It had been less than a month since she’d met Shen An, yet Zhao Qingyu had already apologized to him twice.
And these weren’t casual apologies brushed off with a few words—they were sincere “I’m sorry”s.
This undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to Zhao Qingyu’s pride.
It affected her so deeply that it completely overturned her attitude toward Shen An.
The apology was so straightforward that Shen An felt a wave of satisfaction hearing it.
For some reason—perhaps because of the strong, unyielding impression she’d always given him—those three words from her lips carried an almost magical power.
It sparked a wicked delight in him, a desire to savor her soft, humbled demeanor every moment.
But this was far from over.
Shen An reined in his inner glee just a bit and replied in a deadpan tone, “I’m sorry? No idea what you’re referring to, Senior Sister.”
“As far as I recall, you haven’t done anything to be sorry for.”
After the apology, Zhao Qingyu’s mindset relaxed. She gave a light hum. “Don’t pull that on me. You called back just to hear those three words, didn’t you?”
“Now that I’ve said them, are you happy?”
Shen An chuckled softly. “Wasn’t it you who called me first, Senior Sister?”
“If Senior Sister Xu hadn’t pointed it out, I wouldn’t have even known.”
“Shut up~” Zhao Qingyu puffed out her cheeks. “Don’t mention her name in front of me.”
“Hmm, judging by your tone, it sounds like your chat with her didn’t go so smoothly.” Shen An probed gently.
Zhao Qingyu narrowed her foxy eyes, gazing off at the starry sky. “Maybe our signs just don’t match. Every time I run into her, nothing good happens.”
“So over time, I’ve learned to keep my distance out of respect.”
Hm?
Shen An caught a subtle undercurrent in Zhao Qingyu’s tone—something unusual.
It seemed she was open to sharing more details with him.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was still a dozen minutes shy of midnight.
“Looks like another late night,” Shen An muttered to himself.
He walked over to the bed, shifted into a more comfortable position, and teased, “Keep your distance? Sure doesn’t sound like it to me—more like you’re tangled up with her.”
“Ha~” Zhao Qingyu giggled lightly, then murmured, “You could put it that way.”
“So, what did you two talk about just now?”
“You want to know?”
“I want the gossip.”
“It wasn’t much. I was just surprised she picked up your call. It scared me into thinking you two had some improper relationship going on.”
Shen An raised an eyebrow. “Improper relationship? That’s quite the way to put it, Senior Sister…”
“Hmph, I still think you were lying to me last time.” Zhao Qingyu voiced her suspicions candidly. “You’ve been living with her for over half a month. You expect me to believe you two just ignore each other?”
“I’d love to have some improper relationship with her.”
Shen An sighed. “Unfortunately, that’s probably just wishful thinking on my part.”
Pfft~
Zhao Qingyu struck without mercy. “Yeah, that tracks. A toad dreaming of swan meat and all that.”
“Hey, hey, Senior Sister, your metaphors are getting out of hand.”
“No~” Zhao Qingyu pivoted. “I’m complimenting you. You’re the swan here.”
“Feels more like you’re being passive-aggressive.”
“I’m not.”
Zhao Qingyu turned sideways, leaning against the railing. “But now I’m starting to believe what you said before.”
“You and her—there’s really nothing else going on.”
“She’s got a lot of flaws, but she does have one virtue: she rarely hides anything.”
“If you ask her something, she’ll answer straight up.”
“That said, even if she doesn’t hide much, her words are full of smoke and mirrors. You’ve got to watch out for that.”
Shen An wholeheartedly agreed with this assessment.
Senior Sister Xu had just laid out the whole story of her rivalry with Zhao Qingyu over positions—and it was all true, no doubt. The problem was right there in that truth.
It was all factual, but filtered through her own perspective.
That was far more clever than a clumsy lie, because lies could be exposed, but truth? Not so easily.
“And what about you, Senior Sister?”
Shen An asked softly.
“Before we get to that, I’ve got a question for you.”
“Another interview?”
“Mm-hmm, the real deal this time.”
Zhao Qingyu’s tone softened suddenly.
“I probably don’t qualify for office president yet,” Shen An said with a gentle laugh.
“You never know.” Zhao Qingyu deployed her signature foxy charm. “Answer well, and even the troupe leader spot could be yours.”
“You’re ready to step down and hand it over that quick, Senior Sister?”
“In your dreams. I meant after I step down.”
“That’s too far off. I might not stick around that long.” Shen An stretched out his hand, staring at its shadow under the lamplight, and murmured.
“Don’t change the subject.” Zhao Qingyu missed the odd note in his voice and got serious. “What kind of person am I in your eyes?”
“This question again? Didn’t you already ask it?”
“Did I?”
