This is another test of Jiang Yan's ability to fabricate and make things up. She pondered for two seconds and created a childhood friend scenario for herself: "We grew up together from a young age, and he was my next-door neighbor. He used to snatch my cookies when we were kids. But then, something happened in his family, so he moved and changed schools."
"We lost touch, but we had an agreement to take the entrance exam for University A together. I found out that he is now in his second year, majoring in finance... So, do you really not know him?" Jiang Yan paused, suddenly becoming cautious. "You're not lying to me, are you?"
Song Shiyu really wanted to say, "Little sister, it's you who's lying to me." He was certain that he was the only Song Shiyu in the finance major at University A, and he never stole her cookies, moved, or changed schools.
So, here comes the question: How should this matter be resolved?
This was the first time Song Shiyu, at his age, attempted to lie and deceive someone. He looked at the young girl with her black, round grape-like eyes and soft cheeks, took a deep breath, and primarily because Jiang Zhi was present, he couldn't lose face.
Song Shiyu slowly spoke, "I know him. The person you mentioned, he took a leave of absence this semester and hasn't been attending classes."
"Really?" Jiang Yan interrupted with skepticism. "Are you sure you're not mistaken? Maybe we're not talking about the same person..." Since the system had assigned the task, it meant that this person should be at the school. If he wasn't there, the following storyline wouldn't progress.
Indeed, it wasn't the same person, little sister. Song Shiyu felt a bit powerless. Oh, sister, you have no idea what you're talking about. He paused for two seconds and decided to struggle a bit more. "It's the same person. He injured himself playing basketball the day before yesterday and broke a bone. He's currently in the hospital and unable to come to class, so he took a leave of absence. It's normal that you didn't know about it since it happened the day before yesterday."
"Really?" Jiang Yan half-believed and half-doubted. In that case, this task couldn't be completed for now.
Before she could receive a reply, a guy wearing a volunteer armband and dripping with sweat rushed into the shelter. He shouted, "Song Shiyu, water! Give me some water, I'm so thirsty!"
The guy opened a bottle of mineral water for himself, guzzled it down, completely unaware that he had brought a freezing winter atmosphere to this little shelter.
Song Shiyu seemed overly honest. The guy only realized the oppressive atmosphere after he finished drinking the water. He looked up and saw a doll-like little girl, then nudged Song Shiyu with a grin, "Who's this? The junior from that major?"
Song Shiyu handed him the water, not allowing any refusal, and said, "Volunteers should be available to help freshmen at all times, so go outside and drink."
The guy left, winking mischievously.
Silence continued to pervade the shelter.
Jiang Yan squeezed out an "Ah" from her throat.
Song Shiyu instinctively lifted his eyelids to look at her, but heard her say, "It's true."
Song Shiyu hesitated for a moment, trying to recall the lie he had just fabricated. That person injured himself playing basketball and took a leave of absence...
Jiang Yan made an effort to make her voice sound more genuine. "I believe you. Let's leave it at that, I was just asking."
Song Shiyu covered his face with his hand, pressing harder and harder, and his hand trembled ever so slightly.
Jiang Yan couldn't continue speaking. She searched for a crack on the ground, wishing to disappear into it forever.
Fortunately, at that moment, Jiang Zhi's voice came through, "Jiang Jiang! Is your leg better?"
Jiang Yan silently got off the chair and ran over to him.
Jiang Zhi greeted Song Shiyu, "Lao Yu, let's go."
Song Shiyu watched the two siblings walk out side by side and faintly heard Jiang Yan angrily ask Jiang Zhi, "Why do you call him Lao Yu?"
Song Shiyu let go, no longer concealing his smile as it spread across his lips.
Jiang Zhi felt innocent, "Our department chair is also surnamed Song, and they started calling him Lao Yu first! What's wrong with you? Why are you so agitated?"
"Who made you put me there?" Jiang Yan was embarrassed and unable to express herself, so she could only make trouble with Jiang Zhi.
"And that's my fault too?" Jiang Zhi casually ruffled her hair. "Who was hiding behind the luggage, causing their leg to go numb?"
The two bickered as they joined Jiang's father, Jiang's mother, and Jiang Xian.
Jiang's mother looked at the squabbling siblings and patted Jiang Xian's hand. As a couple, they could see the relationship between the three children.
Jiang Yan was spoiled by both of them, and she had a somewhat temperamental personality. Ultimately, her concern for Jiang Xian was the underlying reason. But they had indulged her.
Jiang Zhi had always been mature beyond his years, becoming stable and composed by his early teens. They were aware of his seemingly gentle exterior but cold and detached interior. After Jiang Xian arrived, Jiang Zhi started paying more attention to Jiang Yan, and their relationship grew closer.
Jiang Xian was their biological daughter. Because she had a difficult childhood, her behavior was upright, she was hardworking and talented. Jiang's father and mother both carried a mix of heartache and guilt, making efforts to compensate for her. Jiang Xian also cared deeply for her remaining family and readily complied with her parents' actions.
Yet, the relationship between Jiang Jiang and little Xian was a bit strained. Jiang's mother thought this to herself as she looked at the family eating, finding some solace: "Children have their own fortunes, and it doesn't matter so much. Maybe the sisters will get along better over time."
After finishing the meal, Jiang's father and mother went home, Jiang Zhi took Jiang Yan back to school, and Jiang Xian left first because she had something to attend to.
The dormitory was a four-person room, and the girls got along well. They were captivated by Jiang Yan's deceptively innocent appearance.
