Shen An sauntered back to the sofa and sat down, picking up his phone and opening his chat with Chen Nannan.
Starting from the evening two days ago, Chen Nannan had been sending him messages one after another.
But he hadn’t replied to any.
As a result, her messages grew more frequent. At first, they were just mildly annoyed and plaintive nudges, but later, she started worrying about his “safety.”
That anxiety peaked last night.
Because Wang Yuqiong and the others, now back at school, had told Chen Nannan about Shen An’s hospitalization.
Last night, her messages were the fewest of the past two days—just a handful—but every one brimmed with concern for his health.
Reading through them, Shen An felt a twinge of guilt. He’d ignored Chen Nannan for a full two days and made her worry all night for nothing.
Not that it was entirely his fault—Zhao Qingyu had schemed from the start to wrest his phone away.
Chen Nannan’s last message told him to call her as soon as he woke up and let her know he was okay.
Whew~
Shen An glanced back at the bedroom door. He figured Zhao Qingyu would need a while to recover—at least from the panicked state she’d been in just now.
So he promptly called Chen Nannan on voice.
Ring ring ring~
The crisp tone had barely rung a few times before it connected.
A soft voice, weary yet laced with concern, came through. “Hello? Shen An? Is that you?”
Hearing Chen Nannan’s voice again gave Shen An a dreamlike sense of unreality.
A lot had happened in these short two and a half days.
It was mainly the relationship between him and Zhao Qingyu that had sped up tenfold, to the point where even Shen An had somewhat overlooked Chen Nannan, who was still worrying about him back at school.
Hearing the fatigue and concern in her voice, a wave of guilt began to spread through Shen An’s heart.
Nannan must not have slept well last night.
And it was so early now—he hadn’t even needed to wait a moment before she responded.
She might have been staying up all night, glued to her phone.
Sigh.
Shen An felt sorry for Chen Nannan, but he was also a little annoyed: Hadn’t Yuqiong and the others told her the truth? It was just a simple faint.
Despite the growing guilt in his heart, Shen An still had to see the act through to the end.
He adjusted his breathing to make his voice sound as weary as possible. “Senior Sister, I’m really sorry for worrying you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen An faintly heard Chen Nannan let out a long sigh of relief.
He couldn’t help but curl up the corners of his mouth. “Senior Sister?”
There was a moment of silence on Chen Nannan’s end before a coquettish voice came through. “You really scared me to death!”
Shen An chuckled lightly upon hearing that. “Hey, it’s not that serious. I’ve just been a bit tired these past couple of days.”
“Hmph, Yuqiong said you were lying on a stretcher! And you call that not serious?”
Right now, love had clouded Chen Nannan’s judgment, making it impossible for her to stay calm and detached.
“How are you feeling now? Any better? When can you be discharged? Do you need me to come to the hospital and take care of you?”
Before Shen An could even answer, Chen Nannan fired off four questions in a row. Her worry and concern overflowed, so palpable through the phone that Shen An could feel it vividly.
“No need to go to that trouble. I’m feeling much better now—just a bit dizzy, but nothing major.”
“Trouble? Which hospital are you at?”
Chen Nannan asked in a low voice.
“Uh…”
Shen An froze. He had no idea what hospitals were nearby.
“But you probably don’t even know which hospital you’re in, since you were unconscious when they brought you there.” Chen Nannan made an excuse for him. “Did you just wake up?”
“Yeah, I just opened my eyes.”
“Really?”
“Of course it’s real. The moment I opened my eyes, I sent you that voice message, Senior Sister.” Shen An’s voice softened. “I’ve missed you so much these past couple of days.”
“Tch~ Such a smooth talker.”
Chen Nannan pretended to be reserved, but the softening in her voice betrayed the joy in her heart.
“So, Senior Sister, have you missed me?”
Shen An glanced back at the room, asking cautiously.
He was afraid Zhao Qingyu might overhear.
The room’s soundproofing was excellent, but he still had to be careful.
To Chen Nannan, though, that cautious tone only made her feel more heartache.
She had no idea about Shen An’s real situation—she took everything he said at face value, assuming the first thing he did upon waking was reach out to her.
