
With natural ease, Shen An reached into her purse and picked up the lipstick tube.
“Don’t move. I’ll even it out for you.”
Chen Nannan wanted to stop him, but it was too late. By the time she reacted, Shen An had already unscrewed the cap, revealing the half-used red lipstick.
She swallowed lightly, and that ripple in her heart surged again, spreading further.
This guy… how could he say it so casually??
It was like tossing out the trash!
“What? Want to do it yourself?”
Shen An smiled and offered the lipstick back to her.
Chen Nannan shook her head, lifted her chin, and whispered, “You do it.”
Without thinking, she closed her eyes.
Shen An smiled faintly. “Why close your eyes? It’s lipstick, not eye drops.”
“Uh…”
Chen Nannan opened her eyes in embarrassment and scratched her head. “I don’t know…”
“Silly.”
Shen An teased her lightly, and Chen Nannan immediately furrowed her brow. “You…”
“Shh. Hold still, I’m applying it.”
Woo woo woo~
I’m the senior sister—I have to be tolerant of my junior brother!
I won’t hold it against you~
Chen Nannan huffed inwardly and pursed her lips, letting the lipstick glide evenly over them.
Shen An was surprisingly skilled. Applying lipstick didn’t require much technique, just attention to small details—and he nailed them.
Even worse, after one pass, he reached up to wipe away the excess.
His fingertip brushed gently over Chen Nannan’s lips, like flipping a switch. A jolt of electricity shot from his touch straight to her heart, linking with those growing ripples!
Her body trembled faintly.
“Don’t move.”
Shen An cautioned her.
Chen Nannan grumbled to herself: Who told you to touch so freely?! And act so natural about it!!
She glanced around nervously. Fortunately, there was hardly anyone nearby. The girls at the stall had all gone out to recruit freshmen, and the two who remained were quietly scrolling on their phones.
Their intimate little moment seemed to have gone unnoticed.
“All done!”
Shen An wiped the lipstick from his fingers with a tissue and chuckled.
Chen Nannan checked herself in the mirror and smacked her lips.
It really was perfectly done.
For some reason—maybe it was her imagination—she thought it looked even better than when she did it herself.
How strange~
Then Shen An added, “Senior Sister, your skin is so fair. You should go for a brighter shade—it’d make your lips stand out more.”
“If the color’s not vibrant enough, your lips might look a bit pale.”
Chen Nannan tucked away the mirror and shot him a glance. “I’m not a model. Why would I need such bright lipstick~?”
“Besides, you seem to know a lot about this. Dated a bunch of girlfriends, huh?”
Shen An shrugged. “What does it have to do with being a model~? I just want you to look more lively.”
“As for girlfriends, to be honest, I’ve never been in a relationship.”
Chen Nannan tilted her head. “Not even once?”
“Nope, lifelong singleton.” Shen An lied without missing a beat.
In this new world, he truly hadn’t dated.
So it wasn’t really a lie.
“Senior Sister, you asked before if I had a girlfriend, and now you’re asking how many relationships I’ve had. You seem pretty interested in my love life.”
Shen An smiled with a hint of meaning.
Chen Nannan flushed. “I’m not interested! I’m just curious. If you’ve never dated, how do you know so much?”
“I worked at a cosmetics store in high school, so I picked up a few things.”
“Oh? Guess I can consult you next time I’m buying makeup.” Chen Nannan smiled softly.
“I might not be much help by then.” Shen An said humbly. “I know nothing about fashion.”
“It’s just makeup, not fashion. You don’t have to be a beauty guru.”
Chen Nannan pouted playfully. “Just give me your opinion.”
“I’m worried my opinion would be too subjective.”
“Everyone’s subjective. And it’s just advice—I might not even take it.” Chen Nannan swatted him proudly.
“In that case.” Shen An rubbed his chin. “I think you look best without any makeup, Senior Sister.”
“Pfft! Trying to sweet-talk me again.” Chen Nannan wrinkled her dainty nose in disdain.
“Really. Without makeup, you have this pure, otherworldly beauty.”
“Have you ever seen me without it?” Chen Nannan narrowed her eyes.
“Nope.”
“See? You’re just bluffing. No more nonsense from you!!”
“Even without seeing it, I can imagine.”
Shen An leaned in closer, his voice gentle. “If I could, I’d really like to see your bare face, Senior Sister. To check if it matches what I’m picturing.”
“Maybe… even prettier?”
A flicker of delight rose in Chen Nannan’s heart. She covered her mouth and giggled. “You can keep imagining, then.”
Shen An sighed in mock disappointment.
“What? Did you come over just to chat with me?” Chen Nannan reined in her laughter and got back to business.
“Pretty much. Nowhere else to go.”
Shen An shifted position, crossing his legs. “Senior Sister Xu mentioned the booth today, so I figured I’d swing by.”
Chen Nannan pouted. “So I’m just an afterthought, huh.”
“If you insist on seeing it that way, I can’t stop you.”
“But I only came because you were here, Senior Sister.”
Shen An flashed a sly grin, his words subtly teasing at her heartstrings.
Hmph~
Chen Nannan turned her head and asked coyly, “So, what do you think?”
“Of what?” Shen An blinked in confusion.
“You’re living with her, right? You had dinner together yesterday. Where’d she take you?”
“Oh, the Azure Sea Grand Hotel—the fanciest one in Eight Seas City!”
Shen An perked up at the memory, his tone excited. “I’ve never been to a place that nice in my life. Their seafood was incredible.”
“I’d love to go back.”
