ORCBRB – Chapter 6
Chapter 6
After the first long class on Friday afternoon, Sang Shi'an's weekend officially began. As she left the classroom, Su Ningyue invited her, “A few new movies are out recently. Want to go see one together?”
Without looking up, Sang Shi'an said, “No.”
Su Ningyue’s tone was meaningful. “Did Senior Jian ask you out?”
Sang Shi'an immediately showed her the phone. It was a group message from the Youth League Committee. “We have to interview the freshmen tonight, and I still need to go to the Number Four Auditorium to help set up. Can you not connect everything to her?”
Seeing Sang Shi'an’s resentment, Su Ningyue teased that she was possessed. “You didn’t have such a big reaction back when the forum thought we had a thing. Could it be that my buttons weren’t done up tightly enough?”
She drew out her words, “So, you two have been running into each other a lot lately?”
Sang Shi'an stopped in her tracks, looking angry enough to bite someone. “You’re so good at getting to the point, why don’t you study journalism? Finance is a waste of your talent.”
Su Ningyue said affectionately, “Of course, it was to meet my dear little Sangsang.”
Sang Shi'an: “Ugh.”
After they went downstairs, Su Ningyue waved at her. “Alright, go get busy. While you’re at it, see if there are any newcomers in the Youth League Committee this year who can make that iron tree of yours bloom. I’ll ask someone else to watch a movie with me.”
Sang Shi'an shooed her away. “Our Youth League Committee is a proper organization. Don’t make it sound like you’re visiting a brothel.”
After parting with Su Ningyue, Sang Shi'an left the academic building and walked through a long corridor. On the half-height windowsill stood two pots of jade-white spider plants. Their delicate leaves, like green gems, adorned the vines that trailed down, faintly revealing the pale green and white flower buds within.
It was clear that some teacher had meticulously cared for these potted plants.
Sang Shi'an liked the sight and took out her phone, intending to take a picture, when she heard footsteps behind her. She withdrew her hand, thinking the owner of the spider plants had arrived.
When she turned around, however, she saw a strange man in a baseball cap, also holding a book. He was probably just a student passing through the corridor. She turned back and paid him no mind.
But the footsteps didn’t move on; they stopped right behind her.
The man’s prolonged gaze on her was unpleasantly offensive.
Sang Shi'an frowned, on alert. “Who are you?”
The other person spoke in a clear voice, “Sang Shi'an, I’ve sent you flowers many times and expressed my feelings for you many times. I even changed my major for you. Don’t you recognize me?”
Sang Shi'an was taken aback for a moment, then realized this person must be one of her pursuers. Although she had turned down many people’s kind intentions, she had never accepted their gifts and had no impression of the ‘many times’ the man mentioned.
As for changing majors… there were no new transfer students in her class. He had probably transferred to another class within the same major. His appearance here was clearly not a coincidence. Sang Shi'an asked calmly, “Classmate, what can I do for you?”
The man’s low voice was deep, matching his tall frame. “I’ve liked you for so long. Why do you never accept my kind intentions? Why can’t you even remember who I am?”
He grew more agitated as he spoke. Sang Shi'an quickly made a ‘stop’ gesture. She had always been impatient with clingy men. “So many people have confessed to me. If I had to remember every single one, I wouldn’t have time for anything else besides memorizing a list of names every day.”
The man saw the resistance and impatience in Sang Shi'an’s eyes, and his already agitated emotions grew more volatile. The expression under his baseball cap gradually twisted. “I finally managed to transfer to your major. I begged those teachers, but they said your class was streamed in the first year and progressed faster than the others, so they wouldn’t let me transfer in. Sang Shi'an, why do you have to be so cold to me?”
“Because I don’t like you and have no interest in you.” Sang Shi'an left the man no room for ambiguity. Normally, she might have been a bit more gentle, but faced with such an aggressive tone, she wasn’t in a good mood either.
