Chapter 337

Based on their behavior before entering, the councilors in the corridor could be roughly divided into two groups. Wan Heng's group was mainly looking around, confused, and tense; the other group was particularly fond of the Optical Brain, only glancing at them briefly as they passed by, and quickly focusing most of their attention on the Optical Brain. Although they tried their best to hide it, the anxious yet hopeful atmosphere emanating from Optical Brain could still be observed.

Now, Wan Heng and the others seemed to have their questions answered, and a gloating expression appeared on their faces as they walked with ease; the others who had been facing the Optical Brain earlier, however, exuded an aura of utter despair, looking as if they had been struck by frost.

This bizarre scene revealed a feeling that the emotions of the council members, who held one of the decision-making powers over their future development, were not controlled by those present, but by a mysterious force unknown to them. This familiar feeling of being dominated immediately brought to mind the same person: Qin Su.

'If Qin Su really intervenes, Qin Su first choice among them will most likely be He Muzhi. Wouldn't all the efforts the rest of them have made during this time be a complete waste of time and a joke?'

Judging from the expressions of the council members, it seems that Qin Su something different from what most people believed would happen if he intervened?

'If it's not He Muzhi... then who else could it be?'

Such speculations crossed the minds of countless presidential candidates, making the already unsettled candidates even more anxious.

Other media outlets that were allowed inside had been waiting for a long time, eager to capture the expressions of everyone present in the council chamber in an eighteen-grid close-up.

[Weren't they all sitting inside waiting for it to start early before? Why are so many of them so late this time? Has the belated wind finally blown from the school to the parliament?]

[I get it now. From now on, if my boss scolds me for being late, I'll pull up this video and say I was paying homage to the politicians.]

[You know how to show respect (laughing and crying)]

[Be more precise, what do you mean by late? They clearly arrived just in time.]

[I don't care, my eyes and my feelings are the standard.]

[Does nobody care about their strange expressions and grouped-up behavior? Are they secretly rigging things behind the backs of those who got in earlier? Damn it, I knew this world was rotten to the core!]

As the presidential candidates wavered between hope and despair, at nine o'clock, the Federation Joint Conference convened by the Federation Joint Council to discuss the presidential election officially began in the Tenth Conference Room of the Atopulai Palace.

Inside the solemn, semi-circular hall, newly appointed Vice President Atelina, as is customary, began her three-minute opening remarks before nominating the members of the presidential candidate team in turn.

The nominated presidential candidate rose to express gratitude to the voters for participating in the presidential election, appropriately incorporating his own background to express his sense of mission to the Federation, and his vision for the future if elected...

[They're making such grandiose promises, even more boastful than my boss. Aren't they ashamed?]

[Who can argue with that? My dad is always ashamed of my bragging. He should really come in and see what real bullshit is.]

I don't understand, why bother helping homeless people who are just giving up?

[How can this not be considered a histrionic personality disorder? Tell my grandpa, I'm not going home for dinner today, I'm about to choke on this huge promise.]

[How disgusting! They've never suffered a single bit of hardship since birth, and now they're suddenly showing us any pity (rolls eyes). It's a world where dog shit is always getting worse.]

[Don't say such harsh things, (6) many people are still very good, I believe them]

[Don't make me laugh. Even if they're good now, they're just fresh out of school and haven't been corrupted yet. Wait a few years and you'll see. They might not do any better than Patrick, and they might even be more Patrick.]

[Didn't anyone notice that although the statements from Class 6) were different, they expressed several similar ideas, only differing in some depth? Did they copy each other?]

[What a load of crap! Qin Su made them do everything together for a long time, so isn't it normal that they had the same experiences and feelings?]

After all the presidential candidates finished their brief speeches, it was time for Atelina to give her usual five-minute summary and announce the official start of the voting process that would determine their fate.

Voting time is ten minutes. When the Countdown above the room begins, each member of parliament simultaneously sees a page that can only be linked to their own Optical Brain and is visible only to them. The page clearly displays the basic data of each presidential candidate and all their past speeches in the race for this presidency.