Chen Nannan glanced at him with mild disdain. Still hungry for more? Hoping she’d take you again, huh!
What a glutton!
She huffed lightly. “Next time, I’ll take you somewhere better.”
“Is there a fancier hotel in Eight Seas City?” Shen An blinked curiously.
“Idiot. When it comes to eating, it’s about taste, not luxury!” Chen Nannan declared righteously. “And at the Azure Sea Grand Hotel, the seafood isn’t even the best thing. There’s something else.”
“Huh?” Shen An looked puzzled. “Something even better?”
“Of course!”
Chen Nannan said earnestly, “Next time you go with me, it’ll be way better than that seafood.”
Shen An’s lips curved into a smile, only for it to fade as he shook his head.
Chen Nannan frowned. “What’s wrong? You don’t want to go?”
“No,” Shen An said with a goofy grin. “Didn’t we agree that I’d treat you to a meal next time, Senior Sister?”
The furrow in Chen Nannan’s brow gradually smoothed out. She curved her lips into a smile and said softly, “I was just teasing you. Of course, as your senior sister, I’ll be the one treating.”
“No.”
Shen An stubbornly shook his head. “I promised to treat you to dinner, Senior Sister. It’s my word, and I intend to keep it.”
“I never realized you were so stubborn.”
Chen Nannan waved her hand dismissively. “Fine, fine. You treat me first, and then I’ll treat you. Does that work?”
“Sure.”
Shen An flashed a broad grin.
“But tell me—are you looking forward to that seafood feast, or to your Senior Sister Xu?”
Chen Nannan eyed him suspiciously, as if interrogating a suspect.
“Uh, is there a difference?” Shen An asked blankly.
“Of course not, so you had a great time with her yesterday, huh?”
“It wasn’t like that…”
Shen An leaned in a little closer and glanced around to either side.
Chen Nannan obligingly scooted nearer, right up beside him.
The scent of her perfume wafted into his nose again, and he couldn’t help taking a deep breath.
She caught the small sound and immediately pulled back. “You…”
“Uh… sorry, Senior Sister. I…” Shen An scratched his head awkwardly. “I just got a bit carried away. But your scent is just so nice.”
Chen Nannan parted her lips, but whatever she’d been about to say died on her tongue.
“What brand of perfume is it? It’s really fragrant—and it suits you perfectly, Senior Sister.”
Shen An gazed at her with utter sincerity, without a trace of lechery or ulterior motive.
Chen Nannan pressed her lips together. “I’m not sure. My mom bought it for me.”
“Can I take another whiff?”
The request was clearly a bit much.
But compared to the lip gloss incident earlier, it didn’t seem all that excessive.
After a moment’s thought and a brief hesitation, Chen Nannan raised her hand and extended her wrist toward him. “Are you a dog or something? You love sniffing so much.”
Shen An leaned toward her wrist but kept his distance, careful not to touch her skin.
He inhaled gently, a smile lighting up his face. “It really is wonderful. But I’m no dog—I’m a Tiger.”
“And you, Senior Sister?”
Chen Nannan rolled her eyes and didn’t answer.
“Oh, right—you’re two years younger than me, so you’re a Dragon.” Shen An suddenly realized.
Every time Chen Nannan heard that, she felt a little… odd.
He was her junior in school, yet two years older than her.
In terms of age, he was completely the big brother.
“Which means Senior Sister Xu is a Dragon too~” Shen An remarked out of the blue.
Chen Nannan’s mild expression darkened faintly at those words.
Shen An arched a brow and chuckled lightly. “Though I think she’d make a better Deer— so quiet and all.”
“Is there a Deer in the Chinese zodiac?” Chen Nannan shot back irritably.
“Ahem, no, there isn’t. It’s just my personal take.”
“Then what do you think I should be?” Chen Nannan asked.
“Aren’t you a Dragon?”
“I mean in your eyes!”
“Hmm… to me, you’re like a Rabbit, Senior Sister,” Shen An said softly. “Just like this.” He mimed little twitching ears with his fingers.
Chen Nannan’s lips quirked up. “Then I’ll be a Rabbit. That way, I’m only one year younger than you. Add in my senior sister status, and I can barely claim to be your big sis!”
“Looks like you’re really hung up on that.”
“You’re the one who keeps bringing it up. Hmph.”
“Alright, alright, we’re getting off track.” Shen An waved her over, and Chen Nannan watched him warily. “No sniffing this time!”
“Got it.”
Shen An nodded firmly, but when she leaned in, she could clearly hear him inhale.
Aaaah!!!
This guy…
Chen Nannan was utterly at a loss with him.
“I just think Senior Sister Xu is too quiet… We barely talked at dinner. She just kept her head down and ate.”
Shen An’s voice was gentle as he noted her slightly flushed earlobes.
Chen Nannan pulled back after hearing that, drawling slowly, “That’s just her personality—super quiet, and a bit aloof too.”
“Aloof?”
“Yeah, don’t you think? She seems polite to everyone, but it’s hard for anyone to actually get close to her.”
“Uh, that might not be aloofness. Maybe she’s just not great at socializing.”
Shen An quietly defended Xu Yijing.
Chen Nannan let out a little “heh.” “Spend a little more time with her, and you’ll see.”
“She’s not bad at socializing. She just puts effort into things she thinks are worth it.”
Shen An looked troubled but nodded under the pressure.
Seeing this, Chen Nannan grew a bit displeased. “You don’t believe me?”
Shen An replied earnestly, “I haven’t noticed that yet.”
“Hmph! Forget it if you don’t.”
Chen Nannan pursed her lips and turned her back to him with a huff.
