Wang Qiqi walked into the classroom, spotted Jiang Xin, and immediately headed over to her side. "Come to my dorm at noon; I made some good food yesterday." It wasn't payment for Wang Qiqi campaigning for Duan Xiaomin; Wang Qiqi had always intended to give some to Jiang Xin anyway. She’d planned to give it this morning, but after that phone call, she’d completely forgotten.

Jiang Xin didn't stand on ceremony; she only cared about what delicious food Wang Qiqi had prepared. "Did you make it yourself?" That seemed a little too domestic.

"Some chicken wings, gizzards, and feet that I pickled myself. They're quite tasty." Seeing Jiang Xin's look of polite confusion, Wang Qiqi dropped any pretense of formality. "Does anyone in your dorm want to run for Publicity Officer?" Wang Qiqi wanted to check; if someone was running, she would drop the matter.

Jiang Xin shook her head. "Nobody in my dorm wants to be a class cadre. You know how it is—when you come to university, you either want to study hard or just goof off for a few years. Besides, what real benefit is there to being a cadre, unless you're an absolute power-hungry maniac?"

Hearing Jiang Xin say that, Wang Qiqi knew there was an opening. "Han Meina and Duan Xiaomin in my dorm both want to run. Will you vote for them? Could you mention it to your roommates?" Wang Qiqi genuinely assured herself that she hadn't intended to mention Han Meina first.

Han Meina happened to be discussing things like canvassing votes with a few guys. As she walked past Wang Qiqi, she paid attention. She hadn't expected Wang Qiqi to campaign for her too, but she was surprised that Duan Xiaomin was also running for a class position. Han Meina really wanted to grab Wang Qiqi and ask why Duan Xiaomin was also vying for a cadre position—wasn't that putting her in direct competition?

Jiang Xin cut in first with her own query. "Everyone knows Han Meina from your dorm is running for Culture Committee Member. Why is Duan Xiaomin running for Culture Committee Member too?" How were they supposed to vote for both? Jiang Xin knew Wang Qiqi and Han Meina's relationship wasn't exactly close; she saw no reason for Wang Qiqi to campaign for Han Meina.

"Duan Xiaomin can be the Publicity Officer. After all, we're in the same dorm. If we have two cadres, won't there be a lot of convenience later on? For instance, if the department or school has any activities, we might find out earlier?" As Wang Qiqi said this, she suddenly realized having more cadres in her dorm might actually have some benefits, like becoming a cadre, then entering the departmental student union, and eventually the university student union.

Jiang Xin listened to Wang Qiqi describe her blueprint, though it sounded appealing. Jiang Xin cut in first with her own query. "Everyone knows Han Meina from your dorm is running for Culture Committee Member. Why is Duan Xiaomin running for Culture Committee Member too?" How were they supposed to vote for both? Jiang Xin knew Wang Qiqi and Han Meina's relationship wasn't exactly close; she saw no reason for Wang Qiqi to campaign for Han Meina.

"Duan Xiaomin can be the Publicity Officer. After all, we're in the same dorm. If we have two cadres, won't there be a lot of convenience later on? For instance, if the department or school has any activities, we might find out earlier?" As Wang Qiqi said this, she suddenly realized having more cadres in her dorm might actually have some benefits, like becoming a cadre, then entering the departmental student union, and eventually the university student union.

Jiang Xin looked at Wang Qiqi for a moment. "I'll go talk to my roommates, but don't forget us when there are benefits later." Although the cadre elections were set for after military training—the school hoping everyone would select cadres after getting to know each other—and they had gotten to know each other during training, very few people actually put themselves forward. Moreover, many boys focused their energy on vying for the title of Class Beauty, Department Beauty, or even Campus Belle, and if they spotted a girl they liked, they would scheme to win her over. For a position that involved a degree of service to others, few people were eager to run.

Wang Qiqi nodded. "Thanks. If you can, please lobby hard for votes." Wang Qiqi watched Jiang Xin walk over to her roommates, intending to turn and find Duan Xiaomin and the others. As she turned, she saw Han Meina standing right behind her, which startled Wang Qiqi badly.

"Meina, what you just did was completely out of line; you almost gave me a heart attack." Wang Qiqi truly felt a jolt of fear. Anyone would be startled if they turned around to see a huge face looming right in front of them, especially when Han Meina's face was stretched into a grimace.

Wang Qiqi thought, Why has this girl been looking at me all morning like I owe her money? That was bad enough in the dorm, but she’s still wearing that expression in the classroom. Wang Qiqi was ready to give her a death glare.

"Thanks for campaigning for me, though I suspect you only did it incidentally while helping Duan Xiaomin." Although Han Meina was saying thank you, her sincerity sounded questionable, and her meaning was clear: Wang Qiqi wouldn't have bothered campaigning if it weren't to help Duan Xiaomin.

