“Come on, Senior Sister, let me give you a shoulder rub.”
Shen An hadn’t gone far before he volunteered, circling behind Chen Nannan. He placed his hands on either side of her fragrant shoulders and gently kneaded them.
Chen Nannan shrank back a little and raised an eyebrow. “What mischief are you up to now?”
“What mischief?” Shen An blinked innocently. “I’m just helping you relax, Senior Sister.”
“After all, you supported me the whole way. With all those ups and downs, it must have been tiring.”
Ups and downs???
Chen Nannan froze for a moment before realizing this guy was subtly mocking her for being short!
Was that her fault?
It was all because Wang Yuqiong was so tall! At one meter seventy-eight, who knew what she ate to grow that big?
“Shoo, shoo.” Chen Nannan swatted his hands away and huffed. “You’re the funny one. You couldn’t even bring a suitcase for the books.”
Shen An felt genuinely wronged.
“I was supposed to grab them during lunch break, but I went to eat with you instead, Senior Sister.”
Chen Nannan chuckled dryly. “So now it’s my fault?”
“No, no, no! I didn’t mean that at all.”
Shen An grinned and waved it off. Then he lowered his head to take the takeout box from Chen Nannan’s hand. “What kind of sweet treat is this?”
“Sweet treat?”
“Ahem, dessert!”
“It’s sago dew. Mango sago dew.”
Chen Nannan said softly.
“Mmm, smells pretty good.” Shen An hurriedly opened the takeout box. Without even grabbing a spoon, he gulped down a big mouthful.
“Of course it tastes good,” Chen Nannan said gently. “Everything at that dessert shop is delicious.”
“Where is it?”
“In the South District.”
Hiss~
The South District again.
Shen An raised an eyebrow. “That’s pretty far.”
“Hey, I was eating in the South District anyway, so I just grabbed one for you on the way.”
Chen Nannan’s eyes flickered with a hint of guilt as she covered it up.
She hadn’t grabbed it on the way—she’d made a special trip to the South District for it.
But Shen An was more concerned about something else. She’d been eating in the South District. Had she run into him and Wang Yuqiong by chance again?
A closer look showed no odd expression on Chen Nannan’s face, so she probably wasn’t hiding any little emotions.
Shen An breathed a quiet sigh of relief and polished off the entire box of sago dew in just a few gulps.
“Slow down! Careful not to choke.”
Chen Nannan watched him devour it like a starving ghost reincarnated and rolled her eyes in exasperation.
She quietly pulled out a tissue, ready to hand it to him to wipe his mouth.
Shen An didn’t budge. Instead, he eagerly leaned forward, sticking his mouth right in front of her face.
“Eek!”
Chen Nannan shot him a pretend look of disgust before taking the tissue and wiping his mouth for him.
“By the way, why’d you get back to the apartment so late?”
“Were you out eating with Yuqiong again?”
Shen An luxuriated in Chen Nannan’s mouth-wiping service while confirming she hadn’t spotted him with Wang Yuqiong in the South District.
He nodded slightly. “Mmm-hmm!”
A simple “mmm-hmm” would only invite more suspicion from Chen Nannan.
So he quickly added an explanation. “After we grabbed the books, we went over to check out the Art Troupe. It wasn’t just Yuqiong—Song Rui was there too.”
“The Art Troupe? You mean their practice grounds?”
“Yeah.”
Shen An got a bit excited. “That Art Troupe is impressive. They even have their own dedicated grounds.”
Chen Nannan pursed her lips. “Of course it’s impressive. Why do you think I joined back then?”
“It’s the most unique department in the Student Union. It wasn’t even under Student Union jurisdiction originally. It only got folded in later during a reorganization.”
“But the Art Troupe has kept a high degree of independence to this day. Especially since Senior Sister Zhao became Deputy Troupe Leader—she’s this close to applying to withdraw from the Student Union altogether.”
“No wonder…” Shen An nodded thoughtfully.
“No wonder what? What about Song Rui?” Chen Nannan pressed.
“She ran into one of her old senior sisters at the Art Troupe, so she went off to catch up.”
“Didn’t you see? I was pushing two suitcases—one of them was hers.”
