Shen An had hoped to share a pillow with Chen Nannan until dawn, but she wasn’t quite there yet.
So after stargazing late into the night, they used the chill of the evening breeze as an excuse and tacitly parted ways from the rooftop, each heading back to their own apartments.
Their walk was a leisurely stroll with plenty of stops, filled with chatter and laughter.
When they reached the entrance to Building C, Shen An had the nerve to ask for a goodbye kiss, only to be firmly rejected by Chen Nannan—complete with a playful punch to the chest.
Defeated, he trudged back to Room 1301 with feigned disappointment.
It was late, but not outrageously so like the dead of night. When he pushed open the door, Xu Yijing was in the living room as usual, watching one of her boring TV shows.
Shen An greeted her, then glanced at the dozen or so unread messages on his phone. After a moment’s thought, he casually set the phone and his textbooks on the dining table before heading to his room to shower.
He didn’t leave it right in front of Xu Yijing—that would be too obvious. He placed it on the table where they usually ate, a good distance from the sofa where she sat.
Clearly, Shen An was very confident in his phone’s ringtone.
Of course, it was just a hunch. He couldn’t be entirely sure the call would come through—it was more like a low-odds “baited trap.”
But his ploy worked almost immediately.
That damn ringtone really delivered.
Even as Shen An showered under the hot spray in his bathroom, he could hear the ridiculous sound echoing down the hallway.
He silently counted the seconds in his head. Just before the call would normally auto-hang up, the ringing stopped.
Xu Yijing had answered it.
From the bathroom, he could only hear the ringtone, not her conversation with the caller—or possibly, she had just hung up right away.
After waiting about ten minutes, Shen An grabbed a towel, leisurely dried off, slipped into loose shorts and a t-shirt, and stepped out of his room.
From Xu Yijing’s perspective, Shen An emerged from the shower looking puzzled, glancing around at the floor as if searching for something.
She didn’t suspect a thing, chalking it up to his usual carelessness.
“Looking for something?” she asked softly.
Shen An looked up at the sound of her voice and nodded slightly. “Yeah, my phone. Have you seen it, Senior Sister?”
“On the table.” She pointed. “Along with your books.”
“Oh!”
Shen An walked over to the dining table in surprise and sure enough, there was his phone, resting on top of his books.
“Look at me, so careless…” He picked it up, pocketed it without checking, and scratched his head. “Forgot to put my phone away properly.”
Xu Yijing said coolly, “The phone’s no big deal. Just don’t get so careless that you leave the apartment key lying around.
“If you lose it, I’m not getting you a spare.”
“Of course, of course.” Shen An joked, “Tomorrow I’ll tie the key to a string and wear it as a necklace.”
Xu Yijing’s lips twitched at that.
“Uh, just kidding.”
Noticing her look of distaste, Shen An grinned and explained, “I’m not so forgetful that I’d lose track of the key.”
“I don’t really like jokes,” Xu Yijing said, turning back to the TV. “By the way, your phone rang earlier. It was Senior Sister Zhao.”
“Huh?”
Shen An quickly fished the phone from his pocket. “Really? No missed call notification.”
“I answered it for you.”
Xu Yijing said lightly.
“Hah?”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I just came over to hang it up—who knew your ringtone was so ‘delightful.'”
She turned with a forced smile, fixing Shen An with a stare. “You should really change that ringtone.”
“And then?”
Shen An walked over to the sofa and sat on the far end.
“Then I picked it up.” Xu Yijing met his skeptical gaze without a hint of shame. “I have to apologize here—it’s your phone, after all.
“But I had no intention of prying into your privacy. I just…”
She paused, uncrossing her legs and staring at the TV as she added casually, “Why would Senior Sister Zhao call you?
“You know things are a bit complicated between her and me, and we’re roommates.”
Shen An said nothing, but the skepticism in his eyes was starting to overwhelm her.
Truth be told, though she avoided his gaze, Xu Yijing could feel his “discontent.”
Her mood wasn’t as calm as she let on.
No matter her reasons, she had still answered his call.
“You think I’d team up with Senior Sister Zhao or something?”
After staring at Xu Yijing for a long moment, Shen An smiled again, but his words carried a sharp edge.
Team up?
When would anyone use a word like that?
At the same time, he was subtly reminding her that he knew a little about what had happened between her and Zhao Qingyu.
At least he wasn’t completely in the dark.
It was time to drop the act of being the “harmless little bunny.”
Time for the next phase.
Xu Yijing’s eyes sharpened as she turned to him, surprised. “So Senior Sister Zhao told you?”
“No.”
Shen An shook his head. “I heard it from others. Might be exaggerated, though—who knows if it’s true unless you clarify it for me, Senior Sister.”
He was basically asking her to spill the details herself.
Xu Yijing breathed a silent sigh of relief. She had worried their relationship was close enough for Zhao Qingyu to tell him everything.
“Others? Who?”
She ignored his prompt and pressed on.
“Uh, quite a few people. Some old members from the Art Troupe, and folks from the Student Union.
“I overheard it while chatting with them.”
Shen An avoided mentioning Chen Nannan directly, keeping the source vague.
But Xu Yijing chuckled softly. “Mainly Nannan, right?”
Shen An immediately fell silent.
“No need to hide it. Thinking about it, your slip-ups were pretty obvious.”
Xu Yijing turned slightly toward him.
Only now did she look at him squarely.
Face to face.
“Nannan’s your Assistant Class Supervisor, and I’ve seen you two talking several times. You two get along well.
“A lot of people know about what happened between Senior Sister Zhao and me, but not many would gossip about it.
“Putting it together, Nannan fits perfectly.”
Shen An averted his eyes—confirmation that she’d guessed right.
Her lips curved slightly as she said softly, “Why don’t you tell me what Nannan said?
“I’d love to hear the story of me and Senior Sister Zhao from someone else’s perspective.
“Especially Nannan’s. Back in freshman year, we were on pretty good terms.”
Shen An stood up abruptly. “It’s getting late. Time for bed, Senior Sister.”
Xu Yijing replied unhurriedly, “Don’t you want to know?”
Shen An paused.
She pressed her psychological advantage. “You’re curious, aren’t you?
“Senior Sister Zhao’s your superior, and I’m sort of your landlord. Both of us are tied to your life right now.
“I bet you’re on edge. You don’t really know me or her.
“But you can’t avoid dealing with either of us.”
Shen An turned back to face her.
She patted the sofa cushion beside her. “As one of the people involved, I can set the record straight for you.
“But only if you tell me the truth.”
Shen An hesitated. He wanted the truth, but he worried it might indirectly affect Chen Nannan.
Xu Yijing grew more confident inwardly. She felt she had him psychologically pinned down.
“It’s fine. It’s all in the past.
“I just want to hear the story. That’s it.
“Besides, you’ve been holding this in for so long. After mustering the courage once, are you really going to back down now?”
Her eyes narrowed, her flawless features taking on a subtle allure, her smiling gaze captivating. “This might be your best chance to understand me.”
It wasn’t deliberate seduction.
She was naturally alluring to begin with.
If Zhao Qingyu’s charm came from cultivated poise, Xu Yijing’s was innate.
All she had to do was dial back her usual cool reserve, and her irresistible beauty shone through.
She rarely showed her softer side.
She knew exactly how stunning she was—it attracted too much unwanted trouble.
So even a simple smile was a rare sight from her.
But when she needed to, she wielded this natural weapon without hesitation.
It cost her nothing.
She didn’t even have to force it.
To become magnetic and captivating, she simply had to stop holding herself back.
