Chapter 26: Taking Office as Vice Department Head

Just as Yang Tianxing had expected, two days later Zhou Yang was forced to resign.

As the saying goes, when a wall is about to collapse, everyone gives it a push; many pieces of dirt on Zhou Yang from his time in the External Liaison Department were dug up.

Things like using his position to ask girls out to dinner, the suspicion of lining his own pockets while soliciting sponsorships, and relying on the support of a Vice Chairman behind his back to look down on the Department Head, Zhang Wei...

The mudslinging seemed to have eyes, rushing toward Zhou Yang all at once; this was partly because Zhou Yang himself had not kept his hands clean, and partly because others were fanning the flames behind the scenes.

In the end, even Long Fuxin could not persuade him otherwise; Zhou Yang was determined to leave this place of heartbreak, the Student Union.

"Chairman Long, now that Zhou Yang has left the External Liaison Department, we must appoint a new Vice Department Head, otherwise how will Zhang Wei manage?"

After a meeting one day, Wen Xiubo, another Vice Chairman of the Humanities and Social Sciences Student Union, proposed.

Long Fuxin was already being driven to distraction by Zhou Yang's affairs and said guardedly, "The External Liaison Department still has Xun Can, and Zhang Wei is also very capable; I don't think this matter is urgent."

However, another Vice Chairman, Jiang Minling, also supported appointing a new Vice Department Head.

"Preparations for the freshman gala have already begun, and the External Liaison Department needs to secure enough sponsorships as soon as possible; at a time like this, we should handle special matters with special methods and promote capable newcomers as early as possible."

Long Fuxin had been particularly sensitive to the words "newcomer" and "freshman" lately; looking at the knowing glances between Jiang Minling and Wen Xiubo, Long Fuxin also caught on.

"Who are you planning to promote as Vice Department Head?" Long Fuxin asked.

Jiang Minling and Wen Xiubo exchanged a look, and Wen Xiubo coughed and said, "Regarding this candidate, we have considered it comprehensively from the perspectives of fairness, justice, and the opinions of the freshmen."

"Don't give me that nonsense; I just want to know who it is."

Long Fuxin interrupted loudly.

"Yang Tianxing, from Class 2 of Public Administration, Humanities and Social Sciences Department."

Jiang Minling took over the conversation and said.

Long Fuxin was not too surprised by this answer, only sneering twice: "Since you two have already decided, why ask me when it's 2 to 1?"

Jiang Minling and Wen Xiubo both remained silent; there was only one position of Chairman, so why not weaken the strength of other competitors while planting a nail—why wouldn't they do it?

"According to custom, a new Vice Department Head must have a talk upon taking office; do you want to participate?" Wen Xiubo asked.

"Of course I do," Long Fuxin said bitterly.

……………

This was Yang Tianxing's second time participating in a Student Union interview, but the first time he was interviewing for a regular staff position in the External Liaison Department, and the second time it had become an interview for Vice Department Head.

Less than a week had passed between the two, so one could say the encounters in this human world are truly strange.

The Humanities Department had an exclusive, vacant activity room in the University Activity Center, and the interview was held there; after Yang Tianxing pushed the door open and entered, he discovered the interviewers were again two men and one woman.

One of the boys was naturally Long Fuxin, who was staring at Yang Tianxing with a gloomy face.

The other two Vice Chairmen first introduced their identities and then spoke about some internal management regulations of the Student Union; Yang Tianxing listened listlessly, and just as the appointment procedure was about to be completed, Long Fuxin suddenly said: "Yang Tianxing, do you think you can be a Student Union cadre? I advise you to think about it carefully!"

Originally, after Zhou Yang resigned, Yang Tianxing had decided that the matter would end there; he hadn't expected Long Fuxin to jump out again—truly, life is full of idiots everywhere.

Yang Tianxing didn't mind at all; a person with his personality would certainly have enemies, but the number of friends would definitely be greater than the number of enemies.

"No need to think; if someone like you, whose cerebrum is underdeveloped and whose cerebellum is completely undeveloped, can be a Vice Chairman, I will certainly not let down the organization's cultivation and trust."

Yang Tianxing raised his eyebrows, unceremoniously mocked Long Fuxin, and then accepted.

Watching Long Fuxin and Yang Tianxing bicker the moment they met, Wen Xiubo felt he had made a good move, equivalent to tripping Long Fuxin up significantly; only Jiang Minling frowned in a way that was hard to detect.

