The opening day of St. Sakura Academy is always accompanied by a refined kind of bustling atmosphere.
Inside the ornate iron gate, students in custom-made school uniforms gathered in twos and threes, discussing their winter break experiences, while the air was filled with the scent of limited-edition perfumes and high-end hair waxes.
As Yu Jiuyuan got out of the car, she bumped into Yuan Xu, who was carrying a book.
The boy wore a clean white shirt, the cuffs neatly buttoned up to the top. His eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses lit up, like a researcher discovering a new strain of bacteria: "Jiuyuan, are you better now?"
"It's all done now." Yu Jiuyuan greeted him with a smile, naturally taking half of the book from his arms. "Going to the lab again?"
"Hmm, the newly cultivated strain needs to be observed." Yuan Xu's gaze fell on her overly pale face, her brows furrowing slightly. "Still so pale, haven't you been resting properly?"
His concern was always so straightforward, with a touch of naive innocence.
Yu Jiuyuan ran her fingertips over the gold-embossed title on the spine of the book, her voice softening slightly: "I've been a bit lazy lately, I'm sorry to have worried you."
She deliberately slowed down to match his pace, listened to him use those obscure biological terms, and occasionally interjected with "That sounds difficult" or "You're really amazing," which made Yuan Xu's eyes light up like stars.
As they reached the entrance of the laboratory building, she handed the book back and lightly touched the back of his hand with her fingertips: "Shall we have dinner together tonight? I asked Aunt Zhang to make your favorite soup."
Yuan Xu was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously, her ears turning slightly red: "Okay."
Watching his retreating figure as he hurried into the building with his books in his arms, Yu Jiuyuan's smile faded slightly.
A 100% completion rate for the strategy doesn't mean you can let it go. Yuanxu's purity is like fragile glass, requiring careful maintenance.
As I turned to walk toward the student council office, I bumped into a stiff chest at the corner of the corridor.
Lin Yan took a half step back, frowned at her, and said in her usual arrogant tone, "Don't you watch where you're going?"
He was wearing Saint Sakura's black suit uniform, his tie was tied meticulously, but it couldn't hide his arrogance.
Yu Jiuyuan remembered that his father had made him come to the student council to temper his temper, so she deliberately sighed: "Sorry, I was just thinking about something. Are you here to hand in last week's attendance sheet?"
Lin Yanran's expression stiffened. Clearly, he had forgotten about it.
"Forgot?" Yu Jiuyuan raised an eyebrow, took out a document from her bag and handed it to him. "I've prepared a draft for you. Just fill it in. It's inevitable to forget things the first time. Remember it next time."
The handwriting on the document was neat and legible, and even the formatting was clearly marked.
When Lin Yanran took it, her fingertips touched hers, and she pulled her hand back as if burned, but her ears turned red: "Who, who needs your help?"
"Oh? Then I'll throw it away?" Yu Jiuyuan pretended to snatch it.
"No!" Lin Yanran hid the document behind her back, her tone still curt. "Thanks."
After saying that, he practically fled in panic, but his usual arrogance was gone, replaced by a somewhat disheveled appearance.
Yu Jiuyuan smiled as she watched his retreating figure.
A favorability rating of 46 is like a rock that can't be warmed up; we'll have to use some special methods.
For example, occasional indulgence and well-timed steps.
When I pushed open the door to the student union office, Xie Zhecheng was sitting by the window reading documents.
Sunlight fell on his sharply defined profile, even the shadows of his eyelashes exuded a detached perfection.
"Good morning, President Xie." Yu Jiuyuan walked over and placed a cup of hand-drip coffee next to him. "Your favorite Mandheling, with half a sugar."
Xie Zhecheng looked up at her, his eyes calm and unwavering: "Thank you for your trouble."
He was always like that, polite yet distant, like being separated by an invisible pane of glass.
Yu Jiuyuan knew, however, that beneath his perfectionism lay an extreme attention to detail.
She picked up the joint club activity plan on his desk and pointed to a certain page: "I think the budget allocation here can be adjusted. The art club has an international exchange project recently, maybe we can get sponsorship."
Her analysis was precise and incisive, instantly pinpointing the crux of the problem.
Xie Zhecheng's eyes finally showed some interest. He put down his coffee and listened attentively to her, occasionally asking a few questions. The two became increasingly engrossed in their discussion.
When the discussion ended, Yu Jiuyuan closed the proposal and looked at him: "Are you free tomorrow at noon? How about we go eat at that newly opened Japanese restaurant? I heard the head chef was brought in from Tokyo."
Xie Zhecheng was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."
A favorability rating of 82 is like walking a tightrope; you can't get too close or too far. You have to use your intelligence and ability to maintain a delicate resonance.
When Rong Shenghan walked in, this was the scene he saw: Yu Jiuyuan was standing in front of Xie Zhecheng's desk, the two of them looking down at the documents, the sunlight outlining their profiles, as harmonious as a carefully painted picture.
He paused for a moment, then smiled his usual gentle smile: "What are you talking about? You seem to be having a good time."
Yu Jiuyuan turned around, her professional expression instantly switching to a gentle smile: "We were talking about club activities. You're here, perfect timing. Take a look at this budget sheet too."
She walked over naturally, handed him the document, and deliberately traced a line on the back of his hand with her fingertip.
This subtle movement was understood only by the two of them, as if it were saying, "Stop fooling around."
Rong Shenghan took the document, his gaze sweeping over Xie Zhecheng with a hint of scrutiny before landing on Yu Jiuyuan's face with a gentle smile: "I just saw Ji Nianqin downstairs. He said he wanted to talk to you about the student council."
When Ji Nianqin was mentioned, Xie Zhecheng paused in flipping through the documents. Lin Yanran, who had entered the office at some point, frowned again. Even Yuan Xu, who appeared out of nowhere, paused.
Yu Jiuyuan chuckled inwardly.
Rong Shenghan's move was quite cunning; he subtly drew the flames of war to himself.
Her face still held that innocent and harmless look, but when she looked at Rong Shenghan, there was a hint of reproach in her eyes: "He just transferred here, what does he know about the student council? I'll go and explain it to him later."
These words were spoken to Rong Shenghan, but also to everyone present.
This both appeased Rong Shenghan's possessiveness and prevented others from perceiving a special relationship between her and Ji Nianqin.
Sure enough, Xie Zhecheng continued to look through the documents, Lin Yanran snorted and turned her head away, and Yuan Xu pushed up her glasses, seemingly wondering if Ji Nianqin would disturb the quiet of the laboratory.
Rong Shenghan looked at the cunning in her eyes, chuckled softly, and said nothing more.
Looking at the group of boys with such different personalities, Yu Jiuyuan felt a growing sense of satisfaction and control.
Yuan Xu's purity, Xie Zhecheng's restraint, Lin Yanran's awkwardness, Rong Shenghan's profundity, and the suddenly appearing Ji Nianqin...
Each person is a different piece in the game, and each needs to be handled in a different way.
It's like walking a tightrope; you have to precisely calculate the distance of each step and maintain a delicate balance.
And that's what she's best at.
Yu Jiuyuan picked up the student council charter from the table, her smile as bright as the sunshine outside the window: "Alright, let's start the meeting. We need to plan our work for the new semester properly."
The atmosphere in the office became serious again. Only Yu Jiuyuan knew that beneath that serious exterior, she was enjoying the game and having a good time.
As for Ji Nianqin who suddenly appeared... perhaps she can make this game a little more interesting.
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