After a moment’s hesitation, Shen An turned around and sat back down on the sofa beside her.
Xu Yijing nodded slightly in satisfaction, propping her chin on her hand. “You can start talking now.”
Originally, she hadn’t planned to move into this semi-revealed phase with Shen An so quickly.
Or rather, she hadn’t thought there was any need to build a good rapport with him.
He was just a pawn, after all, and a pawn’s fate should be decided by the one moving the pieces.
But that phone call from Zhao Qingyu—beyond the threat of utter humiliation it posed—had given Xu Yijing pause when she calmed down and reflected on it.
His progress with Zhao Qingyu seemed to be accelerating faster than expected.
The moment she had picked up the phone, the urgency in Zhao Qingyu’s voice, laced with that barely restrained hint of unease, hadn’t been feigned.
If Zhao Qingyu was truly so cunning that she could predict Xu Yijing would answer and deliberately put on such a performance, then Xu Yijing would have nothing to say even in defeat.
So, based on the more reasonable assumption, Zhao Qingyu and Shen An’s relationship was veering into uncharted territory beyond her expectations.
Xu Yijing had no choice but to stay vigilant.
She wasn’t overly worried that the two of them teaming up would pose any real threat to her.
But regardless, Shen An was living with her for the time being.
He was a ticking time bomb.
That meant Xu Yijing needed to offer him some deeper reassurance—like sending a few friendly signals his way.
She figured he must be full of questions right now.
Even if he was someone her mother had sent, there were plenty of things her mother didn’t know.
And with such information asymmetry, it would be hard for him to make any moves, wouldn’t it?
So she could selectively reveal a bit of information to him.
If he had no other arrangements with her mother and didn’t know her true intentions, then her reassurances would be all the more effective.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, Xu Yijing’s reputation—inside and out—was far superior to Zhao Qingyu’s.
Of course, even as Xu Yijing mulled this over, something felt off.
Combining it with her previous phone call with Zhao Qingyu, she was gradually ruling out Shen An as a suspect.
She was starting to lean toward the idea that he knew nothing at all—purely a dupe in her mother’s scheme, genuinely believing he was here to play “nanny.”
From the day he moved in, he hadn’t done a thing.
He had stuck faithfully to their agreement.
If he were truly following her mother’s orders with some secret deal, he would have been probing for openings by now.
Just like every previous “nanny,” never letting any detail slip by.
But Xu Yijing hadn’t entirely dismissed her suspicions of him.
What if this was his strategy?
Pretend ignorance at first, slowly erode her doubts, then strike.
For now, her attitude toward Shen An remained cautious and reserved.
There wasn’t much value in deeper engagement; she just didn’t want him leaning toward Zhao Qingyu’s side.
She was confident.
She believed that with just a little warmth, she could easily outshine Zhao Qingyu.
There weren’t many people in this world who could tolerate Zhao Qingyu’s temper.
Even if Shen An had defended her multiple times, Xu Yijing didn’t buy that it came from the heart.
He was just buckling under Zhao Qingyu’s pressure, bending the knee.
Tch~
Zhao Qingyu had gotten a bit smarter since before.
Xu Yijing had originally planned to use her to get rid of him, but Zhao Qingyu had guessed her intentions first.
No matter.
Revealing a few vulnerabilities on purpose was the best way to conceal one’s true aims, wasn’t it?
With that thought, the smile at the corners of Xu Yijing’s mouth deepened, like moonlight scattering to chase away every obscuring cloud.
Under that gaze, Shen An couldn’t help but reveal a trace of unrestrained fascination.
He hesitated, then inevitably fell under her spell once more.
“Then… I’ll just lay it out simply and discuss it with you, Senior Sister?”
Xu Yijing said warmly, “Go ahead. You don’t need to hold back. I’ve heard all the ugliest rumors, and I don’t think Nannan is the type to spread petty gossip, right?”
“Of course. Senior Sister Nannan is wonderful.”
