Shift! The Side-Character Heroine

The corpulent Zhu Yongnian was now the President of the Student Council. Rather than calling it his victory, it was more of a victory for Lady Zhao, the mastermind behind the scenes…

Anyone who dared to oppose Lady Zhao would be beaten into a pulp.

Admittedly, the brilliant Qiao Fei should have won the position. Sadly, this was how democracy worked. This was no longer a question of individual capabilities. It was about the more eloquent, respectful person who respected the will of the people and winning their hearts.

Of course, Lady Zhao was highly proficient in this. Using her Food Research Department as a boost, supplemented by her own fame, she inspired the onlookers who were originally not keen on voting to exercise their voting rights. The results had worked in her favor.

This was why Lady Zhao loved this election system. As long as you were a student at Jiangnan University, you would have the rights to vote. The students had not even placed their hearts into it. They treated it like a farce. Nevertheless, such a farce had made it possible for an impossible President. It was like reaching the skies in a single bound. Was there any system better than this?

All hail democracy. Zhao Youyue could wield this system like a toy and achieve her plan of reaching the skies in a single bound. Otherwise, no matter how brilliant she was, she might never achieve this position, not until junior year, at least. Only then, would it be possible for her to be like Qiao Fei, who had used her identity as the Head of some influential department to run as President-Elect of the Student Council.

To Lady Zhao, that would have been too long of a wait. She did not have the adequate patience.

Zhu Yongnian was glowing with radiance, having achieved his goal. He had already given up all hope during the debate with Qiao Fei. The woman had butchered him. She had utterly wiped the floor clean with his guts. What chance did he have?

He had acquired the fruit of victory. He slowly walked towards the Student Council’s luxurious conference room, which he considered sacred. As he made the long walk, he felt like a king making a triumphant return!

He ignored the envious looks. He did not know what was being young and frivolous; he only knew that the winner would be the king!

As the former Head of the Publicity Department, he had lost count of the times he had warmed his old seat. He had always looked forward to discussing significant issues, eliminating vices and exalting virtues, just like all the Presidents who had once sat at the President’s seat. Now, that seat was his. There was also an entire classroom that was dedicated to the President of the Student Council, and now, he would have it all to himself. Students jokingly called that place “Jiangnan Sea.” Others even called it the “Small White House.”

Getting into the White House so easily and quickly would rid the world of all regrets. In reality, the owners of these worlds were unlikely to become real leaders of the country.

Zhu Yongnian was in high spirits. When he walked into the exclusive administrative floor of the Student Council department, many of the low-ranked members of the Student Council looked at him reverently. Regardless of whether the respect was real or fake, at least they made an effort to show it, right? That was more than enough!

When they saw how the new President of the Student Council received so much respect wherever he walked, many people felt an irresistible urge to be in his position. These people had such a thought – “I can replace him.” They imagined that one day, they would be able to experience the thrill of becoming the President.

Of course, they only wanted to gratify their vanity. They had no desire of making any changes themselves. As long as they delivered as promised before the elections, it would suffice. They could even remove the bridge after crossing the river. Then, they could leave after half a semester of fun. They could make excuses, like how they had not been given enough time to carry out their plans, or something along those lines. They could always say that they have tried their very best. Why not support me again so that I can continue being in the position to have another go at it?

Just like that, in the luxurious conference room, Zhu Yongnian sat in the seat of honor. Following that, a few others like the Vice President of the Student Council and the Heads of various departments also got seated. Some were expressionless, some had an indifferent smile on their faces, and others were in deep thought. It seemed that those in deep thought were thinking about how the new President would play with words about how making a change for the better. Of course, no such change would happen.

Per tradition, Zhu Yongnian announced his Head of the Secretary Department. That person happened to be one of his few closest friends. As for the Heads of the other departments, he was not as certain. He did not really have many reliable subordinates. It was more important to consider if the other departments would operate smoothly, should he place an unreliable figure in power. He was not the kind of Student Council President who did his research or got to know his subordinates, afterall. All he wanted was to keep everything stable enough to last him his term.

Naturally, Zhu Yongnian began to follow the steps of the former Presidents subconsciously. He boasted and blabbered away. Anyhow, as long as he created a perfect facade, everything would be fine…

He still had one more matter to settle. Of course, he had to fulfill the promise that he had made to Lady Zhao. He treated different kinds of people differently. This was the basis of his life.

It could not be helped. His abilities were mediocre, but he was good at communicating with others and reading through the lines. This time, the key was to pay a sincere visit to Lady Zhao in person.

Facts have proven that this plan of his had been a stroke of genius. In the end, he was able to defeat the brilliant Qiao Fei. Lady Zhao had single-handedly made this possible, right?

Qiao Fei was also in the conference room at this time. She looked relatively calm. Her loss did not seem that much of a deal to her. She was only a junior, and she had her secure spot as the Head of the Discipline Inspection Department. She still had a lot of opportunities.

It was then when Zhu Yongnian said, “I have one last appointment to make, and that would be concerning Zhao Youyue. The President of the Food Research Department is hereby invited to join the Student Council and serve as the Vice President of the Literature and Arts Department. As we all know, the Food Research Department had seen tremendous growth over half a semester since its establishment. The majority of teachers and students approve of it, and it has solid support. This support has been incisively and vividly reflected in this election. Undoubtedly, Zhao Youyue, the President of that society, deserves all the credit. Of course, a brilliant person like her has to be included in the Student Council. I’ve already asked for her opinion on this, and she had been most willing.

Additionally, Zhao Youyue has outstanding talents and skills. Her musical talents are amazing. As long as she joins the Literature and Arts Department, many of our various events in the future would shine. Does anyone have anything to say?”

Undoubtedly, the Literature and Arts Department did not possess much power, and not many people were willing to take the initiative to join it. This department was no better than icing on a cake. It was also the department that utilized the “kick upstairs”[1] trick the most frequently. For example, allowing the Vice President of a really powerful department to be the President of the Literature and Arts Department or something like that…

Therefore, the big bosses remained silent, as they were inflexible Heads of various Departments. Instead, they considered reaching into the quickly rising Food Research club. It had the potential for major “voting district” power.

Translation note :

[1] “Kick upstairs” means to promote someone to a higher but less desirable position, especially one with less authority.