Holding their full trays, Shen An and Chen Nannan found a relatively secluded corner and sat down.
The moment they were seated, Chen Nannan couldn’t wait to speak up. “Listen carefully—things aren’t as simple as they seem.”
Shen An, by contrast, was utterly relaxed. He even took a moment to tidy her messy bangs.
Chen Nannan shot him an irritated look. “Are you even listening?”
“I’m listening,” Shen An replied absently as he toyed with her silky black hair. “You talk your talk, I’ll do my thing. No conflict there.”
“God, you’re impossible!”
She glared at him. How was she supposed to explain anything with him fiddling around like that?
But then she added a reminder. “Don’t mess it up. I’ve got a meeting this afternoon.”
“Relax, I’m fixing it. It’s a mess right now.” Shen An used his fingertips like a comb, gently combing through her soft strands bit by bit.
“You’re the messy one,” she huffed.
His words made her second-guess herself. She quickly pulled out her little compact mirror.
But before she could even open it, Shen An snatched it away. “No mirror-gazing. Spill it!”
Chen Nannan pouted, her mouth twisting in annoyance.
She paused for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts in her mind. Shen An wasn’t in any rush. He just kept playing with the bangs over her forehead.
He figured she’d look even better if she swept them back into a middle part with some loose waves—her face shape was perfect for it. A touch of bold makeup, and she’d have that sultry big-sister vibe in no time.
Of course, he wasn’t about to voice that opinion just yet. Better to wait until they were closer, until she asked about his tastes. That way, it’d land just right.
Say it too soon, and it’d come off as meddling.
“Senior Sister Zhao is a year ahead of me. Back when she was a freshman, I hadn’t joined yet.”
After a moment’s thought, Chen Nannan began slowly.
Shen An raised an eyebrow. “Duh. I wasn’t around when you were a freshman either.”
Her carefully built momentum shattered, Chen Nannan grabbed his hand in embarrassed frustration. “Listen properly—no interruptions!”
“Ahem. Yes, ma’am~”
Shen An grinned.
“So anything about her freshman year is just hearsay for me. I can’t vouch for how accurate it is.”
Chen Nannan wasn’t rambling, of course. She was laying it out methodically, letting Shen An sort the truth for himself.
“Word is, Senior Sister Zhao was great at everything back in her freshman year. Nothing like the controversies swirling around her now.”
“And thanks to how she performed then, she sailed into the role of Art Troupe Office Director her sophomore year, no contest. That’s a key department—you get how important, right?”
Chen Nannan asked.
“Mm-hmm.” Shen An nodded. He’d gotten the rundown on the departments’ clout just yesterday.
“The Office Director doesn’t just handle info flow and passing orders up and down. There’s a hidden perk: they usually become the next Art Troupe Vice Leader.”
“I mentioned this before—no such thing as a Chief Troupe Leader. That role’s just honorary, held by the Student Council President.”
“So the Vice Leader is basically the real boss of the Art Troupe. Kind of like my spot in the Club Federation.”
Shen An listened quietly, nodding along.
At that point, Chen Nannan faltered, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes.
Shen An blinked in surprise. “Senior Sister?”
“You asked before what my original department was. I never told you.”
“Actually…”
Shen An caught on instantly. “Wait—your freshman department was the Art Troupe?”
In that moment, all the puzzle pieces clicked together for him!
No wonder Chen Nannan had seemed so reluctant during their first Art Troupe interview. She’d clearly wanted nothing to do with it.
Then, when they’d run into Zhao Qingyu, she’d mentioned someone gunning for her and used it as an excuse to shoo Chen Nannan away.
After his own interview, he’d found Chen Nannan “catching up” with Art Troupe folks.
He’d chalked it up to her not being great with people—avoiding “old friends” and all that.
And she’d repeatedly warned him to stay out of Zhao Qingyu’s business, especially anything involving Xu Yijing!
Speaking of which—Xu Yijing!
That meant Xu Yijing had been in the Art Troupe too!
So Chen Nannan knew the beef between Xu Yijing and Zhao Qingyu because the three of them had been in a chain of command together for a while.
Xu Yijing had kept nudging him to join the Art Troupe, too—and dodged his questions about her old department every time!
Xu Yijing, Chen Nannan, Zhao Qingyu. For them to connect like this in his clues? He never saw it coming.
Chen Nannan didn’t deny his stunned expression. “Yeah, my freshman department was the Art Troupe—specifically, the Office department.”
“Hold on, hold on…”
Shen An’s mind was spinning. Info fragments bombarded him from all sides.
“So the competition you told me about with Senior Sister Xu—that was for Office Director?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Chen Nannan nodded slightly.
Shoot!
Had his big mouth actually nailed it?
Shen An had figured Xu Yijing wouldn’t stoop to stealing credit from Chen Nannan like that.
He’d even grumbled that maybe the credit-grab was orchestrated from higher up. Backroom deals were common enough.
But now… if Zhao Qingyu had been their director back then…
With Zhao Qingyu’s personality, the odds of shady maneuvering shot straight to a hundred percent.
“But… Senior Sister Xu is Student Union Vice President now, right? How…”
Shen An quickly spotted the catch.
By the rules, freshmen started as assistants. Sophomores could hit minister level, and juniors aimed for Student Union leadership.
Yet Xu Yijing had jumped straight to Vice President as a sophomore. He’d assumed it was raw talent overriding seniority.
But if Zhao Qingyu and Xu Yijing were at odds, why would Zhao help her steal credit from Chen Nannan and hand her the Office Director spot?
