At nine in the morning, Shen An was jolted awake by an incoming voice call.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he grabbed his phone. It was a voice call from Chen Nannan.
“Seriously…? This early…?”
He muttered under his breath, dark circles under his eyes, and dragged himself out of bed with a face full of exhaustion.
The night before, he’d stayed up late with Song Rui, listening to her moody playlists and sparing no effort to cheer her up. They’d chatted almost all night.
Shen An vaguely remembered plugging in his phone to charge as he finally prepared to sleep, with the faint, murky light of dawn already filtering through the window.
Ding-dong.
He answered the call, and Chen Nannan’s energetic voice burst through: “Shen An, you up yet?”
Shen An mumbled groggily: “Mmm…”
“Hmm? You’re fooling me again. Sleeping in today?”
Chen Nannan could tell from his slurred tone that he wasn’t awake yet.
She sounded just like that herself whenever she got rudely awakened.
“Yeah… stayed up late last night.”
“You’ve got nothing else going on. Why stay up?”
“Because…” Shen An trailed off, then whispered, “Because I spent all yesterday thinking about how cute Senior Sister looked sleeping on my shoulder. Couldn’t stop thinking about it. Kept me up all night.”
Thud.
Shen An jolted fully awake in an instant, his drowsiness evaporating.
From Chen Nannan’s end came a loud crash, like something heavy hitting the floor.
“Senior Sister?”
A rustling sound followed, and after a moment, her voice came through: “Get up already. Don’t you have that re-audition today?”
“I can head over by myself later.”
Shen An yawned. “Once I’m done with the re-audition, I’ll call you, okay, Senior Sister?”
“No way!” Chen Nannan shot back firmly. “We agreed yesterday—I’d go with you.”
“It’s no big deal. You can handle your stuff first, Senior Sister.”
Shen An had thought it through. “The re-audition will probably involve waiting in line anyway. Total waste of time.”
“By the time it’s over, it’ll be around noon. You can come meet me then, we’ll grab lunch together, and after that, I’ll teach you how to play ball. Sound good?”
Chen Nannan listened to his voice while glancing at the pile of files waiting on her laptop screen.
She’d barely slept herself last night.
After her shower, it was already past eleven.
Instead of crashing right away, she’d spent the remaining time chatting with Wang Yuqiong.
They’d talked until past two, when Wang Yuqiong finally turned in.
Chen Nannan had set her alarm for five that morning, so she’d only gotten a couple of hours before it blared her awake.
She’d gotten up early specifically to knock out some work, preventing it from all piling up later.
Hmm…
She hesitated. “Is that… okay?”
“Of course!” Shen An laughed brightly. “Gotta make the most of our time, right? And I’m not a kid—I can handle waiting in line.”
“Okay… then message me once you’re done.”
“Yep~ Bye for now.”
“Bye.”
Click.
Shen An tossed his phone onto the nightstand, rolled over, and went right back to sleep.
Another hour, he decided.
Catching up on sleep was priority one.
And exactly one hour later, Shen An opened his eyes again. It was precisely ten o’clock.
The extra nap had restored some of his energy. He finally got up leisurely, freshened up, and headed out.
Pushing open his bedroom door, he stretched as he walked into the living room and glanced around. No sign of Xu Yijing.
She must have already left.
Well, as the Student Union Vice President, it would be weird if she had a totally chill schedule.
Shen An headed to the table, hoping Xu Yijing had left him some breakfast.
But the table was bare. No breakfast, not even a snack to tide him over.
Shen An sighed. Looked like he’d have to fend for himself.
After some rummaging around, it was nearly eleven when he finally set off for the large classroom indicated in the text message.
Upon arriving, Shen An realized something felt off about the location.
Peering through the corridor, he could see the Art Troupe’s auditions happening on the other side—just like yesterday, same spot, no change.
But the classroom in the message was over here, separated from the Art Troupe’s base by an entire building.
Of course, since these buildings were all connected at the ground level, you could see into the basements of A and C from B Building’s basement.
Shen An stood at the upper end of the corridor, hesitating.
The large classroom was right in front of him, with tightly shut doors on either side and a thick wall in between. He had no idea what was going on inside.
A question mark slowly formed on Shen An’s forehead.
He had a sinking feeling he’d been pranked again.