“I have something to do later, please move aside. Relationships are a matter of mutual consent. If you really like me, don’t be so annoying.”
The man’s voice rose again, startling a bird that had just landed on the windowsill. “You hate me? I like you so much, and you hate me? How could you hate me? Or do you not like men at all?”
The man became more and more agitated and stepped closer. The difference in their sizes immediately put Sang Shi'an at a disadvantage. “If you like men, why were you hugging that Jian Cenyu and living with her? What they said on the forum is true. You like her, don’t you?”
Sang Shi'an almost laughed out of anger, finally understanding why this man was having a meltdown in front of her. “It doesn’t matter if I like men or women. Even if I liked a dog, it would be none of your business. You think changing your major is a big deal? If you’re sick, go to the medical school and see a professor. You might even save on medical fees.”
The man gritted his teeth. “You didn’t deny it, so what I said is true. You were avoiding Jian Cenyu before because you were trying to cover up your relationship, just like the forum said? You really like her?”
Sang Shi'an: “…”
Sang Shi'an was simply speechless, but explaining things to an idiot like this would only waste her time, so she decided not to refute him. “Yes, yes, I’m madly in love with Jian Cenyu. I was so happy when she came to Yanjing University for her master’s that I couldn’t sleep at night from excitement. I just like her and not you. Is that enough for you?”
After speaking, Sang Shi'an didn’t care about the man’s reaction and walked past him to go back the way she came.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew from behind, followed by the sound of chaotic footsteps. Confused, Sang Shi'an turned to look back from the steps.
The next moment, the sound of shattering porcelain echoed from the ground.
Bang.
The pot of jade-white spider plants was smashed to pieces, and the man in the baseball cap, in a fit of rage, was being held back by passing students.
And next to the shattered porcelain, there was a somewhat mature-looking silhouette.
The hand that blocked Sang Shi'an was long and well-proportioned, with a dignified and steady royal blue cuff. The woman was tall, wearing a white trench coat over a light gold silk blouse that reflected a flowing light and shadow.
“Are you okay?” The woman noticed her gaze, met her eyes, and spoke in a clear, gentle voice.
Sang Shi'an shook her head and thanked the woman, then saw the man in the baseball cap being subdued in a corner by several students.
Before she could ask more, another set of firm footsteps echoed in the corridor. It was the school’s security personnel.
Another familiar voice sounded from behind the strange woman. “You can check the surveillance. It was an intentional assault.”
Sang Shi'an turned her head. It was Jian Cenyu.
So Jian Cenyu was here just now too?
The half-height window reflected Sang Shi'an’s slightly stunned face.
After the security personnel arrived, the students who had stepped in to help also gathered around to explain the situation. Even though Sang Shi'an, the person involved, didn’t say a word, she was assumed to be in shock.
A burly security guard from the security department stepped forward and asked, “Classmate, we’ve investigated the situation. Are you injured? Do you need to be taken to the school clinic?”
Sang Shi'an shook her head. “Thank you, I’m fine.”
She looked at the man in the baseball cap again. His words had already sounded extreme, but she hadn’t expected him to do something like this. Whether the flowerpot was meant to vent his anger or was actually aimed at her, it left her feeling a little frightened.
The security guard patiently comforted her, “We will hand him over to your college’s teachers first. If you need us to, we can also call the police.”
Yanjing University had high admission standards, but it shared a common problem with other schools—not airing its dirty laundry in public. The school leaders would probably arrive before the police did, so there was no need to make a big fuss.
Sang Shi'an said considerately, “I wasn’t hurt. Just let the school handle it according to the rules. Thank you for your trouble.”
The class bell rang again. Before Sang Shi'an could thank the students who had helped, she saw them hurry away.
Sang Shi'an turned to the other woman who had helped her and thanked her again. “Thank you for blocking the flowerpot for me just now. If you have time, how about I treat you to a meal this weekend?”
To show her sincerity, Sang Shi'an specifically added, “We can go downtown too.”
