"Military training! It's the first compulsory course of university!"
"We must uphold the spirit of 'fearing neither hardship nor fatigue,' and strive to overcome arrogance and indulgence!"
Unlike the principal's gentle tone, the chief instructor's opening was full of thunderous momentum.
The lethargic students below instantly held their breath.
On the vast sports field, apart from the sound of the wind and the chief instructor's voice, there was no other sound.
After a passionate and grand speech, the chief instructor suddenly stood up.
His hawk-like eyes slowly swept across the crowd.
The intangible pressure could be felt even from the last row.
"You—"
His drawn-out voice carried strong dissatisfaction.
"You came here swaying, with no awareness of military training! No posture when standing, no posture when sitting!
"Even the simplest assembly takes so long, you really need to practice well."
The chief instructor walked around the square table covered with red cloth and stepped to the very front of the podium.
"Instructor of First Battalion, Ninth Company, step forward!"
Suddenly called out, an instructor immediately emerged from the line of instructors.
His perfectly standard and upright posture and stance instantly overshadowed the students.
Chief Instructor: "Face everyone."
The instructor turned perfectly, and the scene fell silent.
"Squat down!"
"Stand up!"
"Return to your positions!"
With crisp and neat commands came prompt and decisive responses.
The chief instructor looked at the freshmen in their military training uniforms again.
"—Did you all see clearly?"
There was a moment of silence, then a loud response: "We saw clearly!"
"Very good."
The chief instructor nodded in satisfaction, then changed the subject.
"Now, listen to my command—"
At this moment, the freshmen had no idea that this sentence would become their nightmare.
"Everyone, squat down!"
The resulting curves were wavy, lacking any semblance of order.
The chief instructor sneered, "Stand up!"
The scene was still one of chaotic rising and falling.
"Squat down!"
"Stand up!"
"... "
After an unknown amount of time, the situation finally began to look a little better.
The chief instructor's expression softened slightly as he said, "If one person gets sick, the whole family takes medicine, so—
"You will start training when you reach my standard. Now, listen to my command—"
"Everyone, ten up and downs, go!"
Wen Tingxue had a burst of inspiration last night and stayed up until four in the morning to finish what was in her mind.
After a brief nap, she completely missed breakfast.
With an empty stomach, five or six consecutive squats already made her vision blur.
She forced herself to the seventh...
"Ah—"
"Careful!"
Seeing her about to fall, the girls near her extended their hands.
With two rows each for boys and girls, Bian Wei happened to be standing next to her, so he reacted the fastest.
"Wen Tingxue? Wake up..."
Bian Wei half-supported her, calling her name with concern.
The counselor hurried over, "Quick! Carry her to the tent over there, there are medical staff there."
"...It's just low blood sugar. You'll be fine after eating something."
After a brief examination by the doctor, Song You immediately handed her milk and bread.
Wen Tingxue, pale-faced, accepted them. "Thank you, Senior Song."
"You're welcome. Is there anything you want to eat? I'll have someone bring it for you."
Wen Tingxue quickly shook her head.
After she felt a little better, she remembered to ask, "Why are you here, Senior Song?"
Song You looked up from a pile of drawings and smiled, "Setting up the venue."
As he spoke, several boys rushed over.
Song You methodically assigned tasks to everyone.
After eating a little more than half a piece of bread, Wen Tingxue felt that she was recovering.
Just as she was about to get up and leave, she suddenly heard the chief instructor say, "From now on, eat breakfast before you come, so you can't say I'm overworking you."
Wen Tingxue: "..."
Song You looked at her with a smile in his eyes. "Why didn't you eat breakfast this morning?"
The few boys exchanged surprised glances.
Was this still their usually aloof vice-president?!
He was actually showing concern for a girl!
Oh my god!
Indeed, one sees strange things in a long life!
"Ah..." Wen Tingxue bit the straw. "I was drawing last night."
After the boys left, Song You sat down beside her.
"I saw your college entrance exam paper. Your drawing was very interesting. Although you didn't get first place, you don't have to work this hard, do you? Staying up all night to draw?"
He raised his eyebrows, a mix of teasing and disapproval.
It was as if he were an old friend who had known her for a long time.
Wen Tingxue was slightly stunned.
If she hadn't seen his interactions with others...
She probably wouldn't have thought much of it.
But—
Whether it was the boys just now or their brief encounters before.
She could tell that although he was gentle and polite to everyone, there was always a sense of detachment in his demeanor.
Only with her did he show concern and a special kind of attention.
Yet, he acted so openly.
Even his eyes were full of sincerity.
"..." Wen Tingxue slightly averted her gaze and said, "I just happened to have inspiration."
Song You nodded understandingly. "Inspiration is indeed rare and precious, but..."
He smiled, "You should still maintain moderation. In the design profession, there's a lot of hard work ahead. Your health is your capital for effort."
As he spoke, the chief instructor's order rang out, "Alright, each battalion, disperse for training!"
Wen Tingxue immediately stood up.
"I, I'll go over now..."
"No hurry, finish your bread."
He replied to a message with one hand and tapped the table with the other.
Such ordinary actions, a friendly tone.
But when put together, they carried an undeniable authority.
Wen Tingxue hesitated. Song You said without looking up, "It's still early. Eating those few bites won't sustain you until noon.
"Don't worry, I know which battalion you're in and where the training is. I'll take you there later."
He made sense.
Wen Tingxue sat back down and finished the bread and milk.
"Let's go," Song You said, putting away his phone at the right time, a faint smile on his face. "I'll take you to Ninth Company."
-
The military training opening ceremony was held on the sports field, and the Ninth Battalion's training ground was by the basketball court.
When Wen Tingxue arrived, each company had already begun standing at attention.
"You're the one who fainted just now?"
The instructor glanced at her expressionlessly.
Her already sharp demeanor became even more imposing in her military uniform.
Wen Tingxue nodded timidly. "Yes."
Song You curved his lips, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Wen Tingxue: "?"
What was so funny about this?
Speaking of which, she had never seen this expression on him before.
...It was quite captivating.
The next second, she heard the instructor say displeasedly, "Don't you know how to report?"
"..."
Wen Tingxue finally understood why he was smiling just now.
Hmph!
"Report!" Wen Tingxue thought to herself, and repeated.
The instructor frowned. Song You immediately mouthed the words to her.
Wen Tingxue paused for two seconds, then said, "Report, Instructor! I am student Wen Tingxue, requesting to rejoin the ranks!"
The instructor glanced back at the nonchalant Song You, then nodded, "Fall in!"
Phew—
Wen Tingxue let out a breath and quickly rejoined the line.
Lu Youran saw her return and happily waved.
Her gesture was small, but the instructor still saw it.
"Move! Move! Did you report before moving!"
Lu Youran immediately stood at attention, not even daring to meet the instructor's gaze.
The instructor sneered, "You two, step out!"
Lu Youran: "..."
Wen Tingxue: "..."
What kind of earthly suffering was this, to be targeted by the instructor on the first day of military training!
"Hands by your sides, facing your comrades, stand at attention!"
The instructor drew his belt and meticulously corrected their postures.
"Chest out, abdomen in, head up! Be serious! Don't think I won't discipline you just because your boyfriend is here!"
Wen Tingxue: ???
Song You: ...
Lu Youran: "Hahaha, I'm sorry, Instructor, I really..."
The instructor's gaze swept over her. "Laugh! Laugh! Who told you to laugh? Ten more minutes of punishment!"
Lu Youran: "..."
Heavens, she was so wronged!
Since they were facing each other, everyone else held back their laughter until they were in pain, not daring to make a sound.
This was truly human suffering!