Chapter 7: Demoness Shen

Hearing this somewhat puzzled voice, Zhao Ping'an felt as if a thousand llamas were galloping through his heart, stomping their hooves and snorting loudly.

"Shen Xueyou, I didn't expect you to be here too?"

With the acting skills Zhao Ping'an had honed over the years in various university teaching departments, his expression could change in an instant. By the time he turned around, his calm face was filled with "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, I'm here to see my cousin. We had agreed on it a couple of days ago, but now that I'm here, I can't get through on the phone. It's really..." Shen Mengyu said, quite speechless. "By the way, why are you here too?"

"Me? Uh, I'm here to see my cousin."

"What a coincidence?" Chen Mengyu was surprised and asked, "Then is your cousin okay? "Can you ask him to find out if he can contact An Ruoxi from Class 102 of the Product Design Department, just say her..." 

"Stop!"

Zhao Ping'an made a "stop" gesture, interrupting her words. His eyes widened in shock as if he had seen a ghost, and he asked each word slowly, "A Ruoxi is your cousin?"

Shen Mengyu seemed startled by his sudden action, taking a small step back and saying, "Yeah, so what? Don't tell me you know my cousin?"

Know? It's more than just knowing. Zhao Ping'an silently roared in his heart: That was the goddess he had secretly admired for four years, okay? How could I not know him? Even the guys who are as good as dead know him!

As for why I say it's just one day apart? That's because An Ruoxi appeared in class the day after school started, quite mysteriously, and it seemed she didn't enroll through official channels, so she was a day late.

Anyway, ever since Zhao Ping'an first laid eyes on that girl, who seemed like a refreshing spring, he was completely captivated.

Actually, it wasn't just him; her appearance naturally made the campus beauty of Southwest University of Science and Technology a goddess in the hearts of countless fans. However, An Ruoxi was low-key and never truly acknowledged her fame.

"Zhao Xueyou?" Seeing Zhao Ping'an lost in thought, Chen Mengyu gently nudged him.

"Uh..." After coming back to his senses, Zhao Ping'an looked at her for a moment, then scratched his head a bit awkwardly. "Shen Xueyou, there's something I need to confess to you. Actually, I'm not some top student from Tsinghua University; I'm just an ordinary student from Southwest Jiaotong University."

Zhao Ping'an felt enlightened inside; any factors that could potentially create a negative impression of him in An Ruoxi's mind had to be nipped in the bud. Compared to the goddess's impression of him, a little face-saving was nothing.

However, what surprised Zhao Ping'an a bit was that Shen Mengyu did not show even the slightest hint of surprise or anger. She simply nodded calmly and said, "I know."

Saying this, he pointed to a pen hanging from Zhao Ping'an's suit pocket, and on the small round head of the pen cap, which only showed half of the pen barrel, were four barely visible small characters—Southwest University of Science and Technology. 

"You can see this clearly? "Zhao Ping'an's eyes widened in disbelief, and he thought, "Is this girl serious? "No, wait a minute...

Could it be... that she knew from the very beginning that I was making up a story, and then she decided to join me in making it up?

"Fucking hell, as expected, all the graduates from Peking University are monsters! "After coming to terms with all this, Zhao Ping'an sighed helplessly, feeling as if his twenty-plus years of wisdom had been instantly ruined as if he were being toyed with in the palm of someone's hand. "Zhao Ping'an, don't look at me with that indifferent expression. If my information is correct, you are my cousin's loyal suitor. Do you know where she is? "On Shen Mengyu's slightly pouting lips, a sly smile appeared.

"Damn, you know this too? You aren't a government agent, are you? "Zhao Ping'an's young heart really couldn't take it anymore and he directly let out a curse.

"Look at what you're saying, the man closest to the strongest Wang Zhi at Southwest University of Science and Technology, who doesn't know him? "Shen Mengyu playfully winked at him, as if she had instantly transformed into a different person, filled with... a sense of wickedness.

This was a complete 360-degree turnaround from the first impression she gave Zhao Ping'an of being gentle, refined, and poised.

Zhao Ping'an thought bitterly to himself, always believing that his acting skills had reached perfection, but it wasn't until today that he truly witnessed what an award-winning performance looked like.

However... I have to say, that description of him as 'the man closest to the strongest king' is quite fitting.

Zhao Ping'an chuckled, and under the enchantment of the Demoness Shen, he instantly reverted to his original form, transforming from a graceful gentleman into a super loser.

"You also know, your cousin is called the Mystery Girl, how can I fathom her trajectory, but..."

Zhao Ping'an paused for a moment, thinking about how he would soon be able to interact with the goddess up close and personal, almost drooling all over the place. "It's still early now, but later I have a way to find her."

"Uh?" Shen Mengyu frowned, feeling that there were still some gaps in the net she had woven.

...

Lu Xun said it well: To capture a city, one must first undermine it from within. To get close to a person, one must first corrupt their closest friends, let alone a cousin.

It's just a pity for Zhao Ping'an's already meager wallet; he took the Demoness Shen out to enjoy all the local delicacies, almost devouring all the food in the nearby neighborhood.

Zhao Ping'an also discovered the ninth great mystery of the world on her—one bowl of hot and sour noodles, one pack of spicy peanuts, one piece of sweet peach crisp, one bowl of crossing-the-bridge rice noodles, one bag of Ciqikou fried dough twists, and one pack of Zhang Fei beef. She actually wanted to eat more!

And strangely enough, look at her tiny waist that can be held in one hand; it hasn't changed at all. Is there anything more unscientific than this?

This makes those girls who feel utterly guilty after eating just a few chocolate chips feel even worse.

"Are you full? If you're full, go find your sister. "Zhao Ping'an clutched the last large bill he had left—an expensive one—looking at Chen Mengyu, who was sitting on a long bench by the street, savoring his dessert of burnt grass jelly. He said with a tearful expression, "Fine, it's almost time for dinner anyway."

"..."

Inbar, known in Chinese as 櫻吧, is a light music bar. It may not be the highest-end establishment around Southwest Jiaotong University, but it is the most popular.

The boss here is well-versed in the art of management, having infiltrated the school early on and won over several highly popular seniors and juniors. A Ruo Xi is one of the resident singers here.

When Zhao Ping'an brought Shen Mengyu here, although it was only 6 PM, the not-so-narrow bar hall was already packed with people, leaving no seats available, only the bar counter.

"Are you saying my sister is performing here? "Shen Mengyu glanced at the drunken college students around her, her expression strange as she asked.

Zhao Ping'an nodded, his eyes scanning the dimly lit hall, looking around to see if he could find someone he knew to mooch off. After all, he was currently broke, and he couldn't possibly let a woman pay the bill. A pure man like him would never do such a thing.

"Um, Shen Mo... Shen Mengyu, did you bring money? "Just to be clear, you're treating today. Zhao Ping'an scanned the area and seemingly didn't spot any acquaintances, then calmly said, "It's fine."

Shen Mengyu shot him a glare and was about to say something when suddenly, a figure stood up from a dark corner not far away, waving at the two, "Xiao Anzi, over here."

"Sister Hong? "Zhao Ping'an recognized who it was just by the loud voice and pulled Chen Mengyu over.

By the time the two of them got closer, they realized, wow, it's a VIP card, surrounded by at least ten people, mostly classmates from the same class, huh? Zhao Ping'an frowned, how did this guy also get involved?

A tall guy with dyed flaxen hair first looked at Shen Mengyu in surprise, then said to Zhao Ping'an in a low voice, "Oh, so our super homebody knows how to hang out at bars too? "However, let's be clear first: if you want to play at this table, you have to buy a round of drinks first.