Finally, they had a chance to be alone together, only for Song Rui to barge in out of nowhere and ruin it.
Wang Yuqiong’s mood plummeted from the heights to rock bottom.
After slipping her shoes back on and grabbing her little bag, she trudged back with zero enthusiasm.
Song Rui, whether oblivious to the mood in the air or genuinely kind-hearted, chattered away at Wang Yuqiong the whole way.
This left Shen An up ahead, savoring his own brand of “solitude.”
“Why’d you guys take your shoes off?” Song Rui asked.
“Because it’s so hot. You should try it—dip your feet in the stream. It’s super refreshing.”
“Oh, really? Sounds good. I’ll give it a shot later!” Song Rui grinned, her face lighting up with a goofy smile.
Wang Yuqiong’s curiosity piqued. “Did you come looking for us on purpose?”
She hadn’t overheard Shen An’s initial chat with Song Rui—Song Rui had deliberately kept her voice low.
It was only after Song Rui pulled out her phone and gestured with it that Wang Yuqiong caught on to what she meant.
“It was Senior Sister Zhao,” Song Rui said softly. “She came by just now and asked why I hadn’t seen you two around.”
“I told her what was going on, and she got a bit worried since you two had been gone for a while.”
“So…”
Wang Yuqiong’s suspicions were confirmed, but she didn’t voice them right away. Instead, she turned to Song Rui with a half-smile. “Weren’t you worried?”
“I… of course I was worried!”
Song Rui pulled a pitiful, aggrieved expression. “But… I figured he could handle it, so… I didn’t want to bother you guys.”
“Oh~ So when Senior Sister Zhao asked, you just seized the chance to come find us?”
Wang Yuqiong said with a sly smile.
“Uh…” Song Rui faltered under Wang Yuqiong’s piercing gaze, her heart racing.
“You’ve got my thanks for your hard work,” Wang Yuqiong said solemnly, patting Song Rui’s shoulder. “Won’t trouble you like that again.”
There was something loaded in those words…
Song Rui sensed the subtext but couldn’t quite pin it down, so she just nodded.
Back at the “base camp,” things were lively as could be.
Just as Song Rui had said, everyone was having a blast together, with folks from different departments mingling freely.
The food had been devoured almost entirely—hot items like fish balls and chicken wings were especially scarce, while plenty of veggies remained.
Shen An and the other two slipped back in without drawing any attention.
It was as if no one had noticed Shen An and Wang Yuqiong’s quiet disappearance from the start.
Amid all the bustle, though, there were always a few people off on their own, amusing themselves.
Yes, he meant Shen Lianyao.
Shen Lianyao had held her post without budging an inch.
At her feet sat a growing pile of prepped eggplants.
Shen An strolled up casually and plopped down beside her.
Shen Lianyao blinked in surprise, then looked up and saw it was him. “Where’s Yuqiong?” she asked softly.
He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, and Shen Lianyao spotted Song Rui and Wang Yuqiong approaching.
Before the two could get too close, Shen Lianyao covered her mouth and teased, “That must’ve taken quite the effort, huh?”
Shen An blinked innocently. “What effort?”
“You two vanished for over an hour,” Shen Lianyao said, glancing at Wang Yuqiong with unmistakable mischief in her eyes.
Shen An’s mouth twitched. He picked up an eggplant from her pile. “You’re the one putting in the effort. How many have you done?”
“Thirty-two,” Shen Lianyao replied precisely.
“Thirty-two?” Shen An’s eyes widened. “You planning to eat all these?”
“Didn’t you tell me to prep them?” she shot back.
Shen An fell silent.
“And they need to eat too, right?” Shen Lianyao glanced toward the lively group on the other side.
“Fine, you really see me as the head chef here, cooking for everyone single-handedly.”
Shen An said helplessly.
“The capable should do more.” Shen Lianyao set down the eggplant she’d just finished. “I believe in you.”
Sigh~
Staring at the neat rows of prepped eggplants, Shen An felt a deep pang of regret.
But they were already cleaned and ready—if he didn’t grill them soon, they’d spoil in this heat.
Once Song Rui and Wang Yuqiong returned, the three girls settled nearby, quietly watching Shen An grill.
Grilling eggplant was no easy task; it required more ingredients and finesse than regular barbecue.
The girls didn’t just sit idle. Shen An handled the grilling while they fetched seasonings at his direction.
With five eggplants sizzling on the grill, the breeze carried a tantalizing aroma that outshone any ordinary barbecue.
The group playing nearby soon caught the scent wafting through the air and followed it to the source.
Many were seeing grilled eggplant for the first time, their eyes widening in delight.
