After sending away the “plague god,” the heavy stone in Jiang Chen’s heart finally settled.
Returning to the dormitory, another girl had also come back.
“You’re Jiang Chen, right? Both of them said you have a super handsome brother.” This girl had delicate features, and when she smiled, the freckles on her cheeks seemed to glow. “I’m Yang Ying, nice to meet you.”
All four girls were now present.
Yang Ying was the oldest and considered herself the big sister. Cao Lin and Zhang Meng were next, with Jiang Chen being the youngest.
“Jiang Chen, does your brother have a girlfriend?” Cao Lin looked at Jiang Chen with anticipation.
“He… probably… doesn’t, I guess.”
Jiang Chen hesitated.
How could a pervert like him ever have a girl truly fall in love with him? Unless she was crazy.
“Your brother is just too handsome!! Jiang Chen, I really want to be your sister-in-law!!” Cao Lin grabbed Jiang Chen, her face full of eagerness.
“Wake up, a guy as handsome as her brother isn’t someone ordinary girls like us can handle,” Zhang Meng poured cold water on the idea.
“That’s not necessarily true. Maybe her brother likes my type?” Cao Lin lifted her chubby little face confidently.
“You’re so round, aren’t you afraid you’ll crush her brother in bed?” Zhang Meng’s mouth was quite “poisonous.”
“You!!”
The two quickly “tussled” into a heap.
“Alright, stop fooling around. Let’s go for a walk around campus later.”
Yang Ying spoke while trying to separate them.
Amidst the laughter and play, the four girls quickly grew close.
Next came what all freshmen dreaded—military training.
“What should I do? The sun is so harsh. What if it burns my face? If I get tanned, will Jiang Chen’s brother not like me anymore?” Cao Lin sighed while holding a mirror.
“Don’t worry, even if you don’t get tanned, Jiang Chen’s brother wouldn’t spare you a second glance,” Zhang Meng mercilessly poured “a bucket of cold water.”
“Zhang Meng, if you keep talking like that, believe me, I’ll hit you!”
“Come on, little one, you think I’m afraid of you?”
Jiang Chen watched the two, both annoyed and amused.
“Jiang Chen, put on a few more layers of sunscreen. Be careful not to get tanned,” Yang Ying kindly reminded her.
“It’s fine, I’m not afraid of the sun,” Jiang Chen smiled.
Actually, she had her own plan.
By using the military training to tan and make herself look ugly, Lu Jin would surely grow bored and disgusted with her ugliness, eventually abandoning her, and she could regain her freedom.
What a perfect plan!
“Hurry up, don’t be late! I heard the instructors for this batch are all defense students from the neighboring university, and they’re all super handsome~!!” Cao Lin’s eyes sparkled. “I’ll put on some lipstick. I have to make a good impression on the instructor.”
“Hurry, we’re going to be late!” Yang Ying urged.
The four of them rushed to the training ground.
“You’re one minute and eight seconds late.”
A stern male voice came from above.
“Sorry, Instructor, we were wrong. It won’t happen again,” Cao Lin stuck out her tongue.
The boy had a wheat-colored complexion, sharp eyebrows, and bright eyes, with a jawline as if carved by a knife. He was tall and sturdy, wearing camouflage and a belt that accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist, looking imposing.
The boy’s gaze was sharp, his thin lips pressed tightly together, completely ignoring Cao Lin’s “playfulness.”
“Run ten laps to warm up.”
Ten laps?!
Jiang Chen looked at the vast training ground. One lap was about eight hundred meters. Run ten laps?
Seeing the four still hesitating, the boy raised his wrist and frowned at his watch. “You have forty minutes. If you exceed the time, additional penalties will apply.”
!!
Eight kilometers in forty minutes!
This wasn’t military training—it was practically corporal punishment.
Under the scorching sun.
Cao Lin, being overweight, was the first to give in.
“I can’t, I really can’t run anymore.”
“Don’t stop,” Jiang Chen encouraged Cao Lin from the side. “That guy isn’t someone to mess with. Follow me, let’s run together.”
“I can’t, I really can’t run anymore.” Cao Lin panted heavily, coming to a halt before collapsing to the ground.
“Get up quickly, be careful of that guy,” Jiang Chen whispered a warning.
“I… I really can’t. Later, I’ll talk to the instructor properly and ask for his WeChat. He’s so handsome—I can’t miss this opportunity!” At the mention of a handsome guy, Cao Lin’s eyes immediately lit up.
Jiang Chen was speechless.
Even at a time like this, this girl was still thinking about handsome guys.
Steady footsteps approached from a distance.
“Slacking off during warm-up, five extra laps.”
The male voice remained cold and stern, without a hint of warmth.
“Instructor, I really can’t run anymore. I feel dizzy,” Cao Lin pleaded softly, startled.
“Avoiding training, another five extra laps.” The boy’s voice was as cold as ice.
“I… I…” Cao Lin’s eyes reddened, too frightened to speak.
“She really can’t run anymore; she’s not avoiding it,” Jiang Chen felt somewhat dissatisfied with this “ruthless” instructor.
Only then did the boy turn his head to look at Jiang Chen beside him. His eyes were as bright as the moon, his thick eyebrows raised, and he said with a half-smile:
“Since you’re so eager to step up, you can run the remaining fifteen laps for her.”
“Fine!”
“No way!”
Cao Lin was shocked, looking at Jiang Chen in disbelief. “Jiang Chen, don’t be foolish. Running that many laps will ruin you!”
“It’s fine,” Jiang Chen smiled. “I’m pretty good at running.”
She stood up and ran past the boy with a cold expression.
One lap.
Two laps.
…
Ten laps.
…
“Report, mission completed. Total time: one hour and forty minutes.”
The boy frowned and scolded loudly, “Why so slow? Were you deliberately slacking off?”
Jiang Chen’s face was pale, but she remained stubborn. “Report, I was not slacking off.”
The boy snorted coldly. “Late for training, slacking off during penalties—you freshmen are truly unbelievable.”
Jiang Chen flared up.
“Being late was wrong, but we sincerely admitted our mistake and accepted the punishment. As for the slacking off you mentioned, I don’t agree.”
“Hah.” The boy furrowed his brows, his icy gaze sweeping over Jiang Chen. “Quite the sharp tongue. It seems the punishment wasn’t enough.”
Jiang Chen grew even more stubborn. “Then I’ll keep running until you’re satisfied.”
A sudden wave of intense dizziness struck.
Jiang Chen instantly felt lightheaded and disoriented.
She pressed her temples, sweat soaking her back.
The boy also noticed something was wrong.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry, I accept the punishment…”
Before she could finish speaking, intense dizziness accompanied by severe nausea enveloped her once again.
Jiang Chen’s vision went black.