Chapter 8

“Hey, hey, hey, Yama is here. Yama is here.”

“Stop laughing, stop laughing.”

Someone saw Zhang Jiuling approaching and quickly reminded the whole class. The entire class hastily restrained their smiles, adjusted their military posture, stood up straight, chest out, stomach in, heads held high, and stood rigidly.

From a distance, they were definitely the most outstanding class on the entire military training ground.

Don’t ask why they are so excellent; it’s all thanks to their class’s devilish instructor.

Zhang Jiuling, as usual, was dressed in camouflage, wearing black military boots, and wearing a military cap. This was clearly the typical attire of an instructor, but it made him stand out from the others.

No matter how many times they had seen Zhang Jiuling walking like this, there were always a few girls in the class swooning quietly.

“Instructor, kill me~”

“Seriously, no one can compare to our instructor’s looks.”

“So handsome~”

Hearing the girls next to her saying this, Li Jiao also looked over. Zhang Jiuling was walking towards them, with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, a strong nose, and a handsome and spirited appearance.

As he approached, his posture was straight, his demeanor was bold, and he exuded a powerful aura. With the unique temperament of a soldier, he appeared stern and reserved.

At the same time, he had a few more degrees of chilling severity than ordinary soldiers. There was often a hint of coldness in his eyes, making people a bit intimidated.

Watching him like this, Li Jiao was actually a bit afraid. It was said that the instructor used to be a special forces soldier, so that’s why he seemed “fiercer” than other instructors, right?

Just as she was thinking about it, Zhang Jiuling walked past her. Feeling a faint, cold breeze, she couldn’t help but squint comfortably.

Although the instructor was stern, he had a super, super good advantage. That is, he naturally emitted a cold aura, especially in this hot summer. He was like a walking air conditioner.

Every time he passed by, Li Jiao hoped he could stay a bit longer—not for anything else, just to cool down the heat!

As Zhang Jiuling walked away, the cold air quickly dissipated. The summer heat once again struck, and the scorching temperature made Li Jiao pout.

At the same time, she lamented in her heart, Instructor, if only you could stay a bit longer~

Zhang Jiuling walked to the middle of the class, scanned the entire class, and confirmed that no one was absent.

Then, in a cold voice,

“Everyone, at ease, attention!”

“The content for this afternoon is a review of the three major steps.”

“Everyone, attention!”

“March—go!”

“One, two, one, two!”

“One, two, three, four…”

“…………”

On the military training ground, every class had started to move.

In their ears, the instructor’s reprimands and the students’ chants intertwined, creating a lively atmosphere on the training ground.

Next door to Class 1, in Class 13, the somewhat plump instructor was inspecting their class’s execution of the three major steps.

On his chubby face, there was a smile, and after admiring the devilish steps taken by his own class, he remained calm and composed.

He chuckled, “Did you all have some drinks during lunch? Each of you is marching with quite devilish steps.”

His expression, a mix of amusement and seriousness, silenced every student in his class. Over the past few days, they had come to realize that their instructor was a smiling tiger; despite his friendly demeanor, he could be tough.

No one in the class responded. The plump instructor, hands behind his back, pretended to sigh wistfully.

“Ah~”

“I feel like I’m a shepherd, chasing after you all day. You guys are like a group of adorable little sheep, reluctant to move unless I drive you forward.”

“Alright, come on, let’s do arm swinging exercises twenty times.”

As soon as these words were spoken, someone in the class wailed, “Ah~”

The plump instructor shot a glance over and said, “What’s the matter, not willing?”

“Forty times.”

Now no one spoke, each keeping their mouths shut and silent.

The plump instructor continued, “Hey, that’s more like it.”

“Can’t you see how your arms are swinging? It’s like they’re about to take off!”

…

Although they had practiced the three major steps before, the students didn’t have much muscle memory, and they quickly forgot.

During the afternoon inspection and review, many classes encountered problems.

Many instructors were getting furious.

“We practiced just this morning, didn’t we?”

“Look at your feet; can’t you lift them a bit higher?”

“Smash your feet down; smash them down!”

“Not press into the ground!”

“You practiced this before; did you just hand it back to me as is?”

…

The instructor from the class next to Li Jiao, the instructor from Class 2, was also on the verge of collapse, continuously venting frustrations in various Sichuan dialect expressions.

