Shen An dawdled around until after eight o’clock. He glanced at his phone, but Chen Nannan still hadn’t sent him a message.
Right on cue at eight-thirty, he took the initiative and messaged her: “Senior Sister, where’s the meeting?”
“Are you awake yet?”
Instead of answering his question, Chen Nannan asked if he was up first.
Even through the screen, Shen An could vaguely sense her “dissatisfaction.”
“I’m awake, I’m awake.”
“Oh, then head out. The location is A201 in the Erudite Building.”
Chen Nannan gave him the address simply and directly.
“Got it.”
Shen An ended the call, pocketed his phone, tidied up a bit, and left the apartment.
This time, he’d learned his lesson and didn’t take Xu Yijing’s umbrella.
He figured that around eight or nine in the morning, even if the sun was shining brightly, it wouldn’t be too hot yet. The sunlight falling on him might even feel a little warm.
He’d agreed promptly enough, and he’d hung up just as quickly.
That left Chen Nannan sitting alone on the apartment sofa, her face full of confusion.
That was it? He wasn’t even going to ask if they should go together?
She felt utterly speechless at Shen An’s “obliviousness,” something she’d never experienced before.
This junior was incredibly sharp in some ways, but hopelessly dense in others!!!
Fuming, Chen Nannan directly called him on voice chat.
A few seconds later, Shen An picked up promptly: “Senior Sister?”
“You already heading out?”
“Yeah, I’m already downstairs. Don’t worry, I’ll be there soon—I won’t be late.”
“. . . .”
“Oh, and Senior Sister, is that glutinous rice chicken still there?” Shen An asked cautiously.
Chen Nannan gripped her phone tightly and gritted out, “Stop right there.”
“Huh?”
“I said, stop.”
“Uh . . . what’s up? Is the class meeting canceled?” Shen An was utterly baffled.
“It’s not canceled. Just stand there and don’t move, got it?”
“Oh . . .”
Shen An nodded obediently.
“Senior Sister, about that glutinous rice chicken of mine . . .”
Click.
Before Shen An could finish, Chen Nannan had already hung up.
Tsk~
She wasn’t any fun to tease at all.
The corners of Shen An’s mouth quirked up slightly. He leisurely slipped his phone back into his pocket, then pressed the elevator button to head downstairs.
Meanwhile, Chen Nannan fumed as she took the glutinous rice chicken out of the rice cooker. In her haste, she nearly burned herself.
Hiss.
So hot~
Chen Nannan frowned and bared her teeth. “Even you’re bullying me now?”
She was so mad she wanted to throw the glutinous rice chicken away, but then an idea struck her. A sly glint flashed in her eyes.
Shen An waited at the entrance to Building C for what felt like seven or eight minutes before he spotted Chen Nannan hurrying down the stairs with a small bag in hand.
“Senior Sister!”
He greeted her enthusiastically, his eyes lighting up at the sight of her.
For today’s class meeting, Chen Nannan had dressed up specially.
A white floral dress accentuated her delicate charm, while her high-heeled canvas shoes and black stockings hugged her slender ankles as always.
She’d tied her long hair into a high ponytail, with a few strands falling artfully over her forehead—not messy at all, but adding to her sweetness.
Her skin was so fair it practically glowed, like snow sparkling under the sunlight.
Chen Nannan looked surprised to see Shen An.
“You . . . Didn’t I tell you to wait right there for me?”
“Yeah, but I was worried you wouldn’t find me, so I came back here to wait.” Shen An grinned sheepishly. Sunlight fell on his handsome face, highlighting his irrepressible cheerfulness and optimism.
Chen Nannan let out a coquettish hum, acting a bit tsundere. “How did you know I hadn’t left yet?”
“I guessed!” Shen An said. As she reached him, he casually took her wrist without a second thought.
Chen Nannan instinctively tried to pull away, but then she heard Shen An ask with genuine concern, “Senior Sister, is your wound better? Why didn’t you put a bandage on it?”
His gaze shifted to her knee, which had a soft pinkish hue.
The scrape had mostly healed; you wouldn’t even notice it unless you looked closely.
Chen Nannan’s heart softened. “It’s healed up. Why would I need a bandage?”
“You can’t say that. Even a scrape takes a few days to fully heal.”
