Chapter 12: The Smile Will Not Fade

Upon entering the classroom, the once boastful few who had been strutting around with an air of supreme confidence immediately deflated.

Yang Shuang and Zhang Bailan hunched their shoulders, their eyes darting nervously as they hurriedly made their way to their seats.

Chen Xiaobei and Wang Can, meanwhile, found no girls who stirred their hearts in the slightest.

In truth, the second economics and management class had a sizable number of girls, several of whom were quite attractive.

But ever since Chen Xiaobei had witnessed the charm of a certain "cousin," his standards of beauty had abruptly soared several notches.

Now, looking at these girls, he felt something was missing, and it would probably take a few days to adjust.

It was like when your good friend suddenly brings home a girlfriend who is not only stunning but also gentle and caring.

After seeing her in person, when you scroll through photos of plain-looking, aloof women on your phone, suddenly they all seem dull and uninteresting, and you lose the urge to even chat with them.

As their gazes wandered among the girls in the classroom, they themselves became subjects of quiet scrutiny.

Undoubtedly, Chen Xiaobei was the most eye-catching. His flashy luxury brand logos were all genuine, and with those Louis Vuitton sunglasses that nearly covered half his face, he exuded the aura of “the richest under the sun,” making it impossible not to attract attention.

By contrast, Zhang Bailan, also decked out in designer labels, received far less notice.

It wasn’t a matter of looks; he kept his head down, shoulders hunched, lacking presence.

Wang Can didn’t draw many looks either; at first glance, he appeared clean and neat, but otherwise quite plain.

Still, a few girls who found him quietly appealing couldn’t help stealing a few extra glances.

As for Yang Shuang, in the eyes of the girls, he was simply background noise.

Once they reached the rear seats, Zhang Bailan and Yang Shuang immediately revived their spirits. They leaned in, lowering their voices as they exchanged opinions.

“The second row by the window looks pretty good.”

“The third row on the left side is nice too.”

“The one on the right, that one’s good-looking as well.”

These two were typical talkers who could debate grandly behind the scenes but turned tongue-tied and nervous when facing girls in person.

Typical “all talk, no action” types.

Wang Can stood at the back of the classroom, not rushing to sit down, his gaze sweeping the entire room.

Because the boys and girls were still strangers to one another, an invisible divide naturally formed between them.

The boys clustered noticeably around Shen Hongge, while the girls mostly gathered near Guo Wanwan.

After all, following yesterday’s registration process, all the freshmen had grown somewhat familiar with these two.

Both appeared to be in good spirits, radiating a warm and cheerful demeanor.

After a moment’s thought, Wang Can turned to Yang Shuang and said,

“Shuang, you’ve been wanting to apply for the civil service selection, right? I suggest you go for the class monitor position. It’s a big plus during the selection.”

The civil service selection has always favored student leaders, especially class monitors, as it demonstrates organizational skills and a sense of responsibility.

Of course, Wang Can had a personal motive as well.

Once his entrepreneurial project was up and running, skipping classes and asking for leave would likely become routine.

If Yang Shuang became the class monitor, he’d have first-hand access to campus information and find it easier to get leave approved by the counselors.

“Class monitor?”

Yang Shuang paused, fingers unconsciously tracing the desk’s edge as he hesitated.

“But you saw Shen Hongge and Guo Wanwan at the registration desk yesterday. The counselors must have already decided on someone.”

“As long as it hasn’t been officially announced, there’s still a chance.”

Wang Can cut the small talk, leaning forward with both hands on the desk, fixing Yang Shuang with a steady gaze.

“Just give me a straight answer: do you want to be the class monitor or not?”

If Yang Shuang lacked the courage, Wang Can had no reason to embarrass himself pushing the matter.

After an internal struggle, Yang Shuang finally squeezed out a single word,

“Yes!”

“Good, that’s the spirit.”

With that, Wang Can grabbed Yang Shuang’s arm and strode toward the front of the classroom.

They weaved through the desks and came to the podium at the front, where Wang Can leaned close to Yang Shuang’s ear and whispered a few instructions.

Upon hearing this, Yang Shuang hesitated noticeably, his eyes flickering nervously around the room.

Sensing this was the moment to push him, Wang Can put an arm around Yang Shuang’s shoulder and half-pushed, half-shoved him onto the stage.

