On Saturday, Jiang Linyuan arrived at the café Shen Wanyu had sent him the address for, right on time.
It was still early, and the café was nearly empty. Jiang Linyuan glanced around and spotted Shen Wanyu at once.
She sat by the window in a black knee-length dress, her smooth, shapely calves on display.
Her skin was fair, the cool, pale kind, and looked especially soft and delicate beneath the sunlight.
Her presence was icy, giving off an unmistakable keep-your-distance vibe.
I'm in love, I'm in love. As expected of my moonlight A-level department head. If I can get a Reward Card out of her, I'd happily move into a mansion!
As if she'd noticed Jiang Linyuan looking at her, Shen Wanyu raised her head and glanced over.
"Good morning, Department Head."
Jiang Linyuan walked over and sat down. He noticed that she'd already prepared a cup of coffee for him.
He eyed Shen Wanyu across the table with some suspicion.
I'm pretty sure I don't know hypnosis, so why is the department head being so thoughtful?
Shen Wanyu simply looked at Jiang Linyuan and asked coolly,
"Not going to drink it?"
"Department Head, I may usually pester you relentlessly, but surely you wouldn't drug me."
Jiang Linyuan stared at the coffee in front of him, not daring to touch it.
The department head bringing him coffee was unlikely. The department head drugging him, on the other hand, was very possible.
Shen Wanyu said nothing. She just quietly stared at Jiang Linyuan, as if she'd wait until the end of time for him to drink it.
Tsk. Department Head, are you a wishing statue that came to life?
Her gaze was so oppressive that Jiang Linyuan put on the expression of a man marching bravely to his death.
"If the ruler wants his subject dead, the subject has no choice but to die!"
With that, he took a cautious sip.
Well, he had to admit, it was pretty good.
"Good. You drank it. There's something I need you to handle."
As soon as she saw Jiang Linyuan drink the coffee, Shen Wanyu got straight to the point.
"Wait, Department Head. We came out together today for a date. You do understand that, right?"
Hearing her opening, Jiang Linyuan sensed trouble and immediately cut off her incantation.
Shen Wanyu glanced at him.
"Aren't you pursuing Liu Tingting?"
Huh? Th-that couldn't be right. Who sold me out?
Jiang Linyuan quickly thought it over, and Su Muzhi's smiling face appeared in his mind.
So that's how it is. You look so honest, but you're no stranger to dirty tricks!
"Department Head, Liu Tingting and I are just putting on an act. You're the one I truly love, so there's no need to be jealous."
He spoke with deep feeling.
Shen Wanyu covered her forehead and let out a long sigh.
"I don't care about your private life. But out of personal goodwill, I'll give you a warning: stay away from Su Muzhi."
"Are you close with her, Department Head?"
Jiang Linyuan asked.
He'd always been curious about the relationship between Su Muzhi and Shen Wanyu.
"My relationship with her is probably about the same as my relationship with you."
What! The department head and Su Muzhi were that close?
"What are you so surprised about? Did you really think you and I were close?"
Shen Wanyu looked at Jiang Linyuan's shocked expression and spoke calmly.
"Are we not?"
Jiang Linyuan countered.
"Heh."
Shen Wanyu gave a cold laugh, took a sip of coffee, and said no more. She looked like an NPC handing out a quest as she said,
"There's a badminton club outside the university that wants to sponsor the Badminton Club. The External Relations Department will act as the go-between. You'll handle it."
"Department Head, on such a beautiful morning, how can you be so unromantic..."
"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll stir up trouble between you and Liu Tingting."
"Department Head, you really are jealous, aren't you?"
"I'll post your glorious track record on the confession wall right now, then get someone to forward it to Liu Tingting."
As she spoke, Shen Wanyu proved herself a woman of action. She took out her phone and started typing.
"Department Head! I love work! Let's discuss this properly!"
Jiang Linyuan stood up and gazed at Shen Wanyu with sincere, wide eyes.
Damn you, you wicked woman. You've only given me a few Reward Cards, and you're already talking tough. Just you wait!
Shen Wanyu put her phone away and added coolly,
"Also, the new students are arriving soon, and the department is recruiting. You'll be in charge of that, too."
Jiang Linyuan furrowed his brows.
"Isn't that supposed to be your responsibility, Department Head?"
As a subordinate department of the Student Union, the External Relations Department should have its recruitment handled by its department head.
Jiang Linyuan was only the vice minister. Technically, all he had to do was assist.
"Let me ask you: who's in charge of all the External Relations Department's affairs?"
Shen Wanyu stated it matter-of-factly.
"The head of the External Relations Department..."
"Good. Then who am I?"
"The head of the External Relations Department..."
Shen Wanyu nodded and asked calmly,
"Then do you have any objections to my arrangements?"
What a show of authority! Did she think he was afraid of her?
She clearly had no idea what happened when a common man flew into a rage—blood would be spilled within five paces!
Jiang Linyuan was about to speak, but Shen Wanyu cut him off first.
"The coffee was good, wasn't it?"
Jiang Linyuan froze.
Never mind. A common man won with strategy, not courage.
"Vice Minister Jiang, I may not trust your character, but I trust your ability. You can handle these things."
Shen Wanyu swiped her phone a few times.
"I've sent you the club's contact details. It's getting late, and I have something to do, so I'll go first."
With that, she turned and left without hesitation.
Jiang Linyuan stared after her, his expression numb.
Getting late, my foot! Why don't you look at the blazing sun outside before you say that?
It had taken so much effort to get her out, and yet it was no different from being at school.
They'd just changed locations to discuss work!
As Jiang Linyuan stared at the coffee in front of him, he received a WeChat message from Su Muzhi.
"Jiang, how's it going?"
Jiang Linyuan thought for a moment.
"Junior Su, did you tell Shen Wanyu about Liu Tingting and me?"
"I only mentioned it in passing. I didn't embellish anything, okay? Senior Jiang, she didn't throw coffee at you, did she?"
Even through the screen, he could sense her gloating.
Su Muzhi, you've got a death wish!
Jiang Linyuan put away his phone, ignoring the backstabbing smiling tiger, and started contacting the club Shen Wanyu had told him about.
He knew how to keep work and his personal life separate.
He exchanged a few brief messages with the club.
The owner was an alumnus and a former member of the Badminton Club. Now that he'd made it, he wanted to sponsor his alma mater's Badminton Club.
But he was worried his money would go to waste, spent on nothing but having fun.
That concern wasn't unfounded. Plenty of university clubs took the money and failed to do anything useful with it.
The Badminton Club had started showing signs of the same problem, too. Its results in the University League had worsened year after year.
The club's conditions were simple: they were willing to sponsor the team, but it had to produce decent results.
To be more specific, they hoped the Badminton Club would place well in the upcoming Four-School Friendly Match.
Jiang Linyuan looked over the chat history, feeling a little troubled.
Among the four schools, their Badminton Club was in an awkward position.
The others were all aiming to fight for first place!
But Star University's Badminton Club was just hoping to place third and avoid fourth—that counted as a win!
This was going to be a bit of a problem.
Before you continue