On the way back to the Basketball Club booth, Shen An walked with his head lowered, lost in thought.
Helping Song Rui join the Art Troupe had been, in a way, pure coincidence.
He had simply run into her nearby and decided to indulge his small spark of kindness.
At the same time, Song Rui was one of the very few people who could trigger a system quest.
Shen An was still utterly baffled by the Healing System’s activation conditions. He believed that everyone—at least most people—harbored some personal wish deep in their hearts.
In his view, the Healing System’s true purpose wasn’t so much about mending emotional wounds as it was like Santa Claus: a way to fulfill those wishes through him.
If that logic held, then since starting university, he had encountered hundreds of people, and even had real conversations with over a dozen.
Yet the system had only triggered a handful of quests.
Never mind the distant ones—take Chen Nannan, for example. From the moment he arrived on campus until now, aside from sleeping and eating, he had spent nearly all his time with her.
But she had never triggered a single system quest.
The same went for Xu Yijing. His private time these past few days had all been spent with her.
They weren’t sleeping in the same bed, but physically, they had been very close.
The two women had neatly divided up his time—one inside the dorm, the other out.
And Xu Yijing hadn’t triggered a single quest either.
So far, Chen Nannan was the girl closest to him emotionally, while Xu Yijing was the closest spatially.
Yet both had zero triggers!
By contrast, Song Rui, whom he had met only once, and Shen Lianyao had both activated system quests.
This left Shen An deeply puzzled.
He had no intention of overanalyzing it; he was just giving in to basic human curiosity.
As a result, he found himself paying a bit more “attention” to Song Rui.
Besides, helping her join the Art Troupe was no trouble at all. It hadn’t cost him any real effort.
Earning a favor with such a casual gesture? Shen An was more than happy to oblige.
As for the Art Troupe itself, his current stance was more aversion than acceptance.
If he hadn’t coincidentally bumped into Song Rui and Zhao Qingyu, he really would have grabbed Chen Nannan and turned right around.
He felt that a school organization shouldn’t carry such a heavy whiff of societal elitism.
From what he had just observed, every so-called Art Troupe member wore an air of superiority, as if joining made them a cut above other students.
Their recruitment and selection process was far too “arbitrary” and “exclusive,” flaunting their “uniqueness” at every turn.
His initial interest in joining had mostly been aimed at Zhao Qingyu, the Red-Clothed Senior Sister who had played him from the moment they met.
But coincidences had piled up too thick.
At this point, Shen An could only go with the flow.
Still, from the snippets Chen Nannan and Song Rui had let slip, he could sense their wariness toward Zhao Qingyu—bordering on outright fear.
Especially Chen Nannan’s recent words, which revealed quite a bit: if he went to Xu Yijing for help, Zhao Qingyu would target him relentlessly, even if school leaders intervened. The only escape would be transferring schools.
This first implied that Zhao Qingyu’s background was anything but simple. If school leaders’ words meant nothing, her connections must be formidable.
And conveniently, she shared the surname Zhao.
Too many coincidences. Stacking up like this, Shen An could hardly dismiss them as mere chance anymore.
Right now, he felt like a small boat surging through raging waves, unable to fully control his direction, tossed left and right by the tide.
Was there some connection between Zhao Li and Zhao Qingyu?
Shen An couldn’t help wondering.
Chen Nannan’s words also hinted at the delicate tension between Zhao Qingyu and Xu Yijing—seeming more hostile than friendly, from the sound of it.
Shen An’s analysis leaned toward pulling Zhao Li into the equation as well.
Zhao Li, Zhao Qingyu, and Xu Yijing—the trio.
If he assumed the Zhao Corporation was a major family conglomerate and Zhao Qingyu was part of it, then her powerful backing made sense.
That would also mean she and Zhao Li were inevitably connected.
Following that line of reasoning, could Zhao Qingyu and Xu Yijing be half-sisters from the same mother but different fathers? Explaining their bitter feud?
It fit.
Huh, was this turning into some 8:30 PM family soap opera?
Shen An nearly chuckled at his own speculation, but the smile froze on his face before it could form.
Because he realized he had become part of it—a player in this drama.
If that logic didn’t hold—if Zhao Qingyu had no ties to the Zhao Corporation, or if her Zhao family was unrelated to Zhao Li’s—then her conflict with Xu Yijing was probably just personal dislike.
Like the bad blood between Xu Yijing and Chen Nannan.
Shen An didn’t have enough information yet to draw firm conclusions.
But one thing was clear: Xu Yijing had beef with both Chen Nannan and Zhao Qingyu. History with both.
In his current social circle, Xu Yijing was the ultimate villain boss.
Of course, Zhao Qingyu was a boss on another level entirely.
Art Troupe… Art Troupe…
Shen An recalled how Xu Yijing had been subtly nudging him toward joining.
Zhao Qingyu had outright stated her preference for him to sign up.
It seemed all the answers lay hidden within the Art Troupe.
Once he joined and got a bit closer to Zhao Qingyu, he might uncover them.
He wasn’t holding his breath for useful intel from Xu Yijing.
That girl was as tight-lipped as they came.
Tracing it all back, it always circled to this damn phone.
Though neither Zhao Qingyu nor Xu Yijing had triggered system quests, so they weren’t direct players.
Yet every entanglement he was caught in tied back to the system’s missions.
Fulfilling others’ wishes came at a cost.
Even summoning Shenron required gathering the seven Dragon Balls.
Shen An narrowed his eyes. Could he be that cost, somehow?
“What are you thinking about?”
Chen Nannan’s playful pout pulled Shen An from his reverie. He turned to look at her.
She gazed at him with confusion and concern. “Your expression has been all over the place since earlier. Are you worried?”
“Is it because of Senior Sister Zhao?”
