“What about the Singing Group?”
Shen An glanced back and saw that Song Rui and Shen Lianyao still hadn’t returned, so he continued asking.
“The Singing Group?”
Wang Yuqiong first suppressed the little tangle in her heart and shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
Shen An raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly. “See? You really were just trying to scare me.”
“Pah!”
Wang Yuqiong pouted. “Nonsense. I just… haven’t encountered any issues like that yet. I don’t know anyone in the Singing Group, so I can’t even gather intel.”
“By that logic, things might be trickier on Lianyao’s end.”
Shen An frowned thoughtfully.
“It’s not that bad, but don’t put too much hope in Song Rui’s side either.”
Wang Yuqiong shrugged. “I don’t know the situation in the Singing Group, but based on my years of experience, if Senior Sister Qi takes too good care of Song Rui, then~”
She blinked. “You know what would happen.”
“The same goes for Senior Sister Yu’s side.”
Shen An chuckled helplessly. “So that’s the real reason you’re worried.”
“Pretty much.” Wang Yuqiong sighed. “It might sound a bit unreasonable, but that’s how these little conflicts build up.”
Shen An stroked his chin in contemplation. Yuqiong’s concerns weren’t baseless paranoia. Though her tone sounded a bit pessimistic about Song Rui and Shen Lianyao, deep down, she was genuinely worried for the two girls.
It showed she truly cared about her classmates—not a bad trait for the class president.
Unlike the actual chaos in the Dance Group, there was no risk of Song Rui getting led astray there, but isolation was a real concern.
Just as Wang Yuqiong had said, Qi Taili and Yu Wen were the presidents of their respective departments, so naturally, they would favor their own members.
If they showed even a slight bias toward Song Rui because of Shen An, some disgruntled members might complain.
Of course, this was the worst-case scenario—it might not happen at all. Maybe Song Rui would hit it off with the members of both groups?
But as the temporary minister, Shen An had to consider the possibility of the worst happening.
To avoid any unexpected issues down the line.
Truth be told, it wasn’t that Shen An and Wang Yuqiong were biased against the others, assuming they were petty or vain.
The premise of this discussion was that Song Rui and Shen Lianyao weren’t exactly suited for “socializing.”
If the two were typical college students, Shen An and Wang Yuqiong wouldn’t be discussing this so seriously or worrying about them.
Song Rui was timid and lacked assertiveness, while Shen Lianyao was aloof and stubborn. Clashes like that were bound to spark conflicts.
Even “normal” personalities often led to friction in social settings. Shen An and Wang Yuqiong just naturally leaned toward their own people, so they were preemptively bracing for the bad outcome.
“Thanks.”
Shen An’s gaze shifted as he ruffled Wang Yuqiong’s hair.
She froze, a bit stunned. “Why the sudden thanks?”
“Thanks for coming to remind me specifically.”
Shen An said softly, “Otherwise, I might have overlooked this issue.”
“And thanks for having your heart in the office even while you’re in the Drama Group.”
Wang Yuqiong raised an eyebrow. “Don’t talk nonsense. I was just venting to you.”
“Alright, I get what you mean.”
Shen An grinned and cupped her small face again.
Wang Yuqiong instinctively pushed him away in a fluster, whining coquettishly, “Don’t get handsy. Class is about to start!”
Chatting, ruffling hair, pinching cheeks—that was fine. But anything more would draw too much attention.
Wang Yuqiong didn’t mind showing some intimacy with him, but she still held onto a bit of restraint.
Suddenly, Wang Yuqiong raised an eyebrow and whispered, “They’re back.”
Oh?
Shen An turned and saw Song Rui and Shen Lianyao walking side by side down the hallway.
“Perfect. Let’s check on their progress.”
Shen An turned fully around and greeted them as the two girls stepped into the classroom.
Mm, only Song Rui responded. Shen Lianyao gave her usual cool nod of acknowledgment.
Song Rui sat on Shen An’s other side, while Shen Lianyao took the seat behind him. These were practically their fixed spots now.
Shen An was always sandwiched between Wang Yuqiong and Song Rui.
“How did it go? Any progress?”
Shen An asked Song Rui first.
He figured he wouldn’t get much out of the prickly Shen Lianyao.
As soon as he asked, Wang Yuqiong turned her head too, staring intently at Song Rui. “Yeah, how’d it go?”
Even Shen Lianyao glanced subtly toward Song Rui.
Good grief…
Song Rui was genuinely taken aback by the attention.
She furrowed her brows, stammering nervously, “I think it went okay. As soon as I got there, Senior Sister Qi introduced me to her members and we exchanged greetings.”
“And then?”
“Then… then Senior Sister Qi had something to do and left. She told me to just sit at her spot for now.” Song Rui recounted it step by step, almost like she was replaying the scene.
“Uh…”
Shen An scratched his head. “You didn’t just sit there the whole time, did you?”
“No, no, I… I did chat with them a bit.”
Song Rui shook her head quickly and said softly, “But they all seemed pretty busy with training, so I didn’t want to bother them.”
“They’re all so amazing, though. Even just warming up their voices sounds great—like professional singers.”
As she spoke, Song Rui broke into a shy, bashful smile.
Shen An frowned. Wang Yuqiong whispered in his ear from behind, “Doesn’t feel great.”
He nodded in full agreement. “I think so too.”
Song Rui blinked in surprise. “What’s wrong?”
“Uh…” For a moment, Shen An wasn’t sure what to say.
With Song Rui, it was hard for him to say anything that might hurt her feelings—like calling out how she wasted time sitting around or why she didn’t push for info right away.
But…
If he had to give an assessment, Shen An could only say it was baffling.
“So you just sat there listening to them warm up until lunch break ended?”
