Before leaving, Shen An first filled in his name on the Basketball Club’s sign-up sheet, then politely bid farewell to the senior sisters.
Chen Nannan watched all this but didn’t rush to ask any questions.
Once the two of them had walked a bit farther away, she asked leisurely, “Weren’t you planning to join the Art Troupe?”
“That’s the initial plan,” Shen An nodded.
“Then why did you sign up for the Basketball Club?” Chen Nannan asked, a little puzzled.
Shen An chuckled wryly. “If I didn’t sign up for anything and just dragged you away like that, wouldn’t that look even worse?”
This was something Chen Nannan hadn’t anticipated.
But thinking it over, it did seem like the more appropriate thing to do.
Whether he joined later or not was secondary; at least by signing up first and then taking her away, he left no room for criticism.
“Besides, Senior Sister, you’re the Vice Club President of the Basketball Club. I might not be able to join your Club Federation, but I can join the Basketball Club!”
“Then we could play together sometimes, right?”
Chen Nannan smacked her lips and muttered, “In your dreams. I don’t usually come to the Basketball Club anyway. And what do you mean ‘your Club Federation’? It’s the school’s.”
“Hey, if I join, you still won’t come?” Shen An looked at her pitifully.
“We’ll see if I have time!” Chen Nannan brushed it off and asked, “Come on, where do you want to go wandering?”
“Right here.”
Shen An said matter-of-factly, “This area’s pretty lively, isn’t it? Some of the club booths have little games, right?”
“You’re how old, and you still want to play little games~?” Chen Nannan covered her mouth and giggled softly.
Hearing this, Shen An looked down and smiled lightly. “When you’re little, you can’t wait to grow up. But once you’re grown, you wish you could be a kid again.”
Hiss~
Why did he suddenly get so profound…?
It left Chen Nannan completely stumped.
“Don’t you want to play, Senior Sister?” he asked softly, turning to her.
“Uh… I’m not a kid, of course not!” Chen Nannan bit down on her straw, steadfastly upholding her dignity as a senior sister.
“Then you can just watch me play, Senior Sister. I’m really good at games.” Shen An narrowed his eyes smugly. “No matter what the game is, I can pick it up effortlessly. I’m basically a gaming genius.”
“Alright, alright, I get it—you’re amazing. Let’s go already; it’s so hot!”
Chen Nannan pushed at Shen An’s shoulder. The two of them stood under the sun, and she hadn’t even opened her umbrella.
And so they strolled along from the Basketball Club area toward the center of the Main Athletic Field.
Shen An seemed interested in every booth along the way, stopping to check out the excitement at each one.
Whenever they reached a booth, a few senior sisters would come over to greet him—this was naturally their attempt to recruit such a “rare” guy.
His handsome looks came into play once again; the senior sisters were incredibly enthusiastic. Even when Shen An asked some tricky questions, they never got impatient and patiently explained everything to him.
Of course, the little games were unavoidable, and that was exactly what Shen An had come for.
At first, Chen Nannan truly had zero interest in the games. She held her half-finished milk tea and stood quietly to the side, watching Shen An play.
These booth games were nothing new—she’d seen them all a million times as the Club Federation President and was thoroughly bored of them.
But that attitude shifted at the Cultural Club’s booth.
The Cultural Club’s game was Pitch Pot, and the “staff” at the booth were all dressed in brand-new Hanfu outfits of various colors and styles, bustling about in a dazzling display.
The girls from the Cultural Club were top-notch overall, and the Hanfu added an extra charm, making each one look so youthful and radiant.
This spot was off in a quieter corner to begin with, so there weren’t many new students milling about.
Shen An, being a freshman guy—and a super handsome one at that—naturally received VIP treatment.
Several Hanfu girls crowded around him. He even obligingly tried on one of the Cultural Club’s Hanfu outfits and picked up an arrow for Pitch Pot.
“How do you play this?”
As he asked, one of the girls sidled right up to him, taking his arm proactively and patiently guiding him.
They stood incredibly close, which made Chen Nannan, off to the side, feel a twinge of discomfort.
Shen An in Hanfu, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Hanfu girl, chatting and laughing while she touched his arm—it was quite the piercing sight!
Chen Nannan puffed out her little cheeks. Not sure what possessed her, but she strode over to Shen An’s side and quietly nudged the other girl aside.
She tugged at his sleeve. “I want to play this too.”
