Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Lu Rong handed over his list of ideal student council members to the “All Villains” group that afternoon.
Lu Rong: “Student council president, barring any unforeseen circumstances, will be Ji Wenfeng. His popularity is unmatched, and his backing is strong. He’s nominated by both the public and officials, so his election as student council president is a sure thing. Since I have a way to get close to him, we won’t participate in the student council president competition.”
Lu Rong: “For student council vice president, I think Fang Chang is a good choice. Ji Wenfeng is capable and controlling. If we choose someone equally strong as vice president, it will only lead to confrontation and serious internal strife, and nothing will get done. Fang Chang may lack his own opinions, but he has strong execution skills and can be a good deputy to Ji Wenfeng. Moreover, he’s naturally cheerful and like a mascot, suitable for mitigating the boys’ aversion to Ji Wenfeng and increasing the student council’s affinity.”
Lu Rong: “For organization Minister, I want to recommend Ling Ren. He’s meticulous in his thinking and practical in his work. He’s upright and honest, very reliable when it comes to organizing events and personnel arrangements.”
Li Nanbian: “As far as I know, Ling Ren wants to run for student council president.”
Lu Rong: “No way. Because of Ji Wenfeng, Ling Ren can’t be president or vice president, he’ll be eliminated unjustly. It’s a waste not to use such talent, I’ll find a way to get him to change his application.”
Lu Rong: “I plan to appoint Xiao Zhuqing as the Minister of Arts.”
All the villains: “Damn it!”
Lu Rong: “Although Xiao Zhuqing is seriously corrupt, it’s undeniable that no one can match her in promoting arts. In just half a year, she has infected more than half of the girls in the school into fujoshi (female fans of male-male romance), a level of influence that even Li Nanbian couldn’t achieve.” As he spoke, he gave Li Nanbian a serious look.
Li Nanbian lowered his head in shame and indignation: “I admit defeat.”
Lu Rong: “She can write novels, draw comics, edit videos, cosplay, voice actors, make radio dramas, and organize fan support. Every day, she gathers a group of girlfriends to create content. With such organizational skills, action, and versatility, if she puts them towards the right path, Chengnan would surely usher in a new round of cultural renaissance, and there wouldn’t be so few interesting extracurricular activities.”
Lu Rong: “Moreover, her attitude towards the school committee is particularly radical. She has reported on the vice principal’s occupation of the bicycle shed for parking. The student body needs her voice of resistance. I hope she can rebuild the once-glorious reporter group and use news interviews to achieve checks and balances on power, preventing the school committee from acting arbitrarily.”
Liang Wendao: “It’s just that we might all be portrayed as gay.”
Lu Rong calmly said: “Impossible. They are not interested in ugly straight men.”
Liang Wendao: I suspect the boss is cursing me, and I have found evidence!
Lu Rong: “I hope Shen Yu will take on the role of disciplinary committee member.”
Yan Gou: “!”
Deng Te: “Huh?”
Liang Wendao: “Shen Yu? That Shen Yu from Class 12? Isn’t he a natural-born battle maniac who beats up anyone he sees?”
Lu Rong: “It’s a waste not to use someone like that as a disciplinary committee member. Disciplinary committee members find it very easy to offend people, and choosing a weak, ordinary good student is just asking for trouble. Shen Yu is different, he’s a hooligan, he’s not afraid of any of the hooligans in this academy, he can keep the place in check.”
The group of villains imagined what it would be like if every morning Shen Yu, wearing a red armband, kicked open the classroom door: “Are you fu**ing studying properly?! Are you looking for death?!”
Uh… that’s pretty cool, isn’t it?!
Li Nanbian: “But Shen Yu’s ambition is student council president.”
Yan Gou: “!”
Deng Te: “Huh?”
Liang Wendao: “Are we talking about that Shen Yu from Class 12?!”
Lu Rong said it wasn’t a big problem: “Yan Gou, hack into the school’s election website and change his ambition.”
“I heard from his informant in Class 12 that Shen Yu’s decision to run for student council president was out of necessity; he only intended to go through the motions. Why go through the motions with someone like that? Let him pack up and contribute his remaining energy to the disciplinary committee!”
Liang Wendao said, “But there will be a speech video later.”
Lu Rong leaned back in his seat and groaned slightly, “That’s easy. When Shen Yu gives his speech to the whole school, Li Nanbian will take Yan Gou to the broadcasting room and mute his ‘running for student council president’ and change it to ‘running for disciplinary committee member.'”
All the villains: Boss is really something else.
Lu Rong then finalized the other positions. Besides Liang Wendao’s Academic Department and Deng Te’s Sports Department, the other department heads were also assigned according to their abilities.
“Everyone will be a bit busy for a while, and there might be overtime,” Lu Rong said. “But us controlling Chengnan depends on this battle!”
