“Lunch together?”
As they stepped out of the office, Wang Yuqiong shot Shen An a meaningful glance.
“Lunch my foot. I’ve got five departments on my plate.”
Shen An rubbed his face. “They’re going to scout the sites. I have to tag along.”
“Well, aren’t you thoughtful to remember.”
Wang Yuqiong wrinkled her nose and pouted. “I thought you’d gotten so cocky you figured your charm had already won over the whole Art Troupe.”
Shen An shot her a sideways glance. “Isn’t it all to soothe my little vinegar jar?”
“Blame me again!”
Wang Yuqiong stomped on his foot with her little white sneaker. “Go have your fun then. I’m off to eat.”
“See ya.”
Shen An smiled faintly.
Tch!
Wang Yuqiong puffed out her cheeks and stormed off in a huff.
“Oh, right.”
Shen An called after her.
“What now?” Wang Yuqiong turned back, a flicker of anticipation in her eyes.
“Any word on the Drama Group’s arrangements?” Shen An asked softly.
“Not yet.”
The light in Wang Yuqiong’s eyes dimmed instantly. She pouted.
“If something comes up, let me know.”
Shen An stepped forward with a light laugh and patted her head. “I’m still waiting to work on a script with you.”
Hmph~
Wang Yuqiong bubbled with excitement but reined it in. “Easy to say. Don’t get so swamped you can’t even show up.”
“No worries. You help me, I help you—teamwork makes the dream work, especially with a guy and a girl.”
“In your dreams. Pair up with your Song Rui instead.”
Wang Yuqiong turned away. “That’s it. You do your thing. I’m going to eat.”
Shen An watched her go with a sigh before turning to his own tasks.
First up was the Organization Department, a regular department he’d dealt with a few times before.
President Xu Ling was an outgoing, straightforward type. The moment she saw Shen An, she grinned mischievously. “Well, well, if it isn’t the Art Troupe’s star~”
She rose to greet him. “What’s up?”
The other Organization Department members chimed in with hellos. Shen An greeted them one by one before chatting with Xu Ling. “What else? You’ll have to look out for me more from now on, Senior Sister.”
He raised a brow, and she got it immediately. “Office work?”
“Yeah.”
“Tsk, perfect timing. Everyone’s here.”
Xu Ling spun around and waved grandly. “Time to put that pretty boy charm to use. Let them get a taste of your appeal.”
A vein throbbed on Shen An’s forehead. “Senior Sister.”
“Hm?”
“I… I’m just here to collect schedules.”
“Same difference. Go mingle, introduce yourself.”
Xu Ling grabbed his arm and shoved him forward.
The girls in the department watched—some shy, some curious—all eyes on Shen An.
For a split second, he felt like Tang Monk stumbling into the Spider Cave.
Damn, not this vibe again.
Lunch break was only long enough for him to handle the Organization Department.
Maybe it was his “handsome” looks, or Xu Ling’s watchful eye and prior instructions, but everyone cooperated smoothly.
He wrapped up the collection without much hassle.
Afterward, Shen An didn’t leave right away.
He hung around a bit longer, chatting and joking with the members to build some initial rapport.
When lunch break ended, he walked out with a few who were heading the same way, toward the academic building.
Of course, along with their schedules, he’d added every Organization Department member as a contact.
They laughed and chatted all the way, parting with waves at the corner of the academic building.
Finally alone, Shen An breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Good thing his girl-group skills hadn’t rusted.
Dealing with girls wasn’t rocket science, but it wasn’t a cakewalk either. It took practice to build that knack over time.
If you’ve been around girls a lot since childhood—whether in groups or classes—you’ll naturally develop this ability. You won’t panic and become tongue-tied the moment you see one.
But staying calm around girls and chatting with them casually is just the first step in this skill—and the first stage in your relationship with them.
Next comes conversation. You have to pick topics they’re interested in from a sea of possibilities, cut right to the heart of them, and dive deep.
Keep things witty during the talk—maybe even a bit rough around the edges—but never crude.
This second step usually lasts a while. It’s the period where you get to know each other and deepen your bond.
Handle it well, and you’ll enter the third stage, which Shen An called the “fork in the road.”
It’s a fork because this stage usually decides where your relationship is headed.
Boyfriend and girlfriend? Besties of the opposite sex? Soulmate? Or just good friends who click?
Guys don’t usually draw strict lines like that. If you get along, you’re bros. If not, you’re not.
Girls think more emotionally, and their possessiveness runs a bit stronger than guys’.
That’s why their likes and dislikes show up more directly. They need to define relationships to mark intimacy levels.
The distinctions are fine-grained. Even among “good friends,” there are those you can hit up anytime—even for an all-nighter—and those you only contact at specific times.
So girls talk about having tons of besties, but out of ten, maybe only one or two are the real deal deep down.
The rest? Just frequent hangout buddies or temporary “friends.”
Guys have this too—they’re always calling someone a “good brother” or “good friend.”
But guys’ social circles are narrower, and they don’t split hairs, so anyone you vibe with a little becomes a “good brother.”
Girls are different. You have to clear the second stage to earn “bestie” status.
It’s all part of handling relationships with “flexibility”—or “leniency,” if you prefer.
