After registering two more students’ details, Lin Ran got up to use the restroom. As he passed the stairs, he caught sight of Ye Qingqian sitting on a step, leaning lightly against the wall, her face buried in the crook of her arm as she rested in silence.

Seeing Ye Qingqian like this, Lin Ran felt a little puzzled. Wasn’t she busy? Maybe she was stealing a quick break in the middle of all that work.

When he came back from the restroom, Ye Qingqian was still sitting on the step in the same position. She seemed to have fallen asleep. Lin Ran frowned. Why was she resting here? Was it because he’d told her that morning not to disturb him?

Maybe that was it. After all, this was only preparation for the start of school. No matter how busy she was, she couldn’t be so busy that she had no time to rest. This made him seem like a real jerk.

Lin Ran walked up to Ye Qingqian and reached out to tap her on the shoulder.

“If you’re tired, why not lie down on the sofa in the office? Sitting here can’t be very comfortable,” Lin Ran said casually.

“Didn’t you say you didn’t like being disturbed?” Ye Qingqian looked up and gave him a tired smile.

Lin Ran frowned again. So it really was because of that. This was kind of ridiculous. “Not wanting to be disturbed is one thing. But I also don’t want you sitting here to take a nap, getting caught by a teacher, and then getting scolded because of it. Of course, it’s your choice.”

After saying that, Lin Ran went back to the office. A while later, Ye Qingqian returned as well.

“Since I’ve already disturbed you, I might as well disturb you a little more. Could you wake me up at 1:20?” Ye Qingqian said with a smile. Then she took off her jacket, lay down on the sofa, and pulled it over herself to rest.

Lin Ran glanced at Ye Qingqian and thought, ‘Being Student Council president really isn’t easy.’

Lin Ran was getting curious. How much work could there be for the president to handle before school even started? She was so busy that even the teachers couldn’t keep up with her.

But it was only one o’clock when someone from the Student Council barged into the office without knocking. They glanced around, then hurried straight over to the sleeping Ye Qingqian and shouted to wake her up.

“President, wake up! There’s something you need to deal with. A parent in Class C, Grade One, is making a scene over the dorm assignment. The teachers aren’t around, and we can’t explain it to him. Can you come over?”

Ye Qingqian sat up, still a little groggy, and put on a smile. “Okay, I’ll be right there!”

“Mm-hmm, hurry!” The student said, then immediately left, shutting the door behind them with quite a bit of force.

Ye Qingqian clutched her jacket and took a deep breath. A smile appeared on her face.

“Sorry to bother you again.” Ye Qingqian put her jacket on and apologized to Lin Ran.

Lin Ran glanced at her. She really did look exhausted. “I don’t mind, but the people in your Student Council have no manners.”

“It’s an emergency. There’s no helping it. Quite a few parents have been making a huge fuss over little things these past couple of days. They’re at their wits’ end too.” As she spoke, Ye Qingqian left the office.

Lin Ran glanced out the window. At this hour, the teachers were probably sleeping soundly in bed.

In the afternoon, Lin Ran had been sitting for so long that his whole body felt uncomfortable, so he paused his work and went for a walk. Around campus, he saw quite a few Student Council members showing late-arriving students and their parents around. As they passed, he could hear the council members introducing the school.

Behind everyone’s smiles was a layer of impatience. Lin Ran smiled. Of course they were getting impatient. They only had two months of vacation, yet they had to give up a whole week to welcome the incoming first-years—and deal with all kinds of weird parents, some of whom even scolded and berated them. They’d have to be crazy to enjoy it.

As Lin Ran made his way around campus, he heard plenty of complaints.

“What kind of person is she? If her son’s so amazing, why’d she send him to No. 5 High School? Why not send him straight to college? She acts like he’s incredible, then chews me out over some stupid little thing. My own parents have never yelled at me like that, not once in my life. Who does she think she is?”

