A Declaration and Its Aftermath

Having some free time, Xi Yao idly scrolled through the comment section, where the enthusiastic support of her classmates was evident, with many familiar faces from the bathhouse party QQ group among them.

As the group leader, Xi Yao was true to her word, having truly given them the signal today.

Her supporters proved equally formidable; a single signal shot into the sky brought a thousand armies to her aid.

Even good brothers from the neighboring dorms came to lend their support.

[Reporting from the Male Dorm Bathhouse Branch! On behalf of the Male Bathhouse QQ Group 1, and all two thousand members within it, I hereby express our unconditional surrender… ah, no, our vote for classmate Xi Yao!]

[The leader of Male Bathhouse QQ Group 2 is here! Don’t get arrogant, upstairs; in a few days, our Group 2 will also be full to the brim.

We cannot afford to lose face.]

[Xi Yao, Xi Yao! The earth shakes and the mountains sway!]

At a glance, the comment section had been completely overtaken by Xi Yao’s supporters.

Though it was merely the comment section of a forum post, it gave the distinct impression of a vast, surging crowd.

“This is the power of the popular movement,” Xi Yao remarked, leaning back in her seat with a look of gratification.

“Its might is truly immense.”

As immense as the snow-capped mountains.

Jiang Li, cradling her phone, felt a small swell of happiness.

“My post in support has received so many replies too.”

Beneath her comment, numerous classmates had left their own messages.

[If even Jiang Li says so, then Xi Yao must indeed be capable of serving as president.]

[Great Jiang Li never speaks lightly; she’s only posted this single comment in over a year, so it must be true.]

[Speaking of which, does this count as an official announcement?]

[No wonder she wasn’t bothered by the mudslinging from public opinion; it turns out she never intended to participate at all, but rather to help the person she likes ascend to power.

She truly has me crying my eyes out.]

[…]

“Coming back to it, the declaration has been made,” Jiang Li suddenly mused, a question forming in her mind.

“So, what’s next? What should we do now?”

Xi Yao blinked innocently.

“I wouldn’t know.”

“…Huh?”

“I still don’t know,” Xi Yao said with a relaxed air.

“Aileen told me she’d instruct me on the next phase.

For now, we simply shouldn’t rush; we must let the bullet fly for a while (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning to wait and see how events unfold before taking further action.).”

Jiang Li subtly tensed her beautiful features, her gaze growing faintly cold.

‘Aileen, Aileen, always Aileen.

She just loves bringing her up in front of me, it’s so annoying.’

‘Speaking of which, does this feeling confirm that I’ve fallen for Xi Yao?’

Little Li didn’t know, but Little Li intended to find a book on romance to read.

By putting the cover of her German textbook over the romance novel, she wouldn’t fear being discovered and could read it both during and after class.

****

In the tearoom, after reviewing the comments section, the atmosphere had grown even more oppressive.

“That Jiang Li didn’t even run for election herself; instead, she sent her paramour to contend with me.”

Yun Caiyi gnashed her teeth, a grinding sound echoing in the room.

“How dare they!”

The others dared not speak, especially Little Blondie, the strategist, who hung his head, staring at his toes, wishing he could vanish into the cracks of the floor.

The propaganda war against Jiang Li had been his proposed tactic: by portraying Jiang Li as a “little girl dependent on her lover,” he aimed to create an impression among everyone that she was unfit to be a leader.

However, this strategy carried a significant drawback: it inevitably created an image of a “gentle, kind, and considerate reliable girl whom even a genius maiden would depend on.”

That girl was, of course, Xi Yao.

He could never have imagined that Xi Yao would simply step forward and announce her candidacy for student council president—hadn’t she only ranked over 800th last semester?

Ah, right, a few days ago, rumors had circulated online that Xi Yao was actually a hidden academic overachiever.

A cold sweat instantly drenched Little Blondie, the strategist.

He now fully understood: his carefully crafted propaganda war had been turned against him, exploited by the opposition to elevate Xi Yao.

This previously unknown large-chested girl had become the talk of the school overnight, a topic of conversation among classmates after meals and tea, and the propaganda war between the two sides had played a crucial role in her rise.

Just then, the tablet screen refreshed once more, and a sharp-eyed subordinate spotted the new content.

“Sister Yun, Aileen from the student council has posted!”

Yun Caiyi picked it up and read:

[Aileen: Esteemed colleagues, I told you a more suitable candidate would emerge, and now they have.

I advise you all: it’s no disgrace to change your allegiance; you’ve just done it once, and you still have the chance to do so again.]

“Aaaah!”

Enraged, Yun Caiyi slammed the tablet onto the floor with a clatter… but she hadn’t put enough force into it, and it didn’t shatter.

“Those two bitches! I knew these two with the biggest chests in the entire school definitely had something going on!” Her face darkened completely.

“Big Hu, teach her a lesson!”

Little Blondie, the strategist, paled in alarm.

“Sister Yun, absolutely not!”

The others also panicked, including Big Hu, whom she had addressed.

“You can’t do that, Sister Yun! You’ll never get away with it!”

The school’s non-interference in student council elections was contingent upon students adhering to the rules and engaging in relatively fair competition within those boundaries.

What constituted “relatively fair competition” under the rules?

For instance, Yun Caiyi using money to buy votes, while Xi Yao used that very issue to rally ordinary students against her—that was relatively fair.

However, if the rules were violated, there would be consequences.

Physically threatening a competitor would ensure Yun Caiyi could never participate in any election again.

Should she actually resort to violence, direct expulsion was a real possibility, and she would then become the laughingstock of the entire Yun family.

Hearing her subordinates’ words, Yun Caiyi also calmed down, picking up the tablet and placing it back on the table.

“It’s alright, Sister Yun, they’re just a bunch of insignificant rogues,” Little Blondie, the strategist, reassured her.

“Even if all these students vote for Xi Yao, that’s still only a hundred votes, isn’t it?”

His side, however, had already bought one hundred and sixty-two votes!

Only then did Yun Caiyi’s expression improve.

Indeed, what good was a large crowd?

Having votes was what truly mattered!

****

Unaware of how many things her mere declaration had caused Yun Caiyi to smash in a fit of rage, Xi Yao placed Tuantuan on the table, dutifully finished her Friday, and then happily left school to return to her dorm.

Tonight, she would get a good night’s sleep, gather her spirits, and ask Jiang Li for leave from tomorrow’s morning exercise.

Then, in the most perfect physical and mental state, she would go to the Houde Zaiwu Hall to find Sister Xi Ruo.

Tomorrow was her reward day.

Ever since Xi Ruo had declared her intention to implement restrictions, she hadn’t received a prize in a whole week.

A whole week!