“I doubt you’ve got dementia already, Senior Sister.”
“Things change. Answers do too, depending on the moment.”
Zhao Qingyu spoke gently. “I want to know how you see me right now.”
“That’s not a simple question.”
“No kidding. Think it over properly.” Zhao Qingyu huffed cutely. “Answer badly, and…”
“Threats just get you fake flattery.”
“Don’t you want the truth, Senior Sister?” Shen An teased.
Zhao Qingyu furrowed her brow, a touch of wistfulness on her face. “Truth hurts, but after too many lies, a bit of honesty now and then isn’t bad.”
“Go on.”
“Hold on, let me think.”
“Ha~ Figuring out how to soften the blow of some ugly truth?”
“You’re too smart, Senior Sister.”
“I’ll give you five minutes.” Zhao Qingyu pocketed her phone, turned, and headed back into the rest room.
She closed the door, wrapped herself in the blanket, and curled up in the fluffy covers, only half her face peeking out.
Perhaps because the rest room’s light was so dim, her pale skin lost its usual glow, making her look almost fragile.
She pulled her phone from her pocket and set it quietly aside.
Then her eyes glazed over as she stared at the ceiling.
It wasn’t the first time she’d asked this question.
But this time, it felt more serious than ever.
So she waited anxiously. To ease the tension, she glanced around the familiar rest room, searching for something new.
She counted silently in her head.
Five minutes—three hundred seconds, ticking by one by one.
At the five-minute mark, she grabbed her phone and held it to her ear. “Time’s up,” she whispered.
She cared about his answer.
So she listened intently to every sound from the phone.
One second, two, three…
Her heart fluttered with anticipation, but after a moment, all she heard was long, steady breathing.
Soon, it turned into rhythmic little snores.
Snore~ Snore~ Snore~
Zhao Qingyu: ……
She took a deep breath and growled through gritted teeth, “Shen An!!!”
“Cough cough~”
The snoring vanished, replaced by Shen An’s laughing voice. “Sorry, sorry. I almost dozed off.”
Black lines appeared on Zhao Qingyu’s forehead…
All that anticipation, and this guy… fell asleep?
Her tone turned icy. “If you don’t want to say it, just say so.”
“No, I thought about it seriously for five minutes, but I couldn’t reach a conclusion.”
Shen An got earnest. “It’s a tough one. I can’t give you an answer right now.”
“How about this weekend? I’ll give you one then.”
Zhao Qingyu let out a dry chuckle.
“The weekend… Smooth topic shift.”
“I’m serious. What if not everyone shows up, or it’s incomplete? What will you do?”
“Tch, so that’s what you’re worried about.”
Zhao Qingyu pursed her lips. “Not bad. You’ve only been in the group a short time and already got that sense of collective responsibility.”
“Nah, I’m just worried you’ll take it out on me.”
Shen An said bluntly.
“Relax, I’m not that tyrannical.”
Zhao Qingyu replied coolly. “Whether everyone’s there or not, my goal was just to help everyone get to know each other better.”
“Those who skip out miss the first group gathering. If they want to make up for it later, it’ll take some effort.”
“Guess you’ve got that mentally prepared already, Senior Sister. Now I’m relieved.”
Shen An let out a long breath.
Zhao Qingyu sneered disdainfully, mentally cursing his “cowardice.”
“Oh, right—one more thing.”
“What?”
“Senior Sister Xu wanted me to tell you she has no intention of competing with you or settling any scores. She’s just pursuing her own goals.”
Shen An said softly. “I asked her about… last year’s election.”
Zhao Qingyu rolled over, utterly nonchalant. “Sounds just like her. Okay, message received.”
“I figured you’d react more strongly. I even had my recorder ready…”
Shen An sounded a bit disappointed.
“Ha~” Zhao Qingyu said mockingly. “Once you’ve spent a bit more time with her, you’ll end up reacting the same way I do.”
“But that’s provided you can still stay in Apartment 1301.”
Shen An was taken aback. “Senior Sister, you’re talking like she’s about to kick me out or something.”
“Are you really that oblivious, or are you just pretending not to understand?”
Zhao Qingyu said angrily, “Didn’t I mention it to you at the hotel last time? She doesn’t have any favorable impression of you at all, let alone any interest in living together with you long-term.”
But then she narrowed her eyes. “You’re not still doubting me, are you?”
“Haha, Senior Sister, I think I’m getting a bit sleepy.”
“Heh~” Zhao Qingyu inexplicably flared up with anger and said coldly, “Then go to sleep.”
“Mm-hmm, see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow I’m not at the Art Troupe!”
“Then see you this weekend!”
“You’d better not be late. Check the notice properly and be there on time.”
“I guarantee I’ll be the first one there!”
