Give Me Heartthrobs 4

Chapter 4: Military Training

Sitting for too long made Ye Qizhen’s legs numb when she stood up. She slowly walked toward the crowd, joining the army of strollers on the playground, looking around as she walked. After circling the playground once, she didn’t run into Wen Yu again.

The lights were dim, stretching the shadows on the track into long, thin shapes. Ye Qizhen moved forward mechanically. She planned to wait until her emotions stabilized before returning to the dorm; her eyes must be as red as a rabbit’s right now.

After walking two laps, sweat beaded on Ye Qizhen’s forehead. She pulled out a wet wipe to clean it off. Afterward, she zoned out for a moment, recalling the way Wen Yu had handed her the tissues—

It really didn’t seem malicious.

**

Early the next morning, Ye Qizhen was bombarded awake by WeChat messages from Tang Xiao.

Over a dozen of them.

[Xiao Xiao Sa Sa(Cool Xiao)]: Wen Yu is also in the Fine Arts Department.

[Xiao Xiao Sa Sa(Cool Xiao)]: I’m even in the same class as her.

[Xiao Xiao Sa Sa(Cool Xiao)]: This is fate.

[Xiao Xiao Sa Sa(Cool Xiao)]: I have a premonition I’m going to stop being single.

(T/N: Xiao Xiao Sa Sa” (霄霄洒洒) is a punny WeChat username:

1. 霄 (Xiāo): This is the character from his actual name, Tang Xiao.

2. 潇洒 (Xiāosǎ): This is a common Chinese adjective meaning “cool,” “chic,” “carefree,” “elegant,” or “dashing.”)

…

The rest were all stickers.

Disturbing her sweet dreams. Ye Qizhen lay under the covers, looking at her phone screen in a daze, her brows furrowed tightly enough to kill a fly. She didn’t read the content, first going into settings to set Tang Xiao to “Do Not Disturb.”

Then she perfunctorily replied: Got it.

And went back to sleep.

Ye Qizhen loved sleeping in. Even with the tight schedule in high school, she would linger in bed for a while in the mornings. Tang Tang often complained about her, saying she had never seen such a lazy top student.

However, these days of sleeping in wouldn’t last long, because military training started one week after enrollment.

It had rained for several days in Nancheng recently, so the weather was no longer so stiflingly hot. Just as all the freshmen were praying for the rainy days to continue a bit longer, the weather suddenly cleared up on September 10th. Moreover, the forecast showed that for the next fifteen days, the sun would shine brightly without a cloud in the sky, with temperatures hovering around 39 degrees Celsius.

Z University’s military training began precisely on September 10th and lasted for fifteen days, perfectly confirming the golden rule: “If you have military training, it will be sunny.” It was said that in previous years, military training was held at an off-campus base where conditions were tougher. This year, having it on campus was already a blessing in disguise.

Ye Qizhen saw Wen Yu again on the third day of military training. In the open space in front of the Arts Building, the Fine Arts Department happened to be training there too. Ye Qizhen just glanced over casually and spotted Wen Yu among the girls immediately. She was wearing a dark green military training uniform, standing tall and straight as the leader of the second-to-last row.

The Art College had many beautiful women, but clearly, Wen Yu was the most eye-catching even among them.

The Journalism Department was originally scheduled to train on the soccer field at the South Sports Ground, which was really not a good place. At noon, the sun beat down directly with no shade anywhere. Finally, under the wailing pleas of the students, the instructor agreed to change the location. Their instructor, surnamed Song, was a short, dark-skinned man who looked burly and rough but was actually quite soft-hearted.

The intensity of the military training increased day by day. The first day, Ye Qizhen felt okay; the second day was a bit of a struggle; and the morning of the third day was pure endurance. Her constitution was weaker than the average person. during high school military training, she had suffered heatstroke twice in one week, fainting directly once. Now in university military training, she only prayed she wouldn’t faint in front of a crowd and embarrass herself again.

