That voice… she truly adored it.
Wen Tingxue’s attention was drawn to Lu Youran.
She instinctively reassured her, "It's fine, he's not angry."
She knew Yu Wenli's personality well.
He wouldn't be angry with her over something like this.
At most, he would be difficult to coax.
Anger was out of the question.
"Really?" Lu Youran feared she was just trying to comfort her.
Wen Tingxue nodded, "Mhm, I'm just unhappy when people add me as a friend without my permission."
As she spoke, her gaze coldly fell upon Meng Xiyao, who remained silent.
Meng Xiyao quickly concealed the emotions in her eyes, feigning a self-reproachful expression.
But in her heart, she thought:
Not angry? What a shame.
Still, it didn't matter. Wen Tingxue had so many boys around her.
She would surely find another opportunity to catch her off guard.
When they met again, she would expose her true colors!
Feeling the time was right, Meng Xiyao slowly looked up, her eyes dewy, filled with innocence and apology.
"I'm so sorry, Xiao Xue… I truly forgot. I thought since Bian Wei helped you, you would definitely add him as a friend. I didn't expect…"
She gently bit her lip and innocently suggested:
"How about I explain to him? And then you can delete him? That way, if he's angry, he'll only blame me…"
Wen Tingxue felt she was deliberately confusing the issue!
"Meng Xiyao, are you genuinely clueless, or are you pretending?
"What I'm angry about is you using my phone without my permission to accept Bian Wei's friend request!
"That's an invasion of privacy! Do you understand?!
"I know better than anyone that he helped me, and it's not that I'm unwilling to add him.
"It's just that I haven't had time to touch my phone, understand?!"
Bian Wei had helped her when she was on the verge of fainting; there was no way she would refuse his friend request.
But that didn't mean someone else could accept it for her!
Meng Xiyao once again put on an expression of dawning realization, "Ah, so that's how it is. I'm really sorry.
"I didn't know you were so… I'm just used to how my friends and I interact. We don't have so many complications. I thought you all were the same…"
She pouted aggrievedly, acting as if her mistake was justified.
Wen Tingxue was so angry she laughed, "From what you're saying, am I being difficult? Am I deliberately picking a fight with you?"
"I, I, I didn't mean that…" she explained flusteredly, "I meant, I genuinely consider you a friend, and I didn't realize I overstepped… I'm sorry."
Afraid Wen Tingxue would be truly angry, and more so, afraid of being blamed by Lan Shao.
Meng Xiyao's expression at this moment held a flicker of sincerity.
Wen Tingxue paused for a moment, then silently drew the bed curtains.
For now, she couldn't determine the truthfulness of Meng Xiyao's words.
But she didn't believe them entirely either.
"Xiao Xue?"
Meng Xiyao's heart pounded as she looked at the bunk across from her.
If this bitch really got angry, how would she explain it to Lan Shao!
"Xiao Xue, I was wrong. Please talk to me, okay?"
She called from her bed to Wen Tingxue's bunk, and then from the floor to Wen Tingxue's bedside.
"Xiao Xue, believe me, I truly didn't mean to…"
Wen Tingxue was getting a headache from the noise, "Just don't touch my phone anymore, and don't pry into my privacy!"
"No problem! Absolutely no next time!"
Meng Xiyao breathed a sigh of relief and turned to pick up the fruits and snacks on the table.
"I'll offer these things my admirers gave me as an apology. You know, I've been a bit broke lately~ Please don't mind!"
-
On the third day of military training, the sun still blazed overhead, with no sign of rain.
The drill instructor, with his thumbs hooked into his belt, paced back and forth, saying:
"One minute left, persistence is victory."
As he spoke, he happened to stop beside Lu Youran, "Are your pants seams that tight? Do you think I can't see them?"
Lu Youran quickly corrected her posture. The instructor moved forward, continuing his chatter:
"When standing at attention, you should think, 'I am the best in the world!'"
