Chen Nannan’s sudden inspection carried considerable weight.
At the very least, it made Shen An behave himself a bit more.
After she left, Wang Yuqiong tried teasing him several times, but Shen An remained completely unmoved. Finding it pointless, she settled down and started paying proper attention to the lecture.
The bell rang to signal the end of class, and the old professor hurriedly gathered his things. “We’ll stop here for today,” he said softly. “See you all next week.”
Once the professor had departed, the once-quiet classroom erupted into a cacophony of chatter and movement.
But while the others reveled in the noise, Shen An slumped over his desk with a profound sense of relief. Those two classes had been utter torment for him—like serving time in prison.
He had never been one for lectures in the first place, and English was his least favorite subject by far. The old professor’s thick accent had been the final straw.
With those three debuffs stacked on top of each other, Shen An wouldn’t have lasted without the brief distraction of messing around with Wang Yuqiong midway through.
But this was only the first class…
The semester spanned eighteen weeks, with classes nearly every day. If every instructor spoke with an accent like that…
The mere thought filled Shen An with despair.
This wouldn’t do. Continuing like this wasn’t an option. He needed to get in touch with Zhao Li right away—the English Department simply wasn’t the place for him.
“Hold on, everyone. Don’t rush off just yet.”
Wang Yuqiong pocketed her phone and climbed onto the podium to quiet the room. “Senior Sister will be here in a moment. She has something to tell us, so let’s wait a bit.”
She stepped back down and glanced at Shen An, who looked utterly lifeless. Unable to suppress a chuckle, she asked, “What time did you actually go to bed last night? You didn’t pull an all-nighter, did you?”
Shen An stayed sprawled over his desk, lacking even the energy to acknowledge her.
“You really did stay up all night?”
Wang Yuqiong blinked in surprise.
Shen An rolled his eyes. “You’re the one who did. I was in bed before midnight and up at seven-thirty sharp. My schedule couldn’t be more regular.”
Seven-thirty?
Wang Yuqiong shot a subtle glance toward Song Rui.
“Then why do you look so completely drained? It’s only one class.”
“I already told you—I’m terrible at English. And could you even understand that teacher’s accent?”
“Tsk, watch what you say. What do you mean ‘that teacher’? He’s a professor.”
“Fine, the professor’s accent—could you understand it?”
“A little, a little.” Wang Yuqiong curved her lips into a smirk.
“You’re impressive.” Shen An flashed her a thumbs-up before lazily lifting his head. “By the way, what does Senior Sister want to talk about?”
Wang Yuqiong shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure. She just messaged me to hold everyone back for a minute.”
“But I think it’s about moving the books.”
“Moving books…”
A playful smile tugged at Shen An’s lips, and he beamed at Wang Yuqiong.
She immediately crossed her arms in front of her chest, forming an X with them. “Don’t even dream about it. Go fetch them yourself.”
The spark in Shen An’s eyes promptly dimmed.
“You’re one of only three guys in our class. How could you possibly sit this out?”
Wang Yuqiong huffed lightly. “You’re always looking to slack off. What, possessed by the spirit of laziness?”
Shen An let out a sigh. “I’m exhausted. I just want to head back and catch some sleep.”
“Tired or not, you’ve got no choice. It’s the path you picked.” Wang Yuqiong’s tone softened.
“?” Shen An tilted his head. “I meant you pinched me so hard earlier that I’m worn out.”
Wang Yuqiong’s pretty face flushed pink as she raised her Nine Yin White Bone Claw again. “What are you talking about? I still need to settle the score with you!”
“Heh.”
Shen An let out a cold sneer. Just then, a figure appeared at the door, cutting their banter short. It was none other than Chen Nannan, fresh from her meeting.
Wang Yuqiong sauntered back to her seat with leisure.
A warm smile graced Chen Nannan’s face as she clapped her hands to draw everyone’s attention.
“I’m going to hold you all up for just a moment to go over the arrangements for moving books this afternoon.”
As expected!
Wang Yuqiong’s eyes lit up with smug satisfaction as she shot Shen An a triumphant look. “See? I guessed right.”
Shen An had already checked out completely.
He couldn’t even be bothered to respond to her.
Chen Nannan picked up a piece of chalk and sketched out a quick diagram on the blackboard. “Here’s the plan for the afternoon. We’re heading to the Grand Library, and your group is the third batch—probably around two-thirty.”
“Yuqiong, get there a bit early to pick up the forms and fill out the details. Double-check that the book quantities match up.”
“Got it.”
“Lianyao, you go too. Help Yuqiong out.”
Shen Lianyao replied flatly, “Mm.”
Chen Nannan had a specific task for every class cadre, addressing them one by one with clear instructions.
Finally, her gaze settled on the utterly checked-out Shen An. “And you, Shen An—head over to the Rights Protection Department later to borrow a handcart. Then join Yuqiong in the afternoon to haul the books out.”
Shen An tilted his head in confusion. “Me?”
“Yes.”
Chen Nannan gave a slight nod.
Oh ho~
Wang Yuqiong snickered with malicious glee, her eyes brimming with meaning. “No escaping it. Just accept your fate.”
