Chapter 485 334: So Unpromising

A little after 8:00 p.m., Xue Rui drove the group back to the university. The campus was dotted with couples strolling about in twos and threes, and the air was thick with the cloying scent of young love.

The scene was perfectly normal. After all, what would a single person be doing out at night?

Wouldn't it be better to just stay in your dorm and play video games?

However, the freshmen were still slogging through their mandatory evening study sessions, so Xue Rui parked directly in the academic building area.

"Xue Rui, you take these," Xia Tianjun said as he got out of the car, leaving a red carton of cigarettes on the seat.

Dong Yufan had forced the cigarettes on him, and they were hard to return. Besides, he had barely helped at all today. The real hero was Xue Rui, so he didn't feel right taking them.

More importantly, he still had to lead a class meeting. How could he walk in carrying something so conspicuous?

Xue Rui glanced at the carton on the seat. He dug out a paper bag Lin Ruoxi had been saving from inside the car and repackaged the cigarettes.

Xue Rui got out of the car, jogged a few steps to catch up, and thrust the bag into Xia Tianjun's hands. "Professor, you left something in my car."

"I'm giving them to you, so just take them," Xia Tianjun protested, thinking, 'That Dong Yufan is so clueless. Since Xue Rui was the one who helped, he should have bought two cartons. How are we supposed to split just one?'

Of course, Xue Rui could see Xia Tianjun's dilemma. He said, "Professor, smoking isn't allowed at the university."

Xia Tianjun couldn't help but chuckle. Officially, that was true, but in reality, who was going to enforce that?

But Xue Rui had given him an out, and he was happy to take it. He silently took the paper bag and discovered a box of mooncakes inside as well.

Jiang Yuan walked up to Xue Rui and whispered, "Don't think I can't see what you're doing. You're giving a gift to the professor."

"So what if you did? If you have a problem with it, go ahead and report me to the counselor," Xue Rui said, completely unfazed.

Jiang Yuan huffed, "Easy for you to say. You two are in the same boat. How could I possibly report you?"

'It was like trying to sue the judge himself.'

'Xue Rui is more capable than I am. The position of class president rightfully belongs to him.'

After everything that had just happened, she wasn't as desperate for the class president position anymore.

'Besides… a vice president can still apply for the Selected Cadets program.'

By the time they reached the classroom, there was still half an hour until the evening study session ended.

"You two, stay here. I have an announcement," Xia Tianjun said to them.

Xia Tianjun pointed at Xue Rui and announced, "From now on, the class president of Software Engineering 141 will be Xue Rui. The vice president will be Jiang Yuan. The class president, Xue Rui, will be in charge of selecting the other class committee members."

The classroom erupted with a clamor.

After the initial uproar, the room quieted down, only for students to start whispering among themselves.

Their class had actually skipped the voting process; the counselor had directly appointed the class president.

Dong Yufan felt this was probably related to his situation. He said to the person next to him, "The professor and Xue Rui went out earlier to help me with something…"

Lin Ruoxi stared blankly at Xue Rui. She had come to cast her all-important vote for him, but now it seemed she wasn't needed…

'Still, she was very happy that Xue Rui had become class president. This was his dream, after all.'

"Time is tight, so this is the arrangement for now. If anyone feels my direct appointment is inappropriate, you can bring it to my attention later, and we'll hold another vote at next month's class meeting," Xia Tianjun added.

In his view, Xue Rui was the most suitable candidate. Mentioning a vote in a month was just a way to shut the other students up.

Once word got out about how Xue Rui had helped Dong Yufan tonight, Xue Rui would win any vote anyway. Therefore, he felt there was nothing wrong with his direct appointment.

"Alright, use the remaining time to choose your class committee members." Xia Tianjun exchanged a look with Xue Rui, then gathered his things and left the classroom.

"Take care, Professor," Xue Rui said with a smile.

He was quite surprised to be made class president so directly. He had been watching Jiang Yuan's reaction, but it seemed she had already conceded…

This frustrated Xue Rui. 'How could you just give up?'

'If you don't compete, what's my motivation for being class president?!'

"Hello everyone, I'm your class president, Xue Rui. From now on, if you have any problems, you can come to me. If you can't find me, just ask Jiang Yuan directly," Xue Rui said, introducing himself.

Jiang Yuan nodded at the class. She thought Xue Rui's arrangement was quite suitable.

"Class President, I have a question. I didn't collect the daily necessities provided by the university. Where should I go for a refund?" a female student asked, raising her hand.

Xue Rui pointed at Jiang Yuan and said, "Ask Jiang Yuan."

Jiang Yuan paused for a moment, then began, "First, contact the dorm manager to get a proof slip, take it to Building 6, Room 105 to get it stamped, and then take the slip to the finance office for a refund…"

"Class President, I want to run for Party Youth League Secretary…"

Xue Rui: "Ask Jiang Yuan."

"Class President, why are you telling us to ask Jiang Yuan for this too?"

Someone couldn't help but ask. 'This isn't what he just said he'd do!'

Xue Rui's expression remained unchanged as he explained with an air of perfect righteousness, "The primary officer is generally responsible for coordination and planning, while the deputy is responsible for implementation. Naturally, you'll all be interacting more with the vice president. We're counting on you, Vice President Jiang."

The students murmured and nodded. 'So Xue Rui and Jiang Yuan have already worked this out?'

'When?'

'An hour ago, the two of them were at each other's throats, fighting tooth and nail for the class president position. And now they're cooperating with a clear division of labor?'

"Class President, so what have you planned?" Jiang Yuan asked in a low voice.

She saw Xue Rui wave her over. She leaned in close to him, only to hear him say:

"Can't you figure out something this simple? Just handle it yourself."

With that, Xue Rui walked off the platform. The position of class president was just a punching bag caught between the professor and the students. It came with a little power, but mostly, it was just a lot of trouble.