Chapter 12

Li Jiao’s beautiful eyebrows furrowed, her small mouth pouted, and her head lowered, walking with a dejected air.

With her naturally round face and fair complexion, nurtured by the southern climate, her skin was tender and smooth. Adorably cute, she looked like a white dough.

Now, with her brows furrowed, her small face looked so pitiful that it was hard to bear.

Su Linlin felt even more heartbroken, an inexplicable surge of maternal love flooding her. She took a big slurp of her popsicle.

She vowed, “Jiao Jiao, don’t worry; tomorrow I’ll definitely have your back!”

“If you can’t walk anymore, I’ll support you!”

“If worse comes to worst, both the boss and I will carry you with a stretch!”

Looking at her confident and sincere expression, Li Jiao’s depressed mood lightened considerably as she replied, “Thank you, Linlin.”

She smiled, her dimples showing and her almond-shaped eyes curving. Soft black hair fell in wisps around her ears; the faint yellow rays of the setting sun bathed her; a gentle breeze brushed past, making her as soft as water.

This beautiful sight made Su Linlin involuntarily think of the little white cat she raised as a child—soft and obedient, very good at acting cute. It would always run to her feet to rub against them after school.

Damn, she was really going to die.

Su Linlin suddenly snapped out of it, exaggeratedly taking deep breaths.

Li Jiao didn’t understand. “Linlin, what’s wrong with you?”

Su Linlin stuffed the remainder of her popsicle into her mouth; the cold sensation woke her up.

Glancing at Li Jiao beside her, still looking confused and blank, she blinked innocently with her big eyes, clear and clean.

Even more like that little cat of hers.

Su Linlin instinctively covered her nose, waved her hand, and said to Li Jiao, “Jiao Jiao, promise me, never smile at me like that again.”

Oh my god, this is killing her. Thank goodness she was a girl; if she were a guy, who knows, she might have fallen head over heels at first sight because of this.

Li Jiao watched her tilt her head back, exaggeratingly covering her nose, wanting to ask what was wrong.

Just then, the phone rang, vibrating incessantly in her pocket.

“Hello, Daddy.”

“Eh, I’m at school right now.”

“You’re coming over?”

“At the school gate?”

“Then wait for me; I’ll be right over.”

“…………”

After hanging up the phone, Li Jiao was ecstatic. Su Linlin asked, “What’s going on? Is your dad coming over?”

“Yeah, he’s at the school gate, bringing me some food, and he asked me to come pick it up.”

Su Linlin nodded. “Alright, I’ll come with you.”

With that, she shook the large bag she was carrying in her hand and raised an eyebrow. “Otherwise, you won’t be able to carry it all by yourself later.”

“Thank you, Linlin.”

“Oh, it’s no big deal; let’s go together.”

The school gate was quite far, so Li Jiao and Su Linlin walked briskly, but it still took them ten minutes to get there.

From a distance, Li Jiao could already see a familiar figure standing on one side of the gate, still wearing that black suit and leather shoes, a bit chubby, his shirt unbuttoned, revealing a noticeable beer belly.

Perhaps struggling with the issue that plagues many middle-aged men, his hair was a bit sparse. He was holding a large plastic bag, stretching his neck to look inside.

As Li Jiao spotted him, he also noticed her.

“Daddy~”

“Hey, daughter.”

Li Jiao ran happily towards the school gate.

“Hey hey hey, slow down.”

Li An watched his daughter run towards him, anxiously wanting to catch her. His chubby body wasn’t very agile, and he was flustered, bustling about.

Li Jiao rushed up to him, slammed on the brakes in front of him, and smiled brightly and obediently.

“Daddy~”

Seeing his daughter unharmed, Li An breathed a sigh of relief and scolded, “Why did you run so fast? What if you fell?”

“Hehe,” Li Jiao chuckled. “Daddy, why did you come over?”

“Oh, I happened to be nearby today meeting with a client, so I came to see you.”

“Look,” Li An said, raising the large bag in his hand. “Dad also bought you lots of delicious food, all your favorites.”

