He noticed the teasing glint in Yu Wen’s eyes and pretended to decline at first. “It wouldn’t be right for me to sit in the middle. Why don’t I take the outside seat?”
Yu Wen shook her head vigorously, her attitude firm. “No problem at all. You sit in the middle.”
“I just have this bad feeling…” Shen An arched an eyebrow. “Senior Sister, you’re not planning to set me up, are you?”
Yu Wen rolled her eyes. “Then sit on the outside.”
“Hold on. I’ve thought it over again—sitting in the middle doesn’t seem so bad after all.”
After all, this was a golden opportunity to be sandwiched between two girls, and Shen An was never one to pass up a sweet deal easily.
Besides, what real risk was there in the middle seat?
It wasn’t as if a midway car crash would take out the person in the middle first.
Shen An stopped pretending and slid right into the center spot. Yu Wen smoothly took the seat beside him.
The driver glanced back through the rearview mirror and saw everyone settled. “All buckled in? Seatbelts on—we’re off!”
The buses ahead began rolling out one by one, nice and slow, until their own vehicle gave a gentle sway. Shen An clicked his seatbelt shut with a snap.
He suddenly realized Qi Taili hadn’t fastened hers and reached over to help.
But Yu Wen nabbed his hand before he could.
She beamed at Shen An. “Tsk, tsk. In broad daylight like this? Not very appropriate.”
Shen An’s mouth twitched. “Senior Sister, you’re reading too much into it. I was just going to buckle Senior Sister Qi’s seatbelt for her. It’s safer that way.”
“Tsk~” Yu Wen’s expression soured with disappointment. She shrugged. “Don’t bother with her. If you do it up, she’ll just sleep all uncomfortable.”
Indeed, dozing off with a seatbelt cinched tight always felt restrictive.
As a frequent road warrior, Shen An knew the feeling all too well.
He pulled his hand back. No big accidents on the road anyway—if she wanted to skip it, so be it.
Now he planned to shut his eyes and court some drowsiness. He had no clue how long the drive would last, and staying alert was sheer torture.
But someone had other ideas.
When eyes are locked on you, it’s easy to ignore if you haven’t clocked it. But once you have? Good luck tuning it out.
Even with lids closed and feigned ignorance, your brain wouldn’t stop nagging, scattering your focus and chasing sleep further away.
Shen An cracked his eyes open once more and shot a sidelong glare at Yu Wen, whose gaze darted away. He sighed. “Senior Sister, aren’t you tired at all?”
Yes, from the moment she’d buckled up, Yu Wen had twisted her head slightly, her eyes glued to him.
To be precise, to his face.
Such intense focus had Shen An wondering if she was after his good looks.
Yu Wen cradled her cheek, half-reclined against the seatback, leaning in so close that the helplessness in his eyes was crystal clear to her.
Her red lips parted, and the warm puff of her breath carried some indescribable, intoxicating fragrance.
“Not tired.”
She was so close.
Shen An tried to look elsewhere, but his gaze inexorably drifted to those flame-hued lips.
The prettier the girl, the more you craved a closer inspection.
Only with clear lines of sight, only inches apart, could you grasp the subtle shades of beauty from beauty.
Take Yu Wen right now.
From afar, she might not outshine Wang Yuqiong.
Up close, though, that one-of-a-kind seductive charm radiating from her features set her apart.
Her vibrant, blazing allure was utterly unique!
And in the instant she flashed you a smile—like water meeting fire—even a shared glance could spark a steamy sizzle in the air.
Still, Shen An didn’t buy that Yu Wen had designs on him.
You might imagine flirtatious signals, deliberate teasing to stir your blood. But that was just your imagination.
More often than not, her sheer beauty short-circuited your brain into wishful hallucinations.
That was her edge. No—their edge.
They never had to spell it out. Every interpretation lived rent-free in your head.
Maybe she was flirting. Maybe toying with you. Maybe just a polite smile.
How could you ever know for sure?
Shen An sure couldn’t.
But he knew one thing: show that you’re hooked, and you’d forfeit all control.
Whatever her game, he’d play it safe.
“You’re not tired, okay, but do you have to stare without so much as a blink? I’m trying to catch some Z’s here.”
Yu Wen pursed those red lips, drawling lazily, “Then sleep. I’m not making a peep.”
Shen An: ?
Fine then.
He propped his own cheek, aping her pose as he leaned in and fixed his stare on her lovely eyes.
Pretty girls came with their share of diva quirks, and double standards topped the list.
She could gawk at Shen An all she liked. Him returning the favor? Not so much.
Good thing she actually liked him—it registered as unease, not revulsion.
The staring contest dragged on until Yu Wen broke first, her eyes flickering away.
Shen An lit up. “Senior Sister, that’s a loss for you.”
Yu Wen blinked in surprise.
“You blinked first.” Shen An’s lips quirked upward.
She was at a loss for words. “Can we not be this childish?”
“Looks to me like you’re the childish one, Senior Sister.” Shen An settled back comfortably, murmuring, “Got something on your mind you wanna ask but too shy to spit out?”
Yu Wen nibbled her slender finger, eyes narrowing. “Tons of questions, actually. No clue where to start.”
“Ask the one burning you up most.”
“They’re all burning me up.”
“Then let me get some shut-eye.” Emboldened, Shen An swatted her encroaching face away and rolled over, back to her.
For a split second as her cheek met his palm, Yu Wen’s face went blank.
Snapping out of it, she yanked his hair in shy annoyance—gently, but enough to sting.
Hiss!
Shen An whipped back around. “No fair play!”
Yu Wen huffed and released him.
She scoped the surroundings first, then whispered right in his ear. “You ever had a girlfriend?”
Shen An grinned ear to ear. “Nope. Wanna give it a shot?”
