The early autumn in Jianye carries a bit of a chill, but the sunlight, casting a warm glow, makes the day feel peaceful and serene. The sky is clear with just a few clouds drifting by, adding to the tranquil atmosphere.
One afternoon when there were no classes, Chen Han Sheng took Shen You Chu and Hu Lin Yu to meet the deputy secretary of the school's Youth League, Yu Yue Ping.
Shen You Chu was there to express her gratitude, Hu Lin Yu to apologize for her earlier impulsiveness, and Chen Han Sheng for support for the entrepreneurship project.
"You've been wearing the same old clothes, won't you be cold?" Chen Han Sheng asked, noticing that Shen You Chu was wearing a loose, old high school uniform again.
"I'm fine," she answered, shaking her head. She quietly added, "Chuan and Yu are even colder than Jianye, and I'm not afraid."
Hu Lin Yu glanced at Shen You Chu with confusion. Based on her impression, Shen You Chu shouldn't have talked to Chen Han Sheng like that.
When they arrived at Yu Yue Ping's office, the deputy secretary, upon seeing the three students, immediately recognized Chen Han Sheng. He also had a vague memory of Hu Lin Yu, especially from the incident when she had shouted at him in his office.
"Don't have any classes this afternoon?" Yu Yue Ping asked Chen Han Sheng.
"We don't have any in the afternoon," Chen Han Sheng answered with a smile, and then explained why Hu Lin Yu and Shen You Chu were there.
"Hu Lin Yu is here to apologize for her behavior in your office last time," he said.
Hu Lin Yu spoke earnestly, "Secretary Yu, I was impulsive and didn't understand the situation. After Chen Han Sheng explained things to me, I now understand that the work of the Youth League is broad and requires coordination. I apologize for my rash behavior that day."
Yu Yue Ping was taken aback but quickly reassured her, "Don't worry, you're all freshmen. A little anger is understandable, and we teachers can tolerate that."
He then turned to Chen Han Sheng, "I've already forgotten about such a small matter. You didn't need to make such a big deal out of it."
Chen Han Sheng chuckled and pointed to the folder Hu Lin Yu was holding, "This is a small token from our Public Administration Class II to express our thanks for the support you've given us."
At first, Yu Yue Ping tried to decline, "There's no need for such courtesy. I haven't really done much for your class."
"The financial aid for Shen You Chu has been approved, which is thanks to your attention to our class," Chen Han Sheng said.
Finally, Yu Yue Ping saw that the gift was just a few file dividers, which probably didn't cost much. Since his cabinet could use them anyway, he decided not to decline them.
Chen Han Sheng then introduced Shen You Chu, "This is Shen You Chu. She's here to present some local specialties as a token of appreciation—pickled mustard greens with chili. The chili is from Sichuan and Chongqing, while the mustard greens are from the school grounds. It's a bit like wool from the sheep."
Shen You Chu took out a glass jar with the pickled mustard greens, her hands trembling slightly as she wasn't familiar with such occasions.
Yu Yue Ping sized her up. The most noticeable thing was her old school uniform, which seemed to be from before 2000. It had already started to fade in places, and her shoes, originally white, had turned a light gray from prolonged use. She kept her head lowered, a common trait among poverty-stricken students, who often feel too self-conscious to engage socially.
Yu Yue Ping quickly realized that Chen Han Sheng's family was probably doing okay. He had entered the Youth League office without hesitation and had been quite familiar with the place.
Chen Han Sheng noticed her trembling hands and stood up to take the jar from her. "Don't worry, steady your hands," he said.
Yu Yue Ping chuckled at the scene. "This kid doesn't have a shy bone in him, but he's good to his classmates. No wonder he's the class president."
"You two can organize the files," Chen Han Sheng instructed the two girls before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it for Yu Yue Ping.
Yu Yue Ping, feeling quite pleased, enjoyed the sense of being "needed." Even though the gifts—a few file dividers and some homemade pickles—didn't amount to much, the gesture of gratitude from Public Administration Class II had given him a sense of satisfaction. Though he was somewhat bureaucratic, Chen Han Sheng had definitely made an impression.
"Secretary Yu, there must be a lot of students in need of financial aid at the school," Chen Han Sheng casually brought up.
Yu Yue Ping did not hide the truth: "Normally, the amount allocated is less than the number of students in need, so every year, there are always some students left out."
"The school faces a lot of pressure," he continued. "In fact, we could provide more ways for students to earn their living expenses on their own."
Chen Han Sheng nodded. "That's what I was thinking. It's just that I heard about the university student entrepreneurship support project, and I saw that the manager of Shengtong Express in Jiangling District is planning to expand into the university campus business. I was wondering if we could tie it to the entrepreneurship support project."
Once again, he was painting a picture, as in reality, Zhong Jian Cheng had no plans to expand into the university business.
Yu Yue Ping thought for a moment before responding, "I did explain before that the school doesn't have a lot of resources to support it. The most we can offer are a few abandoned rooms on the first floor of the teaching building."
"That's enough, Secretary Yu," Chen Han Sheng said modestly. "We don't need much, we're not looking to draw too much attention. We just need your guidance from time to time."
Yu Yue Ping laughed. "You're trying to flatter me. Those empty rooms have been offered to students before, but they didn't meet the criteria, so I turned them down."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If we use them for supporting student entrepreneurship, it would be justifiable. We could hire one or two impoverished students as well. That way, there wouldn't be any public relations problems, and if it brings in real economic benefits, the school leaders will support it."
"An expert, a true expert in campus affairs," Chen Han Sheng thought to himself. Yu Yue Ping had been in the Youth League for many years and knew exactly how to navigate the intricacies of school politics. He could even anticipate potential problems in advance.
Now, it was all up to Yu Yue Ping's decision.
Leaning back in his office chair, Yu Yue Ping glanced at the jar of pickled mustard greens, at Hu Lin Yu and Shen You Chu who were diligently organizing the files, and at Chen Han Sheng, who had made himself feel right at home in the office. He pondered the potential risks of approving this project.
For the financial college, the proposal was essentially just a formality to placate the higher-ups, as no students had approached the Youth League for entrepreneurship support yet. The school had no resources for such initiatives, and few students cared about them.
But since there were no resources, there was no profit, and thus little interest. The decision to approve or reject the project ultimately rested on Yu Yue Ping's whim.
If it had been any other student, Yu Yue Ping would likely have ignored the request, but Chen Han Sheng was different. He had earned Yu Yue Ping's favor with his gesture of gratitude, and the project was beginning to seem more appealing.
Yu Yue Ping hesitated for a moment, then said, "I've heard about Shengtong Express. If we could meet the person in charge of the Jiangling District branch, that would be great."