Lin Shen was chatting and laughing with Gu Zhiyuan and Chen Hui as he unlocked the door to Room 712 and stepped inside.
He stepped inside to see a reasonably spacious four-person room with loft beds over desks.
The other three beds in the dorm were already made, leaving only the spot in the lower-left corner by the window.
"Wow!"
Gu Wanqing was the first to run onto the balcony. Leaning on the railing, she gazed out at the molten-gold sunset in the distance.
A gentle breeze blew stray strands of hair across her cheeks, and the happy chatter and laughter of students and their parents filled the air around her.
The heartwarming and wholesome scene made Gu Wanqing’s eyes sparkle with an incredible light.
"What a beautiful view!"
"From now on, you’ll be living here."
Lin Shen came up beside Gu Wanqing and asked with a smile.
"How does it feel? Are you happy?"
"As long as I can see Brother Shen, I’m happy!"
Gu Wanqing gave Lin Shen a sweet smile.
Watching the two of them laughing and talking so intimately on the balcony, Gu Wanting felt an indescribable sense of discomfort.
She recalled what Chen Hui had told her before.
"Lin Shen has already moved on. You’re the one who hasn’t!"
’Have I really not moved on?’
Gu Wanting bit her lip, her expression conflicted.
Seeing this, Cheng Yue, who was standing nearby, couldn’t help but mutter.
"Tingting, Lin Shen and your sister seem a little *too* close. Don’t tell me they’re..."
"Impossible!"
Gu Wanting’s sudden shout startled not only Cheng Yue; even Chen Hui and Gu Zhiyuan, who were making the bed, turned around in surprise. "Tingting, what’s gotten into you?" they chided.
"I’ll wait for you guys downstairs."
Gu Wanting turned and walked away. Cheng Yue saw this and hurried after her, but not before offering an apologetic smile to Gu Zhiyuan and Chen Hui.
"I’m sorry, Uncle, Auntie. Tingting doesn’t seem to be feeling well. I’ll go check on her."
"What’s wrong with my sister?"
Gu Wanqing tilted her head, her expression a little worried.
But Lin Shen just shrugged nonchalantly.
"Who knows?"
"..."
Seeing Lin Shen’s cold, detached attitude, Gu Wanqing asked cautiously.
"Brother Shen, do you still hate my sister?"
"’Hate’ is too strong a word."
Lin Shen leaned back against the edge of the balcony, his expression calm and composed.
"We’re strangers now. Her business has nothing to do with me."
"Is that so..."
Gu Wanqing pressed her lips together, her heart a tangled mess.
’As the "bridge" between Lin Shen and Gu Wanting, she was truly caught in the middle.’
’On one side was her sister, her own flesh and blood; on the other, the first boy she’d ever loved...’
’The conflict between them made it even harder for her, someone already inept at navigating relationships, to choose a side.’
’But if she tried to choose both, she would just offend them both.’
’And if she chose just one, there were unshakable reasons not to abandon the other.’
’*Sigh...*!’
Seeing Gu Wanqing’s conflicted expression, Lin Shen smiled and pinched her cheek.
"Just do what you feel is right. You don’t need to worry so much about what others think. I’m sure your sister will understand you."
!?
Although Gu Wanqing was inexperienced with the ways of the world, that didn’t mean she lacked emotional intelligence.
She heard a subtle implication in Lin Shen’s words.
’Does Brother Shen already know that I like him?’
This sudden thought made Gu Wanqing’s heart race. She hurriedly fanned her flushed cheeks, then fled into the room as if escaping and quickly changed the subject.