Read Novel Full Chapters 71 – 75
Chapters 71 – 75
Chapter 71
When Li Lin received Shen Juan’s call, he was thrilled. He had known Shen Juan for two years, and this was the first time Shen Juan had called him.
Especially after Lin Yujing left, Shen Juan had basically stopped replying to WeChat or QQ messages, and he was practically unreachable on weekends. Li Lin had always thought Shen Juan’s phone had turned into one of those basic models that couldn’t download WeChat.
When the call connected, just as Li Lin enthusiastically shouted, “Brother Juan,” Shen Juan cut him off with a direct instruction, “Listen, write this down.”
The second thing he said was, “Don’t ask anything, just take a pen and write. Don’t miss a single word.”
Li Lin felt speechless.
Back in high school, Li Lin had mistakenly thought Shen Juan had another girlfriend, but it turned out to be a misunderstanding. Even though he later explained and clarified, the rumor had already spread. Shen Juan didn’t beat him up over it, and Li Lin felt he owed Shen Juan his life for that.
With a mix of enthusiasm and a sense of repayment, Li Lin took notes as if he were in his final year of high school, preparing for college entrance exams.
After filling a page of notes, Shen Juan asked him to send a message to Lin Yujing.
Li Lin wasn’t stupid; he now understood what Shen Juan wanted. Everyone knew what kind of state Shen Juan had been in for the past year and roughly why. Telling Lin Yujing would hit her right in the feels.
But the things Shen Juan wanted him to write were all superficial. Not a single truly heartfelt word was included.
Li Lin was puzzled. He didn’t understand why he had to tell Lin Yujing that Shen Juan was so poor he couldn’t afford food and had used a broken keychain picked up from another kid for two years. He had never even seen that keychain.
Sometimes, Shen Juan was puzzled too.
He didn’t know what made Lin Yujing think he was on the verge of poverty.
It all started as a joke when he said, “I live in Lotus Village, and my name is Shen Tiezhu.” Such a silly and lame statement, under normal circumstances, someone as smart as Lin Yujing wouldn’t believe it.
No one with any sense would believe that.
He wondered if he had done or said something in his daily life that made Lin Yujing think his words had some truth and that he was really poor.
Shen Juan had been indirectly hinting at this for so long that when he dictated the speech to Li Lin, he even had a moment of confusion himself, feeling as if his family was really struggling.
So he played along. It didn’t matter anyway.
Feeling confident in his writing skills, Shen Juan crafted a perfect speech, starting from “Do you know how bad Shen Juan’s situation is?” to “Shen Juan had a really tough senior year,” making Lin Yujing, who had a soft heart despite her sharp tongue, the perfect person to console him.
He had no idea that Li Lin had added a crucial line to the speech.
So, when Shen Juan was lounging in his dorm, stretching his legs, and received a message from Lin Yujing, he was in a pretty good mood.
He picked up his phone, unlocked it, and glanced at the message.
Lin Yujing: “Is there a two-day break after military training before classes start?” Shen Juan replied: “Yes.”
This time, Lin Yujing sent a voice message. She was probably in a hallway, as there was a slight echo, but her voice was soft: “Boyfriend, do you want to go on a date after military training?”
She was asking him out.
Shen Juan was in an excellent mood.
Ever since Lin Yujing left, he hadn’t felt this light, happy, relaxed, and inexplicably amused for a long time.
He smiled, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table. His roommate Yu Jiafan turned around and said, “Did a rat get into our dorm?”
Shen Juan put down his phone, leaned back, and smiled, “Are you guys hungry?”
His smile was gentle, but coming from someone like Shen Juan, it made his roommates feel a bit scared.
Sun Mingchuan shook his head frantically: “No, no, no… I’m not.”
Shen Juan crossed his legs and picked up his phone to order takeout: “Not hungry? Let’s eat something anyway. I’ll order some crayfish. Four boxes should be enough. What flavor do you guys like?”
Sun Mingchuan, who only had a monthly allowance of 1,500 yuan, mumbled: “Four… four boxes?”
“One box per person,” Shen Juan said without looking up, his fingers swiping across the screen. “Why is this crayfish so cheap? Let’s add something else. Do you guys like hairy crabs?”
Yu Jiafan raised his hand to stop him: “Hey, Shen Juan… Boss Shen, that’s unnecessary. Let’s just have the crayfish.”
“It’s fine. I feel like spending money today,” Shen Juan added hairy crabs to the order but still felt unsatisfied. He looked up, feeling happy, and asked, “How about we go out to eat? Do you guys like snow frog stew with shark fin at Pinfulou?”
His roommates: “…”
On the last day of military training, after the performance report in the morning, the instructor was sent off.
After fifteen days of military training, everyone was so exhausted that they could barely lift their arms and legs, and Lin Yujing was no exception. After all this exercise, all she wanted was to take a hot shower and then have a comfortable sleep in the dorm.
It happened to be Friday, so there were two days of rest on Saturday and Sunday to adjust. Lin Yujing and Shen Juan had planned to go out on Saturday.
The so-called date.
Lin Yujing didn’t set a specific time. She had planned to wake up naturally and then call Shen Juan to make arrangements since they were both at the same school.
However, early in the morning, she received a call from Shen Juan. Shen Juan’s voice was lazy and sounded in a good mood: “Still not up?”
Lin Yujing silently reached for the small alarm clock by her pillow and glanced at the time—it was 8:30 in the morning.
Shen Juan said, “It’s already 8:30, why aren’t you up yet? Don’t you want breakfast?” Who starts a date with breakfast?!
Lin Yujing, already grumpy in the morning, yawned with her eyes closed and didn’t want to speak.
Shen Juan knew her habit. In high school, she wouldn’t speak for three minutes after waking up from a nap at noon. He wasn’t in a hurry: “Wake up, wash up, and think about what you want for breakfast.”
Lin Yujing ignored him and hung up the phone.
All her roommates were still asleep, except for Little Mushroom, who was awake and studying English at the desk. Seeing Lin Yujing get up, she was a bit surprised: “Up so early.”
Lin Yujing responded, pulled open the curtains, and looked outside. Shen Juan was standing under a tree near the girls’ dormitory, head down, playing on his phone.
There weren’t many people around the dormitory on Saturday morning. Occasionally, some girls who were too lazy to move yesterday dragged their suitcases home today. Their gazes would linger on him for a moment, noticeably or not.
No one went up to talk to him, though. A boy standing outside the girls’ dormitory in the morning was clearly waiting for his girlfriend.
Lin Yujing calmly turned and went to the bathroom. When she came out, Gu Xia was standing at the table with messy hair, holding a beauty blender: “Come, sit.”
Lin Yujing: “…?”
“Do you know what I wanted to major in during the college entrance exam?” Gu Xia washed her hands quickly in the bathroom and came out, “I wanted to go to Shandong Lanxiang Advanced Technician School to study beauty and hairdressing. I think I have a natural talent.”
Lin Yujing: “…”
“But I forgot that college entrance exam applications start from the first-tier schools,” Gu Xia said, pulling out a bunch of skincare products and starting to apply them to Lin Yujing’s face. “So I ended up studying this stupid computer science.”
Gu Xia indeed had a talent. Her movements were skilled and quick, and Lin Yujing even thought she didn’t need to study at Lanxiang; she could start her own class right away.
Lin Yujing finally refused Gu Xia’s strong desire to put on false eyelashes for her. Her skin was good, so she didn’t need much makeup. She just put on a thin eyeliner, slightly extended the tail, shaped her eyebrows, and applied some lipstick to brighten her complexion.
At nearly 9:30, Lin Yujing leisurely went downstairs.
Shen Juan was now leaning sloppily against the tree, no longer playing on his phone, with his head resting on the trunk as he yawned. After nearly an hour, he looked seven parts lazy, two parts impatient, and a bit sleepy.
Seeing someone coming out of the dormitory, he lifted his eyelids and, seeing it was Lin Yujing, raised an eyebrow slightly.
Lin Yujing walked up to him, looked up, and asked, “Do I look good?” Shen Juan looked at her for a moment and replied softly, “You look good.”