It showed just how much he “liked” her.
And yet she had gently “rejected” his advances before. The contrast hit her hard, filling her with regret for letting him down.
Otherwise, why would he have to be so careful just to ask if she missed him?
“Of course I’ve missed you.”
Right then, Chen Nannan’s emotions and maternal instincts surged together in a powerful wave.
She threw reserve to the wind. “I couldn’t sleep at all last night. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could think about was you.”
“So you really didn’t rest last night, Senior Sister?”
Shen An narrowed his eyes.
“Mm~ Sort of. I dozed on and off, but never got any good sleep.”
Chen Nannan sighed. “But now that you’re awake, I can relax.”
“Then you should go rest right now, Senior Sister. Don’t you have class this afternoon?”
Shen An said gently.
He had no idea when Zhao Qingyu might pop up.
“Huh?” Chen Nannan didn’t care about classes. She pouted slightly. “You don’t want to talk to me anymore?”
Shen An’s lips curved up. “I don’t want to talk to you through a phone.”
“Get some proper sleep now. Once you’re done with class this afternoon, we can talk face-to-face.”
“Huh? You can get discharged today?”
“Yeah, like I said, it’s not serious at all. They made a big fuss and brought me to the hospital. I could’ve just slept it off in my hotel room.”
“You’ve got some nerve blaming them.” Chen Nannan grumbled. “They were just looking out for you. They’re not doctors—how were they supposed to know what was wrong? Sending you to the hospital right away was the safest thing.”
“Ah, yes, yes, you’re right. I was being overly suspicious.”
“So when will you be back today?”
“Uh, it’ll take a few hours to get back here by car. It’ll be a while, Senior Sister. You don’t need to wait for me—go sleep first.”
“As soon as you’re back at school, you call me right away, got it?”
Chen Nannan thought it over and decided to listen to Shen An. She really was exhausted.
She hadn’t slept well all night and had been anxiously waiting for his message.
“See? If you were in class, we could just talk after it ends.” Shen An hesitated.
“No way. No matter what time it is, as soon as you’re back at school, you tell me!”
“Alright, alright. I just didn’t want to interrupt your class, Senior Sister.”
“Quit playing cute.”
Chen Nannan narrowed her eyes slightly. “When you get back, we’re going to have a good talk.”
Shen An caught a whiff of something ominous. “Huh?”
“I heard you’ve been pretty ‘busy’ these past couple of days.”
“And that photo you sent me—was that from your hotel room?”
“Uh… yeah.”
“Mm~ I’m going to sleep now. We’ll talk when you get back.”
There was a chill in Chen Nannan’s tone. Now that she knew Shen An was safe, it was time to settle accounts with him.
“It’s not… Senior Sister, your tone… it sounds like you’re out to get me?”
“What? You’re overthinking it. Talk later.”
Without giving Shen An any chance to recover, Chen Nannan hung up.
Ha~
She’s jealous after all.
Shen An chuckled wryly.
There had been some hiccups along the way, but he’d achieved the effect he’d aimed for from the start.
He’d comfort her properly once he got back.
Shen An subconsciously licked his lips. For some reason, he suddenly missed the taste of Chen Nannan’s lipstick.
Especially after Zhao Qingyu’s “torment” over the past two nights—his pent-up frustration had reached a point where it demanded release.
After reassuring Chen Nannan, Shen An didn’t neglect Song Rui or Wang Yuqiong.
In fact, he’d messaged everyone who cared about him.
He’d even sent messages to Yu Wen and Qi Taili.
Some replied quickly, and Shen An chatted with them for a bit.
Others hadn’t responded yet.
It was right around the time for the first morning class, after all.
Those who hadn’t replied were probably in class.
Oh, except Shen Lianyao.
She probably just didn’t want to reply to Shen An—seeing the message was enough for her.
As he was chatting away, he somewhat overlooked Zhao Qingyu in the room—until her voice drifted up softly from behind him.
“Having a lively chat, are we?”
Shen An jumped again and whipped around, shooting her a mildly resentful look.
Zhao Qingyu shrugged. “I was wearing slippers this time. Someone was just too absorbed.”
