It Seems Like My Senior Seems to Like Me - Chapter 15

The sports meet ended with the College of Veterinary Medicine taking first place in both the men’s and women’s overall scores, carrying home the championship trophy.

Nanzhou University places great emphasis on all-around development—morality, intellect, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor. In recent years, it has specially allocated funding to support athletic programs. Now that the College of Veterinary Medicine had won first place, the prize money was calculated according to the championship multiplier: each point equaled 100 RMB.

In other words, Ye Wanjia received 600 yuan in prize money.

The prize was handed out on the same day as the award ceremony. Spirits were running high, so everyone decided to celebrate with a group dinner.

It was the perfect opportunity to return that white magnolia hairpin to Pei Suye.

Carefully, Ye Wanjia wrapped it in a tea-scented tissue, folding the ends inward and sealing them shut, forming a neat little pouch shape. She then tucked it into the inner pocket of her canvas backpack.

She couldn’t give it to Pei Suye right away. She would wait until after the celebration, on the way back to the dorms, and then find a chance to hand it over. That way, not only could she return the hairpin, but if luck was on her side, she might even get to walk a little while with her.

Ye Wanjia might be a bit clueless sometimes, but every now and then, she had her little schemes.

As long as Pei Suye wasn’t standing right in front of her, that is.

The celebration was held at a barbecue place on the snack street by the south gate of the university. The head of the sports department booked out the entire second floor, letting everyone eat and drink freely.

Most of the participants were sophomores to seniors. As a freshman newbie, Ye Wanjia didn’t know many people, so she quietly sat down beside the senior she had practiced high jump with.

Pei Suye arrived a little later, probably because she had stayed behind to take care of some award-related matters. Her long hair was pinned up with a single hair stick, forming a small knot at the back of her head. Smooth strands fell onto her shoulders, carrying what seemed like the faint fragrance of magnolia blossoms, calm and graceful.

So beautiful, Ye Wanjia thought secretly to herself.

At the center of the hall, the “mom-friend” of the group, Liang Shangbin, held up a beer and took charge of the atmosphere. He arranged for everyone to gather around the big round table, and those without seats perched on plastic stools around the outside. The vibe was lively and cheerful.

“Hey, looks like we’re almost done eating,” Liang Shangbin said, clearly unsatisfied with the level of excitement. Wanting to keep the energy going, he suggested, “Let’s play a game!”

Some students had already left, and about twelve or thirteen remained, all squeezing in around the round table.

Unfortunately, Ye Wanjia didn’t manage to sit beside Pei Suye. Instead, she ended up on the exact opposite side of the table, as far away as possible.

There were plenty of games suitable for a group: Werewolf, Who’s the Spy, Guess the Poker Card… but those rounds usually lasted quite long. Liang Shangbin had another idea in mind, so he proposed:

“How about Walking Through the Three Gardens?”

The name meant exactly that: the zoo, the orchard, and the vegetable garden. The first player picked a “garden,” and the following players had to name something that could be found there. Each person got one turn; whoever failed was eliminated.

Ye Wanjia had never played before, but she had seen similar games on TV. It didn’t seem too difficult.

The first round was the zoo.

Liang Shangbin started: “What’s in the zoo?”

“A tiger.”

“A lion.”

“A panda.”

…

Ye Wanjia was twelfth in line. She figured the common animals would all be taken early, so she had already decided to say “otter,” inspired by Zootopia. Counting the turns before hers, she kept repeating the answer silently to herself.

Third from last: “A giraffe.”

Second from last: “An elephant.”

The person right before her: “An otter.”

Ye Wanjia froze—her answer was stolen!

But each person only had one second to respond. Panicking, her tongue twisted into knots, and she blurted out:

“Wat–wat–water lightning!”

“Hahahahaha—!”

The entire group immediately bent over with laughter, the whole room erupting. Even the usually calm and collected Pei Suye laughed along, her lips lifting into a dazzling smile, showing her perfect white teeth.

If losing could make Pei Suye laugh like that, it was worth it.

“Oh my god, let me be fair here,” Liang Shangbin said between tears of laughter. “When it rains at the zoo, there really is lightning, hahahaha—”

That set everyone off laughing again.

When the laughter finally settled, Liang Shangbin, clutching his aching stomach, pushed the game forward: “Alright, Truth or Dare—your pick?”

Ye Wanjia pursed her lips cautiously. “Truth.”

She wasn’t close to most of these seniors, so she figured even if the question was personal, it wouldn’t matter too much.

But then Liang Shangbin hit her with: “Little freshman, you’ve been here two months now. Do you have someone you like?”

Crash!

In her mind, something sparked—like a match head struck across rough paper. A tiny flame flared up in the darkness of her chest, flickering bright for just a moment.

The others smelled gossip and leaned in eagerly—

“Doesn’t have to be love, even a crush counts.”

“You’ve gotta tell the truth, no lying!”

“Is it someone from our school, or someone from high school?”

Faced with the sudden wave of curiosity, Ye Wanjia instinctively leaned back, bracing her hands stiffly on either side of her stool like steel poles.

Her eyes swept across them: gossip-hungry Liang Shangbin, the sports department head egging things on, the student life officer whose eyes curved into amused slits.

And across the round table, smiling faintly, seemingly unconcerned with the question—but still watching her—sat Pei Suye.

Ye Wanjia immediately looked away, panicked, her thoughts spinning as she scrambled to respond:

“I’ll only answer the first question.”

Liang Shangbin squinted at her. “Alright then—so tell us. Do you have someone you like at our school?”

Taking a breath to steady herself, Ye Wanjia said: “What you asked was if I have someone I like. My answer is—yes.”

“Hey, but—”

“As for whether that person’s in our school or not, you can guess.”

The truth was, Ye Wanjia was just reserved and shy around strangers.

But she wasn’t stupid.

Her answer left everyone feeling like they’d scooped water into a bamboo basket—most of it leaked out, leaving only faint traces to prove the question had even existed.

“No problem,” Liang Shangbin, king of gossip, declared. “We’ll just keep asking in the next rounds. One by one, we’ll get there.”

Seeing they had let her off for now, Ye Wanjia quietly sighed in relief.

But luck didn’t last long. Fortune, it seemed, had no intention of sparing her. The bottle spun for the next round—and landed right back on her.

This time, the questions would only get sharper. “Is the person you like in our school?” “Are they male or female?” “Are they sitting at this table?” If Liang Shangbin caught on to something, he might even ask directly: “Would you like Pei Suye?”

Ye Wanjia didn’t dare let her mind go that far. Beneath the table, her hands clenched so tightly they trembled, while on her face, she forced the most relaxed expression she could manage.

“I’ll choose dare,” she said.

Liang Shangbin blinked. “Ah?”

Then, slipping easily back into his usual slyness, he countered: “Alright then. Pick someone here and give them a kiss.”

“A kiss?”

Caught off guard, Ye Wanjia’s eyes flickered instinctively, landing on Pei Suye across the table. Realizing her slip, she immediately looked away.

But at that very moment, Pei Suye lifted her head curiously. Their eyes met.

And in that instant, it seemed… she understood.

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