Wang Yuqiong saw Shen An trudging out with his head hung low, looking utterly dejected. Assuming he’d been toyed with by Zhao Qingyu once again, she couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “Taken another hit, huh?”
Shen An shot her a glance but didn’t bother replying. He simply turned and strode away.
“Hey, come on, don’t be like that.”
Wang Yuqiong hurried to catch up, stifling her laughter. “They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. A little hardship never hurt anyone.”
“At the very least, it opened your eyes. Now you know there are girls like that out there in the world.”
Shen An pursed his lips. “So what category do you fall into?”
Wang Yuqiong replied with elegant pride, “Your everyday girl next door.”
“Heh.”
Shen An just smiled without a word. Rolling her eyes, Wang Yuqiong pressed, “Quit playing coy. What did she say to you?”
“Two things. One good, one bad.”
“Mm, let’s hear the bad news first.”
“I never said I was going to tell you.”
“Cheapskate!” Wang Yuqiong looped her arm through his. “We’re comrades in arms here. Can’t you share a little intel?”
“Telling you isn’t out of the question, but I’ve got a condition.”
Shen An arched an eyebrow. Sensing trouble, Wang Yuqiong pulled back with a disdainful huff. “Fine, forget I asked.”
“What? Hold on—I haven’t even named my condition yet.”
“Heh, it’s bound to be no good. Never mind.”
“Then never mind it is. By the way, where’s the Publicity Department?” Shen An had reached the bottom of the stairs, his eyes scanning the area.
Wang Yuqiong blinked in surprise. “You’ve already done your interview?”
“How’d you guess?” Shen An chuckled lightly. “Woman’s intuition?”
She rolled her eyes again. “What else would you be doing at Publicity? Picking up your member card.”
“And that’s not intuition—it’s just common sense!”
Shen An shrugged. “Forgive my country bumpkin ways.”
“I wouldn’t know. Don’t look at me like that.” Wang Yuqiong turned away with a haughty pout.
“Alright, alright.” Shen An’s gaze drifted to the Model Group’s training area nearby.
A vein throbbed on Wang Yuqiong’s forehead. “What are you planning now?”
“Just asking for directions.”
With that, Shen An headed straight for the T-stage.
“Heh.” Wang Yuqiong let out a few cold snickers, grinding her teeth as she trailed silently behind him.
They hadn’t even gotten close when a wave of perfume—thick and clashing—drifted through the air and tickled Shen An’s nose. He rubbed the tip absently.
This scent was way too overpowering and jumbled…
Drawing nearer, Shen An formed his first impression: Of the three performance groups he’d encountered so far, the Model Group boasted the highest overall attractiveness!
It wasn’t just their collective beauty; their tall, slender figures gave them a clear edge.
He hadn’t laid eyes on members from the other groups yet, so a full comparison would have to wait.
There they were: heavy makeup, flashy and revealing outfits, high heels clicking against the floor as they practiced their walks—essential training gear.
The Model Group’s young ladies halted their practice as Shen An approached, turning to regard him with a mix of curiosity and surprise.
“Hello, ladies. Mind telling me where the Publicity Department is?”
Shen An flashed a friendly smile.
“Upstairs, third door on the left,” came a low voice from behind, accompanied by the graceful sway of a figure stepping forward.
Shen An peered closer. By eye, the girl stood around five-foot-nine.
Her looks? Easily an eight-five to nine out of ten: delicate features with the soft charm of a southern belle, accented by a high, proud nose bridge that evoked a solitary mountain peak amid the gentleness.
She fell just a touch short of Wang Yuqiong but was still a rare beauty, especially standing out amid this bevy of stunners.
“Thank you.”
Shen An dipped his head politely, then added, “If I may, what’s your name, Senior Sister?”
The girl sized him up, her lips curving into a faint smile. “Yu Wen. I’m the group leader for the Model Group. A pleasure, Secretary Shen.”
With their leader speaking, the other members chimed in with adorable smiles. “A pleasure, Secretary Shen.”
Their voices faded amid a ripple of stifled giggles.
Uh…
Shen An had been about to introduce himself, only to realize his identity was already common knowledge.
“Secretary Shen?”
Wang Yuqiong frowned in confusion beside him, fixing Shen An with a pointed stare as she awaited an explanation.
“Ahem, guess I don’t need to introduce myself after all.”
Shen An chuckled, brushing off her quizzical look.
“Your name’s been making the rounds lately, Secretary Shen. I’d bet there’s no one in the entire Student Union who hasn’t heard of you.”
Yu Wen pulled out her phone with a smile. “We should exchange contacts first—make work easier down the line.”