As decided before the meeting began, some members of Congress chose to vote for the presidential candidate whose interests aligned with their own faction.

Some members of parliament were still thinking about Qin Su's name, their eyes lingering between the candidate chosen by their faction and He Muzhi.

Although Qin Su told them to do as they pleased, in reality, neither voting for He Muzhi nor for someone chosen by their own faction was truly doing what they wanted. Voting for He Muzhi meant making a decision that went against their own interests without reporting it, and they could later use Qin Su's name to threaten him back to maintain their current position, which meant they were still being coerced by Qin Su. Choosing someone from their own faction meant obeying the arrangements of their own interest group.

They couldn't even get along with their own feelings, and there was no one to discuss it with, so they could only agonize and weigh the options on their own.

Some people had been allies with He Muzhi from the beginning, and since Qin Su had allowed them to do as they pleased, they felt relaxed and quickly cast their votes without much hesitation, then began to observe the others around them.

[Why won't they let us see who everyone voted for right now?]

[What are you thinking? The voting isn't over yet, and we can't even see how many votes each person has received. If we could see who everyone voted for before the election is even over, wouldn't we know who the president is before the election results are announced? But we can look at the people the members of Congress frequently glance at during the voting process. Eyes don't lie; they'll likely vote for whoever they look at.]

[Are you perhaps a genius?]

Ten minutes isn't a long time for someone caught in a dilemma. Many people present, until the Countdown reached five seconds, were forced to make a difficult choice between the two options because they couldn't abstain from voting.

Countdown reached zero and the voting process was declared closed, some members of parliament closed their eyes and leaned back in their chairs, belatedly realizing they were sweating profusely. Others stared intently in Atelina's direction, holding their breath as they awaited her announcement of the results. Still others wore expressions of keen interest, eagerly anticipating the unfolding drama.

During the brief wait for the results to be tallied, Atelina said a few words, and as Atelina spoke, everyone saw the presidential election results displayed from every angle above the center of the screen.

The moment the results were announced, the unexpectedly high number of votes caused countless people to gasp in shock.

In addition to being ranked by the number of votes received, the presidential candidate teams also clearly displayed the names of the members of Congress who voted for each of them, along with their vote count and approval rating.

Among them, He Muzhi occupied the top position with the highest support rate.

Wan Heng's smile vanished, and he looked at Heloise and the others with disbelief. His mind was filled with the question, "Judging from their previous behavior, didn't they already discuss things privately? Why are they voting so haphazardly now?" He thought that everyone would play around and eventually choose He Muzhi according to Qin Su's wishes. He thought that he could use this incident to sow discord between He Muzhi and the other students in Class 6).

Xuan Jingxi breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the result.

'Her judgment was correct; everyone indeed received the exact same instructions from Qin Su, which is why the current outcome is so... unexpected for Class 6).'

Xuan Jingxi focused her gaze on the group of students from Class 6) in the presidential candidate group, and saw on their faces a look of surprise followed by delight.

The moment Heloise saw the result, she leaned back, a wave of relief washing over her as the dust settled.

Fortunately, someone else, like her, chose their own people over He Muzhi, making her seem less out of place, even though... in terms of votes, those chosen by their faction lost decisively.

Heloise's gaze fell on the approval ratings, but she didn't regret her choice. After all, many in her faction had already gained tangible benefits from this decision, and they would continue to work together in an even more unshakeable unity to face the future.

Upon seeing the results, He Muzhi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, quietly settled. He swallowed hard, trying his best to control his intense emotions. After scanning the names of the supporters behind him, he saw that many of them had once been staunch supporters of Patrick.

Regardless of Qin Su's thoughts or actions, he clearly realized that he wanted this position. Therefore, when he received a bunch of incriminating evidence from Patrick, he not only shamefully became tempted but also took action, subtly instructing others to negotiate with them without leaving a trace. Now that he has gotten what he wanted, he only feels affirmation for his previous actions, without a trace of regret.

