"Hey, Qin Huai, you kid actually brought something good! Go up there and win some glory for our platoon tonight!"
Just as the three of them were still praising Qin Huai in various ways, a hearty laugh rang out.
The person approaching was Instructor Ye Long.
"Brother Ye, you think I sing well too, right?" Qin Huai asked, looking at Ye Long with a grin.
"Yeah! I've listened to the original version, and you sound exactly like it!" Ye Long said objectively.
"I think so too! Don't worry, Brother Ye, I'll definitely bring honor to our platoon!" Qin Huai was brimming with confidence at that moment!
"All right, line up first and let's see what the head instructor has planned!"
"Attention!" Ye Long ordered, standing in front of Geography Class 1.
The students of Geography Class 1 quickly snapped into neat lines!
Soon, however, Ye Long noticed that what was supposed to be a rectangular formation seemed to be sticking out on one side.
Glancing over, he saw that Ye Qiuli, who was shorter, standing next to Qing Ke, clearly disrupted the neatness of the square formation!
"Ye Qiuli, move to the front row and stand with the girls!" Ye Long stared for a long time before pointing at Ye Qiuli in the front row.
No way! Help!
Ye Qiuli screamed inwardly. Wasn't this going to kill him?
Looking deeply unnatural, Ye Qiuli walked over to the front row. When he raised his head, he realized that the spot Ye Long had found for him was the second position in the front row of the girls, and the first girl in that row was Jiang Ran, who was half a head taller than him!
"Stop staring. Your height is way too out of place in the boys' formation! Just stay right there, you fill the gap in the front row. Girls, don't be scared either; Ye Qiuli's condition isn't contagious! He's your classmate and now your comrade-in-arms as well, so I hope you can all show him some tolerance." Ye Long reached out and "dragged" Ye Qiuli over to stand next to Jiang Ran. The girls in the front row were smart enough to automatically make room for him.
Actually, it wasn't that Ye Long intentionally put Ye Qiuli next to Jiang Ran; it was just that Ye Qiuli happened to be taller than the vast majority of the girls in the front row—he was only slightly shorter than Jiang Ran!
"Fine..." Ye Qiuli had no choice but to resign himself to fate!
"Guys, look how straight Ye Qiuli is standing, hahaha!" Qin Huai whispered with a laugh to Li Nuo beside him.
"Hahaha, it's my first time seeing him stand this straight!"
"Don't you guys think he has a serious connection with Jiang Ran? He ended up right next to her again!"
...
The three at the back were having a great time, but Ye Qiuli in the front row was suffering. At this moment, he didn't dare to move a single muscle; if Ye Long looked at him now, he'd definitely praise him for standing in such a standard military posture!
Standing beside Jiang Ran, Ye Qiuli could smell a faint, refreshing fragrance. This scent was deeply relaxing, much like the sandalwood in a temple—it made one's heart feel at peace. At the same time, however, Ye Qiuli could distinctly feel that he was immersed in an icy-cold aura, sending a distinct chill through him!
The girl standing on Ye Qiuli's other side genuinely thanked her lucky stars for his arrival. Originally, standing next to Jiang Ran had placed her under immense pressure, but now, with Ye Qiuli acting as a buffer, things were much better! Who said he was a monster? He was clearly her lucky star! A faint sense of goodwill toward Ye Qiuli blossomed in the girl's heart. At least he was much better than those hypocritical boys!
Jiang Ran also sensed Ye Qiuli's tension. Almost instantly, the icy expression on her face softened a bit, and her entire aura lost some of its previous intensity. Even she herself didn't notice the change.
"Classmates, shortly each platoon needs to send four people up on stage to perform, in groups of two. My suggestion is two girls and two boys—that's fairer!" Ye Long glanced at his phone, then announced to Geography Class 1.
"Instructor, I volunteer!" Qin Huai's voice rang out.
With his guitar slung over his back, he eagerly trotted to the front.
"Good! Are there any other students who want to step up voluntarily?" Ye Long nodded and asked.
"Instructor, we recommend Ye Qiuli!" Li Nuo's mischievous voice drifted from the back.
"What? No... I can't!" Ye Qiuli was completely stunned and hurriedly refused.
"It's you, Ye Qiuli. A man can't say he can't! Get up here!" Ye Long walked right over and "dragged" Ye Qiuli out.
"Instructor, you can't... do this!" Ye Qiuli protested indignantly!
*(Unfair, completely unfair! He's going to report this to the higher-ups, all the way to the central authorities! It's a rigged conspiracy!)*
"It's happily decided then. Do you boys agree?" Ye Long ignored Ye Qiuli and shouted to the students in the back rows.
"Agreed!" came a unanimous roar, instantly crushing any lingering hope in Ye Qiuli's heart.
"All right, the minority submits to the majority. Ye Qiuli will be our platoon's second male representative. Next, we need two female students. Whichever of you wants to go up, step forward on your own!" Ye Long selectively ignored Ye Qiuli's protests and continued.
"Reporting to the instructor! I'll do it!" A crisp, cold voice rang out, and a tall figure stepped out from the front row—it was Jiang Ran, who had been standing right next to Ye Qiuli.
"Good! Student Jiang Ran is one. Now, which female student is going to step up?" As Ye Long's words fell, the girls fell collectively silent.
"Instructor, I recommend my roommate, Xiaoxiao!" Jiang Ran's distinctive voice rang out again.
In the second row of the girls, a petite student instantly felt her entire world collapse!
"Since no girls are volunteering themselves, let's go with Student Jiang Ran's choice. Student Xiaoxiao, come on up!" Ye Long loved adding fuel to the fire and hurriedly pointed at the girl Jiang Ran had named.
"No, Instructor, I object!" the girl named Xiaoxiao grumbled.
"Look at Ye Qiuli; he isn't saying anything. We always follow the rule of the minority submitting to the majority, so you come out too." Ye Long shrugged, indicating that her protest was invalid.
"Jiang Ran, you're too ruthless. Didn't I just say a few words about you? Do you have to hold a grudge like this?" Xiaoxiao complained with a resentful expression as she stood next to Jiang Ran.
"Oh," Jiang Ran replied in the most perfunctory manner possible.
"Hmph! Instructor, I want to be in a group with that handsome guy carrying the guitar! I refuse to be with Jiang Ran!" Xiaoxiao pointed at Qin Huai, who was standing near Ye Qiuli, and shouted!
"Fine by me! Perfect—when men and women work together, the work isn't exhausting!"
"Huh?!"
"Huh?!!"
"Whoa!"
Qin Huai looked at Xiaoxiao in a daze. He had originally planned to team up with Ye Qiuli, simply teaching Ye Qiuli how to strum the guitar a bit while he took care of the lead vocals. He never expected this girl named Xiaoxiao to stick her nose into it.
Ye Qiuli looked at Xiaoxiao in equal bewilderment.
*(Am I some kind of unforgivable sinner in her eyes?!)*
The students of Geography Class 1 broke into excited catcalls and teasing, especially Qing Ke and Li Nuo in the front row of the boys—they were shouting the loudest of all!
Jiang Ran hadn't expected Xiaoxiao to pull such a stunt either. Still, she wasn't afraid; wasn't it just dragging along dead weight? She was confident in her own ability to carry Ye Qiuli to victory!
"Alright, alright, everyone quiet down. The head instructor is watching us!" Ye Long caught sight of the head instructor on the stage glancing in their direction and hurriedly spoke up.
"The four students participating in the performance, go practice for a bit first. Our platoon isn't going up until later, so you have plenty of time to rehearse!"
...