Shen An was eating his breakfast when he noticed the small suitcase sitting at Song Rui’s feet.
He couldn’t resist teasing her. “Isn’t that a bit much?”
Song Rui blinked in confusion. Then she caught his scrutinizing gaze and tilted her head. “Yuqiong’s stuff is in there too.”
The corner of Shen An’s mouth twitched. “You’re too kind for your own good.”
With that, he turned to Yu Wen. “Senior Sister Yu, you’re taking it to another level. Not bringing anything at all?”
Song Rui’s lips quietly pursed. It was clear she didn’t care for the word “kind”—especially not coming from Shen An.
Before Yu Wen could respond, Song Rui huffed in mild annoyance and gave Shen An a light kick.
Shen An didn’t miss a beat, keeping his smile fixed on Yu Wen.
Yu Wen’s smile turned a touch enigmatic. “I’ve got a kind ‘good friend’ of my own.”
Well then.
Shen An let out a dramatic sigh toward the heavens. “I want a kind good friend too.”
Seizing the moment, Yu Wen shot Song Rui a conspiratorial glance, the two of them forming a sisterly front to poke fun at Shen An.
But Song Rui’s reaction caught Yu Wen off guard.
In response to the look, Song Rui gave a polite little nod by way of courtesy. Then she turned to Shen An. “Want me to carry yours?”
“I’ve still got room. It should fit.”
Now it was Yu Wen’s turn for her mouth to twitch.
She awkwardly withdrew her gaze and stared straight ahead, inwardly ranting: “Kids these days!!!”
She never would have guessed Song Rui was such a pro at sucking up.
Shen An felt a warm glow in his chest. He couldn’t help reaching out to ruffle Song Rui’s silky hair. “No need. I’m not some endangered species.”
“Besides, you didn’t have to get up so early. Look at you—your hair’s not even combed properly.”
Song Rui startled at his words. “Really? Let me see.”
She started to reach into her little suitcase for a mirror, but Shen An gently stopped her. “Don’t move. I’ll fix it for you.”
“Oh~”
An unnatural blush crept across Song Rui’s cheeks as she ducked her head.
Amid the shyness, though, the corners of her mouth quietly curved upward in delight.
Yu Wen watched as Shen An mussed up Song Rui’s already perfectly groomed hair, then painstakingly smoothed it back into place. This time, she had nothing to say.
She couldn’t even if she wanted to.
She was utterly speechless at Shen An’s brazenness.
It was obvious now: the girl had no ulterior schemes. She was simply partial to Shen An, purely and innocently.
Sigh~
Youth really was something~
As Yu Wen watched, she suddenly felt like an eyesore—like a dangling lightbulb.
Shen An continued to gently stroke Song Rui’s hair while shooting Yu Wen a teasing look. “Senior Sister, want me to fix your hair too? It looks a little messy.”
Yu Wen rolled her eyes. “No need to trouble yourself~”
Soon enough, Yu Wen’s so-called “kind good friend” arrived.
Qi Taili came trudging over, huffing and puffing under the weight of a massive backpack. Her delicate frame made the load on her slender shoulders look all the more burdensome—like a little donkey staggering under hundreds of kilos of cargo. Every step seemed like a struggle, tugging at the heartstrings.
Shen An blinked and turned to Yu Wen. “Senior Sister, you’re ruthless. Exploiting child labor, huh?”
Yu Wen pressed a hand to her forehead and shot back with a pout. “My stuff is just a tiny bit!”
By the time they finished talking, Qi Taili had reached them.
She wore no makeup, just a baseball cap.
Yet her bare-faced fairness brought out the unique charm of her babyish features. The sporty cap suited her face perfectly.
Beneath the brim, though, Shen An spotted the exhaustion etched on her face—like she hadn’t slept a wink all night.
Spotting the group, she barely managed to lift her head. “Morning…”
Song Rui hurried forward to help her good senior sister shrug off the burdensome pack.
Yu Wen’s hand, which had just started to extend, withdrew in awkward defeat.
Shen An narrowed his eyes slightly. “Senior Sister, did you not sleep well last night?”
“You look exhausted.”
Song Rui gazed at Qi Taili with open worry.
Qi Taili shook her head. “I didn’t sleep at all last night.”
Yu Wen grumbled irritably. “Staying up all night playing your stupid games!”
Qi Taili pouted and muttered under her breath. “It’s fun~”
Shen An chuckled helplessly. “Then you have to catch some sleep on the bus later, Senior Sister. Otherwise, you won’t have any energy left.”
Qi Taili grinned and nodded vigorously. Yu Wen snorted. “That’s exactly what she’s aiming for.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t act surprised. Your Senior Sister Qi hates riding in cars. She can’t handle more than ten minutes.”
“Otherwise, she’ll hurl all over the inside.” Yu Wen mercilessly exposed Qi Taili’s dirty little secret, hand over her mouth.
Shen An got it immediately. “Senior Sister gets carsick, huh?”
Qi Taili nodded, a bit embarrassed.
“That’s right,” Yu Wen explained gently. “So she pulls an all-nighter to wear her brain out. That way, she crashes right when she gets on the bus and wakes up at the destination.”
“Hey, that sounds rough for Senior Sister,” Shen An said. “I don’t like car rides much either, though—they’re so boring.”
Rather than join in the teasing, he expressed sincere sympathy.
Song Rui nodded along understandingly.
Yu Wen: …
For some reason, she felt a pang of loneliness.
This was supposed to be a group outing for four… yet here she was, on the outs!
The culprit was obvious: Shen An.
Her beautiful eyes narrowed as she shot him a covert glare, as if to say, “You just wait, kid.”
Shen An bared his teeth in a big grin. “Qi Senior Sister’s already so beat—surely you won’t make her keep carrying that, right, Senior Sister Yu?”