No way, right…?
Still unsure, he cautiously pushed open one of the doors.
It just revealed another door.
He pressed his ear against it, trying to hear inside.
No luck—total silence.
Guess he’d have to go for it.
Bracing himself, Shen An flung the door open.
Holy crap. The large classroom was packed with people. The moment he pushed the door, everyone in the front row turned to stare.
Soon, the whole room was eyeing him, all of them puzzled.
Dozens of eyes on him—Shen An felt a wave of awkwardness.
At that moment, the figure at the podium spoke up: “Excuse me, classmate, can I help you?”
The voice was familiar.
Shen An whipped his head around. Standing at the podium was none other than Xu Yijing!
She was dressed in a formal women’s suit, her knee-length skirt revealing sleek calves, black high heels hugging her ankles, with a faint glimpse of an ankle chain dangling there.
Her long hair was tied up, and she wore black-framed glasses. In this poised, serious look, Shen An almost didn’t recognize her.
He sneaked a glance at the PPT on the big screen: “Student Union Mobilization Conference Temporary Preparation Committee.”
Xu Yijing adjusted her glasses, her gaze flat. “Classmate?”
Her acting was top-notch—no one in the room would guess she was currently living with Shen An.
Shen An realized he’d been had.
That text was definitely from Zhao Qingyu on purpose.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Shen An didn’t flinch. Without a hint of nerves, he said warmly, “Excuse me, where’s the bathroom?”
The Student Union members in the room couldn’t help but chuckle.
Xu Yijing didn’t laugh. She said sternly, “Other end of the corridor. Please close the door behind you.”
“Got it. Sorry to interrupt.”
Shen An grinned, turned, and shut the door.
Damn, this large classroom had killer soundproofing. He’d heard nothing from right outside.
He grumbled to himself as he walked away.
Actually, his timing had just been perfect—the meeting had only just started.
Xu Yijing, as Vice President, had taken the podium to speak, copying files from her USB drive. Naturally, no one below dared make a peep until she did.
It had created the illusion of silence.
Embarrassing as it was, Shen An stayed cool as ever.
The instant he’d opened the door and felt all those eyes, he’d scanned the room for Zhao Qingyu.
As Deputy Troupe Leader of the Art Troupe, she should be Student Union brass too.
But Shen An had quietly searched and come up empty.
She wasn’t here.
Shen An pulled out his phone and replied to yesterday’s message with a simple: “?”
A response came quick.
“Come to the Art Troupe side.”
Shen An chuckled, pocketed his phone, and headed to the Art Troupe’s audition room.
Zhao Qingyu must have given them a heads-up. Before he could even ask, a Troupe member at the door said, “Senior Sister’s waiting for you in 105.”
The regular audition rooms were 102 and 103, with a long line snaking from 102 as far as the eye could see.
Shen An made his way toward 105, weaving past the queue.
Halfway there, someone grabbed his arm.
“Shen An?”
He blinked and turned. What a coincidence. “Class President?”
Wang Yuqiong stood tall amid the crowd, smiling warmly at him.
“What a coincidence.”
She said softly.
Shen An’s smile was polite, but he thought to himself: Yeah, real convenient.
“You here for the audition too? Didn’t you do yours yesterday?”
Wang Yuqiong tilted her head, puzzled.
“Uh… I’m here for the re-audition.”
Shen An said quietly.
Re-audition??
The confusion in Wang Yuqiong’s eyes deepened.
Didn’t the Art Troupe wait until after all initial auditions to announce results?
But she quickly brushed it aside and smiled gently. “Congrats! Results that fast?”
“Not set in stone yet. Just the re-audition.”
Shen An stayed humble. “Might not even pass.”
“No way.” Wang Yuqiong shook her head, sincere. “I think you’ll definitely make the Art Troupe.”
“Yeah? Hope we end up in the same group then.”
Shen An said diplomatically, brushing it off.
“Hey, that’s not set in stone. I’m not even sure if I’ll pass.”
Wang Yuqiong pouted slightly, a hint of worry creasing her brow.
Ah, well…
With her stunning looks, every expression she made was like a captivating landscape.
But her height meant cuteness just wasn’t her style.
Shen An said softly, “If I can pass, then you definitely can. No one is more suited to the Art Troupe than you.”
