Chapter Thirty: Lin Wanwan's Plan to Strike Up a Conversation

Inside the gymnasium.

Lin Wanwan sat in the upper rows of the spectator stands, clutching a bottle of mineral water tightly in one hand, while her other hand nervously gripped the hem of her short JK-style skirt.

After a full hour of careful observation, she finally locked onto her target.

When she spotted Xia Shu in the ranks, dressed in military training attire and wearing a training cap, that familiar sense of nervousness surged within her once again.

"Relax a little, will you? There should still be a while before the intermission. When it comes, make sure you seize the opportunity," Shen Jiawei said, glancing over from her phone game and noticing Lin Wanwan's current state.

"I'm not nervous at all!!"

A rather stiff smile graced Lin Wanwan's face. Her mind was in turmoil now—she had spent the whole day imagining every possible scenario of handing water to Xia Shu.

Determined to show her best self, she had rushed back to the dorm after her morning classes to apply an especially meticulous makeup look. Her carefully chosen summer makeup, paired with today's outfit, ended up making her stand out among the crowd and attracted quite a few glances from the boys.

Finding Xia Shu in the vast gymnasium had only been possible thanks to her phone's outstanding camera. With its super-perceptive, long-distance zoom, she managed—albeit with a slightly blurry image—and, already knowing roughly where the freshmen from the School of Information and Electronics were undergoing training, she finally pinpointed Xia Shu's location.

"Let’s just hope nothing unexpected happens," Shen Jiawei said with a small, knowing smile, not exposing Lin Wanwan outright.

She was genuinely hoping her roommate would succeed in striking up a conversation. After all, Xia Shu was currently the most talked-about freshman at Yun University. If someone like that became her roommate’s boyfriend, it would certainly make life a lot more interesting.

At that moment, another graceful figure appeared at the upper right corner of the stands.

"There really are a lot of onlookers here..." Su Rouxue couldn’t help but sigh.

Seeing so many youthful faces made her feel a tinge of envy—if only she were still a student, then being in a relationship with Xia Shu could be more open and aboveboard.

This wasn't her first time at the gym lately. As soon as she found a seat, her gaze locked onto a certain spot on the field.

Her eyesight was far sharper than most, and her keen eyes zeroed in directly on Xia Shu among the crowd.

A brilliant smile lit up her face. Seated at the very edge of the stands, she naturally drew little attention.

But just then, Su Rouxue's pupils flickered with a faint red glow. At the same moment, Lin Xiang, standing behind Xia Shu, gave a sudden twitch.

Caught completely off guard, Lin Xiang's expression abruptly shifted.

And now, everything within Lin Xiang’s line of sight appeared vividly in Su Rouxue’s mind, the sounds from around him echoing clearly in her ears as well.

"Ten-minute break!"

A sharp whistle rang out across the field. Each instructor, upon receiving the notice, began reminding their classes about the intermission.

Lin Xiang frowned. The sudden blank spells in his mind had become a daily occurrence lately, making him wonder if there was something wrong with his health.

During the break, most students milled about nearby—some drinking water, others deep in conversation.

At that moment, a figure entered their squad, stopping right in front of Xia Shu. "Hi there, junior!"

Xia Shu was taken aback to see that the girl approaching him was none other than the upperclassman who had previously interviewed him.

She naturally held out a bottle of water to him—a gesture that drew envious glances from the surrounding students.

"Hello, senior," Xia Shu replied, realizing he couldn’t recall her name. He eyed the water she offered, knowing that refusing it would only make things awkward. "Thank you. Is there something you needed from me?"

Seeing him accept the mineral water, Lin Wanwan flashed a playful, endearing smile. "Well, you know the video I filmed of you went viral recently. I was hoping to do a follow-up interview—get your thoughts on your sudden popularity and your impressions from a week of military training at Yun City University. Would you be willing to help out?"

She continued, "It’s actually a request from the university for our school’s art troupe, and the task landed on me. So I came to the gym to discuss it with you..."

Lin Wanwan arched her brow slightly, her gaze fixed on Xia Shu’s sharp features. At that moment, he unscrewed the bottle and took a drink, his Adam’s apple moving with a mesmerizing rhythm.

Yet, standing there in person, Lin Wanwan managed to maintain a calm and composed demeanor—far more at ease than she had been sitting in the stands earlier.

"Is that so? Sure, I don’t mind," Xia Shu nodded, not thinking too much of it and trusting Lin Wanwan’s explanation. Since it was an official school assignment, he was willing to cooperate.

"I forgot my equipment today, but I’ll come by again at this time tomorrow," Lin Wanwan said with a smile.

"Alright!"

"Thank you for your help, junior. You’ve really put our university in the spotlight lately!"

"Oh, it’s nothing—just luck, really," Xia Shu replied, scratching his head. He’d heard similar words countless times over the past week.

"You’re too modest. I won’t keep you from your training any longer—good luck!" Lin Wanwan beamed, waving goodbye to Xia Shu.

She had hurried in and now hurried out just as quickly.

Back in the stands, she turned to Shen Jiawei with a nervous sigh of relief. "Thank goodness nothing went wrong. This approach really works—at least it keeps things from getting awkward."

"You left in a hurry. Why not use the chance to chat a bit more with him?" Shen Jiawei teased.

"Well, it’s best to act reserved at first. Tomorrow, during the interview, I’ll have more time to talk to him then. Besides, with so many people watching, lasting even a minute in front of him was already an achievement!"

A smile still lingered on Lin Wanwan’s face. The image of Xia Shu drinking water in front of her was still vivid in her mind.

She had to admit—her junior was truly handsome!

Judging by his sun protection, he had only tanned a little after a week of training; overall, he still looked great.

"Alright, I should head back to the dorm. Are you coming?" Shen Jiawei stood up.

"Um... do you think if I asked him to dinner later, he’d turn me down?" Lin Wanwan asked, looking up at her friend.

"Depends on how you play your cards," Shen Jiawei replied with a raised eyebrow.

"In that case, you go on ahead. I’ll wait a bit longer," Lin Wanwan said with a grin. When in doubt, she thought, she could always use the interview as a pretext to start a conversation—having a natural topic made things so much less awkward.