My Years as the Pure Love Interest at the Noble Academy

The alarm rang, jolting someone awake from their dream.

The sunlight streaming through the window had already filled the room—today was a perfect day to sleep in.

The 8 a.m. elective class forced Song Yi to crawl out of bed, while Shen Yujing, lying beside her, sleepily opened his eyes and asked, "Do you have class this morning?"

"Yeah," Song Yi replied, her back to Shen Yujing as she changed her clothes. She then slipped on her slippers and headed out.

After taking a few steps, she felt something was off—her waist ached, her legs were sore, and overall, she felt uncomfortable.

Thinking about last night...

And then looking at Shen Yujing, who was now lying on his side, ready to go back to sleep, Song Yi suddenly felt a surge of irritation.

She walked back to the bed and called out, "Shen Yujing!"

The young man reluctantly opened his eyes and asked, "What is it?"

"Get up," Song Yi said, reaching out to pat his head.

The heaviness of his eyelids made Shen Yujing close his eyes again, muttering, "I'm not getting up. I don't have class today."

"No, you're getting up. You're coming with me to my elective!" Song Yi declared, grabbing at Shen Yujing's blanket.

"I don't want to," Shen Yujing clung to his blanket, looking as if he was ready to die with his bed.

"You don't get to say no," Song Yi chuckled in frustration, pinching his ear. "Last night, when I said no, did you stop? Stop pretending to be dead and get up!"

Shen Yujing: "..."

Guilty.

Shen Yujing crawled out of bed, not even bothering to change out of his pajamas. He grabbed a hoodie from the chair and pulled it on, saying, "Fine, I'm up, I'm up. Happy now?"

With that, he pushed Song Yi toward the bathroom.

The two stood side by side in front of the bathroom mirror, brushing their teeth. Song Yi leaned closer to the mirror, confirming that a pimple had indeed sprouted on her forehead. She elbowed Shen Yujing in frustration.

Shen Yujing, caught off guard, stumbled a step to the side: "?"

Having lived together for a year, Shen Yujing was well-acquainted with Song Yi's temper, especially her occasional morning grumpiness.

So, he leaned back against the counter, rinsed his mouth, and then draped an arm over Song Yi's shoulders, pulling her into a hug.

Song Yi, who was washing her face, complained, "Don't touch my arm, you're bothering me."

Shen Yujing let go with a pout, splashed some cold water on his face to wake himself up, and then planted a kiss behind Song Yi's ear before finally letting go and heading to the living room.

When Song Yi came out of the bathroom, she saw a table set with bread, milk, and a poorly fried but edible egg—a testament to Shen Yujing's long-practiced efforts.

Shen Yujing was sitting on the couch, holding Song Yi's bag and stuffing it with his favorite snacks.

"What are you doing?" Song Yi asked as she sat down at the table and sipped her milk. "Hurry up and eat breakfast."

"You have a full schedule today, right? Aren't you meeting with your group to discuss assignments at noon? I'm packing you some snacks so you can eat whenever you're hungry," Shen Yujing explained, finally zipping up the bag and hanging it on the back of Song Yi's chair. He then sat down across from her.

Before leaving, Shen Yujing glanced at the fat cat sleeping on the couch and made sure its food and water bowls were full before closing the door.

The cat was strange—it slept later than they did and woke up earlier, yet it was plump and healthy.

As soon as they stepped outside, Shen Yujing yawned, so Song Yi took the wheel today.

Shen Yujing sat in the passenger seat, opening Song Yi's bag and munching on the snacks he had packed.

Song Yi gave him a look of disbelief. "Did you pack those for yourself?"

Shen Yujing handed her a piece of biscuit, saying, "There's plenty. Enough for both of us."

Song Yi took a bite and then said, "Yogurt."

Shen Yujing immediately opened a bottle and held it to her lips, letting her take a sip.

They arrived at school shortly after.

Song Yi and Shen Yujing's relationship was no secret at school—they were widely recognized as the "model couple" of the film academy.

But today was different. This semester's elective class was mixed with students from the year below.

So, Shen Yujing let Song Yi enter the classroom first while he stopped by the vending machine to buy a bottle of water. When he walked in, he saw two boys sitting in the empty seats in front of Song Yi, holding up their phones and talking to her.

Shen Yujing: "?"

Where did these guys come from?

Shen Yujing silently stood behind the two boys, listening as they asked his girlfriend for her WeChat. Finally, he reached out and tapped both of them on the shoulder.

One of them turned around and said, "You here for her WeChat too? Get in line."

The other added, "Yeah, who are you? Never seen you before."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Song Yi pursed her lips, holding back a laugh as she looked up at Shen Yujing and asked, "Classmate, do you want my WeChat too?"

Shen Yujing: "?"

What the hell?

He buys a bottle of water and suddenly he's just a classmate?

Shen Yujing was instantly annoyed. He replied, "Yeah, I want your WeChat. I want to be your boyfriend."

One of the boys laughed at him. "Where's this guy from? Doesn't know his place..."

Before he could finish, Song Yi took Shen Yujing's hand, and the boy's expression froze.

Song Yi looked at them helplessly and said, "I told you I have a boyfriend."

The two boys exchanged awkward glances before slinking away.

The class bell rang soon after.

Shen Yujing glanced back at the two boys, giving them a warning look before turning around.

Since it wasn't his class, Shen Yujing decided to take a nap.

Song Yi nudged his shoulder a few times, but it was no use.

Oh well, let him be.

