Chapter 347: Dear Class Monitor, Please Guide Me

After the noon break ended, the afternoon continued with self-study, followed by waiting for the school's physical examination notice.

At around three in the afternoon, Gao Er Class Eight lined up to go to the gym for the physical examination.

After collecting the examination forms, Li Luo borrowed them from Zhu Yufei to glance through, then returned them.

"What did you look at?" Ying Chanxi eyed him suspiciously. "What's so interesting about a physical form?"

"Checking if certain people have grown taller."

Hearing this, Ying Chanxi's face flushed red, and she hit him irritably: "You pervert!"

Yan Zhusheng, beside them, glanced down and looked slightly displeased: "Li Luo is mean."

"What are you thinking?" Li Luo feigned ignorance. "I was just checking if you'd grown taller."

"Like I'd believe you!" Ying Chanxi rolled her eyes at him and secretly kicked him.

After this small incident, after dinner in the evening, by six o'clock, all students from Gao Er Class Eight had returned to the classroom.

But Kong Jun still timed it perfectly—only strolling in with his thermos at exactly 6:30, when the bell rang, placing it on the podium.

After the bell stopped, Kong Jun unscrewed the thermos lid, blew gently a few times, then took a small sip.

Once the classroom fell completely silent, Kong Jun strolled over to Ying Chanxi's side, retrieved the class roster he'd lent her that morning, and said slowly: "Then tonight, let's go through the procedure."

"First, self-introductions, then class officer elections."

Here, Kong Jun paused, his gaze drifting to Li Luo in the corner, then added with a smile: "During your self-introduction, you may also briefly mention which position you intend to run for."

Upon hearing this, the students of Class Eight secretly chuckled, glancing toward Li Luo's direction.

"Why are you all staring at me?" Li Luo looked innocent. "It's a self-introduction—what's wrong with saying I like being class monitor?"

"I won't mention, during my self-introduction, that I was class monitor of Gao Yi Class Eight all last year, buying everyone drinks and ice cream during military training and the sports meet."

"Let everyone compete fairly."

"Alright, alright," Kong Jun waved his hand in exasperation, quickly silencing him. "You always find ways to slip out of serious things."

Laughter filled the classroom, and the tense atmosphere from the upcoming self-introductions instantly dissipated under Li Luo's antics.

Noticing the shift in class mood, Kong Jun smiled and said: "Let's proceed by class roll number—Hua Xiuxiu."

Hua Xiuxiu in the first row stood up, just as she had on the first day of school last year.

She walked up, wrote her name on the blackboard, gave a brief self-introduction, then added: "I know my chances are slim, but I still want to run for class monitor—I hope you'll give me a chance."

After stepping down, Li Luo clapped his hands; others followed, though Li Luo sighed inwardly, thinking how much better it would've been if Hua Xiuxiu had shown this courage when she re-ran for class monitor.

Now, with his bet with Ying Chanxi hanging over him, he couldn't back out.

The self-introductions continued.

Ying Chanxi secretly pulled out a sheet of paper, listening to others' introductions while jotting notes.

Qiao Xinyan glanced over curiously and froze when she saw Ying Chanxi recording everyone's hobbies and interests.

"Why are you writing this down, Xi Xi?"

"Shh," Ying Chanxi told her not to interrupt. During the pause between speakers, she whispered: "Li Luo's definitely taking notes too—I can't fall behind, or I might lose the election to him."

Qiao Xinyan: "... Did you two make a bet? What's the stakes?"

"If I lose, I might have to bark like Wang Wang on the flag-raising platform," Ying Chanxi said seriously.

"You two are so childish..."

As time passed, the students of Class Eight gradually finished their self-introductions.

Both Li Luo and Ying Chanxi had introduced themselves and declared their intent to run for class monitor—no one else stepped forward.

After all, one was Ying Chanxi, the other Li Luo.

The former was a household name; the latter, even those outside Class One and Eight had heard of him.