After reviewing his own list, He Muzhi calmly moved his gaze downwards, scanning the names of supporters for each candidate below him.

If it were the old him, he would still be speculating whether Qin Su had interfered in this election. Now, based on the current results and the strange behavior of the councilors, he can basically conclude that Qin Su was in a state of 'having the power to control the election but choosing to let go'.

Given Qin Su's personality, if he really wanted to appoint someone, the person he appointed would receive over 90% support, instead of winning with only 58% support as he has now.

Ironically, he was genuinely happy about this, so happy that he seriously suspected that Qin Su had placed him at the Atopulai Palace during his internship under the guise of delivering benefits to then-President Patrick, so that he could get a head start on understanding Attopley, the place where he would live and work for the next four years or more.

Qin Su had been planning this for a long time, and it has come to this point today. But from another perspective, how can this not be considered Qin Su's painstaking planning?

"..."

Although the idea might seem like self-aggrandizement, He Muzhi found that once he started thinking this way, he didn't want to refute it at all, and was so excited that he secretly set off electronic fireworks in his mind.

Knowing that he was still in the public eye, He Muzhi managed his expression and suppressed his true emotions. He faced the camera with a calm demeanor while secretly glancing at the expressions of his classmates out of the corner of his eye. Seeing the joy in their eyes and brows, which they tried to hide but could still see through due to their familiarity with each other, He Muzhi relaxed considerably.

He would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, but at the same time, he was also greedy and didn't want his classmates' opinions of him to change too much. After all... Class 6) Class 6 labeled with Qin Su 'Lawrence name. He could recall the shared memories of Qin Su and Class 6) when they were still in the Fourth Military Academy. Every person in Class 6) was a fragment of Qin Su's memory, including himself.

Many students from Class 6 looked up and stared at the announced result, which was much better than they had imagined and even better than their best predictions. Their emotions surged.

Qin Su did not forcefully persuade the council members to choose He Muzhi as they had darkly imagined. After all, such a thing would be effortless for Qin Su. The council members they had secretly tried to build relationships with did not turn around and betray them as they had expected. Instead, they chose them according to the agreed-upon terms.

Qin Su's decision not to completely exclude them and side with He Muzhi is surely a case of perfect timing, favorable location, and popular support.

So... rounding it up a bit, how could this not be Qin Su sending a signal that 'not only will he not care about this presidential election, He Muzhi will only be able to enjoy the benefits left over from before, but in future presidential elections, they will each have to rely on their own abilities'?

'Looking at it this way, the reality before them is not only not as bad as they imagined, but it's also a pleasant surprise and a tremendous encouragement for them.'

'They made a very good decision to participate in this presidential election, keep it up next time! Who knows, it might be their turn someday.'

Noticing the gazes of those around them, some students from Class 6 turned their heads to look back.

The students in Class 6 made eye contact with each other, and in a short moment their minds connected. Thinking that Qin Su respected their hard work, their eyes were filled with a defiant and confident determination to win in the future, without any of the frustration of being eliminated this year.

The moment he made his choice, Patrick knew what the consequences would be. He was used to winning re-election with the highest approval rating, and now, suddenly falling from such a high position, he inevitably felt disappointed. However, he also understood that everything he had received was deserved. He quickly composed himself and, facing the cameras that clearly turned to him and He Muzhi after seeing the results, even staring at him with high-powered lenses, he didn't frown at all. Instead, he controlled the corners of his mouth to curl into a calm and collected smile, striving for a dignified ending.

[This result is exactly what everyone expected and not surprising at all (fireworks)(popcorn)]

[Just as I thought, I knew it was him! No way, no way, no one still doesn't know I won the election? (winks) I really don't understand those people who insist on going against the Star Coins. Now that you see your odds, are you happy or not? (grins) An upset is impossible, it will never happen.]

