“Just leaving like this?”
Halfway there, Qi Taili pulled Yu Wen aside and whispered.
“Then what else?” Yu Wen blinked.
“But…” Qi Taili bit her lip, hesitating. “Yuqiong twisted her ankle, didn’t she? We’re just going to abandon her like that? We should at least wait a moment and see how she is. What if it’s serious? Then we can get her to the hospital right away.”
Yu Wen arched a brow and pinched her cheek with a light laugh. “I’ve noticed you’re especially sharp sometimes and especially dense other times. How do you manage to switch between them so seamlessly?”
She wasn’t mocking Qi Taili—she was just giving her a gentle reminder.
Qi Taili tilted her head in confusion. “What are you talking about? I don’t get it.”
Yu Wen rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Do you really think she twisted her ankle?”
Eh!
Qi Taili perked up. “She didn’t? But the way she fell looked completely real. If Shen An hadn’t caught her in time, I think she would have hit the ground.”
Yu Wen wasn’t entirely sure herself. She pondered for a moment. “Maybe she did twist it, but not as badly as you’re imagining.”
“Besides, Shen An’s there looking after her. Even the Troupe Leader isn’t getting involved—why should you?”
Yu Wen narrowed her eyes. “Sometimes, good intentions can backfire. Do you think if you went back now to check on her, she’d thank you… or hold it against you?”
Light dawned in Qi Taili’s eyes. “Oh, you mean… Mm mm mm~”
Yu Wen clamped her hand over Qi Taili’s mouth before she could finish, then glanced back at Zhao Qingyu and whispered, “With reactions as slow as yours, if you got involved, we’d both be done for!”
Qi Taili pouted, looking aggrieved…
In her panic, she really hadn’t considered that angle. She’d only been genuinely worried about Wang Yuqiong.
This also showed that, although Qi Taili often seemed unreliable, she was actually a very responsible senior sister.
Perhaps being president for so long had naturally cultivated that sense of duty in her.
“Alright, enough worrying. Let’s go pack our things. Who knows—there might even be time for a quick nap.”
Yu Wen released her mouth and turned away with a carefree flourish.
“Tch~ I’m not going to sleep when we get back. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep in the car later!”
Qi Taili wrinkled her dainty nose and followed behind Yu Wen.
The two of them trailed at the rear, while up ahead were Song Rui and Zhao Qingyu.
Song Rui had originally wanted to stay near her Senior Sister Qi, but somehow Zhao Qingyu had swept her along to walk in front…
And with Qi Taili pausing for a moment, the distance between Song Rui and her only grew, leaving no room to turn back.
As everyone knew, Song Rui obeyed Shen An more than anyone, but she feared Zhao Qingyu the most.
So walking at Zhao Qingyu’s side, Song Rui didn’t even dare to breathe. Her steps were as rigid and precise as during military training drills.
Well, slightly different from drill steps—she kept her head down the entire time, doing everything she could to avoid making eye contact with Zhao Qingyu.
She had no desire to provoke Zhao Qingyu, but that didn’t mean Zhao Qingyu felt the same.
As Song Rui nervously lost herself in thought, a clear, cold voice suddenly rang out. “Song Rui.”
She jolted and immediately looked up. “Yes.”
Their eyes met—Zhao Qingyu’s distinctive, foxy gaze.
Song Rui couldn’t help swallowing hard, her small hands clenching tight. “Is there something you need, Senior Sister…?”
Zhao Qingyu narrowed her eyes, gazing at the girl before her with a half-smile. She was timid, yet possessed a stubborn persistence that even Zhao Qingyu couldn’t quite fathom.
“Were the fireworks last night pretty?”
The words carried a hint of kicking her while she was down—no, outright malicious teasing.
Both Song Rui and Zhao Qingyu knew full well that the message last night hadn’t come from Shen An.
So this was very much bringing up the one topic better left alone. Song Rui’s timidity was instantly overshadowed by annoyance at being toyed with.
