Shen An watched the elevator doors slide shut and silently gave Shen Lianyao a new label in his mind.
“She looks so aloof, but she’s hiding this airheaded charm…”
There were different shades of aloofness, after all.
For instance, Zhao Qingyu’s icy demeanor was nothing like Shen Lianyao’s. In most cases, “aloof” was just a descriptor for appearances, not inner personality.
At the same time, everyone’s character was incredibly complex and multifaceted. It was impossible to sum it up accurately with just a few words.
Take Zhao Qingyu and Shen Lianyao as examples. Zhao Qingyu had her dominant, overbearing side—she was terribly willful, carrying that traditional strong-woman vibe of utter self-importance.
But she also had a soft, endearing side. Her high self-confidence came hand-in-hand with a matching sense of inferiority. When dealing with people who treated her well, she could even come off as awkward and clumsy.
As for Shen Lianyao, Shen An hadn’t spent much time with her yet. But after this incident, hadn’t he just uncovered her airheaded charm?
Airheaded… maybe that wasn’t quite right. Something cuter.
Adorably silly?
Yeah, she had that dopey vibe.
Did Zhao Qingyu have a side as adorably silly as Shen Lianyao had just been?
Or did Shen Lianyao have a willful, domineering side like Zhao Qingyu’s?
Could anyone say she didn’t?
That was the thing—everyone’s personality was a complex tapestry.
What Shen An enjoyed most was gradually uncovering these different facets of each girl’s character, whether outward or inward.
The closer and more familiar you got, the more sides they revealed.
That move he’d just pulled was a spur-of-the-moment play drawn from his long-accumulated experience. He was confident his bold confession had worked on Shen Lianyao.
Sure, she’d grumbled something at the end that didn’t sound too friendly.
But at least her impression of him wasn’t pure dislike. Maybe sixty-forty? Or seventy-thirty?
Shen An wouldn’t dare hope for a perfect fifty-fifty split between love and hate.
That trick wouldn’t have worked on Zhao Qingyu, though.
She had a sly, fox-like cunning. If he tried a bold confession on her, she’d probably turn the tables and have him pinned instead.
In short, he could take the initiative with Shen Lianyao, but with Zhao Qingyu, he needed to maneuver her into making the first move.
For now, having calmed Shen Lianyao with that strong stimulus, Shen An let out a breath of relief. Then he turned and headed back to the Art Troupe.
He walked at a leisurely pace this time. Yu Wen spotted him and hurried over, sidling up beside him. “What were you just doing?”
Shen An shot her a sidelong glance. “Going for a run to stay fit.”
Yu Wen’s mouth twitched. “A run? Why not the track field?”
Shen An replied righteously, “I just like running here. Want to give it a try, Senior Sister? A couple laps are pretty exhilarating.”
Yu Wen rolled her eyes and turned away, ignoring him. All her concern had been wasted.
“Hey, Senior Sister, you’re just gonna walk off like that? Hey…”
The more Shen An called after her, the faster Yu Wen ran, afraid he’d embarrass her completely.
Tch.
Shen An’s lips quirked up. After shooing Yu Wen off, he continued toward the office.
But he hadn’t gone far when a small hand slammed into his back.
Hiss.
Shen An winced in pain and whipped around. Wang Yuqiong was staring at him with a blank expression.
“Have you lost your mind?”
Shen An rubbed the sore spot on his back. This girl didn’t hold back at all.
Wang Yuqiong snorted coldly. “I think you’ve lost yours, running around in public like that.”
“Heh, my running doesn’t bother you. What’s your deal? Drama Group stuff sorted?”
“Not yet.”
Wang Yuqiong pursed her lips.
Truth be told, she’d come over with the same concern as Yu Wen.
But something was stuck in her chest, so her words came out sharp.
And Shen An wasn’t giving her any grace, refusing to play along. That forced her to swallow her caring words.
“If it’s not done, get back there quick. Wouldn’t want your group leader chewing you out.”
Shen An waved her off, his attitude icy.
If Song Rui weren’t waiting for him, he’d have dragged Wang Yuqiong into a proper showdown and taught her a lesson.
He’d put in all that effort to coax her, and she’d sold him out in return.
Shen Lianyao had gotten mad precisely because Wang Yuqiong had snitched behind his back!
Wang Yuqiong pouted. “Senior Sister Pei is nice. She’s not petty like you.”
“I’m petty?”
Shen An pointed at himself, his tone full of accusation.
“You’re the petty one.” Wang Yuqiong feigned shock, but she was actually feeling guilty, her eyes darting everywhere.
“Heh, then tell me—where am I petty?”
Shen An laughed in exasperation. He planted his hands on his hips, looking ready to settle the score properly with Wang Yuqiong.
Wang Yuqiong tilted her head slightly and muttered, “I didn’t mean to… I just wanted to tell her.”
“She asked about me, and I couldn’t resist a little bragging. How could I let that slide?”
Oh ho?
Shen An raised a brow. “Who? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, come on!”
