After finishing lunch and chatting for a bit, it was already getting late.
Chen Nannan had a meeting to attend and couldn’t accompany Shen An to pick up the cart.
She hurried off, telling him the location of the Rights Protection Department before leaving so he could borrow the cart and move the books.
At the same time, she posted in the class group chat, summoning the class committee members to gather at the library.
Around two in the afternoon, the sun blazed overhead with not a cloud in sight. The clear sky made the ground feel like it was baking under the fierce heat of midsummer June. The campus paths shimmered with scorching waves, the air itself seeming faintly scorched.
Shen An had just stepped out of the cafeteria when a wave of stifling heat hit him square in the face. It instantly transported him back to his previous life. He couldn’t help but pause, half his body still lingering in the cool blast of the cafeteria’s air conditioning.
Well, damn.
That familiar feeling was back! Could Eight Seas City be in Guangdong?
But no one here spoke Cantonese…
Shen An was a bit puzzled. He’d checked a map earlier, but it was completely different from the ones he remembered. He couldn’t even figure out how many continental plates there were.
Ding dong.
A message popped up.
Shen An pulled out his phone for a glance. It was from Wang Yuqiong.
“Where are you right now? Gone to get the cart yet?”
Shen An thought for a moment before typing back: “You a local?”
Wang Yuqiong blinked in surprise. “Why do you ask?”
“Just curious.”
“Sort of. My family’s right near Eight Seas City.”
“Then, got time to grab the gear?”
Wang Yuqiong: “????”
“What does that mean?”
She had no clue what he was on about.
Looks like it’s not Guangdong after all. No worries.
Shen An snapped a photo of himself standing at the cafeteria entrance and sent it over. “Right here at the cafeteria door.”
“Oh, okay. Hang on, I’m coming over.”
“Well now! Is the Class President gracing me with her presence to fetch the cart together?”
“I’m just doing my class president duty. Don’t think it’s because I’m helping you out.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
Shen An stared straight at Song Rui with a gentle smile. “Did you put on sunscreen?”
Luckily, the sweltering heat had already flushed her fair little face with enough red to hide her embarrassment. Otherwise, she might have felt truly awkward.
Shen An’s usual attitude toward her wasn’t great—he either bossed her around or teased her mercilessly. It was rare for him to be this soft, and she wasn’t quite used to it.
“I…”
Song Rui hesitated, stumbling over her words before Wang Yuqiong cut her off. “Enough of that. What time is it? We’ve got no time for chit-chat. Let’s head over—might have to wait in line.”
Oh.
Song Rui shot him a quick, aggrieved glance before turning her eyes to Shen An and giving a small shake of her head to signal she hadn’t applied any sunscreen.
“Wait in line?”
“Of course. It’s not just our class borrowing carts. We might even have to line up at the library later.”
“Damn, let’s move.” Shen An didn’t hesitate. He immediately wedged himself between the two girls, angling for a share of the shade from their not-so-large umbrella.
Wang Yuqiong’s mouth twitched, but she’d grown somewhat accustomed to his shamelessness.
She glanced at Song Rui, only to see her looking perfectly calm, not the least bit surprised. Song Rui even shifted aside voluntarily, letting half her arm hang exposed to the brutal sun.
“You’ve got some nerve! Look, Song Rui’s getting burned because of you!”
Wang Yuqiong pursed her lips in disdain.
“See her getting scorched and you won’t even look out for her a bit?” As Shen An spoke, he smoothly shouldered Wang Yuqiong aside, snatching control of the umbrella from her hand. Now it shaded him and Song Rui perfectly.
The intense, glaring sunlight poured down on Wang Yuqiong’s pale skin in full force. She stared at Shen An in stunned silence, utterly speechless.
“That’s my umbrella!”
She snapped.
“Relax, relax. The Class President is all about righteousness. Step up and lead the charge for once.”
Shen An had zero shame. He held the umbrella steady, grabbed Song Rui’s hand, and took off.
Wang Yuqiong stood frozen in place for a few seconds.
Hiss! So hot, so hot!!
That jerk!
She hurried after them, throwing caution—and her girlish dignity—to the wind. With a fierce headbutt straight into Shen An’s back, she forced her way in and shoved him aside.
“Give me back my umbrella!”
“Nope.”
“You can’t just say no!” Wang Yuqiong strained with all her might to wrestle it back. Shen An racked his brains to fend her off. The two tussled over it the whole way to the Rights Protection Department, just like their antics in class earlier.
While the clam and the snipe fought, the fisherman benefited.
The unassuming Song Rui stayed safely under the umbrella the entire time, no matter who ended up holding it—Wang Yuqiong or Shen An.
But she felt no smugness. Watching Wang Yuqiong, a flicker of envy passed deep in her eyes.
If only she could goof around with Shen An so freely without a care.
It would show just how close they were…
Of course.
Song Rui felt a pang of loss. She’d met him first, yet Wang Yuqiong had still beaten her to it.
After their playful scuffle, they arrived at the Rights Protection Department. Shen An looked around in mild surprise.
This was still within the Central District, right amid a cluster of teaching buildings.
But from his walk over, he’d noticed that every classroom on this entire floor wasn’t for lectures. They were dedicated offices for the Student Union.
Each door bore a sign for a different department: Publicity, Arts and Entertainment, Secretariat, and more.
The Rights Protection Department, tasked with managing supplies, had three or four offices alone—each massive, rivaling the Large Classroom in size.
Wang Yuqiong, meanwhile, frowned at the crowd jammed up in front of the Rights Protection Department.
She shot Shen An a look and saw him still spacing out. Unable to hold back, she grumbled, “How do you take so long to eat? We could’ve been here earlier.”
“Even a guy on death row gets a last meal. Can’t a man eat lunch in peace?”