Some of her tension eased as vigilance flickered in her eyes. She didn’t beat around the bush. “Did you send last night’s message, Senior Sister?”
“Mm-hmm, I did.”
Zhao Qingyu nodded frankly. “I didn’t just send it to you—I sent it to Wang Yuqiong, too.”
Song Rui frowned. “Why did you do that, Senior Sister?”
Zhao Qingyu chuckled lightly and placed a hand on her shoulder, her tone playful. “Right, why did I? Take a guess?”
“You like Shen An, so you don’t want me or Yuqiong to be with him?”
Song Rui was utterly straightforward, voicing whatever crossed her mind.
Zhao Qingyu froze for a moment, caught off guard by how bluntly Song Rui had put it.
But then the smile at the corners of her mouth gradually widened. “Ha, to be honest, I never really paid much attention to you before.”
“But now I see you’re actually pretty cute.”
For once, anger flashed in Song Rui’s eyes. She slapped away Zhao Qingyu’s hand from her shoulder and took a step back, glaring at her warily.
Zhao Qingyu glanced at her rejected hand and shrugged. “It was just a little joke. No need to get so mad.”
“Aiya, you’re just like him—can’t take a joke.”
“Yuqiong?” Song Rui asked tentatively.
“Shen An!” Zhao Qingyu replied flatly.
“So…” Song Rui bit her lip slightly. “Is it what I think?”
Seeing Yu Wen and Qi Taili about to catch up, Zhao Qingyu started walking again, drawling lazily, “We can talk while we walk. Don’t stop.”
Song Rui pressed her lips together and followed silently.
“Mm, now to answer your question.”
Zhao Qingyu thought for a moment. “You got it half right.”
“Half?”
“That’s right, half.” Zhao Qingyu smiled winningly. “What do you think of Shen An?”
“Shouldn’t you answer my question first, Senior Sister?”
“Don’t be so impatient. I need your answer to confirm mine.”
“Him…”
Song Rui hesitated. “I think he’s pretty great.”
“Great? In what specific way?”
“In what way…”
Song Rui fell into thought.
Was it how he had “meddled” by coming over to encourage her?
Or was it how he had casually fought for her chance to join the Art Troupe?
Or perhaps… every time they spent time together, his thoughtful care?
Zhao Qingyu didn’t interrupt Song Rui’s thinking. She waited with keen interest for Song Rui’s response.
“I… don’t know.”
In the end, Song Rui shook her head and bit her lip.
“Don’t know?” Zhao Qingyu frowned.
“Yeah, I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what it is about him…” It seemed that whenever she thought of him or mentioned him, Song Rui’s lips curved upward without her even realizing it.
Maybe even she herself hadn’t noticed.
“I… I just know he’s great. Way better than me…”
“If Senior Sister, you really have to ask, then all I can say is that I think he’s great in every way.”
Song Rui looked straight at Zhao Qingyu, her voice firm.
Zhao Qingyu felt a momentary daze…
Song Rui’s answer was vague in words, but her expression said it all with crystal clarity.
Or perhaps… blind trust and adoration were just another form of liking someone?
Zhao Qingyu pressed her lips together. In her heart, she asked herself the same question: What exactly did she like about him?
Regrettably, she could list his strengths—and his flaws—with pinpoint accuracy.
If this were an interview question, Zhao Qingyu would undoubtedly score higher than Song Rui.
But when it came to emotions, Zhao Qingyu felt like she had lost to Song Rui once again.
The inexplicable sense that she had already lost welled up in her mind unbidden.
She was still clear-headed, still calm, even analytical.
That was certainly a strength.
But in matters of the heart, Zhao Qingyu believed that the degree of blindness was tied to the depth of affection.
Only the blindly devoted experienced true love.
If you analyzed it too clearly, that “like” was just a pragmatic calculation of benefits.
And she was tired of such pragmatic calculations.
“Senior Sister?”
Song Rui called out to her softly.
Zhao Qingyu snapped back to attention. “Hm?”
“Can… can you answer me now?” Song Rui asked, a touch of nervousness in her voice.
