Shen An cleaned up, changed clothes, and left the room.
When he reached the living room, Xu Yijing sat motionless, still watching some boring soap opera.
She glanced at him and frowned slightly. “Going out?”
“Yeah.”
Shen An said softly, “No need to get my share of takeout tonight.”
Lately, he’d been eating lunch either at the school cafeteria or with the Art Troupe, and dinner was whatever double portion Xu Yijing ordered.
Though he hated to admit it, it did feel a bit like he was living off her soft rice.
“Are you coming back tonight, then?”
Xu Yijing asked out of nowhere.
Shen An blinked, then chuckled wryly. “It’s not like I’m staying out overnight.”
Xu Yijing gave a half-smile. “Hard to say. Art Troupe work can get busy—staying over there happens all the time.”
“Not tonight.”
Shen An shook his head, opened the door, and left.
Click.
The door shut. Xu Yijing slowly stood. It was about time for her to head to the Student Union.
But first, she needed a shower and a change of clothes.
The lingering fragrance in the air—even with air freshener—couldn’t mask Xu Yijing’s distaste.
Stepping out, Shen An couldn’t help sighing.
Xu Yijing… she gave him zero openings.
It was like she’d activated a 365-degree no-blind-spot absolute defense—impenetrable as a fortress.
It left him a little troubled.
Pushing any relationship forward wasn’t scary if greed was involved; the real problem was when she wanted nothing at all.
Xu Yijing didn’t make a move, leaving Shen An stumped.
He couldn’t just go full simp and throw himself at her, could he?
Worse, Shen An had a feeling that even if he did, he still couldn’t crack her shell.
Xu Yijing was always so unflappably calm.
No, no—for the sake of his lower half’s happiness, and Zhao Qingyu’s, he needed to enlist her help, fish for some intel.
He was sure Zhao Qingyu wouldn’t stand by while he had the body but no tool.
Shoving those worries aside for now, Shen An straightened his mood, plastered on a smile, and went to find Chen Nannan.
C Block was right near D Block. Shen An took the elevator straight up to Chen Nannan’s Apartment 1111—no more than a few minutes total.
At the door, he rang the bell lightly.
About half a minute later, the door opened quietly. There stood Chen Nannan, lightly made up, her small face peeking out.
Her bright eyes scanned Shen An up and down carefully. Seeing he was truly unharmed, she let out a quiet breath of relief.
But she didn’t want to show too much worry, lest Shen An notice.
So her little face hardened a touch, and her soft voice toughened up.
She didn’t greet him, so Shen An waved first. “Senior Sister!”
Chen Nannan was about to say something when the enthusiastic Shen An pulled her into a hug.
She hadn’t even reacted before her soft body was enveloped in his strong arms, and she was pushed back against the wall by the door.
Shen An kicked the door shut with his foot.
Then his hands wrapped tightly around Chen Nannan’s waist. Thanks to his height and build advantage, he pulled off a perfect wall slam.
A bit dazed, Chen Nannan blinked her eyes before snapping back to reality.
She squirmed in his embrace, her little mouth pouting as she whined coyly. “What are you doing? Let me go!”
How could Shen An pass up a chance like this?
He kept his tight hold, pressing his face deeply into her silky hair, rubbing his chin against her forehead with deep affection. “Feels like months since I last saw you, Senior Sister.”
Chen Nannan’s body tensed, shyness blooming in her heart.
Her delicate fingers clenched tight. Shen An’s scent wrapped around her in an instant.
Gradually, as his murmurs reached her ear, Chen Nannan relaxed a little.
Shen An missed her. And hadn’t she missed him too?
But his excessive enthusiasm, laced with that faint wistfulness, struck her as odd.
It’d only been a few days! Was it really that big a deal?
Still, it wasn’t a bad thing.
At least it proved he really cared about her.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t miss her like it had been months after just a few days apart.
Mm~ Fine, she’d let him get away with this for a little while.
Chen Nannan murmured to herself, closing her eyes and leaning into his chest, breathing in his scent.
Her sensitive nose twitched as she sniffed hard—no odd smells, everything just as before.
Shen An’s lips curved up. He brushed back her long hair. “You really are like a puppy.”
“Tch!”
Chen Nannan shot him a dissatisfied glare. So what if she sniffed?
