Chapter 21

Walking to the training spot of the class, all six students were still curious and wanted to ask Zhang Jiuling something. However, Zhang Jiuling glanced at them lightly, his cold eyes meeting theirs, sending a chilling sensation through them.

It was like being plunged into icy water in the winter, with ice chips still floating on the surface, bone-chillingly cold.

The six students immediately fell silent, tensing up all over, standing at attention with solemnity, and saluting respectfully.

Liuzi immediately fell silent, tensed his whole body, stood at attention, and saluted solemnly.

“Boss, I’m going back to class.”

After saying that, he hurriedly ran away.

Goodness, he finally understood why those kids called the boss “Cold-Faced Yama.”

My goodness, he wasn’t this cold even when he was in the army before. At most, he was like a glass of cold water. But now he had evolved into a super-icy abyss.

Those kids really had it tough.

Returning to the training spot of the class, most of the students had dispersed, with only a few remaining in their original positions.

Zhang Jiuling looked around and spotted the figure of the little girl in a corner of the lawn, curled up with her knees hugged to her chest, surrounded by a few classmates chatting lively.

She was sitting there all alone, quietly and peacefully. It was as if an invisible shield covered her, automatically isolating her into a little circle.

He frowned slightly and walked over.

Li Jiao was still diligently pulling out weeds, her little head knocking against her knees as she muttered.

“Military training is not fun at all.”

“But the instructor is very good-looking, hehe.”

“Sigh~”

“If I could do military training again, I would definitely try not to make so many mistakes.”

“The instructor must dislike me now…”

“… ”

Zhang Jiuling approached and stopped behind Li Jiao. She hadn’t noticed him yet. Moving a bit closer, he could only hear the girl murmuring something quietly, her voice too soft to make out.

However, her movements of pulling out weeds never stopped.

Beside her, there was already a small pile of plastic grass.

Zhang Jiuling had never interacted with the girl before and didn’t know what was going on with Li Jiao. But he noticed tiny beads of sweat on her forehead.

He furrowed his brow, his bright eyes dimming slightly, and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then, taking a step forward, he got a little closer to her.

The sun in the late afternoon, around four or five o’clock, was directly behind them. Zhang Jiuling stood behind her, moving a bit closer. His tall and straight figure completely blocked Li Jiao from the sun.

With the sunlight shining, his shadow cast onto the grass in front of Li Jiao.

“Hmm?”

Li Jiao, who was busy pulling out weeds, suddenly felt a bit darker in front of her. She raised her head slightly and saw a black shadow in front of her. Oh, it turned out someone was standing behind her.

Someone blocked the scorching sun, instantly making her feel cooler.

Ah, she hoped he would stay a little longer.

Her weeding stopped for a moment, and Li Jiao continued to lower her head, diligently pulling the plastic grass, working diligently like a hardworking farmer.

Watching the girl’s movements, Zhang Jiuling raised an eyebrow. He blocked the sun for her, and she just accepted it so calmly without even turning around to see who it was?

Well, this girl even openly used him as a sunshade last time.

After a few more minutes, Li Jiao, who was pulling out weeds with effort, stopped. Seeing that the shadow in front of her hadn’t moved and the person behind her hadn’t left, she sighed, “May good-hearted people have a peaceful life.”

At her words, Zhang Jiuling smirked, giving a light snort. At least she was someone who knew how to be grateful.

In the vast military training grounds, people came and went, constantly flowing. They walked and stopped as if, in this noisy and bustling world, everyone was busy with their own affairs. Amidst the myriad lights, people hustled about, chasing after their lives without pause.

In a small corner, Li Jiao and Zhang Jiuling seemed like a scene of peaceful tranquility. Time appeared to stall in their presence, moving slowly and leisurely.

The girl squatted on the ground, completely absorbed in her own little world. Behind her, the tall and slender man stood silently, casting a shadow over her.

