Shuyu jumped slightly when someone suddenly grabbed her hand. She grew even more flustered the moment she realized that Si Yiheng lived in the same residential complex as she did.
She didn’t dare turn around to see who had caught hold of her.
Shuyu was terrified that if she turned her head, the last person she wanted to see—Si Yiheng—would be standing right there.
Only when a voice spoke up did she freeze: “Why are you running so fast? Are you trying to walk in the rain?”
It was an unfamiliar voice, yet it carried a casual, familiar tone. Shuyu instantly confirmed that the person holding her was definitely not Si Yiheng.
She couldn’t place the voice, but she would recognize Si Yiheng’s voice anywhere. Just last night, he had read aloud from her research paper for a long time.
Shuyu turned around and came face to face with a man whose looks immediately gave off an air of someone not to be trifled with.
His eyebrows were sharp and angular, and the corners of his lips were tilted upward in a faint, half-smiling curve. He wore a black windbreaker zipped all the way to the collar.
Shuyu frantically sifted through her memories, and finally matched the face to someone she knew—this was none other than Shen Qinghan, the male second lead, the devoted admirer who doted endlessly on the female lead.
Shuyu tried to pull her hand free, but Shen Qinghan merely raised an eyebrow and said, “What a coincidence.”
Tie Dan’s voice echoed in her mind: “Not a coincidence at all. He deliberately waited here for you.”
Shuyu fell silent for a moment, then asked in her thoughts, “What’s Shen Qinghan’s problem? Why isn’t he keeping an eye on the female lead instead of staking me out?”
Tie Dan replied: “He probably feels a little guilty because of a misunderstanding, but more importantly, it’s because you refused to take his money. He’s starting to realize you might not be the gold digger he assumed you were.”
“And now he’s worried that if you really have a good character, you might actually catch Si Yiheng’s attention.”
Shuyu’s long, slender eyelashes fluttered gently, and the fine mist clinging to them trembled.
A good character… her? Really?
It felt more like Shen Qinghan was mocking her.
Tie Dan stated firmly: “He’s definitely here to watch you for the female lead.”
Shuyu was wearing a face mask, so she had to tilt her head up just to meet Shen Qinghan’s gaze.
Looking down at her—tall and graceful, with skin as smooth and fair as fine jade—Shen Qinghan’s eyes flashed with a flicker of admiration.
He then caught the shifting expressions in her beautiful eyes: first a trace of guilt, then disbelief, and finally a look of realization.
A soft smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Her eyes were so lively, as if they could speak.
She was strangely endearing—just like a little cat who wore every emotion right on its face.
Feigning ignorance, Shen Qinghan asked, “Isn’t Si Yiheng driving you to class today?”
Hearing this, Shuyu became even more convinced of Tie Dan’s theory.
“Shuyu, listen to me,” Tie Dan warned, “if Shen Qinghan finds out you and Si Yiheng are close, he’ll definitely stir up trouble and try to break you two apart before anything serious happens.”
Shuyu lowered her voice and mumbled, “We’re not exactly close.”
That answer lifted Shen Qinghan’s mood even higher.
“It’s raining,” he said casually. “Want a ride to school?”
“No thanks,” Shuyu replied. “I can get there on my own.”
Xie Mengying had been feeling restless lately.
Shen Qinghan had agreed to check if Shuyu and Si Yiheng were living together and report back to her, but so far, he had given her no update at all. Worse still, he hadn’t reached out to her in ages.
She couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong. Before this, Shen Qinghan had been so attentive—even when she ignored him, he would find every excuse to strike up a conversation.
Gu Yunjing patted Xie Mengying’s shoulder. “Mengying, did you bring an umbrella? Let’s walk to class together.”
Xie Mengying stood beneath the dormitory building in a flowing white dress. The wind caught the hem of her skirt, making her look like a delicate white flower swaying in the rain—so fragile and lovely that anyone seeing her would feel the urge to protect her.
Even Gu Yunjing couldn’t help but think how breathtakingly beautiful she was. If she felt that way, how could any man resist?
How dare Shuyu compete with Xie Mengying for Si Yiheng? With her plain, shabby appearance, shouldn’t she feel completely outshone standing next to Xie Mengying?
Today happened to be Professor Zhang’s lecture. The course was co-taught by two instructors; during the first half of the semester, it had been handled by a more lenient professor, so skipping class carried little risk. But for the second half, Professor Zhang was in charge—and he was famously strict at University A. Miss even one class, and there was a very real chance of failing the course.
Only someone completely foolish would dare skip his lectures.
Shuyu had moved out of the dormitory and vanished for weeks. She was bound to show up today, right?