Shen An, focused on the Pitch Pot in front of him, didn’t look at her. “Just tell the senior sister next to you; she’ll teach you.”
At that moment, the Hanfu girl flashed a bright smile, her voice crisp. “Are you a freshman too?”
Chen Nannan shook her head with a smile. “No, I’m a sophomore.”
“Oh~” The Hanfu girl looked a bit disappointed but quickly perked up. “Do you want to play? We’ve got more over here.”
She pointed to the other side, where there was another Pitch Pot setup.
“No need—we’re together.”
Chen Nannan seemed to emphasize that point on purpose. The Hanfu girl had no choice but to back off.
Shen An overheard it all and noted it mentally, the corner of his mouth curving up slightly. He took his arrow, stood tall and straight in a perfectly standard pose.
Then he flicked his wrist lightly, and the arrow flew!
Whoosh! It hit the pot dead-on!
One after another, Shen An nailed every shot without a single miss.
“How about that?”
Shen An turned back, looking at Chen Nannan but also seeming to address the Hanfu senior sister beside them.
“Wow! You’re amazing!!!” The Hanfu girl stared in awe.
She clapped in surprise. Pitch Pot looked simple, but hitting the target wasn’t easy at all.
Chen Nannan twitched the corner of her mouth and silently rolled her eyes.
Seeing him about to turn and gloat, she quickly snatched the remaining arrows from his hand and said softly, “Teach me.”
“Me?” Shen An blinked in surprise. “I just learned myself.”
“No problem—you’re a gaming genius, aren’t you?” Chen Nannan smiled, though her smile carried a hint of teasing.
“Fine.”
With that, Shen An circled behind Chen Nannan. Just like the girl had done to him, he pressed close to her back and took hold of her wrist.
“Like this—stand straight first, grip it firm, don’t bend your wrist. Use your arm to throw, not your wrist.”
Chen Nannan’s attention was completely scattered by then. That inexplicable racing of her heart overwhelmed her again.
So she didn’t hear a word he said.
“Got it?” Shen An asked.
“Mm.” Chen Nannan nodded on instinct and swung her arm to throw!
Whoosh.
The arrow dropped a meter short of the pot… a midway failure.
“Uh, I think you could put a bit more power into it.”
“Okay!”
Whoosh.
The second shot went too hard—the arrow sailed right through the pot, forcing the girl to run fetch it.
“Getting the feel now?” Shen An asked gently.
“A little.”
Whoosh!
Third shot.
Hmm, not too short, not too far… but still a miss.
Because the arrow slammed straight into the side of the pot, knocking it over.
Shen An chuckled. “Senior Sister, you’re pretty good too! Just tweak the angle, and it’ll be perfect!”
“Okay…”
Chen Nannan focused up. She felt like if she didn’t hit one soon, it’d be embarrassing.
Especially in front of Shen An.
Unfortunately, she had zero talent for games—or sports, for that matter.
After ten arrows, Chen Nannan hadn’t landed a single one.
Shen An patiently coached her the whole time. Even when she missed, he never said a discouraging word—instead, he found ways to praise her.
“I want to play more!”
Chen Nannan pursed her lips, as if she’d gotten competitive with the game itself.
Another ten arrows. Chen Nannan stayed consistent, maintaining her perfect record of zeros.
Then another ten…
The Hanfu girl standing nearby quietly lowered her head, thinking to herself, “How is there someone even worse than me…?”
The two of them spent half an hour there, and Shen An remained endlessly patient.
Chen Nannan finally accepted that she had no talent for Pitch Pot.
She gave up.
That little episode at the Cultural Club subtly shifted Chen Nannan’s mindset.
From then on, whenever Shen An stopped at a booth with a game, she’d eagerly join in—even if he tried to pull her away, she wouldn’t budge.
Sadly, she met with total defeat at every single booth game.
It took them over an hour of dawdling to reach the center of the field, where things were even livelier. New students crowded both sides of the booths, the air buzzing with chatter and excitement.
Shen An walked ahead, sighing, “So lively.”
Chen Nannan trailed silently behind him, head down, muttering under her breath nonstop, “So embarrassing… really so embarrassing…”
She had no idea why she’d suddenly gotten into these silly games.
All she knew was that as a senior sister, she’d lost all face in front of Shen An.
Not a single game won out of all of them.
“Senior Sister?”
Shen An’s voice rang in her ear. Chen Nannan lifted her head in a daze. “Hm?”