Especially among girls, Li Luo's popularity remained high.

Not to mention he frequently appeared on school event stages last year.

But what struck the boys of Class Eight most after the self-introductions was how high the quality of the girls was.

Just taking Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng alone, they could outshine every other class in the school.

In the entire Gao Er grade, only Shen Shuhua from Class Sixteen could even be compared—others weren't even worth comparing; it would be an insult.

But even without them, there were still girls like Qiao Xinyan, Xu Yinghuan, Hua Xiuxiu, Ren Zheng, and Luo Jiajia.

Each had her own charm, every type of girl represented.

Though the new Class Eight had only about ten girls, they were all stunningly beautiful, leaving the boys dazzled.

But after the self-introductions came the fiercest stage of the class officer elections.

Kong Jun glanced at the list of names that had all given their self-introductions, then smiled and said: "Now that everyone knows each other, let's proceed with the class officer elections. Whoever wants to run for a position, come up, state it, and write your name beside it on the board—who's first?"

No sooner had he finished than Ying Chanxi volunteered, stepping forward immediately to the podium.

After briefly recounting her past achievements and accomplishments, Ying Chanxi imitated Li Luo's method from last semester, naming several lesser-known classmates and their interests—all mentioned during their self-introductions.

"In both ability and attitude, I will be thoroughly dedicated. I hope you'll trust me to serve as your Gao Er Class Eight class monitor. Thank you."

After delivering her speech with calm dignity, Ying Chanxi returned to her seat, then gave Li Luo a haughty sniff, a faint smirk on her face.

After all, by using this method first, any repetition by Li Luo later would lose its impact.

But Li Luo only smiled, showing no rush to go up.

Next, Xu Yinghuan stepped up to run for study committee member.

Zhu Yufei remained as sports committee member.

Meanwhile, Luo Jiajia also climbed up to run for female sports committee member, speaking confidently: "Last year's sports meet, I took second place in the 100-meter dash; this year's badminton tournament, I also took second. I was previously the sports committee member of Gao Yi Class Three—please support me with your vote."

Seeing Luo Jiajia step up, Li Luo knew Yan Zhusheng wouldn't be running for sports committee.

Not because Yan Zhusheng was inferior—just that he was certain she wouldn't get up to speak.

Given her personality, she'd likely refuse to give a speech.

Thinking this, Li Luo glanced at Yan Zhusheng.

Yan Zhusheng also turned her head toward him and asked softly, "Are you and Chanxi definitely going to get class president and vice president?"

"Probably," Li Luo said. "Why the sudden question?"

"Nothing," Yan Zhusheng shook her head, then pushed herself up from the desk with both hands and walked straight toward the podium.

Yan Zhusheng was already tall; standing on the podium, her figure looked even more slender.

After she stepped up, she didn't speak immediately, but even just her face was enough to draw everyone's gaze to her.

Yan Zhusheng merely glanced at Luo Jiajia, then listed simply with a blank expression: "Last year's sports meet, I won the girls' 100-meter and 200-meter races; this year's badminton tournament, I was also champion; previously, I was the sports committee member of Class Eight."

"That's it."

After speaking, Yan Zhusheng wrote a sports committee marker beside her name on the blackboard, then turned and returned to her seat.

Li Luo watched her come down from the podium and couldn't help clapping, then asked with a grin, "What made you decide to run? I thought you were happy to let someone else take your place."

"You and Chanxi are both class officers," Yan Zhusheng whispered. "So I want to be too."

Li Luo: "..."

If Luo Jiajia heard that reason, she'd probably be utterly speechless.

A few minutes later.

Most people who wanted to run for class officer had already taken the stage.

Seeing no one else was getting up, Li Luo slowly rose and walked toward the podium.

After standing before the podium, Li Luo cleared his throat with two coughs and briefly outlined his background.

But Li Luo clearly didn't have Ying Chanxi's impressive resume, so he brushed it off quickly and changed the subject.

