As they stepped into the elevator, Wang Yuqiong’s expression grew somewhat gloomy.
Shen An, standing beside her, looked equally conflicted—as if he both dreaded discovery and felt a profound sense of relief washing over him.
Wang Yuqiong turned to study the look on his face, then prodded him lightly with feigned casualness. “Why the long face? Don’t tell me your roommate’s a girl?”
Shen An gave a sheepish smile but said nothing.
Wang Yuqiong arched a brow, then dismissed the idea herself. “The apartments in the North District are all single-occupancy. You shouldn’t have a roommate at all.”
Shen An lowered his head and stayed silent.
“What’s going on with you?” The more Wang Yuqiong thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed—especially with Shen An acting all the more evasive, which only frayed her nerves further.
“It’s nothing. We’re here.”
With a ding, the elevator came to a stop on the thirteenth floor.
Shen An pulled his suitcase along as they reached the door to Room 1301. He took a deep breath, then knocked.
Yes, he knocked—instead of pulling out a key to let himself in!
The gesture hit Wang Yuqiong like a thunderbolt. The forced smile she’d plastered on her face vanished in an instant.
Knocking meant someone inside would open the door for him!
So he wasn’t living alone after all. He had a roommate.
They waited in silence for a moment before the sound of the door unlocking came.
A cool voice followed. “Did you forget your key?”
At the sound of that voice, Wang Yuqiong felt as if she’d been struck by lightning. Her face drained of color in a heartbeat.
It was so familiar…
So achingly familiar.
Familiar enough to be seared into her very bones!
Xu Yijing opened the door with some impatience, ready to chide Shen An—only to spot the ashen-faced Wang Yuqiong standing next to him.
She froze, her doe-like eyes flashing with surprise.
But compared to Wang Yuqiong’s pallor, Xu Yijing’s expression remained composed, merely taken aback at the unexpected encounter.
Shen An cleared his throat lightly. “Sorry, Senior Sister. I forgot my key.”
Xu Yijing ignored his apology and turned her gaze to Wang Yuqiong, her brows furrowing slightly. “Yuqiong?”
Shock burst in Shen An’s eyes for an instant, though a closer look would reveal the calm calculation lurking in their depths.
As expected, Wang Yuqiong’s background was far from ordinary!
Xu Yijing knew Wang Yuqiong!
And from the look on Wang Yuqiong’s face, their connection ran far deeper than mere acquaintance.
“Senior Sister… do you two know each other?”
Shen An put on a masterful performance, his feigned shock, astonishment, and disbelief seamless.
Wang Yuqiong staggered back a step. She glanced at Xu Yijing, then down at the floor, before flicking her eyes toward Shen An. Her thoughts were a whirlwind of chaos!
Xu Yijing…
Of all people, it was Xu Yijing.
Shen An was living with Xu Yijing! The two of them were cohabiting.
How…
How could this be?
The realization filled her with incredulity.
Wang Yuqiong had never imagined Shen An would have any connection to Xu Yijing.
Xu Yijing remained poised and said softly, “Mm. Old acquaintances.”
“Yuqiong, why are you back with him?”
A chill glinted in her eyes, the sudden pressure she exuded even more intense than Zhao Qingyu’s.
Wang Yuqiong kept her head down, saying nothing as she clutched her chest. Waves of agony radiated from it, leaving her short of breath!
Xu Yijing had no choice but to turn to Shen An.
Shen An explained, “Yuqiong’s my classmate. We went to pick up some books today. I didn’t bring a suitcase, but she had one, so she helped carry them.”
As he spoke, Shen An gestured to the two suitcases behind him.
“Senior Sister, mind if I borrow some space?”
Shen An chuckled and opened one of the suitcases, pulling out his books and stacking them neatly.
“I’ll walk Yuqiong back to the East District now. Don’t lock the door, Senior Sister—I’ll be right back.”
With a quick wave, Shen An hurriedly tugged Wang Yuqiong around and headed for the elevator.
Xu Yijing watched thoughtfully as the two stepped inside and the doors slid shut, descending slowly.
She closed the door behind her but didn’t lock it.
“Yuqiong… how…”
Xu Yijing murmured to herself.
In the elevator, Wang Yuqiong clutched her increasingly painful chest, muttering over and over.
“How could this be… how could it possibly…”
Shen An watched her with concern. “Yuqiong? Yuqiong?”
