H City, exactly 10 a.m.
Clear skies stretched endlessly without a single cloud, with today’s high reaching 38 degrees Celsius—perfect weather for short sleeves.
Strong UV index. Outdoor activities not recommended.
On campus, students clad in long-sleeved, long-panted camouflage uniforms stood in neat rows under the blazing sun.
Up front, the instructor gripped a yellow whistle, his gaze sharp as a hawk’s.
“Attention!”
His voice boomed thick and commanding. At his order, the students snapped their legs together, sucked in their stomachs, thrust out their chests, lifted their chins, fixed their eyes straight ahead, and pulled their shoulders back.
“Eyes left—eyes front!”
“Align left—eyes front!”
“Alright, hold that pose,” the instructor said casually as he strolled among them. “Keep it up for another thirty minutes, and you can rest.”
The students strained to maintain their stance, sweat trickling into their eyes, the sting unbearable yet leaving them frozen in place. They neither dared to complain nor show anger.
This was only the second day of military training. On the first day, they’d grumbled instinctively about how long they had to hold the position. But those complaints soon came back to bite them—in the form of extended standing time.
And it wasn’t just the complainer who suffered. The whole class got punished.
A solo penalty might leave some defiant, but dragging down their classmates earned them cold stares from everyone.
After a few rounds of that, even the hottest tempers learned their lesson.
No matter how grueling or frustrating, they’d save the venting for break time.
Minutes ticked by agonizingly. Just as the students teetered on the edge of collapse, a short whistle blast cut through the air.
“Alright, ten-minute break.”
The instant the words left the instructor’s mouth, the field emptied—leaving him standing alone.
The students clustered in groups of three or five under the shade of trees, twisting off bottle caps and chugging mineral water without a care for appearances.
The girls still minded their image a bit, furtively tugging at the sweat-soaked fabric clinging to their backs or fanning themselves with drenched camo caps.
The guys had no such qualms. They stripped off their training uniforms, yanked their sopping shirts free from their waistbands, wrung them out with a twist—sending droplets pattering to the ground.
“I can’t take it anymore. What the hell is this training gear made of? Zero breathability,” Zhong Taihong griped. “Standing in the sun dressed like this, I’m sweating more than I can drink.”
“I never imagined I’d down a full liter of water in one morning,” Xi Shaojie said blankly, staring at his oversized empty mineral water bottle. He muttered in existential doubt, “And it wasn’t even soda.”
“It’s great for you. All that extra weight—you could stand to lose some,” Zhong Taihong said with a grin.
“You’ve got a point,” Xi Shaojie replied weakly, nodding. “Guess it’s a form of self-delusion.”
“Lao Xi, what happened to you? No comeback?” Qin Yongfeng asked in surprise. “You’re just taking that?”
Xi Shaojie let out a heavy sigh. “What can I do? Go beat him up?”
“My feet are killing me—sore, soft, aching. Can’t even move.”
“Besides, a gentleman avenges himself after ten years. I’ll spare him for now.”
Mo Xiangwen corrected him. “Last time you said a gentleman uses words, not fists. But I’m no gentleman—I’m a barbarian.”
“Right now, I am a gentleman,” Xi Shaojie said with a cold laugh. “Haven’t you heard? A scholar gone three days warrants a fresh look.”
Xi Shaojie was half a head shorter than Zhong Taihong but outweighed him by twenty or thirty pounds. He’d picked up some slick grappling moves somewhere—no one in the dorm could take him.
Not that it mattered much. Zhong Taihong was the only one who poked at him now and then, sparking the occasional brawl.
“Your principles sure flip-flop,” Qin Yongfeng said, shaking his head as he stood. “I’m out of water. Anyone need some?”
Xi Shaojie said, “Yeah, grab me a mineral water.”
Zhong Taihong jumped in. “Me too.”
Qin Yongfeng nodded. “Got it. Lao Mo?”
“Better not,” Mo Xiangwen said, shaking his head. “We’ve already burned several minutes chatting. Not enough time for a round trip to the commercial street.”
“Should be fine. Just tell the instructor I’m buying water,” Qin Yongfeng said, frowning. “They won’t punish us for that, right?”
