Club recruitment
Lunch Break
Luo Ye and his three roommates arrived at Canteen Three, looking utterly exhausted.
The morning had been grueling, with two long lectures from 8:30 AM to 11:50 AM. And with another class starting at 2 PM, there was barely any time to rest.
Hellish Mondays truly lived up to their name.
Compared to Canteen One, the food in Canteen Three was significantly better. It had been renovated into a trendy "internet-famous" cafeteria, and most importantly, it had two floors—three times the size of Canteen One.
Wang Dachui and Li Haoyang devoured their meals like two bottomless pits.
"If you're not eating with enthusiasm, something's wrong with your mindset."
"By the way," Wang Dachui suddenly asked, "Coach, Movie Star, Wild Kid, club registrations are starting soon. What clubs are you guys interested in joining?"
"I'm not joining any," Shen Qiao replied flatly.
"I'm definitely signing up for a sports club. If there's a fitness club, even better," Li Haoyang said earnestly.
Luo Ye hadn't given it much thought, so he simply said, "I don't know. I'll just go with the flow."
Seeing their indifferent attitudes, Wang Dachui made a face as if he were heartbroken.
"My dear children, let me remind you—" he said in an exaggerated tone, "we need to earn credits! Joining a club and participating in activities makes it so much easier to get them!"
Hearing this, Shen Qiao smirked and looked at him playfully. "Are you confused about your seniority again? Do you want me to play that video one more time?"
"Fake! That video is definitely fake! We're all computer science students—video editing is a piece of cake! How dare you frame me, you ungrateful child?!"
Just then, Shen Qiao pulled out his phone and played a recording. A loud voice echoed from the speaker:
"Dad!"
He had even set it as his morning alarm—blaring every day at 8 AM in their dorm.
"Shen Qiao! For the next four years, I'm your sworn enemy!"
Luo Ye and Li Haoyang burst out laughing.
"We have three days to register for clubs," Li Haoyang said. "We're busy today, so let's check them out tomorrow."
Each club had set up recruitment booths along the school pathways, promoting their groups and inviting new students to join.
"You guys go ahead, I'll pass," Shen Qiao said, clearly uninterested.
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The Next Day – Club Recruitment
The following afternoon, with no computer science classes scheduled, the three roommates roamed around the bustling club recruitment area.
Wang Dachui's eyes darted around excitedly, especially at the dance club and anime club booths.
The moment he spotted a girl cosplaying as Asuna, he rushed over with a serious expression.
"Miss, can I join the anime club?"
"Of course! We'd love to have you!" the cosplaying senior responded warmly.
With that, Wang Dachui was instantly drawn into her world of sweetness and charm.
Soon, the anime club members began performing a "宅舞" (otaku dance). Despite not being in costume, Wang Dachui blended right in, his impressive dance skills surpassing even the club members.
A genius!
He was, without a doubt, the most talented recruit the anime club had ever seen.
Luo Ye and Li Haoyang stood to the side, utterly speechless.
Only they knew the truth—Wang Dachui wasn't a genius. He was just a hardcore otaku.
And an extreme extrovert.
Meanwhile, Li Haoyang signed up for the fitness club, while Luo Ye wandered over to the literature club.
The literature club's booth was right next to the school magazine club's. As soon as Luo Ye arrived, the senior girls from both groups immediately lit up.
"What a handsome and refined young man!"
The two senior girls stepped forward simultaneously, standing on either side of Luo Ye as if preparing for an epic showdown.
He could feel an invisible pressure weighing down on him.
Had he made a mistake coming here?
Each girl grabbed one of his arms.
"Join the magazine club!"
"Join the literature club!"
Hearing each other's voices, they both glared at one another and started bickering.
"The last freshman was stolen by your magazine club! This one is ours!"
"What kind of logic is that? Are we supposed to take turns? Our magazine club is way more prestigious!"
"Nonsense! The literature club is the number one club at Jiang University. You're just a copycat!"
"The younger generation always surpasses the old! Just because the magazine club is newer doesn't mean we're not better!"
"What did you just say?!"
"That we're better! If you don't believe it, let's settle this in the next school publication—whoever gets more engagement wins!"
These two clubs had been rivals for funding, competing fiercely each semester.
Luo Ye, caught between them, was at a complete loss.
Then, a calm voice broke through the tension.
"What are you two doing?"
The two senior girls instantly froze. Their aggressive postures melted into demure obedience as they lowered their heads like children caught misbehaving.
"S-Senior Su…"
They quickly let go of Luo Ye's arms and looked down sheepishly.
Su Baizhou was in her third year and also the student council president—their direct superior.
"Club recruitment should not involve fighting over new students," she said coolly.
"Sorry, Senior Su. We understand," they mumbled before retreating to their booths.
But they still weren't willing to give up such a handsome recruit.
Su Baizhou turned to Luo Ye and asked, "Which club do you want to join?"
"I… I haven't decided yet. I was just looking around," he admitted.
As an aspiring web novelist, he was curious about literature-related clubs. But their overly enthusiastic recruitment methods had caught him off guard.
"Senior, are you here to maintain order?" Luo Ye asked.
"No, I'm recruiting for my own club," she replied.
"I'm the president of the Hanfu Club."
With that, she walked past Luo Ye toward the Hanfu Club booth.
In her arms, she held a beautifully folded red Hanfu outfit—likely too busy earlier to put it on.