"Pfft—"
Lu Youran couldn't help it, "I'm sorry, instructor…"
The instructor glanced back at her, "You're really not doing anything a human should do. The whole group, ten more minutes! Let's see who dares to laugh again!"
Ninth Company: "…"
Lu Youran: "…"
She felt so hopeless.
Why would he tell bad jokes in front of her!
After finally enduring the extra ten minutes, the chief instructor announced assembly.
Each company was led back in turn, their movements significantly faster than on the first day.
The chief instructor's eyes showed a hint of satisfaction, though his expression remained cold.
"I know everyone has worked hard these past few days. Don't worry, I'm fair. Whichever company is the loudest, that company eats first."
With that, he directly shouted: "Ninth Company!"
Ninth Company was momentarily stunned, "Here!"
Chief Instructor: "I'm not satisfied with this voice at all. You'll be the last to eat!"
Ninth Company: "…"
Are they possessed by the god of misfortune today?!
The consequence of being the last to arrive at the mess hall was half the food missing!
Lu Youran pouted aggrievedly, "I told you Fu Ran was the god of misfortune!
"It's bad enough he brings me bad luck, but he's also bringing down a whole company!
"From now on, I'm going to avoid him like the plague!"
Saying that, she turned and saw him.
Lu Youran: "…"
"Huh? Young Master Fu! Isn't that your little nemesis? Why is she running away when she sees you?"
Fu Ran, who was playing with his phone, was patted on the shoulder by someone beside him.
He looked up and saw the young girl's retreating back.
Those short legs were quite cute.
But why was she running away when she saw him?
Did she think he was a plague carrier?
"Is the junior schoolmate perhaps fond of you?" someone guessed.
"I think so, otherwise why would that little firecracker run away? She must be shy!"
"Can you even doubt Young Master Fu's charm? One hundred percent likes him!"
"Thinking about her previous tactics, it does have a bit of a 'playing hard to get' vibe, doesn't it?"
Fu Ran blinked thoughtfully.
Like him?
Hmph, as if she were worthy.
Meanwhile, on the second floor of the mess hall.
"I'm sorry."
Jiao Yutong apologized subconsciously.
Tang Mo'bai reached out and shook the soup off his clothes, shaking his head with a calm expression.
"It's nothing."
His clear and detached voice didn't betray much emotion.
"I… I'll wash it for you."
Jiao Yutong looked at his partially wet camouflage uniform, feeling embarrassed.
She thought the mess hall would be empty this late.
So she wasn't paying much attention when she turned and bumped into him.
How embarrassing.
She wondered if he had recognized her.
"You'll wash it for me?"
Tang Mo'bai lifted his eyelids. His eyes, naturally alluring with their upturned corners, held a natural charm.
Jiao Yutong nodded, a beat slower than usual, "...Yes."
Tang Mo'bai smiled, nonchalantly.
"Classmate, this is my only shirt. If you wash it, what will I wear?"
They were issued two sets of uniforms for military training, and he was referring to the one for the afternoon session.
Jiao Yutong was stunned, "Then you can give it to me tonight. My dorm is in Building 9."
"There are so many people in Building 9. Are you expecting me to wait downstairs?"
Tang Mo'bai was handsome, like a naturally charming fox.
His voice was always lazy, so even his questioning tone, coming from his lips, held an inexplicable tenderness.
"Then…" Jiao Yutong blinked and probed, "Shall we exchange contact information?"
Tang Mo'bai thought for a few seconds, then reluctantly nodded, "Alright."
Jiao Yutong: "…"
Was he mistaking her for someone trying to deliberately cause trouble?
Although many girls wanted to pursue him, and many of them were unscrupulous, she truly wasn't one of them.
Jiao Yutong wasn't one to explain herself. Even though she knew she was being misunderstood, she didn't say anything.
She took his contact information and started to leave.
"Wait."
Tang Mo'bai's voice sounded from behind. Jiao Yutong turned around.
A meal card was held out in front of her, followed by the boy's characteristic lazy drawl.
"Your meal card dropped, classmate."