"Whatever you think is fine." Wang Qiqi wasn't going to explain her actions. Even if she was helping her incidentally, she had still helped. Wang Qiqi could guarantee that if she and Gong Yiying were running for the same position, Han Meina would, at most, campaign for Gong Yiying and wouldn't even mention Wang Qiqi.

Han Meina had expected Wang Qiqi to offer some kind of explanation, but after that curt reply, Wang Qiqi simply stepped around her and walked away. This struck Han Meina as very odd—no explanation, no expectation of praise. This went against everything Han Meina had been taught. However, Han Meina wasn't going to linger over Wang Qiqi’s strange behavior; she had votes to gather.

Han Meina wasn't shy like many girls. She knew that if she wanted something, she had to voice it. This might seem a bit flamboyant, but in society, that kind of personality often proved advantageous. Wang Qiqi actually envied Han Meina for this trait.

Wang Qiqi walked over to where her dorm group was gathered and sat down. "No one in Jiang Xin's dorm is running for cadre. I spoke to her, and she said it's fine."

Gong Yiying looked at Han Meina, who was constantly campaigning, and then at Duan Xiaomin, who was sitting nearby building rapport with the next dorm over. A wave of frustration washed over her. She hadn't been completely uninterested in becoming a class cadre before, but she had felt it was pointless. She figured she could spend that time meeting more people, finding a well-qualified man for a relationship, and then getting married immediately after graduation—no need for a career. Gong Yiying had never considered this path until recently. Her mother came from a successful maternal line; her relatives were quite capable. But why was her own family's living situation less comfortable than her two aunts'? The reason was simple: both of her uncles were high earners. Her aunts didn't need to struggle outside; they could enjoy a leisurely life, buy designer goods, or eat out frequently. Her own family couldn't afford that kind of ease because her father couldn't earn as much as her uncles.

But just now, while having breakfast with Han Meina, a casual remark from Han Meina had made her deeply regret her previous stance. Han Meina had mentioned that becoming a cadre first, then moving to the departmental student union, and finally the university student union, would allow one to meet many outstanding boys on campus.

That single sentence had set off fireworks in Gong Yiying’s mind. Right! Are all those leisurely boys across the entire department and university going to introduce themselves to me? And if I don't get close to them, can I really trust what everyone else says about them? On the walk back from the cafeteria to the classroom, Gong Yiying had been agonizing over whether to run for class cadre, and if so, which position. Class President? Too much work. Culture Committee Member? Han Meina was running. Although Gong Yiying had experience as a Culture Committee Member for several years and felt confident in winning that spot, the thought of Han Meina made her extinguish that idea immediately. After much deliberation, she finally settled on Publicity Officer, only to find Han Meina already out campaigning.

Gong Yiying was just about to tell her roommates her plan—surely she could secure at least seven votes—when Bai Ge spotted her and blurted out that Duan Xiaomin was running for Publicity Officer. Furthermore, Wang Qiqi was out campaigning for her! Gong Yiying felt completely stunned. She truly hadn't expected things to develop this way.

Especially when Duan Xiaomin approached, smiling and asking for her vote, Gong Yiying desperately wanted to shout that she was also running for Publicity Officer. But she lacked the courage. She knew that even if she announced her intention, out of eight people in the dorm, she would only get two votes. Meanwhile, the eight votes from Jiang Xin's dorm were highly likely to go to Duan Xiaomin, plus the votes from the next dorm over, and most crucially, she had no one to strategize with about campaigning.

After a quick internal comparison, Gong Yiying smiled and nodded at Duan Xiaomin. "When you become a cadre, remember to treat us to a meal. Meina said she’s treating!"

Although Gong Yiying hadn't given a direct answer to Duan Xiaomin, her meaning was clear enough. After canvassing earlier, Duan Xiaomin knew that even though some votes might shift, she had a seventy percent chance of becoming Publicity Officer, with the remaining thirty percent being an unknown variable—like someone suddenly announcing they were running too.

When the counselor entered, briefly introduced himself to everyone, and announced the start of the class cadre elections, there was an initial awkward silence. Those intending to run hesitated until a particularly flamboyant boy suddenly jumped up. "My name is Zhang Han, from the ancient city, and I am running for Entertainment Committee Member." He then launched into his campaign speech.

When Zhang Han jumped up to announce his bid for Entertainment Committee Member, Wang Qiqi paid close attention to Han Meina’s expression. After all, this was her direct competitor. However, Han Meina handled the situation with surprising composure. Though momentarily taken aback, she quickly adjusted her expression and listened intently to his speech.

Once someone broke the ice, the rest of the process flowed much more smoothly. People went up one after another to give their speeches. Although there was initial tension, seeing that their opponents were also nervous eased the tension for those who followed, and fewer awkward moments occurred. Naturally, the best performances came from Zhang Han and Han Meina. Given that a beautiful girl and a handsome guy were competing for the same Entertainment Committee Member position, Wang Qiqi was certain that choosing between them would be quite difficult.

This week ends with a recommendation on the last page; there will be three updates until Saturday, with an extra update scheduled for 10 PM.