The second week after club recruitment ended, the various clubs had finished interviewing new members, and the first-year students had officially joined. The new week marked the first regular meeting for the various student organizations.
Luo Zhiyu, who had been forcibly dragged to the university Student Union by Xiao Yan to help out, pulled over a chair, sat beside the office desk, and began sending out text messages about the regular meeting.
“Student XXX, the first general meeting of U University’s Student Union will be held tonight at 19:30 in Teaching Building 1, Room 201. We look forward to your participation. Please reply to confirm receipt.”
After editing the message, Luo Zhiyu entered the phone numbers of the new members and pressed the group-send button.
“Trust me,” Luo Zhiyu said. “Someone will definitely reply with just one word: ‘Got it.’”
“Do you think everyone is as cheeky as you?” Xiao Yan passed by the desk and tapped Luo Zhiyu’s cheek with his fingertip. “Last time, I worked for you. This time, it’s your turn to help me. That’s perfectly fair.”
“Last time?” Luo Zhiyu remembered. Xiao Yan was probably referring to the recruitment event a few days ago, when he had helped hand out some flyers. “That counts? I was dragged there, too, okay? Who asked you to help me? Big Brother, you’re forcing a deal on me!”
“I don’t care.” Xiao Yan was completely unreasonable. “You’re coming to help me tonight, too.”
“I’m fine with that. You can order me around all you want.” Luo Zhiyu rested his head on the desk. “It’s just that the senior girls are definitely going to criticize you again for the university Student Union stealing people from the School of Fine Arts Student Union.”
Since this was the first general meeting, the university Student Union had applied to use a large classroom. New members from every department would be attending, and before seven in the evening, the room was already filled with many first-year students.
Luo Zhiyu didn’t have much to help with, so he took his laptop and found a suitable seat in the middle of the classroom, focusing on his coursework. In less than half an hour, the seats around him were already filled.
During recruitment, everyone had barely had any opportunities to meet one another. After going through several rounds of interviews and entering the university Student Union, they were now members of the same organization. Although they belonged to different departments, they took advantage of the time before the meeting to chat and get acquainted.
U University had a large student population, so getting to know one another through the same student organization was already a rare opportunity.
“Hey.” The Beta guy sitting beside Luo Zhiyu noticed that he wasn’t joining the conversation and greeted him. “Which school are you from?”
As soon as he asked, the people around them turned their attention toward Luo Zhiyu as well. Some had wanted to talk to him earlier, but he had looked so absorbed in his laptop that nobody had dared to disturb him.
“The School of Fine Arts.” Luo Zhiyu saved his file, then turned around. “Hello, everyone.”
“My name is Sun Liyan,” the Beta student said.
Luo Zhiyu nodded. “Mm, I remember you.”
This was the person who had replied “Okay, sure” to the meeting notification.
Sun Liyan: “?”
“I feel like you look really familiar.” The Alpha student sitting in the row behind them spoke up. “Have I seen you somewhere before?”
“Is that how you pick up people?” The Beta guy from earlier glared at him. “But the School of Fine Arts really does have a high standard of students.”
“Both of us are in the External Relations Department,” the Beta guy introduced himself. “The girl on your right is from the Media Department. What about you?”
Luo Zhiyu wasn’t a member of the university Student Union. He was only here to tag along tonight, so he didn’t belong to any department at all.
Luo Zhiyu: “The Family Members Department.”
The student on his left: “?”
The student on his right: “??”
The Alpha student behind them hadn’t heard clearly. “Why didn’t I see this department during recruitment?”
The meeting time arrived, and the classroom gradually fell quiet. The president of U University’s Student Union stepped forward to introduce the structure of the student organization to the new members.
“…Vice President Song Ling, Vice President Xu Yinyin, and Vice President Xiao Yan.”
“One of our vice presidents was forcibly persuaded to stay on. He’s practically the face of U University’s Student Union.”
Laughter filled the classroom, easing the slightly serious atmosphere. The president continued with the basic introduction.
“U University’s Student Union has a long history. It was established in…”
Luo Zhiyu had never been particularly interested in student affairs. Aside from the moment he heard Xiao Yan’s name and the corners of his lips curved upward, he spent the rest of the time staring seriously at his laptop screen and concentrating on his coursework.
“Are you not listening?” Sun Liyan asked him.