Wang Yuqiong lifted her head in a daze, meeting his worried gaze. In that moment of eye contact, her swirling thoughts ground to a halt.
Calm returned to her. The pain in her chest eased for the time being. She reached out and gripped Shen An’s hand fiercely.
Hiss.
Shen An winced inwardly. He hadn’t expected Wang Yuqiong to have such strength!
It was far beyond what an ordinary girl should possess.
“Why… why are you living with Xu Yijing?”
Wang Yuqiong’s eyes blazed like those of a frenzied beast, her piercing glare slicing through the air in surging waves that bore down on Shen An.
“Why?”
“Why?”
With no answer from Shen An, Wang Yuqiong repeated the question obsessively, her icy stare laced with desperate hope—the last flicker of her illusions.
She simply couldn’t accept the reality of Shen An and Xu Yijing together!
Because…
Because Xu Yijing was her enemy.
The person she despised most!
Bar none!
If not for her, her own sister…
So she could only plead with her eyes, begging Shen An to set the record straight—to say he and Xu Yijing had no connection at all!
Shen An realized Wang Yuqiong’s state was dire. He needed to steady her emotions fast.
He gripped her hand in return while placing his other on her shoulder. “Calm down, Yuqiong. Just calm down.”
Wang Yuqiong shook her head frantically, her voice hoarse and low as she demanded again and again, “What’s your relationship with Xu Yijing? Why are you living together? Why?”
“Calm down first, and I’ll explain everything!”
Shen An shoved her gently but firmly against the elevator wall in an almost wall-slam pose, forcing her racing thoughts to a standstill.
Their faces were inches apart, close enough that each could hear the other’s breaths clearly, warm currents brushing their noses.
Gazing at the anxious, earnest Shen An before her, Wang Yuqiong’s clenched fist slowly relaxed. Like a deflating balloon, she slumped into his arms.
“I… I’m okay now.”
Her voice was faint, the words so weak they might have come after some terrible accident.
But Shen An knew that extreme emotional turmoil could drain the body more than the fiercest exertion.
“You sure you’re okay?”
Shen An placed his other hand on her shoulder too, supporting her fragile frame.
“Mm.”
Wang Yuqiong nodded feebly.
Ding.
The doors opened on the first floor!
“Let’s get out first.”
Shen An released her to grab the suitcases.
But the moment he let go, Wang Yuqiong nearly collapsed.
Luckily, Shen An reacted in time, catching and steadying her before she hit the ground. “And you say you’re fine?”
He scolded her sternly.
Seeing his anxious concern melted something in Wang Yuqiong’s heart like a warm current. She couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.
Shen An rolled his eyes. “Still got the energy to laugh?”
Her weakened smile carried a unique, fragile beauty. “You seem pretty scared.”
Shen An had no time for banter. He propped the elevator door open with a suitcase, then scooped her up in a princess carry and carried her out.
Wang Yuqiong offered no resistance—she truly had no strength left to fight it.
She looped her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek to his chest and listening to the frantic thump of his heart, beating wildly for her sake.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Clear. Moving.
Wang Yuqiong nuzzled against him affectionately. In her vulnerability, she craved any scrap of care.
Shen An set her down gently, then doubled back for the suitcases.
She sat quietly against the wall, too drained to stand.
Shen An frowned slightly. He hadn’t anticipated such an intense reaction from Wang Yuqiong.
He’d long suspected her background wasn’t ordinary.
Her elegance and poise seemed innate, her near-flawless beauty the product of an environment of utmost protection—like a delicate flower that couldn’t withstand the storms.
Of course, it was just a hunch. He simply sensed she wasn’t some average girl.
If Zhao Qingyu belonged to the Zhao Corporation, then what force stood behind Wang Yuqiong?
And his arrangement with Xu Yijing was bound to come out eventually.
That’s why he’d planned to come clean with Wang Yuqiong, using the moment to gauge any intel.
But he’d never dreamed her reaction to Xu Yijing would be this explosive.
After a moment’s thought, Shen An crouched down and ruffled Wang Yuqiong’s hair. “Feeling better?”
Wang Yuqiong looked up slowly, her smile soft and frail. “Mm.”
“What’s the matter with you? You looked like you’d seen a ghost!” Shen An said gently.
Wang Yuqiong hesitated, a thousand worries churning inside her, before shaking her head.
“Heh, not ready to spill yet, huh?”
