The next event was the sit-and-reach test.
Shen Lianyao went first for the test, with Shen An standing beside her to record her score.
The PE teacher had come over not only to supervise but also because this event required his personal involvement.
Several students were testing at once, so they had to line up.
Shen An stood right behind Shen Lianyao. He noticed that her little hand kept drifting to her waist, intentionally or not—not like a casual hands-on-hips pose, but more like she was rubbing it each time.
He raised an eyebrow and leaned forward. “Did you not warm up properly?”
Shen Lianyao had been lost in thought when his voice interrupted her. Without turning her head, she said coolly, “I warmed up just fine. Thanks for your concern.”
“Then why do you keep rubbing your waist? Did you strain it during the sit-ups?”
He didn’t wait for her answer before muttering to himself, “No wonder you only managed thirty.”
Shen Lianyao turned her head and shot him a sideways glare. “Your waist is the one that’s strained.”
She really was icy cold about it.
Shen An knew he was being a bit annoying, but it was better than letting her bury her grudge and sabotage him at work later on. Better to wear it down bit by bit until her hatred faded.
For one thing, hatred and mere dislike were two different beasts.
Hatred was pure and intense—people would go to extremes for it.
Dislike, on the other hand, wasn’t so heavy. It left room for rationality, at least.
All things considered, he’d rather have Shen Lianyao dislike him than truly hate him. Who knew? Maybe she’d even work harder to avoid dealing with him.
Smack.
A sharp slap landed on Shen An’s back, the sound crisp enough to make even Shen Lianyao glance over in surprise.
Wincing in pain, he grabbed the offending little hand and turned with a scowl. “Can’t you find a less violent way to say hi next time?”
No one else greeted people quite this roughly except Wang Yuqiong.
Once Shen Lianyao saw it was her, she promptly turned back and focused on the long line ahead.
Wang Yuqiong stared at him darkly, her lips curving into a smile that hid whatever emotion was brewing underneath. “What a coincidence. You two are doing the test too?”
Ever since he’d gently turned her down, she’d guessed exactly who he wanted to pair up with.
Talk about unfair.
She’d made several attempts to sidle up to him, only for this guy to shove her away without mercy!
And now he was ditching her for Shen Lianyao!
Utterly unforgivable.
Shen An ignored her cold glare at first and waved to Song Rui behind her. “You two done already?”
Song Rui shook her head slightly. “Not yet. We just did height and weight. The main events haven’t started.”
“Oh? How tall are you, then?”
Shen An asked casually.
Wang Yuqiong cut in coldly. “Not telling.”
“Hey, miss, could you be a little more perceptive? I clearly wasn’t asking you.” Shen An spread his hands, wearing the most infuriating grin.
Wang Yuqiong gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to deck him, and glanced at Song Rui. “Song Rui won’t tell you either!”
“Really?”
Shen An turned to Song Rui, his gaze full of eager curiosity.
“I…”
Song Rui fidgeted, unsure whether to answer.
Wang Yuqiong jumped in to rescue her, stepping in front of Song Rui to block his view. “What about you two? Which event did you do?”
“Sit-ups.”
Shen An jerked a thumb back at Shen Lianyao.
“Oh? Must’ve been a good score, then.” Wang Yuqiong’s tone carried a sarcastic edge. “After all, Lianyao’s such a great dancer.”
“Not really. Just thirty.”
Shen An waved it off. At that moment, Shen Lianyao couldn’t hold back and turned around. “Can you be quiet for once?”
Shen An’s mouth twitched. He nodded obediently.
That only made Wang Yuqiong even angrier!
She noticed that Shen An was perfectly mild-mannered with everyone else—except her. With her, he was all sharp words, treating her like she wasn’t even a good friend, classmate, or class president.
She let out a cold huff and muttered under her breath, “Maybe you should buy yourself a leash?”
She reached out and tapped his neck. “You’re missing a collar right here.”
Shen An kept smiling and whispered back, “You think I want to be slapping a hot face against a cold butt? Think about who I’m doing this for!”
Huh?
Wang Yuqiong blinked in stunned silence, suddenly feeling guilty. “You… you’re… what?”
“Heh.”
Shen An let out a cold chuckle, saying nothing more. It was obvious enough.
