Chapter 1: The Day of Military Training

September 1st, Jiang City.

It was the first day of the new term at the Affiliated High School of Jiang University, which also marked the start of military training for the eleventh grade.

Lu Qingyue had overslept that morning. As she hurried downstairs for breakfast, she happened to see her older brother, Lu Yi, standing by the door, changing his shoes and about to head out. She called out to him at once, “Brother! Wait for me!”

Lu Yi was a senior at Jiang University this year. Most of the time, he lived on campus, but occasionally he would drive home. Conveniently, the university and the high school were right next to each other, so catching a ride with him meant she’d never be late.

But Lu Yi leaned carelessly against the shoe cabinet, twirling his car keys in his hand, and glanced at her lazily, “You’ve got ten seconds.”

Lu Qingyue: “???” Are you kidding me?

Ten seconds was definitely not enough. Stuffing a fried dough stick into her mouth, she put on her most pitiful expression, hoping that for the sake of sibling affection, he’d grant her a few more seconds.

Lu Yi was unmoved. “Ten, nine…”

Lu Qingyue swallowed her breakfast in a gulp, almost choking, her vision swimming with stars. “Wow! Really only ten seconds? Men are truly heartless and fast…”

Lu Yi paused, ignoring her complaints and continued counting, face cold, “Eight, seven, three, two, one.”

Lu Qingyue: “???” Did you just skip a few numbers?

She looked up to protest, but with a bang, the door swung shut, and her merciless brother was already gone.

Lu Qingyue: …And you deny being quick?

…

The consequence of trading barbs with her brother was being late on the very first day of school.

This year, the high school’s football field was under renovation, so the eleventh graders were borrowing the university’s stadium for military training.

It was still the height of summer, with sycamore branches thick with leaves and cicadas singing endlessly above. Shafts of sunlight filtered through the canopy, illuminating neat squares of students in military green that caught the eye.

Clutching her oversized camouflage trousers, Lu Qingyue peeked around the tree trunks, searching left and right, and finally found her class near the basketball court.

The instructor hadn’t arrived yet, but the formation was already in place. Sixteen- and seventeen-year-old boys and girls, all restless with youthful energy, clustered together in small groups, chatting and gossiping.

Lu Qingyue counted herself lucky. With no instructor present, no one would notice her tardiness. She quickly pulled down the brim of her hat and slipped into the last row, standing firmly beside her good friend, Zhou Tingting.

As soon as Zhou Tingting turned her head, she saw a properly standing little “mushroom” next to her—a nickname for Lu Qingyue’s petite stature.

Class 1 of Grade 11 had forty-one students. With four columns in the formation, Lu Qingyue’s spot jutted out at the end of the last row, making her quite conspicuous.

But since the instructor wasn’t there, everyone had chosen their own spots, the lines were uneven, and order was a mess. Lu Qingyue didn’t care about standing out; after all, being late meant she was bound to be the extra one.

Zhou Tingting, seeing her arrive, nudged her elbow and lowered her voice excitedly, “Hey, did you know? This year, our instructor is a senior from Jiang University, not a soldier from the military like before…”

Lu Qingyue took off her hat, smoothing her sweat-dampened hair, and responded absentmindedly. She didn’t care who the instructor was. Military training only lasted a week, and she’d never see that person again after a few days—what was there to fuss over?

Noticing how obvious her position was, she edged closer to Zhou Tingting, trying to blend her body into the square formation.

Hearing their conversation, Hu Qiuyue in the front row turned around, enthusiastically joining in, “I heard there are some really handsome guys among the senior instructors this year! Apparently, two super good-looking ones from the medical school are here…”

Medical school?

Lu Qingyue paused, surprised, a faint sense of dread rising within her. If she remembered correctly, her brother Lu Yi was in the medical school.

But there were so many students in the medical school—over two hundred admitted just this year, and at least half were upperclassmen. It couldn’t possibly be such a coincidence… right?

The very thought made her shiver.

Before she could dwell on it, a shadow suddenly loomed over her.

With a slap, a thick folder landed squarely on her face, making her yelp in pain.

Clutching her nose, she looked up, dumbstruck, “Wha—”

A curse nearly slipped out, but when she met the half-smiling, teasing eyes of Lu Yi, she swallowed it down and obediently changed her tone, “A gathering of hidden talents! Good morning, brother.”

Lu Yi was dressed in the short-sleeved camouflage uniform of an instructor. The simple fabric fit him perfectly, accentuating his tall, imposing figure.

He tapped the stunned girl’s head with the folder, his tone relaxed, “Good morning, students. I’m Instructor Lu, and I’ll be in charge of your military training this week.”

With that, he strolled to the front of the formation, leaving Lu Qingyue behind, feeling as if she’d been struck by lightning.

To hell with Instructor Lu…

Lu Qingyue nearly coughed up blood. Who would’ve guessed that her own brother, who had just counted down ten seconds at home, would show up at school dressed in camouflage as her military instructor?

Her mind was still a whirlwind when Instructor Lu spoke again. “Anyone who was late, step out and do twenty push-ups.”

Lu Qingyue: …This is targeted! It has to be!

He’d known she was going to be late when they left home and still refused to give her a ride—he’d been lying in wait for her here!

She fumed inwardly but kept her head down, hoping that since Lu Yi had arrived late himself, maybe he hadn’t seen her sneaking in and was just bluffing.

But after a few seconds of silence, his voice came again, unmistakably directed at her, “Last girl on the left in the fourth row—aren’t you coming out?”

Lu Qingyue: …You’re doing this on purpose!

Her hope of going unnoticed was doused like a bucket of cold water. She shrank back, but her best friend Zhou Tingting pressed down on her shoulder and shoved her out of the formation, forcing her to face Lu Yi head-on.

Lu Qingyue let out another wail.

Lu Yi looked at her, his lazy gaze full of amusement. “What’s your name?”

Lu Qingyue: …Have you lost your memory? If you have the nerve, go ask Mom.

But now, she was the fish on the chopping block, and arguing would do her no good. Hesitating for a few seconds, she finally stammered, “Lu… Lu Qingyue. Need me to spell it out for you?”

Lu Yi snorted, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips. He ignored her, turning to the formation behind her and barking, “The rest of you, right face—run two laps.”

Once the forty heads watching the show were cleared out, he turned back to his little sister, drawling, “Lu, twenty push-ups. No problem, right?”

Lu Qingyue: ??? Are you trying to kill me?

If she could take him on, she would have started a fight right there. But meeting his threatening gaze, she could only grumble and crouch down, placing her delicate hands on the grass in textbook push-up form.

“Go ahead,” Lu Yi glanced at her, expressionless.

Knowing there was no escape, Lu Qingyue sighed and bent her arms down.

And then… nothing.

She couldn’t even push herself up, ending up lying flat on the ground, perfectly still.

Soon, heavy boots approached, casting another shadow over her.

Lu Yi squatted beside her, his dark eyes full of interest as he looked at his sister, now practically merged with the ground. His tone was mocking, “What’s this? Should I fetch you a blanket so you can nap here?”

Lu Qingyue’s face was buried in the grass, her voice muffled, “Reporting, Instructor. I managed to lie down, but not push up.”

Lu Yi: …

He squinted in exasperation, about to say something, when a lazy, mocking laugh sounded nearby.

Still prone, Lu Qingyue raised her head in confusion at the unfamiliar voice.

She was met with the sight of a pair of long legs wrapped in dark green camouflage pants. Even the loose cut of the trousers couldn’t hide the strength and shape of the muscles beneath.