Teacher Wang and Instructor Tan really hadn't betrayed Su Yuan. Instead, they were figuring out how to help her reclaim her gender identity.
Instructor Tan didn't meet Ji Yehao at the School of Economics' Student Affairs Office, but in her own office, located in the Biochemistry Lab Building.
At first, Ji Yehao couldn't be completely sure why Instructor Tan had called him over. He only suspected it had something to do with Su Yuan. It wasn't until Instructor Tan brought her up that he was sure it really was about Su Yuan.
That was understandable. After all, something that shouldn't have been in her locker had been found there. If he were her instructor, he would surely ask someone close to her what was going on, too. If a teacher allowed a student's "**" to run unchecked, without extinguishing or correcting it in time, then the teacher's duty to guide and enlighten students would be utterly abandoned.
Now that he knew Instructor Tan's "purpose," Ji Yehao had a plan for how to respond. Denying Su Yuan's "offense" outright was obviously unrealistic, but he was still going to tell the truth and speak from what he had seen. At the very least, he would give her his strongest support on moral grounds.
But he hadn't expected that after Su Yuan had worked things out, Instructor Tan's reason for calling him over would have nothing to do with that anymore.
Instructor Tan first asked whether he was having any trouble with his studies, mentioning that Su Yuan had failed some classes last semester and asking him to tutor her when he had time. Then she asked how Su Yuan was getting along in the dorm, reminded him that roommates should support one another, and told him to pay more attention to Su Yuan's life outside her studies.
In short, there wasn't the slightest trace of reproach. Instead, she showed Su Yuan a tender, gentle concern, like a steady stream of water. The whole point of the conversation was for him to "look after" Su Yuan when he had the time and not bully her. Ji Yehao was baffled. How had Instructor Tan become so concerned about Su Yuan after she went to the Student Affairs Office?
Ji Yehao wasn't the only one who was baffled. Even Instructor Tan herself found the whole thing rather absurd. This was truly a first, and Su Yuan had handed her a huge problem!
As the conversation drew to a close, Instructor Tan said, "Yehao, that's enough about your studies and daily life. Think it over carefully when you get back. By the way, you and Su Yuan are good friends. If you think there's anything strange about her, be sure to be understanding. She's had a hard time, too."
After leaving Instructor Tan's office, Ji Yehao kept thinking over what she had said, feeling that something was off. The key had to be the woman's bra they'd found in Su Yuan's wardrobe. Instructor Tan must have misunderstood something about her!
After Ji Yehao, Gao Jun was also summoned by the instructor for a talk. It was broadly similar to the conversation Ji Yehao had had, though much less detailed. She simply told him to go easy on Su Yuan.
It seemed that even though Instructor Tan had rejected Teacher Wang's suggestion, it had still influenced her subconsciously. She wanted to use Ji Yehao to correct Su Yuan's mistaken gender identity.
"Yehao, what did Instructor Tan want to talk to you about?" Su Yuan asked, approaching him with a guilty look when he returned.
Though she believed Instructor Tan was a woman of her word, she still felt a little uneasy.
Ji Yehao told her what they had discussed, then explained what he suspected. As soon as Su Yuan heard him, her worries vanished. She no longer felt guilty or uneasy, and went back to her usual role as the dorm's "big boss," tapping away at her computer and chatting intermittently with a friend.
She was chatting with Xia Linfei. Though they hadn't known each other for long and their personalities were very different, Xia Linfei was always good at picking up on what Su Yuan was talking about. So Su Yuan was very happy to chat with her.
Time flew by, and before long, the pages of memory had turned past yesterday.
September 17, Monday, sunny.
The temperature remained stubbornly high, flaunting its oppressive might.
That evening, in a large meeting room at Binhe University of Science and Technology, the new Student Union held its first meeting of the semester.
Su Yuan sat quietly below the stage, watching the rows of familiar yet unfamiliar faces up there—the members of this year's executive committee. As she listened to them lay out the Student Union's plans for the new semester, she suddenly felt that life had a way of making things impossible to predict.
Su Yuan never heard what the final punishment for the Underwear Thief was. It was as if he had been taken to the Security Department and vanished from the world. Such was the sadness of human existence: he had arrived without a sound, and when he left, he couldn't stir even the smallest ripple. How tragic!
You'd think he could at least have told everyone that he'd once made such a spectacular splash!
The Underwear Thief—at Binhe University of Science and Technology, that was quite a sensational "achievement."
Later, Su Yuan took her "examination report" to Instructor Tan to further support her claims, and received "special treatment" from her in return. She knew that Xiao Yun from the School of Economics had been behind the Underwear Thief, and that Xiao Yun was Little Fatty's real name. Su Yuan just didn't know that yet.
