Shen An borrowed a basketball from the Basketball Club and, pulling Chen Nannan along with him, headed toward their activity court.
It was also a good chance to see what events they had going on there.
“Let’s head to the basketball court on the other side instead,” he suggested.
Chen Nannan shot down the idea immediately.
“There’s another basketball court on the other side?”
“Of course there is. The school might be short on everything else, but basketball courts? We’ve got plenty!”
“There are a few over by the apartment too,” Chen Nannan said softly.
“Why bother walking all the way over there? The Basketball Club’s court is right here.” Shen An pointed ahead to the court, where a banner proclaiming the Basketball Club hung proudly.
“No way!” Chen Nannan shook her head firmly in refusal.
“You’ve got to give me a reason at least.” Shen An scratched his head in mock confusion.
“I…” Chen Nannan hesitated. “There are too many people here. It’ll mess up my game!”
Shen An’s lips curved into a knowing smile at her words. “Is Senior Sister worried about embarrassing herself? Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you.”
Chen Nannan’s mouth twitched. She let out a cold laugh, raised her small hand, and unleashed a flurry of smacks.
In the end, under Chen Nannan’s forceful persuasion, Shen An reluctantly agreed to head to the other court.
They had only made it halfway back along the original path when they ran straight into the girls from Dorm 105, led by Wang Yuqiong.
This time, it was a face-to-face encounter, leaving Chen Nannan with no room to escape. She fixed her flickering, panicked eyes on Wang Yuqiong.
“Huh?”
Wang Yuqiong’s face lit up with surprise. She walked over enthusiastically to greet them. “Senior Sister? Shen?”
“What a coincidence.” Shen An kept his expression perfectly calm. He glanced first at Song Rui and noted her drooping head. He guessed she hadn’t told Wang Yuqiong about the Art Troupe incident.
“So, what are you all up to?” he asked.
“Oh, Song Rui said she wanted to join the Art Troupe, so we came along to check out some clubs and organizations that might suit us,” Wang Yuqiong explained. She glanced at Song Rui, who was keeping her head down beside her, and smiled gently.
“Speak of the devil. I want to join the Art Troupe too.”
At that moment, Shen An pulled Chen Nannan out from behind him. “But I’m not familiar with things around here, and I don’t have any dormmates to help out, so I asked Senior Sister to guide me.”
“Luckily, she had some free time today.”
Chen Nannan nodded, forcing herself to stay composed. “Yeah.”
Then, seizing the initiative, she turned the question on Wang Yuqiong. “Have you all found any clubs or organizations you like?”
Wang Yuqiong sighed at that.
Chen Nannan blinked in surprise. “No luck? That’s okay. Today is just the first day. There are two more days of booth activities— you can check them out then.”
It was Li Li who spoke up from the side to clarify. “It’s not that, Senior Sister. It’s not that we can’t find any—it’s that there are too many we want to join.”
Zhang Tong nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we’ve walked around and found several clubs that look really interesting!”
“Ah, so Yuqiong’s struggling over having too many options,” Chen Nannan said, covering her mouth with a laugh.
Li Li cleared her throat lightly. “Well, not exactly. Yuqiong’s preferences are a bit different from ours.”
Zhang Tong grinned. “Yuqiong wants to join the Student Union. She’s not into clubs.”
“Oh, I see.”
Chen Nannan nodded slightly. Shen An stepped forward. “Shouldn’t you ask Senior Sister about that?”
“Huh?” Wang Yuqiong blinked in confusion.
Chen Nannan’s smile stiffened a little.
“Senior Sister is in the Student Union,” Shen An continued, ignoring Chen Nannan’s warning glare. His voice was gentle. “She’s even the president of one of the departments.”
“Right, what department was it again?”
He turned to Chen Nannan with a beaming smile. She forced a grin. “The Club Federation.”
“Exactly, the Club Federation!”
Li Li and Zhang Tong both covered their mouths in shock. “Senior Sister, you’re the president of the Club Federation? Doesn’t that mean all the clubs fall under you?”
Chen Nannan desperately wanted to throttle Shen An. “The Club Federation oversees them, but I’m just filling in temporarily.”
“Close enough~” Li Li said admiringly. “I had no idea you were such a big deal, Senior Sister. How come you never mentioned it?”
Zhang Tong nodded in agreement.
“Senior Sister’s always been the low-key, humble type,” Shen An said, flattering her while subtly covering for her at the same time.