The woman didn’t speak, but first let out a low laugh.
Sang Shi'an heard the woman say, “It was just a small gesture. A little one being so generous might give me the wrong idea.”
The term ‘little one’ was slightly teasing but not flippant. Sang Shi'an looked up, only to find that the woman wasn’t speaking to her, but to Jian Cenyu who was standing to the side.
Sang Shi'an was surprised. “You know each other?”
Jian Cenyu glanced at the woman indifferently. The rimless glasses on the woman’s nose glinted in the light, hiding the smile in her eyes. “Publicly or privately, I’m not the one who should be treated to this meal.”
Sang Shi'an was completely baffled.
“Publicly, I wasn’t the one who blocked the flowerpot for you; she was. Privately…” The woman paused, looking at Jian Cenyu, “Blocking someone’s romantic prospects is said to shorten one’s life.”
Jian Cenyu seemed to know what she was about to say and frowned to stop her. “Senior.”
The woman slowly turned her face and laughed softly. “After all, I think I heard the little one say she likes you.”
At that moment, Sang Shi'an was completely stunned.
When she first saw Jian Cenyu, she had wondered if Jian Cenyu had heard what she said to that man.
She had previously joked about being retaliated against by a suitor, and now, her words had come back to haunt her.
She never expected someone else to say it out loud, especially someone who seemed to have a good relationship with Jian Cenyu.
Did she hear Jian Cenyu call this woman Senior?
If Sang Shi'an had seen such a face on campus even once, she would have never forgotten it.
But the point right now wasn’t this woman’s identity, but the phrase—‘the little one said she likes you’.
Sang Shi'an didn’t even know what expression to make. Did she say that? When she was arguing with people, she held nothing back, saying whatever the other person hated to hear the most. She couldn’t even remember if she had said anything more misleading.
“I…”
Jian Cenyu, who had been standing by without moving, saw Sang Shi'an stammering and came to her rescue. “She gets scared easily, so don’t frighten her.”
The woman raised an eyebrow, noncommittal.
First being called a ‘little one’ and now being told she ‘gets scared easily,’ Sang Shi'an was very sensitive to such obviously ageist words. Just as she was about to defend herself, she heard Jian Cenyu make an introduction.
“This is Wen Yansheng, a senior I knew while studying in the UK. She just got her PhD and is considering working at a domestic university. She’s received offers from several schools, including Yanjing University. I invited her to look around.”
A PhD…
No wonder this person had such a deeply ingrained scholarly air. Sang Shi'an politely extended her hand. “Senior Wen, hello.”
Wen Yansheng shook Sang Shi'an’s hand briefly. “That man probably has severe violent tendencies. Has he done anything like this before?”
The concern in her eyes didn’t seem fake, and Sang Shi'an’s tense nerves relaxed, miraculously calming down.
Sang Shi'an’s tone also softened. “I’m fine. We just had a verbal argument before he got physical, and he didn’t get the upper hand.”
Sang Shi'an’s phone rang. It was Gu Yao calling to hurry her. She said a quick goodbye to Wen Yansheng and ran off to answer the call.
Watching Sang Shi'an’s departing figure, Wen Yansheng started walking and chatted casually with Jian Cenyu. “Is this the little one who lives with you?”
Jian Cenyu hummed in affirmation, not hiding anything. “Our parents are acquainted. After I returned to the country, it happened that we attended the same school. Since neither of us is used to living in the school dorms, living together means we can look out for each other.”
“But from what I see, she doesn’t seem to need your care. As for you, you lived alone abroad for four years. Do you need a little one’s care?” Wen Yansheng cut straight to the point.
Jian Cenyu’s steps faltered slightly. When Wen Yansheng glanced over, she resumed her pace. “There’s no need to go against our families’ good intentions on such a small matter.”
Wen Yansheng nodded, accepting Jian Cenyu’s explanation.
