Chapter 45: Softness Overcomes Hardness, Dripping Water Penetrates Stone

After Hu Linyu and Shen Youchu left, Chen Hanxing quietly smoked a cigarette outside the office building, then composed himself before returning to Yu Yueping's office.

"Secretary Yu, I'm Chen Hanxing, class leader of the Public Administration Class 2 in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. The girl who was here just now is from our class. She didn't fully understand the situation and spoke out of turn. Please don't take it to heart."

Yu Yueping looked up in surprise at the mention of Chen Hanxing's title, and simply nodded with a soft "Hmm."

It was unusual for a student to address him as "Secretary Yu" instead of the more common "Teacher Yu." Most students, including Hu Linyu, always called him "Teacher Yu," as if he were solely in an academic role. Yu Yueping was secretly irritated by the fact that he wasn't addressed in a way that acknowledged his role as the Deputy Secretary of the Youth League Committee, a position he was quite proud of. 

Furthermore, Chen Hanxing's mention of being the class leader was also noteworthy. In university, class leaders held a certain weight, acting as an assistant and spokesperson for the counselor. By taking responsibility for the situation, Chen Hanxing had effectively smoothed over the incident.

As for the matter of applying for the poverty grant, it was crucial for applicants to align with the school's stance, and Hu Linyu had made a misstep by not understanding this. She had inadvertently steered the conversation off course.

After his greeting, Chen Hanxing didn't immediately bring up the issue of the grant or engage in idle chatter. Instead, noticing that the bulletin board in the office was disorganized, he went over and started tidying it up. Yu Yueping watched this, eyebrows raised in mild surprise. He understood Chen Hanxing's motive: it was clearly all about the poverty grant. However, this approach was fresh and unexpected. Unlike other students who either cried, argued, or made a scene, Chen Hanxing's method was quietly effective.

While cleaning, Chen Hanxing noticed that the office floor was dirty as well, and without saying a word, he grabbed a mop and began cleaning. Yu Yueping was taken aback and tried to stop him.

"We have an aunt who cleans here," Yu Yueping said.

"No worries, Secretary Yu, I'm not tired," Chen Hanxing responded with a sincere smile.

Yu Yueping rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, "I didn't ask if you were tired, but if you want to do this, go ahead. I'll follow the proper procedure."

After cleaning, it was time for lunch. Yu Yueping stood up to leave.

"I'm heading to eat now," he said.

"Okay," Chen Hanxing responded quickly, heading out of the office as Yu Yueping closed the door behind him.

The next afternoon, Yu Yueping had barely settled into his office when Chen Hanxing arrived punctually.

"Secretary Yu," Chen Hanxing greeted, carrying a bag and smiling warmly.

"Why are you here again? Don't you have class?" Yu Yueping asked.

"We don't have class this afternoon," Chen Hanxing replied, though only he knew whether that was true.

Yu Yueping didn't want to keep him around and suggested, "You've already cleaned the office well this morning. If you're not busy, you can go back to the dormitory."

But Chen Hanxing refused. "I only cleaned the floor this morning. The cabinets still need wiping."

With that, he took out a towel from his bag and began wiping down the office cabinets without waiting for permission.

Yu Yueping sighed internally. "Well, I won't stop you. Let's see how long this lasts."

Chen Hanxing was meticulous and methodical, and Yu Yueping couldn't help but occasionally watch him while working. After finishing, Chen Hanxing took a break, fetching hot water from the water room and sitting on the guest sofa, sipping and resting.

Yu Yueping thought to himself, "This guy came prepared for a long haul."

By the time evening rolled around, Yu Yueping was ready to leave, but before he could, he turned to Chen Hanxing.

"Tomorrow, you don't need to come anymore. The office is clean now. I appreciate your help."

"There's still a corner you missed," Chen Hanxing said with a bashful smile. "I only wiped the outside of the cabinet this afternoon. The inside still needs cleaning."

Yu Yueping was speechless. He suspected that Chen Hanxing had intentionally left that spot for the next day.

The next morning, as expected, Chen Hanxing arrived punctually, "still without class," and immediately started cleaning the office cabinets again.

While sorting through the disorganized files, Chen Hanxing came across a document from May of this year titled "Support Opinions for University Student Entrepreneurship" from the School of Finance and Economics. This was likely aimed at graduating seniors, and he was tempted to read it. However, he wasn't sure if it was appropriate, so he hesitated before asking, "Secretary Yu, do these files get organized by time or category?"

"By time," Yu Yueping replied.

"Okay, got it," Chen Hanxing nodded, reassured that he could browse through the files without issue, using the pretense of looking for the dates to check the documents. As he did so, he read through a few of the school's public files over the past couple of years, many of which were overlooked by most students. These documents were posted on the bulletin board, but no one bothered to read them. As a result, many opportunities had been missed, opportunities that could have been beneficial for students like him.

The atmosphere in the office felt strange as Yu Yueping worked on his materials while Chen Hanxing continued organizing files. Occasionally, teachers passing by would joke, "Old Yu, is this your little secretary?"

Yu Yueping could only laugh along.

The next day, when they were eating lunch together, Yu Yueping asked seriously, "What's your name again?"

"Secretary Yu, my name is Chen Hanxing. I'm from the Public Administration Class 2 in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences," Chen Hanxing replied.

Yu Yueping nodded but didn't tell him not to come again, probably knowing that nothing he said would change Chen Hanxing's mind.

That afternoon, as usual, Chen Hanxing showed up on time. The office was still filled with the sounds of paper rustling as the two of them worked in silence. During a break, Yu Yueping asked casually, "Chen, do you smoke?"

"Occasionally," Chen Hanxing answered.

Yu Yueping tossed him a cigarette and reminded him, "Don't burn the files."

After lighting the cigarette for Yu Yueping, the two sat back and smoked in the office. 

Out of the blue, Yu Yueping asked, "Is it true that Shen Youchu's family is really as poor as you say?"

"Yes, it is," Chen Hanxing replied. "Her parents passed away when she was young, and she was raised by her elderly grandmother, who has no source of income and poor health. Shen Youchu tries to save as much as she can, eating only rice without vegetables, sometimes drinking free soup. Her monthly living expenses don't exceed 50 yuan."

Yu Yueping didn't respond immediately, but he seemed to believe Chen Hanxing's words during this casual conversation, in contrast to how unaffected he had been when Hu Linyu spoke with such emotion.