Volume 2: Strolling with the Wind, Chapter 39: The Unexpected Class Leader

The Four Heroes of Beifu (a self-proclaimed title by these four; outsiders usually call them the Four Idiots, Four Fools, or Four Clowns…):
The leader, Xu Zhanqiang, nicknamed “The Big Guy,” from Northeast China. He’s burly, strong, and physically imposing, with a sharp mind. He had excellent grades upon enrollment and was admitted as an elite student exempt from tuition at Beifu Academy. His strengths are studying and fighting.
The second, Bai Lei, nicknamed “The Scoundrel,” from Shanghai. He considers himself the most handsome man in the world and a “beauty killer.” Claiming to be the son of a wealthy family, he’s also an expert in online games. In eight words, he’s “arrogant when nothing happens, but hides when trouble arises.” His grades were poor upon enrollment, but his strengths lie in socializing, boasting, and influencing others.
The third, Chu Tianyu, nicknamed “Number Three,” from Jiangsu. He’s so ordinary and unremarkable that no one could even think of a nickname for him. His grades were average, and his strengths are making others stand out and reading in silence.
The fourth, Bao Caida, nicknamed “Cabbage,” from Zhejiang. He’s gentle and timid, often bringing up irrelevant topics. His grades were also average, but he excelled in math, almost scoring full marks. His strengths are financial management, coming up with bad ideas, and bringing up irrelevant topics.
…
That day, except for Chu Tianyu, the others were all drunk. How they got back is something none of them could remember clearly. Later, it was vaguely said that one of them “carried” the other three back, but who exactly it was remains unknown.
However, after analysis by experts led by Bai Lei, it was concluded with 100% certainty that it must have been “The Big Guy.” Only his Northeastern build and tolerance for alcohol could have enabled him to accomplish such an impossible task. After the analysis, everyone exclaimed, “The Northeast really produces strong men!”
As a result, Xu Zhanqiang acted very proud for those two days, strutting around with a chest puffed out, showing off his Northeastern toughness. But then he disappeared for a few days without reason. It was said he was too proud and secretly went to the school clinic for treatment!
After that, the new students’ military training began. The Four Heroes of Beifu had already discussed military training countless times and longed for it for ages. Especially when they heard that this training would be conducted in mixed gender teams by class, scoundrels like Bai Lei and Bao Caida became even more eager.
As the saying goes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. Indeed, although the training was by class, within each class, men and women trained separately at opposite ends of the playground. Not only could they not see each other clearly, but even their shadows were indistinct.

This greatly discouraged many boys who had been eager to show off their skills and prowess during military training, leaving them dejected and listless. But soon, they truly experienced what it meant to be utterly exhausted after pushing to the limit! Without the girls, there were no topics of conversation or motivation, and the days passed in a tense and monotonous training period. Although the training was tough and grueling, it was a great opportunity for exercise, allowing students who usually buried themselves in studies and lacked physical activity to not only improve their fitness but also strengthen their perseverance and independence after leaving their parents.

No matter how much they complained or grumbled about the military training, everyone knew deep down that it represented a significant step forward in their lives. But the one who made the biggest progress was Bai Lei. Group life gave him the chance to showcase his “talents” — he befriended everyone, told exaggerated stories, and within days, no one in the group failed to greet him, showing just how charming he was.

Especially as the military training neared its end, somehow he learned that class leaders and other officers would be selected as soon as training ended. With such an exciting opportunity, how could he be absent? So these past couple of days, he busied himself networking and building connections, successfully gaining quite a bit of popularity. He also had the strong support of his loyal entourage led by Bao Cai, which actually consisted mainly of Xu Zhanqiang and Chu Tianyu.

However, he wasn’t the only one eyeing the position of class leader. As the saying goes, enemies meet when they collide — another candidate was Wang Shengyi, who had already developed a grudge against him on the day of registration.

Since that day, the four people in Chu Tianyu’s Room 232 naturally grew apart. Although no one brought up what happened that day again, the awkwardness of living together was unavoidable. Later, it’s unclear whether it was Bai Lei who claimed he called the principal or Wang Shengyi’s secret maneuvers, but within a few days, Bai Lei arranged for Bao Cai, Wang Shengyi, and Chen Qing to switch rooms, which pleased everyone and finally formed the four-person group in Room 232 of Beifu. Wang Shengyi was indeed no ordinary person; he was quite capable. Not only did he constantly clash with Bai Lei’s group, but as the son of a vice mayor, he also gathered many loyal followers and friends.

So during the final days of the training, Bai Lei and Wang Shengyi were as busy as if running for president—spreading affection, rallying supporters, treating people to meals, showing kindness, and doing everything possible, using every trick in the book, all in anticipation of the squad leader election three days later.

