Ever since his discharge from the hospital, Shen An had harbored a lingering suspicion.
His body seemed to have developed some issues—but judging from the signs so far, they weren’t the bad kind.
It started with his recovery speed.
Logically speaking, the injuries he’d sustained saving that girl from jumping off the building should have been serious. Yet according to the hospital staff, he had recovered remarkably quickly!
They attributed it to his good fortune in avoiding any vital spots, combined with a constitution slightly stronger than average.
But Shen An knew his own body better than anyone.
He had always been frail, plagued by congenital illnesses from the start.
That was precisely why he threw himself into all sorts of sports, hoping to build his strength through exercise and fend off his ailments.
Even after training to the point where he could hold his own in any athletic pursuit, the pains still tormented him relentlessly.
Which was why he loathed hospitals with a burning passion.
If this crossing over hadn’t changed his body at all, he shouldn’t be feeling this healthy now—and the hospital’s full checkup had turned up zero problems.
So if there had been a change, what was it?
Shen An’s thoughts circled back to square one.
He knew exactly where the change lay.
His illnesses had vanished completely. His recovery power, endurance, and even athletic prowess were all far superior to before.
He had sensed it from that very first layup.
What clinched it for him, though, was his shooting.
He realized he no longer needed to concentrate intensely on his aim. A quick glance at the hoop, and the shot would swish right in.
It was as if the perfect force and arc had become pure muscle memory—even though this was clearly his first time playing here.
Ha, was this his golden finger?
The System might be a dud, but paired with this kind of extra physical boost?
Not bad at all.
Lost in thought, Shen An suddenly heard a sharp cry.
“Ahhh… It hurts…”
He whipped around at once and saw Chen Nannan clutching her calf, curled up on the ground and writhing in agony.
“Senior Sister?”
He rushed over, voice laced with concern.
“I… I…” Chen Nannan grimaced, her small face paling. “I think I’ve got a cramp…”
Shen An arched a brow. “Huh?”
“What do you mean, huh? I have a cramp!!”
Flushing with a mix of pain and embarrassment, she flailed her little hand feebly in the air before clutching her leg again.
“Just stand up and kick your legs out a few times. You’ll be fine.”
Shen An said gently.
“I… I can’t stand… It hurts so much~” Her brows knotted together in misery, and she looked utterly pitiful.
“Then straighten it out?”
“I… I can’t move it! It hurts!!!”
Shen An sighed inwardly. This Senior Sister’s body was in rough shape.
Traditional methods it was, then.
He propped her up halfway and reached down to untie her white sneaker.
“Hey! What are you doing~?”
Chen Nannan yelped, grabbing his wrist with her small hand in a desperate bid to stop him.
“Helping you work out the cramp,” Shen An replied evenly. “You expect me to do it with the shoe still on?”
“Well…”
“No ‘well’ about it. You can’t stand, you can’t straighten it—stop overthinking.”
He brushed her hand aside and undid the laces.
Chen Nannan froze for a second, then tried to block him again as he tugged at the shoe.
Shen An rolled his eyes. “What, afraid you’ve got foot fungus or something?”
“Huh? You… What kind of nonsense is that?! I do not have foot fungus!!”
Her face turned beet red as she denied it vehemently.
“Then quit stalling, or the pain’s gonna kill you.”
“Ahhh…” The cramp throbbed on, and Chen Nannan finally gave up the fight. “Fine, just do it.”
He slipped off the sneaker, revealing a pair of pink socks printed with cartoon patterns.
Beneath them, her little foot was curled tight from the cramp.
Shen An paused at the sight of the socks.
He turned his head, giving Chen Nannan a strange look.
Sensing his stare, she clapped her hands over her face in mortification. “What are you waiting for…? It hurts…”
“Alright, alright. Hold still.”
Shen An chuckled to himself as he pressed his palm against her sole and gently pushed it in the opposite direction.
His other hand cradled her fair calf, kneading the muscle to loosen it.
Working together, the cramp eased away in short order.
Her cries faded, leaving her limp and spent, cold sweat beading on her small face and matting her dark hair.
Panting for breath, Chen Nannan lay flat on the ground and muttered, “I forgot to warm up… This is all your fault for rushing me.”
Sure, blame me again.
Shen An didn’t bother arguing. Instead, he pointed at her pink socks. “Didn’t peg you for the girly type, Senior Sister.”
Blushing furiously, she puffed out her cheeks. “Is there a law against cartoon socks?”
“Nope, none at all.”
Shen An chuckled softly, his tone warm. “Actually, it suits you perfectly. Pretty cute.”
“Hmph. Flatterer~”
Chen Nannan was worn out too, and with her long sleeves already filthy, lying there once more hardly mattered.