“Ha~ Sure, I’ll answer you now.”
Zhao Qingyu lowered her head, her lips curving slightly. “I really don’t want you or Yuqiong getting together with him, but that doesn’t mean I like him.”
Song Rui’s gentle persistence had made Zhao Qingyu feel a pang of guilt.
In this moment, she could only scramble for an excuse.
Hearing the first half, Song Rui thought, As expected.
But after the full sentence, she looked baffled.
“What’s wrong? Your expression says you don’t quite get it.” Zhao Qingyu said softly.
“I…”
Song Rui was honest as ever. “I really don’t understand.”
“In your eyes, do I have to like him to interfere with you and Wang Yuqiong?”
Zhao Qingyu pursed her lips with a hint of disdain. “That’s a bit too naive, don’t you think?”
“How could I possibly fall for him?”
“Please, Senior Sister, explain it carefully.”
Song Rui gazed at her eagerly, her face full of earnest willingness to learn.
“In your eyes, he’s so great, right? That means he has a lot of strengths?”
“I guess… yeah.”
“Ha~ Let me break it down further. You think he’s great in everything, but to me, the only reason I value him is his strong work ethic.”
“Work ethic…?” Song Rui blinked.
“Hm? Got a question?” Zhao Qingyu said gently. “Before he even officially joined the Art Troupe, I was already assigning him tasks.”
“From the very first one I gave him right up to now, he’s completed every single task perfectly. He’s made me very satisfied.”
“So… Senior Sister, you just value his abilities?”
Song Rui was starting to catch on.
“Exactly.”
Zhao Qingyu nodded slightly. “Finally using that brain of yours.”
“But…” Song Rui frowned again. “What does that have to do with… me or Yuqiong?”
“Of course it does.”
Zhao Qingyu declared confidently, “For a man, two things matter most: career and family.”
“Here, let’s loosely define ‘family’ as dating or romance for now.”
“If he started dating one of you, it would inevitably sap his focus from work.”
“And though you and Wang Yuqiong are in different departments, you’re both in the Art Troupe. If I don’t step in, one of you will lose out, and that could disrupt the Troupe’s daily operations.”
“Now do you get what I mean?”
Zhao Qingyu cast her a sidelong glance and said coolly.
Song Rui: …
She had never imagined it would come to this.
How to put it…
She’d watched some romance dramas with similar melodramatic tropes…
But…
This was just a student club activity. Did it really need to escalate like this?
Of course, it could be seen as Zhao Qingyu taking her role seriously, regardless of its student nature. She treated every position with gravity.
That was admirable.
But…
Song Rui still couldn’t accept it.
As if reading her mind, Zhao Qingyu added slowly, “My regard for him isn’t limited to our student days.”
“He’ll graduate eventually. So will I.”
“My family’s in business—big business—and when the time comes, I’ll need to take over. I’ll need reliable help.”
“Shen An can provide that.”
This…
Song Rui frowned. “The Art Troupe has so many members…”
“There are plenty of people, sure, but few I actually respect, let alone value highly.”
Zhao Qingyu cut her off. “To me, Shen An is an extremely important asset.”
“He’s my person, and he acknowledges that himself.”
Song Rui had a bellyful of questions and gripes… but she didn’t know how to voice them.
One thing did make her happy, though.
Zhao Qingyu had no romantic intentions toward him. She just wanted to groom him as her ally.
Using both soft and hard tactics while Song Rui was conflicted, Zhao Qingyu pressed on. “Relax, he’ll date someone eventually—maybe even marry.”
“I’m not going to interfere forever.”
“He’s just a freshman right now. His resolve isn’t firm yet, that’s why I’m doing this.”
“By junior or senior year, or once he’s fully mature, I won’t have any reason to keep meddling.”
As a final blow, Zhao Qingyu added, “In my opinion, you’re actually a better match for him than Yuqiong.”
“You help me, and I’ll help you, right?”
Song Rui’s eyes sharpened, sparkling with sudden light.
