She stared at her intently, the corners of her eyes slightly reddened with resentment.
But Lin Yixuan was preoccupied with her own thoughts and didn’t notice her unusual behavior. Instead, she warmly stepped forward and took her hand. “Niansheng, why did you wash up so early? Didn’t you promise me…”
As she spoke, she suddenly leaned close to her ear and whispered, “to practice lip-syncing with me one more time tonight?”
“Practice lip-syncing?”
“Yes, for the Best Singer competition. Have you forgotten?”
Seeing her look of confusion, a flicker of panic flashed in Lin Yixuan’s eyes. Was she thinking of backing out?
Su Niansheng remembered.
Every year, several universities in the capital jointly organized a campus Best Singer competition. The overall winner had the chance to become the spokesperson for a popular music app.
Lin Yixuan had signed up.
But her submitted work was eliminated during the online preliminary round, so she thought of asking her to help ‘lip-sync’ for her.
After relentless pestering, she agreed. After several rounds of PK matches, they successfully advanced.
The final competition was held live at the Jingda University Exhibition Hall. Perhaps because Shi Yubai was the student council president, she easily managed to arrange things through connections. She would sing from behind the scenes while Lin Yixuan performed on stage. They only needed to match the song’s rhythm and lip movements.
In her past life, Lin Yixuan had won the championship this way, smoothly becoming the spokesperson and opening the door to the entertainment industry. The song she performed in the finals was even streamed live online, earning her the title of ‘Campus Acoustic Diva’ among netizens. To this day, no one had discovered the lip-syncing.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but mock herself.
Back then, she was truly blinded by her infatuation, agreeing to such a request. Looking back now, Lin Yixuan’s panicked eyes were filled with purpose and ambition. Where was the slightest trace of friendship for her?
“Of course I haven’t forgotten.”
She forced a smile.
Lin Yixuan breathed a sigh of relief.
“Then let’s hurry out and practice.”
“Alright.”
After practicing the song, Su Niansheng sent a WeChat message to Shen Junxi: Wait for me after school tomorrow.
‘I…’ Before she could explain the reason in detail, he replied instantly: As you command, Your Highness.
The smile she had been faking for Lin Yixuan finally curved genuinely at the corners of her lips.
“By the way, Menghan, Yueyue, do you have any white dresses?” Lin Yixuan asked as soon as she returned to the dormitory, rummaging through her belongings. “Can I borrow one? I want to wear it on the day of the finals.”
“No, my skin is dark. I never wear light-colored clothes.”
“I don’t have one either,” Xu Yue shook her head, then glanced at Su Niansheng. “Sheng Sheng is wearing a white dress, isn’t she? You could ask to borrow hers.”
“Sheng Sheng?”
“But Sheng Sheng’s figure is so ridiculously perfect, you probably won’t fit into it…”
“Sorry,” Su Niansheng cut in before they could continue discussing. “I don’t share personal items with others.”
Silence fell over the dormitory for a few seconds.
Lin Yixuan’s hand, which was opening her closet, tightened slightly.
Zhao Menghan quietly pulled her bed curtain closed and lay down. Rich people really are different…
No one knew what her family did for a living. She had always kept her background tightly under wraps.
In the afternoon, brilliant sunlight bathed Kyoto University. Su Niansheng, carrying two professional course books, hurried to the agreed-upon spot and saw that Shen Junxi had already arrived.
He was half-reclining under a cherry blossom tree, his excessively long and straight legs slightly bent, spanning three or four steps. His free hand rhythmically patted a basketball.
Was he showing off?
As she gradually approached, she noticed his eyes were closed, as if he were resting with them shut.
A gentle breeze brushed past, lightly stirring the boy’s dark, messy short hair. The shadows cast beneath his eyelids swayed along, each strand distinct like the trimmed tail feathers of a crow.
A few cherry blossom petals drifted down, landing between his deep-set brows, on his prominent nose bridge, and on his thin lips that were even pinker than the petals…
His clean, sharp facial features were bathed in sunlight, and his exceptionally handsome face was magnified before her eyes, startling Su Niansheng so much that her heart skipped a beat. She recalled the adjectives her roommates had used to describe him the previous night.
Elegant and peerless, captivating and soul-stirring.
The embodiment of hormones, a trap for millions of young girls.
At the time, she had thought their descriptions were exaggerated, but now it seemed they weren’t in the slightest.
All these years, her eyes had been fixed on Shi Yubai, and she hadn’t even noticed how handsome her childhood friend had grown up to be.
She tiptoed forward, intending to knock him on the head.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she reached out her hand, the boy accurately seized it.
“Su Xiaosheng, who are you trying to sneak attack?”
Shen Junxi slowly opened his eyes, his lazy, carefree dark pupils reflecting her figure, sparkling with a hint of amusement.
“?” Su Niansheng was surprised. “Weren’t your eyes closed just now?”
“Even with my eyes closed, I can smell your scent.”
“Like a dog.”
“Who are you calling a dog?”
“Nothing~” Su Niansheng curved her lips, immediately switching to a different expression. The faint dimples on her cheeks were filled with flattering smiles. “I’m praising you for your keen sense of smell!”
Seeing her like this, Shen Junxi knew she needed a favor.
“Go on, what did you ask me out for?”
“There really is one thing…”
Su Niansheng leaned slightly closer to him.
She planned to pull some strings at the Best Singer finals, but to bypass the watchful eyes of Student Council President Shi Yubai, only this eldest young master of the chaebol family—whose donations accounted for half of Jing University’s buildings and equipment—could make it happen.
After explaining her plan and the steps in detail, she expected him to question it. Instead, he nodded without hesitation. “Alright.”
Alright?
He agreed so straightforwardly?
Wasn’t he curious why she suddenly wanted to take action against her ‘best friend’? Or did he think it was unethical and didn’t approve?
Her eyes were filled with layers of confusion, which Shen Junxi saw through at a glance.
He raised his hand and tapped her on the head.
“Ouch~”
Su Niansheng cried out, wanting to retaliate, but found her hand still tightly gripped by his.
Well, not only had his appearance evolved, but his cunning had too. To prevent her from fighting back, he had even learned to predict her moves!
Shen Junxi: “You little ingrate, all these years, haven’t I always been the lookout while you pulled off your schemes, the human ladder while you climbed walls, the one who took the punishment while you got scolded? Even if you wanted to kill someone, I’d hand you the knife. What’s this little thing compared to that?”
Except when it came to chasing Shi Yubai.
If only she would give up…
He would absolutely obey her every wish, for a lifetime.
Su Niansheng slightly raised her head and saw the boy’s deep, obsidian-like eyes fixed intently on her, burning with clusters of flames, fervent as if making a vow.
She couldn’t help but recall the heart-wrenching threat she heard him whisper in her ear before she died—”Su Niansheng, if you dare die, I’ll kill Shi Yubai!”
Her eyes gradually grew hot, and her voice trembled slightly.
“Shen Junxi, you’re so good~”
The girl’s soft, sweet voice, tinged with a sob, reached him again, making Shen Junxi’s ears burn suddenly. He couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze, reminded of the way she had called him “Jun-ge~” yesterday in the boxing room.
When had she learned to act so coquettish?
It was utterly lethal.
“Ahem.” He cleared his throat to regain his composure. “If I’m so good, shouldn’t you give me a little reward?”
“What kind of reward?”
“Well…” Shen Junxi curled his lips slightly, a hint of roguishness unconsciously flickering at the corners of his eyes and brows. “Just like yesterday—call me that again.”