While the rest of the world buzzed with noise, golden sunlight filtered down, accompanied by a gentle breeze, creating a serene and pleasant atmosphere. The man lowered his eyelashes slightly, quietly observing the girl’s movements.

In the bustling world around them, it seemed like there were only the two of them.

“Wow, what a heavenly scene!”

A girl who had originally come to observe the miserable state of the new recruits sat under a big tree, eating ice cream, preparing to show off to others.

But when she looked up, she saw something else!

“Oh my Michelangelo, Picasso, da Vinci, Van Gogh, and Monet!”

“This scene is too beautiful.”

“No, I have to capture it on paper!”

The girl stuffed a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, her entire mouth going numb from the cold. Ignoring the sensation, she grabbed her pencil and began to draw.

As an art student, her instinct was to capture beautiful things as soon as possible.

Fortunately, she had just come out of the art studio and still had drawing materials with her.

“Mm-mm-mm…”

The cool ice cream numbed her mouth, but she couldn’t care less. She swiftly sketched the two figures nearby.

“Mm-mm-mm—”

This scene was just too darn beautiful.

Later on, the girl even posted about this incident on an online forum.

“Military training, a divine scene!!!”

“I saw an instructor helping a girl block the sun. The girl was sitting on the ground, and the instructor just stood behind her, blocking the sun for her the whole time!”

“Oh my, the scene was so beautiful at that moment, I even drew it.”

Later on, there was even a sketch attached.

Below, a group of people commented.

“Wow, what an extraordinary and divine scene.”

“The instructor is blocking the sun for the girl; I suddenly feel so touched.”

“I think it’s pretty sweet.”

“Are they trying to kill us? Showing affection during military training, I’m reporting this.”

“Wocwoc, could that girl be the instructor’s girlfriend?”

“I don’t think so. Isn’t it said that instructors and students can’t date?”

“Which century are you living in? It’s just said that students might have a momentary admiration for instructors, and romantic relationships might not last long. But there’s no rule saying instructors and students can’t date.”

“I don’t care about all that, I ship this couple!”

“Hey, does anyone know which class the instructor is from?”

“Yeah, is there a photo?”

“Did the OP take any photos?”

(T/N: OP=original poster)

“…I… I just remembered to draw, I forgot.”

“It’s true, we still haven’t found the instructor who carried someone to the ambulance last time, and now there’s another one.”

“Yeah, when I was in military training, we didn’t have these divine instructors.”

“…”

“Whistle—”

On the military training ground, a sharp whistle pierced through the air.

Everyone immediately stood up, facing the direction of the whistle, and stood at attention.

The previous clamor quieted down in an instant, the entire process not exceeding three seconds.

On the podium, the chief instructor yelled into a megaphone.

“All classes, continue training!”

After the command was given, everyone rushed back to their respective classes in a frenzy. Thousands of people moved simultaneously, running in different directions, intersecting, and colliding.

The scene of chaos on a large scale was particularly spectacular.

“At ease, attention!”

Zhang Jiuling glanced over, and the whole class stood neatly in perfect formation.

After the military training session, the results were already significant.

He looked at everyone and spoke, his voice clear and still cold, devoid of any emotion.

“For the remaining time, we won’t continue training.”

Huh?

Not continue training? Then what are we going to do?

The entire class was a big question mark, but no one dared to discuss it quietly. Under Zhang Jiuling’s training, they had become disciplined and dare not discuss or even whisper.

Zhang Jiuling continued, “Next, we’re going to play a game.”

Play a game?

They didn’t mishear, did they? The instructor is actually letting them play a game?

Did the sun rise from the west? Is money falling from the sky? Are pigs flying?

Oh my goodness, they can hardly believe their ears.

Actually, Zhang Jiuling had reflected on himself when Li Jiao fainted due to exhaustion earlier.

These students were indeed very different from them.

Their physical fitness varied greatly, and most of them lacked exercise. Suddenly subjecting them to high-intensity training would definitely be too much for them to handle.