Soon, the guys were mimicking Shen An at their own grills.
A bunch of girls clustered around his grill, chattering with him—asking questions, swapping tips.
At first, it was all about the technique. But the conversation soon veered off course.
It seemed like this was just the perfect excuse for some shameless gossip about Shen An.
The original three girls, meanwhile, found themselves pushed to the sidelines as more people crowded in.
Wang Yuqiong managed to stay in the mix—she could jump into any conversation effortlessly.
But with Song Rui and Shen Lianyao beside her…
And seeing Shen An swarmed like that, she lost the mood to join. She just sat back, chatting with Song Rui and Shen Lianyao instead.
As things heated up around him, the girls’ side stayed lively too.
Shen Lianyao glanced at the surrounded Shen An and remarked out of the blue, “He’s pretty popular, huh.”
That simple line stirred up a storm. Wang Yuqiong and Song Rui jumped right in.
“Maybe ’cause he’s so good at this?” Song Rui offered.
“This guy’s just a show-off,” Wang Yuqiong countered.
Shen Lianyao’s lips curved up. “Speaking of, how’d you two get so close anyway?”
She looked at Song Rui, not Wang Yuqiong.
“I remember the first class meeting—you barely knew each other.”
Wang Yuqiong stayed quiet, watching Song Rui too.
She was curious about this herself.
She’d pieced together the clues before, only to realize Song Rui and Shen An hadn’t had much contact—at least not under her nose at first.
By the time she noticed, they were already thick as thieves!
And oddly, Song Rui seemed to have gotten familiar with him… even a bit before she had.
Wang Yuqiong hadn’t found a chance to ask about that gap until now. Shen Lianyao’s question scratched that itch for her.
Both women fixed their gazes on Song Rui, the pressure mounting.
They both wore pleasant smiles, but Song Rui caught the unmistakable whiff of an interrogation.
“Actually… well…”
Song Rui stammered, her mind racing for an excuse.
As her roommate, Wang Yuqiong nudged her shoulder gently. “Take your time. No rush.”
Hiss…
Song Rui’s expression froze.
She knew she couldn’t lie.
She wouldn’t fool Wang Yuqiong.
“Actually… it was at that first class meeting too.”
Song Rui gave up fabricating and spilled the truth.
“Oh?”
Wang Yuqiong was surprised. “Really? Weren’t you sitting right next to me then?”
Shen Lianyao nodded. “I was next to him. You two didn’t interact much.”
“I… didn’t I go to the bathroom midway?” Song Rui said quietly.
Wang Yuqiong narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, now that you mention it.”
Shen Lianyao chuckled softly. “He went to the bathroom around then too. Don’t tell me you bumped into each other outside and started chatting.”
Song Rui nodded slightly. “Yeah.”
“What a coincidence,” Shen Lianyao said, her tone laced with skepticism—not toward Song Rui, but Shen An.
She suspected he’d followed Song Rui on purpose after seeing her head to the bathroom.
“It wasn’t that coincidental,” Song Rui explained. “I was hanging around the bathroom area for ages.”
Nearly a month had passed since the class meeting, and Wang Yuqiong hadn’t paid it much mind back then.
Her memories of it were spotty…
Shen Lianyao pressed on. “Why linger outside the bathroom?”
“I… I wanted to run for a position, but…” Song Rui pouted. “I didn’t have the guts. I just kept waffling.”
“Sitting in the classroom made me antsy, so I stepped out for air.”
“That just made me waver more. I paced back and forth.”
Wang Yuqiong’s eyes sharpened as it clicked.
“Then you ran into him? I remember he came back saying you wanted to run.”
“You talked about that outside the bathroom?”
Wang Yuqiong fired off questions.
“Yeah…”
Song Rui’s voice softened at the memory. “I was torn—whether to go for it, if I’d even succeed.”
“Then I ran into him. He… he talked me through it, encouraged me to give it a shot.”
“It was probably from that time on that I… started having some contact with him.”
“And then, it was during freshman orientation.”
Wang Yuqiong narrowed her eyes. “I remember the day you went to the Art Troupe’s recruitment booth, it was the same day as him.”
Those details she had once overlooked were now gradually coming into sharp focus.
No wonder, that day at the booth, Song Rui had seemed a bit evasive when she saw Shen An.
“Yes, I ran into him over at the Art Troupe side too.”
Song Rui said softly, “The situation at the time… was pretty much the same as during the class meeting.”
“I… I didn’t get the Art Troupe application form, and I was feeling pretty down about it.”
Shen Lianyao rubbed her chin. “And then he encouraged you again?”
