The girl in red clothes didn’t seem to notice Shen An at all. She was chatting animatedly with the others nearby.
As Shen An squeezed his way in, he immediately caught the eye of the two senior sisters seated in front of the booth.
“Hey~ handsome, are you a freshman?”
The senior sister in the middle eyed him with a spark of intensity, her smile brimming with playful teasing.
The one on the left quickly averted her gaze from the umbrella Shen An had just put away, then discreetly poked the middle senior sister.
The middle one froze. “What’s up?”
“Ahem…” The left senior sister looked a bit awkward.
Under Shen An’s direct stare, she found it hard to speak up.
Shen An knew exactly what was going on. He smiled and said, “Yeah, I’m a freshman here to register.”
“As expected!” The middle senior sister snatched up a pen. “Which class are you in?”
“English Class One.”
“Class One?” She blinked, then shrugged. “Aw, what a shame.”
“A shame?”
“Yeah, I’m in charge of Class Three. What’s your name?”
“Shen An—the An from peaceful and quiet.”
“Ooh~ the last one!”
The middle senior sister jotted down Shen An’s name, then looked up at him. “You’re the last student from Class One to register.”
She grinned and waved toward the rest area behind the booth. “Nannan, come out and greet the guests!!!”
Shen An’s expression turned a little strange. The girl on the left noticed and forced a smile. “Don’t worry, junior brother. She’s just like that— you’ll get used to it.”
Her shout drew the attention of all the girls chatting in the rest area, including the one in red.
The red-clothed senior sister looked at Shen An standing in front of the booth, her face showing surprise.
But soon, a deep frown creased her brow.
It stemmed from the umbrella in Shen An’s hand!
“Coming, coming! Has my last student finally shown up?? Whoa~”
A graceful figure hurried over to the booth.
“Ahem, the one you’ve all been waiting for with bated breath has arrived at last.”
The middle senior sister was full of enthusiasm as she stood up. “Ta-da~ it’s this handsome guy right here!”
She was holding a cup of milk tea, but in her haste, it slipped from her hand with a splat, splashing onto the ground and staining the hem of her pants.
She froze on the spot. Under everyone’s gaze, her fair cheeks flushed crimson in an instant.
For a moment, she stood there like a computer that had crashed. Eventually, she bent down to pick up the cup and shuffled toward the trash bin.
One step, two steps—then she broke into a sprint!
“Hey? Nannan? There’s a trash bin right here…” The left senior sister hadn’t finished speaking before Chen Nannan’s figure vanished.
“Forget it, let her recover for a bit. Nannan must’ve been ‘startled’ too.”
The middle senior sister sighed from the heart. “Man, it’s great. The English Department finally has a handsome guy.”
Then she lowered her head and let out another sigh, looking a tad regretful.
She sidled up to Shen An, gazing at him pleadingly. “Junior brother, why don’t you transfer to Class Three? I’m the assistant class supervisor for Class Three~”
“Stick with me, and college life will be a blast!!!”
She was indeed enthusiastic—maybe a bit too much.
The left senior sister’s mouth twitched. Here we go again…
She stepped forward, grabbed the middle senior sister by the nape of her neck with a deadpan expression, and yanked her back. “Sorry about that, junior brother. Hope you didn’t see anything embarrassing.”
“Don’t interrupt me, wah wah wah! I just want to chat with this handsome junior brother~~”
“Junior brother, come find me later. I’ll show you around…”
A wail followed, turning the scene into a comical farce.
Shen An’s mouth twitched as he stared at the now-empty spot in front of the booth.
“Nannan, snap out of it. Your junior brother is still waiting.”
Fortunately, after handling the situation, the left senior sister returned, led Shen An to the side, and dragged Senior Sister Nannan back.
Nannan seemed to have rebooted from her crash. She jogged up to Shen An, a little out of breath—whether from poor stamina or sheer embarrassment, it was hard to say.
“Junior brother?”
“Yeah.”
“I… I’m Chen Nannan, a sophomore. I’m the assistant class supervisor for Class One!”
“I’m Shen An—the An from peaceful and quiet. Nice to meet you, Senior Sister.”
“You… nice to meet you too…”
Shen An smiled, his handsome features sharply defined. Chen Nannan suddenly couldn’t meet his eyes, her voice turning unexpectedly soft and timid.
She seemed shy.
Meanwhile, Shen An unabashedly sized up this Senior Sister Chen Nannan.