Every spot his fingertips grazed felt impossibly smooth, like caressing flawless jade—silky, with no hint of roughness.
Her skin was a special kind of white: healthy and rosy, yet pure as fresh snow.
Blended together, it resembled finely carved jade—beautiful to behold, exquisite to the touch.
He kneaded her calf with vigor, reluctant to let go of that velvety softness.
Inevitably, his gaze drifted to her little foot.
Everyone had their quirks, and Shen An’s particular fetish centered on these dainty three-inch feet.
Feet were deeply private, rarely glimpsed—and that very secrecy ignited curiosity.
From curiosity bloomed a hint of the forbidden; from the forbidden arose temptation.
Shen An suddenly ached to peel off her sock and see if the foot beneath was as adorably perfect as the rest of her.
But after lingering on the thought, he reined himself in and looked back at Chen Nannan.
She lay there fully supine, eyes closed as if catching her breath.
Yet the flush creeping over her small face wasn’t mere post-exercise glow. It carried a shy undercurrent—the bashful sort born of being found out.
Shen An had his suspicions. Deliberately, he let his fingertip trail lightly along the curve of her calf.
As expected, Chen Nannan shivered, her eyes flying open.
She met the wicked smirk tugging at Shen An’s lips. Her blush deepened to crimson as she turned away with a petulant huff. “I think it’s fine now.”
“Mm.”
Without reluctance, Shen An lowered her leg.
“Hey.”
“What? You just said it was fine.”
“The shoe…”
“You want me to put it back on too?” Shen An pulled a face.
“Yeah~ I don’t feel like moving.” A hint of coquetry slipped into Chen Nannan’s voice.
“Sigh. Can’t win with you.”
That had always been her go-to line, but hearing it from Shen An’s lips struck her as oddly endearing.
He crouched down, lifted her little foot, and carefully slipped the sneaker back on, tying the laces into a neat bow.
“No more lying around.”
Shen An released her foot with a light laugh. “And next time, skip the white clothes.”
Chen Nannan pursed her lips. “They’re already dirty. Whatever~”
“Lucky you. I barely have any spares.”
Shen An sighed.
“How could you not~?” She frowned. “Just buy a few more.”
“You buying them for me, Senior Sister?”
“Pfft~ I meant for you to buy them yourself.”
“Oh. Here I thought you wanted to match outfits with me.” Shen An grinned.
At that, Chen Nannan scrambled to her feet and gave his waist a playful pinch—not too hard. “Match outfits? You and your naughty ideas.”
“Injustice~” Shen An hammed it up. “I was just hoping.”
“No hoping allowed!”
Chen Nannan huffed. “I already did those twenty pushups. Let’s keep going!”
“You sure you’re not slacking?”
“I… I counted them myself.”
“Alright, alright. Here we go.”
He grabbed the ball, and they dove into another round of shooting.
In the end, they played for two or three hours, not calling it quits until dusk approached.
When they returned the ball to the Basketball Club, the stall was already mostly packed away.
Chen Nannan racked up plenty of wins.
Aside from that first set of twenty pushups, she took nearly every shooting bet.
Shen An always lost by just a single point.
Both of them knew exactly why.
Halfway back, Chen Nannan piped up. “Want some ice cream?”
“Popsicle?”
“Ice cream, I mean.”
“Popsicle’s what I said.”
“Mm. You want one?”
“Senior Sister treating?” Shen An grinned.
“Knew you’d pull that. Only I’m this nice to you.” Chen Nannan huffed but dutifully led him to a nearby ice cream shop.
They bought their popsicles and strolled along, eating as they went.
Chen Nannan figured they were headed straight home—but then Shen An suddenly took her little hand in his.
Chen Nannan’s heart skipped a beat, a touch of panic in her voice. “Wha… what are you doing?”
Her first instinct was to ask him, rather than pull away.
Shen An pointed toward the sunset. “It’s so beautiful.”
Chen Nannan blinked in surprise and looked up. The sun was sinking slowly, draping the surrounding white clouds in colorful new garments that stretched endlessly across half the sky.
“Yeah… it really is beautiful,” she murmured.
“How about we go watch the sunset?” Shen An suggested.
“Where to?” Chen Nannan paused, a flicker of delight crossing her eyes. “The rooftop?”
“Yeah. Heading back so early, I wouldn’t even know what to do anyway.”
“Alright~ But I’m not sure if the door’s locked.”
“Don’t worry. I’m the lockpicking master here.”
“Pfft, don’t get cocky. What if we get caught?”
Chen Nannan took a bite of her ice cream cone and lowered her voice. “Also, don’t use that trick casually. It’d be a real hassle if you got busted.”
Shen An chuckled softly. “I’m no thief. Why would I use it casually?”
“Special methods are for special situations.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Before long, the two of them made their way from the street up to the rooftop.