At that moment, the newly elected Student Union president was speaking passionately. Ling Chendong stood onstage, listening as he swept his gaze over the crowd. Naturally, he spotted Su Yuan among them.
The new executive committee had taken over from the previous one in June of the previous semester. Ling Chendong had been fortunate enough to join the committee and serve as this year's vice president.
Su Yuan had been wondering where she'd heard the name Ling Chendong before. It turned out he really was someone important—a Student Union vice president. No wonder his name had sounded familiar.
The image of him praising her as "pretty" beneath the dim yellow lights came to mind, and she worried that dealing with him in the future would be troublesome.
The Student Union's core was its executive committee, made up of one president, three vice presidents, and one secretary-general—a total of five people. It also had a secretariat, its day-to-day administrative office, along with six departments: Life, External Relations, Sports, Arts, Publicity, and Academic Affairs.
On the list announced earlier, Su Yuan had been officially nominated as deputy minister of the External Relations Department.
Deputy minister of the External Relations Department was a position of some authority, but Su Yuan knew the work was far from easy. Making connections and soliciting sponsorships meant constantly having to defer to others. You could say you had to be prepared to take your share of abuse. Without a certain level of social skill, good connections, and a strong social background, it was difficult to do the job well.
On the other hand, with all those conditions in place, the work of the External Relations Department would be a breeze.
The department's minister was a third-year student named Zuo Zhao. She was rather plain-looking and not especially tall, but she was extremely capable. Su Yuan had gotten the deputy minister position because Zuo Zhao had nominated her.
"Su Yuan, congratulations on becoming deputy minister of the External Relations Department." After the meeting, Ling Chendong walked over to Su Yuan with a friendly smile. Somehow, though, he looked smug no matter how you saw him. She was only a deputy minister, while he was a vice president. The difference in their ranks was plain to see.
Su Yuan didn't particularly dislike Ling Chendong. It was just that his "pretty" kept echoing in her ears, impossible to shake, like a fish bone caught in her throat. Whenever she saw him, she couldn't help being a little cold toward him. If President Ling knew that his words had planted the seeds of trouble, he'd probably feel terribly wronged.
Before Su Yuan could say anything, Zuo Zhao looked surprised and asked, "You two know each other?"
"We know each other, of course we do." Seeing Ling Chendong look even smugger, Su Yuan replied coolly, "We're not close."
Ling Chendong fell silent.
Zuo Zhao understood and smiled. "Since you know each other, that's great. We'll need to coordinate on a lot of things from now on. Su Yuan, you can work things out with President Ling. President Ling, I hope you'll be generous with your advice on the External Relations Department's work."
"Of course. I'll help wherever I can," Ling Chendong replied with a faint smile and graceful poise.
Zuo Zhao felt much more at ease hearing that. She had only just taken over as minister of the External Relations Department, and the pressure she faced was immense. You couldn't tell a mule from a horse until you put it to the test. She had made it through a brutal selection process to become minister. As the saying went, beauty and ugliness were just a matter of one face, and goodness or badness just a matter of one mouth. Without concrete action, how could she convince those who had been eliminated?
Even with good results, she couldn't silence everyone. At a time like this, she badly needed support. The fact that Su Yuan knew Ling Chendong was a pleasant surprise.
Zuo Zhao had nominated Su Yuan for the deputy minister position, so in principle Su Yuan ought to help her. But Su Yuan knew her own limits. She didn't consider herself close to Ling Chendong at all, so how could she be sure she could get Vice President Ling to "look after" the External Relations Department?
Besides, Su Yuan felt that Ling Chendong was standing between her and Zuo Zhao as if he were waiting to be hired. She shook her head. Her opinion of Ling Chendong sank even lower. She wondered why he was paying so much attention to her. He'd kept glancing over at her during the meeting and even smiled at her.
Could it be—
A terrifying possibility suddenly came to mind. Could Ling Chendong be into men? Good heavens, did that mean the handsome and imposing President Ling, with his jade-like face, was actually gay? A hundred kinds of revulsion immediately surged through her, as if she might catch something just by standing beside him.
Ling Chendong stared at Su Yuan in bewilderment as her expression changed from indifference to thoughtfulness, then to a furrowed, serious frown, and finally to one that looked as if she wanted to cast him aside like trash. What did that hint of disgust on her face mean?
Ling Chendong was briefly at a loss for words, but the people around him weren't necessarily as quiet. A faint fragrance drifted into Su Yuan's nose. A figure moved in front of her, and then a graceful silhouette appeared before her.
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