“So you’re really confident in me, huh?”
Wang Yuqiong’s lips curved into her signature crescent-moon smile at his words.
“My confidence in you is even stronger than in myself.”
“Then I’ll hold you to those auspicious words.” Wang Yuqiong’s bright smile was incredibly infectious.
“By the way, have you already made up your mind so quickly?”
“Yeah, I chatted with Senior Sister last night and heard her advice. I think the Art Troupe is a good fit too.”
“Oh right, there’s another classmate from our class queued up behind us.”
She lowered her voice. “Why don’t you go say hi to her in a bit?”
“Another one? Who?”
“Hehe, go take a look for yourself!”
“Alright, alright. Good luck then.”
“You too! Let’s both do our best!”
Shen An said goodbye to Wang Yuqiong and continued walking toward the back of the line.
In his mind, he wondered if it was that unlucky girl—could it be Song Rui?
It wasn’t long before he spotted the “unlucky one.”
It was Shen Lianyao!
Unlike Wang Yuqiong’s enthusiasm, Shen Lianyao maintained her usual icy demeanor. She had Bluetooth earbuds in, gazing off to the side, completely oblivious to Shen An approaching.
Shen An figured that even if she had noticed him, she probably wouldn’t bother saying hello anyway.
Why was everyone so into the Art Troupe?
He couldn’t quite figure it out.
Of the two girls whose System quests he’d triggered so far, both Song Rui and Shen Lianyao were aiming for the Art Troupe.
Wang Yuqiong hadn’t triggered a quest, but compared to the other classmates, she was at least somewhat familiar with him.
Seeing no sign that Shen Lianyao would turn his way, Shen An didn’t bother sucking up to someone giving him the cold shoulder.
He pretended not to see her and quickened his pace past, heading straight for Classroom 105.
Only after he’d walked by did Shen Lianyao, who had been staring fixedly in the other direction, subtly turn her head. Without a trace, she glanced at his retreating back.
By the time Shen An reached Classroom 105, he could already see Zhao Qingyu through the window, lounging inside and idly looking at something.
And Shen An wasn’t the only one watching Zhao Qingyu.
Everyone near the front of the line by Classroom 105 was quietly observing her.
Though they were all freshmen, each had their own social circles.
And since they were all there for the Art Troupe interviews, they naturally knew Zhao Qingyu’s reputation.
They only dared to watch in silence, afraid to make a sound that might disturb her.
Zhao Qingyu’s notoriety was as legendary as her fame.
Shen An had no such reservations. He pushed the door open and strode right in. The people nearby stared at him in shock.
Damn, this guy’s got guts!
Hearing the door open and seeing Shen An, Zhao Qingyu looked up. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she said softly, “Draw the curtains.”
Shen An froze for a moment but didn’t budge. “Senior Sister, don’t mess with me like that.”
Zhao Qingyu eyed him and scoffed. “You’re the one messing with me.”
“Me?”
“What time is it?”
“Uh, eleven thirty-seven.”
“You know I’ve been waiting for you in the Large Classroom since eight o’clock? I only left when the Student Union folks were about to show up.”
Zhao Qingyu narrowed her eyes, her alluring lips curling into a sharp edge. “Four hours. I waited a full four hours for you.”
“So, am I messing with you, or are you messing with me?”
Shen An cleared his throat lightly, turned, and drew the curtains. “I overslept yesterday. Sorry about that.”
“Quite the attitude you’ve got.”
Zhao Qingyu said snarkily.
“Senior Sister, please don’t be mad. I really did oversleep.”
Shen An walked over to her and sat down, chuckling lightly. “Besides, I didn’t know the message was from you. I thought it was from some other Art Troupe member.”
“Even if it was from another member, you should’ve shown up early.”
Zhao Qingyu kept a straight face. “I do think highly of you, but that’s no excuse for being late.”
“But the text didn’t specify a time?”
Shen An replied calmly. “I came in the afternoon yesterday, so out of habit, I assumed it was the same.”
“So you’re saying you actually arrived early today?”
“No, no, I let you down, Senior Sister. My apologies.”
Zhao Qingyu huffed lightly. “I’ll let it slide this once since it’s your first time. Don’t be late again.”
Shen An nodded earnestly. “Of course, of course.”