Lu Rong finalized the candidates, and the next step was to persuade them. Without reaching a preliminary agreement, there was no way to directly help their elections. At the very least, they needed to have a good relationship with the ‘All Villains Group’ to achieve a future partnership. Otherwise, if they were elected but then reneged on their promises, the team would be disunited and difficult to manage.
Lu Rong first targeted Ling Ren.
He logged into the ‘All Villains Group’ account and called Ling Ren using a voice changer: ‘Hello, is this Vice Class Monitor Ling from Class 1?’ Ling Ren called out uncertainly, ‘Fang Chang?’ Only Fang Chang would be so bored as to play these little devil pranks.
Lu Rong: ‘Don’t always think about romance, think about your career.’
Ling Ren on the other end of the line was respectful; these were clearly not words Fang Chang would say.
Ling Ren: ‘Who are you?’
Lu Rong: ‘Who I am is not important. What’s important is that I can help you win this election.’
Ling Ren frowned: ‘Sorry, I, Ling Ren, am upright and don’t need anyone’s help!'”
Lu Rong chuckled: “Your class monitor, Ji Wenfeng, is running for student council president this time, right? Do you think you have a chance?”
Ling Ren: “I was aiming for vice president.”
Lu Rong: “Although you’re strong, if a class has both a president and a vice president, do you think that’s fair to the candidates from other classes? Although it’s an election, the final decision rests with the school. To maintain fairness, the school won’t allow you to win.”
Ling Ren: “You…where did you hear that rumor?”
Lu Rong: “Although you’re questioning me with great force, you’ve probably had this question in your mind for a while: can a class really have two presidents?! You keep saying the election is fair, but you’ve already lost at the starting line. Even if you carefully try to avoid Ji Wenfeng’s sharp edge and only aim for vice president, you can’t escape your fate. You will become Ji Wenfeng’s sacrifice, no matter how excellent you are.”
“Do you want to stay his shadow forever?”
“!”
Ling Ren was struck on the heart and remained silent for a long time on the other end of the phone.
Ever since Ji Wenfeng arrived, he really had become a shadow.
Although everyone around Ji Wenfeng was a shadow, Ling Ren was different from the others.
Ling Ren was the de facto ruler of Class 1. Out of his low-key and peaceful nature, he did not make a big fuss, but it must be said that he enjoyed the feeling of being the mastermind behind the scenes.
But after Ji Wenfeng’s arrival, Ling Ren realized that no matter how well he handled things or how well he managed Class 1, the flowers and applause all belonged to Ji Wenfeng. He was no longer choosing to be forgotten; he was truly forgotten. It seemed his only value was being Ji Wenfeng’s deputy.
He could accept his fate, but that didn’t mean he was content!
“In the class, you’re his deputy. Are you going to repeat the same mistake in the student council?” the person on the other end of the phone demanded sharply.
Ling Ren clenched his fists: “…Then what do you suggest?”
“Change your application and run for Minister of Organization. The Organization Department is the perfect stage for you.”
Ling Ren’s pupils contracted: The Organization Department… although it’s just a department under the student council, it doesn’t have the title of “deputy.”
It’s one of the few departments with real power, leading all class officers in the school, holding weekly meetings, and responsible for personnel scheduling for all large-scale events. It’s indeed a very suitable position for him.
“As far as I know, there are quite a few candidates running for Organization Minister.” Ling Ren, being meticulous by nature, had already quickly considered the possibility of becoming Organization Minister.
Class 1 had already won the Student Council President election, and the class leaders from other classes, who were somewhat temperamental, were unwilling to run for Vice President. This led to exceptionally fierce competition for the Organization Minister position.
Lu Rong chuckled: “That’s right. So you need our help.”
Ling Ren: “Who are you?! Why are you calling?! First you tricked me into changing my election application, and now you’re trying to get me to join forces with you! What are you after?!”
Lu Rong: “There’s no such thing as a free lunch. My goal is simple: to make friends with you. Once you’re in power, there will be plenty of opportunities to get your ‘help’.”
Ling Ren: “Don’t even think about it!”
Lu Rong groaned softly: “The English listening headphones distributed by the school are of terrible quality, yet they cost 120 yuan a pair. Someone is embezzling money from students, taking their money and buying the cheapest ones during the bulk purchase. Don’t you want to change this situation?”
Ling Ren: “!”
Lu Rong: “I am able to help you win the election, so of course I hope you’ll do something meaningful after you gain power. Don’t worry, I won’t let you do anything illegal or unethical.”
Ling Ren: “If that’s the case…”
It might not be impossible.
Ling Ren, however, was a person with a strong sense of pride and unwillingness to break the rules, so he couldn’t help but ask, “What methods do you have to help me win the election?”