Ah, right.
Shen An cleared his throat lightly. “How long were you standing behind me, Senior Sister?”
“Not long.”
“Heh, did you sneak up on purpose to peek at my chat history?”
Zhao Qingyu snorted with laughter. “If I wanted to see it, I would’ve looked ages ago.”
Shen An: …
Fair point—his phone had only just been returned to him.
“That’s different. This is live chat history.” Shen An hurriedly said goodbye to his chat partners and pocketed his phone.
“Fine, I’m not interested in your chats at all.”
Zhao Qingyu waved it off. “And even less in who you’re chatting with!”
“Oh, really?”
Shen An rubbed his chin, his gaze turning teasing.
Zhao Qingyu’s pretty face flushed, and she fidgeted instinctively.
But then she snapped back to herself. Why was she fidgeting?!
Hmph.
She glared back at him boldly.
“Feeling calmer now, Senior Sister?” Shen An narrowed his eyes with a half-smile.
His words hit like he’d grabbed hold of her Achilles’ heel.
The emotions she’d spent so long calming in the room surged up again at his simple remark.
Unbidden images flashed through her mind… of… of…
An eagle spreading its wings?
Pah!
Her face burning, she snapped in shy annoyance, “Hurry up and change your clothes!”
“You haven’t changed either, Senior Sister.”
Shen An shrugged.
Zhao Qingyu was still in yesterday’s outfit: a short top and jeans.
“I… I’ll go change in my own room!”
Zhao Qingyu huffed coquettishly.
“Oh, then I’ll go change in mine too.”
Shen An stood up and sauntered past her.
“Come find me once you’re changed!” Zhao Qingyu ordered.
“No way.”
Shen An refused flatly.
“If you don’t, you’ll have to walk back.”
“Walk back then. I’d rather die than go to your room.”
Zhao Qingyu: …
Damn…
She wailed inwardly.
She no longer had any leverage over him.
Her warning… to him… was already… not worth mentioning.
Wuwuwu.
She gritted her teeth. “Is it really that hard to walk a few steps?”
“Heh, who knows if you’ll come up with some new scheme to lock me up again.”
Shen An still felt a lingering fear. “Anyway, once I change clothes, I’ll head down for breakfast.”
“Then… then I’ll come find you after I change?”
“Forget it, Young Lady Zhao. Don’t you take half an hour just to get dressed? By the time you come looking for me, I’ll already be in the car heading back.”
Shen An’s malicious sarcasm was in full swing.
“So you’re just going to let me drag my suitcase alone?”
Zhao Qingyu revealed her true intentions at last, gazing at Shen An with pleading eyes.
“I can. Absolutely.”
Shen An turned back, dead serious. “Besides, there’s an elevator. It’s just a few steps. How hard can it be?”
Her fists clenched.
Zhao Qingyu’s fists clenched hard.
“Alright then, you head back first.”
Shen An waved goodbye.
“Hmph, what’s the rush? Go ahead and change.”
Zhao Qingyu pouted.
“Uh, with you here, it’s awkward.”
“What’s awkward about it?”
“Just don’t make a fuss.”
“Heh, do I look like an idiot? What would I yell about?” Zhao Qingyu scoffed.
“Fine.”
As soon as the words left Shen An’s mouth, his hands reached for the knot on his bath towel.
Zhao Qingyu’s delicate frame trembled. “What… what are you doing?”
“Changing clothes.”
“Aren’t you going back to your room to change?”
“I like changing on the way back naked. Got a problem?”
“You… you’re going too far!”
Snap.
Shen An untied the bath towel.
Zhao Qingyu recoiled, her voice shaking. “Pervert! Lewd! Shameless!”
“Thanks. That’s the most accurate summary of me. I didn’t realize you knew me so well, Senior Sister. It’s truly an honor.”
Shen An smiled faintly, utterly unbothered. He even deliberately gripped one end of the towel, looking ready to yank it off at any moment.
Zhao Qingyu couldn’t take it anymore.
She covered her eyes and turned to flee in panic.
Even as she left, curses spilled from her lips. “Pervert!!”