“That makes sense.”
Li Li and Chen Nannan weren’t close at all—just nominal senior and junior.
Most assistant class supervisors had about the same relationship with freshmen.
People only had so much energy. An assistant class supervisor couldn’t be best friends with every single freshman; they had their own lives too.
Once they’d gone through the standard procedures and routines as required by the school, their basic duties were fulfilled.
Personal friendships were separate from the role—purely up to the individual.
Chen Nannan didn’t strike anyone as the super social type.
She rarely posted in the Freshman Group chat, aside from official school announcements. She didn’t jump into conversations, but she’d quietly lurk and read the chats in her free time.
That earned her the nickname of “lurking peeper extraordinaire” among the freshmen.
The freshmen didn’t want to bother her either. They’d handle small issues on their own, usually sticking to their dorm groups.
Wang Yuqiong wasn’t one for small talk. She stepped forward and got straight to the point. “So, Senior Sister, could you give me some advice?”
“Uh… how about tonight?”
Chen Nannan said softly, “We can chat then?”
Just then, Wang Yuqiong noticed the basketball in Shen An’s hand. “Are you two headed off to play ball?”
“Yeah.”
Shen An nodded. “Senior Sister’s the vice president of the Basketball Club, and I know a bit of ball myself, so we’re going to have a friendly matchup.”
Wang Yuqiong’s dimples flashed as she smiled. “You’d better go easy on her then. You’re a guy, after all—don’t accidentally bump into her.”
Shen An rubbed his still-sore waist. “I was hoping Senior Sister would go easy on me.”
“Hm?” Wang Yuqiong blinked in confusion.
Chen Nannan let out a dry laugh, shot Shen An a glare over her shoulder, then turned back to Wang Yuqiong with a bright smile. “He just loves cracking dumb jokes. Don’t mind him, Yuqiong.”
Wang Yuqiong smiled softly. “Mm-hmm. Though some of Shen An’s jokes are pretty funny.”
At those words, a flicker of suspicion passed through Chen Nannan’s eyes.
Song Rui, who had been keeping her head down and staying out of the conversation, quietly lifted her gaze just a fraction.
“Right, Senior Sister, I still want to ask you tonight how you manage two departments at once.”
“You want to join two?” Chen Nannan asked in surprise.
“Yeah.” Wang Yuqiong nodded. “I’m thinking Student Union Discipline Department and the Art Troupe.”
“Ar… Art Troupe?”
“Yep. I hear the Art Troupe isn’t too busy, which fits me perfectly.”
Wang Yuqiong’s gaze shifted to Shen An. “Did you do the Art Troupe interview yet?”
“I did.”
“Did you pass?”
“Hard to say.”
“I see. Looks like their interviews are tough. I’ll have to prepare properly.”
Wang Yuqiong mused to herself.
“So, are you headed to the Art Troupe now?” Shen An glanced at Song Rui. “You two both want in, right?”
He was indirectly asking Wang Yuqiong why she wasn’t going with Song Rui.
“Nah, we’re heading back now.”
“Our plan was just to look around. No rush on the interviews.”
Wang Yuqiong shook her head. “Plus, I have a little quirk—I prefer going to interviews alone. So I’ll head over by myself later.”
“Not to mention I haven’t fully decided yet. I might change my mind by tonight.”
With that, she flashed Shen An a playful, sly smile.
Unfortunately, her height and striking features meant it came off more poised than girlishly spirited.
But it was undeniably pleasing to the eye.
Song Rui’s expression shifted subtly at her words.
Shen An caught the change.
It wasn’t resentment or grievance—just gratitude.
It seemed Wang Yuqiong had initially suggested they go together, but Song Rui had turned her down.
The one who preferred solo interviews was Song Rui, not Wang Yuqiong.
Wang Yuqiong hadn’t become the dorm’s core just because she was outgoing.
She handled social graces with real finesse.
“That works. Senior Sister can give you the full rundown tonight, and you can decide then.”
Shen An smiled.
“Mm. Senior Sister, just find me whenever you’re free tonight.”
Wang Yuqiong looked at Chen Nannan and smiled softly. “I’m flexible.”
“Sure.” Chen Nannan nodded.
“Shen An.” Wang Yuqiong suddenly turned to him. “Do you think I’d be a good fit for the Art Troupe?”