A faint, mocking smile tugged at Chen Nannan’s lips. “Do you know what position Xu Yijing was actually running for back then?”
“Uh… Student Union Vice President?”
“Nope.” Chen Nannan shook her head. “She was gunning for Art Troupe Vice Leader.”
“Ha?” Shen An reeled.
“Yep. Sure, as a freshman, her odds were slim by seniority standards—but the rules allowed freshmen to run.”
“So from the start, we were competing for totally different spots!”
Chen Nannan lowered her voice. “I went for Office Director. She aimed straight for Vice Leader.”
Shen An: …
Looked like his initial read was spot on. Xu Yijing was seriously talented—and cocky enough to challenge for Vice Leader as a freshman. She was gunning directly for Zhao Qingyu, no holds barred.
And just like that, Shen An got it.
The root beef had nothing to do with Chen Nannan. It was Zhao Qingyu versus Xu Yijing over that Vice Leader position!
Zhao Qingyu had been Office Director then, the obvious pick for next Vice Leader by tradition.
But Xu Yijing—her own assistant!—had the gall to run against her. It wasn’t just a power grab; it was a straight-up slap in the face.
For someone with Zhao Qingyu’s temperament, that kind of subordinate uprising was an utter humiliation.
Chen Nannan was just collateral damage!
Zhao Qingyu obviously couldn’t let Xu Yijing win.
To secure her own spot, she’d likely shifted credit that belonged to Chen Nannan onto Xu Yijing—making her the new Office Director.
Then Zhao could step up to Vice Leader!
The Office Director role was prime real estate. Not as high as Vice Leader, but offering it to a freshman showed serious goodwill!
Two birds, one stone: Xu Yijing got placated and saved face, Zhao got her promotion.
The only loser? Chen Nannan, robbed of her rightful spot.
Beyond pitying Chen Nannan and marveling at Zhao Qingyu’s scheming, though, one figure loomed larger than ever in Shen An’s mind—someone he’d overlooked before but couldn’t ignore now.
Xu Yijing!
The more he turned it over, the more “extraordinary” she seemed.
If Xu Yijing were just some average freshman, Zhao Qingyu wouldn’t have blinked—let alone handed over Office Director to smooth things over.
Freshmen could run, sure, but winning took results and connections.
In other words, Xu Yijing freshman year already had the chops and pull to threaten the Vice Leader seat.
She’d been a legit danger to Zhao Qingyu!
A serious one.
And yet another question lingered in Shen An’s mind.
Shen An steadied the surprise stirring in his heart and asked, “Then why is Senior Sister Xu the Student Union Vice President now?”
Yes.
Xu Yijing’s original goal had been to become the Deputy Leader of the Art Troupe. So why had she ended up as the Student Union Vice President instead?
This position was neither the Office Director role that Zhao Qingyu had arranged for her, nor what she had initially sought for herself.
Chen Nannan shot back, “Between Office Director and Student Union Vice President, which one do you think sounds better?”
Ah…
Of course, it was the Student Union Vice President.
From the look on Shen An’s face, Chen Nannan knew he got it.
With a self-mocking smile, she said, “Senior Sister Zhao wanted Xu Yijing to inherit her position, but Xu Yijing is far too proud for that. She wouldn’t touch Senior Sister Zhao’s ‘charity’ with a ten-foot pole.”
“Though I have no idea why Xu Yijing ended up as Vice President in the end—or what tactics she used to get there—I know her. She’s not the type to back down easily.”
“That’s why I’ve been telling you over and over: don’t get mixed up in the mess between Senior Sister Zhao and Xu Yijing.”
“Those two are terrifying. You might think they’re not so different on the surface, but their fangs could be lurking in something as innocent as a passing comment.”
“Compared to her, at least Senior Sister Zhao leaves traces you can follow. Her everyday behavior already sets her apart from ordinary people.”
“But Xu Yijing… you really need to watch out for her. Got it?”
Shen An’s expression grew a touch grave.
Was this the root of the grudge between Zhao Qingyu and Xu Yijing?
Zhao Qingyu had held on to her position as Deputy Troupe Leader, but Xu Yijing hadn’t lost out either. She’d claimed the Student Union Vice President spot, every bit as prestigious.
Their clash seemed evenly matched, with neither coming out on top.
But if you looked closer, Zhao Qingyu had lost ground.
Xu Yijing had gone right over her head—her superior, no less—turned down her overtures of goodwill, and still gotten elected Vice President despite all of Zhao Qingyu’s roadblocks.
No wonder Zhao Qingyu took every chance to needle Xu Yijing, always measuring herself against her right in front of him.
That was a bitter pill for Zhao Qingyu to swallow.
At the same time, though, Shen An couldn’t help recalling something rather amusing.
Zhao Qingyu’s take on Xu Yijing: the best at putting on an act, the most headstrong, the most recklessly willful of them all.
Xu Yijing clearly feared Zhao Qingyu too—she’d warned him just last night to stay out of it.
These two women were scheming behind their smiles, nothing but vixens in human skin.
Of course, there was some good news amid it all.
Shen An could now be certain of one thing: Zhao Qingyu wasn’t after him romantically.
The reason she’d cozied up to him was almost certainly Xu Yijing!
In other words, she very likely already knew about him “shacking up” with Xu Yijing.
But the bad news was even worse: for the time being, he couldn’t escape this whirlwind.
Not only that—he was smack in the middle of it.
The two of them waging their invisible war, with him as the battlefield!
A thousand words all boiled down to one simple truth: women were not to be trifled with.