“Wow~ Thank you, Daddy.”

Li Jiao’s eyes widened at the sight of the large bag, smiling happily.

Li Dad was a section chief in a state-owned enterprise, not too high-ranking but often busy with social engagements, which contributed to his current chubby appearance.

Although the Li family wasn’t wealthy, they never worried about food or drink. Li Dad earned money to support the family, while Li Mom took care of the household and the children, making it a very happy and comfortable middle-class family.

“Oh, who’s this, your classmate?”

Li An looked at Su Linlin behind Li Jiao and asked.

“Hello, Uncle,” Su Linlin politely nodded. “I’m Su Linlin, Jiao Jiao’s roommate.”

At this, Li An’s chubby face lit up with a kind and charitable smile, which was extremely warm and enthusiastic.

“Oh, it’s wonderful! So you’re Jiao Jiao’s roommate! You’re really beautiful, really beautiful.”

“Here, take this big bag of snacks. You and Jiao Jiao can take it back to the dorm to eat; don’t be polite, don’t be polite.”

“In the future, if you have a chance, come over to our house to play. We live in South City, on the east side. If you have time, let Jiao Jiao bring you over to play.”

Seeing that he couldn’t stop talking once he started, Li Jiao quickly pinched him.

“Hey hey hey, Daddy…”

The father and daughter chatted at the school gate for a while. Li Dad felt sorry for his daughter, constantly saying she had gotten thinner.

Since childhood, Li Jiao has been pampered and spoiled, as evidenced by her name; her parents doted on her.

Throughout her life, Li Jiao had never really experienced hardship. Even when she got shots and felt pain, both Li Dad and Li Mom felt sorry for her. This time, they didn’t want their daughter to participate in the military training.

The military training was so hard; Li Dad couldn’t bear to see his daughter suffer.

This time, seeing that his daughter had lost weight, Li An felt even more sorry for her. He was about to take Li Jiao to apply for leave and not participate in this military training.

But it was Li Jiao who managed to hold him back and persuade him for a long time before Li Dad reluctantly left.

When leaving, he was so reluctant.

“Daughter, if you miss Daddy, just give Daddy a call.”

“I can’t take it anymore; let’s go home.”

“Or, or you don’t have to study, Daddy will support you for the rest of your life.”

Li Jiao helplessly waved her hand. “Daddy, you’d better go home quickly…”

Su Linlin swallowed her saliva, watching Li Dad walk away, and said, “Jiao Jiao, your dad… has a unique style.”

Li Jiao silently covered her forehead, forgiving her dad for being chubby and talkative and also a bit of a drama queen.

After seeing Li Dad off, Li Jiao and Su Linlin carried two large bags of stuff and slowly walked back to the dormitory building.

When they got back and saw so many things, Zhang Yue widened her eyes and briefly suspected that Li Jiao and Su Linlin had looted a supermarket.

But after knowing that it was Li Jiao’s dad who sent the snacks with love, she happily indulged in them.

Li Jiao took off her pajamas and went to the bathroom to take a shower, her still-feverish mind feeling drowsy. After hastily drying her hair, she climbed into bed and fell asleep.

In a daze, amid the faint sounds, she could still hear Zhang Yue playing games, Su Linlin speaking softly on the phone, and Tang Yuran’s lamp inside her tent, the light persisting, accompanied by the rapid tapping of the keyboard…

Later, she fell completely asleep, oblivious to everything.

The next day, the fifth day of military training, all freshmen at Nanjing University faced the most endurance-testing and physically demanding activity in the training program: the lake circuit march.

Along the twenty-kilometer Maple Leaf Lake, circling the lake, they had to pass through multiple checkpoints to complete this task.

In the early morning, the spacious training ground was filled with students dressed in green camouflage uniforms, all wearing military caps and carrying backpacks, high-spirited and ready to go.

On the platform, the chief instructor was giving a pep talk, his voice booming.

“Students, it’s been five days of military training, and your performances have all been excellent.”