Shen An said irritably, “Isn’t Senior Sister Zhao the scary one? Why are you more afraid of Senior Sister Xu than of her?”
Wang Yuqiong curled up, hugging herself tightly, and whispered, “She’s scarier than Zhao Qingyu.”
“Hah?”
Wang Yuqiong looked at Shen An with utter seriousness. “She’s scarier than Zhao Qingyu.”
“Don’t get close to her, okay?”
“Okay.” At a moment like this, Shen An certainly wasn’t going to foolishly provoke Wang Yuqiong.
Whatever she said, he’d go along with it.
“Mmm, don’t lie to me.” Wang Yuqiong grasped his hand. “You promised—no getting close to her.”
“Uh…”
Shen An scratched his head.
“You don’t want to?” Wang Yuqiong’s voice turned resentful. “Didn’t you just agree?”
“No…” Shen An felt a little helpless. “When you’re like this, I… I don’t even know what to do.”
Wang Yuqiong let go of his hand dejectedly and buried her head between her knees again.
“Don’t do that.”
Shen An steadied her shoulders and spoke softly. “Tell me first—what happened between you and Senior Sister Xu, okay?”
Wang Yuqiong seemed to seal herself off completely, hiding her small face and refusing to utter a word.
She couldn’t tell Shen An.
Not this.
She absolutely couldn’t tell him.
Because…
She had started to care.
If he found out…
No way!
Wang Yuqiong took a deep breath and mumbled from her hiding spot, “Then keep your distance from her, okay?”
“Okay.” Shen An didn’t hesitate for a second.
“Mmm~” Wang Yuqiong finally lifted her hidden face, gazing at Shen An tenderly. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
“I was just… just a little emotionally overwhelmed for a moment.”
She took hold of his hand again, intertwining their fingers.
“This is my old bad habit. Once I get worked up, I lose a bit of control.”
“Illness?”
“It’s not an illness!” A flush suddenly crept across Wang Yuqiong’s pale face, and she shook her head frantically. “It’s not an illness! I’m perfectly normal. I don’t have any illness!”
Seeing her on the verge of losing control again, Shen An quickly soothed her. “It’s not an illness. It’s not. You don’t have an illness—you’re perfectly normal.”
“Mmm…” Wang Yuqiong gritted her teeth. “I don’t have an illness. I’m normal. You have to believe me.”
“Of course I believe you.”
Shen An’s heart sank. This situation… it was more than he’d expected.
“Hug me.”
Wang Yuqiong whispered suddenly.
“Hah?…”
“Hurry up. It’ll help me feel better faster.”
“Alright, but don’t go saying I’m taking advantage of you.”
Shen An had never heard of a treatment like this, but he opened his arms and drew the curled-up Wang Yuqiong into his embrace.
Her body felt cold.
Like she’d been blasted by chilly eighteen-degree air conditioning all day long.
Shen An suddenly understood—this wasn’t really treatment. It was emotional comfort.
Agitated emotions needed soothing emotions to calm them.
So he held her tighter, letting his body heat gradually warm her chilled frame.
After a good while, Wang Yuqiong’s breathing finally evened out.
He still didn’t dare let go, only asking cautiously, “How are you feeling now?”
“Much better.”
Her voice had lost its weakness, carrying some real strength at last.
“You… what’s the deal with her?”
Wang Yuqiong tilted her chin up, her eyes brimming with confusion and expectation.
“Mm, it’s kind of complicated.”
Shen An heard footsteps approaching from nearby, heading right their way.
He murmured softly, “How about we move somewhere else to talk? This… isn’t great.”
It really wasn’t.
The two of them were sitting against the wall at the entrance to Building D, locked in a tight embrace like they wanted everyone to notice.
A shy blush colored Wang Yuqiong’s cheeks as she nodded. “Mm, but I don’t have any strength right now.”
“Then I’ll carry you.”
Shen An slid his large hand under her legs and lifted her once more in a gentle princess carry.
He glanced around, his eyes landing on a pavilion not far off.
That spot first.
Carrying Wang Yuqiong, he headed for the pavilion.
The footsteps grew closer—right behind him, it seemed.
He glanced back on instinct.
Hiss.
Chen Nannan stood there, briefcase slung over her shoulder and takeout in hand, staring at Shen An with a blank expression.
Along with Wang Yuqiong in his arms.
Shen An: …..
A thousand words…
Boiled down to one.
Shoot!
