World Will

Student council recruitment had yet to end when club recruitment began.

These past few days, whether in class or walking down the road, there were always people around discussing student council and club recruitment.

Ding Yiheng had dragged Cen Xia into the Archery Club, pulling strings to get him in without even going through the screening process.

As for student council recruitment, it was a crucial plot point in the first novel. It marked not only the beginning of the bond between Shi Su and He Wangsheng, but also the point where his situation at school slowly began to change.

After this part of the story, the relationship between the two changed, and the other two protagonists appeared in turn. It could be called a minor climax in the book.

The NPCs had no part to play in the student council segment, which was mostly about the entanglement between the two protagonists, so Cen Xia didn't know exactly how far the plot had progressed.

Logically speaking, if Shi Su's situation at school was slowly improving and no one was isolating him anymore, that would mean the story had passed through this minor climax without a hitch.

But from what Cen Xia had observed, it hadn't.

Shi Su was still afraid of dragging them down, unwilling to eat with them or get too close to them at school.

Shen Si had quieted down for a while, but that was because he hadn't been at school lately.

Cen Xia had probed Shi Su indirectly about whether he'd joined the student council, and Shi Su had said no.

He asked again two days later, and the answer was still no. Shi Su even found it strange and asked Cen Xia if something was going on.

Of course, Cen Xia couldn't tell him that he wanted to know how things were going between him and his destined gong.

There was one more thing that left Cen Xia scratching his head: Shi Su's good friend, Zhou Zanli.

In the original novel, Zhou Zanli had a fairly prominent presence, and the two discussed everything together. Before Cen Xia got to know Shi Su, he'd even seen them eating together.

But after he became close to Shi Su, he hadn't seen Zhou Zanli again, or even heard Shi Su mention him.

That was very strange, but stranger still was that Zhou Zanli had gotten into the student council, while Shi Su hadn't.

Ding Yiheng was the one who'd told him.

Ding Yiheng's older female cousin had told him that the president had asked for Zhou Zanli by name.

Now the entire student council was buzzing, everyone privately speculating about Zhou Zanli's relationship with the president. After all, He Wangsheng kept his public and private affairs separate, and this was the first time he'd ever asked for someone by name.

But the news had only spread within the student council. The forum knew nothing about it.

When Ding Yiheng had secretly told him, he'd said, "You absolutely can't tell anyone else about this, or we'll both be in deep trouble, and my cousin will get dragged down too."

If Cen Xia still didn't know the plot had gone off the rails by this point, he was an idiot.

But he couldn't ask Shi Su about it. He was just an NPC.

So he decided to ask the World Will.

In his dream, he was once again surrounded by a vast expanse of white.

He sat down with his legs planted wide and rapped on the table like a hooligan.

"Come out. Let's have a chat."

The World Will had no physical form. He only felt the air around him ripple like water.

It had come.

"Do you have anything to say?" Cen Xia held himself like the party calling the shots at a negotiating table, looking down on it.

It fell silent.

When it didn't speak, Cen Xia said, "Your plot's gone off the rails. You know that?"

That got it talking.

"The plot has only deviated slightly from its course. The World Will shall automatically repair it."

Cen Xia could hear the words "stubborn denial" in its mechanical tone.

He nodded noncommittally. "I don't care about any of that. I just want to ask you, how can I get back?"

Silence again.

Cen Xia frowned, looking thoroughly impatient. "Speak! How can I get back?"

"Once the entire book ends, you can return." There was displeasure in its stiff, measured voice. "However, you may no longer interfere with the plot."

Cen Xia nodded. "I'll try."

"As long as you don't interfere with the main plot, I can give you more freedom in other matters."

"All right."

Though Cen Xia still had many unanswered questions after this conversation, since there had been a first time, there could be a second and a third.

He wasn't in a hurry to lay everything out in the open.

As for the World Will's claim that it would repair the plot, it turned out not to be mere stubborn denial after all.

On Friday evening, the last day of student council recruitment, Shi Su said he'd been notified that he'd gotten in.

Cen Xia froze, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Had it really fixed the plot?

Shi Su said in disbelief, "I don't know who it was, but someone actually submitted my information to the student council, and it even passed the screening?!"

Ding Yiheng's jaw dropped in surprise. "There's actually someone that kind in the world?"

Fang Sheng said, "That's a good thing. It's worth celebrating. Getting into the student council isn't easy."

The corners of Shi Su's mouth lifted. "I didn't expect to get in either."

The moment he learned he'd been accepted into the student council, Shi Su had worked up the courage to ask He Wangsheng about it.

"Hello, senior. May I ask if you arranged for me to join the student council?"

He Wangsheng seemed busy and took a long time to reply.

"I don't know anything about this. If you passed the recruitment screening, the people in charge of it must have thought you were a suitable candidate. I only promised to arrange for Zhou Zanli to join. I wouldn't do anything beyond that, so please don't worry."

After receiving that message, Shi Su felt even more strongly that the president was a good person.

He Wangsheng had actually considered the concerns he might have and gone out of his way to explain that he'd been selected on his own merits.

The truth was, he hadn't submitted an application to the student council. But it wasn't because he didn't want to join; he just didn't think he had a chance.

This really was an unexpected delight, though he didn't know which kind person had helped him.

Cen Xia, who knew who that kind person was: ...

Ding Yiheng said happily, "Then let's go out and celebrate tomorrow. I happen to know a place..."

"I have something to do tomorrow," Shi Su interrupted him.

"...Why do you have something to do every weekend?!"

"Another time. My treat next time."

"...All right, then!"

Fang Sheng was happy for him. "Now that you've joined the student council, Shen Si probably won't dare cause you trouble anymore."

At the mention of that, Shi Su recalled the first time he'd gone to see He Wangsheng.

He'd told He Wangsheng everything Shen Si had done to him during that time, leaving nothing out, including why Shen Si had targeted him.

Yes, he was saying, It's all your fault!

He Wangsheng seemed unaware of everything Shen Si had done. He was shocked, and his delicate, gentle face was full of apology.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know Shen Si would, because of me... Don't worry, I'll tell Shen Si not to make things difficult for you anymore and have him apologize to you."

Shi Su suddenly froze. Have Shen Si apologize to him? So all the torment he'd suffered over the past month, all those nightmares that had jolted him awake in the middle of the night, could be resolved with a word from the person in front of him.

If Shen Si could be made to leave him alone, of course he was willing, but...

"Can I make a different request?"

This time it was He Wangsheng's turn to freeze. Just a second later, his gentle smile returned.

"What do you want?"

He gave up a peaceful school life in the future in exchange for making his friend-no, his former friend's wish come true.

He Wangsheng asked him whether it was worth it.

Shi Su hadn't answered then.

And now, at this very moment, Shi Su smiled and said, "Maybe."

Maybe it was worth it.

Maybe Shen Si really wouldn't dare cause him trouble again.