“You can listen. I’m not very interested.” Luo Zhiyu shook his head.
For U University’s first regular meeting, the senior students all wore formal attire. Even Xiao Yan, who had been persuaded to stay on, was dressed formally. Luo Zhiyu had spent all three years of high school accustomed to seeing Xiao Yan in his school uniform, so seeing him like this felt rather novel.
[Cicada]: Today’s new orange peel is pretty good.
[Orange]: Hehe.
“Have you seen Xiao Yan?” Sun Liyan was still trying to chat with Luo Zhiyu. “Several people in my class have been asking about him for ages. He really does have a great presence in person.”
“He’s really handsome.” The girl sitting beside them joined the conversation, too. “He’s good-looking and has a great aura.”
The chatter continued.
“He’s just so-so.” Luo Zhiyu casually interjected.
Seeing him every day, Xiao Yan was just so-so.
Immediately, he received several glances filled with curiosity and hostility.
Luo Zhiyu: “?”
“What are you all doing?” Sun Liyan tried to smooth things over. “Our Omega classmate here is pretty impressive, too, okay?”
“Come on, for first-years, you should look into Luo Zhiyu from the School of Fine Arts.” Another student spoke up. “I heard about him from a friend in the School of Fine Arts. He’s potential campus heartthrob material, isn’t he?”
“From your school?” Sun Liyan asked. “Do you know him?”
Luo Zhiyu: “I do.”
“First come, first served, right? Xiao Yan came to U University first,” someone said. “He’s got good grades and a good family background, and apparently he’s already engaged. He’s a winner in life.”
“Exactly. I heard the two of them grew up together and even attended the same middle school. It’s like something out of a fairy tale.”
“Come on, it’s not that much like a fairy tale. How could two people grow up together so harmoniously?” Luo Zhiyu couldn’t listen to any more of it. “They must have fought plenty of times, too.”
He immediately received several more hostile glances, as if they were saying—
This person is so annoying.
Luo Zhiyu was smart enough to choose silence. He focused on his coursework while the chatter beside him continued.
“They’re already engaged? That leaves no chance for anyone else at all.”
“Are you all stupid? Don’t you read the campus forum? Xiao Yan is engaged to Luo Zhiyu, the freshman from the School of Fine Arts.”
“I don’t read it. U University’s campus forum is so laggy. Who would want to use that lousy thing?”
“Huh? Waaah, so the two campus heartthrobs are actually family now?!”
“But it’s still so sweet. Um, are there photos on the forum? I want to see Luo Zhiyu. Is he a really cute Omega?”
Luo Zhiyu: “…” Fine, whatever.
The meeting continued. Xiao Yan went to the front of the classroom and briefly explained the departments and responsibilities under his supervision, then wrote his name on the blackboard.
“Vice Presidents Xiao Yan and Xu Yinyin have matters to attend to and will be leaving early. Song Ling and I will take everyone through the remaining agenda,” the president announced. “Xiao Yan has bought snacks for everyone.”
The people around Luo Zhiyu began cheering.
“What are you doing?” Sun Liyan watched Luo Zhiyu close his laptop and slip it into his backpack. “The meeting isn’t over yet. You’re leaving? Aren’t you going to stay and get some snacks first?”
“I have something to take care of, too, so I need to head back.” Luo Zhiyu said. “I’ll leave without waiting.”
“Oh, right, classmate, I forgot to ask your name.” The Alpha student sitting behind him spoke up. “We’re all members of the university Student Union now. Let’s exchange names and add each other as friends. We can get to know each other.”
Luo Zhiyu was just about to answer when Xiao Yan walked over to their row and waited for him, tapping the desk.
“Luo Zhiyu, let’s go.”
“Sorry to interrupt. Could you let him out for a moment?” Xiao Yan said to the students beside him, then took Luo Zhiyu’s laptop bag.
“You’re not even a member of our Student Union. Why were you so enthusiastic about sitting in the middle?”
“The Wi-Fi is good here,” Luo Zhiyu complained. “I searched for ages and moved around several places. That was the only seat with full Wi-Fi bars. There’s something wrong with the classroom you booked. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have waited for you.”
“Let’s go. The Wi-Fi at home is good.”
The two walked away side by side, leaving the seat where Luo Zhiyu had been sitting empty.
The people around them—
“…”
“That’s Luo Zhiyu?”
“Obviously.”
“…”