Chapter 102: If I’m Not Here, This Place Falls Apart!
TL: Etude
After securing the full set of documents from the boss lady, Jiang Qin returned to his dorm at Linchuan University. He placed the items by his bed, planning to find an appropriate time to deliver them.
Meanwhile, Shengshi was in a rush to produce materials, coordinating with Jiang Qin for the final battle of their project.
On Saturday morning, just as the sun began to rise, a white van entered the university gates, carrying the materials for the award ceremony, including the custom-made trophies and certificates.
Having already obtained permission from the university, Jiang Qin arranged to use the sports field from 1 to 2 PM for the ceremony. He arrived at the scene with Feng Nanshu.
The two sat on the plastic track, watching the staff busy themselves while sipping on their sweet milk teas—one looking relaxed and carefree, the other cool and detached.
Autumn leaves, blown by the southern wind, drifted into the sports field from beyond the fence, slowly falling and carpeting the ground in golden hues.
Jiang Qin opened a seasonal large pomegranate, offering half to the little rich lady.
“Do you want the bigger half or the smaller one?”
“Jiang Qin, I’d like it peeled, one seed at a time.”
“…”
Jiang Qin smacked his lips, thinking to himself how adorably naive the little rich lady was, and then he began to peel the fruit. However, he had barely started when Wei Lanlan, in charge of staff recruitment, rushed into the sports field. She carried a stack of registration forms, filled with candidates applying to be Jiang Qin’s secretary.
There were five male and five female candidates, all meticulously selected by her.
The men were chosen for their strong business skills, capable of managing affairs both on paper and in action.
The women were selected for their beauty, either having a good figure or a pretty face.
“Boss, here are ten candidates for the secretary position. Please have a look. I’ve already done an initial screening, and these are the most suitable ones.”
Jiang Qin took the forms, examining them carefully.
Truth be told, he wanted a competent secretary. Not necessarily outstanding, but at least efficient and diligent. He didn’t want someone who would take the job lightly and think of leaving halfway through. That wouldn’t be ideal.
So, he ruled out all the first-year students.
Freshmen had yet to settle in. Those who seek part-time jobs were usually driven by novelty or the desire to earn some extra cash for dating, fearing their allowance might not suffice.
But if a student was still interested in part-time work in their second or third year and had experience from their first year, it meant they were either really in need of money or genuinely eager to improve themselves.
“Hey, beauty, can you kick the ball over here?”
“Wow, she’s so pretty. Which department’s goddess is she?”
“Beauty, let’s exchange QQ numbers. How about dinner tonight?”
While Jiang Qin was reviewing the forms, he heard the voices and turned to see several male students playing football on the field, teasing and calling out to Feng Nanshu, who was sitting nearby.
Frowning, Jiang Qin was about to go over and scold them, but to his surprise, Feng Nanshu stood up in response.
Driven by her kind nature, even her social anxiety couldn’t stop her from helping others. She approached the ball that had rolled over and kicked it away, unexpectedly sending it several meters high and out of the sports field.
“…”
“…”
The college boys’ smiles vanished, and after a moment of silence, they chased after the ball.
Jiang Qin felt a tingling in his scalp and pretended not to see, turning back to the forms. However, he noticed that Wei Lanlan had grabbed the stack of papers from him.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Qin asked, puzzled.
Wei Lanlan, looking tense, took the forms back, removed all the female candidates, and handed it back to him. “Nothing, I just remembered that I wasn’t very strict in my selection. A few unqualified candidates slipped through. Okay… now it’s fine, they’re all very suitable for you.”
“…”
Jiang Qin glanced at the remaining five forms in his hand, thinking, ‘All these are guys, and I’m not in a government office. What male boss would prefer a male secretary?’
I’m not being sexist, but when it comes to attentiveness and patience, women do seem more suited for the role of a secretary.
“Forget the secretary for now,” Jiang Qin handed the forms back to Wei Lanlan.
Wei Lanlan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking how crucial her role was. Without her, everything would fall apart, and the boss couldn’t survive without her: “I’ll go back and look again, and report to you as soon as I find someone suitable.”
“Alright, go back to the office. Oh, and call Dong Wenhao over to host the award ceremony. I’d rather not show up.”
“Okay, boss.”
Half an hour later, the workers had finished setting up the stage, which looked professional and well-made. The designer, Pang Hai, had clearly advanced in his skills, creating a design that was simple yet elegant.
Dong Wenhao arrived at the scene, rehearsing the award speech written by Shi Miaomiao over and over.
The notified students began to gather at the sports field, eventually surrounding the stage, making it impenetrable.
Truth be told, Jiang Qin didn’t enjoy such grand events. After all, a campus beauty contest is more entertainment than serious business for college students. But since everyone had already come, he couldn’t just turn them away, so he let them in one by one.
