Song Anan started school, and Song Linchuan stayed at home without much to do. He decided to go back to City B with Song Anan.
That day, Jiang Han called and said, "What day is your flight? I'll come to City S to pick you and auntie up."
Song Linchuan's first reaction was to decline the offer. After all, every time he went home from the house, Jiang Han would pick him up directly at the City B airport. Song Linchuan felt there was no need to trouble him, but then he reconsidered given the current situation with Song Anan. The variety show had just ended, so Song Anan still had some popularity. Plus, with his injured leg, it would be troublesome if someone recognized them at the airport.
After agreeing on the time and place, Jiang Han suddenly thought of something and said, "Oh right, Zhou Wei's agent came to me today."
Hearing Zhou Wei's name, Song Linchuan was startled: "What's the matter?"
"What else could it be?" Jiang Han couldn't help but click his tongue and said jokingly, "It's about when you heroically saved the beauty last time."
Song Linchuan frowned. "Just say it straight or I'll hang up!"
Jiang Han quickly stopped him, "He said Zhou Wei wants your contact information and asked me to ask if you don't mind giving it to her."
Song Linchuan's gaze deepened. Zhou Wei wanted his contact information?
Seeing no response from the other end, Jiang Han thought Song Linchuan was unwilling. "Alright, I know you don't like it. I'll turn it down for you."
To be honest, this was the most worry-free thing about Song Linchuan for Jiang Han. Whether publicly or privately, he never got involved with other female celebrities, which really saved him a lot of trouble.
"I only asked because I heard you were classmates. Forget it, no need to give it to her..."
"Give it to her," Song Linchuan suddenly interrupted him.
Jiang Han was stunned. "What?"
Song Linchuan repeated, "Give her my WeChat."
-
The day before returning to City B, Song Anan was packing at home.
Song Linchuan came in leaning on a crutch.
Song Anan looked up at him and asked, "Have you packed your luggage? Do you need me to help you later?"
Song Linchuan waved his hand. "No need. I just have a few clothes and nothing else to bring. Let Sister Zhang help me pack."
Song Anan nodded. "Okay."
Sister Zhang was the housekeeper. She had just come to ask if she needed help packing, but Song Anan was used to doing it herself.
Especially her books, only she knew exactly which ones to bring and which not to.
Seeing Song Linchuan standing in her doorway but not coming in, it looked like he had something to say.
"What's the matter? Something else?"
Song Linchuan nodded slightly and said, "Nothing much. Just letting you know someone is coming to visit later."
Song Anan was surprised. Someone was coming?
They didn't have many relatives at home. Usually, apart from her brother and sister-in-law's friends, it was only her sister-in-law's family who would occasionally come over.
But with Zhao Ya and Song Zhenhui not at home now, neither of those would come over.
So there was only one possibility—the guest was Song Linchuan's friend.
But his buddies in City S had just been over a few days ago.
Besides, even if they were coming, Song Linchuan wouldn't need to specifically come tell her.
Unless it was someone visiting for the first time.
Wait...
Could it be Pei Kuang?
Song Anan suddenly looked up, "Who...who's coming?"
"Zhou Wei," Song Linchuan replied.
Song Anan was stunned.
Zhou Wei...who?
An uncomfortable look flashed across Song Linchuan's face. "You met her at the hospital last time."
After a few seconds of confusion, Song Anan's brain finally caught up and she remembered who Zhou Wei was.
That afternoon, Zhou Wei came.
Since there were guests, Song Anan had snacks and tea prepared early.
After Zhou Wei came in, she greeted Song Anan first, then put the gift she brought on the table.
She looked at Song Linchuan and said, "Last time at the hospital, you were asleep when I came, so I didn't get to thank you. Later when I went again, the doctor said you were transferred."
"This is just a small token of my appreciation for saving me that time."
Song Linchuan lightly hmm-ed.
The three of them then sat down in the living room, but it was Song Anan hosting Zhou Wei the whole time. Song Linchuan sat there like a statue, as if the guest was hers.
The atmosphere seemed a little awkward.
Song Anan thought that maybe it was because she was there, so the two didn't feel comfortable talking.
Should she give them some space?
"Uh, I suddenly have something to take care of. You two chat first."
Without waiting for their reaction, she left the living room without looking back.