Lu Rong replied, “You don’t need to worry about that. Don’t worry, it still won’t be any unethical or illegal means.”
Ling Ren said, “But… if you can help me, you can help others, right?”
Lu Rong chuckled, “You’re the one I’ve chosen.”
Ling Ren was startled. What was this feeling of suddenly being noticed by a big shot?! So this is what it feels like to be recognized and valued!
Ling Ren said, “…Okay. Then I’ll trust you this once.”
Lu Rong nodded, “Then pay 1000 yuan for the election fee first.”
Ling Ren said, “Huh?”
Lu Rong said, “It’s mainly for promotional materials.”
Ling Ren said, “…”
There really is no free lunch in this world!
After choosing Ling Ren, Lu Rong’s second move was to fool Fang Chang.
This was too easy.
He also made a phone call using a voice changer.
Lu Rong: “Hello, is this Squad Leader Fang?”
Fang Chang: “Political Commissar Lu?!”
Lu Rong: “…” How come you still recognized me even though I used a female voice and sped up my speech to double speed?! Are you a true fan?!
Lu Rong: “Ahem, no, I’m the villain.”
Fang Chang: “Rong Rong, what are you doing? I need to grab a rebound, so get to the point.”
Lu Rong: “I already said it’s not Rong Rong, it’s the villain, what’s wrong with you?!”
Fang Chang: “Okay, okay, what’s up?”
Lu Rong calmed down: “I can help you win this election.”
Fang Chang said carelessly: “I was already going to win, don’t worry about me.”
Lu Rong: “…” Why are you so confident?! Who gave you the courage, Liang Jingru[1]?!
Lu Rong: “In this student council election, Ji Wenfeng from Class 1 has a 100% chance of winning. The class monitors, vice monitors, and Youth League secretaries from the other 11 classes are all vying for the position of student council vice president. Your competition is fierce.”
Fang Chang: “Huh? Who said Ji Wenfeng’s participation rate is 100%? I clearly have a higher chance of winning as student council president.”
Lu Rong: “…” You’re not just brave, you’re completely clueless! Everyone wants to sleep with Ji Wenfeng the moment he appears on screen, but everyone wants to sleep with you the moment you appear on screen[2]! What’s the comparison between you two?!
Fortunately, both student council president and vice president are the same position, and the two with the most votes are elected, so Lu Rong didn’t need to argue about it anymore. Fang Chang didn’t even need to change his application.
Lu Rong smoothed his hair, “Although your chances of winning are high, I have to say you still have some rather tough competitors.”
Fang Chang said impatiently, “I already said Ji Wenfeng is no match for me…”
Lu Rong’s lips moved, and he uttered a name that Fang Chang couldn’t refuse: “What about Ling Ren?”
Fang Chang fell silent.
The atmosphere on the other end of the phone became heavy.
He clicked his tongue, “Ling Ren is indeed a competitor worth taking seriously.”
Lu Rong: “…” So why is Ji Wenfeng not as good as Ling Ren in your heart?! And is this serious and respectful tone for real? Is he playing the Calabash Brothers for you every day?!
Because there were too many things to complain about, Lu Rong decided to get to the point quickly: “Ling Ren paid us 1,000 yuan to help organize the election.”
Fang Chang: “I’ll pay 2,000! Give me Alipay!!! I absolutely don’t want to lose to him!!!!”
Lu Rong pushed the official Alipay account of the “All Villains” group, and the money arrived in a few seconds.
Lu Rong: “Okay, just wait to be elected.” He silently hid his phone in his pocket.
He was right; Fang Chang was indeed a suitable candidate for student council mascot.
The key was to avoid letting him make any decisions or manage the finances, otherwise, he might wake up to find the entire Chengnan Middle School swindled.
Thinking about it, it was truly remarkable that Class 8 had managed to survive this long; every student really had done their part.
While Lu Rong was tirelessly working for the student council, Ji Wenfeng was seriously searching for papers in the library.
CNKI keyword: athlete’s foot!
Know yourself and know your enemy, or you will never win.
Only by understanding what athlete’s foot is can you better combat it.
Having browsed through a thousand papers, Ji Wenfeng took off his glasses and scoffed, “Not a single one is usable.”
He grabbed his school uniform, casually draped it over his shoulders, and strode out of the library.
Since searching for papers was useless, he’d explore this entirely new and unknown territory using scientific methods!
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[1] “Confidence” is a direct translation of the title of Malaysian-Chinese singer Fish Leong’s (also known as Liang Jingru in China) (梁静茹) 2000 album, which is best known by its Chinese name 《勇气》 (pinyin: Yǒngqì, lit. “Courage”).
[2] Here two different versions of sleep are used… one is 16+ and the other PG13/// ahem you can guess.