Forced Me to Regress, Huh?

At the entrance of Sci-Tech University, a group of students stood ready to welcome the incoming new students.

Among them were student council members and volunteering upper-level students.

The scorching weather made welcoming new students an undeniably grueling task.

Still, there was never a shortage of volunteers for this task. As for their motives? Few were driven by purely good intentions.

Given Lin Lu’s and Shen Qingning’s personalities, it was unlikely either of them would take part in such activities.

The two had long been annoyed by the endless stream of suitors at the university and were hardly the type to scour the incoming junior brothers like some lecherous senior sisters hunting for prey.

Moreover, the blazing sun overhead was anything but kind to the skin.

As previously mentioned, Lin Lu attracted more suitors than Shen Qingning at Sci-Tech University. This was mainly because the latter exuded an intimidating aura. As a wealthy heiress who drove a Range Rover to school, she created an immense sense of distance. Ordinary people felt unworthy in her presence, and even if they harbored feelings for her, they would keep their affections buried in their hearts.

For this reason, those who dared to pursue her tended to be overly self-assured.

After all, who would dare to approach an icy mountain with a hefty dose of confidence?

Pei Yan, the vice president of the student council, was one such person.

He had joined the welcoming team and even invited Shen Qingning to participate, only to be decisively rejected. She didn’t even bother to make up an excuse.

She found him rather annoying. While he always acted courteous and refined in her presence, his tone with others often carried a hint of bureaucratic arrogance—a common flaw among many student council members and one reason some of them were disliked by many students.

Frankly, Pei Yan’s pretensions were a bit unsophisticated. Given Shen Qingning’s family background, she had undoubtedly encountered genuinely powerful and influential figures from a young age. If you put on airs in front of her or ordered others around to showcase your so-called authority, she would only find you laughable.

Today, Pei Yan had specially dressed up, donning a crisp white shirt and styling his hair to look more mature.

In recent years, the ‘white-shirted male god’ aesthetic had become quite popular. Even many celebrities frequently appeared in public wearing white shirts.

For a time, the white shirt aesthetic became the hallmark of male gods.

Pei Yan, with his refined appearance and a height of 178 centimeters—rounded up to 180 when asked—certainly had his share of appeal.

Combined with the somewhat imposing title of student council vice president, he indeed had a certain level of overall capability.

His original plan for today was to meet some attractive junior sisters and intimidate a few clueless junior brothers, but he hadn’t expected Shen Qingning to show up at the school gate.

Didn’t she say she wasn’t coming? Pei Yan was puzzled, but he strode over and put on what he considered a gentlemanly smile. “Hey, Junior Sister, long time no see.”

Shen Qingning gave him a light nod. Beside her, Lin Lu, knowing Ningning didn’t like him, also acted coldly.

Speaking of which, when it came to a girl’s feelings for you, you could often gauge them through her friends.

For example, when walking on campus, if a girl ran into you and acted indifferent, pretending not to notice you, while her friends stared at you with a mix of teasing and curiosity—well, that might just be the start of your story with her.

“Chen Hao, go get two bottles of water.” Pei Yan reverted to his usual habit of ordering people around.

He handed the bottles to the two girls with a smile. “Didn’t you say you weren’t coming today?”

At this, Shen Qingning shot Lin Lu an annoyed glance. Lin Lu responded with an impish grin and a playful giggle, clearly revealing herself as the instigator.

“No need. We have water in our bags.” Shen Qingning flatly rejected his gesture, not even bothering to answer his question.

Pei Yan, long accustomed to being brushed off by her, remained fazed. Instead, he said considerately, “If you run out later, let us know. We’ve got plenty.”

Then he busied himself with welcoming new students, though his gaze still drifted over now and then.

In fact, it wasn’t just him. Nearly everyone who approached the school gate couldn’t resist stealing glances at the striking figures under the parasol.

Some clueless first-years even had their expectations for college life skyrocket. “Holy cow! Are all female college students this beautiful?”

“Is Sci-Tech University that awesome?”

“Two goddesses standing together? I definitely picked the right school!”

“This is the college life I’ve been dreaming of!”

“Hangzhou really lives up to its reputation for beautiful girls!”

With so many new students arriving, there were all kinds of people. Among them, a few brave souls mustered the courage to approach the girls, asking for directions to their dorms or departments.

One even tried to add Lin Lu as a friend but was rejected.

Pei Yan, watching from the side, specially arranged for another girl to stand next to them.

These two girls didn’t look like they were here to welcome new students. Who knew why they were here?

I’ll arrange for a girl to work next to them. If someone comes up to chat, she can answer their questions and guide the new students. That’ll save them from being bothered.

—Gentlemanly! So gentlemanly!

Pei Yan was sure his white shirt was shining brightly under the sunlight today. How many girls can resist my subtle, thoughtful kindness?

Under the parasol, Lin Lu watched the stream of people, her toes occasionally raising and falling, lightly tapping the ground. “Why isn’t he here yet?”

“Huh?” Shen Qingning raised a delicate brow and turned to her. “Didn’t you two agree on a time?”

