Chapter 434: Wen Leyu Is the Boss

With the third heavy snowfall, the year 1985 quietly arrived among them.

Li Ye smoothed the path for Pei Wencong, letting him proceed step by step to prepare for the electronics factory, then returned to school to focus on his "real work."

The first task was his final exams.

The final exams for the third semester of junior year were approaching; the study atmosphere in the class had grown even more intense—finding a seat in the library at night now required queuing.

This phenomenon was directly tied to the rumor that exam results were linked to post-graduation assignments.

If students from the classes of '78, '79, and even '80 were highly sought-after by urban departments at all levels, Li Ye's class of '82 was far less desirable, with over half likely to leave Beijing.

But who wanted to leave Beijing?

Three years ago, when they had gathered in Beijing from all corners of the country, many may have still harbored dreams of returning home to serve after graduation, but by junior year, most had lost that desire and simply wanted to stay in Beijing.

Although Li Ye didn't care much about graduation assignments, a strong academic record remained an important mark in life; as the class's tenth-place gatekeeper, he had no choice but to devote most of his energy to reviewing his coursework.

Junior year was no longer freshman year—relying solely on his biological hard drive's formidable memory could no longer guarantee perfect scores.

The second issue Li Ye needed to resolve was who would take over as the next leader of the Lone Army Literary Society.

When Li Ye first joined the Lone Army Literary Society, Li Huai was the main organizer, Yang Yu was the top writer,

and as Li Huai and Yang Yu entered their third-semester junior year, they gradually passed the responsibilities to Li Ye, who officially took over daily management after senior year.

By tradition, the same process would now fall to Li Ye after the New Year, so it was time to finalize the successor.

But the current situation of the Lone Army Literary Society differed from the previous two cohorts.

Previously, Li Huai handled all school communications, Yang Yu managed literary content, and Li Ye was merely the "outline writer."

When Li Ye took over, he remained the outline writer, while Mu Yunning handled nearly all school coordination.

And Mu Yunning was still the society's top writer.

Like iron camps with flowing troops, new students joined the Lone Army Literary Society every year, and others left—but Mu Yunning's status as a teacher gave her the unique, anchoring quality of the "camp," making her position exceptional.

The Youth League Committee had already spoken with Li Ye several times about whether Mu Yunning could shoulder the society's leadership.

Li Ye neither agreed nor refused, merely listing several top candidates and objectively outlining their strengths.

Mu Yunning excelled in organizational ability, held the authority of a teacher, and was among the best writers;

but whether to break tradition and shift the society's burden from students to a teacher was ultimately your decision.

In the end, the school decided to elect the next president via "democratic voting."

On a day in late January, school officials notified all members of the Lone Army Literary Society to hold an internal vote.

"Brother, who are we voting for today? Mu Teacher?"

On the way to the literary society, the younger brother Sun Xianjin began "vote-whispering" with Li Ye.

"Do whatever you want—I'm voting for Mu Teacher."

"Then I'm voting for Mu Teacher too."

Li Ye looked at Sun Xianjin and smiled. "Aren't you close with Chu Yusheng? Why not consider voting for him?"

Sun Xianjin shook his head. "Chu Yusheng's writing is definitely good, but he's too soft-spoken—he can't command the room. His management skills are nowhere near Mu Teacher's. Besides—what's Mu Teacher to us? We pick talent regardless of ties!"

Mu Yunning was Li Ye and Sun Xianjin's homeroom teacher; with their influence in the society, plus the family network of Bian Jingjing and Wen Leyu, today's vote felt like a mere formality to avoid suspicion.

Even Wen Leyu, who had mixed feelings about Mu Yunning, had to admit her advantages were obvious.

But when Li Ye and Sun Xianjin arrived at the voting site, they heard an unexpected piece of news.

Mu Yunning had already submitted her resignation—after this semester, she would no longer be a teacher at Beijing University.

If she was no longer a teacher, what did her previous advantages matter?

Li Ye watched Mu Yunning speaking with Youth League officials, unable to approach, but then spotted his girlfriend Wen Leyu signaling him.

Hmm—when Wen Leyu focused on someone or something, her information was always sharp.

Li Ye walked over, and Wen Leyu quietly told him: "Yu Lichen has returned to Beijing University—he's starting as a teaching assistant. They say he went to Mu Teacher's office this morning with a huge bouquet of flowers."

When she said "huge bouquet," the utterly non-material Wen Leyu flailed both arms to sketch a large heart shape—clearly, flowers, though useless, held a special place in a girl's heart.