“We’ve got every kind of crazy parent here. If he’s so damn confident, why doesn’t he say No. 5 High School is garbage to the school administrators? And what’s with that brat acting so high and mighty? He can’t even make the top thirty in his grade, but he struts around like he owns the place. If he ever messes with me, I’ll teach him what it means to keep his head down.”

“We’re running all over campus showing these weird new students and their parents around. Where’s the president? She’s got it easy, sitting in the office writing things up and printing out information. Xiaoman told me she was even sleeping at noon. I’m so done. Everyone else is busy, and she’s sleeping!”

……

Lin Ran smiled and shook his head.

Was Ye Qingqian really taking it easy? Not at all. Before Lin Ran returned to the office, he’d seen her in front of the sports field. The Student Council vice president stood beside her, and a chubby boy and his parents stood in front of them. Even from more than twenty meters away, Lin Ran could hear the parent’s voice.

“Isn’t this school just ripping people off? The dorm fee is eight hundred a semester, and tuition is eight thousand. That’s over ten thousand for one semester! School’s started, and we can’t even find a teacher. And the dorm you assigned us—is that any place for people to live? It doesn’t even have air conditioning! Then you say we have to pay extra for an air-conditioned dorm. What, do you think it’s that easy to make money off us farmers? Does money grow on trees? You just open your mouth and ask for more! You’re charging a hundred and fifty yuan for a lousy uniform. Is this really Ark City No. 5 High School? All you Student Council people know how to do is use the teachers as a shield. What else can you do?”

Hearing the parent’s scolding, Lin Ran thought of a saying: “Hardship breeds troublemakers.”

No. 5 High School’s dorms might not be the best in Ark City, but they were definitely far from bad. Even the rooms without air conditioning were better than those in most high schools. The dorms had security doors, and each room came with its own bathroom and wardrobe. As for air-conditioned rooms, the dorm fee was 1,200 yuan a semester, with the extra four hundred going toward electricity. It also kept students from wasting power by leaving the air conditioning on while they were in class. Honestly, with six students in a room, that extra four hundred per person added up to 2,400 yuan—and the electricity bill for the air conditioning over a whole semester was no small amount.

And the uniforms were better quality than clothes costing several hundred yuan online. They were only charging him 150, and he still thought it was too expensive.

But no matter how harshly the parents scolded and berated her, Ye Qingqian always kept her lovely smile. She patiently explained things to them, too.

Lin Ran gave a mocking smile. These parents might be yelling their heads off now, complaining about this and that, but in the end they’d still pay up and send their kids to school. Of course, they’d probably keep badmouthing the school behind its back.

But other new students and their parents were different. After the Student Council showed them around, they’d say thank you, tell the students they’d worked hard, or say they appreciated the trouble. Some even made a point of buying the council members a bottle of water.

See? That was the difference between people.

Unfortunately, the angry parent noticed Lin Ran’s mocking smile. He pointed at Lin Ran and snapped, “What are you smiling at? What’s so funny?”

Lin Ran glanced sideways at the man and smiled again. “Nothing. I just think you’re ridiculous.”

“What did you say?” The man’s eyes widened, and he looked ready to hit Lin Ran.

“Uncle, please don’t get worked up. He didn’t mean it that way.” Ye Qingqian hurried to explain on Lin Ran’s behalf.

“I’m laughing at how ridiculous you are. What, you think the dorm fee is too expensive? The tuition too? If it’s so expensive, why are you here? Why not just turn around and leave? Your money might not grow on trees, but the school isn’t a charity either. No. 5 High School has to pay a hefty amount every month for its teachers. Sports meets and all kinds of events cost money too. Are you going to cover those costs? You think the school’s crazy for wanting money? Heh. No offense, but a homeroom teacher at No. 5 probably earns in a month what you make in two or three. Who do you think the little bit you pay for one semester is going to support?”

“You think the Student Council is useless? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but when each graduating class from No. 5 High School moves on to college, our school has the highest proportion of students accepted into 985 and 211 universities among all the high schools in Ark City. Do you think the Student Council wants to sacrifice precious study time just to waste its breath on weird parents like you?”