Back in her room, Song Anan jumped on her bed and hugged a pillow, spacing out. She kept glancing at her phone, estimating when enough time had passed and the two should have finished talking before going back downstairs.
Song Anan came to the living room and only saw Song Linchuan alone, which surprised her a little.
"Where is she?" she asked, puzzled.
Song Linchuan's eyes were downcast and he was visibly depressed. "She left."
Song Anan was stunned.
She had only been upstairs for twenty minutes and Zhou Wei had left?
So what exactly did the two talk about?
Song Anan scratched her head and asked the doubt in her mind, "Linchuan, how did you know you liked Zhou Wei back then?"
Song Linchuan was surprised. How did he know?
A look of discomfort flashed across his face as if recalling something. "It was so long ago, I've forgotten."
"I need to go pack for tomorrow's early flight. Don't be late."
With that, he turned and left as if a ferocious beast was chasing him.
Watching Song Linchuan's retreating figure, Song Anan had a pensive look on her face.
-
The next morning, Jiang Han arrived at the Song's villa.
Wow, in a prime area like City S where land was so scarce, just look at their house—a standalone villa, no less than a thousand square meters.
One word—luxurious!
Anyone living in this villa district must be rich or noble.
When the butler brought Jiang Han to the living room, Song Zhenhui and Zhao Ya had already left, while Song Anan and Song Linchuan were about to have breakfast.
"Have you eaten? Want to eat with us?" Song Anan asked.
Jiang Han readily agreed. An opportunity to have breakfast in a prestigious household didn't come every day!
After breakfast, without much delay, they went straight to the airport.
Everything went smoothly. To avoid trouble, they took the VIP route in and out of the airport.
From City B Airport, Jiang Han drove directly towards City B University.
An hour later, their car arrived at the school gates.
It happened to be the start of school, so private cars could enter and exit the campus as long as they showed a student ID.
The car finally stopped on a small road still some distance from Song Anan's dorm building.
"Auntie, come visit me when you have time. I'll be home these days, probably," Song Linchuan said.
Song Anan nodded. "Okay, I'll come see you on the weekend. Take care of your leg injury."
Then she turned to Jiang Han and said worriedly, "Jiang Han, I'll have to trouble you to look after Linchuan, especially his leg. It absolutely can't get injured again, or it'll be troublesome."
Jiang Han naturally agreed readily.
Even without Song Anan's urging, he would be keeping an eye on Song Linchuan next. After all, probably no one was more anxious about Song Linchuan's injury than him.
After the instructions, Song Anan got out of the car.
Song Linchuan's conspicuous leg kept him waiting in the car instead of going down.
Jiang Han went to get Song Anan's suitcase from the trunk and walked her all the way to the dorm entrance.
"Auntie, are you sure you don't want me to carry it up for you?"
He pointed to the people who had just entered the dorm building. "I should be allowed in. I saw some people helping carry luggage in just now."
Song Anan waved her hand. "No need. This case isn't too heavy for me to carry."
Seeing Song Anan insist, Jiang Han didn't push further. He watched her enter the dorm building before turning to leave.
After Song Anan entered the dorm building,
those few girls
Song Anan scratched her head, somewhat confused.
"Excuse me, you're Song Linchuan's aunt, right?" A bespectacled girl came over and asked.
Song Anan was surprised to be recognized and replied, "Yes, I'm Song Linchuan's aunt, Song Anan."
The girl instantly became excited. "Hello! We watched your variety show and really like you."
Song Anan nodded slightly. "Thank you."
The girl held up her phone and tentatively asked, "May I take a picture with you?"
Song Anan was taken aback.
Earlier, Jiang Han had mentioned she was quite popular online, so she should expect to encounter people recognizing her and to be mentally prepared.
But after finishing recording, Song Anan had mostly stayed at home, so this was the first time encountering this. She was a little caught off guard.
"Of course, no problem if it's inconvenient." The girl scratched her head awkwardly.
Song Anan waved her hand. "No problem, go ahead."
Then the few girls took turns taking pictures with Song Anan.
After the photos, they left without disturbing her further. They thanked her and left.
This did relieve Song Anan. She actually wasn't very good at dealing with these situations.
Without lingering further, she headed towards the dorm.
Song Anan pushed open the dorm door and saw her three roommates had all arrived.
"Little Anan, you're finally here! I missed you to death," Li Sirui, whose desk was closest to the door, reacted first and rushed over to engulf Song Anan in a bear hug.
