Zhong Jiancheng was quite efficient; by the next morning, he had delivered the tricycles. Chen Hansheng frowned and asked, "Why are these all second-hand?"
The deliveryman, Xiao Zheng, smiled and said, "These are all the small tricycles available at the store. Manager Zhong ordered them all brought over to support Mr. Chen."
Chen Hansheng circled the five small tricycles, "Alright, they'll do."
"I'll head back then," Xiao Zheng said.
"Hold on a second."
Chen Hansheng stopped him, "Go and buy two cans of paint for me, one big can of white and a small can of red. I need to paint the tricycles."
"Running errands is fine, but for the paint money..."
Xiao Zheng held out his hand.
Chen Hansheng glanced at him, then pulled out half a pack of Red Jinling cigarettes from his pocket and placed it in Xiao Zheng's hand. "Get the money for the paint reimbursed from Manager Zhong. I've already spoken to him."
Seeing the half-pack of cigarettes, Xiao Zheng grinned and pocketed it. "If Old Zhong doesn't reimburse me, I'll come back and ask Mr. Chen for it."
Chen Hansheng pretended to hit him. "Get going already. If you delay my work, I'll crush your balls."
Xiao Zheng ran off, laughing. Some delivery guys were around the same age as Chen Hansheng, so he often interacted with them in a rowdy, brotherly manner, sometimes tossing them small benefits, which helped strengthen their relationship.
When the paint arrived, Chen Hansheng changed into his oldest clothes back at the dorm, bought a mask and gloves, and started painting.
Before long, Shen Youchu, Shang Yanyan, and Hu Linyu came by after class.
The tallest, Shen Youchu, walked in the middle, her head bowed as usual. Shang Yanyan and Hu Linyu walked on either side, glaring at each other. The combination looked awkward, and Chen Hansheng thought that once Shang Yanyan finished dealing with the clothes, he would find an excuse to kick her out. Hu Linyu would be easier to remove—no excuse needed.
"Why are you working on this by yourself?" Shang Yanyan greeted him.
Chen Hansheng was holding a paintbrush in one hand and steadying the tricycle with the other. His old clothes were smeared with paint, and even a few drops had splattered onto his hair. The cigarette in his mouth had burned down to ash, but he couldn't spare a hand to flick it off.
"Is it strange for me to work on my own? I eat and go to the bathroom by myself too... *cough, cough, cough*"
He spoke and inhaled smoke into his windpipe, causing a coughing fit.
Shen Youchu was about to step forward, but Shang Yanyan was quicker. She reached out with two slim fingers and removed the cigarette butt from Chen Hansheng's mouth.
Hu Linyu gave Shen Youchu a gentle nudge.
Shen Youchu glanced at Hu Linyu, her eyes clear and bright, then turned back to watch Chen Hansheng painting.
Hu Linyu sighed. This silly girl, how could she not sense the danger? Shang Yanyan was practically taking over.
Half an hour later, Chen Hansheng finally finished painting the first tricycle, now entirely white except for a bold red inscription on the tailgate that read: "Rocket 101 Express."
"Are you planning to ride this around campus to collect packages?" Hu Linyu asked.
"What do you think? Cool, right?" Chen Hansheng said with a satisfied grin.
Hu Linyu didn't agree. "It seems a bit too flashy."
"I think being flashy is good," Shang Yanyan retorted. "It's promotion time. This way, more students will notice."
"Shang Yanyan, can you speak with a conscience?"
"Hu Linyu, can you speak with your brain?"
...
The two immediately started arguing. One said, "Your makeup is too gaudy for a college student." The other retorted, "You're a bumpkin who embarrasses the finance college." Shang Yanyan's remarks were sharper and hit Hu Linyu's weak spots more accurately.
Chen Hansheng ignored them and didn't feel like intervening. He prepared to start painting the second tricycle. Shen Youchu followed him over; expecting her to mediate was unrealistic.
Just then, Qi Wei, the head of the External Relations Department, arrived at the entrepreneurship base. "Minister Chen, there's an all-member student council meeting at noon. We all need to attend."
Chen Hansheng looked annoyed. "What's the meeting for? I'm busy here. Can I skip it?"
Qi Wei shook her head. "It's about an internal debate competition, and Deputy Chairman Zuo Xiaoli even borrowed the university's activity center for it. All members have to attend, especially you as the vice-minister."
"So much hassle."
Chen Hansheng grumbled, standing up and taking off his mask and gloves. "Alright, let's go."
Qi Wei was surprised. "Aren't you going to change your clothes?"
"What for? Hard work is an honor."
...
The two arrived at the university activity center, where many students were already seated. Chen Hansheng's paint-covered appearance drew a lot of attention, including that of Zuo Xiaoli and Hu Xiuping, who stood at the front.
Hu Xiuping glanced at him briefly before looking away, but Zuo Xiaoli stared for a long time.
Chen Hansheng felt puzzled. "Organizing a departmental debate competition shouldn't require such a large scale."
Qi Wei frowned as well. This humanities and social sciences department student council meeting clearly had another purpose, but why hadn't they mentioned it beforehand?
Mu Wenling, who was sitting in the front, noticed Chen Hansheng and hurried over to him. In a low voice, she said, "Chen Hansheng, request a leave immediately. If I approve it, you can leave."
"Why?"
"Don't ask why. Trust me."
Mu Wenling spoke quickly, her expression anxious.
However, someone like Chen Hansheng wouldn't act solely on what others said. He needed his own reason for doing things, even if it was just for peace of mind.
"Tell me the reason, and I'll see if I should leave."
"You're so stubborn!"
With no choice, Mu Wenling explained, "Zuo Xiaoli and Hu Xiuping plan to kick you out of the student council. The debate competition is just a pretext; their real goal is to target you."
Qi Wei was incredulous. "The vice-minister's approval form has already been submitted to the committee! Unless someone resigns, how can they just replace him?"
"Professor Guan Shuman, who oversees the student council's affairs, has been away for training and only recently returned. Zuo Xiaoli took advantage of the time she wasn't around to submit a report claiming that Chen Hansheng is unfit to serve as vice-minister."
Mu Wenling was furious but powerless. This was the downside of not having a student council president. Two vice-chairmen could easily gang up and marginalize the third. She had only learned of this right before the meeting.
"Zuo Xiaoli doesn't just want to expel you; he wants to humiliate you in front of all the council members."
Mu Wenling urged again, "Request a leave now. Even if you leave the student council, you can avoid today's humiliation."
Chen Hansheng felt a strange familiarity with this scenario. He thought back to watching *Kangxi's Private Visits*, where Zhang Guoli, playing Kangxi, would always have an inspiring background theme (BGM) playing when he faced danger. He'd shout, "Sandezi, where's the imperial seal?" Then, his aides would appear, marking the start of his grandstanding moment.
"Hurry up, don't just stand there."
Mu Wenling prodded him, thinking he was frozen.
"I'm not leaving."
Chen Hansheng slowly shook his head. "I'm waiting for my theme music."