Chapter 11: Trying Too Hard Often Leads to More Loss Than Gain

Because the instructor had been taken away, Xie Yu'an let Public Management Class 2 disperse and rest on the spot.

A group of boys "whooshed" over to Yang Tianxing's side, surrounded him, and started shouting and hollering.

"Brother Yang is awesome!"

The girls also stood to the side smiling as they watched; the bolder ones even started joking: "Post your QQ number, classmate Yang Tianxing!"

Deng Yidi was even more direct; she walked up to Yang Tianxing and gave him a wink: "Want to eat together tonight?"

Public Management Class 2 had suffered together for a few days, so the atmosphere was no longer so unfamiliar. A few of the better-looking girls in the class were joining in the teasing, and the boys were all exchanging knowing looks and signals.

The girls also knew the male students were peeking at them and still pretended not to notice, but the smiles at the corners of their mouths and their proud expressions had already betrayed their inner thoughts.

In university, it isn't just the boys who are repressed.

Only Liu Jiaoyue was the exception; she stood behind the many girls with her head down, seemingly wanting to fit in but also isolating herself.

Xie Yu'an returned after seeing off the school leaders and smiled knowingly at the scene of unity before him, but a headache had also arrived; originally, he had wanted He Yulin to serve as class monitor, but Yang Tianxing's performance made Xie Yu'an hesitate.

He observed that Yang Tianxing's organizational planning, sense of propriety in speech, and ability and methods for handling emergencies all exceeded He Yulin's.

However, He Yulin was not without her merits: enthusiasm, initiative, proactiveness, and a spirit of dedication—these were also qualities needed in a university class monitor.

Xie Yu'an looked at the worried-looking He Yulin, then looked at Yang Tianxing, who was joking around with his classmates in a devil-may-care manner, and sighed slightly in his heart.

The person more worried than Old Xie was naturally classmate Xiao He; Yang Tianxing's prestige was truly high now, and it wasn't limited to the boys—the girls were the same.

She would never know that Yang Tianxing had deliberately let Cheng Haitao torment and harass all the students for days, only stepping out at the very last moment to ruthlessly harvest this wave of prestige.

But the position of university class monitor was very important to her life goals; she needed to start from the position of class monitor, get selected as a school-recommended civil servant, and finally enter the system to work, so this position was truly vital to her.

He Yulin stood to the side and thought for a long time, then made up her mind: since there was a competitor, she could only prepare for battle.

She turned her head and saw that only Liu Jiaoyue had not joined the group chatting; this roommate was very lonely and was always by herself.

"Jiaoyue, let me tell you, boys who can talk well are all liars, you must remember that, especially Yang Tianxing!"

"Oh..."

Liu Jiaoyue raised her head, stunned for a moment, and responded silently.

After everyone had dispersed, Yang Tianxing and Xie Yu'an stood in the shade of a tree smoking cigarettes.

"You handled this matter very well; you didn't let the influence spread, and you severely punished the scum."

Xie Yu'an flicked his cigarette ash and said.

Yang Tianxing smiled: "Just trying to cause less trouble, it's what I should do."

Xie Yu'an turned his head slightly to see Yang Tianxing's profile, half in the shade and half in the sunlight.

"You really don't look like a university student," Xie Yu'an said with a hint of teasing.

……………

That night, Dormitory 312 was quite lively; originally Yang Tianxing just wanted to play cards, but more people came to visit than in the previous days, so they simply started a tea party.

Most of the discussion was about the events of the day, and also about the girls in the class.

"Brother Yang, thanks for standing up for me today; if you need anything in the future, just let me know."

Liu Lei said while patting his chest with a loud thud.

Yang Tianxing took out cigarettes and passed them around: "Small matter, I've been annoyed by him for a long time too."

"Number Two, why don't you be the class monitor?"

Fu Yiming said while shuffling the cards: "You must compete for it; everyone is quite convinced by you now, and if you're the class monitor, you can look out for us later."

Yi Min got excited when he heard this: "If you're the class monitor, you can help the brothers solve problems like attendance, skipping class, and credits in the future."

The other boys in the dorm expressed their support after hearing this; this showed the effect of Yang Tianxing treating everyone to drinks the night before military training and dealing with Cheng Haitao.

The boys now probably all felt that Yang Tianxing was generous, responsible, and capable, and they didn't dislike him, so they might as well support him.

Yang Tianxing smiled and didn't speak; the boys were already quite united, and during these nights of military training, they would almost always play cards and have tea parties in 312.

Because every night, Yang Tianxing would be shirtless with a cigarette in his mouth, cards tucked in his pocket, and slippers "clack-clacking" as he pushed open the doors of other dorms to drag others over to play cards and brag.

At first, not many people responded, but once the setup was established, in this era where computers and mobile phones were not yet popular, the single male university students soon fell in love with this collective activity.

So much so that now Yang Tianxing didn't even need to go call people; the boys would consciously come to 312.

And even if Fu Yiming hadn't mentioned Yang Tianxing competing for class monitor tonight, some boys had already subconsciously wanted to elect Yang Tianxing as class monitor, even jokingly asking for some favoritism in class matters.

