Lin Shen was chatting and laughing with Gu Zhiyuan and Chen Hui as he unlocked the door to Room 712 and stepped inside.

He stepped inside to see a reasonably spacious four-person room with loft beds over desks.

The other three beds in the dorm were already made, leaving only the spot in the lower-left corner by the window.

"Wow!"

Gu Wanqing was the first to run onto the balcony. Leaning on the railing, she gazed out at the molten-gold sunset in the distance.

A gentle breeze blew stray strands of hair across her cheeks, and the happy chatter and laughter of students and their parents filled the air around her.

The heartwarming and wholesome scene made Gu Wanqing’s eyes sparkle with an incredible light.

"What a beautiful view!"

"From now on, you’ll be living here."

Lin Shen came up beside Gu Wanqing and asked with a smile.

"How does it feel? Are you happy?"

"As long as I can see Brother Shen, I’m happy!"

Gu Wanqing gave Lin Shen a sweet smile.

Watching the two of them laughing and talking so intimately on the balcony, Gu Wanting felt an indescribable sense of discomfort.

She recalled what Chen Hui had told her before.

"Lin Shen has already moved on. You’re the one who hasn’t!"

’Have I really not moved on?’

Gu Wanting bit her lip, her expression conflicted.

Seeing this, Cheng Yue, who was standing nearby, couldn’t help but mutter.

"Tingting, Lin Shen and your sister seem a little *too* close. Don’t tell me they’re..."

"Impossible!"

Gu Wanting’s sudden shout startled not only Cheng Yue; even Chen Hui and Gu Zhiyuan, who were making the bed, turned around in surprise. "Tingting, what’s gotten into you?" they chided.

"I’ll wait for you guys downstairs."

Gu Wanting turned and walked away. Cheng Yue saw this and hurried after her, but not before offering an apologetic smile to Gu Zhiyuan and Chen Hui.

"I’m sorry, Uncle, Auntie. Tingting doesn’t seem to be feeling well. I’ll go check on her."

"What’s wrong with my sister?"

Gu Wanqing tilted her head, her expression a little worried.

But Lin Shen just shrugged nonchalantly.

"Who knows?"

"..."

Seeing Lin Shen’s cold, detached attitude, Gu Wanqing asked cautiously.

"Brother Shen, do you still hate my sister?"

"’Hate’ is too strong a word."

Lin Shen leaned back against the edge of the balcony, his expression calm and composed.

"We’re strangers now. Her business has nothing to do with me."

"Is that so..."

Gu Wanqing pressed her lips together, her heart a tangled mess.

’As the "bridge" between Lin Shen and Gu Wanting, she was truly caught in the middle.’

’On one side was her sister, her own flesh and blood; on the other, the first boy she’d ever loved...’

’The conflict between them made it even harder for her, someone already inept at navigating relationships, to choose a side.’

’But if she tried to choose both, she would just offend them both.’

’And if she chose just one, there were unshakable reasons not to abandon the other.’

’*Sigh...*!’

Seeing Gu Wanqing’s conflicted expression, Lin Shen smiled and pinched her cheek.

"Just do what you feel is right. You don’t need to worry so much about what others think. I’m sure your sister will understand you."

!?

Although Gu Wanqing was inexperienced with the ways of the world, that didn’t mean she lacked emotional intelligence.

She heard a subtle implication in Lin Shen’s words.

’Does Brother Shen already know that I like him?’

This sudden thought made Gu Wanqing’s heart race. She hurriedly fanned her flushed cheeks, then fled into the room as if escaping and quickly changed the subject.

"I’m going to help Mom make the bed."

"Mm."

Lin Shen turned and leaned quietly on the balcony railing, watching the new students stream by below.

They were full of energy, their smiles radiant, their faces filled with bright hopes and dreams for their new life at university.

It reminded Lin Shen of his own first days at university.

He had been just as naive and carefree back then.

But after taking a beating from both society and life, Lin Shen had slowly lost that sense of casual, carefree freedom.

Even now that he had a "cheat," he still found himself envying the freshmen down below.

’This must be the happiest time in a person’s life, huh?’

In the blink of an eye, seven years had passed since his own "happiest moment."

"Seven years..."

Lin Shen was filled with emotion.

***

「6:00 PM.」

After helping Gu Wanqing get her dorm room settled, the group left the Shanghai International Studies University Campus.

Cheng Yue then loudly announced that he would be treating everyone to a lavish dinner, choosing the most expensive seafood restaurant near campus.

His goal was twofold: first, to make a good impression on Gu Wanting’s parents, and second, to flaunt his wealth and financial status in front of Lin Shen.

’After all, no matter how good you are at making money, you’re still just in your twenties.’

’The factory my family owns is an enterprise built up over several generations. How can you possibly compare to me?’

That was Cheng Yue’s line of thinking, and at first, things seemed to be going according to his plan.

He ordered all the most expensive seafood, making Gu Zhiyuan and Chen Hui exclaim in shock that they couldn’t possibly eat so much.

But Cheng Yue resolutely ordered a huge spread of dishes anyway.

As a result, more than half of it went to waste.

This made the normally frugal Gu Zhiyuan and Chen Hui’s faces darken, but they couldn’t say much about it.

After all, Cheng Yue was the one paying.

After the meal, he shot Lin Shen a smug, provocative look.

It was as if he were saying, ’See? This is what you call "face"!’

Lin Shen couldn’t be bothered arguing with someone so emotionally inept and decided to let his actions do the talking—and slap him in the face.

"Uncle, Auntie, you two can stay here tonight."

Lin Shen drove Gu Zhiyuan and Chen Hui to the Peninsula Hotel, leaving a dumbfounded Cheng Yue and Gu Wanting to follow behind.

The hotel’s exterior glass curtain wall had a futuristic feel, while the interior was the epitome of Art Deco luxury.