0021 Election
When the three returned to school, Shen Xiaoyue had not yet come back. He only called to tell them to be careful on the road.
Song Ning didn't drive; she sat in the passenger seat. After getting in the car, she said to Shen Yuxiu, "It's a good thing you didn't become a policeman."
Shen Yuxiu didn't agree, but Shen Jiayu said with self-proclaimed erudition, "Someone always has to bear the burden."
Song Ning's lips curled into a subtle smile, and unusually, she refrained from making any sarcastic or mocking remarks.
Shen Yuxiu first took Shen Jiayu back, and then said to Song Ning, "Dad asked me to tell you that we were planning to have a family meal, but my uncle and his family came to visit unexpectedly. It wasn't intentional, so please don't be angry."
Song Ning replied that she understood and went back to her dormitory.
In the dormitory, the roommates were discussing the student council election.
"Song Ning, are you going to join the student council?" Lin Qianqian pulled over Song Ning's chair, wanting Song Ning to sit next to her and join the discussion.
Song Ning had just opened the door and entered, taking out the key and walking inside: "Yeah, I'm planning to go to the school's academic department."
"Huh?" said Tang Xin'er, her roommate. "I thought you didn't like participating in these activities."
Song Ning said calmly, "I don't dislike it. I was also the vice minister of the student affairs department when I was in high school."
The other three roommates all wore rather impolite expressions of shock.
Song Ning pulled Lin Qianqian's chair back and sat slumped in it: "What? Is it strange? There are already few people who want to join the student council in the senior year of high school. Many people quit to focus on preparing for the exams, so there aren't many people competing."
"No. It's just that you don't seem like the kind of person who would pay attention to these things. You... are quite individualistic." Lin Qianqian put it tactfully, but what she really meant was that Song Ning was aloof and not very sociable.
Song Ning smiled, without mentioning that the reason she joined the Study Department back then was because she had misunderstood something.
She initially thought that joining the academic department might help improve her grades, but later she discovered that the academic department was just about supervising other people's studies and occasionally doing odd jobs and running errands for various academic competitions.
If it were before her second year of high school, she would never have done it, but at that time, she thought she couldn't cause trouble, so she stayed, and unexpectedly, she became the vice minister.
"I heard that our school's academic affairs department is in charge of various lectures, and I'm quite interested in that. It can expose people to many new perspectives, broaden their horizons, and also help them develop their abilities, making them more competitive when looking for a job in the future. Why not?" Song Ning said, half-jokingly.
After she finished speaking, she noticed that her three roommates had the same expression, as if they didn't recognize her.
Song Ning's brows furrowed, then she smiled, her eyebrows curving upwards, making her look exceptionally charming.
In the student activity center conference room, the judges sat in the front row, and the back was filled with students who were running for office. Some students were already giving campaign speeches on stage.
Song Ning sat in the crowd, waiting for the speaker to finish so it would be her turn.
"Isn't that the most beautiful girl in the psychology department? She's so pretty, and her clothes are so nice. I really want to ask her where she bought her shirt."
"Keep your voice down, I heard..."
"Really? But it's normal for someone as good-looking to have a boyfriend. If I were a guy, I wouldn't be able to resist either."
Song Ning turned around, looked at the two girls discussing her diagonally behind her, and smiled slightly at them.
One of the girls seemed a little embarrassed and tugged at the other girl, telling her to stop talking.
After finishing her speech on stage, Song Ning rose and stepped onto the stage, opening her carefully prepared PowerPoint presentation. She calmly introduced herself: "Respected seniors, good afternoon. I am Song Ning from the Psychology Department, Class of 2022. My mother named me 'Ning,' meaning peace and tranquility, hoping I would have a peaceful life. But I am like the swift wind, destined to run proudly and always embrace challenges. And now, I am fortunate to be here at Changqing, standing here to run for the position of Academic Affairs Officer..."
Song Ning explained her understanding and knowledge of the department, recounted her past work experience, occasionally interspersed a few humorous anecdotes, and then highlighted her own strengths and future plans.
Her speech was humorous yet elegant, confident and insightful. Her excellent presence, unique personal image, and distinctive personality, combined with these qualities, earned her enthusiastic applause at the end of her speech.
Before stepping off the stage, she stepped back on one leg, crossed her arms, opened them out and let them hang down, stood up straight, nodded her thanks, and was as elegant as a noble swan.
It's a standard Latin dance thank-you gift.
After she finished her gesture, the applause from the audience became even more enthusiastic, as if in response to her gratitude.
The list of candidates for the second round of interviews was announced two days later. The second round consisted of a question-and-answer session. Song Ning was well-prepared for the questions and was easily selected.
The welcome event is a tradition of the student council. The venue is a villa that can accommodate more than 200 people for a party. Since it is more than an hour's drive from the school, everyone gathers at the south gate and then goes together.
Although Song Ning disliked being late, she also disliked waiting for others. She arrived at the meeting point almost right on time, together with Lin Qianqian, who had joined the External Relations Department.
Three buses were parked at the entrance, with their respective ministers waiting outside.
Jiang Jin, the head of the External Relations Department, stood by the door of the first bus and waved to Lin Qianqian, calling out, "Qianqian, take this bus."
