With the candidates having delivered all their campaign speeches, the voting was set to begin. Everyone picked up a slip of paper to write down the names of the class officers they favored.

For the class officer positions other than Han Meina and Duan Xiaomin, Wang Qiqi’s criteria were purely based on who looked pleasing to the eye, or someone who seemed slightly shrewder—she figured only such people would secure the best benefits for the class.

All the various ballots were placed on a table at the front, and the counselor randomly selected three people to count the votes: one to tally, one to supervise.

What followed was the vote-counting process that Wang Qiqi found dreadfully tedious. Naturally, for the candidates, it was a moment thick with tension. No one knew how Han Meina was feeling, but Duan Xiaomin must have been incredibly nervous, judging by how tightly she was gripping Wang Qiqi’s hand. Wang Qiqi kept glancing down at her own hand, inwardly sighing, wondering if her hand would be intact once the results were announced.

As the count for one candidate surpassed half the total votes, Duan Xiaomin’s expression visibly improved. Even though she had only decided to run for publicity representative that morning, with Wang Qiqi and the others campaigning for her, along with Han Meina’s help, her chances were looking overwhelmingly good—practically guaranteed to win. Wang Qiqi could practically hear Duan Xiaomin exhale in relief, and as she relaxed, she finally let go of Wang Qiqi’s hand.

In contrast to Duan Xiaomin’s bright outlook, the vote counts for Han Meina and Zhang Han seesawed back and forth. When Wang Qiqi looked at Han Meina again, she noticed her hand was clenched into a tight fist at her side, yet the smile on her face remained unchanged. Wang Qiqi admired that composure.

Duan Xiaomin, now at ease, took the opportunity to survey the other candidates. The moment she noticed Han Meina, the smile vanished from her face. She knew that if she genuinely secured the position, a large part of that success was due to Han Meina's efforts. "Meina, I’m still waiting for you to treat us," Duan Xiaomin whispered close to Han Meina’s ear.

Han Meina’s tense heart finally settled; hearing Duan Xiaomin’s words, she let out a complete sigh of relief. "Don't worry, it’s just one meal." There was no way she would fail now.

Five minutes later, the results were finally in. Han Meina had successfully been elected as the culture and entertainment representative. The victory had been narrow, barely one vote ahead of Zhang Han, but that single vote was enough to let Han Meina smile all the way to the end. Once the results were announced, Zhang Han gracefully walked over to Han Meina, shook her hand, and congratulated her on the win. After the counselor confirmed all the class officer appointments, she distributed the course schedules and then asked the male students to collect the textbooks.

"Congratulations."

"And congratulations to you too," Han Meina beamed, her smile exceptionally sweet. "Lunch is on me. Sichuan cuisine?"

"Sounds fine," everyone replied casually. "Is this our last hurrah? Classes officially start tomorrow."

"It’s quite daunting," Wang Qiqi murmured, studying the schedule. "But it looks much more relaxed than when we were in Senior Three." Looking at the schedule, Wang Qiqi realized she should probably get her library card sorted out; she intended for her daily routine, beyond the dorm, cafeteria, and classroom, to now include regular trips to the library.

After dropping the books off at the dorm, the group prepared to head out for lunch. Wang Qiqi took this moment to deliver the chicken wings and other items to Jiang Xin’s dorm. Han Meina also slipped in a few packs of snacks. "A thank-you gift," Han Meina explained when she saw Wang Qiqi’s surprised expression.

Wang Qiqi hummed an acknowledgment. Despite being a bit demanding, the girl wasn't bad at heart; at least, if you helped her, she remembered to repay the favor. However, Wang Qiqi was curious if, once this young woman successfully brightened her complexion using Wang Qiqi's formula, she would show gratitude—perhaps by gifting some skincare products or treats.

"Oh, right, I need to go find my friend," Wang Qiqi said, pausing at the door as a thought struck her. She realized there were no afternoon classes today, and since it was Monday, the stock market was open; she could go see Meng Fei and collect the materials she needed. But it had been a while since her last visit; perhaps Meng Fei would find it odd.

Han Meina waved her off. "No rush, I just need to change clothes."

Han Meina’s comment made Wang Qiqi pause. No way, it’s just lunch, is changing clothes really necessary? This is... a bit too formal.

Even though Han Meina said she needed to change, Wang Qiqi wasn't going to make the rest of the dorm wait for her. "The packaged snacks were from Han Meina; the rest, which look handmade, are mine," Wang Qiqi explained after placing the items on Jiang Xin's desk. "Thank you all so much for this morning."

Jiang Xin waved her hand, grabbed a plastic bag, and immediately snatched a chicken wing. "These are really good. Hey, will you make more later?" Jiang Xin rapidly devoured the wing, then picked up a small drumstick.

