Chapter 264: Campus Outing Plans

Evening on campus.

Sunlight bathed the lawn, with a gentle breeze.

A few class committee members sat on the grass, discussing the autumn outing arrangements.

But only Xu Chen and three other girls were there; the deputy class monitor, Huo Dashan, was absent.

They settled on Chongming Island as the destination for the autumn outing.

Wide open fields, dense forests, streams and lakes, plus camping and barbecues.

Xu Chen had never been there in his previous life, but it sounded pretty good.

As the one in charge of venues and transportation, Huo Dashan had gone out that afternoon to scout the site and book tickets, while arranging the buses…

Class Monitor Min Siyang led the discussion, covering all the autumn outing details.

Xu Chen bought some soda water and juice, setting them casually on the grass.

“Thanks!” The girls took the drinks, polite as always.

The atmosphere was relaxed and casual, yet the discussion was lively and intense.

They talked about the overall schedule, what food and props to buy, and on-site group activities.

It wasn’t complicated; just a standard class trip.

Xu Chen sipped his soda, listening to the debates and arguments, finding it all quite entertaining.

In his mindset, he felt like an old guy watching three naive young girls chatter away.

Class Monitor Min Siyang and Life Committee member Huang Qiqi were the most enthusiastic, diving into the fine details.

Arts Committee member Su Rong was quieter, speaking up only when group activities came up.

After listening for a while, Xu Chen couldn’t resist jumping in with a joke:

“At this rate, we’re basically turning the class committee into the whole class’s babysitters…”

Huang Qiqi: “Huh? But we’re the event organizers anyway.”

Min Siyang thought for a moment: “Xu Chen, what do you mean?”

Xu Chen took a sip of soda, quickly thinking about how to phrase it right—how to communicate effectively with these young women.

Their discussion had some flaws; clearly, they lacked experience in organizing events.

They were fresh out of high school, smart and capable, but without much real-world practice.

Xu Chen didn’t want to waste time on this minor stuff; following their current approach would mean a lot of hassle with little payoff.

In their talk, the class committee had taken on nearly all the execution work for the outing.

In his past life, Xu Chen had managed a big company team of over twenty people.

Workplace management was far more complex than this university group.

Just from listening, he spotted the basic issues in their event planning.

…

Xu Chen decided to be straightforward and said:

“I think the outing is for the whole class…

We on the committee are organizers and coordinators, not guides, babysitters, or servers.

In the current plan, we’re handling all the execution, while everyone else just shows up like tourists.

That might leave them without any real involvement…

Since it’s a class-wide event, we should encourage everyone’s input and participation.

The committee’s main role is to set the rules and manage key resources…

Let the classmates handle the rest of the details themselves.”

The three girls glanced at each other, stunned.

“That… makes a lot of sense…”

“Yeah, we’re not babysitters or guides—we don’t need to do everything ourselves.”

“If we’re working this hard and the class doesn’t feel involved, they might not even enjoy it…”

…

Seeing they agreed, Xu Chen kept it simple and clear to wrap up quickly:

“Didn’t you say we’re dividing the class into four groups, Class Monitor?

I think that’s a great idea—each group with a leader to handle their own organization.

The committee just needs to coordinate overall…

For group activities, set the rules and let each group come up with a performance—anything goes. Who knows what hidden talents we have in the class.

That way, Su Rong, you won’t have to plan everything yourself.

But maybe add a couple of class-wide events, like voting on the performances with rewards and penalties.

Or something like a tug-of-war competition—that’s enough for group stuff.”

Su Rong blinked, as if a lightbulb went off.

She suddenly felt grateful; she’d been stressing over the activity plans for days.

Their earlier idea was for her to plan all the programs and then recruit people to perform…

Xu Chen had found that approach ridiculous—these just-out-of-high-school girls lacked event planning and real-life experience, always trying to handle everything alone.

Su Rong pulled out a small notebook and jotted down notes.

Now, following Xu Chen’s suggestion flipped things around—that was the right way!

It shifted from being doers to managers!

As Su Rong wrote, she paused, looked at Xu Chen, and said softly:

“Thanks, Xu Chen…”

Xu Chen just smiled warmly.