"Although I believe I served as Class Eight's class president well last year, with very positive feedback from classmates, Ying Chanxi is clearly also an excellent candidate for class president."

"At this point, to avoid everyone suffering from decision paralysis, I'd like to offer a new perspective to share with you."

"Many classmates have never been class president or vice president, so you might not know."

"Actually, once you become class president, your main responsibility is overseeing the big-picture planning of class and school activities."

"As for specific execution, that falls to the vice president."

"For example, this morning's textbook distribution task—the class president mainly arranges who picks up the books and delegates the vice president to distribute them properly."

"So, think about it."

"Do you prefer that I handle these specific tasks for you during daily life?"

"Or would you rather have our Ying Chanxi handle these specific vice president duties?"

"Since Ying Chanxi said she wants to serve everyone well in the new semester, why not fulfill her little wish? Isn't that fine?"

"That's all I have to say—I hope you'll support me."

After speaking, Li Luo chuckled and slipped off the podium.

The classmates, after hearing his speech, couldn't help laughing.

Especially the boys in class—they were stirred by Li Luo's words, their expressions turning strangely thoughtful.

Though it sounded illogical, upon closer thought, it somehow made sense.

Thus, the situation had reversed.

Especially since Li Luo was the last to speak, everyone's attention was fully captured by his words.

So when Kong Junxiang chuckled and returned to the podium to circle Li Luo, Ying Chanxi, and Hua Xiuxiu's names with chalk, the class was still slightly dazed by Li Luo's speech and hadn't yet corrected their thinking.

Thus, when Kong Junxiang began counting votes, Li Luo won by a wide margin—32 votes to Ying Chanxi's 27—and was elected class president of Gao Er Class Eight.

Below the podium, Ying Chanxi sat stunned upon seeing the result.

Especially when she saw Qiao Xinyan also raise her hand to vote for Li Luo, she blurted out angrily, "Xinyan! Why did you too?"

"Li Luo's speech was funny," Qiao Xinyan giggled, covering her mouth. "I've never seen you as vice president before—now that I think about it, Li Luo's point actually makes sense."

Ying Chanxi: "..."

Turning to look at Li Luo's mischievous grin, Ying Chanxi bit her lip and glared at him fiercely. "It's all your fault! You've corrupted Xinyan too!"

Li Luo chuckled.

He had clearly noticed that not only Qiao Xinyan, but several other boys from Class One—including Liu Shaowen—had quietly voted for him too.

Clearly, they'd been swayed by his words.

After all, imagining the lofty class president reduced to the vice president's role, scurrying around serving everyone—it was quite appealing.

Especially when that class president was Ying Chanxi, the top student in grade—now the thought was even more tantalizing.

Thus, within minutes, Class Eight's class officers were all settled.

Li Luo was elected class president, Ying Chanxi became vice president, Yan Zhusheng won the sports committee position by a large vote margin, and Zhu Yufei was about the same.

Xu Yinghuan, thanks to her improvement of over a hundred ranks in a year, successfully secured the study committee position.

As for Zhao Rongjun, simply making it up to introduce himself was his greatest success.

Qiao Xinyan had no interest in class officer positions, so she didn't run.

After the final results were confirmed, Ying Chanxi slumped onto her desk, her mind filled with the scene of herself barking like a dog on the flag-raising platform before everyone.

"You're not really going to make Chanxi bark like a dog, are you?" Qiao Xinyan asked, seeing Ying Chanxi lying lifeless on her desk, then turning to Li Luo behind her.

"Huh? When did I say that?"

"Chanxi told me."

"That was just teasing her—how could you take it seriously?" Li Luo chuckled, poking Ying Chanxi's back. "Hey, my dear vice president, please take good care of me from now on."

"Hmph, I don't want to talk to you," Ying Chanxi waved her hand behind her, swatting away his sneaky hand. "You won unfairly—you used some dirty tricks!"