“Ah, sorry, sorry—Senior Sister, you’re a dragon, right!” Shen An’s apology was insincere, laced with even more provocation.
“This mouth of yours~” Chen Nannan tilted her chin up and poked his cheek. “If only we could seal it shut.”
Oh…
Shen An vaguely remembered Zhao Qingyu saying something similar.
He furrowed his brow and muttered, “That bad, huh?”
Chen Nannan rolled her eyes again. Not that bad—just way too good at killing the mood!
She gently pushed him away. “Did you have fun these past couple days?”
“Hey, just a bit longer.”
Shen An wasn’t ready to let go. He grabbed her little hand and pulled her whole body back in.
“Aren’t you tired standing?” Chen Nannan grumbled.
“Holding you? Never.”
Shen An narrowed his eyes.
“But I’m tired!” Chen Nannan tried to wriggle free again.
“Then let’s sit on the sofa.” Shen An simply scooped her up in a princess carry and headed over.
Her feet dangled in the air, and one of her slippers slipped off, revealing her pale toes.
Her toes curled up shyly. “My slippers fell off. Put me down quick.”
“Aren’t you tired, Senior Sister? I’ve got you.”
Shen An chuckled as he carried her to the sofa but didn’t set her down right away.
He sat first, then gently laid Chen Nannan on her side, her head pillowed on his thigh.
His large hand tenderly stroked her jet-black hair. Chen Nannan started to squirm at first, but once she settled in, it felt surprisingly comfortable.
With that expectant look on his face, she gave in and rested obediently on his lap for the moment.
Her small hand trailed along his wrist and up his arm. “You still haven’t answered me.”
“Mm, I had a pretty good time.”
Shen An kept stroking her silky hair while happily sharing the fun moments from the past couple of days with Chen Nannan.
Naturally, he skipped over the two nights he’d spent alone with Zhao Qingyu.
He also played down any flirtation with Wang Yuqiong, simply mentioning what he’d done for fun.
Chen Nannan listened quietly, a hint of envy creeping in. “They even have an amusement park there?”
“Yeah, I didn’t expect it, but it was a big one.”
“Mm~” Chen Nannan nodded slightly, clearly tempted.
Seeing her reaction, Shen An said softly, “Next time there’s a chance, I’ll take you there, Senior Sister.”
“Just the two of us.”
Chen Nannan’s eyes narrowed as she turned to face him. “Just us?”
“Yeah. If you think that’s too few people, Senior Sister, we can invite Yuqiong and the others.”
“I’m not that into amusement parks anyway.” Chen Nannan arched a brow and lowered her voice. “I’d rather go stargazing.”
“Stargazing?” Shen An blinked in surprise, thinking it over. “There didn’t seem to be a good spot for that.”
“You’re such a dummy. Who said anything about going there? It’s way too far.”
Chen Nannan unconsciously hooked her fingers through his. “I know a great place nearby—close to campus, less than an hour by car.”
It was her way of hinting.
Shen An grinned, though, and asked something that seemed totally out of left field. “Any hotels nearby?”
Chen Nannan was confused at first, but when she caught the teasing glint in his eyes, realization dawned on her!
A faint blush colored her cheeks as she wriggled out of his arms. “We watch the stars and come right back. What, you want to stay at a hotel?”
“Ow…”
Shen An clutched his forehead and wailed. “You don’t get it, Senior Sister. I get carsick bad.”
“Riding for hours these past couple days has left me dizzy even now. Here, feel it—don’t believe me?”
He snatched her small hand and guided it to his forehead.
Her fingertips brushed across his brow. Chen Nannan laughed in exasperation. “You’re not running a fever. How am I supposed to tell anything from this?”
“You can tell.”
Shen An whispered, “Can’t you see I’m still a little woozy?”
“Still dizzy?” Chen Nannan puffed out her cheeks, worry flickering in her eyes. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Just kiss it better, Senior Sister.” Shen An’s voice turned gentle.
The corner of Chen Nannan’s mouth twitched helplessly. “Why are you always thinking about this weird stuff?”
She gave him a playful shove. “Can’t you focus on something normal for once?”
“Just the forehead.”
Shen An closed his eyes and leaned his forehead toward her.
Chen Nannan: …
She really had no defense against him!
And with his eyes shut like that, he was clearly forcing her hand.
It left her caught between a rock and a hard place, impossible to refuse outright.
