"Fairies live on morning dew, didn't you know that?" Lin Mengke said, proudly lifting her chin.
The other three burst out laughing instantly. "Then you simply must tell the instructor that next Monday. If you don't, I'll look down on you," Xu Jingyu teased.
"My business as a fairy is none of your concern. Humph!" Lin Mengke ignored him.
...
Chatting and laughing, the four grew steadily closer.
Jiang Shengyan felt this atmosphere was quite nice. As long as the general direction was right and she kept working toward it, the minor details didn't matter so much; she would just let nature take its course.
Lunch was finished just before the morning self-study period, so they each returned to their classrooms.
After doing a few problems, Jiang Shengyan started getting ready for a midday nap to ensure she had enough energy for the afternoon.
She remembered back in her third year of high school, refusing to rest in order to do more problems during the lunch break. The result was poor mental focus, low efficiency, and dozing off all afternoon—she could even dream during a ten-minute break between classes. Remembering this, she couldn't help smiling at the irony: she had lost her troops and suffered a defeat, which explained why her study efficiency had been so low and her grades had suffered.
*
A few days passed just like that, and amidst everyone's dread, military training finally arrived.
The September sun was still scorching. Jiang Shengyan stood before the bathroom mirror, carefully applying sunscreen to her face. She had specifically chosen an SPF 50+ sunscreen, applying layer after layer until her face had a faint white sheen.
"Yanyan, if you don't head out now, you're going to be late!" Mother Jiang called from downstairs.
Jiang Shengyan checked her sunscreen one last time to make sure not an inch of skin was missed, then shouldered her backpack and headed out. The morning sun was already somewhat dazzling. She opened her parasol and walked briskly toward the school.
On the training grounds, the students of Class 3 were already lined up in formation.
Jiang Shengyan stood in the middle of the formation, her peripheral vision catching the neighboring key-class formation. Shen Jingyan stood in the back row, his posture as straight as a pine, the sunlight outlining the superior lines of his profile.
He seemed to sense something and suddenly turned his head. Jiang Shengyan hurriedly looked away, thinking to herself, *How is it that I always get caught admiring handsome guys?*
"Everyone, attention!" Instructor Yang's voice rang out.
Jiang Shengyan straightened her back, feeling sweat slowly trickle down her back—it was extremely uncomfortable. Although Instructor Yang was strict, he was much milder than the other instructors. She had heard that the key class's Instructor Wang was especially harsh, making the students hold a military posture for half an hour at the drop of a hat.
After standing at attention for twenty minutes, they were given a five-minute break. After all, since it was only the beginning of military training, keeping them at attention for too long might be too much for the students to handle, and it would be quite troublesome if anyone fainted.
During the break, Lin Mengke hurried over and handed her a bottle of ice water. "Yanyan, how much sunscreen did you put on? Your face is completely white."
"Thanks, Keke. Is it really?" Jiang Shengyan took the ice water and instantly felt much cooler, touching her face. "Who knows, I'm just afraid of getting a tan."
"Actually, being like this is pretty good, much better than turning into charcoal. I feel like I've already gotten dark in just this little while," Lin Mengke pouted and complained. "Though the key class has it even worse. Look, Xu Jingyu's class is still standing at attention under the sun. Instructor Wang is super fierce."
Jiang Shengyan subconsciously looked toward the key class just as their instructor called for a break, and she happened to see Shen Jingyan tilting his head back to drink water.
His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed, and sweat slid down his neck, gleaming in the sunlight.
Shen Jingyan seemed to sense it and suddenly turned his head. Their gazes met in midair. Seeing Jiang Shengyan staring at him with keen interest, Jiang Shengyan felt utterly resigned to her fate—she got caught every single time—and awkwardly pretended to look away as if nothing was wrong.
Shen Jingyan let out a lazy, soft chuckle. *Coward.*
*
At dusk, the whistle for assembly sounded across the playground.
The instructor announced that there would be a singing competition tonight, and the students all grew excited. Jiang Shengyan and Lin Mengke sat in Class 3's formation, watching the other classes enter one after another.
"I heard the key class instructor is going to PK with our class!" Lin Mengke said excitedly. "Look, their class is right across from us."
Jiang Shengyan raised her eyes and saw Shen Jingyan and Xu Jingyu sitting in the front row of the key class formation. Xu Jingyu said something that cracked up the surrounding classmates, while Shen Jingyan listened to them talk, chiming in every now and then in a harmonious atmosphere.
Once the singing battle began, the atmosphere gradually heated up.
The two classes went back and forth, their songs rising one after another. Just as everyone's excitement was peaking, Xu Jingyu suddenly stood up and shouted toward Class 3's direction, "Classmate Lin Mengke, the fairy who drinks dew, come on up and sing one!"
All the students burst into laughter, and Lin Mengke's face turned instantly crimson. She glared at Xu Jingyu through gritted teeth, "This jerk!"
"Fairy who drinks dew, sing one!" The key-class students joined in the teasing.
Remembering what Lin Mengke had said at the restaurant that noon, Jiang Shengyan couldn't help laughing too, never expecting the crossfire to spread to her.
Seeing that she couldn't wiggle out of it, Lin Mengke looked at Jiang Shengyan for help. "Yanyan, save me! Will you come with me?"
Jiang Shengyan had wanted to refuse, but seeing Lin Mengke's pitiful expression, she sighed. *In for a penny, in for a pound,* she thought, and nodded. The two of them conferred and walked to the center of the grounds. Lin Mengke cleared her throat and said, "We'd like to perform 'Commemoration' for everyone."
Everyone quieted down and turned on their phone flashlights.
The music started, and Jiang Shengyan began to sing softly. Her voice was clear and ethereal, like a mountain spring. Lin Mengke's voice was lively and sweet, and their harmonies blended with unexpected harmony.
Shen Jingyan watched Jiang Shengyan. While singing, she lowered her head slightly, her eyelashes casting soft shadows across her face—a stark contrast to her usual aloof demeanor.
Halfway through the song, Jiang Shengyan inadvertently looked up and met Shen Jingyan's gaze. His eyes were focused and gentle, making her forget the lyrics for a moment. Luckily, Lin Mengke picked up the cue in time, preventing an awkward silence.
Jiang Shengyan secretly scolded herself for always being so useless; she blamed him for being too bewitching.
As the song ended, thunderous applause erupted. Xu Jingyu took the lead in shouting, "Another one!"
"It's your class's turn!" Lin Mengke glared at him, then shouted loudly, "Xu Jingyu, sing one!"
Class 3's students cooperated exceptionally well, chanting for Xu Jingyu to perform.
Xu Jingyu confidently took the stage and danced a currently trending internet dance—handsome and explosive. He really showed off this time, and the atmosphere instantly caught fire.
Watching Xu Jingyu put on such a show, Lin Mengke rolled her eyes up to the heavens. Jiang Shengyan mused once again that the two of them were birds of a feather.
A moment later, someone shouted Shen Jingyan's name, and Xu Jingyu immediately took the lead in teasing, "Shen Jingyan, sing one!" Shen Jingyan and Xu Jingyu were extremely well-known in the school, seeing as they were both handsome and excelled at their studies.
Jiang Shengyan mostly knew people from her own class; although they were quite good-looking, they had spent most of their time in the classroom during their first week of school, apart from that burst of popularity in the restaurant last time.