After waiting a while, as the people ahead of him went in one by one and wheeled out carts full of books, it was finally Shen An’s turn.
He grabbed the cart and headed inside alongside Shen Lianyao.
The moment they stepped through the door, they were greeted by a room crammed with brand-new books stacked everywhere. Plenty of students clustered around, hunting for their class’s share.
“You find the books,” Shen An said, turning to Shen Lianyao. “I’ll wheel them out.”
They quickly divided the labor and pulled every book from the list.
Shen An stacked the retrieved books neatly in one spot, sorting them meticulously by order.
By then, Wang Yuqiong had rounded up the entire class.
Each student carried either a backpack or a suitcase—whatever they needed to haul the books.
Not one to be left out, Yang Bin dragged his suitcase over to help Shen An sort them.
The whole process took less than ten minutes. Every person ended up with nine books in hand. After a final headcount confirmed everything was correct, the group dispersed toward their classrooms.
Shen An was the lone exception. He had no bag or box, just stared helplessly at the nine books sitting in front of him.
Wang Yuqiong clapped him on the shoulder with her trademark schadenfreude. “Don’t sweat it. You’ve still got the little cart. Just wheel it over.”
He ignored her and shot a glance at Shen Lianyao. “You don’t have anything to carry them in either?”
Shen Lianyao, prepared as always, tugged a small suitcase out from the side and leisurely packed her books away.
Pfft.
Wang Yuqiong doubled over laughing. “Give it up. You’re the only one without.”
Damn.
Shen An regretted not making Yang Bin wait a bit longer. That guy’s suitcase was huge—plenty of room.
Feeling glum, Shen An realized he’d spaced on bringing anything. Of course, that was because he’d spent his lunch break escorting Chen Nannan to eat, leaving no time to swing back to the North District Apartment.
The others had dashed home during their lunch breaks to grab their bags.
As for Wang Yuqiong, she’d slipped back to the dorm with her roommates while Shen An and Shen Lianyao were fetching the books—just enough time.
“Tsk. Call me something sweet, and I’ll pack ’em for you. Deal?”
Everyone else had already left. Only Wang Yuqiong lingered by Shen An’s side.
Song Rui had wanted to hang back too, but Li Li and the others had dragged her off to class once the books were distributed.
Shen An shot Wang Yuqiong an irritated glare. He stacked the books neatly on the little cart. “As if. It’s not like I don’t have a way to carry them.”
With that, he wheeled the cart toward the classroom.
Wang Yuqiong wrinkled her exquisite nose in annoyance and embarrassment, grabbing her own suitcase to trail alongside him.
The afternoon classes—seventh and eighth periods—were a dull English overview.
The teacher up front was no longer the morning’s old man but a middle-aged woman who spoke in a soft, lilting Huaiyang accent.
The hypnotic effect was the same, though.
Shen An propped the books on his knees like a cushion. It beat resting them on the hard desk by a mile.
As he listened—or pretended to—Shen An unleashed his patented open-eyed nap, staring motionlessly at the podium.
Wang Yuqiong devoted most of her attention to him. The second he zoned out, she’d poke his waist, ruining any chance of real sleep.
Unfortunately, this classroom was nothing like the morning one. The podium sat far enough from the desks that the teacher had a clear view of everyone below.
Shen An couldn’t openly retaliate against Wang Yuqiong. He just swallowed his frustration.
Somehow, he endured until the bell rang.
By then, dusk had fallen. The setting sun painted the sky in a unique orange glow, draping the earth in a rosy blush.
The first day of classes was over.
Shen An slumped in his seat, his face a mask of misery.
How was he supposed to survive the days ahead?
He’d take a brutal high-martial world of constant fights over sitting here listening to lullabies.
And with a black-bellied gremlin sitting next to him, jabbing at him every so often.
The rest of the class trickled out. Soon, only Shen An, Wang Yuqiong, and Song Rui remained.
Ignoring the slouched Shen An, Wang Yuqiong glanced at Song Rui. “We can handle returning the cart. You head back first.”
Song Rui smiled faintly. “No rush. I’ll wait for you.”
Wait for me?
Heh.
Wang Yuqiong sneered inwardly but held her tongue.
