Ding-dong, ding-dong~
The crisp ringtone chimed right on time at seven-thirty, rudely dragging Shen An from his sleep.
When he opened his eyes, he was still a bit groggy.
His thoughts muddled for a moment, he suddenly wondered, “Where’s this alarm coming from?”
He remembered he hadn’t set one for himself.
But the insistent peal in his ears prodded him like an urgent summons. Instinctively, he reached out from under the covers and fished out his phone.
Taking a closer look—well damn, it wasn’t an alarm at all!
This was a voice call.
From Song Rui.
Shen An hit accept. “Hello?”
“You… are you up yet?” Song Rui’s timid voice drifted from the other end.
“Getting up now.”
Shen An couldn’t help but chuckle wryly.
That silly girl Song Rui must have gotten the wrong idea. He’d only asked her to wake him yesterday—not to turn it into a daily wake-up call.
“Oh, okay then. You get up first. I… I’m off to buy breakfast.”
Song Rui spoke softly.
“Hold on.”
“Huh?”
“You’re buying breakfast?”
“Yeah…” Song Rui blinked. “Want some?”
“Yes!”
“What do you feel like eating?”
“Uh…” Shen An drew a blank for the moment.
Casually, he said, “Whatever you’re having is fine, or just something filling.”
“Okay.”
Song Rui agreed obediently. “Hurry up, though, or it’ll get cold.”
“Got it, got it. That’s the plan.”
Shen An hung up, stretched lazily, and rolled out of bed.
He drew back the curtains. Even though it was just past seven, the sunlight streaming in was already harsh.
“The grind begins…”
He muttered to himself.
Xu Yijing had already left the apartment, leaving him on his own again.
A quick glance at his schedule, books in hand, and Shen An trudged off to the Teaching Central District, fighting off drowsiness.
By 8:05, with twenty-five minutes to go before class, Shen An had made it to the classroom.
The room was sparsely populated. Plenty of lazybones, it seemed.
Of the three guys in class, the other two were still nowhere to be seen.
But the four girls from East 7 Dorm 105 were all assembled, sitting primly in the front row.
Wang Yuqiong shot Shen An a glance and launched right into her passive-aggressive sarcasm. “Oh ho ho, if it isn’t classmate Shen.”
She stood, her beautiful eyes sparkling with mockery. “So early today? That’s a first.”
Shen An ignored Wang Yuqiong entirely and circled around to Song Rui’s side.
Wang Yuqiong: ?
Two breakfasts sat on Song Rui’s desk. As Shen An approached, she said softly, “I… I didn’t know which one you’d like.”
She shifted aside and smiled up at him. “Pick whichever.”
Wang Yuqiong: ????
She’d been puzzled why Song Rui bought two portions, figuring maybe she had a big appetite.
Never in a million years…
Never would’ve guessed…
They were for him!
Shen An couldn’t resist ruffling Song Rui’s silky hair. With a soft chuckle, he said, “Why’d you get two? You haven’t eaten yet?”
Song Rui ducked her head shyly. “Mm…”
Well damn… This girl hadn’t just bought two—she’d waited specifically for Shen An to choose first.
Her thoughtfulness melted away much of his lingering sleepiness.
He grabbed one at random, then turned to Zhang Tong beside Song Rui. “Mind scooting over a bit?”
Song Rui was already at the very edge.
“Oh~ Sure thing.”
Zhang Tong hurriedly nudged Li Li next to her, who glanced toward Wang Yuqiong.
Wang Yuqiong watched it all in silence. After a beat, she grudgingly shuffled her backside over.
“You don’t mind me sitting next to you, right?”
Shen An slid into Song Rui’s old spot, grinning at her.
Song Rui’s heart stuttered. Her voice came out in a mosquito-like whisper. “No… I don’t mind.”
“Good~”
He had zero interest in sitting by Wang Yuqiong.
Even catching a nap would be impossible.
“Eat up. Why are you just sitting there?” Shen An opened his breakfast bag and saw Song Rui frozen in place. He smiled.
“Eating…”
Song Rui’s small hands trembled faintly as she picked up her portion.
“Mm, pretty good. Which cafeteria?”
“The one here…”
“This one’s? Or East District’s.”
“This one’s…”
“Nice. I’ll check it out next time, see what else they’ve got.”
“They have…”
“What? Tell me about them.”
As Song Rui and Shen An ate and chatted, Li Li and Zhang Tong exchanged a glance, then shared a knowing, ambiguous smile.
They turned to tease Wang Yuqiong—only to meet her blank-faced, murderous glare.
Zhang Tong and Li Li shivered inwardly. Had they done something wrong?
But no—Wang Yuqiong’s stare wasn’t aimed at them. It was…
Zhang Tong and Li Li sneaked a peek the other way: straight at Song Rui and Shen An.
Hiss…
They signaled frantically with their eyes.
Zhang Tong: “What’s the deal?”
Li Li: “What deal? Isn’t it obvious?”
Zhang Tong: “No way??”
Li Li: “Way.”
Zhang Tong: “Ah, crap. What do we do?”
Li Li: “Play dead. Stay quiet. Next door’s a powder keg.”
Zhang Tong: “? Blink slower—I don’t get it!!”
Li Li rolled her eyes.
Zhang Tong caught on.
It meant every girl for herself.
The pair fell silent at once, but being sandwiched between the left and right wasn’t the least bit pleasant.
