Soon, the waiter began serving the dishes.
Shen An immediately switched into full-on devouring mode, bringing their casual chit-chat to an abrupt end.
Watching Shen An wolf down the food, Zhao Qingyu could only sit there silently observing, her lips twitching now and then in silent exasperation, while she elegantly nibbled at her dessert.
Before long, Shen An had polished off most of the table’s worth of dishes by himself. After dinner, they lingered for a few minutes to let it settle. Zhao Qingyu glanced at the time—it was already past nine in the evening.
“Let’s go.”
Zhao Qingyu slipped on her high heels and rose slightly.
“Heading back?” Shen An set down his toothpick and asked softly.
“Mm-hmm.”
“Then let me walk you up first.” Shen An stood as well.
“Walk me up?” Zhao Qingyu’s lips curved slightly. “I’m not planning to stay at the hotel tonight.”
She turned around, crossing her arms. “I meant back to school.”
“I have an apartment in the North District too.”
“Oh, right—I almost forgot. Senior Sister, you’re the type who has a place everywhere.” Shen An couldn’t resist teasing.
“Heh~”
Zhao Qingyu pulled out her phone and murmured a few quiet instructions.
At that moment, Shen An’s phone rang with its comical ringtone, piquing Zhao Qingyu’s curiosity. But since she was on her own call, she only glanced over.
It wasn’t an incoming call for Shen An—just a message.
He snuck a peek: Chen Nannan: “Are you at the apartment?”
Shen An typed back quickly: “Out right now. What’s up?”
Chen Nannan: “Uh… nothing..”
Lately, both Shen An and Chen Nannan had been swamped. Aside from online chats and the occasional work overlap, they hadn’t met up privately at all.
Nothing?
A sly grin tugged at Shen An’s heart. “I’ll be back soon. You sure it’s nothing?”
There was a pause on Chen Nannan’s end before another message: “I… I’m at the dessert shop in the South District right now.. Just..”
Oh~
Shen An went straight for it: “I want some of that sago dew you got me last time.”
“Tch, who said I was buying for you.. Fine, I’ll head back soon too.”
Heh heh heh.
Even through the screen, Shen An could picture Chen Nannan’s flushed, shy little face.
Come to think of it, he realized he’d been neglecting her a bit lately.
Online chats just weren’t enough.
Perfect… this was a good chance…
“What’re you grinning about?”
Zhao Qingyu had finished her call and was furrowing her brow. “That smile of yours… it’s kinda creepy!”
Ahem.
Shen An quickly schooled his expression, pocketed his phone, and said earnestly, “Thanks so much for treating me today, Senior Sister. Let’s head back.”
Zhao Qingyu’s furrowed brow creased in confusion.
What was with him? So secretive.
Then a possibility struck her, and she huffed lightly. “Don’t tell me Xu Yijing messaged you to hurry home?”
Shen An shook his head with a smile. “What are you thinking, Senior Sister? I don’t even have Senior Sister Xu’s phone number, let alone her personal contact. No way it’s her.”
“Hah?”
Zhao Qingyu looked surprised. “You don’t have her number?”
“Nope.”
Shen An said softly, “I did ask her for it once, figuring it might be handy for emergencies.”
“But she said it wasn’t necessary, so I didn’t push.”
Zhao Qingyu’s furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
That did sound like her—indifferent to anything beyond essential contact. She wasn’t even one for basic pleasantries.
So… his relationship with Xu Yijing really was just “ordinary.”
Makes sense…
She hadn’t shown any extra emotion toward him on the phone—just the attitude of a player to a pawn.
To her, he might as well be a lowly pawn that hadn’t crossed the river yet.
“Tsk, now you see how great I am, right?”
A teasing glint appeared in Zhao Qingyu’s eyes. “That one of yours is pretty cold to you.”
Shen An took it in stride, chuckling lightly. “I get where Senior Sister Xu’s coming from. If I were in her shoes, I’d probably struggle with some random outsider barging in too.”
“No big deal. Spend a little more time together, and who knows—maybe I’ll get her number eventually.”