Although she did look good, that wasn’t the point. To Shen Juan, she always looked good. She could be wearing a sack and have a runny nose, and she’d still look good to him.
The point was that Lin Yujing was willing to sacrifice her sleep time to put on makeup for their date today, which made Shen Juan inexplicably happy.
That night, he thought his mood couldn’t get any better. But his girlfriend, how could she be so cute?
Shen Juan looked at her and couldn’t help but repeat, “You look good.” Lin Yujing nodded and suddenly said, “I want to let you hear something.”
Of course, Shen Juan agreed. At this point, if Lin Yujing asked him to bring her a star from the sky, he’d probably try to shoot one down.
Lin Yujing took out her phone, unlocked it, and opened the chat with Li Lin, then played the voice messages on speaker, one by one.
All the way to the last one.
Li Lin’s voice was solemn and miserable: “What if he doesn’t get a girlfriend who is passionate about him in college?!”
Shen Juan: “…”
Shen Juan suspected Li Lin’s five hundred plus points on the college entrance exam were all achieved through cheating.
How did he get into college?
With that IQ, he dared to add his own drama?
After playing all the messages, Lin Yujing looked at him leisurely: “Boyfriend, care to explain?”
Shen Juan was silent for two seconds and suddenly said, “Did you put on lipstick today?”
Lin Yujing was stunned: “Huh?”
Shen Juan asked, “What flavor is it? Aren’t all these things you girls use fragrant?”
“Peach flavor, I think,” Lin Yujing realized and squinted her eyes, “Wait, Shen Juan, don’t change the subject. When I first heard what Li Lin said, I was still—”
“Really,” Shen Juan interrupted her and suddenly took a step forward. He hooked her chin and lifted it slightly, pressing the tip of his thumb against the corner of her lips. He leaned in close and whispered, “Let me taste…”
His breath was warm, and Lin Yujing froze.
Chapter 72
Shen Juan finally understood what it meant to shoot oneself in the foot.
What should he do now?
Should he say something or not?
If he said something, what should he say?
His girlfriend was considerate and thrifty, understanding, and took care of his self- esteem. She insisted that she just wanted to watch an old movie.
What else could he say?
On Saturday morning, there were quite a few people lined up at the ticket counter. Before it was their turn, Shen Juan remained silent for a few seconds and then gently suggested, “There are a few new movies out recently. Do you want to pick one of those?”
“I don’t have any I want to see,” Lin Yujing said. “I just want to watch an old movie.” As Lin Yujing said this, she sighed inwardly.
- I’m so good!
She was touched by her own thoughtfulness.
“Ah,” Shen Juan looked at her, his expression complicated, and repeated, “Ah, then… this one?”
Lin Yujing nodded firmly, “Yes, this one.”
The couple in front of them had just finished buying their tickets. Shen Juan walked up to the counter. The young female ticket clerk glanced up, couldn’t help but look at him twice, smiled, showing eight teeth, and her voice became much sweeter, “Hello, which movie would you like to choose?”
“…”
Shen Juan was silent. Suddenly, he found it difficult to speak. For the first time, he realized that he, too, had burdens.
Shen Juan raised his eyes and said calmly, “The Story of the Sorghum Field.”
The young female ticket clerk maintained her sweet smile and looked at him, “Hmm?” “The Story of the Sorghum Field,” Shen Juan said calmly, “Two tickets.”
The young female ticket clerk: “…”
Her smile became a bit stiff.
In this blockbuster-packed movie month, a very handsome guy brought his girlfriend and bought two of the cheapest tickets, costing only 19.99, for – The Story of the Sorghum Field.
When he said the title with a straight face, the ticket clerk felt the scene collapse a bit.
Lin Yujing liked to sit in the last row when watching movies. She initially planned to choose a seat in the last row, a bit to the right. But after noticing the ticket clerk’s slightly strange look, she felt a bit guilty.
Not knowing exactly what she felt guilty about.
In the end, they chose the most central seats, both horizontally and vertically, which were particularly open and upright.
There was still some time before the movie started and tickets were checked. They sat at a long wooden table in the lobby. After waiting for a few minutes, the ticket check started. Before going in, Lin Yujing and Shen Juan leaned together and checked what the movie was about and who the lead actors were.
Shen Juan was surprised that such a movie with a name sounding like a small porn film was actually about working-class people striving for a better life.
So positive.
They got up and went to the ticket check, entering with the audience for a newly released blockbuster in Hall 3. After entering, everyone turned left, except for Shen Juan and Lin Yujing, who turned right towards Hall 9.
Lin Yujing glanced back and saw only one couple heading in the same direction as them. The price of 19.99 was justified. No one watched this lousy movie.
This hall was probably the smallest in the cinema, looking like it had only six or seven rows, all with couple seats, two-person sofas, soft and comfortable, with high backs. When Lin Yujing sat down, only the top of her head was visible. She sat inside, Shen Juan sat on the outer side, and he watched the couple coming in behind them and an old man with a bald head.
That was it.
A total of five people.
The couple went to the last row, laughing and joking, and the old man lay down in the first row, starting to enjoy it like a home theater.
The lights dimmed, and the film officially started.
Accompanied by rousing mountain songs, the projector cast a vast field of golden sorghum on the screen, with fiery red sorghum ears swaying in the wind.
As the sorghum swayed, a woman with a flowered headscarf appeared on the screen, turning back with a smile and two round red cheeks. Ignoring her bright red floral clothes and green headscarf, she was quite pretty.
In the next second, seven large brush-stroke characters, huge and bright red, powerful and vigorous, appeared on the screen.
- The Story of the Sorghum Field.
Lin Yujing: “…”
She heard Shen Juan chuckle softly beside her.
Lin Yujing felt a bit complicated.
She turned her head slightly and saw Shen Juan leaning on the sofa, his elbow on the armrest, and his hand supporting his face as he watched.
Noticing her gaze, he turned his head, his dark eyes shining in the light from the screen, shadows shifting.
Lin Yujing started to regret choosing such a bad film to save money.
If Shen Juan wanted to spend money, let him. What did it have to do with her?
Lin Yujing sighed, turned back, and with the thought of “If I’m going to watch it, I’ll watch it seriously, with an academic attitude and a critical eye on literary works,” she prepared to watch The Story of the Sorghum Field seriously.
Fifteen minutes into the film, the male and female leads met in the sorghum field and sang a mountain song.
Twenty-five minutes into the film, the male and female leads met in the sorghum field and sang a mountain song.
Thirty-five minutes into the film—
Lin Yujing, drooping her eyelids, lay slumped on the sofa, yawning for the tenth time.
She felt a bit dazed and sleepy.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard some noise behind her.
It sounded like heavy rain hitting a puddle, intermittent and barely audible over the movie’s sound.
At the moment when the movie’s sound quieted down, Lin Yujing heard a girl let out a light cry.
Half-asleep, she turned her head slightly.
Suddenly, Shen Juan, who had been motionless beside her, moved. He quickly sat up straight, leaned over, and covered her eyes.
Lin Yujing was stunned.
Covering her eyes, Shen Juan pulled her head into his shoulder and whispered, “So curious?”
Even though no one was around at the moment, it was broad daylight, and they were standing outside the girls’ dormitory.
Lin Yujing raised her hand to push him away, anxiously saying, “Hey, can you be mindful of the occasion? This isn’t the library entrance where we can’t kiss.”
Shen Juan was pushed back, leaning against the tree again, and looked at her with a smile.
When he smiled, Lin Yujing felt even more annoyed.
Shen Juan nodded towards the dormitory building: “Is that your roommate?” Lin Yujing turned her head to look.
Little Mushroom was on the balcony hanging up clothes, holding a dripping white T- shirt. She was staring blankly in their direction with the T-shirt in hand.
The next second, Gu Xia’s half-body appeared at the balcony door. She reached out, covering Little Mushroom’s eyes with one hand and pulling her arm with the other, dragging her back inside the room.
She also closed the balcony door in the process.
They needed to settle the score and also go on their date. Lin Yujing did want to go out with Shen Juan, making full use of their rest time.
