"Should I thank you too?"

"Take it, take it."

He promptly went home, filled out the form right away, and handed it to Tang Zhe the next day after class.

"All set! C'mon, Mo Mo—let's hit the net cafe."

After tucking the form away, he planned to drop it at the counselor’s office downstairs then go online. But Li Mo shook her head. "My Thursday’s packed. Got an elective second period tomorrow morning."

Ugh. *I still have classes,* he grumbled inwardly, *and now I’m the one going solo?*

"Hey, didn’t you join the student union? Grab some tasks. Always running to the cafe—you’ll turn into a total slacker."

"Oh, right."

Her words jolted him awake.

Last night’s group chat *was* recruiting: freshmen could tag along with upperclassmen to gain experience. Since Mo Mo said it… fine.

"Alright. I’m skipping. Heading to the event later."

"Good! That’s the spirit, kid!"

He clapped Tang Zhe’s shoulder. "I’ve got high hopes for you, young man!"

Somehow… this felt oddly familiar.

"Yo, Tang Zhe! Surfing time! Mo Mo coming? Let’s roll!" Liu Ye bounded up with two roommates, itching to log in. "I’ve got Camille ready. Watch me dominate top lane today."

"Yeah, yeah—E into W every fight, silky-smooth combos, *so* flashy, right?" Liu Huilin shot back, clearly the victim before.

These two were about to bicker again. Li Mo felt a headache coming and slipped away.

"Not going. Got an elective later."

"Fair enough."

Snagging *any* elective slot was a win—nobody cared which period.

"I’m out too. Got an event."

Tang Zhe fiddled with his phone. Roster was confirmed yesterday; as a union member he could attend, just no points. Didn’t matter. Points weren’t the goal.

"Wow! You lovebirds! Valentine’s Day’s not even here and you’re already shipping hard! Tan Jie, bounce!"

"I’ve got Youth Volunteer training—freshmen session. One period. Still make lunch."

"Skipping too. Got my laptop. Bed-gaming in the dorm’s comfier."

"Damn it—!!!"

Abandoned and desperate, Liu Ye nearly hit his knees—until Liu Huilin stepped outside, winced under the blazing sun, and reluctantly agreed to the cafe (for AC), saving Liu Ye from total freshman-year betrayal.

"They should just marry. This is the ship that stresses me out most," Li Mo murmured, watching the two Lius stroll off arm-in-arm.

*Hiss…*

Tang Zhe, nearby, sucked in a sharp breath.

"What’s wrong?"

*Did she just…? Why the gasp?*

"How’d I miss you’re into BL?"

"...Huh?!"

Li Mo burst out laughing. "Oops."

*Hiss—!*

This time, the kick was real—and Li Mo delivered it.

"Teasing vs. actually into it—you can’t tell? Don’t forget who I am… Anyway, I’m normal. Don’t spread rumors."

"Just joking…" Tang Zhe stammered, but Li Mo was already heading to the next building.

"Your girl’s got fire. You sure you can handle her?" Tan Jie shuddered. *Good thing Tang Zhe got there first.* She was gentle with others, but clearly not the type to welcome advances. Push too hard? She’d flare up.

"She wouldn’t kick hard anyway."

"Even if she did… wouldn’t hurt."

"Whatever. She’s like a wild cat—riled up? Totally normal. Off to the event."

They split ways. Tang Zhe’s event was on Library Floor 4—barely a hundred meters away. No elevator though. Took him two extra minutes to find stairs; event had already started.

"You’re here."

A sophomore led the team. Juniors were checked out, waiting for handover. Quick briefing, then gone.

"You two partner up. Help the club manage entry, gather a bit of material for News Dept. Simple first task for freshmen."

"OK, OK."

Boring. Nowhere near as fun as cafe time with roommates. But Li Mo said *do it right*. He accepted readily.

His partner: another freshman girl. Pretty—not stunning, but gentle-looking, probably easy to work with. *At least collaboration won’t be tough.*

Senior left. Two newcomers stood awkwardly.

*Who do we report to?*

"The club said: check entry codes at the door, then wait for the host."

Not bad. Though late, she’d handled it.

"Okay."

They approached the entrance staffer. Relief washed over her face. "Thank you! Urgent thing—I’m out. Signed-up folks just scan this code to enter."

Quick demo, she dashed off. *Seriously? Not enough staff for events?* He sighed inwardly, took the QR code, scanned the last few latecomers.

Event underway onstage. Only four or five stragglers. Done scanning, they stood idle.

"No one else coming."

"Mm-hmm."

...

(No topic found.)

"Oh—later we might split to gather reporting material. Exchange contacts? You send yours, I’ll compile and submit."

"I can compile too."

She was proactive, but Tang Zhe kept it polite.

"No need. You’re not earning points anyway. I’m Gao Linxi. Posted in the group—just add me."

"...Okay."

*Nice name.*

*Why’s Org Dept helping News Dept gather material?*

"Tang Zhe? Sounds familiar…"

She saw his friend request, paused, then lit up.

"Oh—*you’re* the one who scored 600+ and still came here? Total humblebrag!"

"What humblebrag!"

*Sharp tongue. Not so quiet after all.*

"Haha… complicated."

*She’s not even in my department. How’d she know? I never mentioned the score at orientation.*

*…So my rep’s really that big?*