With the trio coordinating efforts, the members filed onto the buses in an orderly fashion one after another.
Since everyone was free to find their own seats—any spot on the bus would do—Wang Yuqiong quickly latched onto Shen An, trailing right behind him like some unofficial office staffer.
“Aren’t you embarrassed at all? Your minister’s watching you, you know.”
Shen An couldn’t shake Wang Yuqiong no matter what, so he resorted to invoking the Drama Group’s Minister Pei to rein her in.
Wang Yuqiong instinctively glanced back. All the Drama Group members had already boarded the bus, leaving only Minister Pei behind.
Her sudden turn caught Minister Pei’s faintly amused gaze head-on, sending a chill straight through Wang Yuqiong’s heart.
Shen An arched a brow and seized the moment. “Better hurry over. Your minister’s calling for you.”
But he hadn’t expected Minister Pei to approach them on her own.
She sidled up between the two, her eyes carrying a questioning glint. Shen An cleared his throat lightly. “Senior Sister Pei.”
Wang Yuqiong shrank back a bit too. “Minister.”
Minister Pei first turned to Wang Yuqiong, asking deliberately, “Yuqiong, haven’t found a seat yet?”
“Yeah, don’t be so picky. Just grab any spot,” Shen An said casually, pointing toward the back row of one of the buses.
Wang Yuqiong sneakily pinched Shen An, shaking her head as she explained, “I want to make sure the other members are settled first.”
“Oh~” Minister Pei chuckled lightly. “Yuqiong, you’re quite the eager helper, aren’t you?”
Then she turned to Shen An. “Secretary Shen will arrange a seat for you, right?”
“Of course.”
A faint smile tugged at Shen An’s lips, though he remained a touch wary of Minister Pei.
She was the only department head with whom he had a thoroughly average relationship.
If Ye Xin’s style was merely rigid, Minister Pei exuded an inexplicable air of authority from start to finish.
Even Wang Yuqiong had to rein in her usual “Little Hen” bravado in her presence.
Of course, Shen An’s wariness wasn’t suspicion.
He didn’t think Minister Pei had any grudge against him or any ulterior motives.
It was simply a clash of personalities. Some people just didn’t mesh—like spice lovers and those who couldn’t handle the heat. With hotpot, you could at least split it into a yin-yang pot.
Shen An saw his dynamic with Minister Pei exactly that way.
So when dealing with someone whose style clashed so thoroughly with his own, Shen An always made a point of being as polite as possible.
It was a subtle way of building a relational boundary.
He turned, scanning the area as if scouting seats for Wang Yuqiong. Minister Pei immediately said, “Perfect then. Yuqiong’s in your hands. I’ll board first.”
Huh?
Shen An hadn’t even processed it before Minister Pei climbed aboard the bus.
In just a few words, they’d traded a little verbal spar.
He’d assumed Minister Pei wanted him to find Wang Yuqiong a suitable seat right then and there.
The subtext: Stop letting her trail after you like this—it’s not great.
But no, Minister Pei had effectively handed Wang Yuqiong off to him with that word “care,” tacitly approving her “willfulness.”
The implications of her before-and-after lines were polar opposites.
Wang Yuqiong beamed triumphantly. “See? My minister’s got my back~”
Shen An chuckled dryly. “Yeah, yeah. Tag-along!”
“Who’re you calling a tag-along?”
“Whoever it fits!”
“Tch, childish~” Wang Yuqiong puffed out her cheeks and stubbornly stuck by Shen An’s side.
Her intentions were obvious enough, which was exactly why he’d called her shameless from the start.
They weren’t even in the same department. For a Drama Group member like Wang Yuqiong to ignore her own group and shadow the Office crew instead—what would her teammates think?
No matter how close they were privately, they should keep up appearances publicly.
That was why Wang Yuqiong shrank at the sight of Minister Pei.
And trailing after a guy like Shen An? That just fueled even more gossip among onlookers.
After all the hustle, everyone except the Office trio and Wang Yuqiong the tag-along had boarded.
The four of them first checked the empty seats on each bus, then regrouped to compare notes.
Once they’d surveyed everything, an “interesting” situation emerged.
Call it coincidence or not, but all seven buses were full—leaving exactly five empty seats.
Five seats for four people: plenty of room.
The catch? Those seats were scattered, with only two on the same bus.
Meaning the four would have to split up, with just one pair sitting together.
Shen Lianyao didn’t hesitate. She grabbed her backpack and headed straight for an empty seat on one bus.
That left three.
The atmosphere grew subtly awkward.
Song Rui and Wang Yuqiong exchanged a perfectly synchronized glance, each reading the intent in the other’s eyes.
Both wanted to sit with Shen An.
But only one pair seat available.
Shen An stayed silent, quietly bending down to pick up his backpack and Song Rui’s small suitcase.
Song Rui quickly stopped him. Wang Yuqiong, fearing she’d beat her to the punch, blurted out, “You sit by yourself.”
Me?
Song Rui pointed at herself in confusion.
Shen An raised a brow, inwardly noting Wang Yuqiong’s boldness.