Chen Nannan huffed lightly. “As if I had the bandwidth to notice. You nearly scared me half to death earlier. I went over and saw Yuqiong’s face so pale—I thought something terrible had happened.”
Thinking back, she still felt a twinge of suspicion.
“Let me ask you one more time. You really didn’t do anything else just now?”
She stared at him with a scrutinizing gaze, like she was interrogating a criminal.
Shen An’s mouth twitched. “Senior Sister, can you not look at me like that? Are we cosplaying now?”
“What the heck!”
“Well, if you put on a uniform, I’d be happy to play along.” Shen An grinned.
“Nice try. Don’t think you can change the subject.”
Chen Nannan smacked his shoulder hard and said gravely, “Did you really not do anything else?”
“What could I have done…”
Shen An shrugged. “I already told you everything that happened.”
“Oh ho? So there’s stuff you shouldn’t tell?” Chen Nannan narrowed her eyes.
“Hey, Senior Sister, you’re overthinking it.” Shen An chuckled and playfully brushed a lock of her hair, his voice softening. “Really, nothing happened. I just went downstairs, and she suddenly said she felt unwell.”
“Besides, if I’d done something, with Yuqiong’s temper, I wouldn’t have gotten away with it.”
A mocking smile tugged at Chen Nannan’s lips. “That’s not so sure. Maybe she was hoping you’d do something.”
“Huh?”
Shen An’s expression froze, turning serious. “You can’t have thoughts like that, Senior Sister.”
“Pah.” Chen Nannan wrinkled her exquisite nose in a cute, non-threatening tone. “I’m warning you—don’t get any funny ideas.”
“I swear…” Shen An sighed heavily. “In your eyes, Senior Sister, I’m turning into a total sleaze.”
“No, I just don’t want you straying down the wrong path.”
Chen Nannan said earnestly.
“Mmm, so Senior Sister means it’s not okay to get ideas about Yuqiong, but it’s fine for you?”
Shen An suddenly perked up, his face full of anticipation.
Chen Nannan gave a skin-deep smile. “What do you think?”
“Uh…”
Facing her murderous glare, Shen An decided to quit while he was ahead. He tucked his hands behind his head. “Nice weather today, huh? Haha.”
“Did Senior Sister Zhao say anything to you at the Art Troupe?”
Chen Nannan changed the subject.
“Yeah.” Shen An shrugged. “She didn’t just talk to me—she dumped another tricky task on me.”
“I feel like I’m turning into a donkey, worked like a dog by her.”
Chen Nannan frowned. “Weird way to put it. What did she task you with this time?”
“Interviews.”
Shen An turned his head, helpless. “Basically, I’ll be involved in all the upcoming Art Troupe interviews.”
“But there’s good news too.” Shen An grinned. “Want to hear, Senior Sister?”
“Your private secretary gig, right?” Chen Nannan said sarcastically. “The Deputy Troupe Leader’s exclusive private secretary.”
Shen An: …
His smile froze. He scratched his head. “You know about it already, Senior Sister?”
“I bet the only people in the Student Union who don’t know are a handful.”
Chen Nannan pulled out her phone and opened the so-called Student Union app. “She used her admin privileges to pin your announcement right at the top. Impossible not to see it!”
Shen An let out a long sigh toward the sky. “Looks like she really likes me.”
Chen Nannan didn’t care for that phrasing.
She gave him a light kick, and Shen An quickly corrected himself. “Values me highly!”
“Hmph. Just be careful, anyway.” Chen Nannan’s expression turned serious. “That exclusive secretary position isn’t a walk in the park.”
“Have you done it?”
“As if!” Chen Nannan huffed cutely. “The Art Troupe doesn’t even have that role. It’s obviously a trap she set for you on purpose.”
“Private secretary? Might as well turn the Student Union into her personal company.”
“Senior Sister, don’t knock it yet. Don’t you feel a little sorry for me?” Shen An put on a woeful face.
“What’s to feel sorry about?” Chen Nannan pursed her lips. “She’s clearly valuing you. And when Yuqiong joins the Office later, you two can team up. Male-female partners make the work less tiring.”
