Summer has arrived without realizing it.

  Xu Shaojie has become the focus of attention wherever he goes. The school party branch secretary smiled and said that Xu Shaojie had made a great achievement, as Xiao Lao San was notorious for causing trouble in school, making small mistakes but not big ones, and having good relationships with some cadres, so he couldn't be dealt with. The school leaders were heartbroken, but they didn't expect Xu Shaojie to solve this problem. For such a long time, Xiao Lao San's shadow was nowhere to be seen, and the environment around the school had improved a lot. Other troublemakers didn't dare to come over, and students felt much safer going out. Xu Shaojie modestly attributed all these achievements to the secretary's guidance, saying that upholding justice was what he, as a student who wanted to get close to the organization, should do.

  Zheng Yuxin's attitude has undergone a significant change. Every day, she waits for Xu Shaojie in the cafeteria, either by going to get food or having Xu Shaojie go get food, and then they sit down together to eat. Zheng Yuxin would pick out the meat from her dishes and give it to Xu Shaojie. All the students knew about this, so no one found it strange. The interactions between the two had only progressed to this point. Every weekend, Zheng Yuxin would go home, and they didn't dare venture out into the streets together yet.

  Xu Shaojie felt a little regretful, that night was too tense, he forgot what it was like to hold Zheng Yuxin. After passing this village, there won't be such a store again. Ma Jianhua and others often teased and asked Xu Shaojie about his feelings, but they also believed what Xu Shaojie said. At the time, the atmosphere was too tense. No one noticed these things, Xiao Lao San cut off his little finger, and many people had nightmares after returning to their dormitory.

  Xu Shaojie heard the news that his application to join the party had been approved in principle, and all that was left was to hold a branch meeting. The secretary gave Xu Shaojie strong support, believing that he fully met the requirements. Xu Shaojie was very happy, new party members are usually sworn in on July 1st, becoming probationary members, and then converted to regular members after one year.

  This summer, the heat is sweltering, and there's always a sense of unease lingering. The students' emotions are mostly excited and restless, but the atmosphere in the dormitory is stable because of Xu Shaojie. After many debates, everyone has become more practical. As the ancient saying goes, "Hearing the Tao has its order, and mastering a skill takes time." Everyone is considering their future choices, taking advantage of being in college to learn as much as possible, so that they can adapt quickly in society later on. Xu Shaojie's performance has earned the admiration of everyone in the dormitory, always thinking things through carefully and being one step ahead of everyone else.

  At that time, political economics was not popular among students. Political economics was a major course, usually taught in an auditorium by professors, and it was not easy to teach. Xu Shaojie had a great interest in political economics. Although the course was dull, the knowledge it conveyed reflected many real-life situations, and some social phenomena could be found in it. Although the professor repeated some clichés during lectures, there were still many insightful views. Political economics classes were held every Monday afternoon in an auditorium.

  "Xu Ban Zhang, it seems that some people don't like political economics this semester. I heard that some students are planning to skip class."

  "Whatever, I'm going anyway, I think political economics is important."

  "Also, let's go together this afternoon."

  "Ma Jianhua, why did you suddenly mention this matter? Is there anything else you want to say?"

  "Haha, I heard that some senior students are preparing to boycott classes, and the first target is political economics. They think this course is a tool for fooling the people."

  "Fart, how the professor says it or lectures on it, you still have a brain, see how you understand it yourself. I won't listen to them, and neither should you. If you haven't read the book well, why bother worrying about so many things."

  Recently, some turmoil has reached Xu Shaojie's ears, but he thinks that as a first-year student, he shouldn't worry about other things, studying is the top priority. So, Xu Shaojie returned to his state of being oblivious to outside matters and focusing solely on reading sacred books. His dormitory brothers were also influenced by Xu Shaojie, and everyone was buried in their books.

  In the afternoon class, Xu Shaojie was slightly late, but he wasn't worried because Zheng Yuxin would help him find a seat. In such large classes, Zheng Yuxin always helped Xu Shaojie find a spot and they sat together to listen to the lesson. The feelings between Xu Shaojie and Zheng Yuxin were of an inner kind, not showy or ostentatious. Compared to the upperclassmen, their emotions were very subtle, without any romantic strolls under the moonlight, just meeting in the cafeteria during meals. Currently, there weren't many students in school as the seniors' internships hadn't ended yet, but they would be back soon, by the end of the month.