Three days later, the military training for the new recruits finally came to an end, and the students were freed from their “torment,” cheering for their liberty! The emotionally expressive female students cried and pleaded with the instructors, unwilling to part, leaving their addresses and giving gifts—unlike just a few days earlier when they had jointly denounced the instructors as brutal and heartless…

The election for squad leaders was scheduled for the evening after the training ended. According to the instructor, this was to establish an organization quickly, get things underway, and get things on track.

The large lecture hall was already filled with freshmen from the 2030 cohort majoring in sociology and social relations in the Department of Social Sciences. However, the front rows were clearly divided into two small groups: Bai Lei’s and Wang Shengyi’s support teams.

The instructor was straightforward, briefly explaining the responsibilities and duties of squad leaders as well as the principles of openness, fairness, and impartiality in the election, before immediately declaring it to begin. Of course, the first and most important item on the agenda was the election of the squad leader.

The instructor was already aware of the situation—there were only two candidates for the position, Bai Lei and Wang Shengyi—so he didn’t set any requirements. Instead, he simply announced that those interested in running should come up and give a ten-minute speech each, after which everyone would vote anonymously.

As expected, it was Bai Lei and Wang Shengyi who stepped onto the stage. Wang Shengyi spoke first; he took out his speech draft and delivered an emotionally charged and passionate speech, covering everything from maintaining world peace and helping those in need to caring for plants and helping elderly people cross the road—almost a perfect example of an online election speech.

After hearing that, Bai Lei sighed in relief. He had also prepared in advance and quickly pulled out another classic election speech, stepping onto the stage and delivering a similarly passionate and moving speech, ranging from not picking wildflowers by the roadside to the importance of world peace for everyone—gradually building intensity, just as moving as Wang Shengyi’s speech…

Amidst enthusiastic applause, the voting process hosted by the instructor officially began. Out of 109 students registered, 108 attended, with one excused themselves due to illness. Excluding the two candidates who couldn’t vote, a total of 106 ballots were cast!

The competition was fierce, with the votes for the two candidates alternating upward; it was a brutal race, perhaps just one or two votes deciding the ultimate winner. Yet the result was absurd—53 votes to 53! Truly, it was a match between equals. It was quite coincidental, too—since all the boys had been divided between these two candidates, with roughly equal support from each side, the nearly forty remaining girls happened to support each candidate equally, resulting in this tie. At this point, the advisor should have stepped in to choose a candidate, but seeing the intense emotions in the crowd, with supporters and cheerleaders shouting loudly for their candidates, their enthusiasm comparable to that of some TV talent show… the advisor was also stuck. It’s really hard to balance democracy and centralization. But being an experienced person, he had seen many such situations before and knew there was no way he couldn’t handle it. So he raised his hands and made a downward motion to silence the crowd, then said, “Students, since the votes for the two candidates are exactly equal, I should normally choose one, but considering everyone’s emotions and upholding complete democracy, I’d like to ask if there are any other candidates willing to step forward?” After saying this, he scanned the crowd and paused for a while before adding, “Since none are available, I’ll randomly select a student by student ID as the third candidate. If they don’t get chosen, as an incentive, they’ll automatically become the class labor commissioner. Any objections?” As soon as these words were spoken, those who were quick-witted immediately understood the trick—they all thought, “The advisor is really cunning!” This not only made the number of voters odd but also successfully “sold” the position of labor commissioner, which reportedly never had a candidate in previous elections—winning twice over! Everyone who realized this kept thinking, “Please not me! Please not me!” If they were chosen, it would be bad luck—having to act as a backdrop and then take on the honorable yet arduous task of labor commissioner. Even Bai Lei and Wang Shengyi on stage were praying inwardly that no one from their side would be chosen.

The entire lecture hall fell dead silent for a moment as everyone waited for the unlucky person to be chosen. This reaction satisfied the instructor, who calmly took out a list, flipped through it, and glanced at the students below. Those caught in his gaze lowered their heads even further, wishing there was a hole they could sink into to avoid drawing his attention.

Seeing that things were almost settled, the instructor suddenly placed the list down and said casually, “Hehe, everyone, don’t be nervous. I won’t call names to avoid any suspicion of favoritism. Let’s just rely on luck. Today is the 28th, so let’s choose the student with student number 28 as the third candidate! What do you think?”

This statement caused a stir in the classroom. Everyone started whispering to each other, trying to figure out who the unlucky number 28 was.

“Hey, what’s your number?”

“Who remembers that? I’ve long forgotten!”

“I can’t remember either, but it’s definitely not 28.”

“Haha, I’m number 74, so no need to worry!”

“How are student numbers assigned?”

“I’m not sure. I think it’s usually based on the first character of one’s name in pinyin…”

“Oh…”

While everyone was engaged in lively discussions, one person was sweating profusely. It seemed his first character in pinyin started with C, putting him high on the list—likely meaning his student number was indeed 28…

“Alright, everyone, quiet down. Please have student number 28 come to the stage. It’s also a great opportunity to gain experience. After all, in college, besides textbook knowledge, it’s equally important to develop social skills. Who is number 28? Please come up!” The instructor’s voice silenced the classroom again, and the students secretly glanced around at their peers to see who it could be.

