“I never realized you had such a girly side. Everything on you is pink.”
Shen An silently pulled his gaze away from the open neckline of her pajamas and casually found an excuse to divert Wang Yuqiong’s attention.
It wasn’t just the slippers—Wang Yuqiong’s pajamas and pants were all pink too.
Wang Yuqiong clasped her hands behind her back, a touch of shyness in her voice. “I am a girl, you know. I’m not even twenty yet.”
“Uh, yeah, it’s kinda hard to tell.”
Shen An’s sharp tongue was as biting as ever. Wang Yuqiong rolled her eyes, but then she remembered that he had come all this way just for her, so she held her tongue and decided not to argue.
“You still haven’t told me why you came looking for me. Did you take Senior Sister Xu back okay?”
“Mm~” Shen An didn’t answer right away. Instead, he took hold of Wang Yuqiong’s arm. “Let’s take a walk first.”
“Where to?”
Wang Yuqiong blinked her bright eyes.
“Anywhere’s better than standing right in front of your dorm door.”
Shen An grumbled.
Wang Yuqiong thought it over. He had a point.
Standing there was pretty conspicuous.
The two set off, following the glow of the streetlights as they headed off in another direction.
“If you’ve got something to say, spit it out already. Don’t dawdle, or I’ll miss curfew and won’t be able to get back in.”
Wang Yuqiong was enjoying the nighttime stroll with him, but time waited for no one.
“Curfew?”
Shen An gave a light chuckle. “We’re in college now. You still have that? I thought it was just a high school thing.”
“Of course we do.”
Wang Yuqiong huffed softly and turned her head a little. “You think everyone’s like you, living in the North District Apartment and coming and going whenever you please? Those of us in the regular dorms have a curfew.”
“When is it?”
“Eleven thirty, I think.”
“Then we’ve got half an hour. No rush.” Shen An glanced around, searching for a somewhat secluded spot.
After looking everywhere, the only dim path was the one leading toward the back mountain.
So he tugged Wang Yuqiong toward it.
The bright lights around them faded as they stepped into the corner. In an instant, everything grew pitch dark.
Even the clear moonlight overhead barely reached them because of the angle, scattering only faint glimmers that left their figures shrouded in shadow.
The sudden gloom made Wang Yuqiong a little uneasy. With the silence all around her, she suddenly recalled those Little Grove stories she’d heard from classmates back in high school.
Word was that high school couples loved taking walks in the school’s Little Grove, especially at night—the darker, the better.
At first, she’d been baffled and asked her classmates outright.
Once she learned why, Wang Yuqiong’s initial reaction was shock, followed by disdain.
She just didn’t get it.
Couldn’t get it at all.
Why do something like that in the Little Grove? Or more to the point, why do that kind of thing in the Little Grove?
It wasn’t like it was something shameful.
Her boldness stood out in moments like these, setting her apart from the others. Back then, she’d thought: If I ever get a boyfriend, there’s no way I’d sneak around in the Little Grove for a date.
I’d hold his hand right out in the open, under everyone’s eyes, letting the sappy scent of young love fill the air.
Unfortunately, Wang Yuqiong had spent her entire high school career buried in her studies.
Forget a boyfriend—she hadn’t even made any close guy friends.
Her bold notions had gone untested back then.
But now, years later, she never imagined she’d end up heading into the “Little Grove” at night with a boy.
It was only in that moment, living it herself, that Wang Yuqiong finally understood some things couldn’t be grasped from words alone.
Back then, she hadn’t realized that even the boldest confidence couldn’t overcome the awkward freshness of new love.
And setting aside prying eyes from others, there was one crucial factor.
The dim Little Grove created an atmosphere of intimacy and ambiguity that bright lights simply couldn’t match.
Its shadows didn’t just block the view—they perfectly captured the hazy uncertainty of love’s early days, that heart-pounding mix of anticipation and nerves.
It was maddening.
Wang Yuqiong stared off in a daze.
She and he… weren’t even a couple yet.
But the enveloping darkness had stirred something in her, an urge she couldn’t quite suppress.
She glanced down at her arm in his grasp.
No, not quite a grasp.
He was only lightly tugging, his fingers not fully closed around hers—just pulling at the sleeve of her pajamas.
Why not hold hands? Why not… hold hands properly?
Darkness cloaked everything around them, but Wang Yuqiong’s eyes gleamed with brilliant light.
Yes.
