After the National Day holiday, the freshmen, having gone through a month of adaptation and adjustment, each looked a bit more like university students.
The teacher for "Western Economics" was a woman in her forties, still wearing a cotton skirt that exposed her calves in the October weather of Jianye. Chen Hansheng had his book spread out on the desk, but his thoughts had already drifted far away.
He had a lot to do this semester, but the opportunity to discuss part-time jobs hadn't come yet. Chen Hansheng was now the class monitor and the vice head of the external relations department, which already gave him some influence, but he still needed a trump card. However, such things couldn't be rushed; the opportunity would come in time.
"Ring ring," the bell finally rang. Not just Chen Hansheng, but many students in the class couldn't help but lay down to rest. After being home during the break, their biological clocks were completely messed up.
"Chen Hansheng, come with me," someone called out as they walked over.
Chen Hansheng was startled for a moment, thinking someone had misunderstood his position. Didn't they know that in Public Administration Class 2, besides Lao Guo, he was the most important? He looked up and saw it was the class's Communist Youth League secretary, Hu Linyu, holding an envelope. It was the one Chen Hansheng had left for Shen Youchu, and somehow it had ended up in Hu Linyu's hands.
"I have to give face to Xiao Hu; otherwise, no one will help me later," Chen Hansheng mumbled to himself, obediently following Hu Linyu out of the classroom. Halfway through, he turned around to glance at Shen Youchu, who immediately lowered her head in a panic.
"Hmph, little girl from Sichuan and Chongqing," Chen Hansheng muttered.
Outside the classroom, Hu Linyu glared at him seriously, her eyes sharp like knives.
Chen Hansheng helplessly said, "Let's not play these games between us. We know each other well enough, so it's like we're not wearing any clothes in front of each other."
"Pervert!" Hu Linyu's suppressed anger burst out, realizing that playing any tricks in front of someone with such thick skin was pointless.
"This is from Youchu for you," Hu Linyu said, putting down the envelope.
Chen Hansheng took it, glanced at it, and asked, "Did she open it?"
"No, she didn't. I opened it," Hu Linyu said proudly, hands on her hips, tilting her chin up.
Chen Hansheng shook his head. He didn't want to argue about this with Hu Linyu. "Fine, whatever. Why did you call me out?"
Unexpectedly, Hu Linyu didn't let it go. "Honestly, someone like you can chase any girl—Shang Yanyan, Bai Yongshan—they're both pretty. How about that high school classmate of yours? Why are you bothering Shen Youchu?"
Chen Hansheng laughed. "What do you mean by bothering her? I'm not bothering her."
Hu Linyu pointed at the envelope. "You gave Shen Youchu 500 yuan. Is that pursuing her? It's insulting her. Luckily, she didn't dare open it."
Chen Hansheng sneered. "Only you are so brave."
Shen Youchu probably didn't dare return the envelope directly, so she asked her roommate Hu Linyu to hand it over. Hu Linyu, not knowing what had happened, misunderstood and thought the money had some ulterior motive.
There was a misunderstanding here, but since Hu Linyu genuinely cared about Shen Youchu, Chen Hansheng gave his guarantee: "You can trust me not to harm her. If she doesn't agree, I won't force her."
"Really?"
Hu Linyu raised her head. She couldn't demand too much from Chen Hansheng, considering that she was still being coerced by him. She could only persuade him kindly: "The boys in our class all respect you, and most of the girls trust you too. You must live up to this responsibility."
"Xiao Hu, you're so long-winded," Chen Hansheng lit a cigarette, sizing Hu Linyu up. He kept looking at her until she became uneasy, then suddenly said, "Hu, you've probably never been in a relationship, right? I'll introduce you to a roommate. His name's Jin Yangming, a fast-talking, helpful guy who's always got his phone on him..."
Before he could finish, Hu Linyu's face turned red, and she quickly left. Chen Hansheng grinned. When dealing with the "tiger girl," this was the way to do it.
But Hu Linyu came back halfway.
"Something else?" Chen Hansheng asked.
"The girls in the class think they're not familiar with the boys. Someone suggested holding a class social event, to help people get to know each other and strengthen group cohesion."
Chen Hansheng thought the suggestion was a good one and worth pursuing, both from a public and private perspective.
From a public standpoint, he couldn't allow students to graduate without even recognizing each other's names—that would be a failure of class leadership;
From a private standpoint, it would increase his chances of interacting with Shen Youchu, and for the guys in Room 602, sitting in the dorms every night playing games wasn't a long-term solution.
"What do you think?" Chen Hansheng asked.
"Well, it's mostly about gathering people for meals or singing karaoke," Hu Linyu replied.
Chen Hansheng thought for a moment. "Singing and eating are too old-fashioned, and if the girls continue to organize events by dorm, nothing will change. If we really want results, we have to break up these little dorm cliques."
Hu Linyu thought what he said made sense but didn't know how to go about breaking up the cliques. She could only ask, "Do you have any ideas?"
Chen Hansheng already had a plan in mind but kept it to himself. "Let me think about it in the dorm, and I'll message you later."
Hu Linyu nodded, preparing to leave, but Chen Hansheng stopped her.
"Now that the class-related issue is settled, there's something else I want to discuss with you."
"What is it?"
Hu Linyu thought, "I've worked so hard for the class, and now the class monitor, who hasn't been doing much, wants to talk to me?"
"You applied for the poverty scholarship for Shen Youchu before the break. Why didn't you tell me it was stuck at the Youth League Committee?"
Chen Hansheng flicked away the cigarette butt, his face suddenly turning serious.
"I..."
Hu Linyu opened her mouth, unsure how to explain. She had only asked for help from Guo Zhongyun, and apparently, Lao Guo had passed the task onto Chen Hansheng.
"Does the counselor trust Chen Hansheng that much? Does he think that if I can't handle it, Chen Hansheng will definitely get it done?"
Thinking this, Hu Linyu felt a bit aggrieved. She always felt that her abilities weren't worse than Chen Hansheng's, but she just lacked his tactics.
Chen Hansheng didn't hold back: "We agreed back then that if you couldn't solve it, you'd pass it on to me. It's good to have self-respect and ambition, but personal feelings shouldn't delay important matters."
Hu Linyu still stubbornly said, "Who says I can't solve it? I was planning to go to the Youth League Committee after class. Maybe I'll succeed this time."
Chen Hansheng thought, "This is typical. She won't give up until she sees it through." It seemed necessary to make sure Hu Linyu, this "tiger girl," understood that Chen Yingjun would always be in charge here.
"Here's what we'll do. After class, I'll go with you to the Youth League Committee, and I'll check the situation myself."
"Do whatever you want," Hu Linyu tossed the words over her shoulder as she hurried back to class.
The students in the class didn't pay much attention. It was normal for the class monitor and the Youth League secretary to discuss something. However, Hu Linyu went back and told Shen Youchu about the situation.
Shen Youchu didn't expect "the bad guy" Chen Hansheng to interfere, and she sulked, her face falling as she slouched on the desk.