“Instructor, we all can’t remember our numbers. Why don’t you tell us?” an impatient student in the class suddenly shouted.

“That’s right, instructor, please tell us…” Other students joined in.

“Student number 28: Chu Tianyu!” With the instructor’s clear voice and Chu Tianyu, who helplessly stood up, the chaos over selecting the candidate finally subsided. But as one issue resolved, all attention and discussion shifted back to Chu Tianyu.

However, the only two common opinions among the chatter were: “First, wow, there’s actually such a person in our class? Second, poor guy… he’s really suffering.”

When Chu Tianyu stood on the podium in pain and embarrassment, another person was also complaining bitterly—of course, it was Bai Lei. What bad luck! He ended up being chosen instead of the third candidate, which clearly meant he had lost one vote. No matter how much he planned, it turned out to be nothing but empty joy!

On the contrary, Wang Shengyi was overjoyed. It was as if heaven itself was helping him. Haha, it was absolutely fantastic! “You brat, stop being so arrogant. You’re still too inexperienced to challenge me!”

“Classmate Chu Tianyu, why don’t you say a few words too? Everyone welcomes you!” The counselor said, clapping first to encourage others. The classroom became lively again, with people clapping, cheering, and making noise—all waiting to see a good show!

Chu Tianyu helplessly glanced at Bai Lei, sending him a questioning look, as if to ask, “Is there any more classic material for campaign speeches?” Bai Lei was extremely worried. He spread his hands, shook his head, and gave him an expression that meant, “Take care of yourself.”

Actually, Chu Tianyu’s concern wasn’t about what to say, but rather why he, who never stole, robbed, or sought attention, was forced to stand in the spotlight again. Was it really true, as someone often said, “It’s really hard to stay low-key”?

It seemed he was doomed to remain the mediocre labor committee member. Looking at the eager eyes of the students below, waiting for his “speech,” he sighed and decided to just go with it.

Since he was already there, he might as well go all out. After all, it was just for contrast. Chu Tianyu suddenly spoke in Nanjing dialect to the audience, saying something that shocked everyone: “Hello, classmates! If I get elected as the labor committee member, I will definitely clean the classroom thoroughly and take out the trash regularly. Please criticize and supervise me. That’s all for my speech. Thank you!” After saying that, he politely bowed deeply to the audience before standing beside Bai Lei with an innocent expression.

The room was silent for three seconds before erupting into thunderous applause, along with chatter and noise.

Chu Tianyu’s performance was a huge success. Given his appearance, demeanor, and usual shyness, the students wanted to see how this honest and simple-minded No. 28 would behave and get into awkward situations. As expected, he still had some self-awareness regarding his campaign speech for class president and immediately vowed to focus on “labor duties.” Truly, he was a classic honest person!

Xu, a tall student in the audience, was so moved that he said, “The third guy really goes through a lot. He’s even more down-to-earth than us people from the Northeast!”

Lao Si Bao Cai also sighed sincerely, “Exactly. These days, it’s rare to find such an honest person—once in eight hundred years! A national treasure!”
The others also shared their opinions, and the main consensus could be summed up in one sentence: “What a truly honest person!”
“Alright, alright, everyone, quiet down. Now, please vote again. The rules remain the same: anonymous voting, and each person may choose only one candidate. Let’s begin now.”
Voting, counting, announcing results—but…
The outcome shocked all the freshmen of the Class of 2030 in the Social Sciences Department: Bai Lei got 24 votes, Wang Shengyi got 25 votes, and Chu Tianyu got 56 votes. This shock also applied to the 56 people who voted for Chu Tianyu.
“No, that can’t be true. He actually has 56 votes!” said Student A.
“Who did you vote for just now?” asked Student B.
“I… I voted for him. I thought he was pitiful. It would be too unfair if he got none at all. That’s why I voted for him. By the way, who did you vote for?” Student A replied shyly.
“Sigh, don’t talk about it. I voted the same way as you…” Student B sighed.
“You guys think the same? That’s exactly why I voted for him too!” Student C joined in.
…
Even the counselor was shocked by this unexpected result. He had originally planned to pick someone casually as a contrast, but unexpectedly, he “picked” a class monitor instead. Strange things keep happening—there are even more this year!
Among the three candidates on stage, Chu Tianyu was now filled with regret. How could he end up as class monitor like this! Bai Lei was mixed feelings—happy that, against all odds, the class monitor position hadn’t gone to Wang Shengyi and instead stayed with them, but frustrated that he hadn’t stood out this time either. It seemed he would have to continue staying low-key for a while. As for Wang Shengyi, his emotions swung wildly between extreme joy and sorrow. He couldn’t figure out what was going on. The class monitor position, which he thought he had in the bag, had been snatched away by this ordinary guy, Chu Tianyu. All he could think now was one word—“injustice”!