Chapter 369: The Vote‑Gathering Commotion

Hello classmate, we are second‑year students; in a few days our school will have a Student Committee election, here's a flyer, please take a look, and vote for us…

Classmate, if you vote, you should vote for second‑year Lu Cheng, not for a third‑year! Rest assured, if Lu Cheng becomes president, he'll put serving students first…

Don't vote for a third‑year, those third‑year kids are too rigid; our Lu Cheng is especially lively, he'll definitely organize many events to enrich our campus life…

Watching Zheng Guoping and Wei Shu, along with other classmates, carrying the flyers they wrote last night, patiently and enthusiastically canvassing votes from classmates, Lu Cheng felt very satisfied.

The first‑year side has enough manpower, so Lu Cheng doesn't need to worry and prepares to go check on the third‑year side.

At that moment, someone quickly gave a side pat on the shoulders of the three of them.

Zheng Guoping turned around, saw that it was the girl from the Cafeteria, and immediately laughed.

"Hey, why is it you? Are you a first‑year?"

Yang Yin smiled and replied, "I'm not a first‑year yet; to be precise, I just graduated high school. What are you doing here?"

Zheng Guoping, learning that Yang Yin had just graduated, felt a bit disappointed; this meant the girl wasn't a student of their Qingbei University.

He gestured to the flyer in his hand: "Oh, you might not know, our university has set up a Student Committee and needs to elect a president to manage it; we're currently canvassing votes."

"Are you canvassing for him?" Yang Yin extended a hand, one finger pointing at Lu Cheng.

Zheng Guoping glanced and said, "Ah, right, his name is Lu Cheng, I'm Zheng Guoping, and this one is Wei Shu."

"My name is Yang Yin."

"Hello, classmate Yang Yin," Zheng Guoping proactively extended his hand.

Yang Yin was also generous, shaking hands one by one.

After a brief handshake, Lu Cheng said to Zheng Guoping and Wei Shu, "You keep canvassing here; I'll go over to the third‑year side."

Zheng Guoping waved at him; seeing Yang Yin here, he lost the urge to canvass, and just as he was about to chat a few words, Yang Yin waved at the two of them and said goodbye.

"Hey, why did she run off? Looks like she chased Third. It's only our first meeting, my charm isn't any less than Third's."

Wei Shu thought he was being narcissistic, so he ignored him, thinking he should finish canvassing quickly and go back to reading.

Zheng Guoping still stood there muttering, "Hey Siyan, have you noticed Third has changed? I remember back in first‑year, this guy was very flirty, often teasing female classmates. Since he became a second‑year, that behavior has lessened?"

Just like Yang Yin, who is so cute and beautiful, rare on campus, yet they haven't said a single word to anyone; that's not like their nature…

Listening to Zheng Guoping's muttering, Wei Shu also felt something was off, but didn't think it was a big deal; only lacking books to read is truly fatal.

……

After Lu Cheng went down the stairs and was about to head to the third‑year student area, he heard thump thump thump footsteps behind him, followed by another pat on the shoulder.

Turning around, it was Yang Yin.

Seeing Lu Cheng's puzzled expression, Yang Yin's eyes curved into crescents.

"I wanted to tell you something: you don't need to canvass the third‑year side. My father said the school wants a third‑year to be president, so your canvassing would be wasted."

Lu Cheng replied, "Things depend on people; how would you know without trying?"

Yang Yin was stunned; she didn't expect him to be so unwilling to give up.

She just didn't know how strong Lu Cheng's popular base was—virtually all second‑year students supported him, which gave him the confidence to run for president.

Watching Lu Cheng's departing back, Yang Yin stood still, pursing her lips.

Somehow, even though she knew Lu Cheng would lose, she hoped he could win, not for any other reason but because her father said Lu Cheng truly loves helping classmates.

As a freshman who hasn't enrolled yet, Yang Yin's ideal president should be like this, not someone who only puts on an official façade.

So for a good college experience, and to have more campus activities later instead of daily dull study, Yang Yin clenched her fist and stared toward the third‑year area.

After Lu Cheng arrived at the third‑year side, he found a few acquaintances—friends he met while playing basketball and had shared meals with a few times.

When they learned Lu Cheng was there to canvass votes, one of the classmates frowned.

"Lu Cheng, you want to run for president; we have no objection, we can vote for you, that's fine, but asking us to help you canvass votes puts us in a difficult spot."

"Yeah, Lu Cheng, it's not that we won't help you; think about it, we already have several third‑year candidates. If we go into their classes to canvass, we might get kicked out."

Lu Cheng had considered this; indeed that's the fact, because this election has turned the third‑year and second‑year sides into opposing camps.

So he didn't expect the entire third‑year cohort to vote for him.

"Of course it's not for you to openly canvass; just tell your close friends about it."

The classmates thought this was acceptable; it wouldn't openly oppose the whole third‑year, avoiding future ostracism.

Mainly because everyone now has a collective spirit, and on the other hand, they get along well with Lu Cheng, one classmate offered a suggestion.

"Lu Cheng, I need to tell you something: those third‑year candidates have gone to first‑year to canvass; you should also make some effort."

Lu Cheng knew this; earlier when he was at the first‑year side, he had already seen it, and even in second‑year he saw the trace of those people.

It's a democratic election; everyone has the right to canvass votes.

"Thanks for letting me know about the first‑year side; I've already sent someone to canvass there."

It's really hard to manage now; most third‑years support third‑year candidates, most second‑years support second‑year candidates, so it depends on who can attract more first‑year votes.

After a brief chat with those classmates, class time was about to start, and students were hurriedly running to the classrooms.

Lu Cheng was about to take his leave when, at that moment, a heated argument echoed from the end of the hallway.

At first Lu Cheng didn't mind, thinking it was just the rush into the classroom, accidentally bumping into someone or stepping on a foot, leading to a normal dispute.

But a plaintive voice from a girl made him involuntarily stop.

"I'm here to canvass; why are you pushing me?"

"Where are you from? Are you from our school?"

"Not now."

"What do you mean 'not now'? If it's not, then it's not. Get lost, why are you running to our third‑year to canvass votes!"

"On what grounds can't I come to third‑year?"

"You little girl are really funny; this is a third‑year classroom, you're canvassing for a second‑year—do you think that's appropriate?"

"How is it not appropriate? The Student Committee presidential election is a democratic election; whether you're third‑year or first‑year, everyone has the right to cast the vote they like. You can also go to second‑year to canvass; whoever can serve the students best has the right to be chosen, and you blocking that is clearly bureaucratic, hegemonic!"

"Hey, you little brat still talking back, get out, get out, we're about to class, no time to waste chatting with you."

The girl's stubbornness rose; the more they tried to block her, the more she insisted on campaigning here.

"Hello classmates, I'm here to campaign for sophomore Lu Cheng, I think he's well suited to be president; have you seen the flyer? It says they'll organize many events to enrich our college life…"

Little did they know the one trying to stop her was actually one of the candidates; seeing the girl still daring to promote to other juniors, his anger flared instantly.

He immediately seized the girl's clothing and flung her aside forcefully.

"Stop talking, shut up…"

Lu Cheng saw what was happening here, rushed over, but was still a step too late.

A muffled groan was heard as the girl's back of the head struck the corner of a pillar, and blood immediately flowed down.