“Is that so?”
Shen Junxi lowered his gaze, inadvertently meeting her eyes.
The girl’s pure, bright, and beautiful almond-shaped eyes held a glimmer of moisture, like stars scattered across the sky—brilliant and enchanting.
And at the center of each star was him.
His eyebrows, eyes, nose, lips, face…
It gave the illusion that her heart and eyes were completely filled with him.
“Shen Xiaoxi, why are you so good?”
Su Niansheng murmured, her voice trembling slightly. Just as she leaned closer to him, the boy suddenly reached out, covered her eyes, and pulled her away.
“? What are you doing?”
“Nothing…”
Shen Junxi forced himself to stay calm, but the noticeably altered tone of his voice betrayed his emotions.
It was just that, when she stared at him so intently, he couldn’t help but feel his heart race, couldn’t suppress the urge to ‘bully’ her fiercely.
“Lately, why do you always look at me with that kind of gaze?”
Su Niansheng: “…” Was she that obvious?
“Because…”
“I’ve realized you’re getting more and more handsome!”
“Your taste has improved by leaps and bounds,” Shen Junxi said, a roguish smile curling at the corner of his lips. “It’s just a bit late—I’ve always been this handsome.”
Hmph, narcissist!
Su Niansheng smiled and took a spoonful of Mont Blanc into her mouth.
The campus night, the gentle breeze, the rich floral fragrance mixed with the sweet scent of cake, and the company of her childhood friend—everything was so delightful, making the girl’s heart soften.
What used to be taken for granted now felt incredibly precious.
“By the way, what reward do you want?”
Shen Junxi: “Be my baby.”
“What… cough~ cough!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Su Niansheng was caught off guard and choked on a mouthful of chestnut puree. She lowered her head, coughing violently, unsure whether she was shocked or frightened.
Shen Junxi reached out, patting her back while leaning close to her ear. His deep, long eyes narrowed slightly, his tone teasing, “I meant a football baby. What were you thinking?”
“…” Su Niansheng’s face flushed with embarrassment. She looked up, her starry eyes shimmering with water and filled with shame. “Clearly, your words were ambiguous!”
“Hmph.”
Shen Junxi snorted softly, watching her overly startled, flushed face. His gaze turned cool as he gritted his teeth.
Even if it was ambiguous, was it really that frightening?
Su Niansheng: “You have a match?”
“Yeah, the Business School organized a friendly match between the International Trade Department and the Finance Department. It’s scheduled for next Wednesday.”
When he mentioned the Finance Department, he slightly lifted his gaze to observe her expression, only to find her calm and unruffled, without a trace of disturbance.
“Sure, it’s just holding pom-poms and dancing a cheerleading routine for you before the match, right? That’s a piece of cake for me.”
“Are you sure?” Shen Junxi raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you want to check the list of participants from the Finance Department first?”
“What’s there to see?” Su Niansheng asked, puzzled. Her pure, bright eyes, illuminated by the starlight, appeared radiant and sincere. “No matter who the opponent is, I’ll always support you.”
The girl’s light, casual words fell like thunder into the boy’s heart, stirring up towering waves of emotion and leaving him momentarily stunned.
After a long while, he finally turned his head slightly away.
The stars scattered across the boundless clear sky, the flowers blooming in the warmth of March—none of them could compare to the beauty he felt in his heart at that moment.
The earlier unease from the probing was swept away, replaced by unparalleled sweetness.
“?”
Su Niansheng looked up and saw the mottled moonlight spilling over him, divided by his handsome, chiseled features into two sides—one gentle, the other shadowy, overlapping unevenly and making his expression hard to discern.
But from beneath the distinct, dense lashes like crow feathers and the deeply curved corners of his clearly upturned lips, she could sense he was smiling—a smile so captivating it could steal souls and mesmerize minds, utterly breathtaking.
Though she didn’t know what he was grinning foolishly about, she was infected by it too. Breaking off a small piece of Mont Blanc, she offered it to him, “Here, want some?”
“No.”
Shen Junxi refused.
He was already sweet enough.
Any sweeter, and his blood sugar would skyrocket.
At ten o’clock, Lin Yixuan, Zhao Menghan, and Xu Yue had already returned to the dorm.
When Su Niansheng pushed open the door and saw they weren’t in bed yet, she thought they had all been stirred up by Lin Yixuan and decided to gang up on her. Unexpectedly…
Zhao Menghan and Xu Yue greeted her as usual, and Lin Yixuan, too, had shed the embarrassment and anger from earlier on stage, happily trying on clothes.
“Menghan, do you think I look better in this sporty style or this ladylike one?”
“The sporty one.”
“That works too.” She picked up the sporty short-sleeve. “Sporty style suits a ball game better.”
“Ball game?”
“Yeah, right after we finished dinner, Yubai asked to meet me downstairs. He said the Business School is organizing a soccer match soon, and he’s representing the Finance Department. He specially invited me to be the cheerleading captain to cheer him on! Oh, and you and Xu Yue should come too—I saved spots for you. There’ll be lots of handsome guys there!”
After she finished, Zhao Menghan and Xu Yue simultaneously glanced at Su Niansheng, their eyes involuntarily filled with sympathy.
She liked Shi Yubai so much, yet she didn’t even know about this news—clearly, he didn’t want her to know, let alone join the cheerleading squad.
What’s more, now that she had angered Yixuan, she probably wouldn’t have many chances to get close to him in the future.
The two shook their heads silently, but the object of their sympathy felt nothing at all. Her only thought was: No wonder Shen Junxi had told her to check the list of Finance Department participants before deciding.
That guy still didn’t believe she had given up chasing Shi Yubai.
After speaking, Lin Yixuan subtly set down the clothes, observing her reaction. Seeing her expression unchanged and completely normal, the pride at the corners of her lips gradually turned to mockery.
What are you pretending for?
Hearing that Yubai invited me to join the cheerleading squad, your heart must be bleeding, right?
Serves you right!
This is just the beginning…
Su Niansheng, just you wait!
Wednesday.
Kyoto University, the green field.
The friendly soccer match between the International Trade Department and the Finance Department, organized by the Business School, attracted a large crowd of spectators, with roughly equal numbers of men and women.
Some even came from other schools, having heard the news and made a special trip.
Most of the girls came for the legendary looks of Kyoto University’s two famous School Hunks, Shen Junxi and Shi Yubai, while the boys came purely for Shen Junxi—the “Little Soccer King” of the Youth Championships who had once worn the number 10 jersey, representing the capital in matches against neighboring cities and winning repeatedly.
Even before the match began, the area around the field was packed shoulder to shoulder, buzzing with excitement and energy. The specially organized soccer cheerleaders began to make their appearance one after another.
Led by Lin Yixuan, the cheerleading squad from the Finance Department headed toward the left half of the court.
Shi Yubai glanced behind her and saw only Zhao Menghan and Xu Yue, his gaze involuntarily freezing.