  Xu Shaojie knew that many of his seniors in their fourth year were very pragmatic, with a lot of people looking for jobs and the allocation being the most important aspect. Although they were graduates from top universities, getting allocated to a good place wasn't easy. Nowadays, allocation was all about connections, not ability. Everyone wanted to stay in big cities, but big cities only needed so many people. The "pride of heaven" was only revered within the school campus; once you entered society, no one cared about you.

  Many seniors chose to take the postgraduate exam or study abroad, and some succeeded. Xu Shaojie couldn't think that far ahead for now, but he estimated that he wouldn't be taking the postgraduate exam or going abroad either.

  As soon as Xu Shaojie entered the tiered classroom, he quickly discovered that something was amiss. The classroom was in disarray and had lost its usual quietness and elegance. Many students were surrounding something, but due to the crowd, it was unclear what had happened. Xu Shaojie spotted Zheng Yuxin sitting at his seat and ignored the surrounding students as he walked over and sat down beside him.

  "Xu Ban Zhang, today's lesson may not be able to attend."

  "Oh, why, class is about to start."

  "You don't know, the students are surrounding four senior students who are very powerful. They have already entered the tiered classroom and are telling their classmates not to attend class, saying that political economics is a way of fooling the people. They also say that when the professor arrives, they will engage in a debate with him. Oh, the secretary of the school party branch and your class teacher Xu have also arrived and are trying to persuade the four senior students not to make trouble in the classroom, but they won't listen. It seems like some classmates also support the opinions of the senior students, so it's still at an impasse."

  Xu Shaojie was originally not concerned about this matter, but when he heard this, he stood up. The secretary and the class teacher were all here, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing. Firstly, as the class monitor, he had to take the lead in maintaining order during class. Secondly, he was actively trying to get close to the party organization and had to play a leading role at all times. Zheng Yuxin saw Xu Shaojie standing up and walking towards the middle, so she quickly stood up and followed behind him, she was already used to doing this.

  Many classmates saw Xu Shaojie coming and cleared a path. Now, Xu Shaojie still has some influence among the students.

  Branch secretary and class teacher Xu Zhuxin was facing off against four senior boys, the branch secretary was persuading a few students to leave the lecture hall, as class was about to start soon. At this moment, the branch secretary saw Xu Shaojie coming over, a worried expression appeared with a hint of a smile.

  Xu Shaojie knew that now was not the time to reason, if he were to engage in a debate with several senior students, today's class would be ruined. These seniors' goal was exactly this. As soon as Zheng Yuxin mentioned this matter just now, Xu Shaojie thought of a way to resolve it.

  "Hey guys, I advise you not to cause trouble here, we have class, it's best if you leave quickly."

  The four of them looked at Xu Shaojie, they had heard about his deeds before, but now they didn't care.

  "Xu Ban Zhang, don't interfere with our business. We are going to debate with the professor and it has nothing to do with you. If you're interested, we can have a face-to-face debate later."

  "Get lost, who wants to argue with you guys. Xiao Lao San said the same thing to me at first, and look what happened in the end. Don't think you're my seniors, I'm not afraid of you. Believe it or not, I'll beat you until your teeth are all over the floor. If you know what's good for you, scram! If I remember your names by the time school lets out, you'll find out what the consequences are."

  Xu Shaojie's words came out, and the tiered classroom quickly fell silent. The four third-year students looked at each other in dismay, unable to believe that Xu Shaojie had come to confront them. They were afraid, but they didn't dare show it. This Xu Shaojie was known for being clever and always following through on his words. If they opposed him, the consequences would be severe - Xiao Lao San was a prime example. The four students had initially wanted to engage in a debate, but now they felt like scholars encountering soldiers, unable to articulate their arguments. They paused for a moment, their faces filled with anger, before storming out of the classroom. Behind them, they heard snickers and whistles. They didn't dare say anything, thinking that it was better not to provoke Xu Shaojie.

  "Hehe, Xu class monitor, you're doing a good job, but as a university student, you need to be more mindful of what you say in the future. It's not good if your classmates hear these words."