Zhao Qingyu snorted. “You want it that bad? I can give it to you right now.”
“No…”
Shen An shook his head slightly. “I’d rather she give it to me herself.”
“You’re hopeless.”
Zhao Qingyu suddenly felt a spark of irritation and shot him a glare before turning away. “Come on, let’s go.”
They descended to the first floor and stepped out the door.
The bustling nightlife of the city played out in full force on this wide avenue.
Zhao Qingyu and Shen An instantly became the center of attention from passersby.
Not because she was stunningly beautiful or he heart-stoppingly handsome—but because a sleek, limited-edition luxury car was parked right in front of them.
In this day and age, the allure of money often outshone mere good looks.
Zhao Qingyu strode straight to the luxury car, opened the door, and glanced back. “Get in.”
Shen An scratched his head. “So you were calling your driver earlier?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Zhao Qingyu slid into the car and shut the door.
As Shen An reached for it, she rolled down the window and said coolly, “You sit up front.”
“Got it.”
Shen An didn’t argue, circling around to the front passenger seat beside the driver.
The car pulled away smoothly. Inside, none of the three spoke. Aside from the hum of the engine and the whoosh of wind past the windows, the atmosphere was utterly quiet.
But from the moment Shen An got in, Zhao Qingyu had been watching him through the rearview mirror.
He was like a wide-eyed kid seeing the world for the first time, gawking left and right, his face lit up with constant awe and envy.
Cars had a magnetic pull on men, no doubt.
The flashier, the stronger the pull.
Zhao Qingyu narrowed her eyes slightly. The glow filtering through the window illuminated her delicate face, laying bare the complicated emotions playing across it.
Truth be told, she wasn’t testing him by watching.
She’d just assumed he’d be a little upset.
She was gauging his reaction with some hesitation.
After all… telling him to sit up front was a bit inconsiderate.
But Shen An showed no sign of feeling snubbed or sulky. If anything, he seemed utterly unbothered. The moment he was in, his eyes were glued to the car’s flashy interior.
If the driver hadn’t been such a taciturn middle-aged guy, Shen An might’ve struck up a chat.
This guy…
Zhao Qingyu lowered her head. The car rounded a corner, slipping out of the streetlights’ glow, and her face vanished into shadow.
That faint, bittersweet tangle of feelings welled up again. Zhao Qingyu wasn’t even sure what was wrong with her.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to sit with him. It was just…
A personal habit.
Maybe it had been so long since she’d shared a backseat with anyone that she’d grown used to it.
She’d worried he’d be sulky, but his indifference left her oddly unsatisfied.
If he’d been sulky, at least that would’ve proven he cared about her.
His nonchalance suggested either a big heart or just being thick-skinned, not overthinking it.
Either way, it boiled down to one thing: she wasn’t that important to him.
Their seemingly fun time together today hadn’t left much of an impression.
These subtle, tangled emotions hid in the darkness like her shadowed face, unnoticed by anyone.
Not even she could fully unpack them.
The drive from the Grand Hotel to the school was short—a few minutes at most—and soon the car pulled up at the North District gate.
“Senior Sister? Senior Sister?”
His voice snapped Zhao Qingyu out of her daze. “Huh?”
“We’re here. Time to get out.”
Shen An smiled gently.
“Already…?” Zhao Qingyu turned to the window. The familiar North District gate… yeah, they were there.
She masked her momentary distraction and the indescribable knot in her chest, opening the door and stepping out as usual.
Once the car drove off, Shen An asked, “Which building do you live in, Senior Sister?”
“Inside, E Building.”
Zhao Qingyu said flatly.
“Oh, E Building. I haven’t been there yet…”
“Just follow me.”
Post-drop-off, Zhao Qingyu’s demeanor had shifted oddly—no trace of the warmth from the hotel.
Trailing behind her, Shen An gazed at her exquisitely sculpted profile, that icy rose vibe from their first meeting resurfacing.
After a moment’s thought, enlightenment dawned on him.