In terms of looks, she didn’t quite measure up to the red-clothed senior sister or his roommate Xu Yijing.
But Chen Nannan was no slouch either.
If the red-clothed senior sister and Xu Yijing both scored over ninety, Chen Nannan was easily in the mid-eighties.
Especially those big, bright eyes of hers, full of sparkle. Her slightly chubby cheeks gave her an endearing approachability.
Her skin was strikingly fair—healthily so, with a rosy glow underneath. Her complexion was flawless.
As the saying goes, one shade fairer covers a multitude of flaws, and Chen Nannan had no flaws to cover in the first place.
Her snowy skin was the cherry on top for a beauty like her.
That timid, flickering gaze of hers reminded Shen An of an animal: a rabbit.
No, no…
Chen Nannan mustered some courage, refusing to lose face as a senior sister.
She lifted her head, her big eyes darting left and right. “Junior brother, do you always stare at people like that when you greet them?”
Shen An raised a brow and said gently, “First off, looking someone in the eye when greeting them is polite.”
“Second, I’m staring because you’re beautiful, Senior Sister.”
He leaned in closer and whispered, “Beautiful enough that I hate to look away.”
Swoosh!!!!
Chen Nannan’s little face burned like boiling water.
She stumbled back a step, crossing her arms over her chest. “Junior brother… I… I have to tell you, I… I have no plans to date. I want to focus on my studies!”
Shen An blinked playfully.
This senior sister was kinda oddly cute.
“Pfft, she was just complimenting you politely. No need to let your imagination run wild~”
At that moment, the senior sister who had supposedly been dragged away reappeared behind Shen An without a sound.
Clearly, though, she hadn’t overheard Shen An’s whisper.
The sudden voice startled even Shen An a little.
“Hey, no need to tense up, junior brother.”
The senior sister grinned at him and said softly, “So? Wanna seriously think about my suggestion?”
“See, your assistant class supervisor is clearly a bit off in the head—not to mention super rigid. I’m different. Follow me, and college will be fun.”
Uh… somehow, she seems even less normal.
Shen An grumbled inwardly.
“Zhang Qian!!!”
Chen Nannan snapped out of it and stomped her foot in shy annoyance.
Oh~
So her name was Zhang Qian.
“What’s wrong? I’m just stating facts.”
Zhang Qian crossed her arms, acting all dainty. “Look at you—junior brother politely compliments you, and your brain goes haywire.”
“I… I did not!”
“Didn’t what? It’s like walking into a store, them calling you ‘miss’ to butter you up, and you thinking you’re actually a miss~ They just want you to buy something.”
Zhang Qian pursed her lips, a touch arrogant.
“I…” Chen Nannan pouted, shooting Shen An a resentful look.
Shen An: ????
“Right, junior brother?” Zhang Qian beamed at him.
“Uh… I do think Senior Sister Chen is really pretty.”
Shen An said gently.
“See!” Chen Nannan perked up, puffing out her chest.
Zhang Qian chuckled softly. “Then am I not pretty?”
“Senior Sister Zhang, you’re pretty too.”
Yeah, but not as pretty as Senior Sister Chen.
“Ow, you already know my surname? We must be destined. Ow!! That hurts!!”
Zhang Qian let out a coquettish giggle.
“Even a deaf person would’ve heard it…” The left senior sister rubbed her forehead, stepping in again to forcibly drag Zhang Qian away. “Can you do something productive for once? Your own class hasn’t finished registering!!!”
“Hey, you, don’t go too far! Let go—hey, stop tickling… Murder! Murder!!”
“You two carry on~”
The left senior sister gave Shen An a gentle smile before pinning Zhang Qian back at the booth.
Shen An turned to Chen Nannan with a light laugh. “Senior Sister Zhang sure is enthusiastic.”
Chen Nannan huffed cutely. “It’s not enthusiasm—it’s brainlessness!”
“Hmm? What’s with that look? You think I’m brainless too?”
Chen Nannan pursed her lips, glaring at Shen An like a tigress.
“No, I wanted to apologize.”
Shen An smiled. “I might’ve been a bit rude just now, but please believe me, Senior Sister—I couldn’t help myself.”
“It’s fine.”
Chen Nannan mumbled, “I… I might’ve overreacted a bit~”
“But junior brother, I… I really have no intention of dating.”
“Uh, you don’t need to stress it that much.”
“I… I’m just telling you upfront, so you drop any funny ideas early!”