"Tricks aren't bad if they work," Li Luo laughed. "If you really can't stand it, we can just forget the bet—I never really needed to win you anyway."

"No way," Ying Chanxi immediately lifted her head and said to him behind, "I accept the loss. Tell me what you want me to do."

"Mainly because I haven't decided yet," Li Luo chuckled. "I'll wait until I think of something, and keep it on hold for now."

"So how long are you planning to hold onto it?" Ying Chanxi asked, looking troubled.

Just thinking of owing someone a favor made her feel like a fishbone stuck in her throat, as if a sharp sword hung above her head.

Li Luo was certainly familiar with that feeling—he still owed Xu Youyu a favor, and still hadn't decided what to ask him to do.

But switching roles—from debtor to creditor—made things feel so much better.

"Use it when you stop listening to me."

"What do you mean by 'when I stop listening to you'?"

"I haven't encountered it yet—I can't even say what it is."

"Hmph!"

After the first evening self-study session ended, they took a short break before the second class began; Kong Junxiang called all the class officers out and held a brief meeting in the hallway.

He didn't mention anything urgent—just went over what each position needed to pay attention to over the next month.

For example, club recruitment, classroom cleaning duties, the blackboard notice board at the back of the room—all were briefly covered.

After finishing, Kong Junxiang waved his hand and told everyone to return to the classroom and continue self-study.

About ten minutes before the end of the second evening self-study, Yan Zhusheng quietly poked Li Luo's waist under the desk, then winked at him.

Li Luo understood her meaning at once. He glanced at Ying Chanxi in front of him and pointed with his finger.

Yan Zhusheng shook her head, then stood up pretending to go to the restroom and left first.

Li Luo thought for a moment, then decided not to call Ying Chanxi. After a short while, he too pretended to go to the restroom, left the classroom, and hurried to the playground to meet Yan Zhusheng.

"Aren't you going to bring Xi Xi?" Li Luo asked.

"Xi Xi would definitely notice. We can invite her tomorrow—it's not late," Yan Zhusheng said, slipping earphones into Li Luo's ears, then pursing her lips. "Tonight is our last time running together just the two of us."

"Cough… It's fine. Maybe she didn't notice today. We'll just get back early."

…

Just before the second evening self-study ended, Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng quietly slipped back to their seats through the classroom's back door.

Looking at Ying Chanxi's back, still diligently studying in the seat ahead, Li Luo raised an eyebrow—had she really not noticed?

But when the dismissal bell rang and day students began packing their bags, and the three of them gathered their backpacks to head downstairs together, Ying Chanxi suddenly asked: "Where did the two of you go during class?"

"Uh… to the restroom?"

"Who goes to the restroom together for over ten minutes?!" Ying Chanxi snapped. "Be honest—where did you two really go?"

"We went night running," Yan Zhusheng said. "We've always done it."

Hearing it was just night running, Ying Chanxi immediately relaxed.

But when she heard the next part, her eyes widened, and she couldn't help asking again: "Every day?!"

"Not every day," Li Luo corrected seriously. "Only on school days."

"What's the difference between that and every day?!" Ying Chanxi pouted. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"You never asked," Yan Zhusheng said innocently. "Now that you've asked, I'm telling you."

Ying Chanxi: "…"

"If you want to run too, just join us starting tomorrow," Yan Zhusheng offered.

"W-Who said I want to run with you two?" Ying Chanxi blurted out, then immediately corrected herself: "But… uh… night running is good for your health. So if you're going to run from now on, just let me know—I'll come along if I have time."

"Oh, okay," Yan Zhusheng nodded promptly.

On the way home.

Ying Chanxi was still a little annoyed that Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng had been running together for a year.

But then she remembered how lucky it was that she'd ended up in the same class as them—otherwise she'd never have uncovered this truth—and she sighed in relief.

At least now she could join them for night runs too. Thinking that made it feel better.

Oh, right.

She didn't know where the school had gotten that pillow, so she'd have to find time to buy one herself.