After the meeting ended, the four of them headed to the cafeteria for lunch. Just as they stepped out of the classroom, they heard someone say, "Classmate Jiang Chen, can I add you on WeChat?"
Jiang Chen turned around to see a rather cute-looking girl. Figuring that since they were in the same class they would be seeing each other constantly, he didn't refuse.
After getting his WeChat, the girl left with her dormitory friends.
"No way, what is this? Why doesn't anyone want mine?" Wang Congle complained with feigned annoyance from the side.
After this brief episode, the four dorm mates finished eating and returned to their room. Jiang Chen soon received a WeChat message from the girl earlier: "Hello Classmate Jiang Chen, I'm Wu Mengmeng."
"Hello, I'm Jiang Chen."
Jiang Chen hadn't expected her name to be as cute as she was. Right after that, he saw a message from his landlord: "Hey, your shared-apartment roommate is moving in today. Let me know when you're planning to move your things."
"Okay, I'll move my stuff over bit by bit tomorrow after military training finishes."
"Ok."
Back in the dorm, one of the four was on a video call with his girlfriend, while the other two were busy—one lifting weights and the other yelling "Wife! Wife!" at his phone screen.
Feeling bored, Jiang Chen decided to play a game before going to bed. Hearing a cry of "Timi!", Wang Congle and Ding Junfei immediately dropped what they were doing. "Hurry up and start, count me in."
"I'm really bad at this, guys, don't blame me if I drag you down," Jiang Chen said, fully aware of his own gaming skills. He hadn't played mobile games much in high school, so his level was strictly casual entertainment.
Wang Congle wore a mischievous grin. "Relax, since when do fathers bicker with their sons? I'll carry you to victory."
"My foot—"
The three of them plunged into the Canyon. Seeing Wang Congle instantly lock in Yao the moment they entered the match, Jiang Chen asked, "Didn't you say you were going to carry me? Why'd you pick Yao?"
"I can only carry you when I'm sitting on your head."
"You actually make that sound reasonable." Jiang Chen figured that if Wang Congle had been born in ancient times, he would have made a top-tier sophist.
Ding Junfei played the jungler, and Jiang Chen chose an ADC. Ever since he first encountered the game, he had loved Luban No. 7's character design, so the hero had gradually become his main.
Thus began their "rank-climbing journey"—truly three brothers sitting in a row, getting quieter the longer they played.
"Wang Congle, you idiot, why'd you steal my red buff?" Ding Junfei snapped, his face flushing as he watched Wang Congle's eye-gouging gameplay.
Wang Congle chuckled. "Slipped, bro."
As time ticked on, the three of them unsurprisingly lost all night long. Looking at Diamond III on his game screen, Jiang Chen instantly regretted playing with the two of them.
Plummeting from Diamond I to Diamond III in just one evening, he groaned, "I'm done, no more. We have to get up early for military training tomorrow, time for bed."
After setting an alarm, all four of them crashed.
...
"Time to wake up! Time to wake up! Baldy Qiang is cutting down trees again! Time to wake up! Time to wake up! Good morning!"
Roused by the aggressively bizarre morning alarm, everyone stirred.
Ding Junfei hurled his pillow at Wang Congle. "Wang Congle, turn off that unhinged alarm of yours right now!"
After a quick wash-up, Ye Nian headed to the cafeteria to buy steamed buns while the other three went straight to the parade ground. When they arrived, they found that quite a few classmates had already gathered. The three of them randomly picked a spot to sit down, as there was still some time before things officially began.
Ye Nian hurried over with the steamed buns, handed one to each of them, and they began to eat.
Just as they were finishing their food, the instructor marched onto the parade ground with powerful strides. A piercing whistle instantly shattered the relaxed atmosphere. "Squad, assemble!" The instructor's booming voice echoed across the field.
Jiang Chen and the others scrambled to their feet, quickly straightening out their formation. Military training officially began, with the first item on the agenda being standing at attention. The scorching sun hung high in the sky, beating down mercilessly on everyone without a shred of shade. Beads of sweat rolled down Jiang Chen's forehead, and the back of his shirt was gradually soaked through.
Wang Congle shifted his foot slightly, only to be instantly caught by the instructor's sharp gaze. "Step out of formation! Move again and you'll stand for an extra half hour!" The instructor's stern reprimand made Wang Congle snap back into position, not daring to slack off even a fraction.
Having finally survived the standing posture, the next drill was marching in step. At first, everyone's pace was ragged and uncoordinated, and the instructor had to demonstrate and correct them over and over again. Jiang Chen focused on adjusting his rhythm, his eyes fixed straight ahead.
Wang Congle, however, was always half a beat behind—either taking steps that were too wide or swinging his arms incorrectly, prompting the surrounding classmates to snicker softly. The instructor shook his head helplessly and pulled him aside for individual coaching.
When break time arrived, the students collapsed onto the ground, gulping down water. At that moment, Xia Xiaoyue appeared at the entrance of the parade ground, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Today, Xiaoyue was wearing a simple white T-shirt paired with light blue jeans and white casual sneakers, radiating youthful vitality—provided one ignored her icy expression.
Even though Xiaoyue just stood quietly at the back of the formation without saying a word, the boys in the squad unconsciously straightened their backs, eager to put on a good show.
Jiang Chen gazed at Xiaoyue standing before him, enveloped in an aura of utter aloofness.
He couldn't help wondering what kind of guy a girl with such a cold personality would eventually end up with as a boyfriend. But a second later, Jiang Chen shook his head, brushing the thought away. After all, what did that have to do with him?
Meanwhile, the military training proceeded like clockwork. Wang Congle resolved that this time he would stand at attention properly and not twitch a single muscle.
Yet, just as he was fully focused, the instructor suddenly announced, "Alright, let's pause the standing posture for now. Everyone gather around in a circle, we're going to do some talent shows. We'll resume standing at attention this afternoon."
Hearing this, the students cheered with excitement, their faces lighting up with joy.
Only Wang Congle wore a look of utter despair, silently lamenting to himself: "I finally decided to take it seriously for once, and you go and wipe out all my hard work with a single sentence. Talk about losing completely!"
Despite his reluctance, Wang Congle quickly joined the other students in forming a circle.
Xiaoyue stood quietly at the rear of the formation, looking like an ice-mountain snow lotus blossoming in a lonely corner—stunning, yet freezing cold.
The instructor called out repeatedly, "Come on, come on! Anyone with a talent, step up and show us what you've got."
Perhaps because they weren't yet familiar with their classmates, no one stepped forward to perform.