Shen Yujing was woken up by a piece of chalk hitting his head. He looked up in confusion to see the stern middle-aged male teacher standing at the podium, saying, "The boy with the yellow hair, stand up and answer this question."

Shen Yujing: "?"

Yellow hair? That's not me.

So, he shifted positions and went back to sleep.

Another piece of chalk hit his head. Shen Yujing sat up and made eye contact with the teacher, realizing he was the one being called on.

Soft laughter rippled through the classroom.

Shen Yujing double-checked, "Are you calling on me?"

"Who else?" The teacher tapped the desk to quiet the class. "Answer the question."

Answer? Answer what?

Shen Yujing shot a pleading look at Song Yi.

Song Yi's hand rested on the book in front of her, and she tapped out two numbers.

Shen Yujing carefully read them, then confidently answered, "Thirteen!"

The teacher frowned, the class erupted in laughter, and Song Yi covered her face with her hand, clearly exasperated.

"Thirteen? Where did you get thirteen? This is a multiple-choice question! You're standing for the next ten minutes!"

The teacher continued with the lesson, and Shen Yujing forced himself to pay attention. The correct answer turned out to be B.

Oh, B, 13—close enough.

For the rest of the class, Shen Yujing didn't dare sleep again, forcing himself to stay awake until the end.

After class, the two headed to the cafeteria for lunch.

Song Yi picked up a bite of vegetables and said, "I have to meet with my group to discuss our assignment after lunch. You should head back early."

Shen Yujing: "Okay... no."

"No?" Song Yi looked at him curiously. "What do you want to do then?"

"Stay with you," Shen Yujing said with a grin. "I suddenly think class isn't so bad. The teacher for your afternoon class is also in charge of our play rehearsals. I know him, so it's fine if I sit in."

In the afternoon—

"Shen Yujing? How many of my classes have you skipped? You don't go to your own classes, but you show up in the directing department?"

The young male teacher stood at the front of the room, looking at Shen Yujing with a mix of exasperation and fondness.

After all, Shen Yujing was one of his favorite students in the acting program—talented, full of potential, and always at the top of his class in practical exams.

His only flaw? He wasn't diligent enough.

While other students stayed late to practice, Shen Yujing would grab his bag and leave the moment class ended, not a minute more.

When asked why he didn't put in more effort, Shen Yujing would just smile and say, "Teacher, you don't like overtime either, right?" leaving the teacher speechless.

The teacher had mixed feelings about Shen Yujing—both fondness and frustration. To her surprise, she saw him in the directing department today.

A classmate quickly chimed in, "Of course, he's here to accompany his girlfriend to class!"

The teacher’s gaze fell on Song Yi, who was sitting next to Shen Yujing, and she was momentarily stunned.

Who would have thought? This guy, who seemed so carefree, had managed to date the smartest and most diligent girl in the entire directing department.

The teacher picked up her microphone and said, "Accompanying your girlfriend to class? Well, then you better study hard. Can you even match half of Song Yi’s effort, Shen Yujing?"

"Understood! I’ll strive to be a great director…"

The teacher glared at him, "What do you mean, a director?"

Shen Yujing finished his sentence, "A great director’s supportive man."

Laughter erupted around them, but the looks directed at the couple were filled with admiration and goodwill, without a hint of malice.

Since starting university, Shen Yujing’s greatest improvement had been his social skills. Plus, the directing department often needed talented acting students from the same school, so Shen Yujing had more friends in the directing class than even Song Yi did.

The teacher could only sigh and tell him to pay attention in class.

After school, as Song Yi and Shen Yujing were about to leave, a female classmate approached them.

The girl, known for her gentle demeanor, was the class’s celebrated "talented artist." Her short films had won awards in various student competitions across the Imperial Capital.

Song Yi wasn’t particularly close to her, but if there was one person in the class deserving of respect, it was this girl.

The girl turned to Song Yi and asked, "Song Yi, do you and your boyfriend have time this weekend?"

Song Yi and Shen Yujing exchanged a glance before Song Yi replied, "Yes, we do. Why?"

The girl explained, "I recently finished a ten-minute romance script, and my teacher helped me revise it. I’m planning to film it and submit it to a competition. Would you and your boyfriend consider playing the lead roles?"

"Ah…"

Song Yi hesitated, "I’m not a professional actress. I might not be suitable."

The girl mustered her courage and continued, "But I think you have a great presence, even more so than many acting students. When I was writing the script, I imagined you and your boyfriend as the leads. You two look so perfect together, like the main couple from a novel."

Little did the girl know, her words had struck a chord with Shen Yujing. He tugged on Song Yi’s sleeve and said, "We’re classmates. Let’s help her out."

Song Yi then suggested, "He can play the male lead for you. As for the female lead, I can connect you with some acting students I’ve worked with before. They’re all very nice."

"But…"

The girl looked slightly troubled and added, "There’s a kissing scene in the script, so I really wanted a real couple to play the roles."

At the mention of a kissing scene, Shen Yujing’s lips curled into a wide grin. "We’ll do it! We’re in!"

"One kissing scene? Is that enough? We can add more if needed!"

"Shen! Yu! Jing!!!"

…

Years later, when someone compiled a list of Shen Yujing’s filmography, they discovered that he had only filmed one kissing scene—in a short film he made during university as a class assignment.

The female lead in that short film was Song Yi, who later became known in the industry as a leading figure in modern realist filmmaking. The two of them went on to collaborate on a film that received eleven nominations at an international film festival, winning seven awards, including Best Director and Best Actor, creating a sensation at the time.