But if he had a scheme, she had a counter.
She rubbed a finger across her lips, then pressed it to his forehead. “There. Feeling better now?”
Shen An opened his eyes in deep disappointment. “A finger doesn’t count!”
Chen Nannan burst out laughing. “Be serious! I have something to ask you.”
Shen An straightened up at once. “Go ahead.”
“That photo you sent me—who’s room was that?”
Chen Nannan clearly hadn’t let it go.
She’d glanced at it hastily when it first came through and hadn’t noticed anything off at first. But later, she’d realized the problem.
Those high heels in the picture were obviously a woman’s.
“My room.”
Shen An blinked with wide-eyed innocence.
“Your room?” Chen Nannan gave him a knowing smile. “Then how come there were high heels?”
“Uh… maybe the last tenant left them?”
“Can you come up with something more believable?”
“Fine, there was a girl in my room at the time.” Shen An came clean. “But don’t get the wrong idea, Senior Sister. She just needed help with her luggage.”
Chen Nannan scoffed. “And you had to bring it to your room!”
“I took mine up first, then hers after.”
Shen An shrugged. “Plus, she wanted to check out my room since I’m the only one with a single.”
“Wait—the art troupe had other guys there too, right?”
“How’d you know that, Senior Sister?” Shen An raised a brow.
“I…” Chen Nannan faltered, then huffed playfully. “I have friends in the troupe! They kept sending me pics while they were out having fun, bragging nonstop. Drove me crazy.”
“Oh. Did they send you any fireworks pics?”
“Yeah, I heard they went on for a good long while.”
“Probably two hours or so.” Shen An’s memory was fuzzy—he’d been too busy enjoying time with Zhao Qingyu.
“Were they pretty?”
Chen Nannan sat up and cupped her cheeks.
“Didn’t I send you the photo, Senior Sister? You saw it.”
“A photo’s not the same as being there live—the vibe’s totally different.” Chen Nannan leaned in closer. “Did you watch them yourself?”
“Uh, with Yuqiong and the others.”
“Really? None of their Moments have you in them.” Chen Nannan landed the killer blow.
She whipped out her phone and opened Moments.
“Look—they all posted fireworks pics, but you’re nowhere in any of them.”
Shen An glanced at the screen. Yuqiong and Song Rui had both shared Moments, but the images were identical: just the fireworks bursting in the sky, no people at all.
Shen An let out a quiet breath of relief and grumbled, “They didn’t even show their own faces. Why would they snap me?”
“Then why didn’t you post one?”
Chen Nannan pouted. “You didn’t even send me a pic.”
Shen An pulled her into a hug and murmured, “I don’t like taking photos, no matter the occasion.”
“Hmph. And you never post to Moments.”
Chen Nannan griped, “I’ve had you added for a month, and your feed’s completely empty.”
“I’m pretty laid-back about that stuff.”
Shen An narrowed his eyes. “Same as you, Senior Sister. You barely post anything either.”
Chen Nannan shot back, “I don’t like photos much myself.”
“See? We’re a match made in heaven.”
Shen An grinned.
And just like that, he’d looped them right back around.
Chen Nannan was helpless against him…
“Speaking of which, I haven’t properly toured your apartment yet, Senior Sister.”
Shen An stood and began inspecting the place with exaggerated seriousness.
Chen Nannan stayed put on the sofa, watching him speechlessly.
What was there even to see?
Compared to Xu Yijing’s apartment, Chen Nannan’s was much smaller—around seventy square meters or so.
But that was just relative.
Seventy-plus square meters was no tiny place in any city.
The decor in their apartments highlighted their personality differences, too.
Xu Yijing’s leaned toward extreme minimalism: a big TV aside, nothing flashy, all in cool tones.
Chen Nannan’s was smaller but far cozier and cuter, with tons of throw pillows and plush toys on the sofa. The overall palette was warm and inviting.
After looking around, Shen An turned back to her. “Oh, right—where’s your bedroom, Senior Sister?”
At his words, Chen Nannan subconsciously pointed to the left.
“Got it.”
Shen An flashed an OK sign and headed that way.
Chen Nannan sat there in a daze for a moment before leaping off the sofa!
He’d asked about her bedroom—not the bathroom!
This guy!!!
Her bare feet pounded across the floor as she raced after Shen An.