Wang Yuqiong’s delicate brows shot up as she snapped in embarrassment, “You just chased after her—Shen Lianyao. I saw her leave.”
She had a keen eye for these things.
In fact, the moment Shen An had run off, Wang Yuqiong had puzzled it out after a moment’s thought.
It had to be a fight between Shen Lianyao and him, and the only likely cause was her.
She knew Shen An was deep-minded and wouldn’t admit it outright.
Better for her to come confess early and clear the air.
No point letting a wedge drive between them.
Shen An chuckled inwardly but kept a straight face. “I did chase after her, but it wasn’t because of anything between you two.”
“What happened between you two?”
Huh…
Wang Yuqiong’s face froze. She stammered, “Wasn’t it because of me?”
Shen An scoffed. “Because of you? What makes you think you’re such a big deal? She asked Senior Sister Zhao some questions. You know Senior Sister Zhao’s personality—Lianyao got a bit rattled and stormed out. Simple as that.”
“I’m on the office team, the secretary no less. Of course I had to smooth things over.”
Damn!
Zhao Qingyu again!
Why hadn’t she thought of that?
Shen Lianyao and Zhao Qingyu were like oil and water.
Wang Yuqiong cursed inwardly as a flush of extreme embarrassment crept over her face.
“Well, if that’s settled… you should head up.”
Wang Yuqiong turned to bolt.
Shen An grabbed the back of her collar like he was scruffing a cat. “Trying to run? Spill it properly.”
“Ah…”
Wang Yuqiong whined playfully, “Senior Sister Pei is calling me.”
“Is she? I didn’t hear anything.”
“Listen closer~” Wang Yuqiong frantically signaled the Drama Group members with her eyes: Save me… save me.
Over at the Drama Group…
Well, it wasn’t exactly ignoring her plight. They were just too far away to notice.
Her eye signals went to waste.
Shen An simply hauled Wang Yuqiong by the collar to a secluded corner, out of sight from everyone in the area.
“Hey, don’t pull… be careful, it’ll rip…”
Wang Yuqiong didn’t dare resist, reduced to futile pleas.
Once in the corner, Shen An spun her around and pinned her against the wall. He slammed his hands down on either side of her in a classic kabedon.
But there was no flirtation in it—his face was dead serious, his tone stern.
“Alright, now confess properly.”
Wang Yuqiong’s heart raced, terrified by his anger.
After all, Shen An had never shown anger around her before…
In that moment, the proud little hen plummeted into a timid little white rabbit.
“It… it wasn’t a big deal…”
Wang Yuqiong stammered, still trying to downplay it.
“Tell me what happened first.”
Shen An gave her no room to wiggle.
“It was just… just…” Wang Yuqiong saw she couldn’t dodge it and regretted charging right into the line of fire.
What must come would come. No escaping fate.
Better to confess proactively than let him find out later!
Here goes nothing.
She gritted her teeth, squeezed her eyes shut, and spilled everything that had happened.
It went like this.
One afternoon, Class President Wang Yuqiong, Discipline Committee Member Shen Lianyao, and the other class cadres had gathered at the Academic Affairs Office for work reasons.
After Guidance Teacher Pei Xiuran finished her instructions and assigned tasks, the others left one by one. Only Wang Yuqiong and Shen Lianyao stayed behind.
Because the class president and discipline committee member were, in a sense, the two most crucial roles for maintaining class order.
So Pei Xiuran had kept them back for some private instructions.
But soon, another teacher came in and called Pei Xiuran away. That left Wang Yuqiong and Shen Lianyao alone in the office.
They were just sitting there anyway—better to chat than stare at the walls. They exchanged thoughts and brainstormed class management.
As they talked, the conversation drifted back to the first class meeting election.
The following is Classmate Wang Yuqiong’s account, from her own perspective.
She claimed she harbored no ill will at all. She just wanted to let out a sigh and quietly encourage Shen Lianyao—urging her not to lose heart or anything like that just because she’d lost to her.
She also said she wanted to use the opportunity to strike up a conversation with Shen Lianyao. If they could become good friends, that would be even better.
It would make their future collaborations smoother, too.
But Shen Lianyao didn’t appreciate it one bit. Even though she’d lost, she refused to admit defeat.
She’d even taken a passive-aggressive jab at Wang Yuqiong, pointing out that Shen An seemed closer to her and using him as an example—saying his vote had gone to Wang Yuqiong instead of her.
It was her way of proving that, even if she’d lost to Wang Yuqiong, it wasn’t a total defeat. At least Shen An was on her side.
Could Wang Yuqiong stomach that?
Absolutely not!
So Wang Yuqiong fired back just as passive-aggressively, indirectly spelling out why Shen An had chosen her in the first place.
He didn’t pick you because he supported you. He just pitied you.
He knew from the start that I’d win, so instead of piling on with a vote for me when I was already ahead, he figured he’d console the loser. That way, it would make my campaign look all the more worthwhile.
