Chapter 261: Campus Beginnings

Overall, Huang Hao was completely baffled.

He never expected that today he’d not only get Bai Miao’s autograph but also take a bunch of photos with her.

When he posted the photos in the high school group chat, he could almost hear the envy and jealousy through his small phone screen.

……

Meanwhile, Bai Miao had joined the two coaches and was already in a business car heading straight to the airport.

They’d be back at the National Team dormitory tonight, and she’d bring Xu Chen’s things to Xie Bingran along the way.

……

South Campus, Little Yellow Building.

The students who came for the welcome event had all dispersed, heading to the main campus’s north and south buildings for classes.

Huang Hao stood by the road, waiting for Xu Chen to return from buying water.

After a short wait, Xu Chen walked out with a smile and handed him a bottle.

Huang Hao snapped out of his daze, twisted open the cap, and took several big gulps.

“Thanks a lot, Xu Chen! I thought I wouldn’t get that autograph today!”

Xu Chen smiled. “Let’s head to the north building. The class meeting’s about to start!”

With that, the two hurried toward the exit.

Without thinking much, Huang Hao hung back a half-step behind Xu Chen, not quite walking side by side.

“How do you know Bai Miao?” Huang Hao couldn’t help asking.

Xu Chen: “We have a mutual friend, and that led to us meeting.”

Huang Hao: “Oh, I see…”

Today was all thanks to you.”

Xu Chen: “Just luck, really.”

Huang Hao: “I owe you a huge favor. One meal won’t cut it. If there’s anything I can help with later, just say the word!”

Xu Chen smiled: “You’re overthinking it!”

……

……

When they reached the classroom in the north teaching building, the rest of their classmates were already there.

This advertising class had fewer than thirty students total.

There were slightly more girls than boys.

The back door was closed, so Xu Chen and Huang Hao entered through the front, drawing everyone’s eyes.

Glancing up, they saw the two eager beavers, Jiao Tianbo and Huo Dashan, in the front row, while the other guys clustered at the back.

Hong Xiaoqiang sat in the back and waved at Xu Chen with a grin.

……

They’d barely sat down when their homeroom teacher, Shi Dinghai, walked in carrying a stack of materials.

Shi Dinghai handed out the stacks to the first row, and they passed them back.

Xu Chen glanced at the materials—info on the ‘National University Advertising Competition’ and the ‘One Show Young Creative Award’.

Shi Dinghai stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat.

The first class meeting was officially underway.

The teacher started with a brief self-introduction and welcomed the new students again.

The meeting had just two tasks: help everyone get to know each other and elect class officers.

With about thirty students, most were meeting for the first time, especially the guys and girls, so things felt a bit awkward.

Following the traditional family-like icebreaker, the teacher hosted as each student went up for a short introduction, limited to five sentences.

Basically, just state your name, hometown, and maybe a few hobbies.

The first one up, as expected, was the proud ‘study king’ Jiao Tianbo.

Besides introducing himself, he listed all his high school awards, going well over seven sentences.

Just as the teacher was about to interrupt, Jiao Tianbo wrapped up:

“In short, I’m thrilled to be in class with all of you. Let’s change and revolutionize the advertising industry together!”

“……”

It came off as oddly dramatic, even a bit fired up.

Shi Dinghai gave him face and started the applause.

Next, the students took turns introducing themselves.

Luckily, with under thirty people, it wrapped up quickly.

Through this, Xu Chen got to know the popular girls the other guys had mentioned.

Min Siyang, the fresh-faced girl from Sichuan Province, was already on ‘Jiangsu-Zhejiang Prince’ Qian Xin’s radar.

She wore fresh, simple clothes, with a sweet, pure look and shoulder-length hair.

She seemed shy at first, but her introduction showed confidence and presence, with strong speaking skills and a real academic vibe.

Pei Qian glanced at the ‘Jiangsu-Zhejiang Prince’ and whispered:

“She’s not what she seems—got some real strength. Think Qian can handle it?”

Qian Xin ignored him, staring blankly at Min Siyang, his small eyes without glasses looking dazed.

……

Then there was Su Rong, the girl from Jiangsu Province that Pei Qian and Chen Wenyi had talked about.

Even Xu Chen had to admit she was stunning.

Her long hair was tied in a bun, and her big eyes sparkled with innocence.

She looked shy and reserved, quiet and introspective.

From what Pei Qian had heard, Su Rong came from a well-off family—apparently dropped off in a 550 Audi A8.

……

And then the eye-catching ‘Shanghai Duo’ with their amazing figures.

Chen Qiong had center-parted black hair in soft waves, wearing a fitted white T-shirt and jeans that highlighted her curves.