“True, but she hasn’t joined yet.”
Shen An rubbed his temples. “Look at my schedule—it’s packed solid.”
“Any spare time I had left is getting snatched by the Art Troupe.”
“It’s even busier than high school.”
Chen Nannan chuckled. “Your choice, not anyone else’s fault.”
“And besides, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. Wasn’t your original reason for joining the Art Troupe all about chasing after the girls?”
“Isn’t this right up your alley? You’ll be flitting around everywhere, and soon your friends list will be full of them.”
“Aaah…”
Shen An clutched his forehead. “Stop, stop—I can’t take it. I’m gonna explode.”
With that, he turned and flopped onto Chen Nannan’s shoulder.
Chen Nannan froze, then shook her shoulder. “Get up!”
“Don’t be like that. No comfort, just piling on the grief. At least let me lean for a bit…”
Shen An nuzzled her hair. “I’m really so tired.”
Seeing his pitiful act—even knowing he was playing it up—Chen Nannan couldn’t help softening. Pity welled up in her.
Fine…
“Then walk properly yourself. Don’t lean on me—you’re heavy!”
She protested verbally a few times, but Shen An just chuckled and pressed even closer to her shoulder.
It was a good thing there weren’t many people on the road—just the bright glow of street lamps lining the way. Otherwise, given how thin-skinned Chen Nannan was, she never would have tolerated such intimate contact.
She had never been in a relationship before, so she had no romantic history to draw on and little experience dealing with men.
For her, whether a behavior was acceptable came down entirely to her impression of the other person.
There was no doubt that Shen An held a special place in her heart.
Letting him lean against her like this didn’t seem like such a big deal, then.
After all, he had been working really hard lately.
And things would only get busier for him from here.
She was swamped too, so it would be hard to carve out time later. Better to seize the moment now and soothe his grumbling in advance.
With those justifications in place, Chen Nannan dipped her head slightly, tamping down the waves of shyness bubbling up inside her. She forced herself to stay calm and act as if nothing was amiss.
In truth, she had even fooled herself. She took his pitiful act and playful whining as mere self-consolation—an excuse to justify letting their relationship take this next natural step.
The budding and growth of a romance wasn’t nearly as difficult as people imagined.
Often, all it took was that crucial first step, and everything else flowed effortlessly from there.
Shen An didn’t find their pace particularly fast. He’d seen quicker.
It wasn’t uncommon for guys to hook up with a senior sister or classmate on just their second day of university.
Sure, you could call those flings fast food—fun for a while, but not the real deal. Yet plenty of those lightning romances lasted years, even leading to marriage and kids.
If the authenticity of love had to be measured by time alone, then most cases of love at first sight were nothing more than lust at first sight.
When you stripped away the layers, it really wasn’t that complicated.
Mutual consent was all it took.
Whether there would be a next step? One meeting usually made that crystal clear.
By now, the campus buses had stopped running for the night.
So Shen An walked Chen Nannan all the way back to the North District.
Under the cool night breeze and the pure moonlight, their shadows clung tightly together. From a distance, they looked every bit the inseparable couple.
They reached the entrance to Chen Nannan’s C Block Apartment in the North District.
Shen An rolled his neck. Leaning like that the whole way had left him a little sore.
Well, not the whole way. Once they hit the crowded playground in the North District, he’d tactfully pulled back to spare her any embarrassment.
Even so, he’d held the pose for a good ten minutes or more.
Seeing this, the blush on Chen Nannan’s pretty face deepened. She gave him a playful pout. “Alright, you’d better head back. You’ve got class tomorrow.”
“Mm.”
Shen An let out a yawn. “I’m getting sleepy anyway.”
He gave her a wave and watched as she headed into the apartment.
Only once her figure had vanished from sight did he turn away.
But instead of heading to his own D Block, he veered off toward the East District.
Wang Yuqiong’s fun had been interrupted, and she still had questions for him—piles of unresolved confusion churning in her mind. How could he just slink back to his apartment now and leave her hanging?
The real thrill of a surprise came after a setback.
Sure, it was a hassle trekking back and forth like this.
But compared to the payoff he was about to reap, a little extra walking was nothing.
