15: Chapter 15 The Complex Xu Weidong

The transition meeting was held in the lecture hall. When Youth League Committee Secretary Xiao Ze read out the "List of Vice Chairmen of the 8th University Student Union," more than half of the hundreds of people in the audience thought they had misheard.

"School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Class of 2008, Xu Weidong."

No one spoke. The lecture hall was so quiet that the whirring of the projector's cooling fan could be heard.

The university leaders sitting in the front row looked as usual, as if this were the most normal personnel appointment.

The student representatives in the back row looked at each other. Some lowered their heads to look at the roster that had just been distributed, confirming they hadn't misread the year column.

Freshman?

Yang Liqun sat in the seventh row of the auditorium, clutching the roster in his hand until his palms sweated.

He turned to look at Zhang Xun in the seat next to him; Zhang Xun was looking at him too.

The two stared at each other for three seconds; neither spoke.

Sun Ming did speak, and his reaction was quite normal.

"Holy crap!"

This was the first time in two months since the start of school that the most taciturn person in Dorm 516 had cursed in public.

Xu Weidong stood on the stage, the spotlight hitting him, somewhat blinding.

He took the appointment letter from Youth League Committee Secretary Xiao Ze, bowed politely, his expression as calm as if he were receiving a mundane class assignment receipt.

Youth League Committee Secretary Xiao Ze did not let go immediately. He held a corner of the appointment letter and, leaning in under the guise of handing it over, lowered his voice and said: "The candidate for Minister of the Organization Department of the University Youth League Committee has also been approved. The document will be issued next week."

Xu Weidong's eyelashes flickered.

"Prepare yourself mentally."

Youth League Committee Secretary Xiao Ze patted his shoulder, his voice returning to a normal volume.

"Congratulations, student Xu Weidong."

Applause rang out from the audience, sparse and hesitant.

Xu Weidong returned to his seat, placed the appointment letter on his lap, and folded his hands on top of it.

He stared straight ahead, no emotion visible on his face.

Xu Weidong remembered the night a week ago, the smile Youth League Committee Secretary Xiao Ze had when talking about becoming a deputy secretary in his sophomore year. At that time, he thought that was already the limit.

Turns out, limits could be broken again...

Freshman!

Vice Chairman of the University Student Union!

Minister of the Organization Department of the University Youth League Committee!

Civil Engineering University had been established for nearly a hundred years, and there had never been such a precedent.

He had become that precedent, not because he was outstanding.

It was because his father was named Xu Tianhua, and because those high-ranking, powerful people he had never met saw a future in him that was worth investing in.

Xu Weidong lowered his eyes, looking at the red-covered appointment letter on his lap.

He suddenly remembered his childhood, his father answering the phone in the study, and him eavesdropping by the crack of the door.

Back then, he didn't understand the hidden meanings in those words; he only thought his father's voice sounded nice, like a cello.

Now he understood, and he wished he had never understood.

The door to Dorm 516 was kicked open by Yang Liqun.

Xu Weidong had just put down his schoolbag and hadn't even had time to sit down before he was cornered by his three roommates.

"Fess up."

Yang Liqun stood with his hands on his hips, trying to strike a pose of an interrogation, but the shock and confusion in his eyes betrayed him.

"Which high-ranking official's own son are you?"

Zhang Xun didn't push up his glasses for once, staring at Xu Weidong's face as if looking at an alien specimen.

Sun Ming stood on the outermost edge, still clutching the roster from the transition meeting, the edges of the paper already crumpled by him.

"No, man..."

Yang Liqun couldn't wait for an answer and lost his composure first.

"Weidong, tell me the truth. That day school started, when you joked about wanting to become a leader to 'rule' Senior Sister Bai Bing, you weren't being serious, right?"

Xu Weidong looked at him without speaking.

"You really are a leader now."

Yang Liqun's voice suddenly lowered: "Vice Chairman of the University Student Union, a legitimate, proper official position. If you really want to 'rule' Senior Sister Bai Bing..."

"I didn't think about it."

"I know you didn't!"

Yang Liqun scratched his hair irritably and said: "I just can't figure it out... You, us, aren't we the same?"

"Military training together, taking classes together, staying up late to finish advanced mathematics homework together. How did you suddenly just..."

He couldn't go on. Zhang Xun finally spoke: "The youngest Vice Chairman in the history of the University Student Union! And a freshman!"

"It's simply an Arabian Nights-level exception!"

Zhang Xun paused, looked at Xu Weidong and said: "Can you tell us why?"

This question was asked very softly, as if afraid of startling something.

Xu Weidong was silent for a long time; the sky outside the window was already pitch black.

"I don't know how to explain it."

"If I said that even I haven't fully figured it out myself..."

"Would you believe me?"

Yang Liqun opened his mouth but didn't say anything.

Zhang Xun pushed up his glasses; the lenses reflected light, making his expression unreadable.

Sun Ming suddenly spoke: "I believe you."

All three looked at him.

"I'm not just being polite."

Sun Ming placed the roster in his hand on the table and smoothed out the wrinkles.

"I grew up in The Government Compound, and I've seen some of these things."

