Shen An had been about to wave hello to Wang Yuqiong and the others, but Chen Nannan hurriedly tugged him along toward the other side.
What should have been a head-on encounter turned into them brushing past each other at an angle.
After they’d walked a good distance and Shen An was sure they wouldn’t run into them again, Chen Nannan cautiously glanced back. Seeing that Wang Yuqiong and her friends seemed completely oblivious, she quietly let out a sigh of relief.
No sooner had she turned her head than she met Shen An’s slightly suspicious gaze.
Chen Nannan cleared her throat and flashed a smile. “What’re you looking at? Aren’t we heading to the Art Troupe?”
Shen An raised an eyebrow. “Why’d you drag me away like that? I just saw Wang Yuqiong and the others.”
“Did you?”
Chen Nannan’s acting was no match for Shen An’s. Her shifty eyes and over-the-top surprise gave away her guilt in an instant.
“Uh, maybe I got it wrong.”
Shen An didn’t call out her clumsy cover-up. Instead, he chuckled lightly. “But isn’t the academic building this way?”
He pointed ahead, where it was obvious they were heading toward the cafeteria, not the academic building.
“Er… this way’s crowded! Fewer people over here.”
Chen Nannan grabbed Shen An’s sleeve again and led him toward the academic building.
Once inside, she stopped at a corner in the hallway and pointed to the end of the corridor. “I think the Art Troupe’s classroom is the last one down there.”
“You’re not coming with me, Senior Sister?”
“I… I need to use the bathroom first!” Chen Nannan said awkwardly. “Why don’t you go ahead? I’ll catch up in a bit.”
Shen An shook his head. “Nah, I’ll wait here for you. We can go together.”
“Huh?” Chen Nannan’s smile looked strained. “Why…?”
“I get social anxiety!” Shen An said with a straight face.
“Er… actually, actually…” Chen Nannan’s face was full of reluctance. She seemed really opposed to going to the Art Troupe.
No—thinking back to how she’d just dragged Shen An away to dodge Wang Yuqiong and her group, it seemed like she was the one with real social anxiety.
“Truth is, I’m a little scared. After what you said, Senior Sister, I feel kinda uneasy.”
Shen An put on a timid expression. “I don’t know much about the Art Troupe, and I don’t recognize anyone there. Having you with me would make me feel a lot more secure.”
He reached out and tugged gently at Chen Nannan’s sleeve, his voice soft. “Is that okay?”
Chen Nannan couldn’t resist his gentle persuasion and steeled herself. “Fine, if that’s how it is… I’ll go with you for now!”
They reached the Art Troupe classroom door, and just like at the club stall earlier, someone came forward to greet them and handed Shen An a blank registration form.
But compared to the clubs’ enthusiasm, the Art Troupe came off as a bit standoffish.
This small difference made the status gap between the two organizations crystal clear.
The clubs were begging for members; the Art Troupe made freshmen beg to join.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the hallway, quite a few people were milling about—freshmen just like Shen An.
Including a number of guys.
Some of these freshmen wandering the hall clutched registration forms like Shen An’s; others had none.
But they all shared one behavior: they seemed to be waiting for something.
At that moment, Chen Nannan stood on her tiptoes and whispered, “The Art Troupe’s recruitment is different from the clubs’. They make you do a preliminary interview first, then decide if you move on to the official second round.”
“So complicated? What if there are too many freshmen? Can they handle it?”
Shen An blinked, voicing his doubt.
Chen Nannan shrugged. “The Art Troupe has their own way of screening. Notice how not everyone has a form?”
“I did.”
“Yeah, that’s the first round of screening. If you get a form, you’re cleared for the preliminary interview. No form? You’re out from the start—no chance at all.”
“Huh?” Shen An was stunned by the setup.
That might fly at some corporate job fair, but for a school organization? It felt off.
Then Chen Nannan pointed to the number on his form. “See that number?”
“That’s your interview order. They’ll call you in one by one.”
Shen An narrowed his eyes at the number on the form: 35.
“So there are thirty-four people ahead of me?”
“Yep.”
“Tch, feels more like I’m lining up for lunch than interviewing for a student group.”
“Heh, that’s the Art Troupe for you—always so ‘unique.'” Chen Nannan said flatly, a hint of disdain in her tone.
“So what decides if they give you a form or not?”
Shen An pressed.
“Eh, in their eyes, if you don’t meet the Art Troupe’s standards, no form for you.”
“Their eyes?”
“Right there.”
Chen Nannan glanced at the two Art Troupe members standing at the door.
