Pursuing Her Best Friend after Confession Failed-Chapter 80 - 77: The Ruined First Love, Military Training Begins_2
The military training in this life was no different from the last—just as tough and dull. It began with a large assembly where leaders gave their formulaic speeches before everyone dispersed to their respective squads to start the actual training.
As usual, they practiced standing at attention, marching, and cross-country running, all under the guise of strengthening the students’ willpower and bodies.
Li Yuan practiced listlessly. The scorching weather and the monotonous task of standing at attention aggravated his already foul mood to an extreme, causing him to make frequent mistakes during the drills.
In the blink of an eye, half a day of tense and busy military training had passed.
During a break, Zhou Tianyu approached Li Yuan, tapped his arm, and handed him a bottle of mineral water. "Li Yuan, can I ask you something?"
Li Yuan took a sip of water and glanced at him. "If you have something to say, just say it."
"Li Yuan, are you really planning to pursue Xia Zhijin?"
"What if I am? What if I’m not?" Li Yuan replied indifferently, having no desire to answer such a foolish question.
Unbothered by Li Yuan’s dismissive attitude, Zhou Tianyu grinned. "Li Yuan, no, Yuan, since you’re already going for Xia Zhijin, I guess I’ll pursue Zhong Tingyue, haha."
Li Yuan gave Zhou Tianyu a serious look before bursting into laughter, feeling utterly speechless. "Pursue her if you want. What does that have to do with me? That’s ridiculous."
Zhou Tianyu rubbed his nose and offered an awkward explanation. "Weren’t you and Zhong Tingyue old classmates? Things seemed a bit ambiguous between you two... If my getting involved ruins what you have, that would be a huge misstep and would affect our brotherhood... Since you’re chasing Xia Zhijin, I’m definitely going to chase Zhong Tingyue. Yuan, don’t get jealous, haha."
This guy really overestimates himself. Even if I weren’t in the picture, his chances of winning over Zhong Tingyue are basically zero. Besides, there’s nothing going on between me and her anyway.
Li Yuan didn’t know much about Zhong Tingyue, but he once overheard Bai Weixi mention that her family situation was incredibly complicated...
"If you want to pursue her, then go for it," Li Yuan said. "Love doesn’t operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Even if she and I were childhood sweethearts or a couple, if you can manage to poach her, then I’ll have to admit you’re something special."
Zhou Tianyu looked at Li Yuan earnestly. "Yuan, I’m really going for it then. If I succeed, you better not get angry with me later."
Seeing Zhou Tianyu’s serious expression, Li Yuan felt a pang in his heart, a slightly sour feeling. But he had absolutely no reason to refuse Zhou Tianyu.
It’s not like I can just say, "Zhong Tingyue is also a woman I’m interested in, so stay away from her."
Li Yuan replied noncommittally, "Then it all depends on your skill."
"Hehe," Zhou Tianyu declared confidently. "No matter what, I was the king of romance back in high school. There isn’t a type of girl I haven’t seen. I guarantee I’ll win her over and make you all green with envy."
Li Yuan gave a dry laugh and couldn’t be bothered to say more. His already bad mood had just gotten worse.
After returning from the restroom, Liu Jia walked over to the group and announced excitedly, "Guys, I just passed the Finance Academy’s squad and saw another goddess-level beauty! Her looks are on par with the two that Yuan knows, each with her own unique charm."
Zhou Tianyu scoffed, "In your dreams. How could our university have so many beautiful women?"
Liu Jia retorted with a sneer, "What do you know? Our Daxia University is known as the university with the most and highest-quality beauties in all of Modu."
Zhou Tianyu was skeptical. "How could Xia University be at the top? Are you saying we have more beautiful women than Modu Finance University, Modu Opera Academy, or the Art Academy? I heard those places are teeming with high-quality beauties."
Liu Jia gave a strange, slightly shy smile. "I saw it in a post on Tieba. An account called ’Wuyou Media’ did an analysis and statistical breakdown. Among all the universities in Modu, our Daxia University really does rank first, albeit by a narrow margin."
"The Finance Academy’s girls’ squad isn’t far, only about two hundred meters away," Zhou Tianyu said, half-doubting. "During the next break, I’m going to see for myself just how beautiful this person you’re talking about is, to be compared to Campus Belle Zhong."