Buoyed by the mood, steeped in the flirtation of it all…
Her slender fingers trembled faintly. Then, bit by bit, she shifted them.
She eyed his hand, his fingers.
She wanted to brush against them, to clasp his hand in hers.
With utmost care, she held her breath to quiet the wild thumping in her chest and inched forward as subtly as she could, desperate not to alert him to her little scheme.
Little by little… little by little, closing in…
“Whew, I didn’t know the school had a spot like this.”
Her heartbeat, lodged in her throat, froze solid. Her creeping fingers snapped back.
Shen An released her hand and turned around. “Is this area undeveloped or something?”
“Ah? What?”
Wang Yuqiong jolted awake. The romantic haze evaporated, swept away by cold reason!
“I mean this place.”
Shen An planted his hands on his hips. “It’s dark as hell in here.”
“Yeah…” Wang Yuqiong bowed her head and fiddled endlessly with her hair, hiding her embarrassment.
Damn it…
She’d almost… almost lost control!
“Mm, wonder if we’ll run into any couples around here.”
Shen An sidled closer, his tone full of teasing. “You know, some couples love sneaking off to places like this.”
“Is… is that so?”
Wang Yuqiong’s voice quivered.
“Yeah. Back in high school, I heard about it all the time. Even saw it myself a few times.”
“But this is college now. Nobody cares if you date. It’s all free love, so they probably don’t bother with spots like this.”
Shen An grinned.
“Probably…”
Wang Yuqiong mumbled.
“Anyway, if it were me, no way I’d come to a dump like this. Hiss—mosquitoes too. Damn.”
Shen An slapped at his arm, leaving a red welt and a squashed mosquito corpse.
Wang Yuqiong’s head snapped up. “Then where would you go?”
“Hey, why are you acting all jumpy?”
“You’re the jumpy one. You’re the one who dragged me to a place like this for no reason.”
Annoyance creased Wang Yuqiong’s face, her tone sharpening.
She wasn’t truly mad—just frustrated that he’d shot down her rosy daydream!
“?”
Shen An arched a brow. “We’re not dating, so it doesn’t matter where we go.”
“You…”
Wang Yuqiong let out a soft scoff. “Then why’d you bring me here?”
“Just needed some random spot. Couldn’t exactly chat right at your dorm entrance.”
Shen An scratched his head with feigned obliviousness.
Wang Yuqiong waved him off, done with his nonsense. “Say what you came to say, then get lost. It’s pitch black out here.”
“Hm?”
Shen An narrowed his eyes suspiciously and peered at Wang Yuqiong’s delicate face.
His stare made her heart race—half shy, half irritated. “Are you gonna talk or not?”
“I will. But I’m wondering why your face is so red.”
Shen An looked genuinely puzzled.
The surrounding darkness only made her pale skin stand out more, deepening the flush on her cheeks beyond its usual shade.
And making it all the easier to spot.
Wang Yuqiong faltered, grasping for an excuse. “Mosquito!”
“Ha?” Shen An’s eyes widened. “What mosquito bites half your face like that?”
“I… You…”
Wang Yuqiong clenched her jaw, then lunged forward to pinch Shen An’s neck. “Talk!!”
“I’ll… talk. Right now.”
Shen An seized her wrist and pried her small hand away. “Cough cough—no need to go that hard. You trying to murder your bro?”
“Heh. Better watch yourself. It’s a dark and windy night—perfect for killing and burying the body.”
Wang Yuqiong crossed her arms over her chest and spoke coolly.
Shen An backed down a step. “Alright, alright. I came over specially to explain things so you wouldn’t spend the night tossing and turning.”
“As if I’d lose sleep over it.”
Wang Yuqiong turned away. “I slept like a rock.”
“Pull the other one. The way you reacted to Senior Sister Xu? If I didn’t tell you, you’d be flipping out all night, imagining all sorts of things about me and her.”
Shen An scoffed.
Not mad… not mad… don’t get mad at idiots…
Wang Yuqiong repeated the mantra in her head, swallowing her frustration. “If you know that, then get on with it!”
“You that eager for me to leave? We’ve still got twenty minutes.”
“Cough cough. You ready?”
“Of course!”
“Alright, I… I…” Shen An let out a sudden sigh, looking utterly embarrassed. “I’m her nanny.”
“What?”
Wang Yuqiong’s voice shot up in pitch.
Shen An hurriedly clapped a hand over her mouth. “Keep it down!”
“Mmph! Mmph!”
“Don’t make a fuss—I mean it!”
