The campus was abuzz with clubs setting up recruitment booths.
Xiao Lie strolled past the usual ones — basketball, photography, music — all loud and flashy, trying to pull in first-years with free snacks and loud slogans.
But he wasn't looking for noise.
He wanted purpose.
That's when he saw it.
Tucked in a quieter corner of the courtyard stood a modest stall with a single banner:
"Debate and Strategy Society"
No flashy posters. No crowd.
Just a girl with glasses, her long hair tied back neatly, seated behind the table with a clipboard in her hand.
Xiao Lie stopped.
She looked… calm. Composed. As if the chaos around her didn't touch her world.
He walked over.
"This is a debate club?" he asked.
The girl looked up. Her eyes were sharp, but not unkind.
"It's more than that," she said. "We debate. But we also host business simulations, mock negotiations, strategy games. It's where thinkers belong."
Her tone was confident — not boastful, just matter-of-fact.
"You're Lin Shuyun?" he guessed, remembering the name written on the club flyer he picked up earlier.
"And you are?"
"Xiao Lie."
She scanned him with a neutral gaze. Then, with a small nod:
"You've got the eyes of someone who stopped wasting time."
He raised an eyebrow, surprised. She tapped her pen on the clipboard and added:
"I've seen too many guys join for the wrong reasons — to impress someone, to pad a resume. But you? You're either really serious… or completely bored."
Xiao Lie smiled.
"Maybe both."
Inside the clubroom later that evening, things felt different.
It wasn't noisy like other clubs. People spoke with intention. There were a few seniors sparring over topics like market ethics and corporate monopoly laws.
Xiao Lie watched quietly for a while — until one of the seniors invited him into a trial round.
"You've got ten minutes. Take the 'pro' side of the argument: 'Is meritocracy a myth?'"
Ten minutes later, Xiao Lie stood in front of the small group and began.
His points were sharp. His logic flowed naturally. He didn't sound rehearsed — he spoke like someone who understood life's unfairness and still believed in rising anyway.
Lin Shuyun watched from the back, arms crossed, unreadable.
After the session, one of the seniors clapped him on the back.
"Not bad, newbie. You've got the fire."
"Where'd you learn to talk like that?" another asked.
"Real life," Xiao Lie replied with a half-smile.
As the others dispersed, Lin Shuyun approached him with a short nod.
"You're in."
"Just like that?"
"You don't talk big. You think first. And you didn't try to flirt with me."
Xiao Lie chuckled.
"Guess the standards are low around here?"
"No. They're just real."
She started walking away, then paused.
"We meet twice a week. Don't be late. And next time, try to dress like you didn't just crawl out of bed."
Xiao Lie looked down at his hoodie and jeans, shrugged, and smiled.
She's interesting.
Not the kind of girl he would've chased before.
But definitely the kind he respected now.