Shen An found a spot to sit down. Chen Nannan hadn’t arrived yet, so he figured he’d chat with Song Rui for a bit to pass the time.
“Already got the text?”
“Yep, just now!!” Song Rui’s emotions were running high. After that rollercoaster, she felt like she was still dreaming. Even with the message right there in black and white, she could hardly believe it.
“There, see? I told you last night not to worry so much. They might release approvals in batches, but you didn’t believe me and just kept bawling.”
Shen An didn’t breathe a word about what had just happened. Instead, he good-naturedly teased her about her meltdown the night before.
Last night…
The excitement faded, replaced by embarrassment.
Remembering how she’d dragged Shen An into an emo venting session for hours on end, Song Rui felt her cheeks burn.
She scrolled through their chat history from yesterday and wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole.
But last night, she’d truly felt hopeless.
Her emotions had gotten the better of her. Ever since starting school, a lot had happened, and she’d been trying so hard to change her situation—yet she always shied away from real change.
She didn’t want to be stuck in this endless loop forever.
Joining the Art Troupe wasn’t just about proving something to that senior sister. It was about proving to herself that she had the courage and ability to change—that she wasn’t just some spineless fool who only knew how to run away.
The higher the hopes, the deeper the crash when they shattered.
But those were private thoughts, meant only for her own ears.
In her agitation last night, she’d spilled it all out—a raw, naked self-dissection in front of Shen An.
Sensing he’d pushed enough, Shen An let it drop with that casual jab and sincerely congratulated her. “Congrats! You’re one step closer to changing yourself.”
Song Rui: …
His well-meaning words unintentionally rubbed salt in the wound again.
But no matter what, Song Rui was thrilled.
She took a deep breath to steady her racing heart. Her fingertips trembled slightly as she slowly typed: “Sorry for dragging you into my mess again last night. Thanks so much for chatting with me for so long.”
“No one’s ever stuck around to chat with me that long before.”
Shen An’s lips quirked up. “Way to make me sound like a saint. I could barely get out of bed this morning—you owe me another milk tea.”
Song Rui pursed her lips, a faint thrill of delight bubbling up. “Sure~ I’ll buy whatever you want.”
“Don’t celebrate too soon. You only passed the first round. There’s more to come.”
Shen An threw a bit of cold water on her parade. “Prep properly. Once you’ve nailed all the interviews, treat me at the Art Troupe’s new member meet-and-greet.”
“Hehe, I’m feeling super confident right now.”
“Don’t jinx it, or you might end up shaking in your boots again, stumbling over your words.”
“Hey, that won’t happen to me!” Song Rui pouted. “Can’t you wish me a little luck?”
“That’d be ideal. Thing is, I won’t be able to look out for you next time—my second round’s already done today.”
“Oh right, yours was today for the second round.”
Song Rui remembered then. “How’d it go? Was it a one-on-one with Senior Sister Zhao again?”
“Eh, about what I expected. Passed. Tomorrow’s the final round.”
“That fast?” Song Rui said, surprised.
“I thought so too, but that’s how Senior Sister Zhao scheduled it.”
“Aw, lucky~”
“Lucky my ass—three interviews in three days, no time to even prep.” Shen An griped helplessly.
“But that way, you don’t have to stew in anxiety. Sure, it’s rushed, but…”
Song Rui hammered out her response: “And you don’t even need to prep. You’re so talented, and Senior Sister Zhao’s got high hopes for you. Even if you bomb, she’ll probably go easy.”
Shen An slowly typed out a question mark.
“Uh, I didn’t mean it like that!”
“?”
“Ahem, anyway, you’ll be fine for sure!” Song Rui said in a panic.
“Heh, enough chit-chat. I’m off to eat.”
Shen An glanced up and spotted Chen Nannan approaching from afar.
“I… I haven’t eaten either. Wanna grab something together?”
Song Rui typed it out in the box but hesitated before hitting send.
She deleted it and tried: “Hey, I haven’t eaten. Let me treat you to lunch?”
But she chickened out on that one too.
Why was even asking this so hard?
Song Rui murmured the question to herself.
After agonizing over it, she deleted the line and weakly replied: “Okay.”
She tossed her phone onto the pillow and flopped back onto the bed, letting out waves of embarrassed wails!
Aaaah!!!
She pulled the blanket over her flushed, timid face. Her wriggling body turned the neatly made bed into a total mess.
“Song Rui? What’s your deal?”
Zhang Tong’s bed was below hers.
She’d been about to nap and had finally gotten comfy when Song Rui ruined it.
“Zhang Tong, I passed the Art Troupe prelims!”
Song Rui shoved down her regret and shyness. She poked her head over the edge, bubbling with excitement.
Zhang Tong slipped on her eye mask. “Don’t bug me while I’m sleeping.”
The joy on Song Rui’s face froze. She mumbled, “Sorry.”
She quietly pulled up her blanket, grabbed her phone again, opened the chat, and silently scrolled through yesterday’s messages with Shen An.
He’d really comforted her so much last night.
It was the first time anyone had ever…
Song Rui stared at those embarrassing texts on the screen, yet a strange sweetness welled up inside her.
Over at the basketball court.
Shen An pocketed his phone and stood, spreading his arms like he was about to hug the approaching Chen Nannan.
She shot him a disgusted look. “Back off~”
“Ow, Senior Sister, why are you dressed like…”
She walked up with the ball in her arms, and only then did Shen An start griping.
Chen Nannan had dug out her full basketball kit: knee pads, elbow guards, even compression tights.
Chen Nannan frowned. “How do I look?”
“Uh…” Shen An looked awkward. “Hard to say.”