Judging from everyone's expressions, they seem just as surprised as we are.

[The support rate isn't concentrated at all, it's completely different from what I expected, I'm confused.]

[Unseen by anyone, Patrick was crying in the Restroom. Was his approval rating too low? Why were the approval ratings of those who had participated in multiple elections like him higher? Something was fishy! Had Patrick's original supporters been bribed by He Muzhi or his He Muzhi to defect? Or... were they using Patrick's betrayal as a way to show their allegiance to He Muzhi?]

[Why not speculate that Patrick sold them all to He Muzhi? Before He Muzhi was cultivated by the God Su, those who supported Patrick consistently voted for him. I don't believe Patrick didn't have some dirt on them.]

[Does anyone remember that King Su arranged for He Muzhi to visit Atopulai Palace? Back then, He Muzhi spent all his free time Atopulai Palace, thoroughly understanding its layout. I seriously suspect that he knew back then that he would one day become the temporary master of this place, and was busy getting to know 'his own home' in advance.]

[What are you all babbling about? All I see is that the group from Class 6 who didn't get elected president seem to have gone crazy. They're not in a normal mental state. They've already lost the election, but they're still laughing here. It's really creepy.]

[This is too pessimistic. What if they're inexperienced and just happy because they got votes? Can't they be genuinely happy? Why over-interpret it?]

[The case is solved. Given Qin Su's decisive and forceful style, the probability of Qin Su interfering is extremely low. They are probably happy that Qin Su is not interfering.]

[Suddenly realizing, although they had lost the presidency, in terms of Class 6), they were now on par with He Muzhi in Qin Su's heart, which was indeed a happy thing.]

[Wait a minute, who was it that kept saying Qin Su was different from He Muzhi from Class 6, but this time he didn't let him win by a clear advantage? Could it be that He Muzhi was the one spreading rumors about Qin Su before?]

[(Facepalm) You've got quite the imagination. Could it be that Boss Su was initially targeting He Muzhi, and actually intended to make Class 6 turn against the other Class 6 members because they were too 'outspoken,' causing them to tear each other apart, so that He Muzhi and Class 6 would both rise high and fall, becoming a laughingstock, thus fooling them? But after spending a long time with the people of Class 6, he developed feelings for them, so he decided to let them fight it out themselves without interfering? Hmm, that's starting to have a bit of a human touch. (Thinking)]

[I thought things would get to this point and it would be a life-or-death struggle, with Class 6 falling apart and becoming a laughing stock. But unexpectedly, the God Su who raised Class 6 to a position they shouldn't have reached has softened and doesn't intend to let them fall into the mud? Waaah, from this angle, my eyes are starting to crumble.]

[Um, am I the only one who likes the dark version's ending? I really want to see Class 6) die or go crazy due to internal strife. Qin Su raised them like Gu for so long, doesn't he feel it's a pity they didn't become abnormal? Qin Su deliberately feels it's a pity, so he's too lazy to show up now. He's probably going to raise other Gu like Class 6) in other worlds. And with Class 6) as a precedent, Qin Su probably won't have much contact with the new Gu this time.]

Looking at the two contrasting skins, which were largely consistent with his predictions, Qin Su murmured, "This proves that long-standing communities of shared interests are not so easily shaken or destroyed. Given a choice, they wouldn't make a second option..."

But...

Qin Su's gaze shifted to the detected Comic World comments related to himself, his expression blank.

He's not that twisted. He just wants to ride the wave of popularity and create buzz for himself. He just wants to work hard with his family and stay together until the end of time. They can't do without each other. The four of them living a good life is more important than anything else.

Five minutes later, Atelina's voice broke the diverse thoughts of everyone in the council chamber.

After shutting down the large screen in the parliament center, Atelina, on behalf of the parliament, congratulated He Muzhi and then announced that the inauguration ceremony of the new president would be held at the Atopulai Palace at 6 p. m. that afternoon.