She sounded a touch anxious. “Just keep your distance from her when the time comes.”
“Or if you play your cards right, Senior Sister Zhao won’t give you any trouble.”
Seeing the genuine worry on her face softened something in Shen An’s heart.
So far, Chen Nannan was the only “normal” person he had met.
A senior sister with exceptional empathy.
Her care always shone through unreservedly, like warm sunlight gently warming those around her.
Unable to resist, Shen An reached out and pinched her soft cheek. With a sigh, he said, “If only Senior Sister Zhao were like you.”
Chen Nannan blushed and swatted his hand away with a pout. “What do you mean ‘like you’? Senior Sister Zhao wouldn’t even glance your way!”
“Hm?”
Shen An’s expression shifted.
Chen Nannan shook her head frantically. “No, no! I mean Senior Sister Zhao has super high standards!!”
“Oh??” Shen An’s gaze turned increasingly odd.
“Ack!!” Chen Nannan’s cheeks flushed a clear pink. “I… I mean, Senior Sister Zhao isn’t your assistant supervisor!!”
“She… she wouldn’t waste that much attention on you.”
Shen An grinned. “Sounds like you’re playing favorites, Senior Sister. All your attention on me—what about the other classmates?”
Chen Nannan turned her head and muttered softly, “It’s because you worry me so much. If you were like the others, that’d be perfect.”
“How do I worry you?”
“You still deny it? The first time we met, you told your assistant senior sister you had no plans to attend classes.”
“And your class needs two class presidents. There are so few guys in your class—you should step up.”
“Instead, you didn’t even run for class cadre. You just sat there with your legs kicked up. Poor Yuqiong’s going to be run ragged.”
Hah, run ragged my foot—she’d probably love it.
Shen An grumbled under his breath.
Chen Nannan pursed her lips in complaint. “How can I ever relax with you like this?”
She was still hung up on the skipping classes thing…
Shen An cleared his throat lightly. “Then come to class with me from now on, Senior Sister. That way, I won’t skip.”
“In your dreams!” Chen Nannan bared her teeth. “Not a chance. I have barely enough time for my own classes! No way I’m babysitting yours.”
“Right, speaking of which—when do classes actually start?”
Shen An asked.
“In a couple days,” she replied. “Today’s the last day for registration, then a short break, and classes begin.”
“No military training?”
“Not right away. Your year does winter training.” Chen Nannan smiled softly. “The school doesn’t have space for everyone to drill at once.”
“But next year’s freshmen will have summer training.”
“Oh yeah, and when you do training, I’ll have to chaperone… What a hassle…”
As she spoke, Chen Nannan’s face fell, brimming with worry.
As an assistant class supervisor, the most grueling challenge was military training.
During the training period, besides attending her regular classes, Chen Nannan had to spend all her other time at the training grounds, ready to handle any issues that might arise.
If there were no classes, she basically woke up whenever the freshmen did for their sessions and could only head back to sleep when they turned in for the night.
Weekends were no exception. She had almost no personal time of her own, and this went on until the training finally ended and she was set free.
It was utterly exhausting and a hassle, with no real rewards to show for it.
Some crafty assistants found backdoor ways out or cooked up excuses to skip or take leave.
In truth, very few stuck it out from start to finish.
But Chen Nannan was straightforward by nature. She always followed the rules to the letter.
Hearing this, Shen An’s lips curved into a faint smile. “So Senior Sister, you’re going to be with us the whole time during military training? Then I have nothing to worry about.”
Chen Nannan blinked in surprise. “Worry about what?”
“You know how socially anxious I get.”
Shen An said softly, “I’m scared that if I don’t see you there, Senior Sister, I’ll freak out.”
“But now that you’ve promised to stick by my side, I’m not afraid anymore.”
“Even if the training’s brutal, it won’t matter—as long as I can see you, Senior Sister.”
Shen An quietly skipped a few words, letting his selfish feelings shine through a bit more.
Before Chen Nannan could even process it, he patted her shoulder solemnly. “I’ll give it my all out there and win you an Outstanding Pacesetter award.”
Chen Nannan stared at him in a daze. The flicker of annoyance in her heart suddenly scattered.
To think he relied on her this much… She felt a surge of motivation!
Sacrificing her personal time to chaperone their training wasn’t pointless after all.
Just by being there—standing around, even if she did nothing—she could offer her own brand of encouragement and support.
Maybe that was the real reason assistants shadowed freshmen through military training.
“Smooth talker.”
Chen Nannan ducked her head, shyly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Don’t just make promises. If you don’t pull it off, I’ll make you regret it.”
Shen An leaned in a little closer, his voice gentle. “I will. I promise you.”
Her heart started racing wildly again.
She shot him a glare and quickened her pace in a fluster, huffing, “If you win it, great. Why make such a big deal out of it?”
“Remember, you earn that for yourself—not for me!”
“Got it?”
After a pause, she added softly, “And it’s fine if you don’t get it. Don’t put that much pressure on yourself.”
“Just do your best out there.”
Shen An let out an inexplicable sigh.
Chen Nannan arched a brow. “Weren’t you all gung-ho a second ago? What happened—did you wilt already?”
“No,” he said. “I’m just sighing because you’re so cute, Senior Sister.”
“?”
Her arched brow furrowed in confusion.
Sighing because I’m cute??
“So I’m definitely going to crush you later!”
Shen An clenched his fist, utterly serious.
Chen Nannan: ?????
“Sh-She… Shen An!!!”
What savage words!!!
She gritted her teeth and barked his name. Shen An, sensing danger, bolted.
“Don’t you run, you little punk! What kind of nonsense is that!!!”
And so the dawdling pair finally kicked it into high gear and raced toward the Basketball Club’s booth.
