The most remarkable thing was that the Sports Club took the initiative to invite Ethan Shaw to join, which was a rare honor. Although, it was said... they wanted to use the presence of a pretty boy to promote the importance of a fit physique.

Ethan Shaw, for the sake of the beautiful vice president, reluctantly joined the Sports Club. But he was well aware that he was just there for show, so his attitude toward the club... was just so-so.

But in any case, during his student days, he had joined a club, and that was enough—he had no regrets about his youth.

By comparison, William Thompson was much worse off. It wasn’t that no one invited him to join a club, but he spent most of his time working part-time jobs, and he wasn’t very interested in clubs anyway.

Since Ethan Shaw had slipped away, he went to Travis Sullivan’s dormitory to pay for the desk he owed.

Travis Sullivan wasn’t in the dorm, but he had already found a desk—Senior Sullivan had ultimately chosen a physical item. There was no other way; even the landlord’s family had no surplus grain, right?

William Thompson felt a bit disappointed about this. The next day, when he went to the library for inspection work, he couldn’t muster much enthusiasm—his money was running out, and he needed to find a way to earn more as soon as possible.

In the afternoon, Yvonne King actually came again, but this time she wasn’t here to borrow books. “William Thompson, someone’s looking for you.”

Beside her was a fair-skinned girl of medium build, with eyes like crescent moons and a smile that appeared before she spoke, yet she gave off a calm and serene vibe.

“Hello, Senior Bai,” William Thompson quickly stood up, smiled, and nodded. He recognized her—she was the president of the Literature Club, Lily White, born into a prestigious family and known for her cool temperament. She was now an inner dorm student and quite popular in the academy.

The reason he knew her was also because of Senior White’s popularity. The academy didn’t officially rank the top ten beauties, but without a doubt, no matter how you ranked them, Lily White would be in the top ten.

President White rarely came to the library. William Thompson had only heard about her in the cafeteria when Ethan Shaw pointed her out—pretty boys had an extraordinary interest in the academy’s beauties.

“You know me?” Lily White was a bit surprised, but she quickly adjusted her demeanor. “I heard from your roommate that your writing is quite sophisticated. Is that true?”

“Roommate?” William Thompson opened his mouth in astonishment, then glanced thoughtfully at the tomboy beside him.

Yvonne King was quite straightforward. She nodded, “It was Ethan Shaw who told me. You were the top scorer in Jingjiang Prefecture and third in Boling County—your writing can’t possibly be bad.”

How much did that pretty boy sell me out for? William Thompson was a little unhappy inside, but he still had to show a hint of a smile.

He answered modestly, “How could I dare boast about my writing in front of you, Senior? It’s just that others didn’t perform as well.”

“All right, there’s no need to be so fake,” Yvonne King waved her hand and spoke bluntly, as was her nature. “Lily has something to discuss with you.”

“You want me to join the Literature Club, right?” William Thompson asked with a smile, then spread his hands, looking regretful. “It’s not that I don’t want to join, but… as you both can see, I have to work here as a volunteer to earn a subsidy. I really don’t have the time.”

“It’s not about joining the club,” Lily White spoke softly, her voice gentle yet cool. “It’s about next year’s celebration essay contest.”

Next year’s celebration? William Thompson immediately understood. Next year would be the emperor’s coming-of-age year, when he could officially take charge of state affairs.

The current emperor had ascended the throne just over two years ago, with the cabinet handling state affairs. He had tried to make his voice heard, but unfortunately, he was not yet of age.

After next year’s coming-of-age ceremony, the emperor would be able to govern personally. The ceremony would also mark the third anniversary of his accession, so next year’s celebration would be extremely grand.

“I’m really not familiar with essay contests,” William Thompson shook his head decisively. He didn’t like this kind of commissioned writing, and as a dignified Wind Inspector, it would be embarrassing to flatter the emperor of the lower realm, wouldn’t it?

“There are no restrictions on genre,” Lily White’s voice was not only gentle but also cool.

So what? William Thompson smiled slightly and didn’t answer. He really wasn’t interested.

Yvonne King saw that he was trying to decline and added directly, “The top scorer in the county gets one hundred silver dollars.”

This guy was handsome, true, but he was also poor.

“One hundred silver dollars?” William Thompson’s eyes lit up immediately, but soon he lowered his eyelids and spoke respectfully, “How could the county’s top prize go to me? Not to mention, how many instructors do we have in the academy?”

“Everyone who makes it to the county finals gets a consolation prize of five silver dollars,” Lily White also noticed his change in attitude and calmly added another incentive.

“Although I may not be up to the task, how could I miss such a celebration?” William Thompson immediately put on a solemn face when he heard the words ‘five silver dollars.’

He declared righteously, “I’m not in it for the money. I just want… to participate, to boost our people’s pride, and not let outsiders look down on us.”

“If you’re not in it for the money, that makes it even easier,” Lily White smiled slightly—her first smile of the day. “Junior Thompson, I’m here today to invite you to contribute… could you do me this favor?”

“Of course, for Senior White’s sake,” William Thompson smiled and nodded. “No restrictions on genre, right? No problem.”