It was very hot today, with a “feels like” temperature over forty degrees. The sun bleached the ground white, dazzling the eyes. Even the plane tree leaves were wilted from the sun. Even if an occasional breeze blew, it was just a blast of hot steam, utterly useless.

“At ease!”

“Attention!”

“Turn right!”

…

Instructor Song’s voice was thick and heavy, booming like muffled thunder. He was easy to talk to, but unambiguous when it came to training—very strict. Movements had to be standard and precise, uniform and synchronized to pass.

Ye Qizhen felt like she couldn’t hold on any longer. Her originally rosy lips began to turn pale, her vision blurred, and her head felt heavy. For a moment, she didn’t hear the instructor’s command clearly and dizzily turned in the opposite direction.

“Some people are in college, yet can’t even tell left from right?” Another “muffled thunder” erupted from Instructor Song’s mouth.

A burst of laughter came from the formation. Ye Qizhen bit her lip in embarrassment. She cared most about saving face, and being cornered by a pile of gazes right now made her want to die of social awkwardness.

“Are you okay?” Zheng Qianyu in the back row noticed Ye Qizhen didn’t look well and whispered, “If you’re uncomfortable, tell the instructor. Don’t force yourself.”

Ye Qizhen also felt that if she kept forcing herself, she might faint again. Just as she was about to raise her hand to shout “Report,” she heard the instructor say they would rest after practicing one more time. Forget it, I’ll endure it.

The instructor gave a ten-minute break. A bunch of people, ignoring propriety, collapsed directly onto the ground. Fortunately, there were a few old plane trees near the Arts Building, with lush branches and leaves that blocked some of the sun.

“Thanks.” Ye Qizhen took the mineral water Luo Bei helped bring over. After taking a sip, she felt like she had recovered half her life. Loose strands of hair mixed with sweat stuck to her forehead and neck, feeling particularly uncomfortable.

Opposite them, the Fine Arts Department also finished training and began to rest. The two formations happened to be sitting diagonally across from each other.

“That girl is so good-looking.”

“Which one?”

“Second to last row, the first one. The one who took off her hat.”

Break time was also gossip time, and everyone started chatting in whispers.

Luo Bei loved joining in the fun the most. After looking, she immediately shook Ye Qizhen’s arm like a repeater: “That girl over there, first one in the second to last row, she’s so pretty.”

Ye Qizhen looked over. It was subtle; they were discussing none other than Wen Yu. Under the sunlight, Wen Yu had taken off her hat, her long hair tied into a low bun. The breeze blew her loose hairs, making them flutter slightly, looking lazy and casual.

Military training required no makeup. To be stunning under these conditions generally meant having pale skin, good bone structure, and prominent, outstanding features. Wen Yu possessed all three.

“Our Ye Ye is also very beautiful, okay?” Room leader Zheng Qianyu interjected at this moment. She was a loyal fan of Ye Qizhen’s looks. The first time they met, Ye Qizhen almost blushed from her fancy compliments.

Ye Qizhen and Wen Yu had completely different styles. She gave people a fresh and sunny impression, very gentle, not the type to stun at first glance. But the longer one looked, the more pleasing she became to the eye, especially when she smiled.

Wen Yu looked up and happened to meet Ye Qizhen’s gaze, which had also turned toward her.

Both were on the edge of their formations; they could see each other just by lifting their heads.

Wen Yu tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She was never one to be shy. Since Ye Qizhen was looking at her, she openly met that face across from her—rosy white skin and all—staring straight back.

Specks of sunlight fell on her cheeks. Ye Qizhen squeezed the mineral water bottle in her hand. Perhaps because she felt a bit guilty about misunderstanding Wen Yu on the playground last time, she didn’t dodge this time. Instead, she smiled faintly.

Now, it was Wen Yu’s turn to be puzzled. Is she smiling at me? What does that mean? Regardless of the meaning, she smiled back at Ye Qizhen.