“You guess,” Mo Xiangwen said with a shrug. “But if you clear it with him first, probably okay.”
Qin Yongfeng glanced at the imposing instructor in the distance and chickened out.
“Nah, forget it.”
Mo Xiangwen dangled his empty bottle, sighed, tossed it in the trash, and scanned the area.
“Just tough it out,” he said. “Next break, I’ll go with you.”
Their training ground wasn’t close to the commercial street. A round trip would take time—maybe even a jog there and back.
Any line or delay, and they’d be late.
“Man, if only we had a store’s phone number. Call ’em to deliver,” Qin Yongfeng sighed.
“Even if you did, they wouldn’t send someone,” Zhong Taihong said, shaking his head. “Too many training groups around. How would they know who’s ordering?”
“Plus, most places don’t have delivery guys. Special-ordering takeout? Too much hassle,” Xi Shaojie added.
“Yeah, next time then,” Qin Yongfeng said regretfully.
Mo Xiangwen paused. That sparked an idea.
He couldn’t go himself right now, and stores wouldn’t deliver.
But what if someone who knew him could swing by? Time to tap his network.
He didn’t like owing favors, but this wouldn’t be the first time with them.
Debt piled high lost its sting, and the mental load wouldn’t be too bad.
Worst case, if they were busy, no harm.
He pulled out his phone, opened the pinned group chat, and sent a message.
Human-Dragon Unity: @Pass One Charm @Don’t Play Holy Slash You around? You around?
Pass One Charm: What’s up? We’re in class.
Human-Dragon Unity: Free after class?
Pass One Charm: Yep yep.
Human-Dragon Unity: Military training at the soccer field. Out of water. If you’re free, bring five bottles?
He’d originally planned to have them order thirty bottles of drinks and water from a store—money wasn’t the issue.
But what if the store balked at delivery? Forcing them to haul thirty bottles themselves would be too much.
Pass One Charm: Finally! You told us your training spot. Hang tight—we’re coming.
Remembering how Su Mengyao had been fishing for his location the past couple days, Mo Xiangwen felt a bad premonition.
Human-Dragon Unity: You’re way too eager. It’s making me nervous.
Pass One Charm: I’ve been dying to sip Ice Cola right in front of training freshmen.
Pass One Charm: If President hadn’t said showing off to strangers is overkill, I’d have done it yesterday.
Pass One Charm: But you asked for help, and we’re old pals. President’s got nothing on this.
Human-Dragon Unity: On second thought, forget it. I’m not that thirsty.
Pass One Charm: I don’t care what you think—I decide. The group’s feeling bad for you out there training.
Human-Dragon Unity: Damn, that’s not pity. That’s straight-up mocking me to my face.
Pass One Charm: Think of it this way: Your need gets met, I get my fun. Win-win. No favor owed.
Human-Dragon Unity: You’ve changed. You weren’t like this before.
Pass One Charm: Hehe.
Bai Bai: ?
Bai Bai: Xiao Huo, snap a pic of Xiao Yi quick.
Human-Dragon Unity: No sneaky photos without consent. Absolutely not.
Pass One Charm: Yeah, if Xiao Yi says no, gotta respect his likeness rights at least.
Bai Bai: @Human-Dragon Unity Lemme see.
Human-Dragon Unity: Nah, you don’t want to.
A short whistle blast rang out. No time to think—he dragged his aching legs back to formation with his roommates.
After more drilling, parched from skipping water earlier, his throat felt like it was on fire.
As he silently prayed for break time, two familiar figures sauntered right past their training group.
No—made a point of strolling by.
Su Mengyao and Su Mengli each held a bottle of soda, approaching the front of the line at a leisurely pace.
Then Su Mengyao twisted open her Ice Cola, took a small sip.
The chill fizz made her squint slightly, a charming smile blooming on her delicate face—the same exquisite features as Su Mengli’s. To everyone sweating through training, though, it looked downright hateful.
Su Mengli flushed and turned away, hurriedly pulling her sister from the scene.
If Su Mengli hadn’t been there—and if he weren’t surrounded by classmates—Mo Xiangwen suspected Su Mengyao might’ve gone even further.
For example, taking a big swig right in front of him and letting out some weird noises.