After all, A University is a top-ranked school in the country. Lin Yujing had looked at both of their course schedules; they were packed. After school started, they would probably spend most of their time dating in the library.
What do boyfriends and girlfriends do on dates? Watch a movie.
Have a meal.
Maybe sing some karaoke?
And maybe kiss a bit.
KTV private rooms don’t seem to have cameras.
Lin Yujing’s ears turned red.
Their date started in the morning. They went to a famous tea restaurant for brunch and then headed to the nearest shopping mall.
Lin Yujing thought they needed some sort of ceremony and suggested watching a movie.
Of course, Shen Juan agreed. Although it wasn’t part of his original plan, he was happy to follow Lin Yujing’s lead since she had something she wanted to do.
The cinema was on the top floor of the mall. They went to a beverage shop to buy Lin Yujing a milk tea and then headed inside the mall. As they walked, Lin Yujing pulled out her phone to check movie tickets.
There were many blockbusters recently released, and the morning showings weren’t as crowded as the afternoon ones. Although still busy, there were some available seats.
Lin Yujing originally wanted to ask Shen Juan which movie he wanted to see.
But as soon as they got on the elevator and entered the cinema, Shen Juan went straight to the ticket line.
Lin Yujing blinked, thinking for two seconds.
Before leaving, the experienced Gu Xia had given her some advice.
On the first date, let the guy pay. Don’t fight over the bill, and don’t split it. You can give him a gift later, but for now, let him spend the money.
Besides, they don’t like using group deals or any mobile apps for food and tickets. It’s their way of being stubborn and romantic.
Lin Yujing didn’t quite understand the logic but decided to listen to Gu Xia. She hesitated for a moment and put away her phone.
Shen Juan had paid for the brunch earlier. Although she didn’t ask how much it cost, it wasn’t cheap.
Lin Yujing suddenly remembered what Li Lin had told her yesterday. Although his words had a purpose, they were somewhat true.
Lost in thought, Lin Yujing walked over to follow Shen Juan.
Shen Juan looked down and asked, “What do you want to see?”
Lin Yujing quickly glanced at the scrolling movie schedule on the screen and the prices behind them.
The latest blockbusters all cost sixty or seventy yuan per ticket! Is this watching a movie or getting robbed?!
She scanned the schedule, and when it rolled to the second page, she made a quick decision.
She pointed up, “That one.”
The cinema lobby was a bit noisy, so Shen Juan leaned closer: “Hmm? Which one?”
“The last one, the last row, in Hall 9,” Lin Yujing said earnestly, “For some reason, I just really want to watch an old movie today.”
Shen Juan looked up at the last row and the old movie.
—”The Story in the Sorghum Field”
It did look old.
Not only old, but the title also had a certain depth to it.
It sounded a bit like the domestic adult films Jiang Han always coaxed him to watch. Shen Juan had a sudden realization and glanced again.
Ticket price: 19.99 yuan.
Shen Juan: “…”
As expected.
His reaction, coupled with the noises from behind, made Lin Yujing realize what the couple behind them was doing.
Her drowsiness almost entirely dissipated, and with her forehead resting on Shen Juan’s collarbone, she muttered in shock, “What the hell…”
Shen Juan remained in the same position on the sofa, watching the screen. His other hand rested on the back of her head, his fingers gently running through her hair.
He could feel her leaning against him, listening to the rustling sounds from behind, and he felt a bit tense.
Shen Juan lowered his head, kissed her hair, and said, “Let’s not watch this anymore.” Lin Yujing, still nestled in his arms, nodded vigorously.
What was this all about?
In broad daylight, what were they thinking?!
Lin Yujing quickly sat up, her eyes fixed on the movie screen. She awkwardly and stiffly walked down the steps, almost moving in sync with her arms and legs.
When she reached the last step, she quickly ran towards the exit without looking around.
After a few seconds, Shen Juan also came out from behind, lightly patted her head, and said, “Let’s go.”
Lin Yujing stole a glance at him.
Shen Juan’s expression was as calm and indifferent as ever.
But Lin Yujing felt extremely embarrassed.
If it were with female friends, it would be one thing, but experiencing this with a boyfriend in a cinema…
Couldn’t that couple behind them have kept it simple? Did they have to be so bold as if it were a midnight show?
This was supposed to be a romantic and inspirational film about working-class people striving for a better life, occasionally singing mountain songs!
Even after they exited the cinema and stood in front of a department store counter, Lin Yujing still felt awkward.
She didn’t dare look at Shen Juan again.
Boss Shen, who had experienced big waves and storms, acted as if nothing had happened, glanced at his watch, then walked to the directory on each floor and calmly asked her, “Shall we eat first? What do you want to eat?”
Lin Yujing maintained a composed look, trying to appear as someone who had seen the world, cleared her throat, and casually pointed to a Japanese restaurant, “This one…”
Shen Juan had no objections.
The restaurant specialized in sukiyaki. They ordered a beef sukiyaki and two plates of sashimi, eating at a leisurely pace.
During the meal, Shen Juan brought up several topics. Lin Yujing chatted with him about various things, almost forgetting the earlier incident. By the time they finished eating, the awkwardness had dissipated.
Even after all this time, Shen Juan’s gentle nature remained.
During the meal, Shen Juan went to the self-service counter to get some fruit. Lin Yujing picked up a piece of sashimi, dipped it in wasabi and soy sauce, and suddenly remembered something. She secretly opened the menu to check the prices.
She had been so distracted when ordering that she forgot to check the prices. Restaurants in shopping malls weren’t particularly cheap.
Lin Yujing sighed, feeling a bit worried, and started thinking again. According to Gu Xia, she should give Shen Juan a small gift later.
Choosing the right gift was important.
It couldn’t be too cheap, as that would seem insincere and perfunctory, as if she didn’t care.
It also couldn’t be too expensive.
Too expensive would put pressure on him.
After all, considering her boyfriend’s family situation, and Shen Juan being so proud and having such high self-esteem.
If she gave him a very expensive birthday gift, would it seem like she was flaunting her wealth?
Lin Yujing suddenly had a bright idea.
She had only mentioned to Shen Juan that there were some minor issues with her family relationship and hadn’t intentionally talked about her family’s financial situation.
Maybe she could pretend to be poor?
If Shen Juan believed his girlfriend’s economic status was similar to his, he probably wouldn’t feel so bad.
As she took out her phone, Shen Juan returned with a small plate of fruit. Feeling guilty, Lin Yujing subtly shifted to the side, hiding her phone from him. She opened the browser and searched.
- What gifts are good for a very poor girlfriend to give her boyfriend?
A lot of people seemed to have this problem, with various suggestions, including a pretty practical lighter—seemed plausible since Shen Juan smoked.
There were also less serious and inexpensive suggestions, like lingerie, condoms, and wrapping herself with ribbons and knocking on his door at midnight…
Lin Yujing: “…”
What kind of nonsense is this?!
Lin Yujing quickly closed her phone, suddenly feeling like everyone in the public place was watching her browse porn sites, filled with an indescribable sense of shame.
Her actions were a bit too loud, and Shen Juan turned his head to look at her, “What’s wrong?”
Lin Yujing cleared her throat, “Nothing.”
Shen Juan stared at her, squinting, “Lin Yujing, have you done something to betray me?”
Lin Yujing blinked, “Huh?”
They were sitting on the same side while eating, and Shen Juan leaned closer, resting his arm on the back of her chair, staring at her ear meaningfully, “The alarm, it’s red again.”
Lin Yujing: “…”
Before she could respond, Shen Juan suddenly raised his finger, gently brushing against her earlobe. The soft touch made Lin Yujing feel ticklish, and she couldn’t help but shrink her neck.
“I’ve always wanted to ask,” Shen Juan said nonchalantly, “Doesn’t it hurt to pierce here?”
“It’s alright, it didn’t hurt much. I don’t really remember,” Lin Yujing lowered her eyes, “I heard from others that if you get your ears pierced with someone on your birthday, you’ll be together in the next life.”
Shen Juan paused and looked at her, raising his eyebrows, “So who did you go with?”