Because they were all freshmen and not yet familiar with each other, the girls shared snacks and gossiped. Eventually, the topic turned to Jiang Yan.
"Jiang Zhi is your older brother, and Jiang Xian is your sister. I'm really envious! You're truly a winner in life, you know?"
"Is everyone in your family so good-looking? All of you have fair, cold skin and long legs..."
Jiang Yan glared at her with murderous intent, and her roommate abruptly interrupted, awkwardly stuffing a handful of potato chips into her mouth and swallowing the unfinished words.
The chocolate brown wavy-haired senior roommate gently patted her head and comforted her, "It's okay. You don't even know how adorable you are. Being tall doesn't mean you're not cute."
Jiang Yan, still with her dead-fish eyes, quietly reached out and playfully rubbed her big sister's leg, gaining a bit of the height advantage.
After having a quarrel with her roommates, Jiang Yan lay stiffly on her bed, gathering the courage to ask the system, "Is there any hope for the love-at-first-sight mission?"
"The mission has been completed," the system replied.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Jiang Yan asked.
"According to the system's assessment, you have completed the act of falling in love at first sight with Song Shiyu."
Jiang Yan couldn't help but cover her face as she recalled her nonsensical words in front of the male lead.
The system was quite satisfied and said, "You have successfully left Song Shiyu with the impression of being a compulsive liar, which sets the stage for your future antics."
However, being an artificial intelligence, the system didn't know that in the heart of a young man, the combination of a beautiful girl and easily debunked lies could evoke another wonderful feeling—adorableness.
Shortly after the start of the new semester at A University, a freshman basketball game was organized. Students from all majors were welcome to participate, under the guise of welcoming the new students.
Jiang Yan was dragged to the front row of the audience seats by her roommate, Tian Tian, who was drooling over the idea of seeing handsome guys. She heard the girls in the audience seats shouting a familiar name.
Jiang Yan's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked up to assess the situation. But she didn't need to search because the person was sitting among the basketball players preparing to take the court, his outstanding appearance capturing everyone's attention.
Wearing a loose-fitting blue and white basketball uniform that accentuated his slender figure, with clean black short hair, sharp features, expressive eyes, and a lazy demeanor, he could attract a crowd just by sitting there. He was Song Shiyu.
With his exceptional looks and physique, it was no wonder that the girls in the audience seats were all looking at him, and it was no wonder that the original owner of Jiang Yan's body fell in love with him at first sight.
Jiang Yan closed her eyes, her hand held tightly by Tian Tian. She wanted to leave but couldn't. Silently, she put on a mask and pulled down her cap.
"Why are you covering yourself so tightly?" Tian Tian asked, perplexed, amidst her search for handsome guys. "Are you a germaphobe? Someone who doesn't want to come into contact with others?"
Jiang Yan shed tears of gratitude in her heart. Her roommate, who could provide her with good reasons, was truly a blessing.
However, Tian Tian couldn't live up to the praise in Jiang Yan's heart. The next moment, she yelled into Jiang Yan's ear while discreetly pointing her finger at Song Shiyu. "Look at him, his name is Song Shiyu! He's so handsome, the sophomore hunk from the Finance Department!"
Regret flooded over Jiang Yan for being swayed by an ice cream to come and watch the basketball game.
Song Shiyu quickly noticed the existence of the little mushroom because she was hiding so obviously and stood out from the crowd.
Her gaze was also too distinctive. Almost all the girls in the audience seats were there to see handsome guys, their eyes burning with desire like wolves. But she, with her innocent and round grape-like eyes, stared at him with a mix of fear and nervousness, afraid of being noticed.
He curiously examined her outfit—cap, mask—it was as if she had curled up into a little mushroom.
"Hey, Song Shiyu seems to be looking over here," Tian Tian suddenly exclaimed with excitement.
The voices of the girls around them immediately became noisy. "Song Shiyu just glanced over here!"
"I saw it too!"
"No way! Even the outfit I wore today could catch Song Shiyu's attention?"
"Ah, I woke up late today and didn't put on makeup!"
They became more and more anxious as they spoke, and even some dreadful thoughts popped into Jiang Yan's mind: Oh no, could it be that Song Shiyu will come over and beat her up? Perhaps last time he held back because of Jiang Zhi's face, but now that Jiang Zhi is not around, he can't control himself anymore...
"It's possible," the system replied emotionlessly, like a robotic spectator who didn't mind the commotion.
Jiang Yan was frightened by her own wild imagination, trembling with fear. In her mind, she calculated her escape route and discreetly glanced to locate the assassin, only to unexpectedly meet Song Shiyu's gaze, who had been staring at her for quite some time.
It was halftime, and Song Shiyu found Jiang Yan's overly cautious reaction amusing, so he decided to approach her.
"Why are you so afraid, little sister? Do you think I'll eat you?" Song Shiyu's voice had the unique clarity and magnetism of a young man. After mixing in some laughter, it could intoxicate people.
The young girl remained motionless as if she had truly turned into a quail. Song Shiyu paid no attention to the reactions around them and reached out to tug on her hat, revealing her face.
However, what he didn't expect was that once her face was revealed, he was met with a pair of clear eyes—jet black and round. They were now trembling as they looked back at him, subtly carrying a hint of grievance.
It pierced straight into the softest part of one's heart.
Song Shiyu took a quick look and then put the hat back on her head. The original intention of teasing had completely dissipated, and when he spoke again, there was an imperceptible sense of consolation: "Let's turn the page on that matter, alright? Big brother won't hold it against you anymore. When you have time, let Jiang Zhi bring you to find me for some fun."