“Look at how you’re doing the goose step; are you trying to take off?!”

“Who told you to make a turn, automatic navigation?!”

“Align yourselves, align!”

“Smash your hips down, smash them down!”

“Oh my~ You guys are truly talents of the new century.”

…

Various situations were unfolding across the entire military training ground.

Students who turned incorrectly were singled out by the instructor, pulled out with a stick, and ended up leading the instructor in the wrong direction.

There were also students who couldn’t lift their feet high enough. The instructor made them take out their phones, place them on their feet, and lift their feet to hold the position, creating muscle memory!

In comparison to the myriad issues in other classes, Li Jiao’s class, Class 1, was unusually calm.

Zhang Jiuling stood directly in front, watching them do kicking exercises. Each student stood straight, holding their foot in mid-air, without daring to move.

Occasionally, if someone wobbled, a single glance from Zhang Jiuling would freeze them on the spot, instantly stiffening them.

So, their class was quiet—extremely quiet. Who would dare cause any trouble?

In fact, Zhang Jiuling didn’t have any special methods; he simply practiced repeatedly, strengthening the exercises and embedding each movement into muscle memory.

He didn’t resort to tactics like other instructors, telling students to take out their phones and place them on their feet if they couldn’t lift them. He simply instructed them to maintain the position for fifteen minutes, and if they moved or swayed during that time, they would be punished with push-ups.

With this approach, who would dare to make a mistake?

Now, the entire Class 1 stood firmly, feet grounded, and eyes focused straight ahead.

Hearing various laughters around them, they paid no attention, fearing that any inadvertent movement would draw a cold glance from the stern-faced Yama.

After checking the time on his watch, Zhang Jiuling spoke up, approximately ten minutes having passed.

“Change legs, march in place—go!”

“One, two, one, two, one, two!”

“One, two, three, four!”

“One, two, three, four!”

Class 1, ignoring the soreness in their legs, continued marching and loudly chanting the chants.

“One, two, three, four!”

“One, two, three, four!”

Zhang Jiuling: “Halt!”

“One, two!”

The entire class made a loud, uniform sound with their feet.

This scene caught the attention of other classes, and they turned their heads to see which class it was.

Glancing around, they spotted Zhang Jiuling as the instructor of that class and knowingly looked away.

The class had the formidable Yama as the instructor, no wonder.

Zhang Jiuling continued with the commands, “Everyone, pay attention to every command and movement.”

“March—go!”

“One!”

The entire class lifted their feet in unison and halted at a consistent height, forming a flat surface.

Zhang Jiuling scanned the class with a glance and continued, “Two!”

Once again, the entire class uniformly switched feet and came to a halt.

Among the crowd, Li Jiao winced, her eyebrows tightening involuntarily.

The blisters on her feet hadn’t healed yet, and with every step, the friction against the sole of her shoe was excruciating. Practicing the steps, following each command and movement, was particularly challenging, as every forceful stomp felt like a matter of life and death.

However, this was military training, and the instructor continued to shout commands, leaving her no option but to stop.

She could only grit her teeth and go along with it.

“One!”

Ouch~ it hurts so much.

“Two!”

Oh, my, this is unbearable.

“One!”

Ouch~ Mom, I want to go home.

“Two!”

Li Jiao lifted her foot again, and during the switch, her face twisted in pain. The expression on her face was anything but pleasant.

Zhang Jiuling had long noticed her. While everyone else was earnestly practicing the goose step, the girl standing at the end of the first row exhibited a facial expression that was incredibly rich.

Especially during the foot-switching part, her expression resembled a big “囧” character. With her fair skin, she looked soft and pitiful. When she wore a distressed expression, she resembled a white bun that had been wronged.

(T/N: a Chinese character representing awkwardness or a difficult situation)

With that “囧” expression on her small face, she looked… cute?

Zhang Jiuling continued with the command, “One!”

After shouting the command, Zhang Jiuling’s gaze involuntarily turned towards that young girl.

Sure enough, the girl immediately furrowed her brows, pursed her lips, and, with a pained expression, did not disappoint in providing a rich display of emotions.

Watching her suffering expression and the comical look of having to follow along, Zhang Jiuling couldn’t help but find it amusing. Was it really that difficult?

