Chapter 189: Recruitment
Unlike Gu Qinghuan’s earlier “clinging to a big thigh,” Wei Xiao had no shortcuts if he wanted to join the student council—he had to follow the proper procedures step by step.
That long list of requirements Qin Yue once told Gu Qinghuan about—he was now experiencing it firsthand.
And compared to Wei Xiao, who had just transferred in, the other first-year students had spent the entire previous semester preparing. Their groundwork was far more solid than his.
Still, Wei Xiao was very confident. Since he had already established contact with Bai Hanshan, passing these assessments should be nothing difficult.
Leaving aside his confidence, while Wei Xiao busied himself with joining the student council, Yu Yuan and Gu Qinghuan seized the time to intensify their Sanda training.
At the same time, Gu Qinghuan was also focusing hard on her studies this semester. Following last semester’s routine, she, Yu Xin, and the others still studied with Su Lin every Tuesday and Thursday. She was extremely busy.
When the recruitment interviews began, since all members needed to vote, Gu Qinghuan—nominally the president’s secretary—was also pulled in.
Xia He came as well, sitting on the main panel with Bai Hanshan and several department heads.
Gu Qinghuan sat in the front row with the deputy heads, while the general members filled the rows behind.
Each candidate had to step onto the presentation stage, give a brief speech, and then answer questions from the department they applied to.
Afterward, Bai Hanshan would decide whether to ask additional questions. Xia He normally wouldn’t ask anything—he only participated in the final decision.
Then came the voting stage. Everyone voted on the student council’s dedicated app, with results displayed in real time—but not immediately announced to the candidates.
Once interviews ended, the council would hold a short meeting to finalize selections based on the vote counts.
Gu Qinghuan finally did some actual “secretary work.”
She called names, managed the order of candidates, and switched voting options on the app—Bai Hanshan had given her the permissions.
Since interviews were held at noon, she thought for a moment and asked Bai Hanshan whether they should arrange drinks for everyone.
He agreed and approved some funds.
Gu Qinghuan quickly contacted a shop, sent out a group message to collect everyone’s orders, and had everything delivered on time—handing them out during check-in.
Most people ordered coffee, to avoid dozing off during the meeting—after all, they still had classes afterward.
The head of the Logistics Department took her coffee and hugged Gu Qinghuan.
“Thanks. This should’ve been our department’s job.”
Unfortunately, the Logistics Department was currently understaffed. Most of the previous members were third-years about to leave, and they were overwhelmed preparing for recruitment and restructuring.
Gu Qinghuan patted her back.
“I just wanted to try the new drinks anyway—figured I’d take the chance.”
“And everyone replied quickly, so it wasn’t hard to organize.”
The Logistics head didn’t argue. It wasn’t a simple bulk order—everyone ordered differently, and matching everything took effort.
Gu Qinghuan just didn’t want her to feel indebted.
Looking at Xia He, who was already seated neatly, the Logistics head felt that the best decision he had ever made—despite all his usual eccentricity—was recruiting Gu Qinghuan.
Hadn’t internal conflicts decreased this semester?
Even Bai Hanshan was working less overtime.
Gu Qinghuan herself didn’t think she had done anything special—but others disagreed.
Her office was on the first floor. People passed by often, occasionally dropping things. Whenever she found something, she set up a lost-and-found board in the lobby, adding notes like “If you know whose this is, please let them know.”
Sometimes departments that didn’t get along actually knew each other’s belongings best. Once they recognized something, they felt uncomfortable not saying anything—so they would reluctantly go remind the other party.
Gradually, relationships softened.
When there were no lost items, Gu Qinghuan would write random notes:
“Strong wind tonight—remember to close windows.”
“The new clay pot soup in the cafeteria is really good.”
One thing was certain—following her food recommendations never led to disappointment.
Over time, others began leaving notes too, responding to hers. Eventually, it became a kind of offline message board—a mini forum.
It was said two sworn enemies once chatted happily there under anonymity, even arranged to eat together—only to discover they hated each other.
After that meal, they couldn’t stay enemies anymore. They became good brothers instead.
The overall atmosphere of the student council improved bit by bit over the semester.
Everyone credited Gu Qinghuan.
Gu Qinghuan: Passing notes together is just fun.
Council members all had their drinks. Even the interviewees weren’t left out—though they only got drinks from the school convenience store.
Gu Qinghuan had five types delivered. The extras would be left in the common area afterward.
When Wei Xiao arrived, he was surprised to see her so busy.
“I didn’t expect you’d need to do this kind of thing,” he said casually.
“It’s fine,” Gu Qinghuan replied lightly. “I don’t usually do much in the council anyway.”
She understood his implication but pretended not to.
In his eyes, she was someone who got in through connections—there was no need to curry favor with such small gestures.
But Gu Qinghuan didn’t see it that way.
She had received plenty of benefits—just having her own office was already enviable. Helping out occasionally was only fair.
Wei Xiao stopped paying attention to her and glanced at Xia He, feeling that Xia He’s judgment was questionable.
Around twenty students passed the written test. Each had three minutes to speak, with concise answers required.
Yet somehow, all interviews finished in under an hour.
After dismissing the candidates, Gu Qinghuan returned to the hall to find heated discussions already underway.
Since recruitment wasn’t really her responsibility, she simply sat aside with her coffee, watching.
Xia He moved over.
“You saw Wei Xiao’s vote results, right?”
She nodded.
He had applied to the Discipline Department. Only two others competed with him, but the department was recruiting just one person.
Unfortunately, Wei Xiao ranked third.
Rejected.
“He made his intentions too obvious,” Xia He clicked his tongue. “Trying to get access to the student list—he really underestimated the Discipline Department.”
The department had strict requirements. Among its six members, five came from politically connected families.
The more Wei Xiao tried to conceal his intentions, the more obvious they appeared to them.
“So he got filtered out just like that… he must be furious,” Gu Qinghuan said, feeling a bit satisfied.
“He’s just not good enough,” Xia He shrugged. “But now, he’ll probably shift his focus back to you. Be prepared.”
“I know.”
She nodded. Since he failed to join, he would definitely come asking her about it. She would decide how to respond depending on the situation.
After discussions wrapped up, Xia He returned to his seat, leaving only a reminder:
“Stay cautious.”
As expected, the next day—after the official recruitment list was announced—Wei Xiao immediately messaged her, asking if she was free for lunch.
He even emphasized:
This time, it was just the two of them.
Gu Qinghuan replied without hesitation:
“Okay.”