“This kid worked hard to get into No. 5. Don’t ruin his bright future with your narrow-mindedness. Taking your anger out on students doesn’t prove how capable you are. What you’re doing and saying right now will only turn you into a joke among his classmates.”

Lin Ran finished his string of sarcastic remarks and turned to leave. The parent, who’d been about to hit him, froze at his final words.

He was right. They couldn’t ruin their child’s bright future just because they were angry. No matter how much they complained about No. 5 High School’s fees, the school’s reputation spoke for itself. Everyone in Ark City knew how good it was. Making a scene might let them vent their frustration, but what about after school started? Their child’s classmates would only laugh at him: Look, those are his parents. They made a huge scene at the start of school, but in the end, they paid up like everyone else. His family must be dirt poor if they’re quibbling with the school over tuition and dorm fees.

Ye Qingqian and the vice president were both stunned by Lin Ran’s words. It was hard to imagine a second-year student saying something like that.

“You two, I’m really sorry. We got carried away just now, and I apologize. I’m sorry. That young man’s words really opened my eyes. I was being narrow-minded. I hope you can forgive my awful attitude. I’m truly sorry.” Once he’d calmed down, the parent apologized to Ye Qingqian and the vice president, his face full of shame.

“I’m sorry, senpai! My dad got too worked up just now.” The chubby boy lowered his head and apologized too.

“It’s okay, sir. I’m glad you understand. And you, Chubby—welcome to Ark City No. 5 High School! A bright future lies ahead of you! I hope you enjoy your time studying at No. 5 and have a happy school life. But don’t slack off in your studies, either. I believe your name will be on the list of No. 5 students accepted into 985 and 211 universities!” The vice president adjusted his glasses and laughed heartily.

Ye Qingqian just stared blankly at Lin Ran’s retreating figure, her right hand unconsciously pressed to her chest. She felt both amused and bewildered. Why had Lin Ran seemed so cool just now?

That wasn’t the first parent to make a scene like that. But they were the only ones Lin Ran had ever managed to scold into their senses.

When Lin Ran returned to the office, he went right back to registering information. He’d already put the little incident out of his mind.

This time, aside from his trip to the restroom, Lin Ran spent the whole day working in the office. As dusk fell, he stretched, ready to call it a day. There were still more than seventy students’ details left to enter, and he really didn’t want to stay up late doing it. He’d have to finish tomorrow. He should be able to get it all done then.

Lin Ran left the office. As he went downstairs, he saw Ye Qingqian leaning lightly against the windowsill. She gazed at the distant sky, the setting sun shining through the window onto her lovely face. She looked beautiful.

“There are still seventy students’ details to enter into the computer. I’ll come in early tomorrow, and I should be able to finish in the morning.” After briefly explaining the work, Lin Ran was about to leave.

“Wait.” Ye Qingqian called out to Lin Ran.

Lin Ran turned around and looked at Ye Qingqian calmly. “What is it?”

Ye Qingqian smiled. “Nothing major. I’ve just decided to bring you into the Student Council.”

“Not interested.” Lin Ran turned to leave.

“What would make you interested?” Ye Qingqian asked with a smile.

“Nothing would. I only helped you because you helped Lin Ruixue switch classes. I don’t like owing people favors.” Lin Ran spoke casually, without slowing down.

Ye Qingqian pouted. “So you’re telling me that the only way to get you into the Student Council is to make you owe me a favor first? Hmm. Getting someone to owe me a favor shouldn’t be hard!”

Watching Lin Ran’s figure gradually disappear into the distance, Ye Qingqian smiled without realizing it. She saw a maturity in him that didn’t belong to someone his age.

“President, you haven’t left yet?” A male voice sounded at just the wrong moment.

Ye Qingqian looked toward the voice. It was the Student Council vice president. She smiled. “I was just about to head back.”

“Let’s go together!” the vice president said with a smile.

“No, my driver’s waiting downstairs.” Ye Qingqian smiled, then went downstairs, passing the vice president on her way.

The vice president gave a wry smile.