He Yulin hadn't made no effort either; later during military training, seeing the boys becoming more united around Yang Tianxing day by day, she felt great pressure and decided to first unite the power of the girls.

During breaks, He Yulin would buy soda, desserts, and fruit to walk around the girls' dorms, and in the process of building relationships, He Yulin again directly expressed her desire to be class monitor.

This method was actually slightly humble, and for students who had just started their freshman year, it was also too abrupt and realistic.

Furthermore, because of the Cheng Haitao incident, Xie Yu'an had to come and check for ten minutes every day.

He Yulin would take advantage of this limited time to help classmates correct their military posture, or loudly remind classmates to wear their military training uniforms neatly, or help classmates who were feeling unwell go for check-ups and rest.

In short, she seized every moment she could to perform, fully demonstrating her enthusiasm and spirit of dedication.

Yang Tianxing still stood in the shade of the tree with Xie Yu'an smoking, watching the sweating, busy He Yulin.

Yang Tianxing shook his head slightly, thinking to himself that trying too hard often leads to more loss than gain.

"Ring-ring."

Just as Xie Yu'an was giving a few instructions and preparing to leave, his phone rang; Xie Yu'an was a tenured university teacher, so it was normal for him to be able to afford a phone.

"Today is Friday, kindergarten lets out very early."

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"I have a meeting at school tonight, presided over by the vice president himself; it's not easy for me to ask for leave."

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"Can't you help pick them up? You're busy with hospital matters all day."

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"I already said let's hire a nanny, but you're worried about child abuse."

From the content of the phone call, one could infer that the person on the other end was likely Xie Yu'an's wife; because of today's matter with the instructor, this was probably a meeting that couldn't be declined, and his wife also had tasks at the hospital, leaving no one to pick up their daughter.

After hanging up the phone, Xie Yu'an looked full of worry; judging by Old Xie's personality, family matters were definitely much more important than work.

"A call from your wife?" Yang Tianxing asked.

Xie Yu'an frowned and nodded.

"How about I go pick up your daughter?"

Yang Tianxing didn't beat around the bush and stated his idea directly.

Xie Yu'an was stunned, looked at Yang Tianxing in surprise, and then shook his head firmly: "No, you still have military training."

"I can ask for leave," Yang Tianxing said.

"Don't talk nonsense, you aren't even that familiar with Chang'an."

Xie Yu'an refused again.

"I have a relative who lives in Chang'an; before reporting for school, I stayed at their house for the whole summer vacation, so I'm very familiar with this city," Yang Tianxing found another excuse.

Xie Yu'an still didn't agree; at this moment, his wife called again, the two had another argument, and finally, Old Xie hung up the phone in a rage.

"Let me go, Teacher Xie."

Yang Tianxing was very persistent.

Old Xie looked at Yang Tianxing seriously and asked: "Do you know where Qinchuan Kindergarten is?"

Yang Tianxing reined in his usual devil-may-care demeanor and said calmly: "In the New City District, on Xingfu Middle Road, there is a large plaza across the street."

Hearing Yang Tianxing speak in such detail, Old Xie's expression relaxed slightly, which showed that Yang Tianxing was truly familiar with it.

Yang Tianxing recalled for a moment and continued: "Starting from our school, take bus route 323, then transfer to route 242 at the intersection of Aerospace Avenue and Yanta South Road, and you'll be there."

"Does your relative live near there?" Xie Yu'an couldn't help but ask after hearing Yang Tianxing speak so specifically.

"Hehe, Teacher Xie guessed correctly."

Yang Tianxing answered "candidly."

There was still some hesitation on Xie Yu'an's face; he already believed that Yang Tianxing knew the route, but he was still worried about whether he could take good care of the child.

Yang Tianxing seized the opportunity and continued: "After I arrive at the kindergarten, you can contact the teachers there; I will provide my student ID number, and if it matches, it will guarantee that no one is impersonating me."

This method was indeed good; a parent's name and workplace could be faked, but who could remember such a long student ID number if it wasn't Yang Tianxing himself?

"Here is my phone, for convenience in contacting me; the meeting will end by seven o'clock at the latest."

In the end, Xie Yu'an agreed, thinking to himself that he must hire a nanny for when the parents are away in the future.

Yang Tianxing took the phone steadily; at this time, he had to perform well to make Xie Yu'an feel completely at ease.

In fact, there were three reasons why Xie Yu'an was willing to trust Yang Tianxing: first, Yang Tianxing's personal ability was outstanding; second, Yang Tianxing's family background was relatively simple, with both parents being unit employees; and finally, Yang Tianxing was familiar with Chang'an and wouldn't get lost.

Before leaving, Yang Tianxing saw He Yulin, who was still sweating profusely while busy with class affairs, and thought to himself that no matter how well one completed public tasks, Old Xie would at most feel that this student had a sense of responsibility, but by helping Old Xie with private matters, he would owe a favor.

"Sorry, Little He, I hope that through this matter I can give you a hint and let you realize the reality of society more clearly."