Chapter 30: Who Adjusted Her Settings Like This? (Seeking Collections and Monthly Votes)

The sudden appearance of the task made Chen Yuan set aside his plan to return to the dormitory. Munching on the cut fruit given to him by Song Jianian, he strolled leisurely toward the large sports field.

A one-kilometer run was a breeze for Chen Yuan; it posed no challenge at all. After finishing the fruit and doing some simple stretches, he jogged two and a half laps around the rubber track. He lifted his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. The brief release of endorphins felt truly refreshing.

A notification regarding the task progress appeared in his mind.
【1/5】
Four more days to go.

"Junior!"

Just as Chen Yuan was about to head back, he heard someone calling him. He turned around to see Jiang Shuyi walking toward him, holding a bottle of peach juice in her hand.

"Senior," Chen Yuan greeted her.
"This is for you."
"Everything is fine, so why are you buying me a drink?"

Where there is an anomaly, there is mischief; where affection runs deep, there is bound to be ulterior motive. Chen Yuan didn't dare to take it.

"It’s just a drink. You think I’m going to poison you?" Jiang Shuyi forcefully handed over the peach juice.

She had bought the drink for herself, but while walking back, she saw Chen Yuan running on the field and decided to give it to him, intending to talk to him about joining the Student Union. She felt pathetic, even losing her focus just by watching a 185-centimeter-tall college guy drenched in sweat.

"Senior, you aren't trying to get me to solicit sponsorships, are you?"
"No, I want to recruit you into the Student Union, specifically our Outreach Department. I’ll look out for you from now on."
"Not interested."

Jiang Shuyi paused. A rejection this decisive?

"Even though we’re from the same school, I’m trying to pull you into the University Student Union, not the department-level one."
"I’m not really suited for soliciting sponsorships, and I have no experience. Thanks for the offer, Senior."
"You don't need experience; just join. Plus, you can meet new friends." Jiang Shuyi looked at Chen Yuan with hopeful eyes. "Will you consider it?"
"Still not going."
"Junior~~~" Jiang Shuyi tugged at the corner of Chen Yuan’s shirt and pouted coquettishly.
"Whatever you call me, the answer is no."
"Daddy."

Not that... who on earth taught her to be like this?

"Senior, I really feel I lack the ability for this, so I’d rather not waste resources."
"It’s fine, you can just be an off-the-books member. It’s just giving you a title in the Student Union; there are no extra requirements."
"That sounds like a QQ member getting a red username."
"So you aren't losing anything."
"I feel like there’s more to this. Otherwise, you wouldn't suddenly ask me to join the Student Union out of the blue. Just tell me the truth."

The same old rule applied: an anomaly implies mischief. He wasn't anything special—just a plain-looking, tall, handsome guy. Under normal circumstances, even if they were short-staffed, they wouldn't come looking for him.

"Alright, I’ll be direct," Jiang Shuyi said. "You know the manager of the Lanting Hotel, right?"
"So what?"
"The hotel's general manager said that as long as you join the Student Union, they will provide a 3,000-yuan sponsorship. So, naturally, I came to find you."

Arranged by Uncle Zhang? That seems a bit much, doesn't it? Why is he getting involved in this?

"The money won't go into your pocket, so why be so persistent?"
"But I’ve been promoted to department head, and I need a strong start. Plus, the Student Union has a policy where we can keep 10% of the funds," Jiang Shuyi explained. "Anyway, you’d be an off-the-books member; you don't even have to attend our regular meetings. Why not? Besides, for future evening classes, you can just say you’re busy with Student Union work and skip them. Isn't that great?"
"I’ll give you an answer tomorrow."
"Deal. Let’s add each other."

After they exchanged contact information, Chen Yuan left. On the way back, he messaged Song Jianian and obtained Uncle Zhang’s phone number.

"Uncle Zhang." Chen Yuan dialed the number.
"Xiao Yuan."
"Are you the one trying to get me into the Student Union?"
"Did that girl come to find you?"
"Yes, but there’s no need for that. I don't have any interest in the Student Union."
"The hotel has an annual budget for contributions to nearby universities. Even if I didn't give it to your school, I’d give it to another. It’s the same regardless of where it goes. I just mentioned it casually. If you don't want to go, it doesn't matter."

Chen Yuan felt that Uncle Zhang seemed to have a stereotypical view of the Student Union, believing it to be a place that could help someone develop.

"I understand."
"Our young lady is a bit introverted, so I’d appreciate it if you could look out for her at school."
"We're just helping each other out."

After chatting for a while, Chen Yuan hung up. Uncle Zhang was truly worried about everything regarding Song Jianian; he probably hadn't said that only to him. Every time she brought fruit, it was four portions—one for everyone in the dorm. When he first met her, it seemed like she was trying to build up her courage. The strange thing was, despite knowing her for so many days, he had never heard her mention her parents.

Back in the dormitory, the three guys were acting like they had just exploded.

"Boss, I heard you know our school's campus belle, Song Jianian?" The one speaking was Sheng Kangming, the fourth member of the dorm.

He had a buzz cut, a round face, and a full beard. Sheng Kangming was from Hangzhou. Just after the freshman year started and before military training had even ended, he was dragged to the Sichuan-Chongqing Alumni Association. The region was famous for its beauties, and he had hoped to sneak in and meet a girl like Shen Youchu to start a sweet romance, but once he arrived, he found out that everyone was gay. He was so scared he tucked his tail between his legs and ran away that very night.

"Not only do I know her, but we also kissed."
"Damn! That’s the number one campus belle of our century-old school!" This was the Song supporter.
"Old Third has even had his foreskin removed and still hasn't found a girlfriend, yet you, on the other hand, quietly bagged the campus belle," Liu Shiyu said.
"Don't talk trash. I met a girl from the Foreign Languages Department on the confession wall. We’ve been chatting, and I think I’ve got a chance," Sun Pengnan said.
"How far have you gotten? What have you been talking about? Tell us."

They had only been in school for a month, and the novelty hadn't worn off yet. If a girl asked for directions, they would ask themselves 100 times in their hearts: *Is she interested in me? Otherwise, why would she ask me instead of someone else? Little girl, trying to play hard-to-get with me, huh?*

Now that they saw Sun Pengnan had also hooked up with a girl, the two of them were already howling with excitement.

"It’s nothing much, just normal chatting. But she said her stomach hurt. I think it might be her period, and I don't really know how to comfort her."
"That is indeed a high-level problem. Besides telling her to drink more hot water, I can't think of anything else," Sheng Kangming said.
"I’ve studied this problem before. Whatever you say is useless; it’s going to hurt regardless," Liu Shiyu said, sitting cross-legged on his bed.
"But I’m a bit puzzled. What kind of organ is the stomach, anyway? If I could figure that out, I could solve the problem at the root," Sun Pengnan said.
"You are truly dense," Sheng Kangming said. "Stomach ache is a general term. The specific organ is the uterus, where the sperm and egg meet."
"Huh?" Liu Shiyu looked at Sheng Kangming.
"Isn't the place where the sperm and egg meet a hotel?"