"Hero..."
Gu Luo took the badge, momentarily lost in thought.
A hero, huh.
The members of the Public Service Club truly lived up to that title.
Huang Anlu adjusted her glasses, her sharp gaze catching Gu Luo's expression. "What’s wrong? Does it sound too cringey to you?"
"Not at all." Gu Luo shook his head slightly, a genuine smile spreading across his face. "Don’t laugh, but when I was a kid, I actually dreamed of becoming a great hero."
"The kind who roams the world with a sword, fights injustice, and protects the weak—a righteous hero."
"Definitely cringey. Verdict: you watched too many fantasy dramas," Huang Anlu concluded matter-of-factly.
"Cough..."
Kid, you won’t make friends like that.
But she wasn’t wrong. He had indeed gone through a phase of obsessing over fantasy dramas as a child.
The heroic deeds and chivalrous ideals of those protagonists had planted a seed of justice and kindness in his heart.
"Huang, can I ask you something?" Gu Luo spoke up.
"Go ahead."
"Among the school clubs, is the Public Service Club the only one that holds activities on weekends?"
Huang Anlu immediately shook her head. "I can’t give a definitive answer if I’m not sure."
After a pause, she added, "But generally, yes."
I see...
Gu Luo had a rough guess now.
There was a good chance Luo Shuling was the head of the Public Service Club.
Yesterday, when Luo Shuling was late, she mentioned being busy with club activities—and that she was the club president.
Add to that her helpful personality.
Well, this was ironic.
Originally, he had hoped to avoid sharing a class with the three sisters, especially the boisterous Luo Shuling, to minimize running into them at school.
But now, by some twist of fate, he had ended up joining her club.
Noticing Gu Luo’s distracted expression, Huang Anlu frowned and said bluntly:
"Here’s the deal. Public Service Club members are required to participate in weekend volunteer activities, which take up at least half a day. If you can’t or don’t want to commit, you can return the badge now."
Realizing he’d been misunderstood, Gu Luo quickly waved his hands. "Sorry, that’s not it. I was just thinking about something else."
This Huang Anlu was really straightforward.
She was a lot like Luo Shuling, except she usually delivered her bluntness with a joking tone, making it hard to take offense.
"If you say so. Just don’t bail after one session," Huang Anlu shrugged, settling back into her chair.
She then waved dismissively. "I’ve got work to do. Gu Luo, you can report to the club tomorrow."
Without waiting for a response, she turned back to her documents.
Zero social niceties.
Then again, maybe it took someone this single-minded to stick to helping others without hesitation.
"See you tomorrow, Huang," Gu Luo smiled.
Before leaving, Shen Yue bowed slightly and apologized again. "I’m really sorry."
Sensing her sincerity, Huang Anlu looked up and nodded. "It’s fine."
"Hey Shen Yue, let’s check out the club building," Gu Luo suggested, glancing at his phone.
They still had twenty minutes before the half-hour mark—the time when he needed to buy a drink from the vending machine near the Music Club.
These special missions always had oddly specific instructions, but he was used to it by now.
"Sure."
The two headed toward the club building.
Soon, they stood before the towering structure.
Gu Luo looked up, impressed. The club building was even grander than the main academic block.
Guangya Private Academy really spared no expense.
Inside, the rooms were spacious, especially on the first floor, which housed facilities like a basketball court, badminton court, and even a kendo dojo—everything a student could need.
"The first floor is for sports clubs. Only members are allowed to use the facilities," Shen Yue explained.
"Clubs that need quiet are usually placed on higher floors. For example, the Art Club is on the fourth floor."
Gu Luo nodded, getting a rough idea of the layout.
"What about the Music Club?" he asked. "They make noise but also need quiet. Where are they?"
"The Music Club is on the fifth floor. Right now, they’re the only club up there."
Makes sense.
Gu Luo suddenly realized that no matter what he asked, Shen Yue always had a clear answer.
Might as well ask her for tomorrow’s lottery numbers...
Shaking off the absurd thought, he grinned. "Let’s explore the whole place."
"Okay."
After touring the first floor, they took the elevator to the second.
Yes, the club building even had elevators.
Tuition fees were high for a reason—the school’s facilities were top-tier.
Unlike some schools that wasted budgets on the weirdest things.
For example, spending millions on a giant rock or digging a pond.
And this, mind you, happens while some men’s restrooms don’t even have doors.
Gu Luo couldn’t help but recall a line from his middle school history teacher—if a principal only embezzled 500K, he’s a good principal.
If an education bureau director only embezzled 2 million, he’s a good director.
Though that history teacher had a habit of making statements that could easily get him shot, the more you thought about it, the more profound it seemed.
And so, the two of them wandered from the second floor to the third, then up to the fourth.
Along the way, they admired the decorations and displays in each club’s room, soaking in the unique atmosphere of different student groups.
“By the way, Shen Yue, you’ve been with me all afternoon—what about your club?” Gu Luo asked sheepishly.
“Won’t this affect your club activities?”
“No, not at all!” Shen Yue quickly waved her hands, then explained, “Clubs don’t require daily attendance. You just need to participate four times a week.”
“And if you don’t meet the quota this week, you can make it up next week.”
“As long as you earn enough club credits by the end of the semester, it’s fine.”
“If you’re in two clubs, each one requires at least one session per week. For example, one club a day, the other three days.”
“I see…” Gu Luo nodded thoughtfully before asking, “So who keeps track of these club credits?”
“Usually, it’s the club president and vice president. Of course, if both are unavailable, they’ll assign a reliable student to handle it.”
Gu Luo clicked his tongue. “Doesn’t that mean if you’re tight with the president, you could skip the whole semester without consequences?”
“Well…” Shen Yue paused, slightly taken aback. She had never considered that possibility, always attending club activities on time.
After a moment, she carefully replied, “Theoretically, yes. But most presidents wouldn’t dare cover for members like that. If reported, both the president and the member would face disciplinary action.”
“Of course, if it’s just a few missed sessions… they’d probably turn a blind eye.”
“At least, I’ve never seen anyone held back a year for lacking club credits.”
“But it must have happened before.”
So failing to earn enough club credits could lead to repeating a grade.
Gu Luo had pretty much grasped all the club rules now.
He really owed Shen Yue his thanks.
Thinking this, he smiled at her. “Shen Yue, thank you so much for today. What would you like to drink? My treat.”
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