He looked at Xu Weidong, his gaze calm: "Some people's paths are different from ordinary people's right from the start. It's not something they chose for themselves; it's something others chose for them."

"They might not even want it themselves."

Xu Weidong didn't speak. Yang Liqun looked at Sun Ming, then at Xu Weidong, and suddenly deflated.

He sat down on his bed with a thud, the bed frame creaking.

"So, can we still be brothers?"

Xu Weidong looked at him and said: "Yes."

Yang Liqun raised his head and grinned, though his eyes were a bit red.

"That's fine then."

He slapped the bed frame hard and said: "You scared me to death! I thought you were going to move out to a single room!"

The atmosphere loosened a bit. Zhang Xun pushed up his glasses, revealing a rare hint of a smile.

Sun Ming put the roster into his drawer, saying the advanced mathematics homework for next week wasn't finished yet.

Xu Weidong sat back in his chair. He knew this matter was far from over.

His roommates' shock was just the most insignificant ripple; greater waves were yet to come.

But at least for this moment, in this small dormitory, he was still Comrade Weidong, not Vice Chairman Xu.

That was good.

Bai Bing found Director Li Lei the next afternoon; she didn't go directly to the Academic Affairs Office.

She first sent a text message to Director Li Lei, asking when he would be free.

Director Li Lei replied saying after 4:30. She knocked on the door of the director's office at 4:30 sharp.

Director Li Lei was approving a document. He looked up, saw her, and took off his glasses.

"Bai Bing."

He pointed to the chair opposite and said: "Sit."

Bai Bing didn't sit. She stood at the door, her spine very straight, like when she stood at attention during military training.

"Director Li Lei, I want to ask you something."

Director Li Lei looked at her. He had worked at this university for over twenty years and had seen countless students. Bai Bing was the type he appreciated.

Smart, steady, not flighty.

Joined the Literature Club as a freshman, became vice president as a sophomore, organized several successful events, and never caused trouble for teachers.

At this moment, this student who never caused trouble had slightly red eyes.

"About Xu Weidong becoming Vice Chairman."

"I can't figure it out. Civil Engineering University has been established for nearly a hundred years, and there has never been a precedent of a freshman becoming a Vice Chairman of the University Student Union."

"He has only been enrolled for two months and isn't even a full member of the University Student Union. Why..."

She stopped because she saw the look in Director Li Lei's eyes.

It wasn't the severity of being offended, nor the impatience of facing questioning; it was a kind of strange... compassion.

"Bai Bing, sit down first."

Bai Bing didn't move, and Director Li Lei didn't force her.

He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to her.

"You're a sophomore this year, right?"

"Yes."

"Twenty years old?"

"Twenty years old."

Director Li Lei nodded. Outside the window was the Civil Engineering University campus in autumn; the ginkgo leaves had started to turn yellow, and a few had fallen onto the windowsill.

"When I was twenty, I was a sophomore at the Northeast Institute of Technology."

"My ideal at that time was to become an engineer after graduation, building bridges and roads, and working until retirement."

"And look at what I'm doing now?"

Bai Bing didn't answer.

"I'm the Director of the Academic Affairs Office."

"What I deal with every day isn't blueprints, but people."

"What I coordinate isn't engineering progress, but relationships between various parties."

"I spent my whole life building bridges, only to find that what I'm best at is building bridges... building bridges for people."

"For all kinds of people, building all kinds of bridges."

Bai Bing bit her lip and said: "Director Li Lei, are you trying to say that Xu Weidong's bridge is not one that an ordinary person like me can cross?"

Director Li Lei looked at her. This student was too smart, so smart that she didn't need him to finish his sentence.

"I didn't say anything about anyone's bridge."

"I'm only saying one thing."

"The reason student Xu Weidong was able to get such an arrangement involves a great deal of cause and effect behind the scenes."

"It's not something he asked for, nor is it something he can refuse."

Director Li Lei looked at Bai Bing: "And it's certainly not a level you can touch."

Bai Bing's eyes were completely red, but she didn't cry.

She gritted her back teeth and forced the tears back.

"So, how should I face him in the future?"

"Face him normally."

"Just like before."

Bai Bing raised her head, somewhat confused.

"You don't need to deliberately distance yourself from him, nor do you need to deliberately curry favor with him."

"You are a senior student and a junior student who met normally; just get along normally."

"If one day he needs your help, do your best."

"If one day you need his help..."

"Ask normally."

Bai Bing looked at him and said: "Director Li Lei, is what you're saying really feasible, or are you just comforting me?"

Director Li Lei didn't answer immediately. He walked back behind his desk, sat down, and put his glasses back on.

He picked up the document he had half-approved, then put it down again.

"Bai Bing, how long have you known Xu Weidong?"

"We met during orientation on the first day of school, less than three months."

"In these three months, what kind of person do you think he is?"

Bai Bing thought for a moment, then said: "He doesn't talk much, but he knows what he's doing."

"He is very steady in his interactions with others, neither humble nor pushy."

"He doesn't seem like a nineteen-year-old; he seems like a twenty-nine-year-old."

