Social Practice Department

As this voice rang out,

All members of the student council froze momentarily before resuming their tasks.

Su Cheng stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around, his gaze meeting the mysterious masked woman seated in the president's chair.

At this moment, her eyes were sharp and commanding, exuding an aura of authority and intensity that made it impossible to look away.

He was afraid that if he glanced away, she might suddenly conjure up a rocking horse and start swaying.

After all, he couldn’t help it—ever since discovering the president’s other side,

he simply couldn’t unsee it, involuntarily picturing the adorable and cute image of Li Zhaohao on a rocking horse.

"President, is there something you need?"

Su Cheng asked politely.

"Take a seat first. There are a few things I need to ask you,"

the masked woman replied calmly, though her eyes remained fixed on Su Cheng’s every move. She then gestured toward the nearby sofa, signaling for him to sit.

"Alright."

Su Cheng didn’t hesitate and walked over to the sofa, sitting down. His eyes swept across the room, and soon, a student council member brought him a cup of coffee, placing it on the table.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Enjoy."

The student council member nodded before turning away to resume their work.

Meanwhile, Li Zhao stood up from her seat and strode toward Su Cheng. Though she lacked Ji Qingyi’s grace, her movements were swift and decisive, carrying an air of natural authority that marked her as a true leader.

No wonder she was considered the "protagonist" of this world.

Strangely enough, Cornelia’s white socks had only struck him as cute.

But the president’s white stockings gave off an entirely different vibe—sacred, untouchable, and intimidating, as if they demanded reverence from afar.

"If you don’t have a place to belong, you’ll find it hard to move forward in this school. I’m sure you’re aware of that,"

Li Zhao said bluntly as soon as she sat down. "So, which club do you plan to join? I can make a recommendation for you."

The moment these words left her lips, the entire student council fell silent.

After a brief pause, Su Cheng replied, "Thank you, President. But I’ve already made up my mind—I’ll be joining the Social Practice Club."

As soon as he finished speaking, a student council member nearby dropped the documents in their hands, scrambling to pick them up.

Clearly, this answer had taken them by surprise.

After all, the Social Practice Club had only one member—Gu Ruoxue—for an entire year. Others had tried to join before, only to be rejected. And now, Su Cheng was attempting to enter…

"Social Practice Club…"

Li Zhao looked at Su Cheng and nodded. "So, you’ve received her olive branch. Hand me your application form. I’ll sign it."

Hearing this, Su Cheng quickly pulled out the application and passed it over. But internally, he couldn’t help but glance around the eerily quiet student council, noting how everyone had frozen in place.

Is this the Student Council or the Stunned Council? Eavesdropping is one thing, but they’re all gaping like idiots.

He handed the form to President Li, who signed her name and stamped it under his watchful gaze.

"Next time you quit the club, remember to come to me,"

she said as she stood up.

"Thank you, President."

Instinctively, Su Cheng reached out and shook her hand.

Huh, her hand feels just like Li Guanqi’s—soft, smooth, and pleasantly springy.

No surprise there, given they’re sisters.

Wait.

Next time I quit?!

What the hell?!

Only now did the implication hit him.

Meanwhile, the student council members were once again stunned by the sight of their president shaking hands with Su Cheng.

Li Zhao gave a faint nod before standing and walking back to her seat, a faint fragrance lingering in her wake as she resumed her work.

Su Cheng, now holding the signed application, headed for the door, ready to make his way to the Social Practice Club. But he couldn’t help but reflect.

Last time, I walked out of the student council with an application too—but back then, both Li Zhao and Ji Qingyi signed it.

This time, only Li Zhao’s signature remains.

Still, once he submitted this to the Social Practice Club, Gu Ruoxue would sign it as well. Then, all that was left was to hand it over to the club advisor.

Speaking of which, he had no idea who the advisor was.

But for some reason, he pictured a chain-smoking, violent, yet stunningly beautiful woman with long black hair—the kind who couldn’t find a boyfriend and was doomed to be a wealthy, unmarried spinster.