“Uh…” Shen An held back a laugh. “Truth be told, I’m not interested in women either.”
“Huh???”
Chen Nannan jerked her head up, her voice dripping with shock. “You like guys???”
Another shout pierced the air.
But the impact of this one was far greater than Zhang Qian’s earlier outburst.
The noisy food stall fell into utter silence in an instant.
Every gaze in the place turned simultaneously toward Shen An.
Zhang Qian’s eyes, in particular, brimmed with profound disappointment and regret, as if she had just let a once-in-a-lifetime treasure slip through her fingers.
Realizing her blunder, Chen Nannan clapped a hand over her mouth and shot Shen An an apologetic look.
Shen An, for his part, remained utterly calm. He said softly, “I think you misunderstood me. What I meant was that I love studying.”
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft—just right for everyone around to hear.
“Oh~”
Zhang Qian let out a breath of relief, and the rest of the crowd resumed their chatter as if nothing had happened.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry~”
Chen Nannan sidled closer, whispering apology after apology to Shen An.
“It’s fine,” he replied. “Actually, you were right.”
The corner of Shen An’s mouth quirked up as he leaned in toward her ear, his gaze fixed on her fair earlobe. “I do like guys.”
Eh!!!!!
Before Chen Nannan could open her mouth and belt out another yell, Shen An swiftly covered it with his hand.
“Shh~”
He kept his grip firm on her mouth and murmured, “Keep it quiet, okay?”
“Mmph~”
Chen Nannan nodded frantically, her eyes wide with panic.
Pfft~
Shen An couldn’t help but chuckle at her valiant attempt to stay composed. “You actually believed me?”
Chen Nannan nodded vigorously, then shook her head just as fast.
“Truth is, I’m bi. I slay both guys and girls.”
Chen Nannan: . . . . .
“Wahhh, no chance… no chance at all…”
With a thud, Zhang Qian slumped face-first onto the table, her little feet kicking the ground as she wailed.
The senior sister to her left twitched her lips. “Sudden illness?”
Zhang Qian feebly pointed in Shen An’s direction.
The senior sister turned her head. There stood Shen An right in front of Chen Nannan, so close and intimate as he covered her mouth.
She blinked, glanced at the umbrella clutched in Shen An’s other hand, then looked away. “Yeah, no chance indeed.”
“Scumbag…”
Zhang Qian said it with heartfelt anguish. “They just met for the first time, and he’s already got his hand over her mouth! Chen Nannan is hopeless—she surrendered that fast.”
“I can’t stand scumbags like him!!! Right out in public, in broad daylight, and he can’t even show a little restraint. Hateful!”
The senior sister on the left chuckled dryly. “You just hate that you’re not the one getting played, don’t you?”
“Shut up!”
Zhang Qian flushed with embarrassment and fury.
“Nannan might not stand a chance either~” she murmured out of nowhere.
“Huh?” Zhang Qian blinked, not catching on. She was about to ask when—
“What’s his name?”
A voice laced with chill cut through the air.
Both girls froze, snapping to attention and sitting up straight.
They glanced back cautiously. A girl in red stood there quietly, her cool features adorned with a seductive, faint smile.
“Senior Sister Zhao…”
“What’s his name, Qianqian?” the girl in red asked.
“That freshman? Oh, I… let me check. He’s… he’s Shen An.”
“Oh, got it. Thanks.”
“No, no problem…”
Once the girl in red walked away, the two girls exhaled in unison, as if granted a pardon.
They exchanged a glance.
“What did you just say?”
“I said Nannan might not have a chance either.”
“Bullshit—they were this close to kissing!”
“Heh, take a closer look.”
“Look at what…?” Zhang Qian twisted her head toward Shen An again.
“Whoa! They’re still playing footsie under the table or whatever—in broad daylight! I can’t take it anymore!”
“Calm down. Look carefully.”
“Look at what?! What’s there to see…? Hmm?”
Zhang Qian spotted the umbrella, and her face twisted in sheer shock.
“See it now?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And Senior Sister Zhao just asked for his name. From what I know, it’s the first time she’s ever bothered asking a guy’s name.”
“Right, right.”
The two fell silent, locking eyes once more.
“What are you thinking?”
“You?”
“I’m thinking whatever you’re thinking.”
“I’m thinking whatever you’re thinking that I’m thinking.”
They both broke into knowing smiles, then chorused, “Doomed!”
