Chapter 03: Class Monitor Election | When Flowers Fall On Campus by Jibei Ruishi

After class, the classroom became noisy. Some students were banging on desks, others were throwing paper balls. Just then, Teacher Wu opened the door, and the room instantly quieted down. Looking at the students, he raised an eyebrow and teased:

“Do you all start a concert and a debate the moment class ends? I’ve never seen you this enthusiastic in music class.”

The class responded with a wave of quiet boos. Jiang Hong stood up, grinning mischievously, and shouted:

“Can’t help it. Our music teacher only teaches singing, not how to play the trash violin.”

Teacher Wu looked at the students, then walked to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote a few characters:

"Class Monitor Election"

After setting the chalk down, he clapped his hands briskly and announced:

“Today we’re electing our class monitor. Who do you choose?”

All the boys shouted in unison:

“We vote for Jia Qiuyue!”

Teacher Wu leaned on the podium, scanning the room. Suddenly, Nong Yi stood up, face serious, and declared:

“I object to Jia Qiuyue being class monitor!”

Teacher Wu turned to Nong Yi with a curious expression and asked:

“Why do you object to Jia Qiuyue running for class monitor?”

The boys immediately began to jeer:

“You just want to be class monitor yourself!”

The class erupted into noise again. Teacher Wu banged on the desk sharply:

“Quiet! Let’s hear Nong Yi out.”

Nong Yi walked to the front, hands clenched nervously, and explained:

“Because Jia Qiuyue just transferred to this school. She’s not familiar with the classmates, the teachers, or the environment yet. So I suggest Fan Jiade should be class monitor instead.”

Teacher Wu nodded slowly at the reasoning—until she heard the name Fan Jiade. Her eyes widened in surprise as she asked, almost in disbelief:

“You sure you didn’t write the wrong name? You want him to be monitor?”

Nong Yi turned to look at Fan Jiade and responded firmly:

“You heard me right. Him. I think since we’re already in senior year, and only have a few months before the college entrance exam, Fan Jiade should take on the role of class monitor.”

Teacher Wu sighed and glanced at the calendar:

“Only 240 days until the Gaokao… Does anyone object to Fan Jiade as monitor?”

Gaokao (高考) – The national college entrance exam in China. It's incredibly high-stakes.

He looked around. No hands were raised. He thought to himself—not surprising; Fan Jiade and Jia Qiuyue are both pretty popular.

“Alright then. Fan Jiade will be our class monitor this term,” he concluded.

---

In the back of the class, Tang Kaiji was seething. He clenched a crumpled note in his fist and muttered under his breath, his eyes burning with resentment:

“Fan Jiade, just you wait.”

He Jiancheng, noticing the storm brewing in his friend’s expression, tried to calm him down:

“Let it go. She clearly doesn’t like you. There are plenty of people in the world. Can’t someone else like you?”

But Tang Kaiji didn’t answer. His jaw tightened. Then, an idea struck him. He scribbled something on the note:

“Meet me after school in the alley next to campus.”

He tossed the note to Fan Jiade. Fan Jiade picked it up with a puzzled look—was Tang Kaiji trying to talk to him about something? 

Jia Qiuyue noticed, narrowing her eyes in quiet suspicion. She didn’t alert the teacher. Instead, she made up her mind to follow Fan Jiade after school.

Fan Jiade opened the note, read it, then casually scribbled back:

“Sure. I’ll wait for you there.”

He tossed the note back. Tang Kaiji opened it and grinned menacingly. His expression sent a chill down He Jiancheng’s spine. He leaned in, whispering warily:

“You’re not planning to fight, are you?”

Tang Kaiji glared at him with contempt:

“So what if I am?”

He Jiancheng’s face paled. He stammered, voice barely above a whisper:

“That’s against school rules! You want me to tell the teacher?”

Tang Kaiji shoved him roughly:

“You dare?”

He Jiancheng stumbled back, panicking.