Song Anan staggered back two steps and quickly grabbed the door to steady herself.
"I missed you all too," she said with a smile.
Cheng Ke pulled Li Sirui away. "Careful, don't crush our little Anan."
Song Anan quickly put her hands together and said, "Sorry, sorry, got a little excited. An'an, are you okay?"
Song An'an shook her head.
They were originally on good terms in the dormitory, and they were all quite happy to see each other after a summer break.
At this moment, another roommate Cai Xiaodi also came over and patted Song An'an on the shoulder, saying seriously: "Little An'an, you're quite good at keeping secrets."
Song An'an knew she was referring to Song Linchuan's matter. She was about to explain to everyone that she didn't intentionally keep it a secret. But suddenly several people around got excited.
"An'an, do you know how exciting our summer was because of you?" Cheng Ke said.
Song An'an was stunned. What did she mean by that?
Cheng Ke went on to say, "Ever since my parents knew An'an is my roommate, they've been chasing that show every day. When they go out for a walk and see someone, they'll show off and say things like 'My daughter's roommate is the little auntie, oh my god, this is the first time I feel the glory of my ancestors.'"
Song An'an scratched her head. Was it that exaggerated?
Cai Xiaodi also said enthusiastically: "Do you know about the box of peaches you sent me? After I received it, my parents even took pictures specially and showed off in our big family group."
"Wow, as a result, that night, relatives like my seven aunts and eight uncles all came to visit. It was even more bustling than Chinese New Year. The last time my home was so lively was when I got into college."
Cheng Ke: "Don't even mention it. My parents were even more crazy. They even posted on Moments to show off. As a result, of the box of peaches An'an sent me, I only had two left in the end."
After hearing the two's experiences, Li Sirui quickly said, "Luckily I had the foresight not to let my parents show off."
"But my cousin came to eat up half of my peaches when she knew An'an is my roommate!"
The three chatted vigorously, discussing it enthusiastically.
Song An'an unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, everyone didn't resent her for hiding her relationship with Song Linchuan.
-
After returning to school, Song An'an once again devoted herself to her busy studies.
The situation was about the same as she had predicted. In the first few days after school started, people were indeed quite curious about her, and some occasionally came up to talk to her or ask for a photo.
As long as the time and place were appropriate, Song An'an generally would not refuse requests for photos.
She knew everyone didn't have any malice, they were just curious.
In this way, after about half a month, Song An'an's campus life finally returned to normal.
She still lived the life going between the library, classrooms, and cafeteria.
On weekends, she would also go see Song Linchuan and tell him to focus on recovering from his injuries.
Pei Kuang had started filming before she returned to school. He also brought the cat Qiuyi to the set, so it didn't stay at home alone.
Since school started, the two hadn't video chatted. Pei Kuang was busy shooting every day, so the times were irregular. Plus at the dorms, it wasn't very convenient for Song An'an either.
But Pei Kuang would still send her various short videos of Qiuyi whenever he had time. Some were shot when the little guy was sleeping, others captured its troublemaking scenes.
The two occasionally chatted for a few sentences about Qiuyi.
Song An'an felt that strange feeling she had dissipated a lot.
She thought perhaps that inexplicable throb was just a wrong feeling under specific conditions. It was nothing major.
Life went on steadily. The National Day holiday was coming up soon.
That day, when Song An'an returned to her dorm, ready to grab a book and head to the library, she happened to catch Li Sirui freaking out when she opened the door.
"Ahhhhh, these gossiping paparazzi are so annoying, all they do is spread nonsense!"
Song An'an was stunned, roughly guessing what happened.
She lowered her eyes and casually asked, "Sirui, what's wrong?"
Li Sirui said indignantly, "Don't you think they're full of it? Just because they caught Xie Yin at the A City airport, they started saying it's confirmed they're in a relationship. What a relationship, they're straight-up rumor-mongers!"
Pei Kuang was shooting in A City. Xie Yin also went to A City.
Did that mean they had met?
Song An'an suddenly felt a sour sensation spreading in her throat, and her heart felt a little stuffed.
After leaving the dorm, she found a secluded spot in a small grove next door.
Song An'an took a deep breath, took out her phone, and found Pei Kuang's number.
After hesitating for a moment, she still dialed it.