Of course, this was just his imagination running wild.

If such a woman really existed, her suitors would probably fill the entire Flame City Bay.

And if she did exist, he’d start questioning whether this world was some kind of anime or novel, because how else could something so absurd be real?

Lost in thought, he barely noticed someone brushing past him as he stepped out of the building—until the unmistakable scent of cigarettes hit him.

His head snapped around in alarm, only to see a bald middle-aged man—a school staff member.

"Damn, that scared me,"

Su Cheng muttered, patting his chest in relief.

"You heading to a club too?"

Just outside the building, he ran into Wang Guancong and his two friends, who had just finished lunch and were on their way to the club building. Even with his mask on, they recognized him immediately.

"Yeah, just dropping off an application,"

Su Cheng replied briefly.

Wang Guancong nodded. "Cool, we’re heading to the E-sports Club to game for a bit. Join us if you finish early."

"Sure."

Su Cheng smiled and walked with the trio toward the special building.

"Any ideas on how to mess with someone in-game?"

As they walked, Chai Hao suddenly spoke up. "This idiot kept challenging me to 1v1s yesterday, loser calls the winner ‘Dad.’ I beat him over and over, but he still won’t say it."

"Why waste time on someone like that? Just block him,"

Gao Ye said with a sigh. "You already know he’s a sore loser."

"Nah, this guy’s got a mouth on him. Even threatened me,"

Chai Hao grumbled. "I wanna make him suffer."

"Make him suffer?"

Wang Guancong thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. "Easy. Send me his game ID."

The others turned to him curiously.

"What’re you gonna do?"

Gao Ye asked.

"Simple."

Wang Guancong grinned. "We’ll hire a female gaming buddy to add him. Mess with his emotions. Guaranteed he won’t recover for at least a year."

"A female gaming buddy?"

Gao Ye’s eyes lit up. "You mean…?"

"Exactly. Have her pretend to fall for him. Once he’s head over heels, you swoop in with the ultimate NTR move."

Wang Guancong flashed a mischievous grin. "This way, we can easily ruin him—give him a lifetime of misery!"

"..."

Su Cheng and Gao Ye both fell silent at his suggestion.

Su Cheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The world of the wealthy was truly beyond his understanding.

Wait.

A gaming companion?

Then… could that female companion be him?

He did have a voice changer.

And why let outsiders profit when the money could stay in-house?

Could he earn this cash himself?

But he quickly shook his head and dismissed the idea—after all, he was already shaped by Cornelia.

"No way. I’m a pure love warrior. This kind of thing isn’t for me."

At that moment, Chai Hao resolutely refused with an air of righteousness.

Wang Guancong and Gao Ye couldn’t help but roll their eyes at his words.

However, Su Cheng nodded approvingly from the side, as he too was a self-proclaimed "pure love warrior," even dubbing himself "Flame City’s Most Devoted."

"Then figure it out yourself," Wang Guancong scoffed. "He threatened you, and you’re still going soft on him?"

"Seems you really don’t understand the joy of manipulation."

Gao Ye also shook his head with a sigh.

"It’s different!"

Chai Hao shook his head as well. "I just want to mess with him, make him taste the same bitterness. No need to go that far. By the way…"

Here, he suddenly turned to Su Cheng and asked, "You always have the most ideas. Any good suggestions?"

Su Cheng, caught off guard by the question, blinked before putting on a troubled expression. "If I had a good idea, I’d have said it already. Too bad I have zero experience in this. I don’t even curse, let alone scheme against people."

He shrugged as he spoke.

Indeed, the usually gentle and soft-spoken Su Cheng was utterly clueless when it came to such matters.

At that moment, the three of them gained a new perspective on him.

"Alright, I’m off to the club. See you later."

Once they reached the corner near the special building, Su Cheng waved at them and headed straight up the stairs.

"See ya."

The others waved back, watching him disappear before exchanging glances, a twinge of guilt rising in their hearts.

"Did we just corrupt Su Cheng by discussing this?"