“Mmph!”
Wang Yuqiong nodded frantically, and only then did Shen An release her mouth.
In the faint moonlight filtering through, she could just make out the mix of melancholy and awkwardness on his face.
Feeling the embarrassment himself, he spun around and tried to play it cool. “Yeah, that’s right. I’m her nanny.”
Wang Yuqiong’s mouth twitched. She tilted her head. “What kind of lame explanation is that?”
“What do you mean, lame?” Shen An got flustered. “We… we have an employment relationship! There’s even an employment contract and everything.”
“You’re serious?” Wang Yuqiong still wasn’t fully convinced.
“Of course!”
Shen An scratched his head. “I shouldn’t have even told you. Now look—I’ve made a total fool of myself.”
Wang Yuqiong narrowed her eyes. “It’s fine. I won’t laugh. Take your time and explain.”
“You promise not to laugh?”
“I won’t!”
“You guarantee it?”
“I guarantee!”
“Alright, then. I’ll tell you slowly.”
Shen An sighed again. “Here’s the thing…”
He recited the same spiel he’d used on Chen Nannan, word for word, now deploying it on Wang Yuqiong.
It wasn’t exactly a dodge, though. He really did have an employment contract with Xu Yijing.
And he really was, in a way, Xu Yijing’s nanny.
But compared to Chen Nannan, Wang Yuqiong was sharper—and a lot more suspicious.
“Your mom and Xu Yijing’s mom are old acquaintances?”
“Something like that…”
“Something like that?”
“I don’t know the exact details. That’s just what my mom said.”
Shen An pulled out his phone. “If you don’t believe me, why don’t you chat with my mom yourself?”
Well…
Wang Yuqiong hesitated for a moment but let the idea go.
Still, she couldn’t quite wrap her head around it.
She knew exactly what kind of person Xu Yijing was—and what her mother was like!
Given that family’s temperament… it was hard to imagine them assigning an ordinary guy like Shen An as Xu Yijing’s nanny.
If there wasn’t some ulterior motive behind it all, Wang Yuqiong wouldn’t buy it.
Yet Shen An seemed completely aboveboard, with no clue himself about how he’d inexplicably ended up as Xu Yijing’s nanny.
As for Shen An’s background, Wang Yuqiong had investigated it more than once.
It was… utterly ordinary. Nothing mysterious about it.
But…
Wang Yuqiong frowned in confusion. “You don’t strike me as the type who’d be content being a nanny.”
“Of course I’m not!”
Shen An bristled with righteous indignation. “Think about it—I’m a full-grown man! How could I be a nanny?”
“But I had no choice…”
“My mom basically sold me off. The contract’s already signed. What was I supposed to do?”
His voice suddenly dropped, turning pitiful. “If I breach it, I’d have to pay the full penalty myself.”
“Even if I sold myself, I couldn’t cover that kind of money.”
“Sniff…”
He covered his face and sobbed dramatically, leaving Wang Yuqiong at a complete loss.
This…
This…
Unbelievable.
He looked just like some innocent girl forced into a shady deal.
Pfft—no, an innocent boy.
Hmm…
If that was really the case, then Xu Yijing was just his employer.
No other connection between them.
The heavy weight on Wang Yuqiong’s chest finally eased.
As long as Shen An and Xu Yijing weren’t any closer than that, she could accept it!
Yeah—the boulder was gone, and her mind started racing with possibilities.
Seeing him still covering his face in fake sobs, Wang Yuqiong suddenly felt like laughing.
A nanny…
A male nanny…
Pfft~
She couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
Shen An stopped his pretend crying, staring at her in disbelief. “Hey, that’s not cool. You said you wouldn’t laugh!”
“Sorry.”
Wang Yuqiong apologized readily, then kept right on chuckling without a hint of remorse.
“But… I really can’t help it.”
Her laughter grew more unrestrained, shattering the quiet around them as she shook all over with mirth.
Shen An gritted his teeth and stomped his foot in frustration. “Go ahead, laugh it up! I’ve already braced myself for it. Laugh all you want!”
“Aw, don’t be like that.”
Wang Yuqiong finally reined in her giggles and hurried to soothe him. “Come on, a real man can handle a little setback like this.”
“Hmph. A man can fail, but he can’t be ridiculed!”
“I’m not ridiculing you.”
“You are—you’re mocking me!”
“I’m not mocking you.” Wang Yuqiong put on her most innocent face, batting her sly eyes for good measure.