Shen An nodded without hesitation, instinctively taking Chen Nannan’s side.
Xu Yijing didn’t mind. She couldn’t care less about his personal likes or dislikes—they had nothing to do with her or her goals.
“I’ve asked you several times before, Senior Sister, but you’ve never told me.”
Shen An paused, then continued. “Actually, you and Senior Sister Nannan were both members of the Art Troupe Office back in your freshman year, right?”
Xu Yijing covered her mouth with a light laugh. “No need to probe so cautiously. That’s all public knowledge.”
“Well, Senior Sister Nannan didn’t tell me much either…”
Shen An summed it up briefly. “She just said that Senior Sister Zhao was your superior at the time—the Office Director.”
“By the Art Troupe’s old rules, the Office Director was usually the next in line to become Troupe Leader.”
“That’s right.” Xu Yijing nodded slightly. “Back in my freshman year, Senior Sister Zhao was indeed my boss.”
“Then…” Shen An met her eyes directly. “Senior Sister Zhao wanted you to stay in the Office and take over as Office Director. But did she really mean that?”
Xu Yijing’s brows furrowed slightly—not out of displeasure at the question itself.
She just thought Shen An was being too roundabout.
She crossed her arms and leaned back, saying coolly, “Why not cut to the chase? Nannan must have told you that she was the one running for Office Director.”
“And I was running for Deputy Troupe Leader—the position Senior Sister Zhao was after.”
“That’s why you think there’s bad blood between me and Senior Sister Zhao, right?”
Shen An nodded frankly. “Yeah.”
“And Nannan didn’t share her take with you?”
“She did, sort of… but…”
“But what?”
“But…” Shen An shrugged. “She wasn’t really focused on the grudge between you and Senior Sister Zhao. She was just unhappy with Senior Sister Zhao’s arrangements.”
“Arrangements?” Xu Yijing thought for a moment, then understood. “Oh, you mean Nannan was upset that I ended up taking her position later?”
“Well, that shouldn’t have anything to do with you, right?”
Shen An said softly, “I think you were forced into it. It must have been Senior Sister Zhao’s doing.”
“After all, she didn’t want you running for Deputy Troupe Leader.”
“No.” Xu Yijing shook her head slightly. “You’re wrong about that. It had nothing to do with Senior Sister Zhao.”
Huh?
Shen An froze.
What did that mean?
“Senior Sister Zhao didn’t want me competing with her for Deputy Troupe Leader, sure. But she wasn’t generous enough to hand me the Office Director spot either. You might not get it now, but back then, the Office had real power to check the Troupe Leader.”
“She wouldn’t have allowed me to become her overseer.”
“Especially since she was just the Director at the time.”
Xu Yijing casually dismantled all of Shen An’s prior assumptions.
Including Chen Nannan’s.
“You might have overlooked something. Senior Sister Zhao does wield a lot of influence in the Art Troupe now—she can decide anything on a whim.”
“But back then, the Art Troupe Leader hadn’t retired yet.”
His mind reeled.
Of course… Zhao Qingyu’s reckless, headstrong ways had created that stereotype, making it seem like she was all-powerful in the Art Troupe.
But before she became Troupe Leader, there had been one already.
She’d only been the Office Director.
“Senior Sister Zhao did have a lot of sway in the Art Troupe, even before she took over as Leader.”
“But that didn’t mean she could decide everything.”
Xu Yijing narrowed her eyes slightly. “The one who wanted me to stay on as Office Director was the Troupe Leader at the time.”
“She even skipped the formal process and appointed me directly.”
Shen An suddenly felt like everything was shrouded in mystery. “Then… why did you…”
“Why did I leave the Art Troupe and become Student Union Vice President?” Xu Yijing anticipated his question.
“Yeah.”
“Because Senior Sister Zhao refused to let me take the Office Director role.”
Xu Yijing said softly, “As I mentioned, even before she became Troupe Leader, Senior Sister Zhao had strong influence in the Art Troupe.”