His relaxed voice carried a natural allure.
Even though Jiao Yutong wasn't interested in him, she couldn't help but blush a little.
"Thank you."
She quickly took the meal card, not giving it another glance.
After the young girl had walked a distance away, the male student beside Tang Mo'bai immediately teased him.
"What's going on, Young Master Tang? You deliberately bumped into her just now, didn't you? You acted pretty well!"
Tang Mo'bai grinned lazily, "Fine, everyone shut up. I'll treat you all, okay!"
His last sentence was spoken quite loudly. Jiao Yutong paused her steps.
It seemed he hadn't recognized her.
That made sense.
After what happened, he should have forgotten her.
-
The next evening.
As soon as Wen Tingxue lay down after her shower, she heard the dormitory advisor knocking.
"Quick, quick, dorm inspection!"
"Oh, crap!"
Lu Youran sat up instantly, "Checking dorms at this hour?! Hurry up and tidy everything!"
The girls scrambled to arrange their desks to make them presentable.
However, it wasn't just the advisor who entered, but also the drill instructor.
Lu Youran: "We're doomed."
Wen Tingxue: "Dead."
Jiao Yutong: "…"
Meng Xiyao: "The instructor is so handsome!!!"
After sweeping his gaze over the room, the advisor's face darkened slightly. "Look at this, does this look like a girls' dorm? How can young ladies be so messy?"
"Being a girl doesn't mean being unclean and untidy," Lu Youran retorted subconsciously.
The instructor immediately looked at her, and Lu Youran instantly fell silent, shifting her gaze away.
Fortunately, the instructor didn't say much, only briefly mentioning hygiene issues.
Then, he used the quilts brought to demonstrate how to fold them into neat squares.
Before military training began, everyone had collectively purchased a military training gift package, so they had the same quilts as the instructor.
However, they couldn't fold them into perfect squares.
After patiently teaching a few times, the instructor was rendered speechless by Lu Youran.
"Do you want to sleep?" the instructor asked her.
Lu Youran suppressed the urge to yawn and nodded vigorously, her eyes glistening with moisture, "Yes!"
Instructor: "Then why aren't you learning quickly?!"
Lu Youran: "...Oh."
She tried folding again, and this time, it was successful!
The instructor stood up and said, "Tomorrow night, we have a twenty-kilometer march. I'll demonstrate the packing process for you."
That backpack weighed ten pounds…
Even more infuriatingly, the rain they had longed for arrived on the night of the march.
Everyone marched with their packs under the drizzle.
Wen Tingxue, being physically weak, struggled to hold on during the return journey.
The instructor noticed and walked up to her, asking, "Can you still make it? If not, I can arrange for someone to take you back."
The freshmen were marching, while the upperclassmen watched.
There were quite a few trailing behind the group.
Most of them were riding bicycles.
Wen Tingxue shook her head, her face pale, "It's fine, I can still make it."
The instructor frowned, "I'll accompany you then."
He didn't speed up his pace but walked slowly behind Wen Tingxue.
The girls from Ninth Company were also very supportive, not falling behind or causing any trouble along the way.
They marched from midnight until morning.
At the entrance to the mess hall.
Wen Tingxue encountered Song You again.
"Why is your complexion so bad?"
He reached out and placed his hand on her ice-cold forehead.
This scene was precisely captured by Meng Xiyao.
*Hmph.*
Such intimate physical contact, your boyfriend will surely be angry, right?
Just as Meng Xiyao was smugly pleased, Jiao Yutong's voice reached her.
"Delete it."
Meng Xiyao immediately looked around to ensure no one was watching, then defiantly puffed out her chest.
"On what grounds? Go ahead and tell Wen Tingxue if you dare. Do you have any proof?"
She knew Jiao Yutong wasn't good with words. If it came to a confrontation, she would definitely come out on top.
Jiao Yutong paused for a moment, then said, "I saw you seducing Jing Xiao."
Sorry, I'm very busy with real-life matters today. Another chapter will be a bit late.