"Definitely. Xuan Ying’s always scolding us for leading him astray. Today proves her right."

Wang Guancong shook his head before turning to Chai Hao. "Next time, watch what you say around him."

"Wait, remember that incident with your cousin?"

"What about it?"

"He’s active on forums—how else would he know terms like ‘absolute unit’?!"

"Huh?"

"I bet Su Cheng’s got way more bite than we think! If our combat power’s at 6000, this guy’s at least 10,000!"

…………………………………………

The hallway leading to the Social Practice Club was eerily quiet, mirroring the aloof demeanor of its president.

Knock knock—

Peeking through the clubroom window, Su Cheng saw Gu Ruoxue sitting at her desk for once during lunch, typing away on her laptop as usual. He rapped on the door.

"Come in."

Gu Ruoxue’s voice, cool and slightly husky, rang out.

Hearing her, Su Cheng pushed the door open and stepped inside. She stopped typing and lifted her gaze to meet his.

"Have you eaten?"

Su Cheng greeted her politely.

"I have." Gu Ruoxue replied stiffly, her stunning face as frosty as ever, as if nothing could pique her interest.

Still, she had responded.

"Here’s my application."

Su Cheng walked over and handed her the form, explaining, "It’s already signed."

Gu Ruoxue took the paper and smiled.

Unlike her usual lifeless, perfunctory smiles, this one was vibrant, her lips curling into dimples and revealing a hint of her little canine teeth.

It was the first time he’d seen such an expression from her.

Su Cheng was momentarily dazed but quickly snapped out of it, cursing inwardly: Damn, this woman laced her smile with poison! I actually spaced out—must be witchcraft!!

He averted his gaze, refusing to look at her further.

However, Gu Ruoxue’s brows furrowed slightly when she noticed Li Zhao’s signature on the application.

Though the reaction vanished instantly, Su Cheng caught it.

"Welcome to my club."

She tucked the paper away and continued, "I assume you’ve already read the club rules, so I won’t repeat them."

"Got it."

Su Cheng nodded.

"Take any seat today. Club activities start tomorrow—we’ll participate together."

As Su Cheng settled onto the sofa, Gu Ruoxue poured tea into a mug and handed it to him. "Tea."

"Thanks."

He took a sip. It wasn’t as good as the Archery Club’s, but he wasn’t picky—who’d complain about tea brewed by a beauty?

But wait, was this mug new again?

His previous mark was gone!

Then he turned his attention back to Gu Ruoxue’s face and awkwardly addressed her: "President."

He’d decided to call her "President."

"Club President" would always belong to Ji Qingyi.

This proved he wasn’t one to abandon old loyalties for new ones.

Well, mostly, he was thinking ahead to Friday’s open class, where both women would be present. If he said "Club President" and both responded, things would get awkward fast.

No doubt another verbal duel would erupt.

"Hm?" Gu Ruoxue waited for him to continue.

She showed no surprise or displeasure at the new title, silently accepting it.

"How do you always know things in advance?"

Now that they were in the same club, Su Cheng cut straight to the point, voicing his burning curiosity. How did she pull it off?

Could she actually predict the future?

"To you, I may seem unusual, but to me, it’s just common sense." Gu Ruoxue replied flatly. "Call it experience. Well…"

"Do you know me that well?"

"Not at all."

Just as Su Cheng nearly choked on her bluntness, she hit him with another cryptic line.

"But I do know how to handle everything."

Su Cheng had the urge to grab and shake her, but he restrained himself.

He wouldn’t be able to budge her.

The only way she’d move was if he gave her a coin to ride one of those kiddie rocking horses.

Sigh…

Su Cheng exhaled deeply before saying, "We’re in the same club now. Why still talk in riddles?"

Knock knock knock—

Right then, a soft rapping came from the door.

"Come in."

Gu Ruoxue responded.

But the next second, when Su Cheng looked toward the entrance and saw the familiar figure stepping inside, his pupils shrank as if he’d seen a ghost.