Shen An rolled his eyes at her but didn’t object.
He nodded. “Alright.”
“That’s the full rundown. Keep an eye on the class group chat notifications later and follow Yuqiong’s directions.”
With her final instructions delivered, Chen Nannan dismissed the group, and everyone went their separate ways.
She departed the classroom without so much as a glance at Shen An.
Oh?
Still lounging in his seat, Shen An silently mulled over Chen Nannan’s unusual demeanor.
Under normal circumstances, she would have asked him to hang back or exchanged a few casual words.
But this time, aside from assigning him a task, there had been no interaction whatsoever.
Something was off.
No matter how busy Chen Nannan might be, she surely could have spared a moment.
After all, she had carved out time from her workday before just to watch him play basketball.
It wasn’t hard to figure out.
Shen An quickly connected it to the scene of her standing by the window earlier.
She must have witnessed his playful tussle with Wang Yuqiong.
From their time together, he had come to understand Chen Nannan’s personality—she was a sensitive girl, sometimes to a fault.
But she had been distant with him since yesterday.
He had sent her a message last night, and she still hadn’t replied.
Xu Yijing had already been waiting for him at the apartment by then, so Chen Nannan had finished her meeting.
If she had been tied up then, what about now?
There was no way she hadn’t seen it.
The only explanation was that she had seen it and chosen to ignore him deliberately.
So…
Shen An narrowed his eyes slightly. Her cooler attitude had started last night.
Meaning it had nothing to do with their recent antics.
What had he done yesterday to displease her?
He could rule out standing in for Zhao Qingyu at the Student Union meeting right away—she had already “lectured” him afterward.
As for the follow-up interview with the freshmen in Zhao Qingyu’s place, that was even less likely.
The answer was staring him in the face.
South District—Wang Yuqiong!
Had Chen Nannan caught sight of him carrying Wang Yuqiong around South District yesterday?
Or perhaps one of her friends had seen it and told her.
Hmm~
That was outside his expectations.
But no matter. Identifying the root of the issue meant he had a path to resolution.
To an outsider, Chen Nannan’s mood swing might seem inexplicable.
Shen An was just her junior classmate, someone she only had a temporary duty to look after as assistant class supervisor.
And this whole analysis might strike others as overkill. Why dissect it so sharply? Someone might think he was solving a mystery.
But Shen An knew better. Such insight was essential if he wanted to forge a deep emotional bond with any girl—and quickly.
When it came to women, that kind of perceptiveness was non-negotiable.
Friendships between men were like sudden storms: big gulps of liquor, huge bites of meat, no need for overthinking.
Relationships with women were gentle spring rains—seeming soft, yet edged with hidden barbs everywhere.
What separated the straight guys from everyone else? Simply the art of reading between the lines.
Shen An didn’t see Chen Nannan’s emotional turbulence as irrational overthinking or pointless drama. Far from troublesome, it was right in his wheelhouse.
Consider it from her perspective: her sudden moodiness and wild thoughts only proved that he held a special place in her heart, distinct from others.
Only those who mattered could stir such feelings. She was starting to fall for him.
It might be just a spark, but the signal was unmistakable.
True strangers? Their life or death wouldn’t faze him—basic sympathy at most.
The more she feigned indifference, the more it revealed the shift deep within.
Truth be told, Shen An rather enjoyed this emotional tug-of-war.
If her tears were ever shed for him, it would be the sweetest delight imaginable.
The entire thought process had taken him no more than a minute while sprawled over the desk.
With everything sorted in his mind, he sprang up, determined to catch up to Chen Nannan.
This was merely the first emotional tug-of-war between him and her. To Chen Nannan, Shen An still wasn’t important enough to make her yield.
If he didn’t react promptly, this budding friendship might fizzle out without a trace.
But if he had any intentions, what he needed to do right now was to quickly become someone she would yield to.
His early initiative would trade for unshakable stability later on!
The process was just like cooking—watching the cold slab of raw meat, under his careful handling, gradually transform in the sizzling wok into a fragrant, mouthwatering dish.
“Shen An, want to grab some food together?”
Wang Yuqiong saw him stand up and asked on impulse.
“No thanks, I’ve got something to do.”
Shen An waved her off, politely declining Wang Yuqiong’s invitation, then hurried out of the classroom.
Wang Yuqiong watched him dash off down the right-hand corridor—the same direction Chen Nannan had taken.
A certain possibility flashed through her mind, and her expression soured instantly.
“Yuqiong?”
Zhang Tong sidled over, curiosity piqued.
“Hm?” Wang Yuqiong turned to her, her smile as radiant as ever.
“Where should we eat?”
“Hmm, let’s hit up the South District. I found a great little restaurant there yesterday.”
Wang Yuqiong rose slowly, gathering her things. “My treat today.”
“Yes!”
Zhang Tong and Li Li whooped in delight.
“Song Rui, you come too.” Wang Yuqiong beamed at Song Rui, leaving no room for refusal.
“Uh… sure.”
Song Rui nodded, not daring to say no.