The two walked through the long corridor, looking at the classrooms from the windows. They had actually already walked around once and had passed by Sang Shi'an’s class.
Only when they were far from the classrooms did Wen Yansheng speak again. “For the little one to say those things to that man, she must be a lively and outgoing person. She’s very bold and interesting. Isn’t it a bit contradictory for you to say she gets scared easily?”
The wind lifted Jian Cenyu’s long hair, the soft strands brushing against her face and hiding the emotion in her eyes. “What are you trying to say, Senior?”
Wen Yansheng retracted her gaze and continued walking forward. “Nothing. I just find her interesting.”
Jian Cenyu hesitated for a moment, but ultimately said nothing and continued to show Wen Yansheng around the campus.
On the other side, Sang Shi'an was setting up the small auditorium with a senior from the Youth League Committee. At seven in the evening, the recruitment interviews officially began.
All prospective new members had to go on stage, introduce themselves with a microphone, and talk about why they wanted to join the Youth League Committee, which department they wanted to join, their future plans, and so on.
Sang Shi'an sat on the judging panel, casually twirling a pen, watching the nervous first-year students. Suddenly, her shoulder was tapped.
She turned her head. Gu Yao had sat down next to her. “Feeling nostalgic for your own interview a year ago?”
Sang Shi'an answered honestly, “Yeah. I thought it would be a fierce competition, but it turned out almost everyone was accepted in the end.”
Gu Yao gave a mysterious smile. “That’s how you have to trick the freshmen. This is the most naive time of their four years in university. If we don’t trick them well now, we won’t be able to fool them later.”
But Sang Shi'an had underestimated the desire of these seniors to tease the freshmen. After Gu Yao finished her speech on stage and before the interviews began, she added another evaluation criterion—a talent showcase.
And just like that, the small auditorium became completely lively. Even the usually shy female students sang with flushed faces after their self-introductions.
An interview session directly turned into a small evening party.
By the time it ended, it was nearly ten at night, and the freshmen left one after another. Gu Yao suggested they all go for a late-night snack. Wary of the forum posts about her and Jian Cenyu, Sang Shi'an worried that they would get drunk and start joking about her, so she shook her head and declined.
She briefly mentioned the incident with the creepy guy that afternoon. “I promised the person who helped me that I’d treat her to a late-night snack.”
Gu Yao was understanding. “Go on then, be careful on your way. I wonder how the school will deal with that guy. Having someone like that on campus is a real menace.”
Sang Shi'an smiled. “We’ll find out in a few days.”
As she walked out of the auditorium, a strong gust of wind blew in her face. Caught off guard, she inhaled a large mouthful, possibly mixed with some dust, and she stopped to cough several times.
Just as she was about to continue towards the school gate, she heard footsteps behind her.
Sang Shi'an looked back. The dim light only allowed her to vaguely make out a tall man.
Perhaps due to the afternoon’s incident, Sang Shi'an’s heart pounded like a drum. She quickly turned and walked forward.
One step, two steps, three steps…
The footsteps behind her didn’t stop. In fact, they were getting closer and closer.
At ten at night, the campus was mostly empty. Sang Shi'an quickened her pace, her hands trembling as she took out her phone, about to call someone.
Bang.
She bumped into someone. Her phone flew out of her hand, fell to the ground, and the screen shattered on impact.
“Let go of…”
“Why are you so clumsy?”
Another voice, as gentle as water, sounded at the same time as hers. Sang Shi'an’s tense nerves relaxed, and she let out a heavy breath.
She looked up and met Jian Cenyu’s clear and serene eyes. “Wh-wh-why is it you?”
“Who did you think it was? Why are you trembling like this?” Jian Cenyu’s hand rested on Sang Shi'an’s shoulder. The man behind them walked past without a glance.
The warmth of her body brought a familiar, light, and elegant fragrance. Only then did Sang Shi'an realize she was trembling, her breaths coming in short, rapid gasps.