“What are you looking at?” The girl next to Wen Yu leaned over and asked.

Wen Yu glanced at Qi Yun. “Nothing.”

Following her gaze, Qi Yun looked as if she had discovered a new continent, speaking to Wen Yu in a tone that suggested she enjoyed watching drama: “Isn’t that your love rival? You two bumped into each other again.”

Qi Yun was also an art student from No. 1 High School, so naturally, she knew about the grudges and grievances between Wen Yu and Ye Qizhen in high school.

Wen Yu didn’t respond to Qi Yun, indicating she didn’t want to discuss this topic.

“Do you guys want to sing?” Instructor Song asked the group of students sitting on the ground. Just sitting and resting was too boring; they needed some entertainment.

“Yes!” Everyone got excited at the mention of this, pumped up like they’d been injected with chicken blood. As long as they weren’t training, anything was fine.

“What do you want to sing?” Instructor Song asked again.

“Whatever the instructor says,” everyone answered in unison.

“Does everyone know ‘Returning from Target Practice’?”

There was a collective sigh, and a bold boy in the formation howled, “That’s too old-fashioned.”

“Old-fashioned my foot, this is it.” Instructor Song finished speaking and started the tune directly.

Although everyone complained about it being old-fashioned, once the chorus started, they were incredibly united and cooperative. In the scorching summer heat, dripping with sweat, everyone sat on the ground together, laughing and singing with all their might.

Ye Qizhen sat among the crowd, tilting her head slightly, singing along. It seemed silly, but silly moments were easier to turn into memories.

Wen Yu had been watching impassively, but suddenly, the corners of her mouth curled into a smile.

Qi Yun looked again in the direction Wen Yu was watching. She looked at Ye Qizhen, then at Wen Yu. After confirming it twice, she thought to herself, What is wrong with this person? Watching her love rival sing so engrossed?

After the Journalism Department finished singing, the Fine Arts Department’s instructor refused to be outdone. He told the students to sing “Unity is Strength,” adding that their momentum had to overpower the other side. The students indeed put in a lot of effort, as if challenging them.

Ye Qizhen took a sip of water. She saw Wen Yu sitting there silently, not opening her mouth. Just like in high school, Wen Yu always seemed high-profile yet out of place in a crowd.

When both sides were done making noise, the instructor said they still had three minutes of rest. A breeze blew, and without the loud chorus, the surroundings suddenly became quiet.

Everyone was exhausted. At this moment, drifting in with the summer breeze came a melodious singing voice: “Who will I meet, what kind of dialogue will we have…”

It was a girl standing in front of a formation not far away, singing a cappella, her voice clear and moving.

Everyone quieted down in unison, listening carefully. The wind blowing through the plane tree leaves made a rustling sound like an accompaniment, calming the heart and immersing people, briefly sweeping away the scorching heat.

“The person I’m waiting for, how far in the future is he…”

Ye Qizhen listened to the song earnestly, feeling that this summer would be particularly beautiful.

“What, you guys want to sing too?” A loud voice attracted most people’s attention. It was the Fine Arts Department’s instructor speaking. “If you want to sing, hurry up and come up here. If not, continue training. Does anyone want to sing?”

Everyone started chattering and whispering, hoping someone would go up and perform to win a little rest time, but they were all quite reserved; no one wanted to be the first. Tang Xiao stole a glance at Wen Yu, feeling a bit eager to perform in front of her. But he was okay singing at KTV; a cappella was risky, so he didn’t dare go up.

They dawdled for half a minute.

“That girl, you come up and sing.” The instructor simply pointed directly. “I saw you didn’t open your mouth during the chorus just now, you must want to sing solo. Now I’m giving you a chance.”

Wen Yu looked up and saw a pile of eyes swiveling toward her in unison.

Seeing that Wen Yu was the one called out, everyone started to jeer and cheer, especially the boys in the back, who were unusually excited.

***