The mention of a "girl from the Finance Academy" made Li Yuan’s heart stir, and he subconsciously thought of the person whose contact he had deleted last night.
A short while later, the instructor’s whistle blew, signaling them to assemble, and the tedious formation training resumed.
The instructor for Li Yuan’s squad was a twenty-five or twenty-six-year-old soldier named Jiang Zheng. He had bronzed skin and sharp, well-defined features that gave him a powerful presence.
At 185 cm tall in his shoes, Li Yuan stood at the head of the file, serving as the benchmark. But because of his foul mood, he was distracted and kept making missteps during the drills.
Jiang Zheng pointed at Li Yuan and roared, "What’s your name? What is wrong with you? Don’t you know your front, back, left, and right?"
"You’ve already messed up six times this morning! Step out of the formation!"
Li Yuan frowned slightly but said nothing, obediently stepping out.
It was the first day of military training for the freshmen. As a veteran instructor who had run this program three times before, Jiang Zheng was looking to make an example of someone to establish his authority. Li Yuan, this "oafish tall guy," had walked right into his trap.
Instructor Jiang looked up at Li Yuan, who was half a head taller than him, and issued an iron-fisted command, "Li Yuan! Six mistakes in a row, and you can’t even tell front from back. What an idiot. As punishment, you will stand at attention for thirty minutes!"
Li Yuan’s brow tightened. I can see it now. This instructor is deliberately targeting me, or at least using me to establish his authority.
After all, out of the hundred or so men in the squad, he certainly wasn’t the only one making mistakes, though he had admittedly made the most.
Standing at attention for thirty minutes under Modu’s scorching sun was no small punishment.
He hadn’t wanted to participate in this military training in the first place. Having been reborn, I should be enjoying campus life—maybe having a heart-to-heart with the campus belle about human anatomy, or gazing at the moon with a pretty upperclassman while exploring the woods... As for military training, to hell with it.
Now, being singled out like this, his irritation peaked. A sudden idea struck him—a possible way to escape military training. It’s worth a try. He retorted loudly, "Instructor, why am I the only one being punished? This isn’t fair!"
Instructor Jiang hadn’t expected this "soft target" to dare talk back and challenge his authority. He immediately put on a show of military might. "Because I’m the instructor. If you don’t accept it, we can settle it with a match."
I can already guess what’s coming, Instructor Jiang thought. Will it be impotent rage? Or will he meekly submit and go stand at attention under the hot sun for thirty minutes? Or maybe he’ll have a fit of reckless bravery, accept my challenge, and then I’ll crush him and humiliate him in front of everyone. Every year, there are always a few arrogant hotheads. As an instructor, how could I lead the troops if I didn’t have a few tricks up my sleeve?
Li Yuan was bursting with anger and had nowhere to vent it. When the instructor challenged him, he remembered how much his physical fitness had improved since his rebirth. His blood rushed to his head, and he immediately agreed.
With my current physique, if I actually win, I’ll have a legitimate reason to skip the rest of this training.
Li Yuan took a step forward, leaving the formation completely. Under the shocked stares of his classmates, he looked Instructor Jiang straight in the eye. "I accept, Instructor Jiang. How do we compete, and what are the stakes?"
The moment Li Yuan spoke, not only was Instructor Jiang stunned, but the other students in the squad also erupted into whispers.
Liu Jia, who was also a file leader standing right behind Li Yuan, was so dumbfounded he cursed aloud, "HOLY SHIT! Li Yuan is way too damn brave! He’s actually challenging the military instructor to a match?"
Wu Hao’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Instructor Jiang looks tough. Look at those muscles; his fitness is top-notch. Li Yuan’s probably going to lose badly and be made an example of."
Yi Jing murmured with concern, "Li Yuan has seemed to be in a bad mood since last night. He was cold and silent all morning. How did he end up in a conflict with the instructor?"
Liu Jia, who had made two mistakes himself, felt a secret sense of relief. "You can’t blame Yuan entirely," he said. "Instructor Jiang has been kind of targeting him today."
Instructor Jiang looked at Li Yuan with a cold sneer. "Li Yuan, is it? You’ve got guts. What stakes do you want?"
Li Yuan replied, "Instructor Jiang, if I win, you don’t get to command me for the rest of the training. I’ll have the freedom to participate or not as I please. Deal?"
Instructor Jiang’s sneer remained. "And if you lose?"