Li Ye understood—it was winter in 1980s Beijing, not the modern era of air-freighted flowers everywhere; a large bouquet in deep winter would stir quite a stir on campus.

Li Ye asked: "So Mu Teacher resigned just for that? She's not afraid of him—why run away?"

"Maybe she just found it disgusting. That day, Mu Teacher said seeing Yu Lichen made her sick—she didn't hesitate to resign. You can't face a pile of shit without feeling sick. Better to walk around it."

Wen Leyu glanced at Li Ye, then added: "Don't worry about where Mu Teacher will go—her family can get her into a better unit."

Li Ye looked at Wen Leyu in surprise, leaned down, and whispered: "Why do you think I'd worry about her?"

"You always meddle too much. Too kind."

Wen Leyu pursed her lips, slightly annoyed by Li Ye's do-gooder tendencies—but then she recalled how they'd met, and realized his kindness had been the matchmaker between them.

If Li Ye hadn't taken the blame for stealing corn cobs, how would she have ever ended up with him?

"."

With Mu Yunning no longer the top candidate, today's vote became fiercely competitive.

Several students from the classes of '83 and '84 received nearly equal votes, but ultimately Chu Yusheng from '83 won by the highest tally and became the next president.

Everyone congratulated Chu Yusheng, laughing and joking, with no visible tension.

Only Mu Yunning remained expressionless, as if already detached from this warm little group.

Mu Yunning had joined the Lone Army Literary Society for nearly a year; "Twelve Hours in Chang'an" had been finalized and submitted, soon to enter publication and film adaptation—she had been preparing to reap the rewards, but now she seemed to be slipping away quietly.

Perhaps sensing Li Ye's gaze, Mu Yunning hesitated, then walked over to him.

"After I resign, if there are any issues with the script of 'Twelve Hours in Chang'an' that need revision, you can call this number to reach me."

Mu Yunning handed Li Ye a slip of paper with a phone number and a mailing address.

Li Ye looked at the address and asked: "Have you already found a new position?"

Mu Yunning shook her head. "I don't want to join another institution yet—I plan to try being a freelance writer and see if I can support myself."

Li Ye asked in surprise: "You're going to become a full-time writer?"

Mu Yunning nodded with a smile, slightly embarrassed.

Like modern web novelists, in the 1980s, someone without a job living solely on royalties was viewed with mixed opinions.

Shuo had once said that when he became a full-time writer, people around him called him "unproductive."

"Alright, if you ever want to submit work later, contact Pei Wencong or Dong Yuejin—they know the industry well and can recommend publishers that match your style."

Mu Yunning nodded slightly and said, "Thank you," then walked out.

"Sigh~"

Li Ye watched Mu Yunning's lonely back and sighed.

Wen Leyu bit her lip, lost in thought; after half a minute, she suddenly grabbed Li Ye's arm and ran after her.

As Li Ye jogged beside her, he asked: "Hey, Xiao Yu, what are you doing?"

Wen Leyu said: "If she wants to be a full-time writer, isn't she perfect for our new project?"

Li Ye asked in surprise: "You mean recruit her?"

Wen Leyu said: "She's someone we know well, has solid literary skills, and no moral issues—my new company needs people like her. We can trust her."

"."

Wen Leyu and Li Ye quickly caught up with Mu Yunning, and Wen Leyu voiced their proposal.

Mu Yunning looked at Li Ye in surprise, then realized—he would no longer offer his ideas to the literary society's students after stepping down as president, nor provide detailed outlines anymore.

He had his own couple's team now—why would he share his creations with others?

Mu Yunning thought for a moment and said: "I understand your meaning. But are you sure my writing style suits your new project?"

Li Ye nodded. "Our new project, 'Qin Shi Ming Yue,' is a large historical series with many female characters—your style fits perfectly."

"."

Seeing Mu Yunning hesitate, Wen Leyu added: "Yang Yu will also handle part of it—if you're interested, you can read Li Ye's concept and outline."

"I don't need to read it—I trust Li Ye's talent and ability."

"Then welcome aboard."

Wen Leyu extended her hand to Mu Yunning, acting as if she were the boss of this literary team.

Indeed, this new company had been founded by Li Yue and Wen Leyu—why let the profits go to outsiders? And in the future, all royalties from Li Ye and Yang Yu's work would be monitored by Wen Leyu and Li Yue.

(End of Chapter)