Or maybe holding an ice-cold watermelon in her hand?
No… When it came down to it, that was just too unladylike. No matter how outrageous Su Mengyao was, she probably wouldn’t pull something like that.
But what she was doing right now was already way over the line.
Who the hell does that in front of people during military training?
Just because she was cute, did she think she was above it all? No matter how adorable she was, it couldn’t stop a certain part of him from stiffening up right then and there.
Mo Xiangwen’s face darkened. At an angle the instructor couldn’t see, he clenched his fist and swallowed hard to soothe his itchy throat.
What was he supposed to do? Sure, this girl had come to his aid in his hour of need, but he really wanted to deck her.
After what felt like forever, rest time finally rolled around again. Mo Xiangwen told his roommates he didn’t need them to buy water and immediately set off in search of the Su sisters.
Human-Dragon Unity: Where are you? Where?
Don’t Play Holy Slash: Walk a few dozen meters to your left. We’re under the big tree.
Following Su Mengli’s directions, he finally spotted the two sisters chilling in the shade of the tree.
The moment he approached, Su Mengyao backed away several steps.
Mo Xiangwen shot her a speechless look. “Come on, you brought me water and all. I’m not about to bite the hand that feeds me.”
“Of course I trust you,” Su Mengyao said with a serious nod. “You can swear to it now.”
?
His fists clenched tight again.
“Enough, Mengyao. Don’t mess around—the break during military training isn’t that long.” Su Mengli let out a soft sigh and handed him the beverage in her hand. “Here, take this.”
Mo Xiangwen took it and saw it was a bottle of room-temperature electrolyte drink.
“If you’re sweating that much, you need to replenish your electrolytes,” Su Mengli explained. “Of course, we brought five bottles of mineral water too.”
As if on cue with her sister’s words, Su Mengyao picked up a red plastic bag from the ground and held it up a bit.
Through the semitransparent red plastic, he could clearly see several bottles of mineral water inside.
“Thanks.” Mo Xiangwen nodded in gratitude and took the bag from Su Mengyao’s hand.
“No big deal.” Su Mengli smiled faintly. “We’ll get going then. Class is starting soon.”
“Bye-bye.” Su Mengyao waved goodbye to him.
“Yeah, bye.” He waved back at the two of them. “Next time you need any help, just let me know.”
…
When he returned to the edge of the sports field, his roommates were craning their necks, waiting eagerly for him.
“Damn, Lao Mo, you can even call your…”
Mo Xiangwen grabbed a bottle of mineral water and chucked it straight at Zhong Taihong.
Under his amicable gaze, Zhong Taihong switched gears at lightspeed. “Who would’ve thought you could call friends to bring mineral water? You’ve got some serious pull.”
“Shut your trap—you’re the one who talks too much.” Mo Xiangwen sighed and pulled a bottle from the bag before handing the rest over to them. “There’s still one more in here that’s mine. Don’t drink it.”
The sharp-eyed Xi Shaojie asked, “So what’s that bottle in your hand?”
“Electrolyte drink. Not as refreshing as mineral water.”
“I get it. Let’s swap.” Xi Shaojie grinned. “You take two mineral waters—that’ll quench your thirst for sure.”
“Get lost.” Mo Xiangwen scowled. “Keep yapping, and you won’t get any mineral water at all.”
“Tch, what manners.” Zhong Taihong shook his head. “Still, thanks. And thank them for us too.”
Qin Yongfeng took out a bottle, chugged a mouthful, wiped the water from his lips, and said, “Thanks, Lao Mo.”
“Then I’m heading out.”
Xi Shaojie asked, “Where to?”
“Do I even need to ask? We all got some—Classmate Yan can’t be left out.” Zhong Taihong shook his head. “Xi Shao, you’re slacking on the awareness there.”
“Yeah, yeah, I shouldn’t have opened my mouth.”
Mo Xiangwen gave them a speechless glance before turning to search for Yan Nuoya.
He had to admit, no matter the time or place, Yan Nuoya always stood out.
She was leaning against a tree by herself, head bowed as if lost in thought.
Every now and then, a guy or girl would approach and offer her water, only for her to refuse with a smile.
