Chapter 1917 — Always Misunderstood

"Let them misunderstand, then. Haven't we been misunderstood all along?" Wang Xinyan shook her head. Then she caught sight of a white stain on Wei Zhao's trousers—smeared with the sticky fluid from her own stomach, a clammy patch that looked thoroughly disgusting.

Wang Xinyan had skipped breakfast that morning, drinking only a bag of milk—half of which she had thrown up, some of it landing on Wei Zhao's trousers. She felt terribly guilty. "I'm sorry, your trousers..."

"Oh, it's nothing." Wei Zhao felt not the slightest disgust. This was nothing at all. Back when he and Yang Huaijun had been running missions together, he had been soaked in blood and guts and never once felt sickened; he had even seen the slime sprayed out by poisonous flowers and venomous weeds—far worse than this. What was a little vomit?

"I... I'll wash them for you later, all right?" Wang Xinyan said, a little embarrassed.

"I hear they hand out camouflage uniforms once we get to the training site, so I'll just change then and wash them myself when I get back." Wei Zhao spoke as though it did not matter in the least.

"Mm..." Wang Xinyan said nothing more. Still, what had just happened had closed no small distance between them. They had known each other well before, but this intimate contact—purely therapeutic in nature—had nonetheless made them feel much closer.

Bai Weituo led everyone in a few songs, then headed toward the back of the carriage. Having sung their fill, the students were worn out and wanted a rest. But as Bai Weituo passed Wei Zhao's seat, he could not help turning his head for another look—and what he saw left him utterly aghast.

On Wei Zhao's trousers was a patch of dried milky-white fluid. Bai Weituo had seen more than a few couples going at it in the wild, and his mind was not the purest; a possibility instantly sprang to mind... Hadn't Wang Xinyan been bowing her head just now? Could she have been helping Wei Zhao... and then choked, throwing it all up onto his trousers?

Just now, he really had vaguely heard Wang Xinyan retch. It had to be that!

This time, though, Bai Weituo did not dare shout. Remembering what had happened last time, he merely gave Wei Zhao a thumbs-up and whispered, "Congratulations, Brother Lin—so quick to get sister-in-law to help you... heh heh, and in front of so many people, too. Impressive!"

"?" Wei Zhao blinked, at a loss for what Bai Weituo was talking about.

Wang Xinyan was equally baffled. But she had caught that "sister-in-law," and her face flushed at once; she lowered her head, not daring to look at Wei Zhao or Bai Weituo.

"Haha, I'll be off then—won't disturb you!" Seeing Wei Zhao's stunned expression, Bai Weituo assumed he had caught them red-handed. He hurried back and, in a low voice, began recounting all that he had seen and heard to Song Xiaodao and Zhao Shengji...

"What was that... what did he say?" Only after Bai Weituo had gone did Wang Xinyan ask, somewhat puzzled. She knew whatever Bai Weituo had said could not be anything good, but curiosity got the better of her, and she asked anyway. Besides, she and Wei Zhao were innocent—merely good friends—so there was nothing to fear.

"Just now? He said you helped me... helped me with what?" Wei Zhao was equally baffled. But when he glanced down and saw the white fluid on his trousers, understanding dawned on him, and a look caught between laughing and crying spread across his face.

Wang Xinyan was no ignorant, innocent girl. High school had physiology and hygiene classes, and she had picked up plenty from classmates' gossip over the years. Following Wei Zhao's gaze to his trousers, she finally understood what Bai Weituo had meant.

So when she had been bowed over him just now, he had thought she was helping Wei Zhao with that...

At the thought, Wang Xinyan's face burned even redder. Bai Weituo—how could his mind be so filthy! And yet there was no explaining this away; the more one explained, the worse it would sound.

Seeing her expression, Wei Zhao knew the girl had caught Bai Weituo's meaning. He shook his head helplessly. "I'll explain to him later."

"Never mind, it's nothing really. A clean conscience fears no shadow. I don't need anyone to think anything of me." Wang Xinyan shook her head, stopping Wei Zhao from explaining.

"But... won't that be bad for your reputation?" Wei Zhao asked.

"Bad is bad. If the Kang family hears of it, so much the better—let them break off the engagement." Even as she said it, Wang Xinyan scarcely believed it herself. Could it really be broken off? This kind of family alliance was, plainly put, nothing but a union of interests. Even if she were hideous beyond words, Kang Zhaolong would still marry her and then simply keep a mistress on the side. All they wanted was the name of an alliance.

As for reputation—the Kang and Xiao families were desperate now. So long as they could unite, what did reputation matter? Having been kicked out of the ranks of the great families, they had already lost every shred of face there was to lose.

"Heh..." Wei Zhao smiled and said no more. But catching the faint sorrow that flickered through Wang Xinyan's eyes, he felt a small pang in his heart. The Kang family... he repeated the two words silently. With his present strength, finishing off the Kang family of not so long ago would have been easy—but for some unknown reason, the Kang family had gained powerful backers, and the identity of Right Thirteen was still unclear. Wei Zhao could not act rashly.

Impulsive as Wei Zhao could sometimes be, he was still very calculating when there was no need for impulse.

Soon the bus turned right onto a very smooth road, and from the signs along the roadside it was clear they were not far from their training site. The sign read: "Border Defense Military Training Base."

Sure enough, before long the bus pulled into a large compound and stopped beside an enormous training ground. From the look of it, this was where the soldiers drilled—and where their own training would temporarily be held.

The bus parked according to regulations, and the students on board, organized by department, major, and class, filed out and took their places on the training ground under the guidance of their respective counselors and department heads.

Once all the students were in position, the school's principal mounted the podium nearby and delivered a mobilization speech for the military training. It was not a long speech, which came as a relief to the students present—the last thing they feared at such a moment was a long-winded lecture.

When the principal's speech ended, the head of the border defense unit here took the stage. But what made Wei Zhao's eyes go wide was that he knew this man! Not only knew him—knew him well! For the man was none other than Chen Yutian!

And Wei Zhao was not the only one surprised—Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu were astonished as well!

"Xiaoshu, why is your brother up there?" Gu Mengyao stared at Chen Yutian on the podium in amazement.