With the support of two Vice Chairmen, Yang Tianxing becoming the Vice Department Head of the External Liaison Department was a done deal; before leaving, Long Fuxin threw out a sentence in a fit of rage.

"Wen Xiubo, Jiang Minling, I saw with my own eyes what happened at Hejiaying; this person is a hooligan to the bone—you will definitely regret this later!"

After Long Fuxin left, Jiang Minling and Wen Xiubo were both a bit awkward; they had originally wanted to say a few polite words of congratulations and encouragement, but Yang Tianxing stood up and brushed off his backside: "Two leaders, anything else?"

"No, nothing else."

Jiang Minling was stunned for a moment and said.

"Alright then, see you when we have time."

Yang Tianxing waved his hand and went downstairs to leave.

Wen Xiubo and Jiang Minling looked at each other; after a while, Wen Xiubo said, "I thought he would thank us."

Jiang Minling thought to herself that this was originally a relationship of mutual utilization; if Yang Tianxing could dig 2,500 yuan out of the hands of a notorious miser like Cai Qiang, how could he be so easily fooled by us? Perhaps he had seen through it long ago.

"Sigh, I don't know what Xiao Wei is thinking, actually asking me to support Yang Tianxing as Vice Department Head; I don't know if Xiao Wei can handle him."

No one expected that Yang Tianxing would be able to take office as Vice Department Head, and that there was Zhang Wei's fanning of the flames behind this.

But regardless, in the month since school started, while other students were still struggling to explore and adapt to the rhythm of university life, Yang Tianxing was already a class monitor and a Vice Department Head of the Humanities and Social Sciences Department's External Liaison Department.

……………

On the morning of October 1st, Yang Tianxing, Tan Zhizhi, Shao Ziyang, and Hu Jiahao stood at the gate of Jiaotong University with their luggage.

"I told you there was no need for your dad to come pick us up; we could have just taken the bus home last night," Yang Tianxing said while wearing sunglasses and wiping sweat.

Although it was already October, the "autumn tiger" in Chang'an was still exerting its fierce power.

"If you don't want to take a free ride, you can take the bus now," Tan Zhizhi said, pouting.

Originally, Yang Tianxing had not planned to go back for this National Day holiday, but he really couldn't withstand the nagging in Gao Meilan's phone calls, so he finally decided to go home to see his old lady.

It just so happened that Tan Zhizhi's dad had come to Chang'an from Jinzhou in person to pick up his daughter, so he just brought Yang Tianxing and the others along.

"Alright, alright, that seven-seater with the Jinzhou license plate should be Uncle Tan; Tianxing, you need to be more mature, don't forget your gentlemanly demeanor—we are university students now."

Hu Jiahao would not let go of any opportunity to show off, especially when he could step on Yang Tianxing.

"Damn it, you dead bootlicker."

Yang Tianxing spat and cursed.

Tan Zhizhi's dad also saw this group of people and slowly pulled the car to the side of the road.

At this moment, Hu Jiahao, who had just been talking about "gentlemanly demeanor," was already in a sprint state; Yang Tianxing glanced at him and knew his intention.

The most comfortable seats in a seven-seater are the two in the middle; Tan Zhizhi would definitely occupy one, so the remaining one became the "throne."

The reason was simple: it was close to Tan Zhizhi and spacious.

The reason is simple: it's close to Tan Zhizhi, and it's spacious.

After the car was parked, Hu Jiahao really started to rush up, but Yang Tianxing grabbed him: "Let me go up first, I want to sit in the last row."

Hu Jiahao was stunned; although he did not know why Yang Tianxing wanted to take the initiative to sit in the very back, this kind of seven-seater vehicle was meant for the back row to board first anyway.

In that moment of distraction, Yang Tianxing had already easily boarded the car, but he sat steadily in the middle row.

Hu Jiahao was dumbfounded at the sight and asked blankly: "Didn't you say you wanted to sit in the very back?"

"Oh, I suddenly changed my mind just now," Yang Tianxing said nonchalantly.

Seeing this situation, Shao Ziyang immediately rushed to the front passenger seat, opened the door, and sat down, leaving only the last row for Hu Jiahao.

"Don't keep blocking the way, Tan Zhizhi is still back there basking in the sun."

Yang Tianxing "kindly" reminded Hu Jiahao to hurry up and get in the car.

Hu Jiahao had no choice but to grit his teeth and curse: "Yang Tianxing, if I ever believe a single word of yours again, I'm a dog!"