This afternoon, Xu Yijing had no classes.
She stayed in her office.
The Student Union had its own office space too, at least for some of its departments.
It was relatively modest, though—sometimes just a partitioned classroom with only desks and a blackboard. Nothing like the grand setup of the Art Troupe, which boasted dedicated offices and equipment.
After all, the Art Troupe was just one part of the Student Union’s overall membership.
If every department got its own dedicated office and space like the Art Troupe, with over a dozen—or even twenty—departments in total, the school would face a massive expense.
But at the level of vice chairman, no corners could be cut.
As such, the Student Union had equipped its leadership with exclusive offices that were in no way inferior to the Troupe Leader’s Office—in fact, they were even better.
“Mm. Go and pass on the instructions again. Make sure everything follows the latest decisions. Got it?”
Xu Yijing sat upright, her gaze fixed straight ahead. The alluring beauty of her features was completely overshadowed by the seriousness and focus in her eyes.
“Yes, got it.”
Standing before her was the president of one of the Student Union’s departments.
Compared to Xu Yijing’s calm and detached seriousness, this president—who was the same age as her, also a sophomore—seemed fidgety and tense. It was as if simply standing in front of Xu Yijing was an immense pressure.
And the amusing part was that most people in the Student Union, including this president, didn’t find anything wrong with that.
In their eyes, the new Vice Chairman Xu Yijing was undoubtedly the perfect model of a leader.
If there had been any initial reservations about this “newcomer” who wasn’t even a junior yet and lacked seniority…
Well, from the end of last semester to now, Xu Yijing had earned the recognition of most with her abilities.
Impartial and unbiased, extraordinarily capable, and stunningly beautiful to boot.
Her only flaw was that she could be too serious and rigid—no tolerance for jokes, and a bit too strict.
Of course, when it came to her strictness, the Student Union as a whole might grumble occasionally, but no one had any real complaints.
Because Xu Yijing held herself to even higher standards.
Her self-discipline was so intense that it put the self-proclaimed elites of the Student Union to shame.
Even on normal rest days without classes—or during holidays—Xu Yijing would show up at the Student Union office precisely at seven in the morning and work straight through until six in the evening.
On days with classes, she wouldn’t grant herself any extra rest after they ended.
If you couldn’t find Xu Yijing anywhere, you could always check her office. That had become common knowledge among the Student Union members.
She was like a tireless work machine, her mind seemingly filled only with work matters. Even her conversations with others always circled back to schedules and arrangements after three sentences.
So while she enjoyed widespread recognition, she was hardly someone people wanted to get close to.
Her work ethic and attitude were impeccable, but she lacked that human touch.
Thus, people in the Student Union respected her and held her in awe, but none of them thought about befriending her.
And in their view, she didn’t need friends anyway.
How could someone so wholly devoted to work possibly need friendship?
From that angle, Xu Yijing and Zhao Qingyu were surprisingly similar.
Even though their personalities, styles, and reputations were worlds apart, their situations in their respective environments were much the same.
But that was just an illusion. Anyone who thought Xu Yijing was as “pitiful” as Zhao Qingyu would be gravely mistaken.
Dig a little deeper into the issue, and those paying attention would spot the difference.
For Zhao Qingyu, others avoided friendship out of fear of trouble or reluctance to get too involved—a stance of resistance.
For Xu Yijing, people felt she didn’t need friends; approaching her uninvited would only disrupt her and lead to self-embarrassment—a stance of acceptance.
In short, Zhao Qingyu faced rejection, while Xu Yijing commanded genuine reverence.
A chime rang out from her phone.
Xu Yijing’s gaze shifted slightly as she glanced at the lit-up screen.
Seeing it was a message from Zhao Qingyu, she narrowed her eyes and ignored it for now. “Alright, there’s nothing else to discuss. You can head back.”
“Okay.”
The department president nodded and bowed slightly before turning to leave. The moment she stepped out and closed the office door, a wave of relief washed over her.
Only then did Xu Yijing pick up her phone, tap open Zhao Qingyu’s message, and give it a look.
She glanced at it once, then set the phone down.
Her eyes returned to the computer screen as she resumed her work, seemingly indifferent to the message’s contents.
About half an hour passed like this. On the other end, Zhao Qingyu grew impatient from waiting and finally called Xu Yijing directly.
The sudden ringtone interrupted Xu Yijing’s train of thought. She frowned in mild annoyance, but when she saw it was Zhao Qingyu calling, her furrowed brows relaxed.
A faint, teasing smile crept onto her refined, serious little face.
Xu Yijing deliberately waited until the ringtone was about to end before answering.
“What’s up?”
Zhao Qingyu frowned instinctively the moment she heard Xu Yijing’s voice.