“Sure thing.”
Shen An fished out his pink brick phone.
Pfft!
The muffled snickers grew unmistakable the moment he revealed the quirky device.
Even Yu Wen couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Secretary Shen, that phone of yours is… certainly unique.”
“Unique, yeah? Picked it out myself—one of a kind.”
Shen An added her to his contacts and grinned. “Kinda like me: uniquely one of a kind.”
Yu Wen covered her mouth to stifle her amusement, then beckoned to the group behind her. “Let me introduce you around.”
The Model Group currently had twelve girls—all holdovers from the previous year.
Each one excelled in looks, poise, and figure.
Aside from Yu Wen as leader, there were two deputy leaders and nine ordinary staff members.
That was their lineup for now.
In the course of their chat, Yu Wen mentioned their recruitment goals: a minimum of thirty, maximum of forty.
Surrounded by girls though he was, Shen An stayed cool and collected. He quickly found his rhythm and, before long, had added every member to his contacts.
Wang Yuqiong stood off to the side in silence, feeling very much like an outsider.
She wasn’t embarrassed, though—just watching with cold detachment, stewing inwardly to see how long Shen An would leave her hanging.
Truth be told, Yu Wen had spotted Wang Yuqiong the moment they arrived.
Noticing the growing storm in her eyes, Yu Wen smoothly shifted the conversation her way.
“Secretary Shen, is this young lady another new addition to the Office?”
Shen An paused, shaking his head. “She hasn’t cleared the final interview yet—still pending.”
“And her?”
“She’s a classmate of mine. Came along with me.”
“Right—she’s Wang Yuqiong. Doesn’t she seem perfect for your Model Group?”
Only then did Shen An properly introduce her.
Wang Yuqiong schooled her irritation into a warm, elegant smile as she greeted the group.
Yu Wen’s eyes lit up. “She really does. Is the Model Group your top choice, Wang?”
Wang Yuqiong replied slyly, “It’s definitely on my list. Just not sure where I’ll end up.”
She let a touch of coy charm slip through.
“No need to worry.”
Yu Wen promised at once, “Barring any meddling from above, consider yourself pre-reserved for the Model Group!”
“Really?” Wang Yuqiong’s face lit up with feigned delight as she clasped Yu Wen’s hand. “That’s amazing! Do you all train regularly? What kind? Tell me all about it?”
In no time, Wang Yuqiong had edged Shen An out, peppering Yu Wen with questions.
Yu Wen took an instant liking to her—or at least saw real potential—and held nothing back, chatting freely about their daily training routines.
Tsk.
Shen An felt no sting of being upstaged. He simply marveled quietly at Wang Yuqiong’s two-faced act: so different around him than with others.
Her real aim was the Office, yet here she was, smoothly playing up her interest in the Model Group.
Smart move, all things considered—they were on their turf, after all.
After a while, though, Wang Yuqiong started to flag.
Yu Wen’s enthusiasm was relentless, and the two deputy leaders were eyeing her hungrily, as if she were tailor-made for the group—perfection incarnate.
But Wang Yuqiong had zero intention of joining. She’d only been humoring them and had no desire to get in over her head.
Out of options, she shot Shen An a few pleading glances.
Smirking to himself, he stepped in to bail her out. It was getting late; they’d catch up properly once she officially joined the Art Troupe.
After exchanging contacts with Wang Yuqiong, Yu Wen finally let her off the hook.
The two departed the Model Group area and headed for the Publicity Department office.
Wang Yuqiong still looked rattled on the way. “Senior Sister Yu is way too intense. My goodness…”
“Serves you right for fibbing. Careful, or she might develop a crush and turn jealous later.” Now it was Shen An’s turn to gloat.
Wang Yuqiong shot him a glare. “What was I supposed to say? That I’m not interested at all? Please.”
“You look like you’d fit right in with the Model Group. Had your eyes glued!” She took a jab at his wandering gaze.
“I was just asking for directions.” Shen An shrugged. He wasn’t taking that blame.
“Sure—directions that conveniently let you add every girl in the department.”
“Figured it’d come in handy someday. You never know.”
“Heh.”
Wang Yuqiong let out a scornful chuckle, then asked, “By the way, you still haven’t told me what’s the deal with you being Secretary Shen?”
Shen An turned around and poked her forehead. “You said yourself you wouldn’t ask.”
“I…”
Wang Yuqiong clutched her forehead, grinding her teeth to herself. “What are your conditions?”
“I don’t feel like saying right now~”
“You’re especially infuriating, aren’t you, Shen An?”
“Likewise~”