You Li had bold red lips and wavy hair, tall and slim in a loose floral dress that still couldn’t hide her shape.

The ‘Shanghai Duo’ sat together, and during their introductions, it turned out they were high school classmates, which explained their close friendship.

……

Qian Xin turned to Hong Xiaoqiang with a sly grin:

“You into this type? Think your build can handle it?!”

Xu Chen: “……”

……

Huo Dashan’s introduction stood out too.

With a bright smile, he emphasized his roles as class monitor in middle and high school, clearly setting up for the officer elections.

Chen Wenyi was nervous on stage, his speech shaky and accented, making for an awkward exit.

Pei Qian and Hong Xiaoqiang’s introductions were straightforward, a bit stiff, and didn’t leave much of an impression.

That left just Xu Chen and the ‘Jiangsu-Zhejiang Prince’ Qian Xin.

Xu Chen leaned over to Qian Xin and said quietly:

“You go last, I’ll set you up.”

Qian Xin paused, pleased with the idea, and nodded, settling in.

Xu Chen went up confidently but kept it low-key, giving a simple introduction without anything flashy.

He stepped down easily.

Qian Xin cleared his throat and took the stage, showing a hint of nerves despite his ‘prince’ act.

When talking about hobbies, he mentioned loving to drive, a subtle flex.

He also noted that though he’s from Zhejiang Province, he adores Sichuan Province’s food and culture—obviously pointing somewhere.

Xu Chen found it amusing.

Clearly, Qian Xin had been prepping his speech for the last half-hour; every line had a purpose.

Who knew the ‘Jiangsu-Zhejiang Prince’ had some smarts.

……

……

Next came the class officer elections.

Shi Dinghai discussed it with everyone and decided on a nomination and voting system.

He first outlined the officer roles.

Class monitor, vice monitor, study committee member, arts committee member, sports committee member, and so on.

With under thirty students, they’d limit the committee to five people.

One class monitor, one vice monitor, and the rest based on skills and interest.

Shi Dinghai set the rules:

Anyone wanting to run goes up, states the position, and gives a short speech.

Then, secret ballots—everyone writes three names.

The top vote gets class monitor.

Second place is vice monitor, and third through fifth are committee members.

They’ll decide specific roles among themselves later.

……

And so it went.

The first up was the ‘Sichuan pure scholar’ Min Siyang.

Despite her quiet appearance, she showed great speaking skills and presence, going straight for class monitor.

Qian Xin sat in the back, gazing at her with a dreamy look, murmuring:

“Like her even more now…”

Hong Xiaoqiang whispered: “You said you liked her pure vibe, but she seems pretty strong and fiery.”

Qian Xin: “Sometimes… I like being the passive one.”

Xu Chen: “……”

How sleazy.

After Min Siyang stepped down, Huo Dashan naturally took the stage and confidently announced his run for class monitor.

You’ve got to hand it to him—he’s a smooth talker, the ultimate social butterfly, and great at connecting with classmates.

He brought up his past as a monitor again.

A few more girls followed to run, showing most wanted the full college experience.

Surprisingly, that included the attractive ‘Jiangsu rich girl’ Su Rong.

She stood on stage, a bit shy, saying she was running for arts committee and mentioning her grade eight piano and dance skills.

It instantly won over the ‘artsy type’ Chen Wenyi.

Even the ‘stock guy’ Pei Qian was swallowing hard.

What surprised the guys was that the ‘study king’ Jiao Tianbo didn’t jump in for officer roles.

Chen Wenyi muttered: “Jiao Tianbo’s not running?”

Xu Chen whispered: “The study king probably looks down on class officers—at least, he’s aiming for the student council.”

Chen Wenyi: “Makes sense.”

From the guys, only Huo Dashan was running.

Xu Chen had no interest at all.

He just didn’t want to waste time.

His four years of university would involve managing the family business, his own company, and Xie Bingran’s projects—no room for extras.

Things like class officers, student council, or clubs? Unless it sparked his interest, he wanted nothing to do with them.

He could use that energy to land a few ad projects and make tens of thousands.

The room paused, seeming like everyone who wanted to run had gone up.

Shi Dinghai had written the nominees’ names on the board.

He checked if anyone else wanted in, then handed out pre-cut slips for voting.

There were eight nominees, and we pick five—the odds were pretty good.

……

Shi Dinghai stood at the podium with a smile:

“You can discuss for five minutes, then submit your secret votes…”

“Also, two announcements:

First, the advertising competitions we handed out—the National University Advertising Contest is coming up fast, so jump in if you’re interested.

Second, in two weeks, we’ll have an autumn outing to help everyone bond and team build. The new officers will organize it.”

“”