At 2 PM, the moment the official declaration of the end of the election for the current Federation Joint Council was issued, not a single person left the entire parliamentary assembly. Countless people He Muzhi with compliments in front of the cameras pointed at him.

The Class 6 candidates, seeing He Muzhi surrounded, chose not to add to his social burden at this moment and tacitly left.

He Muzhi responded to each question with a gentle smile, and left the council hall surrounded by a crowd.

He Muzhi looked at Temple not far away, but with people following him, it was inconvenient for him to use his Optical Brain, lest they think he was arrogant and domineering after being elected president. He could only signal to Temple with his eyes to a few people. After Temple nodded silently, He Muzhi strode forward with his group, only wanting to get rid of them as soon as possible and verify what he had guessed.

At 2:30, a full half hour had passed. He Muzhi's face was stiff from smiling, and his cheeks ached from talking too much. Finally, he returned to his room, which was temporarily assigned to him at the Atopulai Palace, just like the other candidates.

Hearing the door close behind him and seeing the two familiar faces before him, He Muzhi finally dared to be sure that he had disappeared from the various spy cameras. His tense mind and body relaxed a little, and he hugged them one by one amidst Lin Yin and Samuel's congratulations. Then he sat down on the soft sofa to rest.

Seeing that He Muzhi had been working non-stop for a long time and was mentally exhausted, yet he still maintained a pose ready to be photographed even when sitting down, Lin Yin told her about Lailisi's whereabouts before starting to talk about what happened during the council meeting and the arrangements for the future.

The three chatted for about twenty minutes. Temple came to invite He Muzhi. Before Temple arrived, He Muzhi had told Lin Yin and Samuel about his guess. Although Lin Yin was very curious about the answer, she also knew that He Muzhi's trust in them did not mean that others trusted them as well. So she stayed with Samuel.

Five minutes later, He Muzhi appeared in the room where the secret meeting was taking place.

Temple invited everyone He Muzhi glanced at to a dining area. A long table was set with numerous members of parliament, each with a sumptuous and delicious meal in front of them.

Upon seeing He Muzhi appear, everyone immediately stood up, their gazes all falling on He Muzhi at the entrance, and they all made a gesture as if to step towards He Muzhi.

"No need, no need." Glancing around at the people present, He Muzhi raised his hand to stop everyone from walking towards him, and strode towards the crowd.

Temple took the first step before He Muzhi, clearing out the empty seat at the head of the table for He Muzhi.

Temple arranged the seating according to the background and status of everyone present, with those on either side of He Muzhi holding pivotal positions in certain aspects of the Federation.

Seeing He Muzhi sit down, the others followed suit. Among the people He Muzhi had invited were those who supported him, those who supported others, and even those who had publicly challenged He Muzhi before. Everyone had different guesses about He Muzhi's purpose in inviting them over in private, but they looked at He Muzhi with tacit understanding and did not speak.

"You're all probably hungry by now, so please don't be shy," He Muzhi said, picking up his knife and fork first, a faint smile playing on his lips. "How about we eat and talk?"

The others exchanged glances and then began to act.

With the slight clatter of cutlery, the councilors soon heard He Muzhi begin to speak in a casual tone, the topic of conversation light and relaxed, and everyone gradually unwinded.

Just as the tense atmosphere was beginning to ease, He Muzhi suddenly changed the subject, abruptly saying, "Qin Su gave you the opportunity to choose freely, didn't he?"

When he suddenly 'went crazy,' He Muzhi looked up and stared at the empty dining table, taking in their every move.

If Qin Su had asked them directly from the beginning, without telling them whether he could or couldn't answer, he was being cautious because they were unlikely to give him a direct answer. He could only try to probe indirectly.

Now... thinking about the reactions of everyone present after hearing his words, he could basically confirm that everyone present... no, there should also be other councilors who had a good relationship with everyone present but were not invited by him, had somehow developed some kind of relationship with Qin Su without anyone knowing.

His previous judgment has now been validated by this deception, and there is now evidence to support it.