“Nope! I wanted to give him a surprise. That way, it’ll show our great attitudes and excellent service as senior sisters,” Lin Lu replied cheerfully.

Shen Qingning resisted the urge to flick her forehead. She couldn’t fathom what was going on in Lin Lu’s head.

The girl Pei Yan had arranged to join them was named Zhou Xiao. She was already in her third year, making her a senior sister to the two girls.

Listening to their conversation, she guessed they were waiting for a girl they knew. (TL note: He, she, and it all have the same pronunciation in Chinese.)

After all, Shen Qingning was famously cold and aloof towards the opposite sex, and while Lin Lu looked lively and approachable, she actually maintained a noticeable distance from the opposite sex. What boy could be worthy of such a grand gesture—having two campus goddesses stand under the scorching sun, waiting for him?

Only sisters or best friends could enjoy this level of treatment!

In Zhou Xiao’s mind, even if they were in a relationship, no boyfriend deserved this kind of treatment. In her mind, when a man waited for a woman, it was a sign of proper manners. But when a woman waited for a man, it meant he wasn’t considerate enough, and she’d suggest breaking up.

At this moment, Lin Lu smiled and nudged Shen Qingning’s arm with her shoulder. “We agreed you’d take the initiative today!”

“Got it!” Shen Qingning looked at her impatiently and deliberately avoided this topic, a hint of irritation and embarrassment in her expression.

Zhou Xiao was baffled. “What’s going on?”

She naturally had no idea that Lin Lu had promised Cheng Zhu a full-service senior sister package.

The voice actress was quirky and mischievous. After spending a long time thinking, she finally said to Shen Qingning last night, “Ningning, it’s my birthday soon. I’ve figured out what gift I want from you.”

Shen Qingning sent her a big question mark in their WeChat chat. “Isn’t Christmas still a long way off?”

Lin Lu was born on Christmas, and since reindeer was one of the symbols of Christmas, her mother had named her after it. (TL note: Lin Lu’s Lu (鹿) is the character for deer.) 

“Doesn’t matter! Can’t I ask for my birthday gift early?” Lin Lu said shamelessly, acting spoiled.

“Alright, what do you want?”

“I want you to warmly welcome Cheng Zhu today!”

Shen Qingning said, “You’re crazy.”

Yes, this was Lin Lu’s idea. She said she would provide him with a senior sister service, but she never promised to entertain him personally. Instead, she planned to have the Ice Goddess help him with the series of new student procedures. That should give him plenty of prestige, right? Hehe!

In addition, she also wanted to play a little prank on Ningning.

“How am I crazy?! Remember how much effort I put into your birthday?! And now you won’t even agree to do this little thing for me?”

“You’re insane.”

“Have you forgotten? On your birthday, I went to your house at dawn to set up a surprise for you.”

“You’re so annoying.”

“I even hurt my calf that day. I got a bruise! I even worked together with your brother to decorate the living room with flowers for over two hours. My finger even got cut. And now, you won’t even agree to this tiny request of mine. Wuwuwu.”

“Don’t you think you’re being a little… green tea?”

“I don’t care. You don’t love me anymore! You have no heart! I’ve wasted my love on you!” She began bombarding her with voice messages.

Shen Qingning: “…”

In the end, under Lin Lu’s coaxing and pestering, Shen Qingning agreed to entertain Junior Brother Cheng Zhu today.

For some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling: “Why does it feel like I’ve become a part of their childish game?”

Somehow, she found herself caught between the two jokesters. Under Lin Lu’s ‘moral kidnapping’, she went from being a bystander who mocked them for being childish to the main character of the day.

When Cheng Zhu finally appeared at the school gate, Lin Lu immediately stood on her tiptoes and waved at him excitedly. She didn’t care that there were people around and shouted, “Hello, Cheng Zhu! Hello there!”

Shen Qingning, startled by her sudden outburst, helplessly raised the parasol higher to keep the scatterbrain’s wild waving from hitting it.

Instantly, many people’s gazes turned towards them.

Zhou Xiao was stunned. “Cheng Zhu? Who is Cheng Zhu?”

Many people were wondering the same thing.

A group of male first-years felt as though their hearts had been pierced when they saw the lively voice actress standing on her tiptoes, waving enthusiastically.

Who could withstand this? Who could possibly withstand this?!

That delicate face, that sweet demeanor, those cute dimples, that heaven-defying figure…

—Which lucky bastard is Cheng Zhu? Come out and face death!

Pei Yan, the vice president of the student council, was taken aback. I’ve never heard of this person. Could he be a new student?

Cheng Zhu, dragging his suitcase, was unfazed. It was just a small scene. Why would he be rattled?

Under everyone’s watchful gaze, he strode over confidently. The fact that his other hand wasn’t in his pocket showed that the king of showing off was trying hard to restrain himself.

When he reached Lin Lu and Shen Qingning, the next scene made the vice president’s eyes bulge.

Shen Qingning had rejected the water bottle he offered earlier, but at this moment, she took out a bottle from her own bag and handed it to the new student in front of her.

The water was clearly prepared just for him. It had been sitting in her bag, and her hand had been holding it for quite some time.

Pei Yan thought, Who the hell is this guy?