“You might think it’s better now because you can’t see it with the naked eye, but bacteria won’t miss a chance like that.”
Shen An nagged on a bit, and ripples of warmth spread through Chen Nannan’s heart, tugging the corners of her mouth into an involuntary smile.
“Alright, alright, I’m fine. You’re such a nag~”
Chen Nannan teased him coquettishly.
Shen An paused, his expression turning serious. “I’m just worried about you.”
“Mm, I know~” Chen Nannan nodded shyly, then pulled a foil-wrapped bundle from her small bag.
“Your glutinous rice chicken.”
Shen An seemed starving and reached for it immediately.
Chen Nannan was still basking in his concern when he unwrapped the foil. That’s when it hit her.
“Hey, you . . .”
“Hiss~”
Shen An eagerly peeled back the foil to take out the glutinous rice chicken and nearly flung it away from the heat.
He quickly rewrapped it, muttering, “Looks like it’s still pretty hot.”
Chen Nannan gave an awkward little smile . . .
She’d wrapped it in foil on purpose to teach him a lesson—it kept the heat in.
Who asked him to be so “dense” and hang up on her repeatedly?
But his worry and care the moment she came downstairs had instantly melted away her annoyance.
Now, this back-and-forth left her feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Take it with you and eat it later.”
Chen Nannan said softly.
“Yeah, let’s go!” Shen An stuffed the foil-wrapped glutinous rice chicken back into her small bag. Humming a cheerful tune, he strolled carefree down the campus path.
Chen Nannan glanced at the blinding sunlight, then at his back. She pulled an umbrella from her bag and hurried to catch up, holding it over him.
A fragrant scent wafted around him. Curious, Shen An looked up at the umbrella.
Girls’ things usually carried their owners’ scent.
This umbrella was no exception; as it opened, Chen Nannan’s light, elegant perfume filled the air.
He was looking at it because Xu Yijing’s umbrella had no scent at all—not even a neutral smell.
Seeing this, Chen Nannan assumed he was comparing them.
She recalled what Shen An had said yesterday on the rooftop about Xu Yijing.
A faint sourness welled up unbidden in her heart, and she huffed pettily, “What? You didn’t bring her umbrella today?”
Shen An glanced at her and immediately read her mind.
He said softly, “That’s not my umbrella. I can’t just take it whenever I want.”
“Hah, honest enough.” Chen Nannan scoffed.
Hm?
That tone sounded just like Xu Yijing’s.
Shen An raised a brow and suddenly turned to look at Chen Nannan’s little face. “Actually, I deliberately didn’t borrow her umbrella.”
“I wanted you to hold it over me, Senior Sister.”
His gentle words drifted to her on the breeze. Chen Nannan’s heart fluttered, and she pouted. “What sappy nonsense is that? How did you know I’d bring one?”
“If you didn’t, then we’d bask in the same ray of sunshine together.”
Shen An paused, then switched back to his usual playful tone. “And get a tan side by side!”
Chen Nannan rolled her eyes. Though her heart was delighted, she still played coy. “Who wants to tan with you? I don’t tan anyway—I’m naturally fair-skinned.”
“Ah, well, actually, I don’t tan easily either . . . Oh, there’s a shuttle!”
Shen An quickly pointed ahead to the stop where a Little Yellow Shuttle had just pulled up.
Before Chen Nannan could react, he grabbed her hand. “Hey, wait, don’t go so fast . . .”
The two hopped on the Little Yellow Shuttle and headed from the North District toward the Central District.
By the time they reached the classroom in the Erudite Building, Chen Nannan was covered in fine beads of sweat on her forehead. She panted, feeling drained.
Ahead of her strode Shen An at a brisk pace.
He’d left right at eight-thirty, waited for Chen Nannan along the way, and then they’d ridden the shuttle. If he didn’t hurry, they’d be late.
They finally reached the classroom, but Chen Nannan suddenly stopped him and gestured for him to go in first.
She pointed to the nearby restroom, signaling that she needed to touch up her makeup.
Being dragged along the whole way had left her face sweaty.
“You look pretty without makeup, Senior Sister.” Shen An buttered her up.
Chen Nannan waved him off irritably. “Cut the chit-chat and go in first. Get to know your classmates.”