That curt, superior tone of questioning was as arrogant as ever.
“Oh? Is our Vice Chairman Xu hard at work in her office again?”
Zhao Qingyu’s lips curved into a mocking smile as she rose slowly and strolled to the window.
“If you’re just calling to poke fun, I’m hanging up now.”
Xu Yijing replied coolly.
Hah~
How infuriating!
Zhao Qingyu cut straight to the chase without further banter. “Didn’t you see the message I sent? If not, check it now.”
“I did.”
Xu Yijing said calmly.
“You did?” Zhao Qingyu paused, then caught on immediately. “Hah, pulling that trick again, huh? Pretending to be unflappable while your heart’s in a stormy sea inside.”
“Waiting for me to call just so you can play it cool?”
The teasing smile on Xu Yijing’s face widened. “If that’s what you want to think, I suppose I’ll go along with it.”
“Tch. Talking to you is always so boring.”
Zhao Qingyu said coldly.
“Then why’d you call?” Xu Yijing’s tone held a hint of puzzlement.
Aaaah!!!
Zhao Qingyu set her phone down and pounded the pillow on her bed with her little fist.
Once her anger subsided a bit, she picked up the phone again and said softly, “I’m just calling to tell you: don’t pull any tricks behind my back.”
Xu Yijing leaned back in her chair and replied gently, “What tricks? I don’t know what you mean.”
“Quit playing dumb, Xu Yijing.”
Zhao Qingyu raised her voice. “You told him to join my department so you could keep tabs on my every move, right?”
“I’m telling you, it won’t work.”
“Him?”
Xu Yijing feigned confusion. “Oh, you mean Shen An?”
“You’re misunderstanding. I didn’t tell him to join. He wanted to himself.”
“And I heard it was you who was so eager to pull him in.”
Zhao Qingyu narrowed her eyes. “That’s because I didn’t know he was living with you.”
“But now I do.”
“Ha~” Xu Yijing let out a low chuckle, her tone mocking. “Let’s stop beating around the bush. What are you really trying to say?”
She didn’t believe Zhao Qingyu’s intel could be that slow.
This was just a probing shot.
“Fine. I don’t really mean anything else. I just wanted to rub it in your face a little.”
Even through the phone, Xu Yijing could feel the smugness radiating from Zhao Qingyu.
She frowned, her expression darkening.
Zhao Qingyu pressed on. “This is the new psychologist Auntie found for you, right? Didn’t expect him to be so young.”
“But having a freshman pose as your ‘psychologist’? Has Auntie’s judgment slipped?”
Xu Yijing’s voice grew low and ominous. “Watch your mouth. And this is none of your business.”
“Ara, getting angry? Looks like that silly boy wasn’t lying—he really isn’t your spy.”
Zhao Qingyu giggled, her laughter melodic yet grating.
Xu Yijing’s face turned stormy, her eyes flashing with cold menace. “I said, it’s none of your business.”
“Is it? Really none of my business?”
Zhao Qingyu’s laughter cut off abruptly, replaced by a heavy accusation. “Then why are you manipulating him from behind the scenes?”
“Trying that old trick again—goading me into a rage so I become your knife and cut him out of your life.”
“Can’t you come up with something new?”
“You’re so resistant, yet too scared to tell Auntie straight. You have to resort to these dirty tactics to vent your dissatisfaction.”
“Let me count: how many is this now? Ten already?”
Xu Yijing’s hand tightened around the phone, knuckles whitening and veins bulging.
Her calm facade vanished.
Clearly, Zhao Qingyu’s mockery had genuinely inflicted some “damage” on Xu Yijing.
“Oh, thinking about it, it’s pretty funny, isn’t it?”
“Your own mother suspects you’re sick, but you don’t dare say a word. All you can do is dismantle the people she sends over, one after another. Mother and daughter, scheming against each other in mutual suspicion.”
Zhao Qingyu’s tone grew even flatter, but her words became sharper and more cutting with every syllable.
“But what’s the point of it all? The more you keep her at arm’s length, the more she suspects you. By now, it’s probably become a full-blown obsession.”
“Otherwise, she wouldn’t have sent a freshman your way.”
“Auntie wouldn’t think that picking someone around your age would make it easier to get close to you, would she?”
“Yeah, the previous ones were either old aunties or creepy old men—too obvious, riddled with holes.”
Xu Yijing closed her eyes, her voice hoarse. “Zhao Qingyu, I don’t want to argue with you. So please, stop bringing up my family matters.”
“Know when to stop!”
“I have no intention of arguing with you either. I’m just concerned about you, that’s all.”
Zhao Qingyu’s lips curved slightly in a mocking smile. “After all, we’re family, aren’t we?”
“Right, cousin?”