“By myself,” Lin Yujing laughed, “Shen, I’ve never been in a relationship before. Back then, I thought no one could be with me in the next life. If it wasn’t possible in this life, how could I force it in the next?”
It was her birthday at the time, and it seemed neither Lin Zhi nor Meng Weiguo remembered. There was no one at home, so she went out alone.
Passing by a small beauty salon, she went in to get her ears pierced.
She just wanted to give herself a little pain, as if that could help her remember something.
The healing process wasn’t great. At the time, it didn’t hurt much, but later, when she changed the earrings, it got infected. The fresh piercings hadn’t healed properly, and if she didn’t wear earrings, the holes would close up easily. She used a disinfected cotton swab to reopen them, causing a lot of bleeding.
The pain did not disappoint.
Every year on her birthday, she would get a new piercing, until she suddenly realized.
If she continued this way, by the time she was in her twenties, what would her ears look like?
So, she gave up.
Shen Juan stared at her for a few seconds, then looked away, leaving her unsure if he had been listening. He tilted his head slightly to focus on her ear again, his expression intent. His fingers gently played with her ear before he pinched her earlobe and smiled, changing the subject: “It’s hot.”
Lin Yujing shuddered at his touch, feeling very uncomfortable. She raised her hand, pulled his fingers down, and looked around, whispering, “Can you be serious? Why are you being such a rascal?”
Shen Juan chuckled, “Touching my girlfriend’s ear makes me a rascal?”
They were sitting at a corner table with no one paying attention to them. Shen Juan leaned back lazily and said, “If I touch somewhere else, would you call the police?”
Lin Yujing: “…”
“Shut up,” Lin Yujing said, pointing at him with a blank expression. “Shen Juan, shut up.”
Shen Juan nodded and gestured towards the nearly empty sukiyaki pot on the table, “Are you full?”
Lin Yujing had finished eating the last bit of fruit Shen Juan had brought over. She put down her chopsticks and leaned back, “I’m full.”
He nodded, “Then let’s go.”
Lin Yujing followed him to the front desk to pay the bill and glanced at the total. Oh…
Lin Yujing turned her head away, feeling a pinch in her heart.
Dating was really expensive.
At the restaurant counter, there was a small tray of candies—peppermint and fruit- flavored hard candies in peach, strawberry, and lemon flavors. Lin Yujing, not wanting to watch Shen Juan pay, focused on picking out a few fruit candies. By the time she was done, he had finished paying, and they left the restaurant.
Lin Yujing unwrapped one of the candies and popped it into her mouth, then handed another to Shen Juan.
Shen Juan looked down but didn’t take it.
They reached the elevator just as the crowd had thickened since the morning. It was so crowded that they probably wouldn’t be able to squeeze in on the first try.
Lin Yujing pointed to the nearby escalator, “Shall we take the escalator down?”
Shen Juan nodded, took her hand, and led her in the opposite direction.
The mall’s white-painted doors were heavy. He pushed down on the handle, opened the door, and then closed it behind them, heading towards the emergency stairwell. He pushed open the iron door.
Lin Yujing blurted out, “The escalator is right there. Why take the stairs?”
Realizing she sounded foolish, she thought, did he really want to take the stairs? Clearly not.
As she was thinking, Shen Juan closed the door behind them, pinning her against it. The summer clothes were thin, and the coldness of the door made Lin Yujing shiver.
Shen Juan leaned in, his hand slipping behind her back, shielding her from the cold door. His palm, warm through her clothes, traced the line of her spine. He lowered his head, softly kissing the corner of her lips, “I’ve wanted to do this since the cinema… afraid I’d scare you…”
Lin Yujing raised her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering like tiny brushes tickling his heart.
Shen Juan’s hand, resting on her back, slid down, tracing each vertebra slowly.
His touch was unfamiliar, making Lin Yujing a bit dazed.
Shen Juan pulled back a little, looked at her, and in a low, coaxing voice, said, “Baby, open your mouth.”
Lin Yujing hesitated for a moment, then obediently opened her mouth.
Shen Juan leaned in, his tongue slipped into her mouth, hooking the piece of candy from her mouth and transferring it to his own. He bit into it, the light crunching sound breaking her last bit of resistance.
Lin Yujing’s ears turned bright red. She turned her head away and tried to push him. Shen Juan didn’t let her move, pressing her firmly against the door.
Lin Yujing shivered uncontrollably, feeling her face heat up. She buried her head against his collarbone, not wanting him to see, “Are you done? If you are…”
Shen Juan didn’t relent. He moved closer to her ear, laughed softly, his breath warm, making her shrink her shoulders, “Not done.”
He raised his hand, gently pinching her soft earlobe, rubbing it, his fingers tracing her neck and lifting her chin, forcing her to look at him, “Look at me.”
Lin Yujing looked at him, unconsciously swallowing, not moving.
Shen Juan stared at her, suggestively squeezing her chin, his voice hoarse, “Be good, open again.”
Chapter 73
Lin Yujing originally thought she was already experienced with kissing, but after being rejected for the first time in front of the library, she felt a bit annoyed. She even googled “how to master techniques to make men fall head over heels with a kiss.” Due to the explicit content, she only skimmed through it and didn’t delve into the details.
Seeing Shen Juan’s approach, he must have studied it thoroughly, probably even taking notes. Lin Yujing wasn’t one to be pretentious; she considered kissing in a relationship quite normal, though his demands made her feel somewhat embarrassed.
Why couldn’t they start with a gentle, beginner-level kiss? Lin Yujing felt embarrassed, but Shen Juan held her firmly, his fingers gripping her chin, brushing against her skin. She closed her eyes tightly, giving in, and opened her mouth again.
Shen Juan leaned down and kissed her gently. His lips, his tongue, his hot breath—he slowly and possessively explored her mouth, forcing her to tilt her head back. As their tongues intertwined, tiny fragments of the fruit candy he had just bitten into melted between their lips and tongues, spreading a sweet lemon flavor.
A deep, lemon-flavored kiss—gentle yet dominant. Lin Yujing couldn’t understand how he turned a pure kiss into something so intense. She felt like she was suffocating, struggling to breathe, all her conscious effort needed to fend off his advances. When his tongue brushed against the sensitive part of her upper gums, Lin Yujing whimpered, retreating and pushing him away.
Shen Juan, soothingly, nibbled on her lip before pulling back. His nose touched hers, his breath uneven, and with a hoarse voice and a smile, he asked, “Is it tasty?”
Still dazed, Lin Yujing realized he was talking about the lemon-flavored candy. She felt a bit exasperated and out of breath, her eyes slightly red from holding back tears. She stared at him, unable to speak for a moment, finally managing to croak, “Why…”
Shen Juan’s eyes were dark, his fingertip brushing away the moisture at the corner of her lips, “Hmm?”
Lin Yujing rubbed her tingling lips with the back of her hand, “So intense?”
Shen Juan, puzzled, said, “What did I do? I just kissed you, didn’t even touch you.”
Lin Yujing, her brain gradually recovering from its daze, felt slightly embarrassed. To mask this, she kept talking, “I see other couples’ kisses look so romantic and sweet, why does ours feel like an adult video? And—”
She glared at him, “You touched my back.”
“That was to keep you warm,” Shen Juan sighed. “Is that considered touching? Should I tie you up next time to avoid you freaking out halfway through?”
After a pause, a thought seemed to cross Shen Juan’s mind. He smiled meaningfully and drawled, “Actually, that sounds good too…”
Lin Yujing was speechless. She rolled her eyes, opened the heavy door of the safety passage, and walked out. Shen Juan chuckled and followed her.
They wandered around the safety passage for a while. Having left the movie halfway, it was too early to go back and too boring to stay out. Eventually, they found a place selling shaved ice. Lin Yujing ordered a large mango milk ice, placing it in the middle for them to share.
Shen Juan barely touched it, just a small spoonful, and he avoided the mango chunks, leaving them all for Lin Yujing. Initially, she didn’t notice, but once she did, she felt a bittersweet warmth in her heart.