In reality, Li Jiao was on the verge of being in agony.

Mom, come save me; my feet are going to fall off.

It hurts so muchhhh—

“Two!”

Upon hearing the instructor’s command, Li Jiao quickly switched feet and kept up. After practicing a few times, her feet were almost numb from the pain.

As she lifted her foot, she unconsciously lowered it a bit, standing out prominently in the well-aligned row.

Zhang Jiuling glanced at her and calmly said, “The last one in the first row, raise your foot higher.”

Suddenly being called out, Li Jiao quickly lifted her foot after hearing the command.

Zhang Jiuling continued, “One!”

Thinking about lowering her foot last time, Li Jiao straightened her instep and forcefully lifted her foot, aiming to raise it higher.

Just as her leg swung out, Li Jiao felt a sudden looseness under her foot, as if something had been flung away.

Immediately after, the entire class witnessed an unidentified white object fly out, tracing a perfect arc like a projectile.

It was heading straight towards the instructor at the front of the formation!

Zhang Jiuling was in the middle of shouting commands when his eyes suddenly sharpened. He looked in the direction where the white object was flying and squinted slightly, as if… it was a shoe?

He didn’t make a move, calmly taking a step back.

“Clatter!”

A small white shoe landed steadily in front of him.

At that moment, Li Jiao felt like the world had stopped.

From a distance, she exchanged a passionate gaze with the white object.

Oh no, the shoe—this is embarrassing.

The members of Class 1 stared wide-eyed at the small white shoe and then subconsciously looked at Li Jiao, realizing what had happened.

Each of them lowered their heads, their shoulders shaking noticeably.

“Pfft—”

“Hahaha—”

Hearing the subtle laughter around her, Li Jiao’s face turned red in an instant, from her chin to the tips of her ears, burning with embarrassment.

Oh no, now she’s embarrassed.

Zhang Jiuling lowered his head to look at the small white shoe at his feet. The toe pointed directly at him, as if it were aimed at him.

He lifted his head, glanced at the end of the first row, and saw that familiar face with a slight raise of his eyebrows. It’s her again?

Did she decide to retaliate right after I mentioned her?

Li Jiao blushed and dared not look into his eyes. She buried her head, staring at her bare right foot wearing a pink bunny sock, hanging lonely on the other foot.

However one looked at it, it was pitiable.

Oh no, oh no, what should she do now?

Should she go pick it up or pretend that the shoe isn’t hers?

Ahhh, the instructor won’t think she did it on purpose, right?

Ahhh, what should she do now, ahhh…

While nobody could hear her internal screams, just when the atmosphere was becoming awkward, the instructor from Class 2 led their group passing by.

The instructor, who seemed to be called Liuzi, knew Zhang Jiuling. As they passed by, he saw the shoe in front of Zhang Jiuling, stretched his neck, widened his eyes, and joked,

“Hey, boss, whose Cinderella’s crystal shoe is this from your class?”

“Pfft—”

“Hahaha—”

As soon as this remark came out, the people from Li Jiao’s class couldn’t hold back any longer. Each of them shook their shoulders, laughing heartily.

Hearing the laughter, Li Jiao lowered her head even more, her face burning intensely. Oh no, now she is completely infamous.

Zhang Jiuling looked at the end of the line, where the girl was huddled, head down like a quail, nearly burying herself.

Well, if you have the guts to do it, you have the guts to own up, right?

Glancing at the small white shoe on the ground, Zhang Jiuling bent down, picked it up, and walked toward Li Jiao.

After a while, Li Jiao still kept her head down, and she gradually heard the laughter around her subside. But she still didn’t dare to lift her head. Goodness, is there anything more embarrassing than this?

Mommy, I really want to go homeeee—

In the midst of her helpless despair, a pair of black military boots suddenly appeared in her line of sight. Simultaneously, she caught a whiff of that familiar cold fragrance.

She jerked her head up, and Zhang Jiuling had somehow walked over. As she looked up, her gaze collided with his deep eyes—cold and devoid of any emotion.

She was taken aback, quickly lowering her head again, trying to appear inconspicuous.

Oh no, oh no, she’s in big trouble. The instructor is going to scold her.

Oh no, oh no, what should she do, what should she do, what should she do?