“The Leader could decide many things, but without her approval, nothing got done.”
“Plus, with elections looming and the current Leader stepping down soon, Senior Sister Zhao was the likely successor. Without her buy-in, the Leader’s decisions were even harder to push through.”
Xu Yijing sighed. “I talked it over with the Leader, but there was no way around Senior Sister Zhao. She was dead set against it, so I had to drop out of the race and leave the Art Troupe.”
“As for the Student Union election, that’s a separate story.”
Shen An pondered in silence, digesting the revelation.
What had seemed like a settled situation now had a new player: the Art Troupe Leader from back then.
So it hadn’t just been a tussle between Zhao Qingyu and Xu Yijing—it had involved three sides.
Zhao Qingyu, Xu Yijing, and that Troupe Leader.
These three people…
From Xu Yijing’s earlier description, it seemed the Troupe Leader had been on her side at the time.
In other words, Zhao Qingyu remained the unwavering “villainess.”
No.
That wasn’t the most important issue.
The most important thing was…
Shen An quickly cast aside these scattered clues.
He looked at Xu Yijing and said gravely, “Then, Senior Sister, why did you run for Troupe Leader back then?”
Yes.
That was the core of the conflict between Zhao Qingyu and Xu Yijing.
Xu Yijing looked puzzled. She tilted her head and countered, “Can’t I run for Troupe Leader?”
Shen An was stunned.
“Does the school have any rule saying I can’t?” Xu Yijing pressed.
“Uh, it doesn’t seem like it…”
“Then what’s wrong with me running for Troupe Leader?” Xu Yijing unleashed her deadly triple salvo.
Shen An blinked, his gaze darting away evasively.
“Maybe from Senior Sister Zhao’s perspective, she saw it as me deliberately provoking her.”
“But honestly, that wasn’t it. I simply believed I was qualified for the role and could do it better than her.”
“So I ran.”
“Besides, the Student Union isn’t Senior Sister Zhao’s private company, and she’s hardly the chairman.”
Xu Yijing lifted her chin with a faint, mocking smile. “I’m just going after what I want, without breaking a single rule.”
“Does her displeasure alone make me the foolhardy one?”
Checkmate.
Shen An found himself at a loss for words.
From the standpoint of reason or logic, Xu Yijing was entirely in the right.
Viewed objectively, the fault in this matter lay not with her, but with Zhao Qingyu’s pettiness.
No rule barred Xu Yijing from running for Troupe Leader.
And the position wasn’t Zhao Qingyu’s personal fiefdom.
Whether Xu Yijing could win was one thing; whether she was even allowed to try was another.
Xu Yijing let out a light chuckle. “Come to think of it, Senior Sister Zhao was pretty upset when I threw my hat in the ring. She must have been worried.”
“Worried I’d beat her. Doesn’t that show she lacks confidence in herself?”
Ah…
The sarcasm was dialed up to eleven.
“But I never wanted to beat her,” Xu Yijing said calmly. “Like I said before, I was just doing what I wanted.”
“I didn’t mean to offend anyone, and I have no interest in scrapping for supremacy.”
“If I lose, it just means I don’t have what it takes yet. I won’t blame a soul—it’s on me for not trying hard enough.”
“I hadn’t planned to explain myself, but I’m worried someone might be too self-righteous, mistaking what they’ve seen and heard for the full truth.”
The “someone” here could point to Zhao Qingyu—or even Shen An.
It was a sharp jab back at the “collusion” accusation.
“Since you’re on good terms with Senior Sister Zhao, why not pass this along for me?”
Shen An could only nod in assent.
“Any more questions?” Xu Yijing asked.
“None.”
Right now, with Xu Yijing’s presence dominating the room, he felt genuinely intimidated.
“Then get some early rest.” Xu Yijing rose slightly from her seat. “Oh, and I don’t care for the word ‘collusion.’ Pick a different one next time.”
“Cough…”