The rooftop door was still locked, but it didn’t seem like anyone had checked on it lately—the lock was positioned exactly as it had been the last time Shen An came by.
Shen An didn’t hesitate. He repeated his old trick, popping the lock open and setting it aside before pushing the door wide.
“So pretty…”
From the rooftop, the sunset was even clearer.
Every wisp of cloud on the horizon, every streak of colorful evening glow, filled Chen Nannan’s bright eyes.
She couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. She quickly found a spot to sit, pulled out her phone, and fiddled with the angle to take a photo.
Shen An sat beside her, leisurely nibbling on his popsicle.
He watched the sunset in the sky while also watching Chen Nannan as she constantly adjusted her position for the perfect shot.
Seeing that she hadn’t found a good angle after a while, Shen An finished his popsicle and reached out.
“Hey…”
He took her phone and said softly, “Let me do it.”
“You… you know how to take photos?”
“Of course. I’m a pro.”
Shen An declared with full confidence.
“Oh~” Chen Nannan obediently let go of the phone and watched him work.
Snap! Snap!
The results from Shen An’s shots surprised Chen Nannan.
They were… really good.
She looked at him in astonishment. “How do you know so many things?”
“Natural talent.”
Shen An replied coolly, striking a pose.
But he soon regretted it.
Once she learned how skilled Shen An was at photography, Chen Nannan’s enthusiasm ignited.
She hurriedly swallowed the rest of her ice cream cone, stood up, walked to one side, and gestured for him to take her picture.
Shen An: …
Here we go again.
“Don’t girls have any other hobbies?” he muttered.
“Shen An?” Chen Nannan struck a pose and waved. “Ready when you are!”
“Sigh, fine. Hold still.”
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Facts proved that even someone with top-tier photography skills couldn’t satisfy a girl’s photo obsession in a short time.
No matter how perfect each shot was, Chen Nannan would always say, “One more.”
So it went: one photo, another, and another.
The sun gradually dipped completely below the horizon, and nightfall slowly descended.
Shen An rubbed his hand; his fingers were getting tired from all the shooting.
Good thing it was just a phone. If it had been a proper camera, he’d need a real break.
At that moment, Chen Nannan glanced at the last traces of glow in the sky and hurried back to Shen An’s side. In a soft voice, she said, “How about we take one together?”
“Still more?” Shen An stared at her in disbelief. Those bright, lively eyes of hers seemed to hide a little scheme—a mischievous one.
“I’ve only got shots of me so far. We haven’t taken any together.”
Chen Nannan urged him playfully.
“Fine, fine.”
Shen An stifled his impatience and gave in to her endless requests.
He took dozens more, his smile growing stiff.
Sitting poses, standing ones, all sorts of angles—every one captured.
Only when night had fully fallen and the last glimmer of sunset vanished did Chen Nannan finally call it quits.
The two returned to their original spots, sitting in the middle of the rooftop.
Shen An held her phone, reviewing the photos and tweaking them as needed.
Chen Nannan leaned against him eagerly; these were skills she’d never mastered.
She rarely took photos herself. She’d always been interested, but her technique was lacking.
Today, she’d struck gold with someone who knew what he was doing—she was going to make the most of it.
“This one’s lighting is off. Pass.”
“And this smile isn’t quite right. Pass too.”
Shen An sounded like a professional photographer, offering critiques as he scrolled through the shots.
Chen Nannan listened quietly at first, but then a wave of fatigue washed over her.
Her constitution wasn’t frail—she even worked out occasionally.
But lately, she’d been swamped, neglecting her fitness routine. Today’s running around hadn’t helped, and exhaustion was setting in.
At first, she fought to stay alert, listening to Shen An’s rambling commentary.
But the more he rambled, the more it sounded like a lullaby, weighing down her eyelids.
She gazed at him, at his focused profile, where the final hints of sunset glow seemed to linger.
Gradually, her mind grew fuzzy. She knew she was about to slump over, right onto his shoulder.
Mmm…
She didn’t fight it or resist the overwhelming drowsiness. Instead, she let herself surrender completely.
Surrender to what felt like an inevitable outcome!
Finally, Chen Nannan couldn’t hold out any longer.
With a soft thud, she collapsed against his shoulder. Her delicate little face nestled close, her lips pursing slightly.
Shen An, who’d been chattering away, froze for a moment and promptly fell silent.
He turned his head carefully to look. In the not-yet pitch-black night, Chen Nannan’s exquisite, fair face was perfectly clear—clear enough to etch itself into his mind.
Her soft lips mumbled restlessly a few times, as if complaining even in her dreams.
The corners of Shen An’s mouth curved up slightly. He gently lifted the phone and adjusted the angle.
Snap~