“In your dreams.” Yu Wen shot him a look of disdain, lips twisting. “Cut the crap. Never dated, huh? Then how come you’re such a pro at reeling girls in?”
“Senior Sister, trying to frame me without evidence?”
“Huh?”
“Making up crimes out of thin air!” Shen An griped. “I’ve been busting my ass for the troupe—how can you sling mud like that?”
Yu Wen’s bright eyes fluttered in bewilderment.
Shen An deflated with a sigh. “No idea what I did to plant that idea in your head.”
“Tch. Save the innocent act for someone else.”
A sly glint sparked in Yu Wen’s eyes. “Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
“You…”
“Mm? That girl from your department. And Wang Yuqiong.”
She ticked them off on her fingers. “Started with Yuqiong trailing after you. Now it’s that other one.”
“Plus a few from my department…”
Shen An let out a helpless chuckle. “So that’s why you’ve been eyeballing me nonstop? To grill me on this?”
“Mm~ Pretty much.”
Yu Wen shrugged airily. “Beats me how long this ride’ll take. You conk out too, and I’ll be bored stiff.”
“You could sleep.”
“Bad news: cars and I don’t mix for naps.” Yu Wen groaned. “I get wired every time.”
“Phone it up then. Play a game.”
“Not my thing.”
“Figured. Gossip’s your jam.”
“Ha~” Yu Wen giggled behind her hand. “Nailed it. I live for the dirt.”
“Not entirely, though.” She shot him a wounded glance. “I’ve got your back a little too. Womanizing everywhere? That’s playing with fire.”
“Let me stress this again: I’m not womanizing.”
“Even if it’s not on purpose, it’s still dangerous.”
“Senior Sister, you crushing on me or what? This much concern?”
“It’s for your own good.” Yu Wen turned dead serious. “Remember—you’re the Troupe Leader’s secretary.”
Shen An’s brow furrowed. “What does the Troupe Leader have to do with it? Boss or not, she can’t meddle in my love life.”
“Not so sure about that.”
Yu Wen’s lips curved in faint mockery. “Truth is, I’m dying to know how you snagged the Troupe Leader’s trust.”
“She hasn’t spelled it out, but I can tell. She trusts you—a little, anyway.”
Shen An smiled lightly. “I’ve always poured my heart into the job. Normal she’d trust me, right?”
“Not normal. Not one bit.”
Yu Wen leaned in conspiratorially. “You don’t know her like I do. The Troupe Leader doesn’t hand out trust easily.”
“I was floored when I heard the office added a secretary gig. Doubly floored it went to a guy.”
“Hang on—isn’t her trusting me good news?” Shen An played dumb.
“Yeah. Means you’re safe in the Art Troupe… for now.”
Yu Wen’s tone flattened. “Long as you keep your nose clean. No womanizing.”
“I told you, I haven’t—”
“Doesn’t matter if it’s forced. I said no.”
“I still don’t get it.”
“Tsk, the Troupe Leader rarely places her trust in anyone, but once she does…” Yu Wen reminded Shen An tactfully. “You need to understand—some people are incredibly stubborn. The more stubborn they get when their attention shifts to someone or something else, the more they care.”
“You mean… possessiveness?” Shen An asked softly.
“Ah, yes—I almost forgot the word for it.”
Yu Wen patted her little head with a touch of bashful charm. “Though it’s terribly unfair to you, a one-sided imposition like that.”
“But who asked you to catch the Troupe Leader’s eye?”
Shen An’s eyes widened. “You’re not saying… the Troupe Leader has feelings for me, are you?”
Yu Wen looked momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. “If you could manage it, I’d be a little excited to see.”
Shen An: ?
“Let me explain it this way,” she continued. “Whether the Troupe Leader likes you or not, I couldn’t say.”
“But given her personality, like it or not—as long as she needs you, you’ll have to endure her possessiveness all on your own.”
“Even if you’re just friends.”
Yu Wen shrugged. “Look on the bright side, though. If she doesn’t have any romantic interest in you and simply trusts your work ethic, that’s actually not so bad.”
“Is that what you call looking on the bright side?”
“Of course. But if the Troupe Leader really does have feelings for you, then you’re walking a tightrope right now.”
“Once she can’t hold back any longer, you’re the one who’ll suffer.”
“She really is domineering.”
“Hey, is this your first day? She’s always been that domineering.”
Yu Wen giggled.
Shen An got the gist of what she meant.
In Yu Wen’s eyes, Zhao Qingyu was the epitome of possessiveness. Even as a mere friend, you were only allowed to have her as your one and only.
That was why Yu Wen hoped Shen An would tone it down—a bit of friendly advice, nothing more.
The description suited Zhao Qingyu’s temperament perfectly.
But Shen An didn’t buy it.
He figured Zhao Qingyu had simply never experienced true friendship or love before. That was why she came off so selfish, her obsessions running so deep.
It got to the point where everyone around her picked up on that self-centered intensity and assumed her approach to relationships was just as unyielding.
Put another way, Zhao Qingyu hadn’t yet received her reality check.
If she ever formed a friendship or love she couldn’t bear to lose, constant compromise would be the natural response.
It was precisely because she’d never had it that she could afford to be so utterly domineering.
After all, the people who romanticize war the most are usually the ones who’ve never set foot on a battlefield.
“Thanks for the heads-up, but next time, you don’t need to lean in quite so close.”
Shen An extended a finger and pressed it gently against Yu Wen’s forehead, easing her back bit by bit. “Otherwise, I might accidentally fall for you.”
“You really have no idea about your own charm, do you, Senior Sister?”
This time, Yu Wen didn’t swat his hand away in a hurry.
She froze for a moment, then pursed her lips and murmured softly, “You really do know how to seduce someone.”
