“Cough cough, you have to hear my explanation…”
“No, don’t walk so fast. I’m really short on cash…”
Song Rui walked ahead, with Shen An trailing behind her, muttering under his breath.
The interview had already ended.
Zhao Qingyu remained alone in the large classroom, so Shen An and Song Rui had left first.
When faced with Zhao Qingyu’s final question, Shen An had unhesitatingly refused once more, citing his lack of funds as the reason.
In return, Zhao Qingyu didn’t announce the results right away. After taking down their contact information, she let the two of them go.
Once they had walked a good distance away, Song Rui finally stopped.
She turned around, and Shen An blinked at her.
“I… I didn’t mean to blame you or anything…” Song Rui said softly.
“Then why were you walking so fast?” Shen An rolled his eyes, a look of relief washing over his face.
“I…” Song Rui glanced back toward the large classroom. “I was a little scared just now, so I walked a bit quicker.”
“Really? I thought you were mad at me, thinking I was too stingy to spring for a meal and that it ruined your dream of joining the troupe.”
“No way!”
Song Rui pouted. “I wouldn’t think something like that.”
“Besides… without you, I… I wouldn’t have even gotten the chance for an interview.”
“I’m already really thankful to you…”
“Tsk, the interview’s already over, so why the long face?” Of course, Shen An didn’t actually think she was angry.
Just like Zhao Qingyu’s little joke earlier, Shen An had simply found an excuse to help Song Rui relax.
She had been way too nervous.
The reason they left right away had less to do with fear and more with her unease.
Song Rui sighed. “Who knows if we’ll actually make it through.”
“I’m guessing we won’t.” Shen An teased. “Because I didn’t agree to treat Senior Sister to a meal.”
“How about you cover the cost of this meal, and I’ll go back and put in a good word with her?”
Song Rui rolled her eyes and stamped her foot. “Don’t joke around.”
“Tsk, feeling a bit more relaxed now?” Shen An asked gently. “You looked like you were about to cry back there.”
“I wasn’t going to cry~” Song Rui turned her head away and whispered a rebuttal.
“Anyway, no matter what, the interview’s done and over with.”
Shen An shoved his hands into his pockets and comforted her. “Whether we pass or not, we gave it our all, right?”
Hearing this, Song Rui nodded slightly.
He had a point.
But…
She glanced at Shen An and pouted. “Why do you sound like you already know the result?”
“No, I just know the saying—do your best and leave the rest to fate.” Shen An spoke leisurely. “Besides, joining the Art Troupe might not even be a good thing.”
“From my perspective, I’d rather this interview fails.”
“Best case, I fail and you pass. That way, it’s perfect for both of us.”
Song Rui looked puzzled. “Why…? Don’t you want to join the Art Troupe too?”
“You’re still asking why? Didn’t Senior Sister’s joke scare you just now?”
Shen An said irritably, “I just get the feeling she’s a handful.”
Song Rui lowered her head and tried to reassure herself. “Senior Sister’s the deputy troupe leader. She wouldn’t have time to bother with little assistants like us… Don’t worry needlessly.”
“Oh man, hearing ‘worry needlessly’ come out of your mouth just sounds so off.”
“Shen An!!”
“Not even started yet, and you’re already picturing yourself as a little assistant in the Art Troupe.” Shen An ruffled her silky hair. “If we really don’t make it, don’t go crying about it.”
Song Rui shook her head firmly. “I have a feeling… we’ll pass.”
“Mystery confidence?”
“It’s not~” Song Rui declared confidently. “I saw how nice Senior Sister was to you. No reason we wouldn’t get in.”
“Hard to say. She kept hinting for me to treat her, so I’m suspicious she’s after my meal money.” Shen An said it with a straight face, spouting utter nonsense.
“I turned her down flat. What if she gets mad and holds a grudge?”
Song Rui hesitated. “Senior Sister wouldn’t be that petty, would she?”
“Is she super generous in your eyes?” Shen An shot back.
“Uh…”
Recalling Zhao Qingyu’s teasing just now, Song Rui stammered, unsure how to respond.
“I’ve heard plenty of rumors about her too. You’re a girl, so of course you don’t have to worry.”
Shen An put on a look of utter despair. “What if she really takes a liking to me and makes me work like a slave…”
“No way, I need to draft my resignation letter ahead of time. Wonder if there’s a template I can copy.”