Shen An rolled his eyes, then leaned in close to her ear. “Don’t you know a ton of people? See if there’s anyone you recognize.”
Wang Yuqiong huffed. “Nice try. I’m not cutting in line.”
“Then why complain? We’re doomed to queue anyway.”
Shen An shrugged and sauntered to the back of the line.
Wang Yuqiong itched to punch him.
Song Rui stepped in to soothe her. “Shall we go join the line too?”
“Line up my foot. Let him wait alone. We’ll take a breather first~” Wang Yuqiong pulled out some tissues and handed one to Song Rui.
After their tussle all the way here, she was drenched in sweat. Her short-sleeved shirt showed faint damp patches, but there was no body odor—instead, the perfume she’d spritzed earlier wafted stronger in the heat’s evaporation.
Song Rui stared at Wang Yuqiong with a mix of curiosity and admiration. Who knew Yuqiong had such a willful side?
In her eyes, Wang Yuqiong had always been the epitome of grace and poise: great with people, always in control. She was someone to envy.
Who would’ve thought… Yuqiong could “curse” and slack off too.
Wang Yuqiong was perceptive. One look at Song Rui’s expression, and she knew exactly what was on her mind.
She smiled softly. “What? Shocked?”
Song Rui blushed a little. “A bit.”
“Nothing to be shocked about. This feels more natural to me.”
Wang Yuqiong dabbed at the fine sweat on her forehead, her gaze locked on Shen An in line. “Be polite to strangers, but close with friends.”
“You don’t like super rule-bound friends either, right?”
Huh…
What did strict rules have to do with making friends? Politeness and closeness weren’t mutually exclusive…
Song Rui felt a surge of doubt rising in her heart.
But with Wang Yuqiong right there, she naturally didn’t dare contradict her. “Mm.”
“Look at you. I gave you a tissue, and you don’t even wipe the sweat off your face.”
Seeing Song Rui frozen in place, Wang Yuqiong couldn’t help but smile. She took the tissue from Song Rui’s hand and gently wiped her forehead for her.
“It’s such a scorcher out here. Why didn’t you go to the library with Li Li and the others? You just had to come over and suffer in this heat.”
Wang Yuqiong remarked casually.
“Uh… I wanted to see if there was anything I could help with,” Song Rui murmured softly.
“It’s just a little cart. Two people are more than enough.”
Wang Yuqiong’s lips curved into a beaming smile. “I know you’re a sweetheart, but next time, you have to pick your moments.”
Song Rui’s heart gave a jolt. She lowered her head. “Mm.”
“It’s all that guy’s fault—Shen An. If he’d finished eating sooner, we could’ve gotten here earlier. But expecting him to wolf down his food? Yeah, that’s a pipe dream.”
“You probably don’t know this, but he’s like a starving ghost reincarnated. And his table manners? Total disaster!”
Wang Yuqiong shifted to griping about Shen An, her tone laced with unmistakable fondness.
But as she spoke, she suddenly fell silent.
Puzzled, Song Rui followed her gaze.
There was Shen An in line, somehow chatting up another girl—and a stunning one at that.
Wang Yuqiong let out a chuckle and turned to Song Rui. “See? He can’t even handle business without his playboy tendencies taking over. Totally unreliable!”
Something about that smile sent a chill through Song Rui.
It was the middle of a sweltering day, and the fine sheen of sweat on her forehead still hadn’t dried.
“Sigh, what can you do with a guy like that? Come on, let’s go see what’s up.”
Wang Yuqiong crumpled the tissue into a ball and stuffed it in her pocket before heading toward Shen An.
Over on Shen An’s side, he wasn’t chatting anyone up. He certainly didn’t have any playboy schemes in mind.
He’d simply run into a familiar face.
The girl standing beside him, laughing and chatting away, was none other than Qi Taili—the one he’d met at the Student Union meeting!
Shen An had been queuing quietly by himself when someone tapped his shoulder.
He turned to find Qi Taili standing right there beside him.
A quick exchange revealed that she’d come to return some supplies and had spotted him by chance.
“Junior brother, this line is endless. You’re going to be here forever,” Qi Taili said with feigned concern, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Yeah, and I don’t know anyone, so I guess I’m stuck queuing,” Shen An replied, catching her drift and sighing dramatically.
“Tsk, so what if you knew someone? You planning to cut in line?” Qi Taili teased, covering her mouth. “That’s naughty behavior.”
“Right, right. Senior Sister’s absolutely correct.”
Shen An nodded vigorously, then blinked as if struck by a thought. “Oh yeah, didn’t you say you were returning supplies?”
“That’s right. I just told you. Forgot already?”
“No, no! I was just confirming.”
He pivoted smoothly. “So, out of the supplies you returned, were there any extras? Or maybe something you overlooked?”
Qi Taili’s eyes sharpened with intrigue. She smirked playfully. “Like what?”
“Like a cart, maybe?” Shen An said earnestly.
Qi Taili burst out laughing, pursing her lips. “Tsk, you don’t say—I almost forgot. There were some extras in the batch I just turned in. Our department still needs them. Why don’t you come with me to grab one?”
“What kind of supplies are we talking about?”
“Seemed like a little cart?”
“Oh wow. Talk about a coincidence.”
“Isn’t it just?”
Qi Taili and Shen An locked eyes, both spotting the sly glint in the other’s gaze.
Pa!
Suddenly, a vicious Nine Yin White Bone Claw clamped down on Shen An’s shoulder with crushing force. The sharp smack drew glances from everyone around.
Even Qi Taili, standing right beside him, jumped in surprise.
Shen An sucked in a sharp breath and twisted around to meet Wang Yuqiong’s half-smile—and Song Rui’s look of pure sympathy.
It looked… really painful.