Ahem.
Truth be told, he’d just said he wanted to win Shen Lianyao’s forgiveness to keep their conflict from blowing up.
But for some reason, seeing Shen An stuck to Shen Lianyao like glue—especially after ditching her for it—ignited an uncontrollable rage in her chest.
Just like that, Wang Yuqiong lost her nerve. She hung her head, turning into a timid little hen.
Seizing the moment, Shen An leaned in close to her ear. “Didn’t you just promise me? Why are you still stirring up trouble?”
Wang Yuqiong rubbed the spot she’d just slapped, all fawning sweetness as she cooed, “Aww, does it hurt?”
Song Rui scratched her head, baffled by the sudden shift. Weren’t they just at daggers drawn a second ago?
How had it turned into flirty banter so fast?
“Heh.”
Shen An basked in her groveling flattery and pressed on. “You still haven’t said. How tall and how much do you weigh?”
“I…”
Song Rui figured it was safe to answer now.
But Wang Yuqiong beat her to it. “Song Rui’s 1.65 meters, forty-seven kilos, right?”
She glanced back at Song Rui for confirmation.
Song Rui nodded helplessly.
“Forty-seven kilos? That’s ninety-four jin. A bit skinny.” Shen An muttered.
Wang Yuqiong immediately volunteered her own stats. “I’m 1.77 meters, sixty-five kilos.”
Shen An shot back without missing a beat. “One-thirty. Even a pig wouldn’t weigh that much.”
The fawning smile froze on Wang Yuqiong’s face.
Endure it…
She had to hold back.
Forcing a grin, she said, “But I’m twelve centimeters taller than Song Rui.”
Truth be told, 130 jin was a perfectly standard weight for a 1.77-meter girl. Not too thin, not overweight—just healthy and balanced.
Plus, Wang Yuqiong had great proportions. No one would ever call her anything but slim.
Song Rui’s 94 jin, on the other hand, was on the unhealthy side—too skinny.
Shen An chuckled and poked her forehead. “Don’t take it so seriously. I actually thought you were 1.8 meters.”
“Put me in heels, and I am.”
Wang Yuqiong pouted.
“Tsk, 1.77 meters. Tough height to find a boyfriend at.”
Shen An teased smoothly. “The ideal height gap for couples is usually ten to fifteen centimeters. You’d need a guy who’s 1.87 meters tall.”
“Otherwise, you’d look a bit off together.”
Wang Yuqiong rolled her eyes. “Mind your own business.”
Then she sized him up and down. “Speaking of, how tall are you?”
“Me?”
Shen An’s lips quirked up. “Sorry, I’m not in that range either. 1.85 meters—just eight centimeters taller than you.”
Wang Yuqiong exploded. “I wasn’t asking about you!!!”
“Besides, what does it matter to you how tall my boyfriend is? Judging by some stupid height standard is so boring!”
“If it’s real love, who cares about height? I could even date someone shorter than me.”
Hmph.
With that, she haughtily turned away, pretending utter disdain.
Song Rui quietly bowed her head, doing some mental math.
1.65 meters for her, 1.85 for him…
A twenty-centimeter difference…
Shen An smirked inwardly and couldn’t resist ruffling Wang Yuqiong’s hair, whispering, “Put me in lifts and you in flats, and we might just scrape by the standard.”
This…
Wang Yuqiong couldn’t handle the public headpat, especially with all their classmates around.
Even without anyone staring, she’d feel that instinctive twinge of embarrassment.
She swatted his hand away and grabbed Song Rui. “The line’s so long—take your time. Song Rui and I are going to do the other tests first.”
Then she bolted.
Shen An shrugged to himself. That girl really had thin skin. No match for him at all.
He turned back to Shen Lianyao’s side, beaming. “So, how tall are you?”
Shen Lianyao—who’d secretly eavesdropped on the whole exchange with Shen An and Wang Yuqiong—felt her mouth twitch. She replied flatly, “None of your business.”
“Oh~”
Shen An smiled and returned to his spot.
Forcing down the hands itching to throttle her.
In that moment, he finally got why Wang Yuqiong had been so frustrated.
Slapping a hot face against a cold butt was no picnic.