She never imagined she could feel so girlish one day. So what if her boyfriend wasn’t well-off? Even without money, there’s happiness! This simple, poor romance brought a kind of satisfaction that wealth couldn’t buy.
Lin Yujing looked at the pile of mangoes in front of her and softly asked, “You don’t like mangoes?”
“It’s not that,” Shen Juan replied indifferently. “I’m allergic.”
“…”
Lin Yujing’s girlish excitement vanished instantly. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to maintain a smile, “Oh.”
Shen Juan gave her a puzzled look.
At some point, Lin Yujing went to the restroom, which was a bit far from the ice shop. She took a while to find it, and once there, she checked herself in the large mirror. Everything seemed fine except her lipstick had completely worn off.
When she returned, Shen Juan was on the phone. He wasn’t speaking, just leaning against the wall listening, with a detached expression. After a while, he showed a slightly impatient look, “I’m listening.”
The person on the other end said something else, making Shen Juan sigh, “I told you before, Rong Huai, don’t fantasize.”
Lin Yujing heard this name and looked up, a spoon in her mouth, watching him.
Shen Juan kept his eyes down, not looking at her, and continued, “I’ve had four years away, it’s not something I can just catch up on. March is only a few months away; even if I trained 20 hours a day, it wouldn’t be enough. And I’m about to start school with a lot of classes.”
“I’m not a genius; I can’t do both,” Shen Juan massaged his temple, resigned. “I wasn’t born knowing everything. Didn’t you see how late I trained every day back then?”
After a brief silence, Shen Juan glanced at her.
Lin Yujing met his gaze, blinked, then lowered her head and continued eating her ice. Shen Juan stood up and walked out of the shop. He returned five minutes later.
Lin Yujing looked up, “A little white monk?”
Shen Juan raised an eyebrow.
“I mean, your junior brother Rong Huai,” Lin Yujing corrected.
“Yes,” Shen Juan placed his phone on the table and, after a pause, explained, “There’s a competition in March; he wants me to go.”
Lin Yujing had already guessed as much from his conversation. She nodded, scooped another spoonful of ice, and remarked, “Rong Huai is really your loyal fanboy.”
“Aren’t you?” Shen Juan smiled, “Don’t you want to see how handsome your boyfriend used to be?”
Lin Yujing gave him a sideways glance, “You’re not handsome now?”
“Ah,” Shen Juan was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered, lounging back in his chair with a playful grin, “Of course, Master Juan is always handsome.”
“Alright, alright,” Lin Yujing waved her hand impatiently, “Any more of that and it’ll get annoying.”
Shen Juan slouched in his chair, laughing.
After the jokes, Lin Yujing bit her spoon, “I never asked, what event did you train for before?”
Shen Juan straightened up, resting his arm on the table, picked up a long spoon, and casually said, “Rapid shooting.”
Lin Yujing was momentarily stunned and blurted out, “Men train for such quick events? Is that appropriate?”
Shen Juan: “…”
Shen Juan set down his spoon, leaned back slowly, looked at her, and squinted, “Little girl, you seem to need some education.”
Lin Yujing cleared her throat, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to doubt you or imply anything. I was just curious about the event.”
“I have,” Shen Juan’s expression turned somewhat dangerous, “I have plenty of non- innocent implications not related to the event. I think today’s as good a day as any to show you how appropriate it is for men to train in this event.”
Lin Yujing, along with her chair, scooted back a bit, warning him, “Shen Juan, I’m not an adult yet. My birthday is next month. You can’t just do this out of frustration.”
“…”
Shen Juan softly said, “Frustration?”
“No, not that,” Lin Yujing quickly denied, earnestly apologizing, “I used the wrong words.”
Shen Juan’s mood darkened further, his gaze a mix of amusement and irritation, “Lin Yujing, you’re turning 18 next month and still dare to be this arrogant?”
Lin Yujing glanced around, ensuring no one was paying attention to their conversation, then whispered, “So what? I’m turning 18, and what are you planning to do? Are you going to stop being human just because of a date? Are you going to time it to the exact second?”
A grown-up girlfriend. Shen Juan fell silent, numerous inappropriate thoughts flashing uncontrollably through his mind, featuring her slender waist, long legs, soft…
Shen Juan’s eyelid twitched as he felt a certain part of his body react.
He couldn’t think about it. He closed his eyes, deciding to end the topic, “So, why did you ask?”
His voice was slightly hoarse.
Lin Yujing didn’t respond, just blinked at him.
“Mm?” Shen Juan’s expression was indifferent.
Lin Yujing suddenly put down her spoon, pushed her ice cream forward, leaned in, and whispered so only the two of them could hear, “Brother, are you hard?”
“…”
Damn.
The lines of Shen Juan’s neck tightened instantly, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
Lin Yujing, understanding her 20-year-old, hormonally charged boyfriend, leaned back in her chair and chuckled, “I didn’t say anything.”
Shen Juan looked at her, silent for a long time.
He sank back into his chair, resting his elbows on the armrests, staring at her for a few seconds before finally laughing in exasperation, “I must be lucky to have survived you.”
After eating ice and talking about all sorts of random topics, the afternoon passed by unexpectedly. Lin Yujing’s stomach was now full, and she couldn’t eat anymore.
They left the mall and wandered around the streets before finally having dinner. Lin Yujing chose a rice cake hot pot restaurant. It was dinnertime, and every restaurant had long queues with people holding number cards. This place had fewer people, so they only had to wait about half an hour for a table.
The restaurant was reasonably priced and the food was good, making Lin Yujing very satisfied with her choice.
After they were full, they took the subway back to school. Lin Yujing had studied the subway map over the past few days, and knew it took about an hour with two transfers to get from Shen Juan’s home to school. It was inconvenient to go back and forth. However, Shen Juan had weekend work at his studio, so instead of going home, he returned to school with her, which surprised Lin Yujing.
They rode the subway for half an hour to school. The men’s and women’s dorms were quite far apart, so Shen Juan walked Lin Yujing back. A City’s summer was hot and humid, but the occasional evening breeze made the walk pleasant. They walked leisurely, the campus lit by street lamps, occasionally accompanied by the clear ring of bicycle bells passing by.
Lin Yujing held Shen Juan’s hand, her arm brushing against his, and every time she looked up, she saw his sharp side profile, making her feel extremely happy.
She swung his hand back and forth and suddenly called out, “Shen Juan.”
Shen Juan looked down, “Hmm?”
Lin Yujing asked, “Why did you start training for that when you were a kid?”
Shen Juan paused, realizing what she meant, and chuckled, “Didn’t your teacher ever tell you?”
Lin Yujing tilted her head, “Tell me what?”
“The first gold medal for China was won at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics,” Shen Juan said lazily, “in shooting.”
Lin Yujing let out an “ah.”
It really suited Shen Juan’s personality. He liked things that were iconic, bold, and arrogant.
Before she could say anything else, Shen Juan continued, “But the main reason is still that I have exceptional talent.”
Lin Yujing: “…”
He really lived up to her opinion of him.
Lin Yujing rolled her eyes. After a moment of silence, she called out again, “Shen Juan.” Shen Juan patiently responded, “Hmm.”
Lin Yujing thought for a moment and then said slowly, “I never had any goals or passions since I was a kid. I just kept studying and taking exams. Others would aim to get into certain universities like Tsinghua or Peking University, but I didn’t have that kind of goal.”
She paused, “I simply aimed to get good grades, but I had no idea what I wanted to do, where to go, or what to become.”
Shen Juan didn’t say anything, gently squeezing her hand.
“When I first came to A City, I was the unhappiest,” Lin Yujing continued. “I felt so lost, not knowing what my future would be like or what to do. I don’t know if you understand that feeling—just feeling empty inside.”
Shen Juan rubbed her hand with his thumb, “I understand.”
“At that time, I was pretty down, feeling bad every day and just wanting to get by,” Lin Yujing went on. “I envied those who had clear goals, knew what they liked, and kept moving towards their goals. It seemed like such a beautiful thing.”
“I don’t care what you do,” Lin Yujing said, “like you said, you can do anything well and shine anywhere, and I believe you. But it’s different,” she explained. “Doing something well and doing something you love well bring completely different levels of satisfaction. Do you understand what I mean?”