He was actually afraid of stuff like this?
Song Rui couldn’t help but cover her mouth, giggling quietly.
“Still laughing?” Shen An huffed lightly. “Counting this time, you owe me some homework help now, huh, Academic Committee Member!”
Song Rui replied slyly in a crisp voice, “How about I treat you to some milk tea~?”
“Nah, I already owe you two cups.” Shen An waved her off in mock disgust.
“Hey, I copied your answers, didn’t I?” Song Rui wheedled coyly. “Don’t be so stingy~”
“Heh, don’t know who the stingy one is.” Shen An muttered. “Saying you wanted to treat yourself to milk tea? Not just weird, but totally ridiculous.”
“If you wrote that in a thesis defense, the plagiarism rate would be at least eighty percent.”
Faced with his endless “scolding,” Song Rui knew she was in the wrong. She hung her little head and took it silently without a word.
She really hadn’t figured out how to answer.
Even though Zhao Qingyu had stressed multiple times to share her real thoughts and skip the fake stuff.
But Song Rui’s mind had gone completely blank at the time. The only thing she could think of was the two cups of milk tea she’d gotten for Shen An.
So she’d just copied that straight over.
After venting for a bit, Shen An saw Song Rui standing there with her head down, obediently taking her “lecture.” He felt bad and stopped.
He said softly, “You didn’t take it to heart, right? I was just talking.”
“I’m not that dumb. I can tell a joke from something serious.” Song Rui flashed her cute little tiger teeth. Her smile really had this inexplicable healing vibe.
She rarely showed such a bright smile, though—usually it was just timid agreement or her head down in anxiety.
“Good as long as you think that way.”
Shen An stretched lazily. “Interview’s over, so let’s head home—everyone back to their own place.”
“Eh?”
“What’s the ‘eh’? You really want to treat me to milk tea?” Shen An pointed to the side. “Not saying no, but you’d have to buy two cups.”
Song Rui wrinkled her dainty nose. “Are you going to find Senior Sister?”
“What else? I came here with her.”
“Then…”
“Then what? You’ll probably go find your roommates.” Shen An chuckled lightly. “They’re likely still hanging around the stalls.”
“Oh~” Song Rui nodded glumly and turned to leave.
After a few steps, she stopped.
“Shen An~”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.” Song Rui looked at him earnestly, her bright eyes brimming with deep gratitude.
If it hadn’t been for him today, she’d probably still be wandering lost in the hallway by the bathrooms.
Forget even getting an interview slot.
Right then, his phone blared a bizarre ringtone that instantly drew stares from everyone around.
Damn… another quest triggered?
Shen An waved. “Yeah.”
With casual flair, he turned and headed back toward the classroom, completely ignoring the weird looks from the onlookers.
He also ignored Song Rui, who stood there in a daze, silently watching him go.
But his retreating figure was deeply etched into her eyes.
Were she and he… friends now?
They hadn’t interacted much, but… they were friends, right?
Thinking this, Song Rui lowered her head, a wave of self-consciousness washing over her.
Don’t be silly. Just because you think so doesn’t mean he does.
She always ended up causing him trouble. He probably found her pretty annoying too.
Annoying how dumb she was.
Ding dong~
A voice call came in. Song Rui perked up and answered.
“Hello? Yuqiong?”
“Yeah, I’ve… finished my interview. Yeah, it went really smoothly.”
“Oh, okay. I’m heading over now.”
She stole one last quick glance. His figure had already vanished around the corner.
Song Rui bit her lip. This time, she really turned and headed toward the main athletic field.
Shen An had just reached the first classroom when he spotted Chen Nannan’s figure.
She was sitting inside, surrounded by a few other girls—probably friends she didn’t particularly want to face right now.
Chen Nannan’s expression was awkward and flustered, clearly brimming with an urgent desire to leave.
Shen An thought to himself, No wonder Senior Sister didn’t want to come with me.
He headed to the back door, planning to whisk her away.
“Here for the interview? What’s your number?”
By coincidence, a senior sister happened to pass by. Seeing Shen An lingering at the back door, she came over to ask.
“Oh, no, no. I’m here to find Senior Sister Nannan.”
As Shen An explained, Chen Nannan inside heard his voice and immediately turned around.