“Senior Sister, your face looks a bit pale. You okay?”
Shen An took the empty milk tea cup from her hand. “You should hold the umbrella.”
Chen Nannan nodded with a bitter smile and obediently unfurled the umbrella.
“This place is so lively—totally different from over there,” Shen An said with a laugh.
“Yeah… The Student Union’s booths are mostly here, but they don’t have any carnival games.”
“No wonder.” Shen An nodded thoughtfully.
Chen Nannan hesitated, glancing at him before whispering, “Am I really that hopeless?”
“Huh?” Shen An blinked in surprise.
“It’s not that I don’t want to play… It’s just that every time I try, I lose spectacularly.”
She drooped her head, looking dejected. “I don’t know why, but I’m just terrible at these kinds of things.”
If Shen An fancied himself a gaming genius, then Chen Nannan was undoubtedly a complete idiot when it came to games.
The moment games were involved, she turned into a total klutz. There wasn’t a single one she was good at.
“That’s okay,” Shen An said. “Everyone has things they’re good at and things they’re not.”
He reached out and ruffled Chen Nannan’s silky hair.
Her heart skipped a beat as she committed the smile on his lips to memory.
In that moment, his youth became an advantage, making him seem just like a big brother comforting his disappointed little sister.
Yet his constant “childish” demeanor always perfectly stroked Chen Nannan’s odd pride as a senior sister.
Chen Nannan froze for a moment, then averted her gaze. “I think the Art Troupe’s booth isn’t here…”
“Huh?”
“I remember it’s over there, in one of the classrooms.” She pointed toward the nearby teaching building.
“Hmm, no rush, right? Let’s keep wandering around,” Shen An suggested.
“Okay…”
“Oh, right—Senior Sister, does the Basketball Club have any games? I didn’t notice one earlier.”
“They do… It’s just basketball. Shooting hoops over at the Basketball Court.”
“Speaking of which, Senior Sister, do you play basketball?”
“A little.”
“Cool. Once we’re done browsing, let’s head back to the booth and shoot some hoops!”
“That… might not be a good idea.” Chen Nannan’s eyes darted away again.
Shen An knew what she was worried about. He patted her shoulder generously. “No worries, I’ll go easy on you.”
The words instantly fired her up. She stomped her foot. “I’m… I’m not that pathetic!”
Once her outburst subsided, she added more calmly, “Let’s just play for real. All that holding back would be boring.”
“You sure, Senior Sister?”
“Hmph! Positive.”
“Alright then.” Shen An smiled softly. “Just be careful out there, Senior Sister.”
“Heh, I’m not scared. Bring it on!”
Chen Nannan shot him a defiant glare, then added with a sarcastic jab, “By the way, are you really just ‘browsing’? You’ve signed up at every single booth.”
“Think you can handle adding that many senior sisters to your contacts?”
Shen An had picked up at least one friend request from a senior sister at every booth he’d visited.
Some had even netted him four or five.
“I’m just enriching my social circle,” Shen An said smugly, completely ignoring the faint resentment flickering in the depths of Chen Nannan’s eyes.
“Hmph. If they find out you’re just sightseeing with no intention of joining, watch out—they might beat you up.”
Chen Nannan pouted.
“Only you would beat me up, Senior Sister.”
Shen An said it with perfect seriousness. “As long as you don’t swing, I think I’m safe.”
“You smug little show-off. Come on, you’re blocking the way standing there like an idiot!”
“Alright, alright.”
They hadn’t gone far when Shen An and Chen Nannan ran into some “old acquaintances”—or rather, several of them.
Dorm 105, led by Wang Yuqiong, was heading right toward them.
Wang Yuqiong’s height of around five-foot-ten made her stand out sharply in the crowd.
And that wasn’t even mentioning how stunningly beautiful she was.
She wore denim shorts and a simple white short-sleeved shirt—a refreshingly casual outfit.
But those long, straight, porcelain-white legs peeking out from under the shorts wielded a magical pull with every step, drawing eyes without fail.
Even other girls couldn’t help being captivated, instinctively envious.
The simplest outfit, the most eye-catching display.
Shen An paused, looking them over and counting. Three people…
One short.
Song Rui wasn’t there.
Where had that silly girl run off to?
The thought crossed Shen An’s mind unbidden.
Meanwhile, Chen Nannan paled at the sight of Wang Yuqiong and the others, a flicker of unease crossing her face.
