After enjoying a period of treatment like a protected animal at home, Xia Qingtian ate well and drank well, walking with a confident stride, her eyes radiating an undeniable self-assurance. However, the military training at school was proving to be quite grueling.
Fortunately, today was the last day of military training. After the training drills concluded in the afternoon, the much-anticipated Golden Week in October would follow, bringing a full seven-day holiday.
Perhaps due to the strong anticipation for the break, the students' performance was quite good. Even the usual wisecracking and slacking individuals were showing rare moments of seriousness.
Military training was separated by gender. The girls from Class 1 Finance and Class 2 Finance in her year were merged into one company. After nearly a month of interaction, Xia Qingtian had come to recognize most of the girls from both classes, to the point where they would look familiar if she encountered them off-campus.
Xia Qingtian's face, in particular, was much more easily recognizable. Even before the military training ended, rumors were circulating that she was one of the candidates for the "campus belle" of the current finance cohort.
The reason for the "one of" was that there were two other beautiful girls in the finance department, and coincidentally, both were in Xia Qingtian's Class 1 Finance.
When students from other classes mentioned this, they expressed envy towards Class 1 Finance.
Who wouldn't want more attractive and pleasing-to-the-eye classmates? Beautiful people were something no one ever tired of.
Xia Qingtian, however, didn't pay much attention to others' discussions.
She knew she was good-looking, and being talked about wasn't a new experience for her.
Students studying finance never lacked for wealthy and beautiful women; many came from moneyed backgrounds, and how could pampered heiresses be any less?
Nowadays, Xia Qingtian cared more about her university life.
In her previous life, on the day of the college entrance examination, she had encountered a meticulously planned car accident. All her expectations and fantasies about university life had shattered and withered along with her broken leg.
Being able to relive her life, Xia Qingtian felt that even the university's military training wasn't as detestable. It was just that nature wasn't cooperating; standing under the scorching sun, even the air she exhaled felt hot.
Although reapplying sunscreen was indeed troublesome, the thought of the peeling and swelling pain after a sunburn made her act.
Whenever there was a break, Xia Qingtian would head to the restroom to reapply sunscreen in front of the mirror.
"I see others have darkened by two shades, but you haven't gotten any darker?" Leaning against the washbasin, Li Xiaoxiao, a classmate, tilted her head to look at Xia Qingtian. The cap she wore during military training was flipped backward on her head, with a stray strand of hair stubbornly peeking out from under the cap, sticking out in front of her forehead.
"I reapply sunscreen during the day, do calming skincare at night, and eat a light diet," Xia Qingtian said, using her fingertips to blend the sunscreen along her jawline. "These days, having children might not prevent aging, but sunscreen definitely does."
Xia Qingtian wasn't boasting; her sun protection work was consistently excellent. Combined with her genetic advantages, her skin had always remained dewy and supple.
"Then can you give me some too?" Li Xiaoxiao hesitantly asked, reaching out to touch her noticeably tanned face.
Xia Qingtian pulled Li Xiaoxiao's hand, squeezing out some sunscreen, when a somewhat piercing female voice cut through the air.
"Are you here to study or to participate in a beauty pageant?" the girl emerging from a stall asked, her arms crossed over her chest. "I think you'd be more suited for the drama academy or some art school. What are you doing here in finance?"
This girl was also in Xia Qingtian's class. Her name was Jiang Yingying. She wasn't loud, nor was she tall, and she spoke in a sweet, somewhat childlike voice.
When she smiled, she had a cute, almost babyish look that evoked a desire to protect in many, and she was generally well-liked. It was rumored that quite a few people in the class were already planning to nominate her as class president at the meeting after the Golden Week holiday.
"If this is your acknowledgment of my beauty, then I accept it," Xia Qingtian said, glancing at Jiang Yingying before starting to teach Li Xiaoxiao how to apply sunscreen.
Jiang Yingying felt as though she had punched cotton. She gave Xia Qingtian an annoyed sidelong glance, walked over to wash her hands next to Xia Qingtian, and then shook her hands vigorously.
"Hey! Someone's next to you!" Li Xiaoxiao exclaimed irritably, after water splashed into her eyes.
"Sorry~" Jiang Yingying said, then snorted and turned to leave.
"Hey!" Li Xiaoxiao stepped forward, intending to confront Jiang Yingying, but Xia Qingtian stopped her. "Don't mind her."
"She was clearly doing it on purpose!" Li Xiaoxiao frowned.
"I can tell," Xia Qingtian said, wiping the water from Li Xiaoxiao's face. "This sunscreen is waterproof."
"Wow, sunscreen is also waterproof? That's amazing," Li Xiaoxiao was quickly captivated by Xia Qingtian's words and seemed to have forgotten her anger towards Jiang Yingying.
As Xia Qingtian chatted with Li Xiaoxiao, she thought to herself that Li Xiaoxiao hadn't changed at all from her previous life.
They had been classmates in high school, and their relationship had been fairly good. Li Xiaoxiao had a straightforward personality and got along well with most classmates.
However, Xia Qingtian hadn't expected that after the college entrance examination, the next news she would hear about Li Xiaoxiao would be her death.
At that time, Xia Qingtian hadn't yet emerged from the shadow of her broken leg and hadn't attended Li Xiaoxiao's funeral.
It was only after starting university this time that Xia Qingtian discovered Li Xiaoxiao had actually enrolled in the finance department at Z University, and they had become classmates.
Li Xiaoxiao was different from Mo Jianing; she was single-minded, wore her emotions on her sleeve, and was quite forgetful, making her an ideal friend.
However, how could someone like that commit suicide?
Looking at Li Xiaoxiao's innocent, childlike expression as she cupped her face, Xia Qingtian's gaze shifted slightly.
The afternoon military training drills concluded unusually smoothly. However, Li Xiaoxiao had a hesitant look throughout the session. It wasn't until the announcement that military training was over and everyone was officially dismissed that Li Xiaoxiao, amidst the cheers of liberation from the crowd, quietly walked up to Xia Qingtian and whispered, "Qingtian, you said this sunscreen is waterproof, so can I wash it off at night? What if I can't get it off?"
Looking at Li Xiaoxiao's troubled expression, Xia Qingtian took a deep breath.
It seemed she had a lot to tell Li Xiaoxiao.
The military training drills had ended, and school was dismissed earlier than usual. Xia Qingtian directly took Li Xiaoxiao to the shopping district near the school, accompanying her to buy some basic skincare products and makeup remover.
Xia Qingtian recommended relatively entry-level and affordable options. At the checkout counter, Xia Qingtian casually picked up an apple-flavored lip balm.
She had quite a fondness for apple scents lately.
After the store clerk reminded her that it was buy-one-get-one-free, Xia Qingtian picked up another of the same kind.
"Two lip balms, can you finish them?" Li Xiaoxiao asked. "How about I share one with you?"
"No need, I can give it to my sister," Xia Qingtian recalled Xia Qingyu, but it seemed she hadn't seen Xia Qingyu use any lip balm before.
She wasn't sure if Xia Qingyu would use it after she bought it.
"You have a sister? I really didn't know that," Li Xiaoxiao said, surprised.
In her previous life, Xia Qingtian wished Xia Qingyu had never existed and would never have acknowledged her as a sister.
At this moment, a male voice came from behind Xia Qingtian, with a hint of uncertainty, "Miss Xia?"
Xia Qingtian turned her head to look at the person behind her. She was initially slightly stunned, then smiled and greeted him, "Mobius."