Spotting him, a spark of delight lit up deep in her eyes.
She brushed them off with a few casual words, then stood and came over to join Shen An.
“Interview over?” she asked.
“Yeah, it’s done.”
“Smooth?” Chen Nannan pressed.
“What about you? Smooth? You looked kinda restless just now,” Shen An teased.
Chen Nannan shot him a glare. “Out with it!”
Shen An furrowed his brows, pondering carefully for a moment. “Hard to say.”
“Hard to say?” Chen Nannan shoved him irritably. “Don’t keep me in suspense—spit it out.”
“Really, it’s hard to say.” Shen An recounted every detail of the interview to Chen Nannan, then added, “I suspect Senior Sister Zhao has some improper designs on me.”
Chen Nannan’s mouth twitched as she clutched her forehead. “I’m just now realizing how narcissistic you are.”
“The advanced term for confidence is narcissism,” Shen An said smugly.
“Are you sure it’s not the antonym?”
“? The antonym is inferiority complex!”
“Then your confidence is truly advanced.” Chen Nannan pursed her lips, though a faint worry stirred in her heart.
Of course, she didn’t believe Zhao Qingyu actually had any improper intentions toward him.
She was just worried that Zhao Qingyu might want to make trouble for him.
It wasn’t as if she had no precedent for such behavior.
But Shen An didn’t seem to have provoked her on purpose, did he?
Chen Nannan furrowed her brows and looked at Shen An seriously. “Did you offend Senior Sister Zhao?”
“? ” Shen An looked utterly wronged. “Does asking for directions count as offending her?”
“Asking for directions?”
“Yeah, on my first day at school, I didn’t know where Apartment 1301 was, and I happened to run into her, so I asked for directions.”
“That shouldn’t count as offending her, right? Otherwise, she’d be way too petty,” Shen An grumbled.
Chen Nannan nodded to herself, thinking, Senior Sister Zhao isn’t that petty…
“Wait a minute, I just remembered something,” Shen An said suddenly.
“What? Are you hiding something else?”
“Uh, when I was about to throw away the registration form, Senior Sister Zhao happened to see it.”
Shen An turned his head. “Does that count as offending her?”
“Oh man, how could you be so careless!?”
Chen Nannan said anxiously, “Couldn’t you have just stuffed it in your pocket and thrown it away after leaving the academic building?”
“I… the situation was a bit special at the time…”
“Oh no, that’s probably why…”
“It can’t be that bad…”
“It is! Senior Sister Zhao holds grudges! If she didn’t see it, fine, but since she did, she’s definitely upset about it.”
“If I were her, seeing someone throw away a registration form from her own troupe, I’d feel bad too.”
Chen Nannan scratched her head. “How about you just withdraw from the troupe?”
“I’d like to, but the problem is, I don’t even know if I passed the first round of interviews.”
“If Senior Sister Zhao really wants to mess with you, then you’ll definitely pass.”
Chen Nannan murmured with lingering fear, “The Art Troupe is her domain.”
“Huh? Isn’t she just the Deputy Troupe Leader? There’s also the Chief Troupe Leader.”
“Idiot, the Chief Troupe Leader is concurrently held by the Student Council President—it’s a nominal position. The Deputy Troupe Leader is the one who actually runs things.”
Chen Nannan sighed. “Strictly speaking, Senior Sister Zhao is also the Student Union Vice President, but because the Art Troupe is so large, her actual influence is even greater than the nominal Student Union Vice President.”
“Then the Student Union can’t control the Art Troupe?”
“Uh, they can, at least nominally,” Chen Nannan replied.
Then, seeing Shen An’s thoughtful expression, she asked curiously, “Why aren’t you talking? What are you thinking?”
“If the Student Union can manage the Art Troupe, I was thinking maybe I could ask Senior Sister Xu for help, since she’s the vice…”
Before Shen An could finish, Chen Nannan’s expression had already soured.
She took a deep breath and said word by word, “If you ask Xu Yijing for help, then you really won’t be able to withdraw from the troupe.”
“Even if school leaders intervene, it won’t work—unless you’re willing to leave the school altogether.”
“That’s so scary? Why?”
Shen An asked instinctively.
Chen Nannan shook her head with a complicated expression. “Forget it, we’ll talk about it later.”