“Today, we’re going to assess your progress with the first test: the lake circuit march!”

“We will circle around Maple Leaf Lake and return to the school. Along the way, there will be multiple checkpoints…”

The commanding voice of the chief instructor resonated across every corner of the training ground.

Below the platform, everyone remained silent, listening attentively to the chief instructor.

After five days of military training, the effects were beginning to show, with the students’ posture gradually straightening, making them look very impressive.

Li Jiao stood among the dense crowd, not particularly tall or conspicuous. She tilted her fair face upwards, listening attentively to the chief instructor’s instructions.

She had taken medicine last night, and her fever had subsided. She still felt a bit dizzy in the morning, but it shouldn’t be a big problem.

The lake circuit march… she should be able to handle it, right?

“Alright, commence the lake circuit march!”

The last sentence from the chief instructor was loud, instantly lifting everyone’s spirits.

Although the lake circuit march sounded challenging, there was a faint sense of anticipation in everyone’s hearts, anticipating this novel experience, looking forward to this different kind of adventure, and also curious about how far their endurance could take them.

The military training ground was vast, with nearly sixty classes.

With the command from the head instructor, all the instructors began to organize their respective classes, leading them out of the training ground in an orderly manner towards the school gate.

Li Jiao’s class, Class 1 of the 2019 batch, naturally led the way as the top class of their year.

Upon receiving the command, Zhang Jiuling, who had been standing on the side of the formation, quickly took his position and stood at the front of the formation.

He still had that familiar appearance: a neatly arranged military cap, a crisply worn military uniform, a black belt fastened around his waist, and a pair of shiny black military boots on his feet.

Even though they were all wearing the same clothes, he managed to look exceptionally sharp, always maintaining the standard military posture, inexplicably providing people with a sense of reassurance.

His expression was always cold, with handsome angular brows, icy eyes, jet-black pupils, and lightly pursed lips. It had to be said that he was truly handsome.

However, he also seemed like a block of ice, aloof and unapproachable, not quite like a human being.

He spoke, his voice clear and resonant: “Everyone, turn left!”

“March!”

“One, two!”

The synchronized sound of the entire class’s footsteps was uniform and forceful!

The voices were loud and full of vigor.

As the vanguard of the entire year, they had to inspire others and be unstoppable!

After the left turn, the boys in the front row raised the class and school flags high, leading their classmates enthusiastically, full of spirit, embarking on the journey to Maple Leaf Lake!

The class 1 began to move, followed by the subsequent classes, one after another.

The long line of students moved forward methodically.

The students in camouflage uniforms were orderly, swiftly making their way toward the university gate.

Zhang Jiuling walked to the side of Class 1’s formation. For this lake circuit march, all the instructors were also participating.

Li Jiao, originally the shortest in the front row, was now adjusted to the back row of the entire class.

Carrying a pink backpack, she adjusted her cap brim and silently followed the formation.

“Maintain formation; do not fall out of line.”

Zhang Jiuling’s cool voice echoed, and everyone in the class adhered firmly to his words.

Occasionally, if someone’s steps faltered, they would silently adjust and keep up with the group.

At 7:20 in the morning, Class 1, leading the way, exited the school gate and stepped onto the street, which hadn’t yet become bustling, with few cars.

On both sides of the street, steam rose from the breakfast stalls. Street-side flower beds were tended to by sanitation workers in bright orange uniforms, wielding large brooms to sweep the ground with effort.

Nanjing University’s freshmen comprised a total of sixty classes, each with at least forty students.

Exiting the school gate, this long queue was truly spectacular. Just crossing the road resulted in more than twenty separate groups.

Pedestrians passing by couldn’t help but cast curious glances at the long procession emerging from Nanjing University.

It seemed as though people became more confident under such scrutiny.

The students of Class 1 were no exception. As they crossed the pedestrian walkway, each one held their head high, standing tall and straight, resembling swans.

At the front, the male students holding flags even waved them, the red banners fluttering in the wind.

Normally, they weren’t seen exerting themselves like this.