One guy, one girl—both pretty good-looking.
They stood ramrod straight, exuding a mature air of superiority that set them apart from the freshmen.
“That casual? Just a glance?”
“Yep, that’s how the open interviews work.” Chen Nannan lowered her voice. “Unless you know someone in the Art Troupe—then you can snag an interview slot on the down-low.”
“Or if you show some standout talent and they invite you directly.”
“Ha~” Shen An’s lips curved in a faint smirk. “Talk about a ‘unique’ recruitment style.”
He shot her a sidelong glance. “Does the Student Union do interviews like this too?”
Chen Nannan froze, then shook her head vigorously. “No, at least not in my department.”
“So you’re saying other departments besides the Art Troupe pull this too?”
“Uh~” Chen Nannan nodded reluctantly.
“Forget it, then.”
Shen An crumpled the untouched registration form into a ball and stuffed it in his pocket.
He turned to leave, but Chen Nannan grabbed him. “Hey?”
“This is way too harsh.” Shen An said softly. “Sure, they set the standards, but everyone deserves a fair shot.”
“No matter how prestigious the Art Troupe is, they can’t go this far.”
Chen Nannan instinctively started to nod—her own thoughts aligned with his.
She didn’t like this selection process either; it felt like they were picking prime recruits, tossing aside anyone too scrawny or not quite right.
But her position made her hesitate, and she caught herself.
She bowed her head and murmured, “It’s not as bad as you think. Every department has its requirements, and time is limited for everyone.”
“If they spend too long on first-round interviews, they won’t have time for the follow-up work.”
“And if issues crop up later, it’ll be a hassle. Better to be cautious from the get-go, right?”
Her explanation sounded straight out of an official handbook—probably one she didn’t fully buy herself.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have delivered it with her head down in such a guilty posture.
“Anyway, doesn’t matter.”
Shen An’s lips quirked up, and he said gently, “Let’s grab some milk tea, Senior Sister.”
“Huh?”
Chen Nannan smacked her lips. “Again? How do you love milk tea so much?!”
She pouted, grumbling inwardly: Keep drinking and I’ll get fat… Haven’t hit the gym in days…
Shen An adored this glimpse of her endearing innocence—the kind of unthinking cuteness that was utterly captivating.
Unable to help himself, he ruffled her silky hair. “Fine, no milk tea. Let’s head back and shoot some hoops.”
“You… you sure you don’t wanna think it over?”
Chen Nannan asked softly.
“Nope, not considering it. I’ll stick with the Basketball Club.”
“Aw, don’t say that in the heat of the moment.”
“I’m serious.”
“Well… then wait… let me hit the bathroom first…”
“Sure, I’ll come with.”
Shen An slung an arm around her shoulders in a casual, intimate gesture, steering Chen Nannan toward the restrooms.
She squirmed away with a coy push and a playful whine. “Quit tugging at me! So many eyes around here!”
Her words left room for misinterpretation, and Shen An rubbed his chin. “So, Senior Sister, that means it’s okay when no one’s watching?”
“I…”
Flustered and annoyed, Chen Nannan jabbed him and scampered ahead.
Luckily, the restrooms weren’t busy, so Chen Nannan could take care of business quickly.
But oddly enough, at the restroom entrance, Shen An spotted a familiar figure: Song Rui!
The silly girl was lingering nearby again, muttering to herself one moment and psyching herself up the next—just like yesterday!
No wonder she wasn’t with Wang Yuqiong and the others; she’d come here on her own.
Was she trying to join the Art Troupe too?
The question rose in Shen An’s mind.
Chen Nannan’s face fell the instant she saw Song Rui—exactly like when they’d bumped into Wang Yuqiong’s group.
But this time, Shen An wasn’t letting her slip away.
Before Chen Nannan could react, he strode forward and called out, “Song Rui!”
Lost in her self-pep-talk mutterings, Song Rui looked up on instinct when she heard her name.
The moment Song Rui spotted Shen An, she stood there dumbfounded!
How… how… again… it was him!!!
Song Rui drooped her little head in dejection.
Why was it that every time she found herself in a moment like this, she ran into him?
Always when she was most hesitant, most likely to make a fool of herself…
Aaaah!!!!
Song Rui desperately wanted to bolt into the bathroom right then and there, pretending nothing had happened.
A sidelong glance at Chen Nannan, whose expression had also gone a bit off, helped pull Song Rui’s whirling thoughts back together somewhat.
Eh?
Senior Sister?
Why was Senior Sister with him?