Wang Qiqi observed Jiang Xin’s eating style, comparable to Shi Man’s—not that they ate messily, but they ate delicately while chewing at an astonishing speed. "It depends on my mood. This time, Manman and the others bought too much." Wang Qiqi wasn't going to commit; she knew that if she did something occasionally, people would find it special, but if she made it a habit and suddenly stopped, they would act as if she inherently should be doing it for them.

"Depends on your mood? Okay," Jiang Xin understood. "If you make more next time, sneak some to me." Jiang Xin realized Wang Qiqi disliked the hassle, but if it were her, having to cook for her own dorm, Wang Qiqi's dorm, and Zhu Lina's dorm, she wouldn't be happy either.

"Got it, alright, I'm leaving." Wang Qiqi muttered a few more words and quickly excused herself to visit Zhu Lina's dorm. Only Shi Man was there, and after briefly telling her the situation, Shi Man acknowledged her understanding.

Since it was a celebration dinner, everyone was relaxed, especially Gong Yiying, who acted as if it were her celebration. "Thank you all so much today; if you hadn't helped campaign, I might not have won." Han Meina was still quite shaken, thinking that without Wang Qiqi and the others campaigning, securing her position would have been questionable.

"Your win benefits our whole dorm. There will be advantages when we enter the Student Union later; you won’t forget us, right, Meina?" Han Meina had intended to thank everyone, but Gong Yiying, who had contributed the least effort, jumped in first, adopting a tone that implied the entire dorm would now rely on Han Meina.

Hearing Gong Yiying's attempt at flattery, Feng Yanjie turned and made a face at Wang Qiqi to signal her displeasure. The expressions of the others were similarly awkward, though naturally, no one voiced their discontent. "Exactly, Meina, Xiaomin, you two must work hard and strive to win the department-level Student Union elections at the end of the year," Wang Qiqi said, raising her glass in congratulations. She intentionally included Duan Xiaomin’s name. Hmph, it’s not like Han Meina is the only one in the dorm who won a class position. Gong Yiying, if you want to suck up, that’s your business, but you didn't have to mention only Han Meina’s name, as if Duan Xiaomin certainly wouldn't make it into the department student union.

"Definitely. Xiaomin, let’s work hard together then," Han Meina responded. If Han Meina had harbored various strategies before the election, now she felt that campaigning alongside Duan Xiaomin was actually a good thing—for instance, they could mutually assist with vote-gathering.

"Okay," Duan Xiaomin readily accepted the olive branch extended by Han Meina. Han Meina’s outspoken personality was quite appealing to the boys. If Zhang Han hadn't suddenly emerged today, Han Meina’s victory would likely have been smoother than her own.

The eight of them enjoyed the celebratory meal happily. When they were about halfway through, "How about I treat everyone to hotpot tonight?" Duan Xiaomin suggested. While she wanted to treat them well, the reality was her limited funds. She had heard students could get tutoring jobs, but she still didn't know where to find such work, so she needed to be frugal. The hotpot place she mentioned was one she and the other three in her room had discovered a couple of days prior; the ingredients were good, the flavor decent, and most importantly, the price was cheap.

Hotpot? Wang Qiqi instinctively patted her stomach. Honestly, after such a rich meal at noon, she had planned to eat something light tonight to clear her system. The Sichuan food had been delicious, but it always felt a bit greasy. Many dishes in general were intensely flavored with numerous spices; fine for an occasional treat, but not for long-term consumption. Cafeteria food, while cheap, wasn't very tasty. However, eating cafeteria food might help maintain one's figure—the proportion of students who become overweight after four years of cafeteria food is not excessively high, but if one ate at restaurants for four years, the chance of becoming overweight would definitely be much greater.

"How about tomorrow night? I can save up my food money for two days," Bai Ge was the first to object. "I'll just buy two steamed buns tonight, and I'll eat buns for lunch tomorrow too."

"Right, right, that way I can save quite a bit of my food budget for two days."

Everyone chimed in, suggesting Duan Xiaomin treat them tomorrow night, which Duan Xiaomin readily agreed to.

Wang Qiqi glanced at the time; it was getting late. "I’m heading out first. Thanks for lunch, Meina." There wasn't much more interesting to discuss here, so she might as well leave early.

When Wang Qiqi arrived at their meeting spot, she saw the other two were already waiting by the entrance. "Sorry, Han Meina was elected class officer today, so she treated us to a nice meal."

"That’s generous. No one in my dorm ran for office," Shi Man said with envy. If someone from her dorm had run and succeeded, she would have a nice meal waiting for her too.

"You could have run yourself. But if it weren't for a certain girl wanting to show off, we probably wouldn't have had this meal," Wang Qiqi countered, aware of the underlying motivation when that certain girl offered to treat them, even though this particular chance for showing off had almost backfired. "Alright, let’s get down to business. If the stocks pick up, treating ourselves to a five-star hotel dinner will be easy."

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