Chapter 89: Discussion and Clubs

After the brief interlude, the girls and Tang Song and the others in the back row began chattering away about joining clubs. Just then, Tang Song noticed Shen Yan walking over with a leisurely, measured pace and pulled him directly into the discussion.

"Old Shen, do you have any thoughts about joining the Student Union?"

Shen Yan shook his head immediately. In his view, the Student Union was nothing more than a game of house for children; as for serving the masses, setting aside the benefits, the drawbacks were numerous.

First, the Student Union had too many trivial tasks, which consumed a massive amount of time.

Second, bureaucracy was rampant and filled with worldly sophistication, which was exactly what Shen Yan disliked most. Many cadres felt they were a cut above others, casually ordering ordinary staff members to do the dirty and tiring work, while the credit went to the cadres in the end.

As for the benefits, they were nothing more than boosting comprehensive grades, honing abilities, expanding one's social circle, and being conducive to winning awards or joining the Party.

Shen Yan didn't need any of these; it was more comfortable being a salted fish lying flat.

Tang Song asked curiously, "I heard that joining the Student Union helps with winning awards and joining the Party. Your grades are so good, why not give it a try?"

Shen Yan said, "The power to award honors and admit members to the Party is in the hands of the Youth League Committee of the school. A freshman who joins is just a minor staff member, and the Youth League Committee won't pay you any mind at all. Unless you plan to linger in the Student Union and climb to a high-level position, I suggest you don't go."

"Of course, if you want to hone your abilities or expand your social circle..."

Hearing Shen Yan analyze the Student Union so logically, the group fell into deep thought. Only Yu Youwei was quite curious about how Shen Yan knew so much.

"These are all bloody lessons from our predecessors," Shen Yan replied casually.

Luo Qiqi felt that joining the Student Union was imperative. While honing her abilities, she could make friends with seniors from various majors, which would be of great use whether she was preparing for postgraduate entrance exams or stepping into society in the future.

Yu Youwei agreed deeply. The legal profession relied on connections; no matter how strong one's personal ability was, it was ultimately limited. Without clients, one couldn't make money, and everything else was just empty talk.

The Five Institutes and Four Departments—that is, China University of Political Science and Law, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, East China University of Political Science and Law... these universities were the cradles and holy lands of legal education, holding profound significance for the construction of China's legal system.

By comparison, Hangzhou University had no advantages in terms of faculty; its starting point was far behind others. If it didn't strive to catch up, it would truly be unable to even smell the exhaust fumes of those schools.

Luo Qiqi and Yu Youwei were both very ambitious types. Luo Qiqi was relatively slick and smooth, while Yu Youwei was innocent and romantic, striving forward toward her goals with all her heart.

After these words, everyone nodded in agreement and made up their minds to join the Student Union and make a name for themselves.

"I suggest you don't go to the university-level Student Union; the bureaucratic style there is too heavy. The Law School is quite good; they are all students related to the major, and the connections and resources will be useful later," Shen Yan mentioned.

The group nodded slightly.

Yu Youwei had the heart to persuade Shen Yan to join the Student Union with them, but she worried about being annoying. The words that reached her lips several times were as if they had been cast with a spell, and she swallowed them back down.

Forget it, forget it! Let him be!

"Ding! Dang! Dong!"

The class bell flowed through the quiet campus like a clear spring, adding a sense of order and harmony to the serious study life.

Everyone consciously returned to their seats, preparing to start the day's lessons.

After sitting down, Shen Yan received a message from Hao Anqi, also chatting about club recruitment.

She asked Shen Yan which department he wanted to join.

Shen Yan said he had no thoughts on it; his study load was too heavy.

"I want to join the Student Union, but Wen Xiaoyan says you can't get in without connections." Hao Anqi was completely ignorant of this aspect and felt a bit anxious.

Shen Yan said, "Beauty is justice. As long as you stand there, those seniors will immediately be all smiles and take you in."

"What are you saying? Personal ability is the most important thing in the Student Union; being pretty doesn't put food on the table."

Seeing this, Shen Yan shook his head; she was still too naive. He changed his tone: "Being pretty can't put food on the table, but you can make the food taste better."

Inside the classroom at the Communication University of China, the smile on the corners of Hao Anqi's mouth could not be suppressed at all, her fox-like eyes curving into crescent moons.

Beside her, Wen Xiaoyan, who wore her hair in a short, chin-length bob and looked quite androgynous, shook her head helplessly. This girl was a pure romantic fool; her soul had been completely hooked away.

During class, the counselor Huang Shuren @everyone in the group chat. The campus autumn sports meet was about to begin. Each school had a fixed quota of participants, but there was no limit on the number of applicants; the final list would be decided through selection and elimination.

Each person could sign up for 3-4 individual events, plus group events. It was worth mentioning that the school had set up money as an incentive: one point was worth ten yuan, and winning a place usually yielded more than ten points, equivalent to one or two hundred yuan.

Although the amount was not large, it was a great incentive for students.

Everyone had a mysterious sense of confidence: I can definitely do it!

Additionally, once a place was won at the sports meet, there would be a certain bonus to the comprehensive assessment, which was helpful for winning awards.

A crowd of students began to discuss it heatedly, and many were rubbing their hands, unable to wait to give it a go.

Under normal circumstances, Shen Yan wouldn't have the slightest interest in such activities, but to stimulate the students' enthusiasm for the sports meet, Hangzhou University had made a special regulation: those who won gold medals in individual and group events would be awarded one credit each, with a maximum cap of two credits.

One had to know that these were credits, not comprehensive assessment points, and they were closely related to a student's graduation. Shen Yan wasn't worried about graduation; by finishing his credits early, he could skip some elective courses and live a life of leisure.

So, taking advantage of the break, Shen Yan went directly to Yu Youwei to sign up.

"What? You want to participate in the sports meet?" Yu Youwei couldn't believe her ears.

During middle school, Shen Yan had a shy and introverted personality; he had never appeared on the stage of extracurricular activities. After entering university, he was like a salted fish that couldn't be bothered to flip over, always in a state of slacking off.

Now he actually wanted to participate in the sports meet? Had the sun risen from the west?

Shen Yan affirmed, "Sign me up for the 100-meter dash and the 4x100-meter relay."

After several interactions, Luo Qiqi knew that Shen Yan was a person who wouldn't get up early without profit, and his style of doing things often had a strong sense of purpose. She guessed, "One individual event and one group event—I'm afraid you're aiming for the credits."

Shen Yan grinned.

Wu Yue'er scanned Shen Yan up and down and clicked her tongue, "It seems you have quite a lot of confidence in yourself. With legs that long, you might actually come back with two gold medals."

"Haha! Your legs are quite long too; it would be a pity if you didn't pedal a tricycle," Shen Yan joked.

Honk honk honk!

Hearing this, the group burst into laughter that sounded like geese.

Wu Yue'er lifted her chin triumphantly. She wasn't bragging, but in front of her 115cm long legs, there wasn't a single person in the whole school who could compete.

Then she said to Yu Youwei, "Youwei, sign me up too. The events are the same as Shen Yan's."

One had to know that in high school, she was the main scorer for her class in the sports meet. Even if she couldn't get the credits, getting some prize money shouldn't be a problem.

Lin Yang immediately chimed in, and others followed suit. Regardless of whether they could win, it was good to enrich their extracurricular life.