Yu Wen felt a twinge of grievance. “But my stuff is barely anything.”
“Good friends are supposed to help each other out, aren’t they?” Shen An’s smile widened.
At that moment, Qi Taili looked up. “Hey, Shen An, why don’t you take it for me? We’ll only have to walk a little once we get there anyway.”
“Huh?”
Shen An’s expression froze.
Yu Wen crowed inwardly: Good sister!
She quickly clasped Qi Taili’s little hand, aligning on the same front. “Exactly! You’re a big strong guy. We’re all delicate little ladies here.”
Clutching Taili’s hand, Yu Wen finally felt the warmth of solidarity.
Woo woo, she wasn’t alone after all.
Meeting Qi Taili’s earnest gaze—tinged with mischief—Shen An sighed. “Fine.”
Song Rui, oblivious to the subtle undercurrents, simply didn’t want to see Shen An burdened.
While the two senior sisters chatted, she leaned close to his ear. “Why not just stuff it in mine?”
Shen An’s face turned stern. “Hush. I’m not done fixing your hair yet.”
With that, he reached up and tousled it some more.
Song Rui hung her head with a pitiful pout. “Oh~”
But she wasn’t truly upset.
She could feel that Shen An was taking care of her.
The four of them waited a bit longer, and soon other members of the Art Troupe began trickling in.
Including Wang Yuqiong!
Wang Yuqiong had clearly fallen under Shen An’s spell hook, line, and sinker. She showed up fully dolled up, every inch of her from head to toe radiating meticulous elegance.
Not a single strand of hair was out of place.
The moment she appeared, she became the undisputed center of attention.
Even Yu Wen, who was herself elegantly made up, couldn’t hold a candle to Wang Yuqiong’s radiant brilliance.
Shen An found himself momentarily dazed.
Truth be told, he’d never seen her go all out like this. Their usual encounters featured only her casual light makeup.
But even that had made her stunning.
Perhaps their easygoing rapport had lulled him into overlooking the fact that she was, without question, a knockout beauty.
This full-on glamour shattered those preconceptions. The image of Wang Yuqiong as a stunning beauty now looped relentlessly through his mind like a mantra.
That illusion faded the instant she opened her mouth, though. “It’s so damn hot!!!”
Shen An chuckled lightly. “Didn’t put on sunscreen?”
“Of course I did!”
Wang Yuqiong flicked a glance at his hand lingering in Song Rui’s hair, her tone edgy. “That’s why it feels weird.”
They’d barely exchanged greetings when the Drama Group’s president arrived.
She strode right over and called out to Wang Yuqiong, who had no choice but to follow.
About ten minutes later, the once-quiet gathering spot buzzed with energy.
The Art Troupe had hundreds of members in total. Even with only some showing up, it still numbered well into the triple digits.
It quickly turned into an elementary school field trip scene, alive with nonstop chatter.
They naturally clustered into little groups around their respective presidents.
And so, of the original quartet—minus Wang Yuqiong’s brief hello—only Shen An and Song Rui remained standing together.
Qi Taili and Yu Wen had long since merged with their own group members, leaving behind only Qi Taili’s enormous backpack.
Song Rui gazed at the lively scene before her and couldn’t help twisting her head slightly to glance at Shen An, who was still idly toying with her hair.
The contrast between the raucous crowd and their isolated duo stood out starkly.
The clamor over there, the lonely pair standing here.
She knew Shen An was staying put for her sake.
After all, he’d chatted with plenty of Art Troupe members lately and earned universal praise.
If he wanted to join the fun, it would have been the easiest thing in the world.
He didn’t go over—not because he was afraid of anything, but because he’d end up standing there like a fool by himself?
Song Rui pondered this silently in her heart.
In truth, this was the most obvious difference between them right now.
In the Art Troupe, Song Rui could only orbit around Shen An. Even with Qi Taili, it was hard for her to fit into that circle.
Shen An was different.
He could go wherever he pleased, and he was welcome everywhere.
Wasn’t it the same in their class?
Sure, she had three dormmates, while Shen An had none.
But the only one she could truly get close to was Shen An.
In Dorm 105, Song Rui never truly felt like one of them. More often than not, their invitations stemmed from mere decorum and politeness.
Seeing the faint flicker of dejection on Song Rui’s face, Shen An—ever perceptive—asked softly, “What are you thinking about?”
Song Rui shook her head at once. “Nothing! You… you haven’t finished yet?”
What she really wanted to say was: Once you’re done, go say hi. Don’t worry about me.
“Nah, I’ve got plenty of time. Next time, you need to tidy up properly, or I’ll have to spend ages on it.”
Shen An’s quick wit robbed her of the chance to speak.
Song Rui merely pursed her lips, her gaze softening into something extraordinarily tender.
She had styled her own hair—how could she not know the truth?
The wind might tousle it a little on the way over, but it couldn’t possibly mess up the whole thing.
Even if it did get completely windswept, fixing it wouldn’t take this long. A quick pass with her hand to smooth it down would do.
She might have believed him at first, but now she knew: this was just Shen An’s excuse to stay by her side.
And what was going through Shen An’s mind?
Song Rui’s hair is so silky—long, soft, and really nice to touch.
As for greeting everyone? That was Song Rui overthinking it.
He had zero interest in making the rounds, strutting around like some flashy peacock on display.
No, staying put quietly like this was exactly what Shen An wanted.
That said…
Without Song Rui here, he might have wandered over to chat with Wang Yuqiong or sparred a few more rounds with Yu Wen.
But she was here.
So he prioritized her.
His words to her might often come off as unfriendly, but deep down, no one tugged at his heartstrings quite like Song Rui.