Hands in his pockets, he said casually, “Senior Sister… are you upset?”
Zhao Qingyu paused. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing… just…” Shen An scratched his head, looking awkward and a bit embarrassed. “Back at dinner, you were all smiles and chatty.”
“But after we got in the car, you went all… cold on me.”
“So I was just wondering.”
He’d ditched all his subtle probing tactics, playing the naive, green underclassman and asking straight out.
Zhao Qingyu managed a strained smile upon hearing this. “No, today is just a rather special day for me.”
“Eh?”
Shen An feigned ignorance. “What makes it so special?”
Zhao Qingyu rolled her eyes. “It’d be great if you were mute.”
“If I were mute, I wouldn’t be able to help you out, Senior Sister,” Shen An replied with a goofy grin.
“Fine, I am a bit unhappy.”
Zhao Qingyu let out a sigh. “But it’s not because of you. It’s because of me.”
“Why?”
“Aren’t you upset?” Zhao Qingyu shot back.
“Me?” Shen An feigned shock. “Why would I be upset?”
“Well… when we got in the car, you wanted to sit with me, but I made you sit up front.”
Zhao Qingyu murmured softly.
“Oh, that.” Shen An chuckled lightly. “That’s no big deal. I often sit up front anyway.”
With a touch of self-deprecating humor, he added, “I’m a bit tall, so I take up too much space in the back. I’ve been nudged forward like that more than once.”
Zhao Qingyu froze in place. “You… you really think that way?”
“Yeah.”
Shen An nodded slightly. “What else would I think? You asked me to sit up front, so you must have had your reasons, Senior Sister.”
“It wouldn’t be right for me to pry into what those reasons are, so I just came up with one on my own.”
Zhao Qingyu suddenly halted her steps. She turned to face him. “Doesn’t it make you even a little unhappy?”
“We were getting along pretty well today. It would’ve been normal to sit together.”
“But I made you sit up front for no reason at all.”
Shen An blinked. “Why would you think that?”
“You’re overthinking it, Senior Sister.”
He smiled, stepping closer to her. In a gentle voice, he said, “Overthinking like that just torments you. The key to happiness is keeping things simple.”
“The simplest way to be happy is to live simply.”
“Eat simply, live simply.”
Zhao Qingyu stood there in a daze, her mind wandering.
After a long moment, she snapped back to reality and murmured, “I really wish you were mute.”
Shen An tilted his head. “What was that, Senior Sister?”
“Nothing. Just take me back.”
“Sure thing~”
Shen An grinned. “The weather’s nice tonight, and the moon’s so bright. Mid-Autumn Festival must be right around the corner.”
“Maybe…”
“How are you planning to spend Mid-Autumn Festival, Senior Sister?”
“Huh?”
“You know, the Mid-Autumn Festival.”
“I…”
Zhao Qingyu’s thoughts were a tangled mess; she couldn’t muster a reply.
“If it were me, I’d spend it with friends,” Shen An said softly. “Whether at school or out somewhere.”
“It’s more fun that way. Otherwise, holidays like that can feel pretty lonely.”
Zhao Qingyu’s heart tightened, a flicker of resistance rising within her. “Let’s go. I’m getting tired.”
“Oh, right. Okay.”
Before long, Shen An had escorted Zhao Qingyu to the base of the E Building.
“You…”
She started to head up but paused, turning back to him. “Want to come up and sit for a bit?”
She gazed at him quietly, a hint of expectation lurking deep in her eyes.
Shen An’s lips curved into a slight smile as he shook his head. “Next time. I need to head back first.”
Chen Nannan was still waiting for him.
He couldn’t let her good intentions go to waste.
In that instant, a wave of sourness crashed through Zhao Qingyu’s heart.
Head back first…
Are you really that hung up on Xu Yijing?
Do you even know what she’s thinking?
Zhao Qingyu drew in a deep breath. Her expression and tone turned icy in a flash. “Fine, next time then. Goodbye.”
She turned and walked away without looking back.
Shen An watched her retreating figure until it vanished from sight before turning to leave.
