Chapter 166: Chapter 97: I’m Not Your Dad
Chen Yuan and Jiang Shuyi sat together, chatting idly.
He Xiaoxi, on the other hand, was bored out of her mind and watched the others.
"Sister Jiang, Brother Yuan, why do the people from the Arts and Literature Department keep looking at us?"
"He’s just a giant baby. Don’t pay him any mind." After saying that, Jiang Shuyi went back to chatting with Chen Yuan.
"I see him smiling. It feels weird, like he’s up to something shady."
Jiang Shuyi glanced up. "He’s smiling like someone with Down syndrome."
Chen Yuan said, "Don’t insult people with Down syndrome."
Jiang Shuyi asked, "Then what does he look like?"
Chen Yuan replied, "Like a dumbass."
Jiang Shuyi quipped, "A keen eye for dumbasses."
Chen Yuan retorted, "I’ve seen enough of them to know. Practice makes perfect."
Jiang Shuyi said, "Recommend a website, then."
Chen Yuan replied, "I’ll send it to you later."
Hearing their back-and-forth banter, He Xiaoxi felt she was still too young and naive.
Just then, Li Weihao walked in from outside and took the head seat. Seeing that not everyone from the various departments had arrived, he asked a few questions and then started the meeting.
The meeting’s agenda was simple: a summary of last week’s work and planning for next month’s activities.
Li Weihao assigned all these tasks. Sitting in the head seat, he really gave off the air of a commander directing his troops.
"Right now, aside from the university debate tournament, we’re pretty much done with activities for this semester. But there’s still some time before finals week, so we can squeeze in one more event. If any department has an idea, you can go back and think about it."
"Brother Hao, we want to organize a campus music festival and invite the ’Top Ten Singers’ from other schools in University City to participate," Li Dongyang said.
Li Weihao thought about it. The event seemed decent enough, but whether they could actually pull it off was another question. It would be a huge undertaking, and it would be impossible without strong coordination skills.
"I already have a rough idea. We’ll need about 5,000 yuan for the event budget. My plan is for the Student Union to contribute 3,000 and the External Relations Department to contribute 2,000."
The three of them—Chen Yuan, Jiang Shuyi, and He Xiaoxi—all looked at Li Dongyang.
They had planned to just get through the meeting quietly and then slip away, but they never expected to get dragged into this.
"Two thousand yuan..." Li Weihao muttered. "That’s a lot of money. It’s a bit much to ask of the External Relations Department. You guys discuss it amongst yourselves first."
Li Weihao thought the event was a pretty good idea. If it was successful, it would count as one of his accomplishments.
But a 5,000-yuan budget was a bit steep.
Even if the Student Union only put up 3,000, it was still no small sum. Plus, it would be hard to apply for funding from the Youth League Committee, since this wasn’t a traditional event like the Top Ten Singers competition.
"Got it."
Li Dongyang acknowledged him and said nothing more.
Li Weihao discussed a few other matters, and then the regular meeting for the day was over.
After the meeting was dismissed, members from the various departments left the conference room one after another. Chen Yuan and Jiang Shuyi had no intention of talking to Li Dongyang and left directly.
"My gut feeling was right. The reason he kept looking at us was because of this," He Xiaoxi said in a low voice.
"You think he did that on purpose? Asking for exactly 2,000, no more, no less?" Jiang Shuyi muttered.
"It’s possible. He probably knows we made 2,000 from shooting that video," Chen Yuan said.
"But we haven’t even gotten the money yet, and he’s already got his eyes on it?"
"What else would you expect from someone with a screw loose?"
The fact they’d filmed a video wasn’t a secret, so it was reasonable that he would know about it.
But for him to be eyeing the money right after they’d earned it, before they’d even had a chance to spend it themselves, was just wishful thinking on his part.
Meanwhile, Li Dongyang and Hu Guangyuan had also followed them out and were whispering to each other.
"Brother Dong, look, they just left. They don’t seem like they want to talk to us. Do you think they’ll be willing to give us the money?"
"Just asking them for the money directly won’t work. You have to use some tactics. Not only will they be willing to give it, but they’ll also be eternally grateful," Li Dongyang said confidently.
"For real? How are you going to make them gratefully hand over the money?"
"I can tell them that the original plan was to have them contribute 3,000, but out of consideration for our personal relationship, I didn’t want to put that much pressure on them, so I only asked for 2,000. Think about it. If I frame it like that, doesn’t it sound much better?" Li Dongyang said with a calm and collected expression.
Hu Guangyuan’s eyes lit up, and a sense of admiration washed over him. "Now that you put it that way, it does sound a lot better."
"See? That’s why I say you have to be strategic in how you do things."
"You’re right. I never would have thought of that."
Unconsciously, Hu Guangyuan straightened his back. He felt fortunate that he had joined the Arts and Literature Department and had learned so much from Li Dongyang.
’Looking at all the department heads in the Student Union, no one can compare to him,’ he thought. ’Just based on his tactics alone, few people measure up. Maybe he really can become the president in the future. Then I’ll become a department head!’
’If I’m lucky, I might even take over for him and become president the term after next.’
"Jiang Shuyi."
Li Dongyang barked from behind them. Chen Yuan and the other two stopped and turned to look at him.
"What is it?" Jiang Shuyi asked, having stopped.
"It’s about what we discussed in the meeting earlier," Li Dongyang said with a smile.
"For the event we’re organizing, we need you guys to contribute 2,000. My original plan was to ask for 3,000, but then I thought about how good our relationship is, so I cut it by 1,000 and had the Student Union cover more. That way, there’s less pressure on you. I’m a pretty decent guy, right?"
"It’s not my call. You should ask Chen Yuan," Jiang Shuyi said, passing the buck directly to him.
Li Dongyang’s gaze shifted to Chen Yuan, his expression turning more serious.
’Jiang Shuyi is a department head, on the same level as me, but Chen Yuan is different. He’s just a regular member. There’s a big difference in our status, so naturally, my attitude can’t be the same. I need to show some of the authority and posture of a department head.’
"Chen Yuan, I know we’ve had some unpleasantness between us in the past, but I’m willing to let it go," Li Dongyang said.
"We’re talking about official business now. You heard what I said earlier. I’m letting bygones be bygones. I took my relationship with Jiang Shuyi into account and didn’t want to put too much pressure on you guys, so I reduced the amount by 1,000. As for the rest... I won’t say any more. I don’t want it to seem like I’m asking you to owe me a favor. It’s enough that you understand."