Liu Nan was frustrated by their indifferent expressions. With a cold snort, he pulled a small, black leather bag from his back pocket and waved it forcefully.
"Ta-da! I borrowed a camera from a high school classmate who goes to another school. Look!"
Liu Nan held the camera bag up high, slung the strap around his neck, and wiggled his eyebrows excitedly.
"Why’d you borrow a camera?"
"To take pictures, of course."
"Pfft—"
Wei Zhen couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing. He stepped on the bunk bed ladder and jumped down to the floor.
"Seriously, man... You can’t even take a decent selfie. You just shove the camera in your face, and your phone gallery is full of the most unflattering angles," he said, picking up the camera from Liu Nan’s chest to examine it. "Even the best camera is useless in your hands."
"Liu Nan, are you going to learn photography?" Chen Yuan asked curiously, taking off his headphones.
"That’s right," Liu Nan said, shooting Wei Zhen a glare and puffing out his chest. "I might not have known how before, but times have changed. I’ve spent the last few days looking up tons of information about photography, studying hard. Now you could say I’m pretty much an expert."
"For real?"
"Don’t doubt me, just have some faith! I’ve got this weekend all planned out. You guys know Dongpu Lake, right?"
"Yeah, that really popular tourist spot."
"I’m planning to go to Dongpu Lake for two days. Tons of college girls from all the different universities go there to take pictures for social media. I’ll follow the script from those short videos. First, I’ll pick a target, then I’ll approach her sincerely and ask."
Liu Nan lovingly took Wei Zhen’s hand, acting out the scene he had imagined.
"Excuse me, can I take a picture of you? I think you’re very beautiful, and you’re a perfect match for this scenery~"
"Ew..." Wei Zhen shuddered, completely grossed out, and quickly snatched his hand away.
"When she sees how professional I am, and since girls love looking good, she’ll definitely agree! After I take the picture, I’ll add her on Green Bubble, we’ll chat for a few days, and with my superhuman emotional intelligence, winning her over will be a piece of cake."
"What a disgusting way to hit on someone."
"What do you know? Have you ever even been in a relationship? I’m not bragging, man, but my relationship history is incredibly rich. You have to be proactive with girls if you want a story to tell."
Liu Nan glanced sideways at the two of them confidently and continued, "Don’t you guys get it? College is for getting into relationships. Dating is just as important as studying. Yafeng doesn’t have a girlfriend, you don’t have a girlfriend, and of course, Chen Yuan doesn’t either! I have to step up and be the pioneer."
"Uh, actually, I..."
"And look at you, Chen Yuan," Liu Nan said, pulling up a chair, sitting next to him, and cutting him off. "In this dorm, we’re the handsome ones. You’re on your phone chatting all day, but what’s that going to get you? You think you can text your way to a perfect girlfriend with long legs and a personality that’s both sweet and spicy? Why not come to Dongpu Lake with me? You could be off the market in no time."
Wei Zhen immediately covered his ears and rolled his eyes, not wanting to hear another word of the guy’s rambling. ’He actually had the nerve to call himself one of the ’handsome ones’...’
"Hold on, I don’t think your plan will work," Chen Yuan said, taking the camera from around Liu Nan’s neck and looking it over, mercilessly shattering his fantasy. "There’s another possibility. Maybe after you take her picture, she’ll think it’s so ugly that she’ll chase you down and curse you out."
"That will absolutely not happen. I’ve studied this thoroughly, and I even asked my classmate for tips just now."
"Photography isn’t simple. You can’t learn it in three days."
"Is it really that hard?"
Liu Nan was puzzled. ’Isn’t it just raising the camera, framing the person, and pressing the shutter button?’
’And boom, you get a beautiful photo, right?’
’Oh, right, I also have to find the center point and a reference object. Symmetry is best.’
That’s what the online tutorials taught. He’d glanced at them once and had it all figured out.
"Then give it a try. Take a picture of Wei Zhen."
"Okay!"
Liu Nan nodded and immediately raised the camera.
Before Wei Zhen could even react, CLICK—
The image of a wide-eyed, completely bewildered Wei Zhen was frozen in the frame.
"And just like that, it’s done."
"I didn’t say you could! Why are you taking my picture?! That’s an invasion of my privacy! Pay me!"
"Let me see."
Chen Yuan reached for the camera, and Wei Zhen leaned in at the same time.
After they got the camera, the three of them huddled together, studying the screen for a moment...
The next second, Wei Zhen shot up, wrapped Liu Nan in a chokehold, and yelled, "You made me look like a damn potato mine! I’m 5’8"!"
The men’s dorm was filled with lively, boisterous noise, but Quan Yafeng was alone on the athletic field, drenched in sweat as he did pull-ups.
...
Meanwhile, in the office of the Deputy Secretary of the Youth League Committee at Lanjing University, bright sunlight streamed into the room where Jiangg Ning sat quietly, working on documents.
A gentle breeze rustled the edges of the papers. The strands of hair at her temples, dyed gold by the sunlight, trembled in unison with the documents. Her delicate features held an expression of dignified calm.
With a CLICK, Jiangg Ning capped her fountain pen. She tapped the signed documents on the desk to straighten the stack, then set it aside.
At noon, she had gone to the cafeteria with a few other female teachers from her college and had a simple meal of vegetables and rice.
Her morning had been derailed by a whirlwind of thoughts, so she’d rushed back to the office right after lunch. Jiangg Ning forced herself to focus and tackled her work, staying busy until half past one in the afternoon.
She had powered through her work with exceptional efficiency.
Finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, Jiangg Ning stood up and stretched languidly, satisfied with her own diligence.