Clearing his throat and raising his voice, Wang Can called out,

“Classmates, can I have 30 seconds? My roommate has something good to share with everyone.”

The previously noisy classroom fell silent in an instant, sharp enough to hear a pin drop.

All eyes turned toward them, the air thick with invisible tension.

Yang Shuang unconsciously clenched the hem of his shirt, his fingertips trembling slightly.

Seeing this, Wang Can felt a subtle pang of emotion.

Once upon a time, even facing five or six strangers made his palms sweat and voice quiver. Speaking confidently in front of thirty-plus people was unimaginable.

But after repeatedly forcing himself to face challenges, as strangers gradually became familiar faces, those once insurmountable obstacles eventually proved nothing.

“What good news? Spill it.”

Chen Xiaobei’s timely interruption broke the tension.

Yang Shuang’s Adam’s apple bobbed nervously.

After what felt like an eternity, he took a deep breath and began,

“Hello everyone… um… let me introduce myself first. My name is Yang Shuang. I’m a native of Shenhai.”

Once past the initial nervousness, his speech steadied.

“My home is nearby, so I know this area very well.”

“If you need to buy anything, can’t find a bus stop... or want to know where to eat good food around here, feel free to ask me anytime.”

His voice, which had started trembling, grew clear and smooth by the time he said, “feel free to ask me.”

Yet the classroom remained silent, students’ eyes reflecting a mix of confusion and hesitation at this sudden display of goodwill.

Yang Shuang stood awkwardly on stage, unsure and momentarily regretting being impulsively pushed up by Wang Can.

Four years ahead—would he become the class laughingstock?

“You should’ve said this earlier!”

At that moment, Chen Xiaobei, catching Wang Can’s glance, slammed his hand on the desk, his voice rising sharply.

“I bought my quilt from the campus supermarket—expensive, thin, and terribly poor quality!”

Zhang Bailan nodded vigorously beside him.

“Yeah, yeah, I ate at an off-campus restaurant with my parents yesterday; it was overpriced and awful.”

With the conversation sparked, many other freshmen who had suffered similar woes quickly chimed in, nodding in agreement.

“Exactly! I found the pillow the school gave us was rock hard. Then at the supermarket, even the cheapest pillows cost over a hundred.”

“And the mosquito nets are outrageously priced!”

“Don’t even mention it. We went out for dinner last night, and that hotpot was not only expensive but the meat was stale.”

“I even overheard a server whispering, ‘Finally, some new students have arrived.’”

“Ah! I tried to find the subway entrance to the Bund yesterday and wandered for an hour. I thought, if only I had a local roommate!”

“Yeah, same here.”

“Damn, I looked for a foot massage place yesterday but only found legit ones...”

“...”

The classroom erupted into lively chatter, quickly turning into a collective venting session.

Taking advantage of the commotion, Wang Can crouched and slipped to the back row. When the atmosphere seemed right, he cleared his throat and shouted at the top of his lungs,

“So, class monitor, how can we consult you anytime?”

He wanted to cement Yang Shuang’s image as class monitor in everyone’s mind.

Yang Shuang carefully recalled Wang Can’s earlier instructions and faithfully repeated them word for word.

“Classmates, I’m not the class monitor yet—you called me the wrong name.”

Laughter broke out across the classroom.

Yang Shuang paused, then added,

“I’ll try my best to become the class monitor. But for now, let me add everyone on QQ and create a class group chat. That way, when the counselors have announcements, we’ll all get them immediately.”

His candid confession lowered the guard of some who had doubted his intentions.

So it was all about running for class monitor—that made sense.

In fact, most freshmen hadn’t even heard of the civil service selection, so they didn’t really care who became class monitor, as long as the person was likable.

As for the group chat proposal, it was nearly unanimously approved.

Having a chat group to contact the entire class at any time would indeed be very convenient.

The boys were especially enthusiastic, calling out “Brother Shuang” repeatedly.

Many had already spotted girls they liked upon entering the classroom and were worried about how to get their contact information. Yang Shuang’s suggestion hit the mark perfectly.

The atmosphere in the classroom became lively, and Yang Shuang easily gathered everyone’s contact details.

With that, the label of class monitor, along with an image of organization and helpfulness, was firmly established, and he became familiar to all.

What remained was how to let the counselor Zheng Jun know about all this.