But this… it might hurt Song Rui’s feelings too much.
They were dormmates, after all. Things could get awkward later.
As Shen An pondered, Wang Yuqiong shook her head. “I mean, let him sit alone. You and I can sit together.”
Song Rui froze. So did Shen An.
“What? You gunning for the pair seat?” Wang Yuqiong shot Shen An an exasperated look. “Just squeeze in wherever.”
“Fine, you two sit together then.”
Shen An grumbled on the surface, but deep down, he quietly admired her.
Her interest was plain as day, yet she always respected boundaries.
She tested the waters aggressively but never crossed into outright confession.
And crucially: She didn’t want to see Song Rui hurt.
Ditching Song Rui would leave a bad taste even for Wang Yuqiong.
Having Shen An go solo was the ideal compromise.
Song Rui wanted to sit with him badly, but she dreaded him sitting with Wang Yuqiong even more.
Wang Yuqiong’s suggestion checked every box for all three.
“You sit solo? In all this space?”
Wang Yuqiong pursed her lips. “Give me your backpack. I’ll hold it for you.”
If Shen An had only admired her maturity before, this line tipped it into genuine cleverness.
Any ordinary guy would’ve been touched.
Not by the backpack itself, but by the care she showed.
Like a heartfelt “good night.” The words alone don’t lull you to sleep—no magic pill.
But someone saying it sincerely? You’d drift off smiling, dreams sweeter for it.
Countless people would kill for such a simple, earnest good night.
Too bad for Wang Yuqiong: She was dealing with Shen An.
He tossed her the backpack without a second thought, waving casually. “Alright, I’m boarding. Don’t drop it when you get off.”
Wang Yuqiong’s mouth twitched. “Watch me chuck it right now.”
“Chuck it if you want. Just make it up to me.”
Shen An grinned and boarded.
Wang Yuqiong stared at his retreating back, cheeks puffed, stomping her foot in frustration.
Then she turned, grabbing Song Rui’s hand. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Okay.”
Song Rui followed Wang Yuqiong onto another bus.
Shen An stepped onto his bus, greeted by the cool blast of AC laced with thick, floral perfume.
He glanced at the girls inside, his smile turning wry.
What a coincidence. Truly.
This bus held every member of the Model Group—and some from the Singing Group!
Shen An smiled at them; they smiled back. A shared, knowing look passed between them.
So far, among the ministers, Shen An got along best with Qi Taili and Yu Wen.
Department-wide? The Model Group topped the list, followed by the Singing Group.
In other words: Everyone on this bus was on great terms with him.
Yu Wen, who’d been dozing with eyes closed against budding sleepiness, got nudged by one of her assistants. She blinked awake, spotting Shen An standing there.
Oh ho?
Yu Wen’s smile turned equally sly. “Tsk tsk tsk. How’d our Secretary Shen end up slumming it on the bus?”
She rose slowly, teasing, “Thought you’d be riding in the Troupe Leader’s private ride.”
Shen An replied softly, “Actually, I turned down the Troupe Leader to come sit with you all.”
Yu Wen snorted. “Yeah, right. More like she kicked you out.”
Pfft~
Laughter mingled with the lingering fragrance.
“Fine, I’ll take you in~ Don’t just stand there. Come on over.”
Yu Wen waved her hand.
Shen An raised an eyebrow.
“Hm?” Yu Wen frowned. “Not willing to sit with me? Then you can just stand.”
“No, I’m more than willing.”
The corners of Shen An’s mouth curved up slightly. “Who could refuse to share a seat with Senior Sister Yu?”
He strode over, holding back his laughter all the while.
He had a pretty good idea who had checked this car’s passenger list.
It wasn’t him, and it wasn’t Song Rui or Wang Yuqiong either—otherwise, those two wouldn’t have let him board.
So, Shen Lianyao must have been the one responsible for this car.
Squeezing past, Shen An made his way to the back row beside Yu Wen’s spot. But it wasn’t a two-seater; it was a bench for three!
Another person was curled up there, fast asleep and oblivious to the world around her.
Ah, Qi Taili.
With so many members of the Singing Group on board, her presence wasn’t surprising at all.
Besides, she and Yu Wen were good friends, so sitting together was only natural.
“Stop staring. She’s been out cold since she got on,” Yu Wen said with a light laugh.
Shen An put on a straight face. “Looks like you really weren’t pulling my leg, Senior Sister.”
Yu Wen shot him a shy, annoyed glare. “Why would I lie to you? I’m not one of those silly little girls.”
Shen An blinked but said nothing.
Hmph~
Yu Wen’s eyes sparkled with mischief, a sly glint flashing through them as she spoke softly. “By the way, do you want the middle seat or the outside one?”
She pointed to the two remaining empty spots.
Her original place had been in the middle, but she’d stood up now.
It was another blatant tease.
If she weren’t flirting, Yu Wen wouldn’t have bothered asking. She could have just stayed seated and made him take the outside spot.
Shen An rubbed his chin. “Sandwiched between two girls? That kind of setup sounds pretty thrilling.”