Shen An paused, his eyes drifting to the pair of long, straight legs tucked into her jeans—like spears ready for battle.
He nodded firmly. “No one would be more perfect.”
She was born for the runway.
In the near future, Wang Yuqiong was sure to become the star of the Art Troupe’s Model Group.
Pleased with his affirmation, Wang Yuqiong broke into a radiant smile. “Then we won’t keep you and Senior Sister from your game.”
She took Li Li’s arm. “We’re off?”
“Bye-bye.”
They all waved, then parted ways.
“Tch, she sure knows how to talk.”
After they parted ways, Shen An couldn’t help but admire Wang Yuqiong’s demeanor and words as he reflected on them.
She was genuinely outgoing, the kind that never imposed on others.
Sure, some people were outgoing too, but theirs came at the expense of ignoring everyone else’s feelings.
In short, selfish extroversion.
They only cared about their own fun, never bothering to check if the other person had time or was inconvenienced.
Take Shen An himself, for example.
But Wang Yuqiong was different.
She sincerely reached out to people and always paid careful attention to their emotions.
First, she’d covered for Song Rui, then dropped that line about “whenever you’re free tonight, Senior Sister,” making it impossible for even Chen Nannan to turn her down.
Chen Nannan overheard his quiet praise. She glanced back to confirm that Wang Yuqiong and the others had walked off into the distance.
Then she immediately went back to her old trick, pinching the soft flesh at Shen An’s waist. “You jerk… why’d you have to go and meddle?!”
Shen An clutched his side with a wronged expression at first, then blinked at her innocently. “Huh?”
“Huh, what?!” Chen Nannan pouted. “I never even told them I’m the Student Union president. I only told you, and you went and blabbed it.”
“Uh…” Shen An said softly. “That hardly seems like much of a secret, does it? Once they join a club or the Student Union, they’ll find out anyway. Telling them early or late doesn’t make a difference.”
“Besides, owning up to it upfront doesn’t seem like a bad thing, right?”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t want to give Wang Yuqiong some pointers, Senior Sister?”
“I…” Chen Nannan stomped her little foot and mumbled, “It’s not that. I’d actually be happy to.”
“It’s just… I…”
Shen An smiled knowingly. “Are you worried that it looks like you were deliberately hiding it if it comes from me? Does that make you feel awkward?”
Chen Nannan shook her head. Truth be told, she didn’t even know why herself.
She just… didn’t like revealing too much about herself.
That was always how she interacted with people.
She never pried or gossiped unless someone asked her directly or brought it up first. Otherwise, she stuck to polite, surface-level conversation.
The few people she opened up to were the ones she truly considered good friends.
As for Shen An standing beside her, Chen Nannan still couldn’t figure out why she’d grown so close to him so quickly.
She was warmhearted but never one to flaunt it.
If she saw someone in need, she’d help without hesitation.
But she wouldn’t go out of her way to ask, “Do you need a hand?”
She wasn’t quite socially anxious, but she kind of was.
She feared initiating or navigating close relationships, yet passively yearned for that closeness all the same.
She was even more afraid of misunderstandings or misinterpretations, which was why she’d dragged Shen An away to dodge Wang Yuqiong and the others at first.
“Whatever.”
Chen Nannan sighed. “You’ve already spilled it, and I’ve already agreed. It’s a done deal now.”
Shen An lowered his voice too. “Next time we run into someone you know, I’ll just keep my mouth shut, okay?”
Chen Nannan turned to look at his aggrieved face. She pursed her lips and softened her tone. “Dummy, I was just venting. Don’t take it to heart—I’m not mad at you.”
“It’s my own issue. As Assistant Class Supervisor, I should be more proactive in helping out the freshmen anyway.”
“So… it’s not my fault?”
“Nope.”
“Tch.” Shen An’s energy instantly returned full force. “Then are you ready to get lit up by me, Senior Sister?”
A black line crept across Chen Nannan’s forehead. She raised her trembling, clenched little fist and gritted out, “Have I been too lenient with you?”
“Has your leash gotten a little too long~?”
Shen An instinctively hummed along.
Aaaah!!!
Chen Nannan had reached her limit. Time for a solid punch.
But when she looked up, Shen An had already vanished.
“Hey, wait for me! Do you even know where the Basketball Court is? Dummy!!”
Chen Nannan clutched her little bag tight and dashed after him in her white sneakers.
