Rumors, Elections, and a Cautious Tea

“This is how it happened.

“Yun Caiyi, that girl from senior year, saw me as a threat to her student council president campaign. So she spread rumors, claiming my roommate and I had an improper relationship.”

Inside the school nurse’s office, Jiang Li recounted the recent events to her older sister, who was dressed in a white coat.

Jiang Wan subtly let out a breath of relief. “So, someone deliberately fabricated rumors about you and your roommate, but there’s actually nothing to it?”

Jiang Li paused slightly. “Nothing to what?”

“That you and your roommate have an improper relationship…”

“Of course not, we’re just friends.”

“I see.”

Jiang Wan immediately added, “That senior year student’s methods are truly excessive.”

Jiang Li didn’t notice her sister’s unusual behavior, such as why her first concern was the nature of her relationship with her roommate.

“It is indeed excessive,” she agreed. “Especially since I never even intended to run for election. It’s an undeserved calamity.”

Jiang Wan hesitated, then carefully asked, “The rumors must have had a significant impact on you and your roommate, right? Is your roommate particularly angry?”

She was so worried about Xi Yao, yet she couldn’t show it too obviously, lest her astute younger sister notice something amiss.

“It’s alright. She’s a bit angry, but not excessively so,” Jiang Li recalled. “However, she’s planning to run for student council president herself, to get back at that senior.”

Jiang Wan felt a slight ease. It was good that she wasn’t too angry; anger wasn’t good for one’s health.

As for running for student council president…

****

“…So that’s what happened. Yun Caiyi, that senior, to damage my roommate’s reputation, actually fabricated a story claiming we were sleeping together. Isn’t that utter nonsense?”

Holding a cup of soy milk, Xi Yao sat with Xi Ruo in a shady corner of the plaza, her small mouth chattering incessantly. “It was completely baseless, so no one would really believe it, but she hired a whole bunch of internet trolls!”

Xi Ruo regarded her with a stern face. “So, do you and your roommate actually ‘have a leg’?”

“Of course not! Not every girl is a lesbian, you know,” Xi Yao declared self-righteously. “My roommate and I have absolutely no issues. Otherwise, why would I tell you about this so readily?”

‘The problematic things, I keep hidden. For example, you see that Sister Wan? I’ve never mentioned her to you.’

“Really?”

Xi Ruo was somewhat suspicious. She still remembered Xi Yao’s roommate—that beautiful girl with light-colored short hair, who had been whispering intimately with Xi Yao during the ball game just a few days ago.

And that was right after Xi Ruo had scored a goal!

“Of course it’s true,” Xi Yao stated with righteous indignation. “My roommate and I are pure as ice and clean as jade!”

Xi Ruo pursed her lips, remaining silent.

She would definitely keep an eye on that pretty little girl, staying vigilant at all times.

She heard her name was Jiang Li, and just like Xi Ruo in her day, she was the undisputed top student in her grade; some even called her the second Xi Ruo.

‘Little Xi Ruo can’t possibly snatch Big Xi Ruo’s girlfriend, can she? What about my reputation?’

Just then, a banner was unfurled across the plaza. The words “Student Council Election Assembly” in yellow against a red background were strikingly prominent.

The audience below had mostly taken their seats. The atmosphere, while not comparable to the previous ball game, still had a certain buzz, with several candidates’ supporters holding up names, creating a lively scene.

[Yun Ruqing], [Chen Dong], [Liu Dapeng], and so on.

Among them, [Yun Ruqing]’s support group was the largest, and their banners were the biggest, but…

“All those name banners combined aren’t as big as your tifo from the ball game a few days ago,” Xi Yao remarked.

Xi Ruo let out a soft snort, a hint of pride in her demeanor.

“Of course not. Who do you think I am?”

Xi Yao yawned, placed her empty soy milk cup aside, and checked her phone.

It was past ten o’clock. Once the election ceremony ran its course, they could go on their date.

It truly was just a formality, as Yun Ruqing’s advantage was evident. When the other candidates delivered their campaign speeches, the audience’s responses were clearly not on the same level.

Ultimately, as expected, Yun Ruqing won the election and ascended to the plaza’s main stage amidst applause.

****

In another corner of the plaza, the blonde, large-chested beauty sat by a small table, her elegance undiminished.

“Our colleague has traveled a long way and must be weary,” said another girl with long, emerald-green hair. “Come, taste our treasured collection.”

As she spoke, two girls wearing “Student Council” armbands approached from behind, carrying a tea set and pouring a pot of hot tea for the blonde girl.

They were the secretarial team of the university division’s student council, and the speaker was Xu Lu, their permanent secretary-general.

The large-chested blonde girl was, of course, Aileen. As the permanent secretary-general of the high school division, she had naturally been invited to attend the university division’s student council elections.

Aileen extended a graceful hand, yet instead of touching the cup, she instinctively asked, “Is the tea hot?”

Xu Lu paused for a moment, then picked up her own cup, took a sip, and replied based on her experience, “It’s not very hot; you can drink it slowly.”

“That’s good.”

Despite her words, Aileen carefully picked up the cup with two slender fingers, brought it to her lips, and took a tiny sip before finally relaxing.

“Excellent tea.”

Xu Lu looked somewhat bewildered. “Are you always this cautious when drinking water now?”

“I encountered a small incident,” Aileen said, setting down her teacup and looking towards the main stage. “In any case, you still allowed someone surnamed Yun to become the student council president.”

Both Yun family children were ambitious, and in the secretaries’ estimation, neither was a good candidate.

“What could I do? Goddess Xi Ruo didn’t even run,” Xu Lu shrugged her fragrant shoulders helplessly. “Besides her, no one could contend with the Yun family.”

“So, now you can only rely on me,” Aileen smiled faintly. “Senior Xu Lu, have you seen ‘The Cabin in the Woods’? Am I the last resort?”

Xu Lu raised an eyebrow. “Then, has your high school division found that ‘virgin’?”

‘In the movie ‘The Cabin in the Woods,’ terrifying ancient gods slumber beneath the earth, requiring regular sacrificial rituals to keep them dormant. Rituals are performed simultaneously across the world, and only one needs to succeed. Due to some unforeseen events, all other rituals failed, leaving only the North American branch. After experiencing some twists and turns, just as they were about to succeed, they suddenly discovered that the female protagonist of the ritual was not a “virgin,” leading to the ritual’s failure, the awakening of the ancient gods, and the destruction of the world.’

The high school division was, of course, not looking for a literal virgin, but rather someone who could definitively win the election and prevent Yun Caiyi from taking power.

Ideally, someone who was also easy to control.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Aileen stated.

Helping Xi Yao defeat Yun Caiyi would require planning and strategy, and Aileen believed she could achieve it.

However, controlling her might prove difficult; that fair-skinned, straight-haired, large-chested girl was no pushover.

‘Upon our first meeting, she offered me scorching hot water—a show of dominance!’