More students trickled in, livening up the classroom.
Yang Bin and Li Yun arrived during this time, chatting with Shen An for a bit.
Yang Bin had his sights set on the Student Union, specifically the Sports Department. Interviews hadn’t started yet.
Li Yun was a total slacker—no Student Union, no clubs, completely unaffiliated.
But when Shen An mentioned joining the Art Troupe, their reactions matched perfectly.
They eyed each other, sucked in a sharp breath, then turned to Shen An with a mix of admiration and pity.
Yang Bin and Li Yun clapped him on the shoulder in unison. “Take care, bro.”
Shen An’s mouth twitched. “Thanks.”
Yang Bin’s expression grew complicated.
Truth be told, he’d considered the Art Troupe at first. Hottest girls, highest quality.
But its notorious reputation daunted him. He dreaded ending up as a pure workhorse.
Before class even began, Chen Nannan’s figure drifted past the window.
Her lecture today happened to be right near Class 1, so it wasn’t a special patrol.
Pretending to pass by casually, she let her gaze slip inside at the last second.
Seeing Shen An not seated next to Wang Yuqiong lifted a weight from Chen Nannan’s chest.
At eight-thirty sharp, the bell rang, and class commenced!
The shrill chime curtained up Shen An’s day.
As it turned out, bringing books or not made little difference for him.
He tried tuning out the teacher’s soporific drone and reading on his own.
But barely a few minutes in, exhaustion crashed over him like a wave.
“English and I are just doomed to clash.”
That was his last coherent thought.
Then darkness fell, and the world went still.
Truth be told, none of the four girls in the front row were having an easy time either.
Song Rui went without saying. She felt both eager and on edge.
Their earlier chat had been entirely Shen An carrying the conversation; she’d only murmured responses.
Now, watching him doze off, she stole a glance, a sour pang twisting in her chest.
As expected…
Chatting with her must be boring, right?
As for Li Li and Zhang Tong, stuck in the middle, it was pure bad luck.
They had no beef with Shen An or Song Rui—but Wang Yuqiong terrified them!
Wang Yuqiong appeared to be listening intently, but her piercing gaze kept slicing through them toward the other side.
Li Li and Zhang Tong had to stay on high alert, terrified of blocking her line of sight.
Wang Yuqiong…
This was likely the most distracted she’d ever been in class.
All because he’d chosen to sit beside Song Rui instead of her.
That was it.
Yet her mind roiled, that sour feeling clogging everything up.
She didn’t understand why.
Why sit next to Song Rui and not her?
Last night… hadn’t it been… pretty good?
Was he still worried she’d hold a grudge?
But that mess was his own fault for running his mouth!
“Think it over”? Did she really come off that desperate?
The more Wang Yuqiong dwelled, the angrier she got—fueled by the lack of answers, spiraling into a vicious loop.
It proved one thing: if you wanted a gentle, virtuous girlfriend, Wang Yuqiong was the wrong pick.
Her sensitive, suspicious nature doomed her to be a little vinegar jar.
Shen An, however, was oblivious to it all.
He slept the sleep of the blissfully undisturbed.
Pure bliss~
When morning classes wrapped, the classroom erupted in chatter as everyone headed for lunch.
The front row didn’t budge.
Because Shen An hasn’t woken up yet!
Song Rui was a bit hesitant and conflicted, wondering if she should wake him, but afraid of disturbing him and making him unhappy.
Li Li and Zhang Tong…
Uh, not daring to move.
Completely not daring to move.
Wang Yuqiong’s lips curled into a mocking smile, as if ridiculing Song Rui’s “weakness,” and also seeming dissatisfied with Shen An’s sleepiness.
But behind this mockery, a hint of smugness could faintly be seen.
She figured that according to yesterday’s script, she and Shen An still had plenty of chances to interact today.
In other words, she had lots of opportunities to disgust him!
Bastard.
Smack.
Suddenly, someone patted her on the back.
Wang Yuqiong turned around; it was Shen Lianyao.
Shen Lianyao looked at Wang Yuqiong and softly said, “Are we going to the meeting now?”
Wang Yuqiong blinked…
Oh right…
The class committee still has to have a meeting…
She suddenly remembered.
Li Li and Zhang Tong, upon hearing this, quickly nodded: “Yeah, are we going to the meeting now?”
They didn’t want to be stuck in the middle, tormented by this almost suffocating silence.
Wang Yuqiong’s plans fell through; in annoyance, she abruptly stood up, circled to Shen An’s side, and slapped his back hard.
Smack!
The sound was crisp.
Song Rui’s eyes widened; startled, she also felt a bit heartbroken.
So forceful… it must hurt, right?
Shen An was jolted awake from his sleep, sitting up straight with a start, full of seriousness: “What happened? What happened?”
He glanced at the podium; the teacher was already gone.
He instantly relaxed, slouching as he said, “Class is over?”
As he spoke, he even stretched lazily.
Wang Yuqiong said coldly, “Morning classes are all over. You sure can sleep.”
“Average, average.”
Shen An chuckled.
“Heh, you’re even proud of it?” Wang Yuqiong glared at him in exasperation: “Next time, sit on my side, got it?”
Oh ho?
Zhang Tong and Li Li exchanged glances again.
As expected of Yuqiong.
Directly declaring sovereignty!
Song Rui’s gaze darkened; she silently lowered her head, her ten fingers intertwining together.
