Seventy: Student Council Officer

Our school often conducts surprise inspections of the dormitories after lights-out; students who spend the night outside face disciplinary action, and the arduous task of conducting these checks naturally falls to the Disciplinary Division of the Student Council. For those students living off-campus on Student Street, joining the Disciplinary Division is, in fact, an excellent choice. Not only can they be privy to the exact timing of every inspection, but they can also foster good relations with the security staff—who could resist such a convenient arrangement? Hence, it is not an exaggeration to say that the Disciplinary Division is the most difficult department to enter within the Student Council, and I was very fortunate to have caught this opportunity.

Within the Disciplinary Division are several smaller teams. The Dormitory Management Group, responsible for patrolling and inspecting the dormitories, wields significant authority, making it highly sought after by many. Typically, entry into this group is challenging, but thanks to our class monitor, Chen Kang, who is close friends with Peng Rong, the group leader, many in our class with various motives managed to sneak into this “pure revolutionary force” with ease—my roommate Fanzi and I among them. Of all the members, only Peng Rong and I hailed from the same hometown, so it was only natural that soon after joining, we became fast friends.

Ever since the "Boss" passed away, the workload of the Dormitory Management Group lightened significantly. Apart from helping maintain order at the opening ceremony of the school sports meet, I had little to do. Although the school scheduled a few inspections, I was never assigned. After all, inspections are a thankless task—less trouble is better than more—and I was perfectly content to enjoy my leisure.

“Xiaobei, it’s your turn to inspect the dormitories tonight. Be sure to gather under the flagpole in front of the dorm building before 9:30,” Peng Rong called me just as I was playing a computer game in my rented room on Student Street.

Because the apartments in the old district of Student Street were both rundown and expensive, I had initially chosen to live in the new district during my first semester. However, over time, even with a bicycle, commuting back and forth became too exhausting. So, at the start of the second semester, I moved back to the old district and shared a whole apartment with seven or eight friends on Student Street.

At first, constrained by school rules, I still occasionally spent nights in the dorm. But then I realized that since I was in charge of inspections, even if I got caught, it would only take a phone call to smooth things over. Eventually, I simply stopped returning to the dorm altogether.

After hanging up, I quickly logged off the game, shut down the computer, and retrieved my Disciplinary Division badge from the desk drawer, stuffing it into my pocket.

By the time I arrived under the flagpole, five or six members of the Dormitory Management Group—including Fanzi—were already gathered there.

“Xiaobei, are you still living off-campus?” Peng Rong asked casually when he saw me coming from the direction of Student Street.

“Yes,” I replied honestly. We were all friends, so there was nothing to hide.

“Living the good life, huh? Are you staying with your girlfriend?” Peng Rong squinted with a mischievous grin, patting my shoulder. Who would have thought men could be so gossipy?

“What girlfriend? His girlfriend doesn’t even go to our school,” Fanzi interjected before I could answer.

“But I saw you walking around with a girl recently. Isn’t she in our Disciplinary Division, too?” Peng Rong was referring to Xiao Z. She and I joined the division together, though she ended up in the Secretariat.

I merely chuckled awkwardly, unsure how to explain, and let the matter pass.

After a bit of chatting, everyone took out their phones to warn their friends about the upcoming inspection. In truth, this was entirely unnecessary; we were all standing out front with our badges in plain sight. Even a fool could tell there was going to be an inspection tonight.

After almost an hour, two Student Affairs Office instructors finally arrived. Led by the teachers, we filed into the security booth.

After collecting the name lists for each dorm room, Peng Rong assigned tasks. Fanzi and I were paired together, supervised by a teacher, and assigned to check the third to fifth floors of the junior dorm.

As lights-out approached, everyone set out for their assigned targets. Before we even reached the corridor, someone upstairs shouted, “Inspection!”

Immediately, students poured into the hallway, whispering among themselves and eyeing us, probably guessing which room would be the unlucky target tonight.

“Check this one,” the supervising teacher said, pointing to an open door on the third floor and taking the lead. Fanzi and I quickly followed, clutching the name lists.

I checked student IDs; Fanzi recorded the results.

“Hey, didn’t I just show you my ID? Why are you marking me absent?”

“Sorry, I was in the bathroom! Here’s my ID…”

“Wait, my roommates will be back any minute—please wait!”

The cacophony was overwhelming, and as this was our first inspection, we floundered amid the chaos. The teacher glared at us, clearly displeased, then instructed curtly, “Ignore them.”

With orders given, we ignored the complaints and focused on recording the results.

In the next room, a student lay asleep on the bed by the door, facing away from us. We looked to the teacher, silently asking if we should wake him.

“Wake him up!” the teacher said impatiently.

“Excuse me, please get up and show your student ID,” I said, resigned to my duty.

The groggy student rolled over, grumbling as he groped for his ID under his pillow. To my surprise, it was none other than the Vice President of our Disciplinary Division. What a case of friendly fire—our own member caught in the net.

After awkwardly checking his ID, Fanzi and I quickly fled the room, trailed by the laughter of his roommates: “Ha! You got checked by your own department!”

After a long night, our ordeal was finally over. Stepping out of the dormitory, we breathed in the fresh night air. The Student Affairs teacher left, satisfied with a full page of absentees, and Peng Rong gathered us out front for a quick debrief. “That’s all for tonight. Good work, everyone. Go get some rest.”

As Fanzi and I were about to head back, Peng Rong called out, “Xiaobei!”

“Yeah?” I turned my head.

“Are you heading back to Student Street tonight?” he asked from a distance.

“No. Climbing over the wall is too much trouble. I’ll just sleep in the dorm,” I replied. The main gate was already locked for the night, and the risk of sneaking out was too high. Besides, the dorm had a bed.

“Alright then, I’m off—see you!” Peng Rong nodded and walked away, phone already to his ear, clearly occupied with other matters.

“Fanzi, wait up!” I hurried after him.

At that moment, the security guard cut the power, plunging the entire men’s dormitory into darkness.

(Chapter revised on September 20, 2010)