Su Yan sighed wearily and said to the senior, "Senior, I'm sorry, I didn't bring my phone today."
Although her words were polite, they were a direct rejection. The senior's face showed embarrassment as he quickly waved his hand, "No, no, it's fine. It was my fault for being presumptuous."
Despite feeling humiliated, filled with regret and disappointment, this senior was quite the gentleman and didn't show any signs of anger.
Su Yan gave a polite smile, lowered her head, and continued eating.
She indeed hadn't brought her phone, but even if she had, she wouldn't have agreed.
In the two days she had been at Jiang Da, she had already rejected similar requests many times.
"Su Yan, are you okay?"
Xia Nuannuan asked with concern.
"I'm fine."
Su Yan looked up at her, smiled lightly, and shook her head.
Xia Nuannuan felt something was wrong and was about to say more when Qin Tian interrupted her.
"Nuannuan, eat quickly. Let's go back to the dormitory to rest after we finish!"
"Okay!"
Xia Nuannuan nodded slightly and didn't ask further.
At the next table, the two seniors finished their lunch quickly and then got up and left in a hurry.
Su Yan only ate half of her hot and sour noodles. She then told Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan that she was full and left first.
"Tian Ge, I feel like Su Yan is not in a good mood. She might be troubled by something,"
After watching her leave, Xia Nuannuan frowned and said to Qin Tian.
Qin Tian nodded and said, "But the way you asked just now, she wouldn't tell you."
Xia Nuannuan pondered for a moment, her expression worried, "Then what should we do?"
"Don't worry too much. Just keep in touch with her. We're all in this school anyway."
"Alright then!"
...
...
After eating their fill, the two returned to their dormitories for a nap.
During military training, naps were very important. Even a short fifteen-minute sleep could greatly alleviate fatigue.
The assembly time in the afternoon was two o'clock, right in the hottest part of the day.
When everyone came out of the air-conditioned dormitories, they immediately felt the scorching wave of heat, and every cell in their bodies seemed to resist going out.
After exiting the dormitory building, the scorching sunlight on their skin made them instinctively want to turn back and continue lying in the air-conditioned rooms.
"Ahhh... I can't take it anymore! How much? How much would it take for me to not have to participate in military training?"
Cao Mingliang shouted loudly.
Boys from other classes nearby heard this and looked at him as if he were an idiot.
"Can you stop howling? Are you embarrassing us?"
Chen Zhuang glanced at him with disgust.
"No wonder so many people hate the rich. Your words make me want to hit you."
Qin Tian teased him with a smile.
Zhuang Zhe, standing beside them, nodded in agreement without saying anything.
"Damn it, I'm serious. As long as I don't have to do military training, I'm willing to spend a fortune."
Cao Mingliang declared grandly.
Just then, the dazzling sunlight fell directly onto his face.
"Ahhh... so bright, so hot, I'm going crazy!"
Cao Mingliang raised his hand to shield his face and cried out to the sky.
Qin Tian and the other two ignored him and quickened their pace towards the military training grounds.
"Don't walk so fast! Wait for me, Zhuang Ge, use your tall body to block the sun for me!"
"Get lost!"
"Don't be so stingy, please."
"Get lost!"
Upon arriving at the military training grounds, they found that the instructor and most of the students had already arrived.
The four girls from Xia Nuannuan's dormitory had also arrived.
For some reason, Qin Tian felt something strange. Xia Nuannuan seemed to have... suddenly grown a little taller?
Her near-perfect physique also gave him excellent eyesight, and coupled with his understanding of Xia Nuannuan, he acutely noticed this slight change.
"Tian Ge!"
As he was wondering, Xia Nuannuan called out and ran towards him.
In the surprised gaze of Chen Zhuang and the other two, Xia Nuannuan pulled him aside. After cautiously looking around, she quietly took out two "insoles" from her trouser pocket.
Yes, it was the kind of thing girls used every month.
Qin Tian suddenly realized. No wonder she seemed to have grown taller. She had used these height-increasing pads!
"We'll have to stand at attention this afternoon. Hurry and put them in your shoes."
Xia Nuannuan's face turned red, and she urged him in a flustered tone.
"Okay!"
Qin Tian smilingly took them, crouched down, and began to take off his shoes.
Although his physical condition made standing at attention nothing, he accepted it as Xia Nuannuan's kind gesture.
Besides, it was always good to have comfortable feet.
Military training shoes typically had very hard rubber soles. When standing at attention, the body's weight was all on the feet, and most people would find it difficult to stand for long.
These things were comfortable to step on and could absorb sweat, making them quite a useful item during military training.
"Where did you guys find out about this method?"
Qin Tian asked curiously as he put the insoles into his shoes.
"A senior told Shen Siqi. Don't ask, hurry up, someone's watching!"
Xia Nuannuan urged him, her face flushed.
"Let them watch, what are you afraid of!"
Qin Tian smiled nonchalantly.
"Hey, hurry up! Shen Siqi and the others are laughing at me."
Xia Nuannuan urged him again, somewhat annoyed.
"Alright, alright, almost done."
Qin Tian appeased her with a wry smile, feeling very touched.
He was thick-skinned and didn't mind, but Xia Nuannuan was very shy. The fact that she remembered him and brought him these "insoles" showed great courage.
Not far away, many of their classmates noticed Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan.
Since Qin Tian had his back to them, they couldn't see what he was doing. Only Shen Siqi and the other two from his dormitory knew what was happening, and they all wore teasing smiles.
"What is the class monitor squatting down for over there?"
Someone asked curiously.
After the events of the morning, Qin Tian had been elevated in the minds of many classmates from "temporary person in charge" to the status of future class monitor.
"Don't know, it's weird."
"Did his shoelace come undone?"
"It's obviously not that. If his shoelace came undone, why would he have his back to us, and Xia Nuannuan is helping to shield him?"
"Indeed, he's being sneaky, very strange!"
...
Everyone started to discuss.
"Could he be using those shoe inserts?"
Cheng Meng, who had "grown a little taller" like him in the morning, suddenly voiced her guess.
"What is it?"
The girl next to her asked with a puzzled expression.
The other girls were also confused.
"Don't your dormmates know? You use these as insoles, it makes your feet much more comfortable."
Cheng Meng, in a one-legged stance, lifted her right foot, revealing the white cloth piece at the heel of her shoe.
The girls exchanged glances, their expressions becoming complicated.