Chapter 1924 — Late Autumn Night

"This..." Zhang Duopan had not expected Chen Yutian to press him for such detail.

"They kicked the steamed bun around a couple of times, then made Bai Weituo pick it up and eat it!" Song Xiaodao said from the side.

"Is that how it was?" Chen Yutian turned and looked at Zhang Duopan and Fan Ganhe.

"This..." The two of them knew that with so many classmates watching, lying was utterly out of the question now; they could only stammer and shrink from admitting it.

"Wasting food, and starting trouble in the mess hall—you two, four points deducted each!" With that, Chen Yutian turned and walked off.

"What?" Fan Ganhe and Zhang Duopan were filled with regret. If only they had kept their mouths shut; their explanation had backfired, cost them two extra points. What a fine mess this was!

"Ha!" Bai Weituo thought it strange that Chen Yutian seemed to be favoring their side, but he had been the victim, after all, so he did not dwell on it and laughed heartily twice. "Justice speaks for itself. Some people just can't help dropping a rock on their own foot!"

"Hmph! We'll settle this at the freshman gala!" Zhang Duopan grabbed Fan Ganhe, tossed out a parting threat, and the two of them left quickly. They could not bear the shame of staying.

"Brother Lin, you were too cool!" Once Zhang Duopan and Fan Ganhe had gone, Bai Weituo clapped Wei Zhao on the shoulder and said excitedly.

"Come on, let's go eat." Wei Zhao smiled faintly.

Wang Xinyan, at a table not far away, had seen the whole scene and could not help covering her mouth with a smile. This Wei Zhao really was a violence fiend—who ever straightened people out the way he did?

At another table nearby, He Meiyue cast Zhang Duopan a somewhat disappointed look. She had once thought he was all right—nothing especially appealing, but nothing repulsive either. After what he had done today, though, he was simply loathsome.

Bai Weituo's earlier showing had been a little pathetic, but He Meiyue did not hold that against him. Fan Ganhe was a sports-track student; few ordinary students could stand against him, and Bai Weituo throwing a punch would only have been asking for a beating.

As for Wei Zhao, He Meiyue shook her head. You really could not judge a person by appearances—he looked so gentle and refined, yet he was this violent. Not that she had any particular feelings about Wei Zhao either way; he had never admitted to any relationship with Wang Xinyan, but seeing the two of them sitting together told her their connection was anything but ordinary.

Though the confrontation had been fierce, this little episode was quickly put to rest. Everyone was hungry, and this was an army camp with strict discipline, so they all found seats and settled down to eat—though what had just happened gave them plenty to talk about.

After the meal, the students each returned to their barracks. At six o'clock sharp, they all fell in before their respective barracks.

Once the medical program had finished falling in, Chen Yutian soon appeared before them.

"Reporting to the instructor, the medical program has finished falling in. I am squad leader Bai Weituo, awaiting your orders!" Bai Weituo stepped forward and said.

"Very good. Bai Weituo, back in ranks!" Chen Yutian nodded in satisfaction, then said, "Tomorrow marks the start of your formal military training. Days one through three will be goose-step, quick-step, and formation drill; days four through six will be military boxing; days seven and eight will be field marching. After day eight will come the formation competition, the military boxing competition, and the freestyle combat competition. The winning squads and individuals will receive between five and ten academic credits apiece!"

"Whoa—" No one had expected that, beyond the normal credits, military training would carry bonus credits—and a good number of them, five to ten!

"Don't celebrate too soon. Only the top three in each event receive credits, whether team or individual," Chen Yutian said flatly. "Though field marching is organized by department, the first three squads of each class to return will also earn every member two credits!"

University credits were hard to earn, yet in truth they could also be easy: electives like etiquette and social skills were simple enough to pass. But somehow, by the time graduation drew near, students often found themselves a few credits short—and by then, picking up an elective they had never taken was difficult. For students pursuing a double degree especially, credits mattered all the more.

So at a moment like this, no one would turn their nose up at the chance to earn a few extra credits.

After finishing his speech, Chen Yutian led the class through a few simple drills in front of the camp—"stand at ease," "attention," "left turn," "right turn," and the like. They had all learned these in middle-school PE, so there was no difficulty to them; it was little more than a warm-up.

Then Chen Yutian took them on a few slow laps around the barracks and called them to dismiss.

Even though the first day's training had not been much, it still left the students worn out. Back in the barracks, they collapsed onto their beds.

You Panhu, Huang Mao, and Zi Mao were lodged at the other end of the barracks. The three of them were a breed apart—anyone could see they were not easy to get along with—so their classmates gave them a wide berth, and the three of them could not be bothered to talk to anyone either.

"Get some rest early. We're up at six tomorrow morning," Wei Zhao said to Wang Xinyan after glancing at the time.

"Mm..." Wang Xinyan stole a glance at the calm Wei Zhao, and despite herself felt a flutter of nervousness. This was the first time she had ever shared a bed with a boy. Though they were fully dressed, and this was a special circumstance brought on by military training, her breathing still came a little fast.

It had been better while the lights were on. Now that the power was cut, she felt a little tense.

"What are you thinking about, with those big eyes wide open?" Wei Zhao waited a moment, saw that Wang Xinyan still had not gone to sleep, and asked with a smile.

"Huh? You can see me?" Wang Xinyan was surprised. There were no lights in the barracks at night, and outside the window it was pitch black; only a faint moonlight filtered in from a distant window, so weak it was impossible to make out anything in the barracks.

"Your eyes are so bright—that's how I saw them." Wei Zhao could not resist teasing her.

Wang Xinyan pursed her lips, not knowing what to say. After a long while, she gave a little snort. "Nonsense. I'm not a wolf."

"Heh... go to sleep." With that, Wei Zhao closed his eyes.

Wang Xinyan waited a while, saw that Wei Zhao had said no more, and drifted hazily off to sleep herself.

Late autumn nights were cold. Though everyone wore thick camouflage uniforms, without blankets over them, there was still a bit of a chill...

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