Chapter 73: Taking Office
On the last day of the National Day holiday, the students were still languishing in the afterglow of their vacation. A lazy atmosphere hung over the campus. But the scene inside the Qingchuan University Youth Association office was completely different.
Nie Hong looked at the stacks of documents on her desk, the dense characters on them igniting her already fiery temper. Her chest heaved, and Da Zhuang, standing beside her, didn’t dare to make a sound.
The original fourth-year president had resigned early due to an internship, and this was her first year as the president of the Youth Association. There weren’t even many fourth-year seniors left to guide her. On top of that, with the recruitment activities before and after National Day, the new and old documents were piled up, almost forming a small mountain.
After standing by silently for a long time, Da Zhuang finally spoke up hesitantly. He cautiously approached and placed a small document in front of Nie Hong.
“What is this?” Nie Hong looked up, her bloodshot eyes from staying up too late making her already harsh tone even more frightening. “Is there any document more important than recruitment right now? You don’t have to show me everything. You guys can just figure it out yourselves.”
Da Zhuang quickly explained, “No, it’s about this year’s activity proposal.”
“The proposal? Didn’t I tell you to give it to Teacher Song? I’ve carefully reviewed the proposal. Is there a problem?” Nie Hong frowned, her short hair swinging. “But we don’t have time to revise it.”
“Sigh, it’s not because of that.” Da Zhuang sighed and opened the document. “When I went to find Teacher Song, the other teachers told me that Teacher Song seems to have resigned. Our association has a new advisor, and he might… have some changes to our proposal.”
“A new teacher? How could that be!” Nie Hong slammed the document on the table, her expression full of disbelief. “Teacher Song has been our advisor for several consecutive years. How could he just leave without a word? And… Teacher Song never told me about this.”
“I don’t know about that.” Da Zhuang scratched his neck, looking simple and honest. “But… the new advisor seems to be coming to the association today, for the proposal.”
“Today? So soon?”
Da Zhuang had never met the new advisor. This was all from the other teachers in the office. Many teachers were even murmuring about how they hadn’t expected Old Song to be like that, and their expressions were even a bit strange. Anyway, there was a strange feeling. Da Zhuang couldn’t figure it out, and didn’t dare to say anything, just nodded heavily. “Yeah, today.”
…
An Zhi walked into the Qingchuan University club activity building with a dejected expression. On the last day of the holiday, the little girl had wanted to sleep in, but she had been woken up by a voice message from Sister Hong, saying that she would take her to get familiar with the association’s affairs. It was as if she were a young crown prince being groomed for the throne, to inherit the legacy left by her brother, An Lin.
She wandered around the deserted activity building for a long time but couldn’t find the conspicuous Youth Association activity room that Sister Hong had mentioned.
The little girl stood at a crossroads, thinking back on the path she had just taken. She thought she might have gone the wrong way and was about to turn back when she bumped into someone behind her. Her small body couldn’t keep its balance, and she stumbled back several steps until someone grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
An Zhi lowered her head and apologized repeatedly. She wrinkled her nose and smelled a pleasant neroli fragrance, which felt somewhat familiar. She immediately looked up and saw the woman in front of her, her small mouth slightly agape, her face full of surprise.
“T-Teacher Gu?” An Zhi couldn’t help but exclaim.
“You are? My student?”
Gu Zhi frowned, her eyes filled with confusion, as if she didn’t have much impression of the girl in front of her.
“Yes, yes. You probably don’t know me, teacher. My name is An Zhi.”
An Zhi nodded repeatedly, not as shy as she usually was when meeting strangers. She genuinely felt that Teacher Gu was an excellent psychology teacher. Her mature and intellectual demeanor, her ability to handle any student with grace and understanding, always made her feel a little envious.
“An Zhi? That name sounds a little familiar.” Gu Zhi nodded, her long, narrow eyes crinkling, a gentle smile on her lips. “I’m sorry, my memory might not be very good.”
“No, no, I’m not very noticeable anyway. But you and Su Yu should be very close, teacher. You seem to have a good relationship.” An Zhi shook her head repeatedly, smiling innocently.
“Su Yu…” Gu Zhi murmured softly, her long, curled eyelashes squinting slightly, a cold glint passing through them. “So you know Xiao Yu too. No wonder you look familiar.”
“Mm-hmm, we’re friends. Although we haven’t known each other for long.”
“Indeed, so fast. Too fast.” Gu Zhi smiled, her tone noncommittal.
“Oh, by the way, I have to go now, teacher. I have to report to the Youth Association. I’ll be late if I don’t hurry.”
An Zhi suddenly remembered that she had something to do and didn’t dare to delay any longer. If she was late, who knew how Sister Hong would scold her.
“Are you also going to the Youth Association?”
“Yes, yes. Are you too, Teacher Gu?”
“Yes, I’m going too. Then let’s go together. I see you’re going the wrong way.”
Gu Zhi smiled and suggested. Her gentle and graceful demeanor always reminded An Zhi of the kindergarten teacher who used to lull her to sleep. But it was a bit of a waste for a psychology teacher to be a kindergarten teacher, she thought, her mind wandering again.
…
“You’re the new advisor assigned by the school?”
Nie Hong frowned, looking at the gentle-smiling woman in front of her. She was unfamiliar and so young, looking like a new intern who had just arrived at the school. The other party’s gentle attitude didn’t soften her own.
Nie Hong’s tone was clearly aggressive, but the stone sank into the water without making a ripple. The smile in Gu Zhi’s eyes remained, and she answered slowly.
“Yes, Gu Zhi. You can call me Teacher Gu. Then you must be the new president? A very individualistic student. I hope we can cooperate happily in the future.”
“Cooperate? But where is Teacher Song?” Nie Hong’s anger grew. The woman’s excessive humility seemed frivolous to her, like a victor’s… provocation?
“Teacher Song said he would be our advisor until he retired. It’s impossible for him to leave without a word.”
“I was just informed to take over the vacant position after Teacher Song’s departure. Regardless, our goal should be the same. We will have many things to discuss in the future. Are you going to maintain this attitude, classmate Nie Hong? Or…”
Gu Zhi dragged out her words and smiled. “Are you just personally disliked by me, teacher? If so, then I can’t help you. You can try to apply for a transfer from the association and find a teacher who is more to your liking.”
“You!” Nie Hong was speechless, a wave of anger suppressed in her chest, unable to be released. She knew she had been impulsive. Teacher Song’s unannounced departure had made her anxious. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I will verify Teacher Song’s matter later. We sincerely welcome Teacher Gu’s arrival.”
“Good, welcome Teacher Gu.”
Da Zhuang, who had been standing by like a wooden post, suddenly started clapping, shouting loudly twice. An Zhi was startled and also started clapping, but in the large office, their two pairs of hands sounded sparse and scattered.
An Zhi was still sighing in her heart, thinking what a loving family our Youth Association is. She had been afraid that Nie Hong would make things difficult for Gu Zhi, but she hadn’t expected it to be resolved so peacefully.
“Teacher Gu seems to have some opinions on our proposal for this year. So… can you point out the specific revisions?”
Nie Hong’s mood changed quickly. She looked at the returned proposal, her sharp gaze fixed on Gu Zhi. She had always been clear about public and private matters and naturally didn’t want the Youth Association’s advisor to be someone who only cared about personal gain and did nothing practical.
“Your proposal is very good. I’ve read it all. Very good, but there are also some flaws. I, as a teacher, might be a bit of a perfectionist.” Gu Zhi’s lips curved, her bright red lips a bit dazzling.
“So, why don’t we… change everything?”