"Haha, don't be nervous." After observing everyone's reaction, He Muzhi immediately changed his tone, his voice returning to its gentleness, "Whatever decision the Class Monitor makes is absolutely correct. I was just asking out of curiosity, nothing more."

"..."

'Nobody believes that. Qin Su just a moment ago, and now he's the Class Monitor. He's... insane! He scared them half to death!'

Everyone inwardly cursed He Muzhi for his quick change of attitude, but outwardly remained calm and, out of respect for He Muzhi being the president, smiled and agreed, pretending nothing had happened and continuing to eat and chat.

[Mu Bao: Watch me pretend to be nice and trick them.]

[Lawmakers: We knew the president's food wasn't so great!]

[From the close-up of everyone bowing their heads, silent, and pursing their lips, you can tell they're cursing under their breath.]

[It is recommended that all members of parliament download and install this software on their Optical Brain as soon as they leave this room.]

[That won't do. Their Optical Brain are full of shady stuff. If we actually download it, we'll either get ourselves killed or we'll block calls we want to answer, hahaha.]

After the short meal, Temple arranged for everyone to be taken back to rest. He Muzhi also immediately returned to his room and told Lin Yin and Samuel the information he had just gleaned from them.

"So, you mean the Class Monitor could have made you a perfect creation in his hands with the highest approval rating in the history of the Federation, but Class Monitor didn't choose to do so. The Class Monitor also had other people in Class 6 in his eyes besides you, right?"

He Muzhi nodded, but before he could say anything, he heard Samuel's moved voice.

Samuel: "Waaaaah, Class Monitor, really! I'll ram into firewalls for Class Monitor my whole life!"

He Muzhi couldn't help but chuckle. He got up and opened the custom-made suit that Temple had sent earlier. Although he knew that Temple had checked it many times before sending it, he still checked it several times himself to make sure there were no problems before he felt at ease. Then the three of them went into their respective rooms in the suite to get plenty of rest for the inauguration ceremony at six o'clock.

At five o'clock, He Muzhi came out of his room and saw that Lin Yin and Samuel had gotten up earlier than him and were sitting cross-legged on the sofa talking to Lailisi, who was also sitting cross-legged on the other end of the video call.

He Muzhi greeted them, then went inside to wash up. When he came out again, it was already 5:40. He was dressed in a custom-made suit and asked Lin Yin and the other two to check him over from head to toe to make sure there were no problems.

[Other people's firewall:? Did I eat your rice? Doesn't your Federation have its own firewall? If you're so capable, try attacking your own. Have some manners!]

[Bro, you're so handsome, stop checking! You're being so meticulous, I'm starting to suspect you're narcissistic (laughing and crying). What happened to your cool demeanor?]

Forget about finding coldness in He Muzhi; he's just pretending to be aloof, not that 1King is genuinely cold.

[(Scratching head) What if Qin Su was also faking it?]

[(Scoffs) Don't make your sister laugh. Tonight, prop your pillow up in your dreams. Everything in your dreams... I'm just kidding. Even in my dreams, my Baby 1 is a cold and emotionless type.]

"You guys say..." Looking at himself in the mirror, getting all dolled up just to present a more perfect version of himself to the cameras and the people of the Federation, and thinking about how he hoped Qin Su would come, He Muzhi felt a bit embarrassed, like a peacock eager to spread its tail feathers. He didn't intend to continue speaking; his skin could be a little thin sometimes.

Lin Yin instantly understood He Muzhi's meaning and didn't ask. The next second, she heard Samuel's puzzled voice.

"Huh?" He Muzhi paused for so long that Samuel waited for a while but didn't hear the next sentence, so he thought He Muzhi needed a straight man to make a joke.

After a two-second pause, He Muzhi finally spoke slowly, "... Nothing."

Lailisi held back for a moment, then couldn't help but say, "Don't believe him! He just wants to know if our Class Monitor will be attending his inauguration ceremony later!"