When she could finally speak properly, Sang Shi'an turned her head. “What are you doing here?”
“Just passing by,” Jian Cenyu said succinctly, continuing to gently pat Sang Shi'an’s back to help her catch her breath. “It’s windy here. Do you want to go back to the academic building to recover for a bit?”
Sang Shi'an hadn’t expected Jian Cenyu to attribute her unusual state to the ‘strong wind.’ Whether it was intentional or not, it stirred a subtle, indescribable emotion within her.
“No need.”
Jian Cenyu glanced at Sang Shi'an’s drooping, misty eyes. Her own pupils shifted slightly, and she looked away. “Alright.”
Sang Shi'an was about to ask what Jian Cenyu meant by ‘alright’ when she saw Jian Cenyu step in front of her, immediately reducing the wind.
Since Jian Cenyu was already patting Sang Shi'an’s back, and now she was standing in front of her, it looked as if she was holding her in an embrace.
“Were you at the recruitment all night…”
Jian Cenyu’s voice paused, then suddenly tightened. “…stop panting.”
Sang Shi'an had been frightened for too long and was constantly trying to calm her rapid breathing. Because of their position, she had initially moved closer to Jian Cenyu just to block the wind, but then she found herself craving the warmth from Jian Cenyu’s body that contrasted with the cold wind, so she moved a little closer. Finally, realizing it was less effort to lean on Jian Cenyu, she simply rested against Jian Cenyu’s neck, panting.
When she heard Jian Cenyu tell her not to pant, her rebellious streak kicked in, and her breathing grew louder.
I’ll pant if I want to.
Half a minute later, having panted enough, Sang Shi'an finally felt she had recovered. She moved her head and noticed Jian Cenyu’s tense shoulder, only then realizing their proximity was a bit too intimate.
She pushed Jian Cenyu away. “I’m fine now.”
Jian Cenyu bent down to pick up the phone from the ground and handed it over.
Sang Shi'an took it. Seeing that Jian Cenyu wasn’t moving, she said bluntly, “You can go now.”
Use and discard. The boundary was drawn crystal clear.
Jian Cenyu stood there, her half-lidded eyes studying Sang Shi'an.
Sang Shi'an bit her lip guiltily. “I’m going home tomorrow.”
“Go back and pack your things now.”
“So I won’t be keeping you company.”
She took half a step back, about to flee.
But after walking a short distance, Sang Shi'an was surprised to find that Jian Cenyu hadn’t followed. She turned her head and saw that Jian Cenyu had been stopped by a boy.
Sang Shi'an walked back in confusion and heard the boy asking Jian Cenyu, “Classmate, can I have your WeChat?”
Jian Cenyu thought for a few seconds and said, “Okay.”
Sang Shi'an was utterly shocked.
In her memory, Jian Cenyu didn’t enjoy socializing and had never given her contact information to people she didn’t know well. Sang Shi'an glanced at the boy’s face several times but saw nothing special about him.
After the boy left, Sang Shi'an let out a soft ‘humph.’ “Didn’t you never give out your contact information in high school? Why are you giving it to everyone now that you’ve studied abroad for university?”
Jian Cenyu said, “He was promoting the dorm’s broadband service. If I didn’t give it to him, he might have pestered me for a while. Weren’t you in a hurry to leave?”
It sounded like she did it for her sake, but Sang Shi'an always felt there was another reason.
Unfortunately, she could never figure out Jian Cenyu’s thoughts.
After walking a bit further, as they were about to reach the school gate, Jian Cenyu said, “Has your mother told you?”
Her question was so abrupt that Sang Shi'an couldn’t follow at first. Jian Cenyu seemed to notice her confusion and explained, “My mother is coming back at the end of the month. Your parents invited our family over to your house. If they ask about how we’ve been getting along these past two months…”
“We get along great, and we’re very compatible, just like when we were kids,” Sang Shi'an immediately interjected.
Jian Cenyu lowered her head and smiled, saying no more.
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