Shen Juan remained silent.
They arrived at the girls’ dormitory. Lin Yujing stopped and looked up at him, “I’ve never said this before. I thought about it all afternoon, and I just hope that whatever you do, if you like it, go for it. Don’t be afraid or avoid it.”
Shen Juan lowered his gaze.
Under the streetlamp, her voice was soft, her eyes tender. She seemed like a warm, glowing light, constantly drawing him closer in the dark night.
After a few moments of silence, Shen Juan stepped closer, bent down, and hugged her. The heat from his body transferred to her.
With his head resting on her shoulder, Shen Juan’s heart felt as if it was soaked in warm water, both sour and warm, almost melting.
Lin Yujing hesitated, then raised her hand to touch his hair.
It was bustling outside the girls’ dormitory, with groups of girls who stayed over the weekend coming and going, chatting and laughing at the dormitory entrance.
Shen Juan knew Lin Yujing was shy, so he released her after a brief hug and stepped back.
But as soon as he did, Lin Yujing followed him, pressing her hand against his chest. She suddenly stood on tiptoe and gently pecked his lips, “So you need to be more confident.”
Shen Juan was stunned.
Lin Yujing leaned in again for another kiss, then dropped back down, hooked her arms around his neck, and looked at him, blinking, “After all, our Juan is omnipotent.”
Author’s Note:
Jingmei: Huh? What event? Oh, rapid shooting… (worried face) Shen Juan: ?
Chapter 74
A year and a half ago, Lin Yujing would never have been able to say such things. After she finished speaking, she felt a bit disoriented, as if she could see herself slowly standing up from a crouching position, uttering words she thought she would never be able to say to her boyfriend.
The two of them stood at the entrance of the girls’ dormitory, under the streetlight, and given their noticeable appearances, they indeed attracted attention. Under the gaze of a bunch of young girls, Lin Yujing felt a bit embarrassed, but this line was so cool that it might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It wasn’t the right moment to falter; she needed to make a stylish exit.
She let go of Shen Juan, took a step back, and calmly waved at him, saying, “Well then, classmate Shen, I wish you a happy start to the new semester.”
Shen Juan was amused by her awkward and stiff “happy start to the new semester” and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Seeing Lin Yujing squint her eyes as if she was about to get mad again, he quickly restrained himself, cleared his throat, and gently rubbed her head, saying, “Go on, get some sleep early.”
Lin Yujing grabbed his hand, squeezed it twice, and then let go. Shen Juan retracted his hand and put it in his pocket, asking, “What’s the plan for tomorrow?”
“Nothing much,” Lin Yujing thought for a moment, “but I need to study. The semester starts the day after tomorrow.”
Shen Juan nodded and asked again, “Library?”
Lin Yujing tilted her head slightly, expanding on his words—are we meeting at the library tomorrow? She smiled at him and said, “What’s wrong, boyfriend? Can’t bear to be apart from me?”
Shen Juan responded calmly, “Yes, I can’t bear it. I want to keep looking at you.”
Having seen too many of his playful sides, this sudden sincere and serious confession made her heart race even more. Lin Yujing cleared her throat, quickly hugged him, and then whispered, “I’m going up.”
After speaking, she turned and ran into the dormitory building. Standing at the glass door, she suddenly turned back. Shen Juan was still standing under the streetlight, looking at her, not leaving. His shadow was elongated by the dim light, and from a distance, his features appeared more angular.
Standing at the entrance, Lin Yujing suddenly raised her hand, pinched her fingers together, and kissed them, then extended her arm towards him, making a heart shape with her fingers and blowing a kiss.
Shen Juan was taken aback for a moment, then he smiled. This sudden gesture from her made him feel a bit embarrassed. Shen Juan realized for the first time that he could also feel embarrassed.
He lowered his head with a smile, then looked up at her again, his expression breaking into a lazy, indulgent smile. Lin Yujing didn’t leave; she stood at the entrance, looking at him. Shen Juan also remained standing there. They looked at each other for several seconds across the distance, neither moving.
Lin Yujing waited persistently. Shen Juan clearly understood her intention. Seeing her not planning to leave, he sighed helplessly and finally gave in. He took his hand out of his pocket, pinched his fingers together, and quickly made a heart shape towards her before nonchalantly putting his hand back in his pocket, resuming his indifferent expression.
After a year and a half, Shen Dalao still carried the heavy burden of being the cool school tyrant. Lin Yujing leaned against the glass door frame of the dormitory entrance, laughing at how adorable he was. Despite his cool facade, he was sweet and would even indulge in silly jokes in private. How could he be so shy about such a pure gesture?
Lin Yujing waved at him one last time and ran into the dormitory building, laughing all the way. Inside the dormitory, it was a scene of chaos, with her roommates singing, jumping around, and screaming.
Lin Yujing was startled and closed the door, asking, “What’s going on, scholars? Are you so excited about the start of the semester that you can’t contain your enthusiasm for the universe of knowledge?”
Gu Xia was applying a face mask and calmly closed her small mirror, saying unclearly through the mask, “Here’s some information for you: they’ve been watching from the balcony for a while.”
Lin Yujing raised her eyebrows. Qu Shihan, who wasn’t a local, laughed, covering her face, “Was that the top student from your province?”
Little Mushroom patted her arm, “Yes! I’ve seen his photo…”
Little Mushroom, also covering her face, laughed, “Gu Xia just told us that the top student doesn’t have a childhood sweetheart?”
“Yeah,” Lin Yujing felt like laughing, “he doesn’t.”
Little Mushroom asked, “So, you two have been dating since high school?”
“Well,” Lin Yujing thought for a moment, “I went to another school for my third year of high school.”
Qu Shihan clapped her leg, “That’s so romantic! This is the love story of my dreams!”
Little Mushroom swayed excitedly, “And this top student is different from what I’ve heard. Was he making a heart shape just now? He’s so cute.”
Lin Yujing couldn’t help but laugh, “Yes, isn’t he cute?” She put down her bag and casually added, “He’s a sweetie who even knows how to act spoiled.”
The three remaining roommates were all single, with Little Mushroom having a past relationship and the other two focused on studies, being single their whole lives. They were very interested in Lin Yujing’s love story.
Lin Yujing listened to Little Mushroom talk about her ex, while Gu Xia played on her phone, suddenly exclaiming, “Jing’er.”
Lin Yujing looked up. Gu Xia showed her a short video on her phone. It was a clip of the top student standing under the streetlight, smiling, making a heart shape, and then acting as if nothing happened.
From a third-person perspective, the scene felt different. The post read: [Actually, there was more before this. His girlfriend turned back at the dorm entrance and blew him a kiss. I didn’t react in time, she’s so good at flirting.]
User A: Isn’t this the top student from Province A? Are such handsome and sweet top students even real?
User B: Sweet??? As a finance major in the same class, I saw him on the first day, and he’s nothing like sweet…
User C: Isn’t this the infamous top student from Eight High School, the one known for fierce fights?
User D: Probably only sweet with his girlfriend.
Lin Yujing laughed, “Are there no handsome guys at A University? How do they know so much even before the semester starts?”
“You know how locals are,” Gu Xia said, “plus he’s the top student, coming with a lot of attention. And people from our school knew him from high school. Unlike out-of-town handsome guys, it takes time for everyone to discover their charm.”
Lin Yujing watched the video twice more, her lips curling into a smile. She felt like her IQ was dropping.
The video was popular for a while, but Lin Yujing didn’t pay much attention to it. She had no interest in such things. For example, back in Eight High School, she vaguely knew there was a buzz about her in the forums, but she couldn’t be bothered to check.
On Monday, A University officially started the semester. After the semester began, Lin Yujing finally understood what it meant to be busy. Freshmen had many classes and activities. On registration day, they received countless club flyers, although recruitment would start in half a month.
There were many events, one after another, and they still had morning and evening self- study sessions, much to the dismay of those who thought college would free them from such routines.
The first week included the first exam after entering university, the English placement test. The entire school took the test, and based on the results, students were divided into three levels (A, B, C) for different English classes, with varying content and durations, and different registration times for the CET exams.