She twisted around and pinched Shen An’s ear. “Still not getting up?”
Shen An’s face stayed buried on the desk. He grumbled, “What’s the point? You wrecked my nap.”
“You can catch up on sleep later. Aren’t you forgetting to return that cart? What did Senior Sister Qi tell you?”
Wang Yuqiong bubbled with excitement. “We can swing by the Art Troupe while we’re at it.”
“Fine, fine. Nagging like a broken record,” Shen An grumbled, lifting his head in irritation. “And you’re not even old enough for menopause. Tragic.”
Wang Yuqiong’s brows furrowed. She punched his arm hard. “Less talk, more action! Let’s go!”
Shen An stretched lazily, rubbed his neck, and rose at a leisurely pace.
He grabbed the cart from the back of the classroom and wheeled it out.
Wang Yuqiong hurried to catch up. Without stopping, Shen An teased, “Sorry, passenger limit reached. A giraffe hopping on would overload it.”
“?”
Humiliated and grossed out, Wang Yuqiong stepped back. She pouted. “As if I’d want to.”
“But Little Grass can.”
Shen An glanced back at Song Rui. “Wanna feel the speed of the wind?”
Song Rui blinked, caught off guard. “Me?”
“Never mind, then.”
Shen An turned away.
“Wait! I’ll ride!” Song Rui thrust her suitcase into Wang Yuqiong’s hands, eyes sparkling with anticipation. “Yuqiong, can you hold this for me a bit?”
Wang Yuqiong rolled her eyes. “It’s already in my hands. You gonna take it back now?”
“Hee hee~”
Song Rui flashed an embarrassed grin, then hopped aboard, careful not to step on Shen An’s books.
Shen An pulled the same stunt, suddenly accelerating. “Woo-hoo! Buckle up!”
Wang Yuqiong, lugging two suitcases, snorted. “Nearly twenty years old, and still this childish.”
“What’s the fun in that?”
Whoosh. Shen An and Song Rui arrived first at the third floor of Building D—the Art Troupe’s so-called “headquarters,” according to Qi Taili.
The elevator doors slid open to reveal a massive sign: Art Troupe.
They followed the signs to a half-open door, from which boisterous noise spilled out.
Shen An eased the door wider. The sight inside left him mildly stunned.
The space was enormous, like a full-blown Sports Hall.
A vast open area stretched before them, akin to a playground—that was the source of the commotion.
Art Troupe members dotted the floor: some chatting idly, others training in designated zones. This whole playground setup must be their practice ground.
Shen An’s gaze swept the room. Over there, Dance Group members were stretching. Across the way, the Model Group practiced T-stage struts.
The Street Dance Group blasted music, everyone locked into the rhythm.
It was a glorious mishmash, embracing every style under the sun.
What truly shocked Shen An, though, was the Art Troupe’s sheer extravagance.
Amid all the campus groups, it alone boasted a dedicated venue like this.
And it wasn’t just this floor. Above the main arena, a second level held numerous closed doors—Shen An had no clue what they hid.
Mingling with the noise was a delicate, intoxicating fragrance—the fresh scent of young women.
The Art Troupe was overwhelmingly female-dominated. Only the Street Dance Group had a decent number of guys; the rest skewed eight-to-two, or even nine-to-one.
Everywhere Shen An looked, graceful girls filled his vision.
No matter where he turned, the members’ looks were top-tier—average attractiveness pushing seventy-five and up.
No wonder they said the Art Troupe scooped up the school’s hottest girls. It was a dizzying, eye-candy overload.
Song Rui was equally gobsmacked.
She’d never seen anything like it. This single venue rivaled her high school’s Grand Auditorium.
Her mouth hung slightly open the whole time, punctuated by little gasps of awe.
She even tugged at Shen An, chattering nonstop about her shock.
Shen An wheeled the cart through the center. Heads turned—some stares curious, others amused.
Hmm. Feels just like stumbling into a spider’s lair.
No, scratch that. Yihua Palace from The Proud Twins fit better.
Its inhabitants were almost all women, each stunning in her own way—a riot of beauties.
The palace lord Yaoyue was peerless in looks and unyieldingly proud, mirroring Zhao Qingyu to a tee.
