Two of those pages primarily detailed outreach to external student organizations and essential etiquette for hosting them—the External Relations Department's foundational duties. Unfortunately, very few other student groups ever contacted them, and Changjing University rarely engaged externally, leaving these guidelines as mere decorations. On the rare occasions contact was made, the school's Etiquette Department usually handled the interaction directly.

The most critical information was inscribed on the third page.

This page outlined policies established by the former Chairman regarding sponsorship acquisition requirements and corresponding rewards. A mandatory minimum of twenty thousand yuan per semester was set; failing to reach even 50% of that target resulted in a severe demerit for the Department Head and a probationary status.

If the 50% benchmark wasn't met, the Department Head was required to resign immediately.

It was the previous three department heads who had all ultimately fallen victim to this very regulation.

This wasn't the key factor that left Zhou Yichen and Hu Tao utterly dumbfounded. What truly riveted their attention were the subsequent stipulations.

The previous Chairman, determined to maximally incentivize the External Relations Department's sponsorship drive—thereby ensuring the Student Union had ample operational funds and easing his own burdens—had implemented severe penalties alongside equally tangible, significant rewards.

One regulation stipulated that upon meeting the required target, the External Relations Department was permitted to retain ten percent of the acquired funds as their own activity budget. Furthermore, they could establish a Supervisory Office to specifically oversee the expenditure of the funds they raised.

This provision was entirely reasonable; no one wished to see the capital they worked so hard to secure squandered by others.

Next came the rewards for exceeding the target.

If the total reached forty thousand yuan—double the mandated sponsorship—all members of the External Relations Department would receive a commendation, the Department Head would receive a merit citation, and the retained percentage of funds would increase to fifteen percent.

Should they manage to secure a hundred thousand yuan or more in sponsorship, the Department Head would be rewarded with a promotion, gaining the concurrent title of Vice Chairman. The External Relations Department's retained funds would climb to twenty percent, and, crucially, the Student Union's Finance Department would fall under the External Relations Department's joint management. From then on, the External Relations Department would have the right to inquire about and veto any financial expenditure within the Union.

The Finance Department was an undeniably vital branch of the Student Union; no disbursement could occur without its allocation. Upon taking office, Zhou Yichen had immediately secured a firm grip on the Finance Department himself.

He understood intimately the importance of controlling the purse strings.

In his view, this particular reward set by the former Chairman was profoundly unreasonable, even foolish. He felt an urge to curse the previous Chairman for establishing such a policy.

Simultaneously, a subtle sense of dread began to surface; he suddenly felt he grasped Zhang Yang’s true objective.

Control of finance—Zhou Yichen had never imagined that the External Relations Department, which felt like a pit of fire, actually held the potential to seize control of the Union's finances.

If the former Chairman knew what Zhou Yichen was thinking, he would surely have scolded him first.

The former Chairman had considered many angles. If the External Relations Department genuinely raised over one hundred thousand yuan, the entire Student Union would flourish, gaining significantly more standing. Many previously conceived plans, stalled by funding issues, could finally be realized.

In '98, the salary for an average civil servant was only a few hundred yuan; a hundred thousand represented a sum that would take over a decade to save without spending a dime, making it an astronomical figure for the Student Union.

Moreover, the Union's current annual school appropriation, combining funds from all departments, barely exceeded ten thousand yuan. If they weren't already struggling severely and accustomed to hardship, the Chairman wouldn't have set such a stringent sponsorship quota.

If the External Relations Department really brought in over one hundred thousand, they would essentially be the Student Union's patron deities. Allowing them to manage the money they raised seemed inconsequential. Everything the former Chairman envisioned was solely for the betterment of the Student Union, unlike Zhou Yichen, who was singularly focused on his own authority.

This represented the fundamental divergence between the two men.

"Brother Zhou, Zhang Yang's goal might just be financial control!"

After reviewing the documents with Zhou Yichen, Hu Tao voiced his anxiety.

"I know, you don't need to remind me!"

Zhou Yichen shot Hu Tao a sharp glare, cursing under his breath. After reading these rules, how could he possibly miss Zhang Yang's scheme?

This move was ruthless. If Zhang Yang managed to seize financial authority, Zhou Yichen's reign as the powerful Chairman would likely come to an abrupt end.

The bitter irony was that knowing this was useless. He had already agreed in the meeting to uphold these regulations. This meant that as long as Zhang Yang successfully met the hundred-thousand target, all future financial expenditures of the Student Union would require Zhang Yang's approval; without him, no one would receive funds.

If that happened, the one suffering the most would undoubtedly be Zhou Yichen himself.

"Brother Zhou, what should we do?"

Hu Tao’s face crumpled. He had a terrible premonition. He understood Zhou Yichen's temperament; right now, Zhou Yichen must hold him in contempt.

It was his suggestion that Zhang Yang be placed in External Relations. Who else would Zhou Yichen hate if not him?

The reality confirmed it. Zhou Yichen was indeed shifting the blame to Hu Tao; it was Hu Tao’s rash suggestion that gifted Zhang Yang such an opportunity and placed Zhou Yichen himself in a precarious position.

"What should we do? I should be asking you that!"

Zhou Yichen snapped back irritably, causing Hu Tao’s face to immediately resemble a bitter gourd.

"It's not impossible. We just need to ensure he fails to meet the sponsorship target!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Zhou Yichen's eyes. Everything hinged on the sponsorship. As long as Zhang Yang couldn't secure the required funding, there would be no issue. He only had less than two months to prepare. If Zhang Yang showed any real promise of securing the sponsorship, Zhou Yichen would interfere and sabotage the deal.

Now, to protect his own power, Zhou Yichen was willing to risk anything, even sacrificing the common interests of the entire Student Union.

Hu Tao's eyes lit up, and he quickly urged, "Right! Zhang Yang isn't from around here, he rarely goes out, and he has no existing connections with any businesses. In such a short time, he definitely can't raise that much sponsorship!"

Zhou Yichen glanced at him but said nothing.

Hu Tao was focused only on Zhang Yang failing the task; Zhou Yichen, however, was focused on actively disrupting it. He would leave no opportunity open for any rival.

This difference in approach revealed the gap between them. Though Hu Tao followed Zhou Yichen, he was, at heart, an ordinary student whose thoughts were relatively unsullied by complex machinations.

Not so with Zhou Yichen, who was now willing to use any means necessary to achieve his ends, capable of anything.

Today's events elevated Zhou Yichen's wariness of Zhang Yang to its absolute peak; he now viewed Zhang Yang as a genuine, and perhaps the most formidable, adversary.

Unfortunately for Zhou Yichen, he didn't know that Zhang Yang barely spared him a thought. Zhang Yang had spent years competing against numerous seasoned veterans in his past life, eventually rising to become the youngest Vice President of his hospital.

Any one of those old foxes, brought into this scenario, would have proven ten, even a hundred times stronger than the Zhou Yichen before him.

While Zhou Yichen wrestled with the regulations and hatched dark plots, Zhang Yang and Xiao Bin had already regrouped with Mi Xue and the others, taking a brief rest in a pavilion on campus.

After resting, they headed to the nearby teaching building for class. They had a required general course that afternoon, allowing the group to attend together, granting Zhang Yang another half-day in Mi Xue's company.

For Zhang Yang, more time like this was better. The accursed task still showed no sign or prompt of advancement.

……………………………… Thank you to Kuang Fei, Mo Shang De Sang Ying, and ssso345 for your tips. Xiao Yu appreciates all your support! C