After a long summer break, everyone’s skills had somewhat declined. Before the exam, there was a frenzy of last-minute studying, with the library being packed until closing at 10:30 PM, making Lin Yujing feel the pressure of being among top students.
And it was only the first week. Lin Yujing was amazed at their genuine love for studying.
The day the placement test results came out, Shen Juan and Lin Yujing were both busy with classes. They only had lunch together before going back to their respective departments. It wasn’t until the evening self-study session that the advisor brought the results.
Shen Juan, though not exceptionally strong in English, still scored high, ranking just behind a few girls.
In a top-tier program like A University’s, everyone had a bit of pride, with high scores in the entrance exams. Hearing that the top student didn’t rank first, with a few girls ahead, many couldn’t help but turn their heads to look.
Shen Juan and his roommate were sitting in the last row of the classroom. He was leaning against the wall, lounging lazily in his seat with his long legs stretched out on the desk rail. After hearing the test scores, he looked back down at his phone, slightly curling his lips in a smirk, maintaining his indifferent expression and ignoring all the stares directed his way.
The students of Class 1 in Finance just couldn’t reconcile the image of this carefree, cool guy with the one in the video who was shy about making a heart shape for his girlfriend.
A girl sitting in the second row quickly turned her head and whispered to her roommate, “I feel like they are not the same person. Was it too dark to capture clearly? Maybe it just looks like him and the person who posted the video got it wrong.”
Her roommate replied in a low voice, “I think it’s him. Don’t you remember his rabbit keychain?”
The girl fell silent, vividly recalling the third day after school started when Sun Mingchuan had forgotten his phone in the dorm and didn’t have his key, so he borrowed Shen Juan’s key. Shen Juan was talking to someone and told him to take it himself. Sun Mingchuan then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, pulled out a Peter Rabbit doll keychain from Shen Juan’s bag. It was crudely made, looked old-fashioned, and was dressed in a pink lace skirt. It wasn’t just girly; it was excessively vintage.
Sun Mingchuan trembled as he asked, “Juan, is this yours?”
Shen Juan turned his head, raised his eyebrows at him, and said, “If it’s not mine, is it yours?”
From then on, the top student’s persona was in question. Class 1 in Finance started wondering if Shen Juan had peculiar tastes and aesthetics. Some even anonymously analyzed his personality, suggesting that Shen Juan might not only have a strange aesthetic but also be quite narcissistic, which was understandable given his good looks and high skills.
One anonymous analysis received many likes and agreement, suggesting that you could learn a lot about someone from their playlist, including their aesthetics, personality, habits, and attitudes toward certain things.
Shen Juan was completely indifferent to these discussions. Having been a prominent figure for so many years, he was used to all kinds of attention and comments. Nothing anyone said affected him.
The counselor walked in with the placement test results while Shen Juan was chatting with Lin Yujing. Her class advisor had probably come earlier, so she already knew her scores. Judging by her proud demeanor, she must have done well. She texted him eagerly, asking about his score.
By this time, the top three scores had been announced. Shen Juan heard that his little girlfriend had scored the highest in their class. Just then, his score was announced as the fourth highest. He typed back his score, which was lower than hers.
Lin Yujing: 【!!!!!!!!!】
She sent a string of exclamation marks. Shen Juan smirked and sincerely praised her: 【
Impressive.】
Right after sending this message, Lin Yujing sent him a song. The green thumbnail read
“Invincible.”
Shen Juan didn’t usually listen to much music, mostly looping a few songs. Jiang Han often teased him for being out of touch. He didn’t recognize this song, but without much thought, he tapped the play button.
At that moment, the counselor had just announced his score, still looking at him: “Our top student ranked fourth in the class.”
The counselor, young and cheerful, often joked around. Laughing, he said, “That’s still a high score. Shen, your English is pretty good!”
The whole class turned to look at him again. The next second, everyone heard a booming male voice singing operatically from Shen Juan’s phone: “Invincible, how~ lonely~”
The loud voice echoed through half the classroom, with the arrogant lyrics seemingly responding to the counselor’s praise: “Invincible, how~ empty~”
Counselor: “…”
Class 1 in Finance: “…” Shen Juan: “…”
The song continued, the male voice rising passionately: “Alone at the peak!! Cold winds blowing——”
With a blank expression, Shen Juan abruptly locked his phone, cutting off the song. He had no idea when his phone volume had been set so high.
Author’s Note:
Shen Juan: Damn it…
Chapter 75
In the midst of silence, Shen Juan placed his phone on the table. His slender, attractive fingers gripped the edge of the phone. With a soft click, his expression remained calm and indifferent, as if he wasn’t the one who had just played a foolish song.
Shen Juan put down his phone and slowly and lazily leaned back in his chair under everyone’s gaze. He locked eyes with the counselor for five seconds. Seeing that the counselor didn’t seem inclined to speak, Shen Juan slightly raised his hand and said calmly and politely, “Sorry for the interruption, please continue.”
He behaved like a leader who didn’t fuss over trivial matters. Counselor: “…”
All the students in the finance class: “…”
The top student was right; it was indeed a minor interlude.
The girl who had just doubted whether Shen Juan was the same person as the guy in the video turned her head again and quietly said to her roommate, “I wonder if he has a split personality?”
Her roommate whispered back, “Is this kind of contrast cuteness popular now?” The girl murmured softly, “But he’s still very handsome, no matter what.”
The counselor finally reacted. He prided himself on being a humorous person, but Shen Juan turned out to be even more humorous.
Moreover, the top student’s presence was at a top level. He almost blurted out “Yes, leader.”
Clearing his throat, the counselor smiled and said, “Our top student Shen not only excels in his studies but is also very considerate. Was this the first exam of the school term and you were trying to lighten the mood?”
Shen Juan slightly curved his lips into a low-key smile and said calmly, “No, my girlfriend is mischievous. She got the highest score in the entire school and insisted on sharing a song with me to show off.”
Everyone: “…”
So you came to show off to us?
Getting a high score isn’t enough? You had to emphasize it’s the highest in the school?
Are you even human???
Showing off your affection?!
Sun Mingchuan couldn’t take it anymore and whispered, “Juan, your girlfriend got the high score, not you. Why are you so proud?”
Yu Jiacheng sincerely doubted Sun Mingchuan’s emotional intelligence: “Feeling proud of your girlfriend’s achievements is more satisfying than your own. Do you understand? Do you know why you haven’t had a successful relationship in nearly twenty years? This move is a bonus answer, learn from it.”
After the brief commotion, the counselor regained control. Shen Juan’s one sentence not only pulled his collapsing image back from the edge but also added a doting attribute, subtly showed off his relationship, and boasted about his girlfriend—all in one go. As expected, once the finance class students reacted—especially the girls—they immediately gave the top student a new persona.
He transformed from an eccentric, narcissistic freak with peculiar tastes to a seemingly cool and wife-loving fanatic, with many detailed quirks emerging, such as the keychain.
One day after a professional class, a girl who had been sitting in front of Shen Juan finally mustered the courage, encouraged by everyone, to turn around and ask him, “Um, Shen Juan?”
Shen Juan was writing and didn’t look up. He responded with a low nasal sound.
The girl blushed, “Can I ask you a question?”
“Go ahead.”
The girl sounded excited, “Did your girlfriend ask you to change that cute keychain?”
“…”
Shen Juan paused, slightly lifted his eyelids, “She gave it to me.”
The girl covered her face, squealing softly as she turned back and whispered with the girl next to her, “Ah, it’s so sweet!”
Her deskmate: “So adorable! Such an ugly keychain! Because it was from his girlfriend, he just keeps using it!”
Shen Juan: “…”
Sun Mingchuan, amazed: “I realize sometimes these girls’ behaviors and thoughts are really hard to figure out. When she said she had a question, I thought she was going to confess.”
Yu Jiacheng sighed, “No rival has appeared yet, but a bunch of CP fans has already developed.”