“I just remembered that saying—rookies show up with all the gear.”
“Bullshit rookie gear!” Chen Nannan flushed with annoyance, dropped the ball, balled her small fists, and chased Shen An down with a flurry of punches!
Once she’d calmed down, she lectured him righteously. “Don’t think you’re hot stuff at basketball so you can skip protective gear.”
“Even pros wear it.”
Shen An shrugged. “Their contact is pro-level. Ours? Not even close.”
“But~”
He changed tack, rubbing his chin. “Still, Senior Sister, coming fully equipped is smart. If you take another tumble, at least you won’t get hurt.”
That was straight-up condescension.
Chen Nannan gritted her teeth and huffed. “You wanna play or not?!”
“Play, of course~”
Shen An softened his tone. “But shouldn’t we grab lunch first?”
“You that hungry?” Chen Nannan asked.
“Not starving, but if I’m not full, I might not have the energy to play.”
Shen An leaned against the basketball pole, looking all weak and listless.
“Can’t do anything with you.”
Chen Nannan sighed, shooting him a glare. “Fine, let’s go eat first.”
The two left the basketball court and headed to the cafeteria.
Shen An took the basketball from Chen Nannan. As they walked and chatted, he dribbled it effortlessly.
Chen Nannan asked about his morning interview, and Shen An told her straight, no holding back.
But her mind wasn’t entirely on grilling him. Her eyes occasionally flicked to the basketball under his expert control, a hint of envy in them.
She wasn’t great at playing, but she knew how to watch.
At Shen An’s skill level, the guy really knew his stuff.
After lunch, they returned to the court.
Before starting, Chen Nannan pulled out a bottle of sunscreen.
Shen An squinted at the blazing sun overhead and sidled up beside her. Once she’d nearly finished applying it, he held out his hand.
She gave him a sidelong glance. He grinned.
Hmph~
She warmed some sunscreen in her palm and thoughtfully applied it to him too.
Then, Shen An “accidentally” smeared some from his arm onto Chen Nannan’s face.
“Hey, I just did mine!!”
“Don’t run!”
Chen Nannan chased him, while Shen An bolted toward the court with the ball.
Their basketball session kicked off just like that.
The fierce sun hanging in the sky slowly drifted westward, dipping lower bit by bit. The scorching light softened into gentle afterglow, painting the white clouds pink with sunset hues.
On the empty basketball court, only their two figures remained.
Amid the steady thump of the ball on pavement, Shen An’s hearty laughs echoed now and then, followed by Chen Nannan’s smug cheers, then their playful bickering.
When something makes you happy, time slips away unnoticed.
Chen Nannan sank another shot and happened to glance at the sunset sky. Only then did she realize evening was closing in.
She and Shen An had been playing basketball for two or three hours now. Her gear hadn’t done a thing to help—in fact, it had only made the sweat pouring off her body worse.
Halfway through, she’d already ditched it.
Yet before she noticed the lingering glow of the sunset, Chen Nannan hadn’t even realized how drenched she was, how uncomfortably sodden her clothes had become. She hadn’t felt the building heat growing unbearable inside her, let alone the creeping fatigue in her limbs.
It was the cool evening breeze that finally clued her in—or rather, the breeze that had been blowing steadily since the afternoon, masking it all.
Time had flown by…
She murmured to herself.
Like a dream suddenly cut short, exhaustion washed over Chen Nannan.
Shen An blinked in surprise, immediately realizing her stamina was running on fumes.
To be fair, keeping up for two or three straight hours of hoops was proof enough that Chen Nannan’s fitness was no joke.
Swap her out for someone who never worked out, and they wouldn’t last two or three hours just shooting baskets—they’d tap out long before.
He cradled the ball securely in his palm and walked over to her. Under her puzzled gaze, he gently brushed aside the damp lock of hair clinging to her forehead. “You’ve improved a ton today, Senior Sister.”
Unlike yesterday’s clumsy flubs, she hadn’t made any major blunders. Her dribbling and shooting had both stepped up a notch; she was just a bit rusty still, nothing serious.
The soft smile playing on his lips, combined with the natural ease of his gesture, didn’t just sweep her hair aside—it quietly stirred her heart.
Chen Nannan let out a light huff, beaming with pride. “Of course. Give me a few more days, and I might even beat you.”
Shen An laughed brightly and went ahead and mussed up the hair at her temple. “Can’t wait to see what you’ve got, Senior Sister.”
She swatted his hand away in disgust. “Cut it out—it’s filthy!”
“You’re showering anyway when we get back!”
Pfft~ As if this was just about showering?
Chen Nannan shot him a glare as her body finally gave out on her, too drained to keep going.
She bent over slightly, hands braced on her knees, gasping for breath.
Shen An bounced the ball once. “Wanna head up to watch the clouds today? Or should we call it and go back for a shower and some rest?”
Lifting her head was an effort, but she answered without hesitation. “Why rush home? I’m covered in sweat—I can’t shower right away anyway.”
“Let’s catch some wind first. We can worry about it once it dries.”
Shen An narrowed his eyes, circling back around. “If you wanna watch the clouds, just say you wanna watch the clouds.”
Chen Nannan pouted. “Then get over here and help me up!!”
“Ouch, Senior Sister—you really need to work out more.”
Teasing her all the while, he slipped an arm around hers to steady her.
The two of them slowly made their way off the basketball court, heading toward the familiar rooftop of the teaching building.
The sunset’s glow stretched their shadows long across the ground. Amid the cool breeze, their playful banter and chatter blended into the wind, drifting up toward the colorful clouds painting the sky.