Min Siyang and Huang Qiqi exchanged glances and smiled too.

“Xu Chen’s ideas are way better!” Min Siyang said with a laugh.

Huang Qiqi lit up with excitement:

“Exactly! So for shopping, we can assign that to the four groups too!

We were just worrying about how much work it is to buy food for the whole class barbecue!”

Xu Chen: “That’s the point—divide it among the groups.

Each group handles their own barbecue food, and a key reason is that tastes vary.

How can we know what everyone likes? They’re from all over the country with different preferences.

Smaller groups make it easier to discuss.

We’ll just handle the bulk stuff like bottled water and drinks, plus some snacks for activities like chips.

And things like disposable utensils, wet wipes, and chopsticks.”

He glanced at Su Rong and continued:

“For activity props, like balloons, colored paper, or tug-of-war ropes…

Su Rong, you can make a list of needs, and Huang Qiqi and I will take care of it—you don’t need to worry about that separately.”

Su Rong looked at Xu Chen, her face showing gratitude again:

“Okay…”

…

Under Xu Chen’s subtle guidance, the discussion quickly shaped into a solid plan.

What might have taken several rounds of back-and-forth now felt mostly wrapped up for the committee.

Just break the tasks down to the groups and let them run with it.

Class Monitor Min Siyang said:

“I’ll put together a document tonight and share it in the class group.

Then tomorrow during our college major class, we can sync everyone up.

That way, we can address any issues or feedback early.”

Everyone nodded, feeling a wave of relief.

Min Siyang smiled at Xu Chen:

“Xu Chen, do you have any other thoughts or additions?”

Xu Chen had been zoning out a bit but turned and smiled: “None from me— this setup is great!”

Min Siyang: “See, bringing you onto the committee was the right call!”

She paused, then added:

“Psychological Committee member, can I book a chat session with you?”

Xu Chen: “??!”

…

…

…

That evening, the group headed to the cafeteria for a meal.

The three girls chatted and laughed, while Xu Chen just smiled along, occasionally chiming in casually.

Huang Qiqi looked at Xu Chen and said suddenly:

“It’s nice eating with you, Xu Chen.”

Xu Chen paused: “What do you mean?”

Huang Qiqi: “If Huo Dashan joined us, he’d talk nonstop, and we’d never get a word in…”

Xu Chen chuckled, figuring Huo Dashan was trying too hard to show off his social skills.

He couldn’t help wondering if Huo Dashan had a crush on one of these girls.

…

…

…

That night, Xu Chen visited the library.

It wasn’t aimless; he had a clear goal.

On the seventh floor, in the humanities and social sciences section, he found books on advertising studies.

He picked up a book called ‘Creative and Innovative Thinking.’

The author was a dean from a university in Beijing, also a leading professor in domestic advertising disciplines.

He had another role: the chair of judges for the ‘National University Advertising Competition.’

Xu Chen borrowed his book to tailor his entry to the chair’s tastes.

Of course, he needed to study the chair’s style and preferences.

As someone with advertising experience, Xu Chen’s expertise outshone most university students.

But understanding the judges’ biases was key, since the decision was purely human…

Unlike real ad agency projects based on user research and market data.

From his past experiences in similar events, Xu Chen knew a chair like this could have the final say.

At least, their authority could sway major awards.

So, it was worth a deep dive.

…

The college encouraged first-year students to join the National University Advertising Competition, but mainly for learning.

As the department head had said, these national events were mostly for juniors and seniors; freshmen weren’t pushed hard.

Yet, Xu Chen noticed his classmates were all quietly working on it.

They seemed laid-back on the surface, but underneath, they were competitive.

It made sense—everyone at a top university like this had drive and ambition.

Types like Jiao Tianbo were openly gearing up for a top win, ready to shake the national scene.

Others were more subtle, but clearly putting in effort.

The general vibe was, ‘Why not try? It’s not that much work, and university life’s pretty free… What if we win?’

Still, the challenge for freshmen was tough—they’d barely started their courses, so creating ads was mostly guesswork.

Xu Chen hadn’t begun his ideas yet, but he’d already asked Sun Aimi for help.

She was on board:

“My company’s projects are slow right now, so whenever you need me, Xu Chen, just say the word!”