  "Secretary, I just don't want to get entangled with them. If we reason it out, there will be problems in today's class, so I thought of this method. Don't worry, I won't act rashly, I'll definitely follow your arrangements."

  Xu Shaojie immediately put on a smiling face, beaming at the branch secretary. The branch secretary looked exceptionally pleased, his self-esteem satisfied, and he thought to himself, "This Xu Shaojie really is sensible." He patted Xu Shaojie's shoulder.

  "I know, I know, haha, go ahead with your class, I won't disturb you guys anymore."

  Class teacher Xu Zhuxin took a look at Xu Shaojie. Recently, she was preparing to study abroad and came to listen to the political economy lecture. She found Professor to discuss some issues and saw Xu Shaojie's heroic actions. Xu Zhuxin had always been paying attention to this Xu Shaojie, and she also knew about Xu Shaojie's request to join the party. With her intuition, Xu Zhuxin felt that this Xu Shaojie would not be simple in the future and might do something earth-shaking. Xu Zhuxin walked up to Xu Shaojie's side.

  "Xiao Xu, pay attention in class, you're the class monitor, remember to set a good example."

  "Yes, definitely, don't worry, Teacher Xu."

  After returning to his seat, Xu Shaojie glanced at his watch and saw that there were still a few minutes before class started.

  "Xu Ban Zhang, you looked so fierce just now."

  "Hehe, Zheng Yuxin, I'm telling you, this is called speaking to people in a human way, and speaking to ghosts in a ghostly way."

  Xu Shaojie answered casually, completely unaware of Zheng Yuxin's expression. Between Xu Shaojie and Zheng Yuxin, there were no such worries, so he said whatever came to mind. After speaking, Xu Shaojie felt a chill on the back of his head, and only then did he notice that Zheng Yuxin's face had turned from sunny to cloudy.

  "Hum, so you say, am I human or ghost? From now on, are you going to speak to me like this too?"

  "No, not at all. How can you compare with them? You're a fairy maiden! I absolutely dare not speak to you like that. It's no problem for you to speak to me like this, I'll definitely listen. Xu Shaojie says what he means and does what he says. If I ever dare to show my teeth or be impudent to Zheng Yuxin, I'm a turtle egg!"

  "Hehe, that's more like it."

  Zheng Yuxin's face immediately broke into a brilliant smile, looking especially beautiful. Xu Shaojie, however, was too distracted to appreciate this beauty. He thought back to his elementary school days when he was always bullied by female classmates. As a proud man, he dared to fight with male classmates in the classroom but had no way to deal with female classmates. It seemed that this fine tradition still needed to be continued. Xu Shaojie felt that this woman was really sensitive, changing her expression after just a few words. He even thought that if he dared to say something like "I love you" to Zheng Yuxin, she would probably faint.

  During class, Xu Shaojie was still diligently and conscientiously listening to the lesson, but his spirit often wandered, thinking from time to time about Zheng Yuxin beside him. The words Zheng Yuxin said today were not ordinary in meaning. Even if Xu Shaojie was stupid, he understood the deep intention behind them. He saw Zheng Yuxin's face filled with a satisfied smile, occasionally looking at him with an expression of pride, as if telling Xu Shaojie that no matter how powerful you are, from now on you still have to listen to me, even Sun Wukong cannot escape the Buddha's palm.

  Xu Shaojie often thinks a lot, including how to choose his future career, what aspects of knowledge to focus on learning, and which books to read. However, when it comes to personal issues, he rarely thinks deeply. He has basically established a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with Zheng Yuxin, but Xu Shaojie is very realistic. From the current situation, the possibility between him and Zheng Yuxin is extremely slim. Zheng Yuxin is from Xilin City and will definitely stay there after graduation. Xu Shaojie, on the other hand, will not choose to stay in a big city and wants to start from the grassroots level, step by step. He believes that without a solid foundation, everything will collapse. As he is not an official's child, he can only rely on his own efforts to build a strong foundation for future success. The approach of relying on connections does not suit him. Many high-level leaders also let their children train at the grassroots level to gain rich experience. Therefore, the relationship between Xu Shaojie and Zheng Yuxin still has its shadows.