At the same time, Jiang Shuna, the Minister of the Study Department, smiled and waved to Song Ning.
"Great, we're in the same car." Lin Qianqian excitedly reached out to grab Song Ning's hand, but then suddenly pulled it back: "Sorry, I forgot you don't like people touching you casually."
“You didn’t run into me either, let’s go.” Song Ning quickened his pace.
"You two are spot on!" Jiang Jin laughed.
Jiang Jin is a square-faced man with big eyes. He has a decent appearance, not exceptionally handsome, but he is very pleasant to look at.
In particular, his smile is somewhat similar to Shen Yuxiu's; both are warm smiles, but his is brighter and more like Shen Yuxiu's smile when he was young.
Song Ning hadn't seen Shen Yuxiu laugh like that in a long time, so she couldn't help but stare in a daze.
"Song Ning." Lin Qianqian called out to Song Ning.
When Song Ning came to her senses, she noticed that although Jiang Jin was still maintaining a polite smile, his ears were slightly red, as if he was embarrassed by her gaze.
"Sorry, the minister's smile looks a lot like my brother's, it's very endearing." Perhaps it was that shared quality that made Song Ning speak sincerely to Jiang Jin.
Jiang Jin quickly regained his composure and joked casually, "You're so beautiful, your brother must be very handsome too. Since we look alike, can I take that as you praising my good looks?"
"Minister, you're being far too arrogant!" Lin Qianqian complained.
"The minister does indeed fit my aesthetic, especially when he smiles." Song Ning's tone was very much like a joke, but it also contained an element of praise, making people feel comfortable rather than embarrassed.
Lin Qianqian's eyes widened, as if she hadn't expected her to say such a thing.
Jiang Jin maintained a composed smile, but his eyes revealed a hint of pleasure at being praised.
"You can chat in the car later. Hurry up and get in. There are still a few people who haven't arrived yet. We'll wait another 10 minutes. If they're still not here, we'll leave," Jiang Shuna said, to prevent her team members from being lured away by others.
“Yes, let’s get in the car first,” Jiang Jin said.
Song Ning and Lin Qianqian nodded in agreement and got into the car.
There weren't many empty seats in the car, but most people were with their close friends, so there was one double seat left.
Lin Qianqian walked to the two-seater first, and happily called out while holding onto the back of the seat in front of her: "Song Ning, come over here, let's sit together."
Her shout caused everyone on the bus to look at her and then at Song Ning, who in turn looked behind her.
Isn't the person sitting behind Lin Qianqian Cheng Yanchu?
In fact, Song Ning had predicted that Cheng Yanchu would definitely participate in the student council, but since their last unpleasant encounter, she had no intention of having much interaction with him again.
"Song Ning, come here, what are you doing standing there?" Lin Qianqian called out.
Song Ning glanced at Cheng Yanchu, who was chatting with the girl next to him and hadn't looked at Song Ning once, clearly not wanting to have anything to do with her.
Song Ning then walked towards Lin Qianqian, who quickly moved over and sat down.
Ten minutes later, everyone had arrived, and Jiang Jin and Jiang Shuna got into the car and sat in the front row.
At first, everyone was chatting with the people next to them or resting with their eyes closed, but then someone, for some reason, started talking about the freshman dance.
"I remember the school magazine also published photos of Yan Chu and Song Ning at the freshman dance. They were a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman."
"Are you two really just ordinary high school classmates?" This question was directed at Cheng Yanchu.
"Hmm." Cheng Yanchu responded lazily, seemingly not particularly fond of bringing up the topic.
"..." Song Ning was speechless. When were the photos published? How come she didn't know?
Lin Qianqian, who was standing next to Song Ning, was typing on her phone. A moment later, Song Ning received a message.
Lin Qianqian: [Do you know Cheng Yanchu?]
Song Ning: [High school classmate.]
Lin Qianqian's hand stopped on the screen; she typed and then deleted.
Song Ning: [Ask whatever you want.]
Lin Qianqian: [Was that hickey you got last time from Cheng Yanchu?]
The hickey appeared on the second day after the freshman dance, making Lin Qianqian's suspicions quite reasonable.
Song Ning: [You like him? If you like him, go for it. I have nothing to do with him.]
Lin Qianqian smacked her thumbs: [I don't like him. Xu Qing from our department, the girl who sits behind me, likes him. They've been getting really close lately, and I'm afraid you'll be fooled by him.]
Song Ning looked at Lin Qianqian's messy, tousled hair, which seemed to explode in the sunlight, and the thin lines around her eyes on her profile, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Lin Qianqian turned her head and said very softly, "I'm serious."
“I’m serious too.” Song Ning leaned back in her chair.
"What are you two whispering about?"
"It's nothing. I heard the villa has a swimming pool, so I asked Song Ning if she brought a swimsuit?" Lin Qianqian lied.
"I brought it," Song Ning replied.
Lin Qianqian sent her another message: [I was just kidding them.]
Song Ning: [I thought you wouldn't lie.]
Lin Qianqian: [Isn't everyone capable of lying?]
Song Ning laughed again, realizing that she definitely preferred flawed people to pushovers.
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