’Since I’ve accepted this job, I have to do it well. I can’t let my superiors down. I don’t want people whispering behind my back that I’m just a pretty face who got the job through connections.’
"Alright, now that this is all taken care of, it’s time for the next thing..." Jiangg Ning whispered to herself.
She had thought it over and over, thoroughly analyzing all the emotions Chen Yuan had stirred in her.
The conclusion she reached was that she had to make a decision, or things would spiral out of control.
’Since I can’t control these strange feelings for Chen Yuan, I might as well figure out what my heart truly wants, and soon! That way, I can decide what to do next.’
’If this is real love,’ Jiangg Ning decided, ’then I’ll get to know Chen Yuan properly. I’ll treat this, the first real relationship of my life, with the utmost seriousness. I’ll stop being so timid and bravely confess my feelings.’
’Whether he accepts or rejects me, even if he blames me out of resentment from his breakup, I won’t cause a scene. I just hope my sincerity will convince him to give me a chance to get to know him.’
Jiangg Ning didn’t want to miss out on this rare feeling, and she certainly couldn’t bear to watch Chen Yuan fall in love with another girl.
’I could never accept that. No matter how magnanimous I try to be, I’m still a woman, and love has always been selfish.’
’And if it’s just a fleeting crush, a misconception...’
Jiangg Ning could accept that, too. At least she would have tried, and she wouldn’t have any regrets later.
Taking a deep breath, Jiangg Ning silently gave herself a pep talk. She took out her phone and dialed her younger sister’s number.
’This is a major life decision. I have to tell Jiangg Yao first.’ Yaoyao’s advice last time had been incredibly helpful. It was true what they say: it’s hard to see clearly when you’re in the thick of it.
"Hello? Yaoyao, have you had lunch yet?"
Jiangg Ning asked softly as soon as the call connected.
"Not yet, sis. I just woke up."
"I figured you’d sleep in. There’s food in the fridge, just heat something up. Also, I might be home a little late... and, um, there’s something I need to tell you."
「Lanjing, Fengting District.」
Jiangg Yao’s hair was disheveled and her eyes were swollen with sleep. At first glance, she looked like the heroine from a horror movie. If not for the cute dinosaur pajamas she was wearing, her sickly and listless appearance alone would have been terrifying.
She held the phone between her head and shoulder as she washed a bright red apple in the kitchen. Taking a bite, she mumbled, "Whash up?"
"I... I’m planning... to ask Chen Yuan to meet me this afternoon. It’s Friday, so he should have time."
"...Huh?"
Her sister’s words were like a bolt from the blue, striking her without any warning!
Jiangg Yao froze mid-bite, her hand hovering in mid-air, her face a mask of shock and disbelief.
There was a brief silence as she struggled to process this, but on the other end of the line, Jiangg Ning continued, her voice firm with resolve.
"I’ve been thinking about it for the past few days, over and over, and I feel like dragging this out will only make things worse. I know it sounds unbelievable, but Yaoyao... I have to figure out what’s happening to me!"
"Sis! Don’t be impulsive! Didn’t we agree you’d let it rest for a bit and we’d talk about it later? It’s only been four days!" Jiangg Yao blurted out frantically, her voice cracking. She was still chewing on a mouthful of apple.
"This isn’t impulsive. It’s the best choice after careful consideration," Jiangg Ning said, her voice tinged with a strange sense of relief. She pursed her lips, stood up, and gazed out at the verdant athletic field. With one arm crossed over her chest and the phone in her other hand, she looked down and continued, "Yaoyao, you might not understand how I feel. You’ve moved on, but I think... I’m still trapped in it."
"I... No, sis, listen to me, you can’t rush this kind of thing!"
"I know what you mean, so don’t worry, Yaoyao. I’ll tell you how it goes when I get home tonight. I’ll be careful about how I approach him, too. I won’t use my position as an instructor to pressure him. We’ll just have a proper talk."
"This has nothing to do with your approach! You need to think about this for at least two months... or three? Even half a year! You have to be extremely cautious! This is your first relationship we’re talking about!"
"No, that’ll be too late. Forget it, I’ll explain everything when I get home. You’ll understand then. That’s all for now."
BEEP—
BEEP—
"Hello?! Hello!!"
The call had been disconnected.
The apple dropped from Jiangg Yao’s hand and hit the floor with a THUD. She stood there, stunned for a moment, before her fists clenched. She began to stomp her feet and flail her arms.
"Moved on, my ass!!! I’m the one who’s still in it, sis!" she shrieked, squatting on the floor in utter agony, on the verge of tears.
Her mind was flooded with despair.
She didn’t have to think twice. She was the one dating Chen Yuan. When her sister meets him, what other outcome could there possibly be?
’Chen Yuan doesn’t know we’re twins. He’ll definitely think my sister is me, and then...’
’It’s over!’
’It’s all over.’
’One word: screwed!’
Jiangg Yao’s heart was dead within her. She had never expected her sister to be so decisive, leaving absolutely no room to maneuver.
After who knows how long, Jiangg Yao finally got up. She stumbled into the living room, heart full of despair, and collapsed onto the sofa.
’Why...’
’A boy who suddenly appeared in my life, who fit my idea of a perfect romance in every way, who I fell for so hard and so fast... why did my sister have to fall for him, too?’
’Ever since we were little, we’ve fought over so many things.’
’And now, Sis... do we have to fight over a boyfriend, too?’
...
「Five minutes later.」
Lanjing University Philosophy Class Group Chat.
Jiangg Ning:
"Jia Shiming, Cheng Sizeng, Min Chengxiu, Miao Ting, Lin Xiquan, Nie Yuhua, Fu Huimei... and Chen Yuan."
"The students named above."
"Come to my office after class!"