Shen An didn’t need to push every girl in the Organization Department to the third stage. If he did, he wouldn’t just be a player—he’d be a total kingfish.
All he needed was to get most of them past the first stage: from strangers to acquaintances.
Ideally, keep the majority in the second stage—friendly chats, some rapport, but nothing too deep.
As for the third stage…
Shen An wasn’t planning to explore that right now.
The Organization Department was a standard unit under the Art Troupe, and overall quality was decent.
But compared to standouts like Zhao Qingyu and Wang Yuqiong, they fell short.
Besides, even the ones he had were giving Shen An enough headaches.
He arrived at the classroom for class and found that neither Song Rui nor Shen Lianyao had shown up yet.
Wang Yuqiong was already there, sprawled over her desk, catching a nap with the last of lunchtime.
Shen An sat down and casually ran his fingers through Wang Yuqiong’s silky hair.
“Mm~”
Getting interrupted mid-sleep was infuriating, and Wang Yuqiong’s morning grumpiness—or afternoon grumpiness, in this case—was no joke.
She grumbled a few times in warning.
But Shen An ignored it and kept teasing her hair.
“Ah~”
Irritated beyond endurance, Wang Yuqiong lifted her head, grabbed his hand, and slammed it down on the desk.
Smack!
The sharp sound drew glances from the other students.
Shen An hissed through his teeth. Damn, that hurt.
Wang Yuqiong blinked, quickly let go of his hand, and looked at him in a panic. “Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to.”
But Shen An caught the sly glint in her eyes.
Heh…
He raised his hand high and brought it down hard on her thigh.
Smack!
Another crisp sound, but muffled by the flesh of her thigh, so it didn’t draw as much attention as the desk slap.
“No big deal!”
Shen An replied with a grin.
Damn it… that stings…
The slyness in Wang Yuqiong’s eyes turned to embarrassed fury. Her teeth itched with pain, and she wanted to sink them into the smug smirk at the corner of Shen An’s mouth.
Shen An took the opportunity to squeeze her long, slender thigh. Too bad she was in jeans—the perfect curves were outlined, but all he felt was the rough denim, not the silky smoothness of skin.
“Shen An~”
Wang Yuqiong gritted her teeth and whispered, “Are you trying to smack my leg to pieces?”
“I’m just rubbing it better for you.” Shen An pulled a punchable face. “And I didn’t mean to.”
“You totally did…”
Wang Yuqiong’s eyes rimmed red, welling up as she gazed at him all pitiful-like.
It really did hurt a bit.
But in front of him, she could amp up the drama.
A girl’s tears don’t have to fall—they’re a silent weapon, the best kind.
Too bad it didn’t work on Shen An.
He ignored her fake crying and said softly, “You scarfed down lunch pretty quick, huh?”
“Hah, were you too busy chatting up girls from other departments?” Wang Yuqiong saw it wasn’t working, blinked away the moisture, and went cold. “An hour and a half, and you call that fast?”
“What do you mean ‘girls’? There were guys too.”
Shen An chuckled lightly.
“Pull the other one. You only went to the Organization Department!”
“How’d you know?”
“I… I saw you go in.” Wang Yuqiong pouted. “Don’t think I was stalking you. I just happened to see. Their office is right above the Drama Group’s.”
“Where are Song Rui and the others?”
Shen An kept squeezing her thigh. She didn’t resist or even react.
For them, this casual intimacy was routine—no need for fanfare.
“How should I know~”
Wang Yuqiong pursed her lips.
“You’re so sharp. Didn’t you check which departments they hit?” Shen An gave her a half-smile.
“Okay, fine, don’t look at me like that.”
Wang Yuqiong propped her chin on her hand. “Song Rui went to the Singing Group.”
“Mm, expected that.” Shen An nodded.
“Lianyao went to the Dance Group.”
“Tch, no surprises there.” Shen An sounded disappointed.
“What did you expect? With all those people in the Performance Groups, you only handled one yourself. You think they could cover two?”
Wang Yuqiong snarked, then frowned seriously. “And I feel like… they might not handle it well.”
“Hey, have a little faith in your classmates.”
Shen An chuckled.
“I’m serious.”
Wang Yuqiong narrowed her eyes, dead serious as she stared at Shen An. “Sure, the Singing Group has Senior Sister Qi, and the Dance Group is one Lianyao’s really into.”
“But there are too many girls in the Performance Groups… and…”
Wang Yuqiong hesitated.
“What, you think I’ll blab?” Shen An teased.
“Ugh! You could’ve guessed it yourself. Why make me say it?”
Wang Yuqiong huffed cutely.
“Couldn’t guess.”
“Bull.” Wang Yuqiong puffed her cheeks. “It’s just girl drama, you know.”
“Take our Drama Group. The vibe seems fine, right?”
“It’s all surface-level.”
Wang Yuqiong sighed. “The first day I joined, there were already whispers.”
“Sure, things seem okay with them now, but girls… they’re the best at faking it.”
Shen An raised a brow. Wasn’t that Zhao Qingyu’s line?
“What? You don’t believe me?”
“I do.”
Shen An thought for a second. “But have you considered it might be you?”
“Shen An!”
Wang Yuqiong bared her teeth, her Nine Yin White Bone Claw lunging at him.
