When Liming stepped out of the classroom and saw the person waiting for him, his first thought was: *I’ve never seen this person before. What could they want with me?*
The visitor was strikingly radiant; even standing still, he naturally exuded an air of nobility. It was true Qianning had many wealthy families and heirs, but this aura of old-money upbringing was unfamiliar to Liming. He only felt the man stood out like a crane among chickens.
Instinctively, Liming even had the illusion of being a head shorter than him.
“Hello, I’m Liming, class monitor of Class 9, Grade 1. May I ask who you are?”
“Hello, Junior Liming. I’m Wu Shaoze, head of the Life Department in the Student Council.”
Their hands clasped in a friendly handshake, but the gesture still made Liming slightly uncomfortable.
Immediately, an aura of unwavering integrity washed over him. Wu Shaoze had left a deep impression on Liming right from their first meeting.
*This Life Department head seems extremely strict with others. This pressure is just like Senior Bai Ling’s when she’s serious. Qianning High School’s Student Council truly is full of hidden talents…*
Liming had once tried to cultivate such an aura by asking Senior Bai Ling for advice. She’d regretfully told him he could only manage a gentle, spring-breeze-like presence. This kind of oppressive force was basically impossible for him.
Stern, unyielding pressure often threw guilty or unprepared people into panic. But before it, Liming stayed calm, meeting Wu Shaoze’s gaze with composure. This made the department head nod inwardly.
In truth, Liming was numb to such auras. After a year of being teased and pressured by Senior Bai Ling, this was nothing but a light drizzle.
“Senior Wu, may I ask what brings you here?”
As head of the Life Department and Senior Bai Ling’s subordinate, Liming could never be rude to him. Arrogance didn’t suit Liming.
“Junior Liming, I’ve come to ask if you’d consider joining the Student Council.”
Liming’s excellence was obvious—he was flawless in every way. Plus, his past experience working with Senior Bai Ling was invaluable. Letting such talent stay outside would be a disgrace to the Student Council.
“…I do want to join the Student Council, but recruitment hasn’t started. For now, I’m just building experience while I wait.”
A watertight reply. Liming still couldn’t guess Wu Shaoze’s true intentions. To avoid careless mistakes, he’d been unusually smooth.
Showing too much enthusiasm now might stir rumors. Even if the Student Council wanted him, gossip could complicate things.
“Ahem, Junior Liming, let’s speak privately.”
“Alright…”
Many would see them talking today, but as long as their next words weren’t overheard, Head Wu wasn’t afraid of other departments blaming him later.
“Junior Liming, do you know much about our Student Council departments?”
Using the intimate “our,” Wu Shaoze’s expression turned warm in the corner. Liming’s mouth twitched slightly.
“The Student Council has three departments: Life, Discipline, and Arts and Sports. Each has one head and one deputy. The Council itself has one president and two vice presidents, forming the core framework.”
Liming didn’t mention finer details like team setups, elite members, or Senior Bai Ling’s secretarial section.
Seeing Qianning High School’s Student Council structure gave Liming strong déjà vu. Wasn’t this just an expanded version of his old middle school’s legendary council? With Senior Bai Ling leading, it was nearly flawless.
But if she left and no one handled upper-level pressure and paperwork, the whole Council would collapse astonishingly fast.
“You’ve clearly studied our Student Council, Junior Liming. Among the three departments, what do you think of the Life Department?”
“Senior Wu, are you inviting me to join the Life Department?”
Liming didn’t answer right away—he countered with a question.
With Senior Bai Ling overseeing everything, Wu Shaoze couldn’t rush to force Liming into his department as a pillar, no matter how much he wanted to.
The other departments had likely heard rumors too. This visit was just to plant an impression before they snatched Liming up.
Unbeknownst to him, Liming had become the hot commodity all three departments were fighting over.
“Junior Liming, I truly want you in our Life Department family. I hope you’ll prioritize us when recruitment comes.”
“…”
The Life Department handled many messy duties, unofficially sharing some Discipline Department tasks. Liming knew it controlled dorm checks, scholarships, subsidies, and student leaves—making it the most powerful department. But it wasn’t his first choice.
Seeing Liming silent, Wu Shaoze assumed he lacked confidence. He’d never imagined anyone would refuse the Life Department.
“Don’t worry, Junior. Your work skills and grades are excellent—Senior Bai Ling has mentioned you. If not for school pressure, I’d specially recruit you now.”
That morning, Liming had joked with Zhangqianxing and Xulu about special recruitment. Now, this unexpected windfall had landed on him. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
But what truly caught his attention was Wu Shaoze’s mention of Senior Bai Ling speaking about him.
Unaccountably, Liming’s heart fluttered.
“Senior, I think I—”
“Enough. I won’t force your decision here. Recruitment is still far off—think it over carefully. Besides, I didn’t just come to chat. I need your help with something.”
Wu Shaoze wouldn’t give other departments ammunition. He’d also brought his unfinished morning task: gathering student information.
A department head shouldn’t handle this personally, but making an exception for Liming was fine.
“Student records—I trust your efficiency means you’ve finished them. Please send me a backup copy. The school authorized it; inputting this data is essential for the Student Council’s work.”
Liming took the notice. Two large red seals marked its origin. Once Liming recognized them, Wu Shaoze took back the document, bowed politely, and left the freshman building.