Interestingly, they even made support signs, giving the event a fan-meeting vibe.
Among them, Fang Xuan, who was third in the contest, had the most fans, as the Journalism Department was on the main campus, making it convenient for them to join.
Next was Chu Siqi.
Although the Law School was on the East Campus, a bit far away, many still came to support her, indicating her status as the top campus beauty was indeed prestigious.
Then there was Hong Yan, ranked fourth.
Although she had transferred departments, many from the Law Department still liked her, and the International Trade Department, knowing she was their new goddess, also had many supporters.
Next was Liu Yiyi, the runner-up. She too had numerous fans, but her expression wasn’t great when she appeared at the scene.
To be honest, she couldn’t understand how she lost to Chu Siqi. Weren’t there as many men in the Literature Department as in the Law Department? Could it be that she only looked delicate?
Next was Wu Meng from the Architectural Engineering Department. Honestly, her looks were a bit lacking, but she was the darling of all the guys in her department and not to be underestimated.
As the music started, the award ceremony officially began. Chu Siqi, wearing a white dress, went on stage, her face full of pride.
Being the top campus beauty was an honor she hadn’t even achieved in high school, where the always radiant Feng Nanshu was an unattainable presence.
But there were far more girls in college than in high school, making this honor quite significant.
Hong Yan, on the other hand, was expressionless, neither excited nor particularly happy. Having been the high school campus beauty and called so for three years, she didn’t care much about such titles. So, after receiving her award, she planned to leave but was stopped by Chu Siqi.
“Hong Yan, let’s make peace,” Chu Siqi said to her.
Hong Yan smiled slightly: “No need. I’ve already got approval to move to the International Trade Department dormitory. We won’t have to see each other anymore.”
“Even if you leave, I still hope we can make peace.”
“Do you think that’s possible after all this?”
“It is because I won’t compete with you for Jiang Qin anymore.” Chu Siqi tried to keep her voice calm.
“Is it because you became number one and saw a broader world, making you think Jiang Qin isn’t worth it?”
Chu Siqi’s face paled, and after a long moment, she said through gritted teeth, “Yes, you’re right. With so many people liking me, I don’t need to fixate on one tree. Besides, he’s too cold towards me. We met by chance on a train, and he wouldn’t even look at me!”
After a pause, Hong Yan said, “You should know, I don’t like the false title of campus beauty.”
“So, you think I’m vain? But if you don’t care, why did you come to receive the award?” Chu Siqi was losing her temper.
“Well, since you asked, I’ll tell you the truth. I agreed to attend this event only to help Jiang Qin.”
“?”
“Don’t you know? The owner of the Zhihu forum is Jiang Qin. This top campus beauty title is also his gift to you.”
Hong Yan’s words struck like thunder, leaving Chu Siqi with wide eyes and an even paler face.
What kind of explanation was this? Her campus beauty title was bestowed by Jiang Qin? How could he have the power to influence the entire school?
“Do you think I’m a three-year-old?”
“Go ask the host who just gave you the award who Jiang Qin is.” Hong Yan left after dropping these words.
Chu Siqi lifted her dress and ran to the backstage, finding the host: “Senior, hello, I have a question for you.”
“What is it?” Dong Wenhao looked confused.
Chu Siqi took a deep breath: “Do you know Jiang Qin?”
“Of course, he’s our boss.”
“…”
Later, as evening fell, Linchuan University welcomed a light autumn rain, bringing a chill with it.
Chu Siqi returned from the main campus to the East Campus, opened her dorm room to find Hong Yan’s bed neatly made, but she didn’t care. She just sat in her chair, lost in thought.
During the holiday, to have a chance encounter with Jiang Qin, she had asked Wang Huiru to get the train number from Guo Zihang.
But it was precisely because of that encounter that Chu Siqi truly understood Jiang Qin’s dislike, even strong aversion to her.
She was a girl who cared a lot about her image, thinking if Jiang Qin didn’t like her, why should she cling to him? With so many choosing her as campus beauty and liking him, why should she lose herself over Jiang Qin?
But now she realized, the honor she was proud of was all created by him, and her pride might be worthless in his eyes.
“Siqi, what’s wrong?”
Wang Huiru found her pale and wondered, hadn’t she left excitedly to receive an award?
“It’s nothing.”
“Hey, did you know? I heard the forum that awarded you got over five hundred thousand in advertising fees, with clients booked until the end of the year. And the person running it is our freshman peer!”
Chu Siqi forced a laugh and crawled into bed.
So, the person she once thought was within easy reach had become so outstanding.
A test?
Was she crazy to even think of testing such a person…
Three thousand words for this update. I need to sleep for a bit, can’t stay awake. I’ll write more when I get up.
This chapter is updated by freew(e)bnovel.(c)om