Director Li Lei nodded: "Then let me ask you, if the Xu Weidong you've interacted with these three months is someone who would look down on old friends just because his status changed?"

Bai Bing was stunned. She remembered the corridor that day.

Xu Weidong had listened quietly as she introduced the Literature Club, seriously asking what preparations were needed. She said he could try writing prose, and he said okay, he would try.

She remembered several times later when they bumped into each other in the cafeteria; he would carry his tray, nod, and call her Senior Sister Bai, his tone exactly the same as it was on the first day of school.

She remembered him on the stage at the transition meeting, the spotlight hitting his face, him taking the appointment letter, and his gaze sweeping across the audience.

Did it linger on her for even a second longer?

She couldn't remember...

Maybe it did, maybe it didn't.

Maybe it was just that she hoped it did.

"I understand."

Her voice returned to calm, just as it was when she first entered the room.

"Thank you, Director Li Lei. Sorry to bother you."

She turned to leave, but Director Li Lei called her back.

"Bai Bing."

"At this university, thousands of new students enroll every year, and thousands graduate four years later."

"Most people are just ordinary alumni relationships; they don't see each other for ten or twenty years after graduation."

"But when you met him, he wasn't a Vice Chairman yet."

"You are one of the first few people he met at this university."

"This starting point is already higher than many others."

Bai Bing didn't look back. She stood at the door, her spine very straight.

"Thank you."

The corridor was very quiet. It wasn't time for class to end yet. Occasionally, one or two teachers passed by, their footsteps echoing softly.

Bai Bing leaned against the wall for a while. She remembered the first day of school; the sun was beautiful, and she was standing at the school gate in a white dress to welcome new students.

A boy pulling a suitcase walked over and politely asked which way to the School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering.

She thought at the time that this freshman looked so young, yet there was a mature calmness between his brows.

She took the initiative to say she would take him there. She didn't know what that choice meant at the time.

Now she knew. Bai Bing took her phone out of her pocket, opened her contacts, and found the name noted as "Wood".

She stared at that name for a long time, her thumb hovering over the screen, not falling for a long time.

Finally, she put her phone away and turned toward the stairs.

She didn't delete the name, nor did she send any message.

Just like that, keep the ordinary friend relationship.

Just like Director Li Lei said, he was still her junior, and she was still his senior.

Other than that, there was no need to ask for more.

Xu Weidong didn't know that Bai Bing had gone to see Director Li Lei until three days later; the source of the news was Yang Liqun.

His girlfriend was in the Publicity Department of the University Student Union and heard it when the minister was chatting.

"Senior Sister Bai even cried, it seems."

Yang Liqun looked at Xu Weidong's expression cautiously and said: "You guys... nothing happened, right?"

Xu Weidong didn't speak and walked alone on the playground for a long time.

The autumn night wind was already very cold. There were few people on the playground, only a few couples sitting in the stands.

He remembered the first day of school, the sunlight, the white dress, the eyes curved like crescent moons.

"Where is the junior from?"

"Hanzhou."

"A southerner, no wonder your skin is so good."

He thought at the time that this senior was really enthusiastic.

The feeling the senior gave him at that time was incomparably warm and clean. At that time, he was a bit suspicious, but it was gradually melted by the senior's kindness...

At that time, he couldn't explain what the feeling was, he just had the intention to join the Arts and Culture Department for her.

Later, when reason took the upper hand, he ultimately chose the University Student Union...

At that time, Senior Sister Bai had run around for him to figure out some interview questions for the University Student Union, as well as the relationships between the various ministers.

From now on, Senior Sister Bai Bing might never smile at him like she did on the first day of school again.

Xu Weidong stopped and stood in the middle of the playground, looking up at the sky.

It was rare to see stars in the night sky of Yancheng, and tonight was no exception.

Only a night-flying plane flashed its lights, slowly crossing the horizon.

He dared not promise anything to the senior, because he didn't know if his father would allow him to be with her...

After all, judging from the current situation, his father must have inexplicably incurred quite a few human favors...

As the only son in the family, how could he disregard family interests for his own selfish desires?

His marriage... in his imagination, would most likely be a political marriage...

Xu Weidong suddenly remembered Wei Yingying. They had less contact after school started.

Occasionally sending a few text messages, chatting about interesting things at their respective schools, never saying anything deeper.

He knew she had signed up for the Arts and Culture Department at Renmin University of China and was very busy with rehearsals every day.

She knew he had joined the University Student Union, but didn't know he was now a Vice Chairman.

Xu Weidong hadn't told her yet, and didn't know how to tell her.

Say I was promoted by exception because various forces want to win over my dad?

Or say I am now the youngest Vice Chairman of the University Student Union in the history of Civil Engineering University, but I don't know if I deserve it?

Xu Weidong took his phone out of his pocket, opened the text message interface, and the latest one was still from three days ago.

Wei Yingying said: "It's cooled down in Yancheng, remember to add clothes."

He replied: "You too."

Sigh, this wine of life is too bitter.

At such a young age, why must one bear such pressure?

Father, I really envy you back then...

Being able to fall in love freely with Mother...