Chapter 030 — Blushing

Pei Songjiang and Shen Qingli held hands, fingers interlocked, for a full ten minutes. When they finally let go, Pei Songjiang’s palm was slightly damp with sweat.

This time, it wasn’t just Shen Qingli who had been nervous—Pei Songjiang’s heart was pounding just as wildly.

In the following rounds of the game, neither of them was drawn again. While watching the seniors continue playing and joking around, Pei Songjiang took the opportunity to hand Shen Qingli a mochi cream puff and asked in a low voice,
“Are you hungry? Want to eat something else?”

Shen Qingli took the puff from him and replied quietly,
“No need, this is enough.”

She had gone to her part-time job earlier today, but was fired in under two hours. Her mood had been terrible.

So indeed, she hadn’t really eaten anything for dinner.

But now, being here with Pei Songjiang and the upperclassmen, playing games and singing karaoke, she was feeling much better.

Shen Qingli had never had many friends. Normally, even if she didn’t want to return to the Jiang family, she really had nowhere else to go.

So now that Pei Songjiang had taken her out for some fun, she truly felt grateful to him.

As for why Pei Songjiang had helped her so much, she hadn’t really thought about it.

Shen Qingli had grown up with financial struggles and a deep-rooted sense of inferiority. Add to that her failed relationship with Jiang Junwen in her past life, and she had always been insecure—both in life and in love.

Deep down, she didn’t believe anyone could genuinely like her.

Especially not someone like Pei Songjiang—handsome, charming, and kind. It just didn’t seem possible.

As this thought crossed her mind, she glanced at him.

With his tall nose bridge, deep eyes, and defined features, Pei Songjiang looked striking even with just a baseball cap and black-rimmed glasses. Sitting beside her, he was still a full head taller.

Great figure, good-looking, and incredibly considerate.

Compared to him, Jiang Junwen didn’t even come close.

As her thoughts drifted to Jiang Junwen again, Shen Qingli’s mood took a downturn.

Pei Songjiang immediately noticed something was off. He turned and asked with concern,
“What’s wrong?”

Shen Qingli’s face flushed red. She shook her head,
“It’s nothing.”

She lowered her head, feeling awkward.

Oh no. Ever since that hand-holding moment, she hadn’t been able to look Pei Songjiang in the eye.

Now, just seeing his hand made her feel shy.

After over a dozen rounds of Truth or Dare, it was getting late.

Most of the upperclassmen were students from the agriculture program, practically workhorses raised in the fields—digging from dawn to dusk. It was now 11:00 PM, and these “human farm animals” needed to return before the dorm gates locked. If they didn’t get back in time, they’d be stuck outside.

Yang Qianyu asked,
“Old Seven, you heading back to the ‘farm’ (dorms)?”

Pei Songjiang used to stay in the dorms, even though he had a house in the nearby Dongshan Villa District. But recently, for some reason, he rarely returned to the dorm.

Yang Qianyu looked at Shen Qingli, then at Pei Songjiang, his gossipy look making everything clear.

Sure enough, Pei Songjiang shook his head,
“No, I’m taking A-Li home.”

Yang Qianyu grinned,
“Alright, alright. We’ll head out first, then.”

Most of them lived in the school dorms and needed to rush back before curfew.

Pei Songjiang led Shen Qingli out of the mall and hailed another ride. He asked,
“Did you have fun tonight?”

He glanced at her, trying to see if she was still upset.

Shen Qingli smiled,
“Thank you, senior. I had a great time tonight.”

Pei Songjiang smiled too,
“Good. I was worried you wouldn’t like something so noisy.”

After all, she seemed like the quiet, well-behaved type. He was worried KTV would be too much for her.

Meanwhile, their group chat was buzzing:

[Old Seven is something else! Youngest in the group, but first to get a girlfriend! 🐱Shocked.jpg]
[Guys! Anyone got any leads? Please introduce me to a cute junior too! No one’s helping me harvest peanuts in the field! Let’s build love while harvesting! 🥹]
[@Pei Songjiang, no classes on Wednesday afternoon. Ask your girl if she wants to do an escape room. Let’s go with the scary theme. 😏]

…

The escape room suggestion came from Yang Qianyu.

Among them, Yang Qianyu had the most tricks up his sleeve. Although he’d never been in a relationship, he’d memorized all 108 romantic tactics.

While sitting in the car with Shen Qingli, Pei Songjiang saw the message and replied:

[Escape room is fine. But why a horror theme? A-Li might get scared.]

Yang Qianyu replied instantly, furious:

[Old Seven, are you dumb?! Without me, how are you ever going to get married?!]

Pei Songjiang: […]

Yang Qianyu:
[Listen, the scarier the escape room, the better! If she’s not scared, how will she end up in your arms?! Trust me—bring her Wednesday. I’ve got this.]

Pei Songjiang: “…”

He found Yang Qianyu’s ideas a bit over the top.

But tonight at the KTV had gone really well.

At the very least—they’d held hands.

Ever since then, Shen Qingli had started avoiding his gaze.

She seemed to be shy around him now.

That was a good sign.

When Pei Songjiang liked someone, he liked to act quickly.

He didn’t want to drag things out and risk someone else swooping in.

Especially since Jiang Junwen’s attitude toward Shen Qingli was ambiguous at best.

Pei Songjiang felt a definite sense of urgency.

With that thought, he turned to Shen Qingli and asked,
“A-Li, do you have class Wednesday afternoon?”

Shen Qingli blinked in surprise, then replied,
“I don’t think so. Let me check.”

She pulled up her schedule and showed it to him:
“I’m free Wednesday afternoon.”

Pei Songjiang glanced at her schedule and, with his photographic memory, memorized it instantly.

He asked in a low voice,
“The seniors were saying we should go do an escape room on Wednesday. Have you ever tried it?”

He leaned in slightly, his voice low and close to her ear.

Shen Qingli’s cheeks turned red again.

Escape rooms were a popular activity among students, but she had never tried one.

Naturally introverted, Shen Qingli usually didn’t seek out these things. But after tonight, she felt that hanging out with Pei Songjiang and the others was actually fun. The seniors were so lively that she didn’t feel left out at all.

She lowered her head, blushing, and replied softly,
“I haven’t tried it. Have you? Is it fun?”

Pei Songjiang looked at her and smiled.
“I haven’t either. Perfect—we’ll experience it together on Wednesday.”

…

By the time they returned to Dongshan Villa District, it was already 11:30 PM.

Shen Qingli rarely came back this late.

In her past life, she’d usually be home by six or seven at the latest.

But lately, she kept coming home late.

Jiang Junwen stood at the villa gates, arms crossed, eyes cold as he stared toward the road.

In the distance, Pei Songjiang had just helped Shen Qingli out of the car, and the two walked side by side toward the entrance.

Jiang Junwen’s face turned icy. He spun around and walked away with heavy steps.