When Will My Childhood Sweetheart Marry Me?-Chapter 219: I’m Lazy

"Hey junior, my name is Lin Yan, from Capital University of Technology."

The other party was brimming with enthusiasm, sharing local specialties she brought as soon as she entered, and spoke with a smooth local accent that gave a solid host vibe.

Jiang Shuyao smiled friendly and introduced herself too.

The small room was filled with a strong scent of perfume, and as she was organizing her luggage, Lin Yan was already excitedly giving a speech next to her.

"You guys should have booked your tickets earlier. Last night’s river lantern festival at Shichahai was so lively. We, the local university students, arrived early, and pretty much everyone got familiar with each other at the festival."

After saying this, she turned her head to look at her, "Southern girls are quite reserved, aren’t they? You’re so quiet, do you find me annoying?"

Jiang Shuyao paused in her packing and gave the other a slight smile, "Not at all."

Her insincere response successfully amused Lin Yan.

"But honestly, you’re really beautiful. Among all the girls in the three floors, apart from you and me, there aren’t many who stand out."

It was clear that this engineering senior wasn’t only noisy but also spoke frankly and overflowed with confidence.

Her throat dry from talking, Lin Yan drank some water and then pulled out a laptop from her bag and turned it on.

"We’ve nothing better to do, let me show you what our group has been working on." Lin Yan motioned Jiang Shuyao to come over, pulled up their project, and her expression elevated to another level, "An ’IP Alert System’, pretty cool, isn’t it?"

Jiang Shuyao focused on the other’s demonstration of their group’s work. Truthfully, from a visual perspective, it was quite sophisticated, but in terms of practicality, it still had some gaps compared to theirs.

As Old Man Jiang had said, most competitors came from prestigious schools, and there were no weak teams. The final decision on which group would top and win the awards would depend on the specifics of the final competition format.

Having roughly clicked through the functions with her mouse, Lin Yan casually asked her, "What about yours? Let’s have a look. We can learn from each other."

Jiang Shuyao replied, "The source code has all been handed over to our leader; it’s not with me."

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t with Jiang Xubai either.

A leader must look like a leader, keeping things secure as if they were in a fortress.

Lin Yan grinned, "You people from the South sure are meticulous." She leaned to one side and asked nonchalantly, "What’s your group leader’s name?"

"Pei Yan."

Oh.

Never heard of him.

Probably not a formidable character.

After discussing this topic, Lin Yan finally settled down, pulled out her phone, and started playing games on her bed, until Jiang Shuyao, having finished packing and ready to go out, turned around and found the girl already deeply asleep.

The air conditioner was humming in the July weather.

She thought for a moment then walked over and picked up a blanket to cover her properly.

The boys were staying in the floor above. During the room assignment in the hall, she vaguely remembered that Pei Yan and Jiang Xu’s room numbers were the first next to the staircase. She sent a WeChat message as she went upstairs, asking the two to come out for a meal.

Jiang Shuyao’s gaze lowered slightly, oblivious to the person coming down towards her.

So much so that when that smooth voice sounded overhead, she failed to react immediately.

"Don’t you recognize me?"

Lu Chen’s eyes smiled behind his glasses; standing on the steps in backlight, Jiang Shuyao had to look up from below and could barely make out his features.

The girl looked naïve, her eyes passing briefly through confusion before seeming to remember something, then slowly regaining clarity.

"Lu Chen."

He was tall and lean, not much different in appearance, just a bit thinner than during high school.

"Last time at the bookstore, I forgot to ask for your new mobile number. Let me save it." Lu Chen pulled out his phone, stepped down the stairs, and stopped in front of her.

Jiang Shuyao did not give out her number but naturally shifted the topic to the competition.

"The Lin Yan in my room, she’s from Ligong University too, right? Is she in your group?" she asked.

Lin Yan. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Lu Chen shook his head, "No, she’s a sophomore over there; our school has three groups in total."

He seemed to be in a hurry, looking down at his watch as it was almost five o’clock, "I have something to attend to and must leave now. It’s rare to meet an old classmate in a foreign place, let’s have dinner together tonight. Is your WeChat still the same? I’ll send you the restaurant’s address later."

"No need," Jiang Shuyao declined, "Our group has a meeting later tonight, and I might not be able to get away."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen sighed in relief, then said with a smile, "I understand, as a leader, you always have more responsibilities to worry about."

"I’m not the leader."

His expression froze.

She unconsciously straightened her back, "The leader is Pei Yan."

The air fell into silence.

After a moment, Lu Chen hummed in acknowledgment, his faint smile tinged with a barely detectable sneer, "You’re still making concessions for him."

Jiang Shuyao frowned, about to speak, when she heard him sigh once more.

"It’s a bit regrettable that I won’t have the chance to compete with you this time." Before leaving, Lu Chen looked at her meaningfully, "I’m looking forward to Leader Pei’s performance. See you tomorrow."

After Lu Chen left, Jiang Shuyao stood there, pondering his contradictory words. Just as she was about to take a step forward, a lazy voice came from behind the wall on the left side of the staircase entrance.

"When did you go to the bookstore? I didn’t know about it."

Jiang Shuyao’s eyelids twitched, and she instinctively looked up.

The motion sensor light turned off, and with a click, a lighter flicked a pale blue flame, casting the sharp outline of a person on the wall.

Smoke wafted from around the corner, and Jiang Shuyao subtly turned her face away, "It was a long time ago. You were still asleep when I left that day, so I didn’t call you."

Pei Yan stayed silent, quietly taking a couple of puffs of his cigarette, then sauntered over in his slippers.

Standing before Jiang Shuyao, he towered over her.

"Princess."

"Hmm?"

The girl’s eyes were clear as she looked straight at him.

Pei Yan raised his hand, gently catching a strand of her hair by the cheek, thoughtfully tucking it behind her ear, then said in a tone neither salty nor bland, "I’ll book a room alone tonight, come find me."

Alone...

Her back tensed, feeling a mix of playfulness and a subtle chill in his tone.

Truth be told, she could never hide lies from his eyes.

Jiang Shuyao, with her head lowered, pointed to a room upstairs, "If Jiang Xubai is not there, we can talk inside."

In places like this, it was easy for conversations to be overheard.

Although it wasn’t especially private, they were here for a competition, and romantic entanglements were not quite appropriate.

Pei Yan remained silent for a while, then turned and walked toward the room.

Swiping the card to enter, the air conditioning was set very low, the blast of cold air made Jiang Shuyao shiver uncontrollably.

The indoor and outdoor temperatures were starkly different, with the summer in the Capital being far more intense than in Rong City.

Pei Yan extinguished his cigarette on the windowsill, leaned on the table, and beckoned her over, "Come here."

She obediently walked over.

"Help me change my clothes."

?!

Jiang Shuyao stared at him, puzzled, "You have hands and feet, why do you need me to change them for you?"

Pei Yan spoke indifferently, "I’m lazy."

"..."