And then…
Shen Lianyao’s face darkened on the spot. Their conversation ended abruptly, dissolving into awkward silence as they sat there.
Wang Yuqiong even threw in a little dig, saying Shen Lianyao was being petty. After all, Shen Lianyao had started the sniping, and now she was the one pulling a sour face just because Wang Yuqiong had clapped back.
Hmph~
That was it, more or less.
Wang Yuqiong finished spilling the story.
But she still didn’t dare open her eyes. With the resolve of someone marching to her execution, she waited anxiously for Shen An’s judgment.
As for Shen An, he was a little stunned.
Shen Lianyao… had actually taken the first passive-aggressive shot at Wang Yuqiong?
Hold on—these were all Wang Yuqiong’s words from her own perspective. People always spin things in their favor, so there was probably some embellishment.
But Shen An couldn’t question her outright. That would make it seem like he didn’t trust Wang Yuqiong.
To her, that would hurt worse than a slap across the face.
She couldn’t stand even a hint of “doubt” from those close to her.
Hmm…
There was probably some passive-aggressive back-and-forth, but not as one-sided as Yuqiong made it sound.
For all he knew, Yuqiong might have started it herself.
Shen An knew Wang Yuqiong well. She was proud and couldn’t stand losing face, no matter the situation.
She was generous with others, but she had her own little schemes, too.
This wasn’t Shen An “smearing” Wang Yuqiong—he just couldn’t picture Shen Lianyao striking first, no matter how he turned it over in his mind.
Shen Lianyao might look cold on the surface, but she didn’t have much fight in her.
Wang Yuqiong was different. She appeared gentle and gracious, but she was really a feisty little hen with full combat mode activated.
Shen An had experienced Wang Yuqiong’s “combat prowess” more than once.
“Done?”
Shen An asked coolly.
“All done…” Wang Yuqiong nodded meekly, her voice small and pitiful.
“Heh, why do you spill everything like that?”
Shen An couldn’t come down on her too hard right away—that would backfire and bruise her sensitive pride. Instead, he had to scold her while making it clear they were on the same team, thick as thieves.
The phrase “spill everything” was perfect for it.
In other words, he and she were the “inner circle.”
Wang Yuqiong felt no anger at his words. She could only pout and whine, “Well… she started it by talking about me first.”
“Sigh, how am I supposed to deal with her now?”
Shen An sighed. “She’s in my department and the class Discipline Committee Member. With me sleeping through class every day, she’ll rat me out and get me killed.”
Wang Yuqiong perked up instantly. “No worries! I’ll keep an eye on you. If you wanna nap, I’ll wake you up.”
Heh.
Shen An’s mouth twitched slightly. He stared at her with a blank expression.
“Uh…”
Wang Yuqiong shrank back a little. “Okay, okay, no problem then. I’ll just vouch for you with the teacher.”
“I’m only the Discipline Committee Member. I’m the Class President!”
“My word definitely carries more weight.”
Shen An arched a brow. “Trying to butter me up?”
Wang Yuqiong fawned over him, rubbing his shoulders. “I just don’t want you mad at me. I really didn’t mean to.”
“What if she doesn’t cooperate with my work from now on?”
“I’ll… I’ll help you!”
Wang Yuqiong gritted her teeth and powered through. “The Drama Group’s not that busy anyway.”
“I’m… usually pretty free. If there’s any tricky stuff in your office, I… I can handle it for you.”
Shen An fought hard to keep his lips from curling up. “I don’t like you saying that. You’re limiting my social life.”
“No, I need to figure out how to smooth things over with her.”
“Hey!” Wang Yuqiong grabbed his arm. “Smooth what over? There’s nothing to explain.”
“What you said was the truth. She never had a shot anyway—she had to know that deep down.”
“If she holds it against you, that just proves she’s the petty one. You’re in the clear!”
Shen An ruffled her lustrous hair, his voice warm. “I don’t care how she sees me, but you two can’t let this fester.”
“She can hold a grudge against me, but not you. Got it?”
Wuwuwu…
Wang Yuqiong’s heart took a direct hit. She didn’t know what to say.
She…
Would even get on her knees for Shen Lianyao right now if it came to that.
Her eyes brimmed with tenderness as she gazed at Shen An. In a soft voice, she said, “This mess is my fault. I’ll clear it up with her.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ve got so much on your plate at the office.”
“Leave it to me, okay?”
Shen An pretended to hesitate. Wang Yuqiong kept coaxing him. “Besides, between girls, some things are better coming from me than you.”
“It’s fine. Don’t stress.”
“Alright then.” Shen An “relented.” “If you can’t sort it out, come straight to me first, okay?”
“Mm-hmm. You head back now. I still need to go over there—Senior Sister said we’re grabbing food together.”
“Go ahead, get to it.”
“Mm-hmm~”
Wang Yuqiong stood there in a daze, watching him leave.
From start to finish, she never realized he had her completely wrapped around his finger.
Her heart fluttered and swayed, soft as could be.