Sun Mingchuan understood well, “This is when you need to be careful. When there’s nothing happening on this side, there might be something going on the other side. Precautions must be taken, especially when the little sister-in-law looks like a fairy, all soft and sweet. What if a seasoned player comes along and—why did you kick me, Yu Jiacheng!”
Yu Jiacheng: “…”
Shen Juan closed his book, packed his book and pen into his bag, stood up without any expression, looked at him, and said calmly, “He’s reminding you to cherish your life.”
Sun Mingchuan: “…”
“I’m just a poor soul living under constant oppression,” Sun Mingchuan sighed as he got up. The few of them left the classroom, and as they walked a few steps, they saw Rong Huai waiting in the hallway.
Over the years, Rong Huai’s persistence had become more astonishing. Despite Shen Juan rejecting him several times, he remained undeterred, failing and trying again, frequently seeking Shen Juan out for a chat.
When he saw them coming out, Rong Huai’s eyes lit up, and he straightened up, trailing behind like a little follower, “Senior.”
Sun Mingchuan and the others were used to it by now, greeted him, and left first. After they left, Shen Juan turned around.
“Senior, what do you want for lunch?” Rong Huai followed behind him, suggesting they have lunch together, “The sugar-crusted ribs in the second canteen are delicious. Have you tried them?”
Rong Huai was a second-year student recruited for the shooting team last year, even though he was a year older than Shen Juan, who had repeated and taken breaks during high school.
Shen Juan sighed, “Rong Huai.”
Rong Huai raised his hands in surrender, “I promise I won’t bring up anything else today, and I won’t persuade you to join the March championship.”
Shen Juan: “You said the same last time.” “Ah,” Rong Huai scratched his head, “Ah…”
“I suspect I’m too lenient now,” Shen Juan leaned against the wall, “Giving you the false impression that I’ve become very patient?”
“Senior, I think you’re indeed much more patient now,” Rong Huai said honestly, “You’re completely different from before.”
Shen Juan nodded, “What was I like before?”
Rong Huai said, “Before, if I dared to follow you around and nag like this, you would’ve directly hit me.”
Shen Juan looked at him, “I feel like hitting you now.”
Rong Huai immediately stepped back three steps and raised his voice from a safe distance, “The main issue is our team is really short on people for the March competition. Senior Li is training abroad and won’t make it back in time. Senior, just treat it as a favor, okay? Let’s practice first; it’s the beginning of the term, and classes are still relatively easy, so there’s—”
Shen Juan had a headache, “Fine.”
Rong Huai was slow to react, “And you can bring your partner—”
Rong Huai stopped mid-sentence, staring at him with his mouth open, “Ah?”
“I said, let’s practice,” Shen Juan was a bit impatient, leaning against the wall with arms crossed, “Let me be clear, just the March championship, we’ll practice for a few months and see how it goes. No guarantees.”
Rong Huai was overjoyed, nodding furiously without caring about anything else, rushing forward to hug him, “Senior—!!”
Shen Juan raised his hand, pointing at him expressionlessly, “Stay there.” Rong Huai obediently stayed put.
Shen Juan straightened up, pulled out his phone, and prepared to call Lin Yujing without looking up: “This topic is over. Don’t have lunch with me. I’m busy.”
Lin Yujing’s class had just ended a few minutes ago, and she was leaving her advanced mathematics class. The teacher, Mr. Li, was a kindly old professor who looked to be in his sixties, resembling Liu Fujiang when he smiled.
The first time Lin Yujing saw him, she felt a bit dazed. She hadn’t visited Liu Fujiang since the college entrance exam, even though he had gone out of his way for her during her time at Ba Zhong. She should visit him.
As she left the teaching building and walked towards the cafeteria, she planned to call Shen Juan. But before she could dial, her phone rang in her pocket. Without looking at the number, she answered while talking to Gu Xia, “Are you done with class?”
“I’ve already started my internship,” said Fu Mingxiu. Lin Yujing: “…”
She was silent for three seconds, then pulled the phone away to check the caller ID. It was an unfamiliar number from City A.
Fu Mingxiu must have said something else, but not hearing a response, his voice grew louder, “Hello! Hello! Say something!”
Even Gu Xia beside her heard it and, surprised, mouthed, “Top student?”
Lin Yujing shook her head, struggling with how to introduce him: “My…brother.”
But they weren’t siblings anymore. How else could she put it—my friend?
Putting the phone back to her ear, she asked politely and sweetly, “Hello, who is this?”
Fu Mingxiu was silent for a few seconds before speaking, “Lin Yujing, it’s been years and you’re still hypocritically delightful.”
Lin Yujing rolled her eyes, “It’s been just over a year. Why exaggerate? How did you get my number?”
Fu Mingxiu sounded proud, “What I want to know, I find out. I heard you got into A University?”
Lin Yujing replied affirmatively, walking towards the first cafeteria, which was closer to the School of Economics and Management. Sometimes Shen Juan would wait for her at the entrance.
The noise from Fu Mingxiu’s side suggested a busy environment: “Which cafeteria do you usually eat at? I’m at—” he dragged out his words as if checking something, “Cafeteria 1?”
Lin Yujing: “…?”
She was puzzled, “Huh?”
“I’m at your university, here to visit a friend, but he’s not around today,” Fu Mingxiu said, “I’m at the entrance of Cafeteria 1.”
Frankly, Lin Yujing didn’t feel she was that close to Fu Mingxiu, or that their relationship was strong enough to catch up casually. She had difficulty making friends; before coming to City A, she had just two close friends. Getting to know Li Lin and others at Ba Zhong was unexpected.
Fu Mingxiu was definitely someone of good character, but since they initially disliked each other, building a friendship took longer. However, Lin Yujing had to admit he had helped her before. He was a sharp-tongued but kind-hearted person, and their relationship had improved over time.
When she was secretly dating Shen Juan, Fu Mingxiu even covered for her when she sneaked out at night. So, hearing he was at A University, Lin Yujing felt a bit nostalgic.
Arriving at the cafeteria entrance, she saw Fu Mingxiu pacing in circles, angrily talking on the phone, “I know it says 1! This is Cafeteria 1! I asked! I’m not blind! You said you were at school, so I came. Are you messing with me?”
His loud voice drew curious glances from nearby students. Though he wasn’t her brother anymore, Lin Yujing felt embarrassed. She stood on the steps at the entrance, watching as Fu Mingxiu’s gaze found her. She waved at him.
After saying a couple more words, Fu Mingxiu hung up and walked over, immediately asking, “Is this Cafeteria 1?”
Lin Yujing looked at him with pity, “Brother, two years apart and your IQ seems lower.” “…”
Fu Mingxiu glared at her. Lin Yujing calmly met his gaze. Suddenly, Fu Mingxiu laughed. It was strange to him how he could miss the annoying little sister from their dysfunctional blended family, who once suggested calling 119 for a firefighter when he had a fever.
Coming to A University, hearing Meng Weiguo mention Lin Yujing was here too, he impulsively called her. He knew about her family situation during her absence, and seeing her unchanged, still the same soft yet sharp Lin Yujing, he felt relieved and smiled.
Seeing his unexpected laughter, Lin Yujing looked at him curiously. Fu Mingxiu didn’t mind and asked, “You didn’t return to the capital?”
“No,” Lin Yujing replied indifferently, no longer under Meng Weiguo’s control or needing to maintain a sibling relationship with Fu Mingxiu, though they both knew each other well. “I stayed for my boyfriend. A touching love story, you know?”
Fu Mingxiu was stunned, “You stayed for your boyfriend?”
Lin Yujing’s look seemed to ask why he was asking the obvious. Fu Mingxiu genuinely didn’t understand, “The one from high school? You two didn’t break up?”
“Right.”
“But,” Fu Mingxiu looked at her incredulously, “That guy who used to call you out at night—clearly no good. Why didn’t you break up with that loser?”
Lin Yujing: “…”
Overhearing this conversation from a short distance, Shen Juan: “…”
Shen Juan couldn’t believe his girlfriend, whose calls never connected, was chatting with some random guy. This guy, who had called him a scumbag and worse, was encouraging Lin Yujing to break up with him?
Author’s note:
Shen Juan: ??? My temper?