She lorded over the Art Troupe like Yaoyue over Yihua Palace: domineering and unmatched.
And just as Yihua Palace stood unrivaled in the jianghu, so did the Art Troupe in the Student Union.
The more Shen An thought about it, the more perfect the comparison seemed.
“Look, look over there…”
Song Rui’s endless babble shattered the tense atmosphere.
Shen An turned his head and said dryly, “Can you stop that? Haven’t you seen the world before? You’ll just make a fool of yourself.”
Song Rui froze for a moment, then said timidly, “Oh.”
“Yeah, that’s right—just like that. Keep your emotions in check. What’s there to be so surprised about? It’s just a pair of eyes and a nose, isn’t it?”
Shen An ruffled Song Rui’s silky hair as he instructed her.
“But… they’re all so pretty…” Song Rui murmured from the bottom of her heart.
“You’re pretty too!”
Shen An replied without much patience.
“Really?” Song Rui lacked confidence. “Am I… pretty?”
“Well, you’re not pretty at all right now.”
“Eh…” Song Rui pouted her little mouth.
“But the confident Song Rui is the prettiest.” Shen An shifted his tone, gazing at her tenderly.
Song Rui’s pretty face flushed slightly, and her heart began to race erratically.
She couldn’t bear Shen An’s gentle gaze any longer and quickly looked away, afraid she’d make another fool of herself.
“You’re finally here.”
A soft voice rang out, interrupting their flirtatious banter.
Shen An turned his head and grinned at the newcomer. “Senior Sister Qi.”
Song Rui’s wandering thoughts snapped back as well, and she said timidly, “Senior Sister.”
Qi Taili held a bottle of mineral water in her hand, her voice a bit hoarse, as if she’d just finished training. “So, how is it? Not exactly blown away, huh?”
“There are pretty girls everywhere~”
Qi Taili teased with a smile. “Whichever one catches your eye, just tell the Troupe Leader.”
Shen An sidestepped the topic and pointed to the handcart. “I’ve brought the cart.”
“Alright, just set it aside for now. I’ll give you a tour!”
Qi Taili waved it off casually and walked ahead. Though she was only five foot five, she carried herself with the presence of someone six feet tall.
“This is our usual training area. We hold group meetings or speeches here too.”
“But some groups train elsewhere—like the Singing Group.”
Qi Taili pointed to a spot upstairs. “The Singing Group’s training area is up there with the office.”
Then her finger quickly shifted. “Over there’s the Musical Instruments Group, and a bit further is the Drama Group.”
“So basically, this floor is for street dance, dance, and models. Upstairs is the other four groups.”
“And that whole row over there is for the regular departments—Publicity Department, Discipline Department, all of them.”
“Oh, and one more thing.”
Qi Taili paused and pointed to the center. “That’s the office within the office.”
It was a bit of a roundabout way to put it, but Shen An got the point.
“Is Senior Sister Zhao in there?”
“Well, by the rules, the Troupe Leader should be in the main office, but Troupe Leader Zhao’s often not. She prefers hanging out in that corner room.”
Qi Taili said quietly, “So we call it the Troupe Leader’s Room. We don’t go near it unless it’s important—you’d better not barge in.”
Shen An nodded slightly, then asked, “Do the regular departments need their own offices too?”
“Oh? Why wouldn’t they?”
“Well, I mean, the regular departments don’t seem to… need to train every day like the Performance Groups, right?”
“Doesn’t it feel a bit overkill to dedicate a whole space just for them?”
“No, that’s not how it works. Even if the regular departments don’t train, they still have shifts to cover. The offices have specialized equipment, and a lot of documents and data that can’t be leaked.”
“Plus, having an office here is way better than cramming into the cafeteria for meetings—crowded and stuffy, right?”
Qi Taili turned her head and said with a coquettish smile.
“Fair point.”
“Oh, right—how come it’s just you two? Where’s the other one? I think her name was Wang Yuqiong?”
“Uh… she…”
“I’m right here!”
Shen An was about to answer when Wang Yuqiong’s voice came from behind him!
She shot Shen An a resentful glare first, then turned to Qi Taili with the gentlest smile imaginable.
Shen An’s mouth twitched. Women could change faces faster than anyone.
