Chapter 19: The Talkative Boys Are All Liars

The freshmen's assembly was as boring as ever. Several faculty leaders took the stage to speak while the new students sweated under the hot sun.

"Damn, it's so hot," Chen Hansheng muttered.

"Old Four, what are you complaining about? You didn't say anything about the heat when you were chatting with the girls earlier," Yang Shichao remarked sourly from the side.

"Exactly," Jin Yangming chimed in, pouting, "Chen ge treated everyone to a Sprite at lunch, one cup per person."

The guy was actually the most upset. Earlier, all the girls in the class had been talking to Chen Hansheng, but no one paid attention to his phone. No one even noticed his attempts to show off.

Finally, the freshmen assembly ended, and the next event was activities for each class. The counselor, Guo Zhongyun, led the students toward the teaching building.

Along the way, the boys exchanged knowing glances because several of the girls in their class were very attractive. The girls, fully aware that the boys were checking them out, pretended not to notice, but their smiles and proud expressions betrayed their true feelings.

In college, it wasn't just the boys who were reserved.

The exception was Shen Youchu. She kept her head down, trailing behind the other girls, as if wanting to fit in but also isolating herself.

Once they sat down in the classroom, dorm leader Chen Hansheng looked around and asked, "Where's Old Six?"

"He went to the bathroom," Dai Zhenyou replied, adding, "He even took his phone to the bathroom. I was in the middle of a game, and he interrupted me."

However, no one had anticipated Jin Yangming's ability to show off. Just as Guo Zhongyun was about to begin the first class meeting, Jin Yangming appeared at the door.

Holding his phone, he said loudly, "Hello, hello, I can't hear you. Could you speak louder? Never mind, we'll talk after class."

This immediately caught everyone's attention. After hanging up, Jin Yangming apologized innocently to Guo Zhongyun, "Sorry, teacher, I had to take a call."

Guo Zhongyun, having dealt with countless students over the years, had seen all sorts of attention-seeking antics. He simply nodded and gestured for Jin Yangming to take his seat.

Jin Yangming sat down, complaining angrily to Dai Zhenyou, "The signal's terrible. I paid 7,000 yuan for this phone, and I can't even make a call."

Dai Zhenyou, being a loyal admirer, immediately joined in cursing the mobile carrier.

Chen Hansheng couldn't help but admire how well Jin Yangming played his part.

…

With Jin Yangming's interruption, the classroom atmosphere became lively. Guo Zhongyun cleared his throat and started outlining some important matters. Freshmen had a lot of miscellaneous things to deal with, such as military training, book collection, and electronic data entry.

Guo Zhongyun spoke without repeating himself. Once one topic was finished, he moved on to the next. Repetition was something high school teachers did to ensure every student understood, but college professors just covered their responsibilities and didn't worry too much about student feedback.

Afterward, it was time for self-introductions. Everyone seemed excited about this part of the meeting.

"Hello, my name is Zhang Xiaoxian, and I'm from Pengcheng, East Province…"

Starting from the seat on the far left, each person took turns introducing themselves. The format was similar, "Hello, I'm XXX, from XXX…"

Some of the girls, confident in their looks, took off their military hats during their introductions, revealing their beautiful faces. Every time this happened, the boys would nudge each other, excitedly grinning.

Chen Hansheng wasn't particularly interested in anyone else, lazily reclining in his chair. It was only when Shen Youchu stood up to introduce herself that he straightened up, leaning forward and staring intently.

Shen Youchu was different from the other girls. Her face was completely hidden under her military hat, and she didn't dare look ahead. Her voice was so soft it was barely audible.

"Hello, I'm Shen Youchu, from Sichuan and Chongqing, thank you."

Such a simple sentence, but Shen Youchu stuttered twice before quickly lowering her head and sitting back down.

"Can't see her face clearly, so I'll give her a 2.15 score, purely out of sympathy," Guo Shaoqiang commented, acting like a judge. He gave every girl a score, even going so far as to give decimals. Currently, Shang Yanyan was leading with a score of 8.85.

Jin Yangming, who had perfected his act, paused and shook his head, saying, "Not just 2 points. She's tall, and though you can't see her face, her hair's so smooth. She should at least get a 4."

Chen Hansheng was a bit surprised, thinking to himself that the native of Jianye had a more refined sense of beauty than Guo Shaoqiang.

In fact, Shen Youchu was quite unique. Due to financial difficulties during her four years of college, she rarely ate meat, and her hair had stayed smooth and healthy. As the saying goes, beauties are born in Sichuan and Chongqing, and she was no exception.

After the introductions, it was time to elect the class leader. In the past, Hu Linyu had been appointed class leader at this point. However, this time, due to Chen Hansheng's deliberate actions, Guo Zhongyun hesitated.

After observing, Guo Zhongyun realized that Chen Hansheng's organizational skills, his way of speaking, and his ability to handle matters were all superior to Hu Linyu's.

However, Hu Linyu also had her strengths—she was enthusiastic, active, proactive, and even had a sense of dedication, all of which were important traits for a class leader.

Guo Zhongyun glanced again at Chen Hansheng and Hu Linyu. Hu Linyu looked at him eagerly, her face filled with expectation, while Chen Hansheng, indifferent, joked with his roommate.

Guo Zhongyun weighed the situation in his mind and said, "We were supposed to elect a class leader today, but since everyone's still unfamiliar with each other, I've decided to set the time for a week from now."

"A week from now, we'll choose the class leader of the Public Administration II class."

With that, Guo Zhongyun left, and the classroom immediately became noisy.

Yang Shichao, with the loudest voice, shouted, "Old Four, you've got to compete for class leader! You've got to have our backs if anything comes up!"

Even Jin Yangming agreed, "If you become the class leader, you can help us out with things like signing in, skipping classes, and credits."

Yang Shichao and Jin Yangming didn't really understand why Chen Hansheng had to be nominated, but since they didn't want the job themselves, it seemed like Chen Hansheng was the only suitable candidate.

Their logic was simple: since Chen Hansheng was the dorm leader, it would be easier to communicate if he became the class leader. Though it felt like a "choosing the least bad candidate" situation, they all agreed.

Hu Linyu, hearing this, couldn't believe her competitor was Chen Hansheng. She had originally had a good impression of him.

"Know the person, know the face, but not the heart," Hu Linyu sighed. Her life goal was clear: start with becoming class leader, then move on to being selected for a school-appointed role, and eventually enter the civil service. So, being class leader was crucial for her.

After sitting for a while, Hu Linyu finally stood up and prepared to leave. Since she had a challenger, she had no choice but to prepare for the competition.

She turned around and saw that only Shen Youchu was still there. This roommate was always lonely, usually the last one to leave.

"Youchu, let me tell you something. All the talkative boys are liars. Remember that," she said.

"Mm…" Shen Youchu looked up, slightly stunned, and quietly responded.

But no one could see the delicate, beautiful face hidden beneath her military hat, which was no less stunning than Xiao Rongyu's.