“Alright, but hurry up.” Shen An leaned in and whispered, “I feel kinda nervous without you here, Senior Sister.”
“Nervous? What’s there to be nervous about?”
“I . . . I have social anxiety.” Shen An said “shyly.”
Chen Nannan looked up at him, patted his shoulder with a teasing smile. “You have social anxiety?”
“Yeah, mine’s pretty bad . . .”
“Tsk, if you don’t want to talk, just sit in the corner. I’ll be right there.”
“Mm-hm.”
Shen An waved to her with a smile, took the foil package from her hand, and headed into the classroom.
Quite a few people were already seated—over twenty at a glance.
But Class 1 had fifty-eight students total, so this was just a fraction.
The main group hadn’t arrived yet.
Their seating was interesting too.
The girls were mostly on the right side, near the door, but not all clumped together—instead, they sat in small groups of two or three.
Shen An took one look and realized it was divided by dorms.
This was practically a subconscious choice. The first month of school for any freshman was the most crucial time.
It was during that initial month that new students integrated into their class, forming the social circles that would define their college years.
Most of the “friends” who’d stick around for all four years got locked in right then.
Miss that window, and unless the dorms were forcibly reshuffled, the class would divide along dorm lines as the unbreakable norm for years to come.
Any group activity or assignment? Dorm mates would always clump together first.
A quick sweep of the room…
These twenty-odd girls had already splintered off into seven or eight little cliques.
Tsk.
As he scanned the room, Shen An swiftly committed all those unfamiliar faces to memory.
His verdict? The average looks were solid. The English Department really did have its share of beauties.
Among the two dozen girls, he’d already clocked one whose beauty rivaled Chen Nannan’s.
She sat alone, the two rows around her completely empty.
“Bro, over here~”
Shen An hadn’t even passed the lectern when the call rang out from the left.
The right side was girls’ turf; the left, naturally, belonged to the guys.
And what spacious turf it was—only two boys huddled in the corner, shivering like leaves.
Add Shen An, and Class 1’s trio of males was complete.
Shen An strolled to the corner on the left and dropped into a seat, stowing the still-warm foil package in the drawer.
On the right, a bunch of girls retracted their surprised stares, acting like nothing had happened.
“Good lord, bro, you got a single room?”
Shen An pulled his focus back and turned to the guy who’d hollered at him first.
The dude rocked a middle part, carried a bit of extra weight, and had thoroughly average features—not ugly, but handsome was off the table.
That haircut screamed greasy in the worst way.
Still, his personality seemed outgoing enough; no introvert would’ve yelled across a room like that.
The other guy? Way more reserved.
His features were sharper, closer to handsome territory, with fair skin marred by a face full of acne—like puberty was still dragging its feet.
He glanced at Shen An and offered a timid smile by way of greeting.
“Yeah, you two roommates?”
Shen An shot back with easy familiarity.
“Yep, and get this—we’re bunking with a senior-year bro too.”
“A fourth-year senior? Same major?”
“Nah, different department.”
“Those guys are from Computer Science. They act all jealous of us.” The outgoing one puffed up a little with pride.
“Why’s that?”
“Well… their department’s got about as many girls as we’ve got guys.” He dropped his voice for that one.
Shen An let out a wry chuckle. “Doesn’t matter. Getting out of singlehood’s got zilch to do with how many girls are around.”
The guy nodded with instant respect. “My kinda guy! Exactly—more girls don’t mean squat.”
At that, the shy one piped up with a scoff. “Bullshit.”
Shen An blinked. The shy guy rushed to clarify, “Not you—I mean him.”
“Oh?”
“You don’t know the half of it. First day here, he was hounding the seniors about the best spots for fun around campus.”
He lingered on “fun,” shooting Shen An that look all guys understood.
Ohhh~
Shen An got the picture instantly.
“Li Yun, quit spilling my secrets! You think I didn’t spot that package of yours? Mmph-mmph!”
His words cut off as a hand clamped over his mouth.
The hand’s owner—the shy guy—was Li Yun.
Shen An grinned. “Shen An.”
“Li Yun here. Yun, like good fortune.” Li Yun flashed another bashful smile.
The muffled guy yanked the hand free. “Yang Bin! The Bin from ‘scholar and warrior’!”