Was he… had he come looking for Senior Sister today?
Those… those two cups of milk tea…
In an instant, a thousand thoughts and suspicions raced through Song Rui’s mind.
With Shen An’s shout, Song Rui and Chen Nannan had nowhere left to hide. They could only steel themselves and force their smiles to look a little softer.
At least somewhat normal!
And so, Shen An tugged the stiff-faced Chen Nannan toward the equally rigid Song Rui.
Of the three, only Shen An’s smile stayed bright and unwavering.
“Senior Sister… hi, Senior Sister…”
Song Rui gave Chen Nannan a feeble greeting.
Chen Nannan nodded faintly, her voice stiff as she replied, “What a coincidence. You… you’re here to use the bathroom too?”
Hm?
Shen An and Song Rui both shot Chen Nannan a look. She let out a dry laugh, her little feet curling inside her sneakers hard enough to dig out a three-bedroom apartment.
“I… I’m manning the booth today. I just happened to run into him, so I… I showed him around!”
Chen Nannan hurried to explain, terrified that Song Rui might get the wrong idea.
But Song Rui wasn’t quite that quick on the uptake. She simply nodded in a daze. “Oh~”
Oh…
All of Chen Nannan’s tangled emotions seemed to snuff out in that instant.
No, it was more than that—a wave of speechlessness and mocking self-reproach bubbled up inside her.
What was the point?
Chen Nannan bowed her head and sank into a funk.
“Why are you here?”
It was Shen An who stepped in to smooth things over.
He seized control of the conversation, taking charge of the battlefield.
The faintly accusatory tone inexplicably irritated Song Rui. And then she remembered her own two cups of milk tea…
Hmph!
Song Rui pursed her lips. “Why can’t I be here?”
Oops. Sounded like she was throwing a little tantrum.
Shen An chuckled to himself and softened his tone. “You want to join the Art Troupe too?”
Too?
Song Rui latched onto that word.
“You too?”
“Not exactly, but I was thinking about it. I figured I’d check out the Art Troupe first, and if it seemed good, give it a shot.”
Shen An spoke gently. “Though now, I’m not interested anymore.”
“Yeah, yeah! Shen An said he wanted to take a look at the Art Troupe, but he doesn’t know his way around, so I brought him over!”
Chen Nannan jumped in at the first opening, desperately trying to clear her name.
“Oh~” Song Rui nodded again, still utterly flat.
Her gaze kept darting away, never quite meeting Shen An’s eyes.
She was afraid to look directly at him.
His eyes felt like the full moon on Lantern Festival night back in the countryside—beautiful and beckoning, yet laced with an unpredictable glint of chill.
Chen Nannan plunged into a deep pit of self-defeat. She realized her explanations were utterly superfluous.
It didn’t matter if she said them or not.
“What about you? Hit with decision paralysis again?”
Shen An laughed easily.
“I…” Song Rui tilted her little head, her small hands twisting together behind her back.
At last, Chen Nannan remembered her role as the senior sister and offered some concern. “No need to beat around the bush. The Art Troupe’s pretty great.”
Though that concern somehow came out feeling a bit like a sharp jab.
Song Rui glanced at Chen Nannan, then at Shen An.
She shrank back, like a kitten cornered against the wall—pitiful and fragile, facing down two towering “big bad wolves” all on her own.
“I… I kinda want to join.”
After an eternity of agonizing, she finally spoke up. “But… but… I heard the Art Troupe’s recruitment is different from the other groups…”
“So… I… I haven’t gone over yet…”
Shen An’s mouth twitched at the corner. “So you’ve just been standing here waffling back and forth?”
“I haven’t been waffling!”
Song Rui insisted, “I’m… I’m just thinking it over. Carefully.”
“Oh~ Well, the Art Troupe’s requirements are pretty unique. You need an application form just to get in for the first interview.”
Shen An shrugged.
Chen Nannan shot him a coquettish glare and said softly, “Song Rui, why don’t you give it a try?”
“It’s not that tough. You just need to get the application form.”
“Get the form… and then what?” Song Rui asked.
“You wait right here until they call your name, then go in for the interview.”
“Huh? Right now?”
“Yep. Pass the first round, and you’re on to the second!” Chen Nannan said lightly.
“……” Song Rui fell silent.
After much more fidgeting, she mumbled, “Well… what if… I mean hypothetically…”
“What if I can’t even get the application form? Can I still do the interview?”
Chen Nannan blurted out, “You don’t have the form?”
Song Rui ducked her head again, her ten fingers twisting together once more.