Wang Yuqiong seemed to pick up on Shen An’s hesitation and asked directly.
“Yeah.”
Song Rui nodded. “Was that… not good?”
“And… you didn’t go ask them for the info? Like the schedule—did you get it?”
“I… I’ll get it this afternoon?” Song Rui looked cautiously at Wang Yuqiong and Shen An.
Mm…
Shen An and Wang Yuqiong exchanged a glance.
Song Rui grew even more uneasy. “Did I mess something up?”
Wang Yuqiong furrowed her brow. “You should have…”
Shen An quickly covered her mouth. “No, you did great.”
Wang Yuqiong’s eyes widened in shock.
“I just wanted you to scout things out and get to know them at first.”
Shen An said gently, “But sitting around most of the time was a bit of a waste. This afternoon, try chatting more with them.”
“If you don’t feel comfortable yet, have Senior Sister Qi show you around. She should be free this afternoon, right?”
Getting the schedule was basic, simple work.
The real challenge for the office was diving deep into the department and building friendships with its members.
It meant establishing a dual identity: earning their trust and blending in, while staying neutral enough to report back to the office promptly.
They had to trust you while accepting you as an outsider.
It was akin to being an inspector sent from above—whether in public or private sectors, that kind of job had always been tough, from ancient times to now.
Of course, since this was university and not the cutthroat real world, with shallower stakes involved, it was somewhat more palatable than a formal oversight role.
So criticizing Song Rui now and pushing her to finish the task quickly wouldn’t help.
She was already timid; if he rattled her, she might fixate solely on grabbing the schedule and botch the relationships even worse.
Wang Yuqiong’s eyes turned thoughtfully, her shock fading.
She had clearly figured it out too.
Song Rui let out a small sigh. “Senior Sister Qi won’t be in the department this afternoon. She has a Student Union meeting.”
“Ah?”
“What’s with the ‘ah’? The Art Troupe is part of the Student Union too, you know.” Wang Yuqiong said irritably.
Shen An chuckled.
Wang Yuqiong’s perspective was completely different from Zhao Qingyu’s.
The former seemed more inclined toward the Student Union.
Was she a spy sent by the Student Union? The thought had just crossed Shen An’s mind when he quickly dismissed it.
What an odd notion.
“No worries. How about I tag along with you this afternoon to take a look?”
Shen An was truly providing nanny-level care. He figured he could help Song Rui get acquainted with the Singing Group’s members first.
But Wang Yuqiong and Song Rui shook their heads in unison.
The two girls were remarkably in sync.
Wang Yuqiong’s reason was straightforward. She said softly, “This is her job.”
Song Rui chimed in, “Yeah, it’s my job. I… I can handle it myself.”
Fine…
Shen An let out a sigh.
Song Rui might be obedient around him, but that didn’t mean she was some puppet he could control at will.
She was an independent person with her own pride and principles.
Besides Qi Taili’s influence, the main reason she had joined the Art Troupe was to challenge herself in something she wasn’t good at—to prove what she was capable of.
“Alright then. Good luck.”
Shen An patted Song Rui’s shoulder gently. “If anything comes up, remember to tell me first.”
“Mm!”
Song Rui appeared quite confident, which was good news.
Next, Shen An turned his gaze to Shen Lianyao standing behind him.
Shen Lianyao arched an eyebrow, her response curt. “I’ve made preliminary introductions. Got schedules from five members. The rest after class.”
“The other two departments, I’ll handle tomorrow.”
“Hey!”
Song Rui looked surprised. “Lianyao, you already got the schedules?”
Shen Lianyao glanced at Song Rui. “Mm.”
“Senior Sister Qi told me not to rush it, to get familiar first.” Song Rui gave a naive smile.
“Time’s tight. Prioritizing the assigned task is more important.”
Shen Lianyao replied flatly.
“Fair enough. I’ll go grab them later then.”
Shen An scratched his head and glanced at Wang Yuqiong again.
Wang Yuqiong shrugged, her expression one of cool detachment.
These two…
Their styles were polar opposites.
“What?”
Shen Lianyao noticed Shen An’s look. She narrowed her eyes and asked softly.
“Nothing. You did great too.”
Shen An smiled.
“Thanks.”
Her thanks carried no warmth. “What about you?”
“Me?”
Shen An blinked in surprise.
“Yeah. You didn’t just nap in the office the whole lunch break, did you?” Shen Lianyao’s tone sharpened.
“Uh… I went to the Organization Department.”
Shen An shrugged. “Temporarily sorted out their schedules.”
“Whoa!!”
Song Rui’s eyes went wide. “You got the entire Organization Department’s schedules already?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s amazing!” Song Rui blinked, her admiration for Shen An’s efficiency as unwavering as ever.
Wang Yuqiong’s mouth twitched slightly. She thought to herself that it wasn’t such a big deal.
Shen Lianyao dipped her head a little, faintly unconvinced.
Ding-a-ling-a-ling.
The preparatory bell rang, and the teacher walked into the classroom.
The four of them fell silent as their chat came to an end.
The afternoon classes began.
This afternoon was unusual for Shen An—he didn’t doze off.
Of course, he wasn’t paying attention to the lesson either.
He simply stared intently at the projector screen in front of him, his mind wandering to other matters.
Suddenly, a figure passed by in the corridor, flickering into the corner of his vision.
Shen An instinctively glanced toward the hallway and spotted Chen Nannan standing by the window.
Chen Nannan wasn’t looking at him. Her gaze was fixed on the back of the classroom.
Shen An took one look before turning his attention back to the projector screen.
But after he looked away, Chen Nannan’s eyes quietly shifted toward him.
He noticed, right?
She murmured to herself in her heart.
Shen Lianyao furrowed her brows, her expression darkening a bit.
