Sharing study tips was a signature experience you simply had to endure as a student.
In high school, it was mandatory love; in college, things were looser—it was love with a raised eyebrow.
Senior students were handing out perks. Free credits!
Come to the session, and you'd earn practical credits from your upperclassmen.
That was how Jiang Linyuan saw study experience-sharing sessions, anyway.
The Academic Department of the Student Union took the lead in organizing these events, while the other departments sent one or two people to lend a hand.
That was the Student Union for you. The departments might not all sink together, but they could certainly share the glory.
If the event went well, everyone got the credit. If it failed...
Brothers were birds of the same forest—until disaster struck, when one would kick the other down.
Jiang Linyuan and Lin Yilin naturally went to help the Academic Department.
On Tuesday evening, the two went together to the classroom where the Academic Department was meeting.
"Senior, what are we supposed to do when the time comes?"
Lin Yilin was a little excited. This was her first time taking part in Student Union work.
Jiang Linyuan thought for a moment.
"Bring a power bank."
"Why?"
"So you'll be more comfortable when you're killing time on your phone."
"Senior, take this seriously!"
Lin Yilin gave him an unhappy shove.
"Xiao Yilin! At work, you should address people by their titles! Call me Minister Jiang."
Jiang Linyuan said sternly.
"What Minister Jiang? If anything, I should call you Vice Minister Jiang."
Lin Yilin repeated "Vice Minister Jiang" a few times, then shook her head.
"Doesn't sound right. Senior still rolls off the tongue better."
"Senior Jiang, you're here to help too?"
A warm voice rang out just then.
Her chest appeared before the rest of her.
"Junior Yu, fancy seeing you again."
Jiang Linyuan smiled and greeted her.
"Yeah."
Yu Songsong smiled and sat beside Jiang Linyuan, drawing everyone's eyes with a gentle sway.
"We seem to have a real connection."
What connection? That dog of a senior had planned this all along!
Yu Songsong interrupted their conversation, and Lin Yilin felt a little unhappy.
Yu Songsong noticed Lin Yilin pouting nearby and looked at Jiang Linyuan.
"Is she your girlfriend, Senior Jiang?"
"No!"
Before Jiang Linyuan could answer, Binary Sister blurted it out as if she'd been startled.
He stared at her in bewilderment.
Why'd you have to yell so loud?!
"She's a junior from my department. She came along to help."
Jiang Linyuan gestured toward Lin Yilin with his eyes.
Binary Sister, deploying in wingwoman mode!
That senior! He's glaring at me too! What did I do?!
Lin Yilin obviously hadn't gotten Jiang Linyuan's meaning, and looked aggrieved.
He was so polite when he talked to Yu Songsong, but with me he was always messing around. I'm not talking to you anymore!
Lin Yilin huffed and turned her head, smacking Jiang Linyuan in the face with her ponytail.
Her shampoo smelled nice.
But that was no excuse for abandoning your post!
Useless Xiao Yilin. I'd have to handle this myself!
"Haha, she doesn't seem to be in a very good mood."
Yu Songsong had noticed Lin Yilin's reaction too. She winked at Jiang Linyuan.
"I'll leave you two alone, Senior. Make sure you cheer her up."
Then she swayed as she went to sit in front of Jiang Linyuan.
Jiang Linyuan turned and saw the back of Lin Yilin's head. He was furious.
You Binary Sister! Fine, run away—but you don't have to ignore me and refuse to even look my way!
So he pinched Lin Yilin's hand.
Lin Yilin whipped around, smacking Jiang Linyuan in the face with her ponytail again.
Her cheeks were flushed, and her bright eyes were wide with indignation.
"Why are you glaring at me?"
Jiang Linyuan played dumb and struck first.
Gah!
I'm so mad! That senior!
She puffed up with anger, forcing down her embarrassment, and whispered,
"Senior, why'd you pinch my hand?"
"Friends do that. Junior, you can pinch mine too."
Jiang Linyuan grinned cheekily and held out his hand.
Seeing his smug expression made Lin Yilin even angrier.
"I'll pinch your hand off!"
She seized his hand and squeezed hard.
Baby, that feels like a massage.
Such weak hands. Can't even feed yourself?
Lin Yilin kept squeezing for a while before belatedly realizing what she was doing. She turned bright red.
She hurriedly pulled her hand back, lowered her head, and scooted away.
Oh, you're blushing. Let me see.
Jiang Linyuan scooted closer too.
Lin Yilin stopped moving. She raised her eyes and muttered,
"Wasn't Senior going to pursue Yu Songsong? Why aren't you going over to talk to her?"
Afraid she'd grab him and refine him into a Postgrad Pill in an instant.
"So the junior knows I want to pursue her, huh?"
Jiang Linyuan said with a grin,
"I thought you were here to sabotage me."
"I was wrong just now. I said I'd help you, but I ended up making things worse."
Lin Yilin couldn't quite explain what she was feeling.
It was just... weird.
"It's fine. If I can't win Yu Songsong over, I'll have Xiao Yilin make it up to me."
Jiang Linyuan said confidently.
"No! No! No! I don't like you, Senior!"
Lin Yilin protested, her face red.
That strange feeling in her heart disappeared again.
That was how things between men and women sometimes went. If you didn't say it outright, the two of you might keep moving forward. But once you said it plainly, the feeling naturally broke.
Jiang Linyuan watched Lin Yilin's reaction and shook his head.
So innocent. She was easy to read.
The Academic Department members soon arrived, and they began preparing for the study experience-sharing session.
There wasn't much to do, really.
The main task was coordinating with the few people willing to take the stage and share their competition and study experiences, and helping them polish their scripts.
Then they'd put together some PowerPoints and such.
It was all pretty easy work.
The more demanding part was choosing two hosts, one man and one woman, who'd be responsible for the whole event.
"Right, about the hosts—would anyone like to volunteer?"
Zhang Shuo looked at the group and asked.
"I can!"
Yu Songsong was the first to raise her hand, sending a ripple through the crowd.
The other girls looked at one another, but no one else raised a hand.
That was only natural. Hosting really was a lot of work.
For someone without hosting experience, it was a small challenge.
Seeing how confident and pretty Yu Songsong was, the other girls hesitated, afraid of embarrassing themselves.
As for the senior students?
Events like this were meant to give new members a chance to practice. The seniors were there as backup, stepping in only if no one else could do it.
When Zhang Shuo saw that no one else had volunteered, he said,
"Then Yu Songsong, you'll be the female host. What about the male host? Who's up for it?"
A long while passed before a rather shy young man raised his hand.
"I... I'll do it!"
"Senior, aren't you going to volunteer?"
Lin Yilin turned to Jiang Linyuan and asked.
"No. It's too much trouble."
Jiang Linyuan shook his head.
The two hosts would naturally have to interact a lot, going over the script and rehearsing together.
But he was still a little apprehensive.
After all, you never knew what was in someone's heart.
Everyone had a heart, but men's were less complicated than women's, so women were harder to read.
Someone like Yu Songsong, with her enormous assets, must have a very complicated mind.
Jiang Linyuan didn't dare touch her assets. They were so huge that the moment he laid a hand on them, they could turn into a hand grenade.
So he looked toward the very shy young man.
Junior, if you get refined into a pill, I'll tell the world you were a Spirit Pearl, not a Demon Pill!
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