Perhaps he hadn’t considered everything, and he had been too strict with the students.

Perhaps, occasionally, he should let them relax a bit.

The game was very simple—a trust exercise often played in the army.

One person crosses their arms over their chest, while the others link hands and stand behind them. When the person falls backward, they need to be caught securely.

The game didn’t require any technical skills, but it tested the trust between the group members. On the battlefield, entrusting your back to your teammates is the ultimate sign of trust.

“Let’s begin.”

After Zhang Jiuling finished speaking, everyone in Class 1 looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

What’s going on? Are we really playing a game?

What’s wrong with the instructor? Has he been possessed? Could it be another novel training method?

It’s no wonder they feel this way. Over these past few days, Zhang Jiuling has given them the impression of being an emotionless, stern instructor. It’s been all about training, and the training has been pretty intense.

And now suddenly he wants them to play a game?

Are you kidding? I certainly wouldn’t dare.

“What’s wrong with the instructor? Why is he suddenly suggesting we play a game?”

In the crowd, a few people murmured quietly.

“I don’t know, did any of you provoke him?”

“No.”

“Well, that’s strange then. Maybe our instructor’s gone crazy?”

“What’s crazy?”

“Come on, figure it out.”

“… ”

Li Jiao was also puzzled. Looking at Zhang Jiuling in front of her, he still had that cold and stern demeanor, his entire being exuding an aura of cold seriousness, almost solidifying into substance.

This demeanor didn’t seem like he was about to let them play a game. It seemed more like they were about to face the guillotine.

The group huddled together, murmuring among themselves, but nobody dared to take the first step.

Even Zhang Jiuling hadn’t expected that they would refuse to play the game.

“If you don’t want to play, then let’s continue training.”

“!!!!”

Training?!!!!

“Don’t, don’t, don’t, Instructor, let’s play, let’s play!”

In the crowd, a chubby boy quickly chimed in, it was Huang Yuan, the same one from before.

Joking aside, regardless of whether it’s a trap or not, let’s play first. Otherwise, we’ll just have to endure more of this hellish military training.

“Come on, everyone split into groups, let’s get this game started!”

Huang Yuan stepped forward, energetically organizing everyone’s activities, discreetly signaling to the others behind Zhang Jiuling.

Hurry up and play, or we’ll have to endure military training again.

“Yeah, let’s split into groups and play the game.”

As the class monitor, Zhang Yue also stepped forward at this moment to help organize.

Everyone caught on and started walking around, finding their partners to form groups. Compared to military training, they felt like this game was simply too good to pass up.

“Come on, everyone, get into position.”

“The people at the back need to catch those who fall.”

Zhang Yue stood at the front, directing everyone.

The entire Class 1, consisting of 40 students, split into several groups, each getting into position. The ones who were going to fall were extremely nervous, while those who were going to catch them couldn’t wait.

“Son, you have to catch Daddy, okay?”

“Get out of here, you won’t die from falling.”

“Lulu, don’t worry, we’ll definitely catch you.”

“Qianqian, I won’t fall, right?”

“…”

Zhang Jiuling stood aside, calmly watching them.

Zhang Yue presided over the game: “Okay, fall!”

“Oh my goodness, am I still alive?”

“Ahhhhh, I’m too scared to fall.”

“Fatty, my goodness, you really need to lose weight, you’re so heavy.”

“Hey, where’s the person?”

“Doggie, hurry up and fall.”

“Lulu, don’t be afraid, fall, we’ll definitely catch you.”

…

Although this was a simple trust game, many people were still hesitant to entrust their backs to others and fall with peace of mind.

Despite going through military training for so long, everyone wasn’t particularly close yet. Playing this game was also a test for them. It was a way to strengthen their bonds.

Now, aside from a few students who fell, some kept their eyes closed for a long time out of fear, while others, either too scared to fall or too nervous, fell in the wrong direction…

For a moment, there was chaos, with laughter echoing continuously.