Gu Yunjing couldn’t wait to see how humiliated and inferior Shuyu would feel when standing in the same room as Xie Mengying.
Xie Mengying tapped lightly on her phone screen, then glanced up at Gu Yunjing with a soft, vulnerable expression. “Yunjing, wait a moment. Let me ask Shen Qinghan if he’s on his way.”
“Sure,” Gu Yunjing agreed.
Xie Mengying called Shen Qinghan, her voice sweet and gentle. “Qinghan, it’s raining, and I don’t have an umbrella with me.”
Shen Qinghan was behind the wheel. Caught off guard, he answered casually, “I don’t have one either.”
He had already lent his umbrella to Shuyu.
Xie Mengying fell silent.
In the past, the moment she said something like this, Shen Qinghan would have rushed over immediately with an umbrella. What on earth had changed?
Gu Yunjing spoke sharply into the phone, “Shen Qinghan! How can you speak to Mengying like that?”
“Oh, Yunjing is there too,” Shen Qinghan drawled, sounding completely unconcerned. “Then you run along and buy her an umbrella, and bring it over to me while you’re at it.”
Gu Yunjing was left speechless.
What was wrong with this idiot? Had he lost his mind?
Xie Mengying bit her lip and ended the call, her eyes welling up with tears as she turned back to Gu Yunjing. “Yunjing… let’s just go. It seems Shen Qinghan doesn’t want anything more to do with us.”
Seeing her like this only made Gu Yunjing’s anger flare up. Who did Shen Qinghan think he was? Just because he had some money, did that give him the right to treat Xie Mengying so poorly?
Just wait until she saw him today—she’d give him a piece of her mind.
Shuyu slipped into the classroom right as the bell rang. She quickly found an empty seat in the back corner, pulled out her phone, and opened the attendance app to scan the QR code.
No sooner had she marked herself present than Shen Qinghan sat down right beside her.
Shuyu stared at him, speechless.
Was this level of surveillance really necessary?
Truly the female lead’s most loyal follower. It felt like Shen Qinghan would even stand guard outside the bedroom if it meant keeping the male and female lead together.
Shuyu shifted over a little, trying to put some distance between them—only for Shen Qinghan to slide over as well, keeping right beside her.
“I’m just looking after you for Si Yiheng,” he said with a grin.
Shuyu thought: Yeah, right. You’re watching me for Xie Mengying, that’s what you’re doing.
Gu Yunjing and Xie Mengying walked into the classroom together. Gu Yunjing spotted Shen Qinghan immediately, sitting next to a girl.
The girl wore a white off-the-shoulder high-waisted top and flared jeans. Even from behind, her figure was striking—slim waist, long legs, and fair, smooth skin visible where her arms and shoulders were bare. Her long hair cascaded down her back, and she carried herself with such elegance and grace.
Just from the back, she looked stunning.
Gu Yunjing felt her anger rise again. That fickle, shameless man! Now he had set his sights on someone else, and even brought her to sit in on their class.
She strode over, reached out to separate them, and spoke directly to Shuyu in a raised voice: “What do you think you’re doing?”
Shuyu lifted her head in confusion. She still had her mask on, revealing only her clear, bright eyes—black and white, framed by thick, curled lashes.
She looked just like a wide-eyed little cat.
Gu Yunjing froze.
Where had this adorable little creature come from? She was just too cute!
The moment she recognized Gu Yunjing’s face, Shuyu quickly ducked her head again. She didn’t want another shouting match in front of everyone, let alone one where she ended up tearful and flustered. That would be utterly embarrassing.
“You—!” Gu Yunjing began, then trailed off.
“What are you doing letting Shen Qinghan get close to you? Do you really think he’s good enough for you?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, every head in the classroom turned to look their way. Shuyu wanted to curl up and disappear into the floorboards.
In a soft, quiet voice, eyes still fixed on the desk, she murmured, “Class has started… could you please go back to your seat first?”
Her tone was so gentle and light that the last of Gu Yunjing’s irritation melted away like butter in the sun.
“O-Oh, right. Okay,” she stammered.
Feeling she had lost her composure, she added hastily, “Just you wait—when class is over, I’ll deal with you and Shen Qinghan both!”
Shuyu could only stay silent.
“My goodness,” Tie Dan remarked, “couldn’t she have looked away before saying those tough lines? It sounds more like she wants to poke your cheek and tease you.”
Shuyu thought: Thanks, but we’ve already fought once recently. I’d rather not repeat that experience.
Gu Yunjing and Xie Mengying finally found their seats and sat down, leaving only the sound of Professor Zhang lecturing from the podium.
Shuyu quietly took out her phone to check messages. Right then, a text popped up from Si Yiheng:
ATM: Did you make it to class? Where are you sitting?