“Mmm~”
“Tch, talk about perfect timing,” Shen Lianyao said with a half-smile. “He always shows up right when you’re feeling low and need a pick-me-up.”
But Wang Yuqiong’s focus was elsewhere.
She frowned. “I remember the Art Troupe application forms are only available once. If you don’t get one, that’s it—no second chances.”
Yes, even if he had encouraged her then, without the form, it would’ve been hard for Song Rui to get another shot.
So how had Song Rui ended up joining the Art Troupe?
Unless… someone pulled some strings and got her a form through the back door!
Shen Lianyao’s thoughts aligned perfectly with Wang Yuqiong’s. The two women spoke in perfect unison: “Don’t tell me he got it for you?”
As the words hung in the air, Wang Yuqiong’s heart jolted.
This meant Shen An had connections to the Art Troupe from way back.
And that day—if she remembered correctly—Senior Sister Zhao had been on duty.
Ordinary members couldn’t just hand out application forms; the recruitment review process was strict. Even presidents without enough clout had to justify their involvement at length.
Especially with Senior Sister Zhao keeping watch that day.
So… it had to be Senior Sister Zhao.
Only she could handle all the little details flawlessly, as the primary reviewer—essentially the referee.
Which meant the relationship between Shen An and Senior Sister Zhao… wasn’t nearly as simple as he’d made it out to be when he explained it to her.
Song Rui was startled by their synchronized outburst and waved her hands frantically. “No, no, it’s not like that!”
Oh?
Wang Yuqiong temporarily shelved her suspicions.
“The truth is, things that day were… pretty complicated.”
Song Rui sighed. “I didn’t get the application form, but he did. He didn’t want to join the Art Troupe, though, so he tossed it in the trash.”
Huh??
This twist caught both Wang Yuqiong and Shen Lianyao completely off guard.
Shen Lianyao let out a dumbfounded chuckle. “So, don’t tell me you fished it out of the trash?”
Wang Yuqiong shot her a look. “As if. The forms have names on them.”
“Maybe he hadn’t filled in his name yet?”
Shen Lianyao countered.
“I don’t think Song Rui would stoop that low,” Wang Yuqiong huffed.
Shen Lianyao glanced at Song Rui’s uncomfortable expression, then turned back. “Me neither. I was just spitballing.”
Song Rui’s face softened a bit. She said gently, “Neither of those. Senior Sister Zhao happened to catch him just as he tossed the form.”
Here it comes!
Wang Yuqiong’s expression tightened. “And then?”
“Then… Senior Sister Zhao got a little upset and asked him why he was throwing it away.”
“Shen An said he wasn’t throwing it away—he’d just noticed it was wrinkled and wanted to smooth it out…”
Even now, recounting the lame excuse made Song Rui want to laugh.
Wang Yuqiong’s mouth twitched. “Sounds just like him.”
Shen Lianyao narrowed her eyes and muttered, “Shameless.”
The three women’s gazes swept toward Shen An simultaneously, each carrying a different flicker of emotion.
“Senior Sister Zhao didn’t make a fuss about it. She thought Shen An seemed like a good guy and wanted to know why he didn’t want to join the Art Troupe.”
“And then… Shen An…”
Song Rui could still vividly recall his words in her mind: “My disappointment doesn’t matter—what matters is that you don’t disappoint yourself.”
“He said he’d wanted to join with me, but since I didn’t get a form, he didn’t want to join either.”
“In reality, he was lying. He just hoped Senior Sister Zhao would give me another chance.”
At first, under the two women’s scrutinizing stares, Song Rui had been a bit timid, reluctant to recount the story.
But as she spoke, her tone softened involuntarily.
By now, it was calmer than ever before—calm laced with a faint thrill and an inexplicable pride.
It had nothing to do with the other two; it was all because of him.
So even when the women looked away from him, Song Rui kept staring, motionless.
Through the crowd around him, she could see his every move.
“And after that, Senior Sister Zhao gave me another shot…”
“And I managed to seize the opportunity by luck, smoothly joining the Art Troupe.”
Shen Lianyao pursed her lips and murmured, “If that’s how it went down, yeah, you’d definitely be grateful to him.”
Wang Yuqiong didn’t press further.
She knew what those gestures meant to Song Rui.
Someone else might not have fallen for it.
But for this silly girl, Shen An’s actions were a perfect knockout—each step piercing straight to her heart.
From there, their growing familiarity was only natural.
Even if Shen An wanted to keep his distance, it would’ve been tough.
Because Song Rui would just cling to him unilaterally.
Wang Yuqiong finally understood why Song Rui always took his side, always spoke up for him, always made excuses for him.
In her heart, she could only sigh: “What truly flawless little favors.”
