Qiao Xiyan had no idea that, in his cousinâs words, he was already married, doted on his wife, and was the image of a father who loved children.
But Song Fengwanâs words completely dispelled Wu Yuxinâs feelings for Qiao Xiyan.
At eight oâclock the next morning, the students of the art school packed their luggage and left for the base to participate in the military training. For the 15-day military training, they had to wear military uniforms all day, every day, so most of them brought more personal clothes. Snacks, computers, and gaming equipment were not allowed on the buses.
Song Fengwan was woken up by Hu Xinyueâs alarm. She had set the alarm herself, but she didnât wake up, so the entire dorm room was noisy.
She nudged Hu Xinyue. When she got up to get dressed, she saw that Wu Yuxin was already sitting at her desk, doing her makeup and drawing her eyebrows. She grabbed a bottle of sunscreen spray and sprayed it all over her body.
After Wu Yuxin finished getting ready, she turned around and saw Song Fengwan preparing to wash up.
She was wearing slightly oversized camouflage pants with a white short-sleeved shirt tucked into her slender waist. She reached out to pull her hair back, and her little face without any makeup was delicate and charming.
Wu Yuxin grabbed her compact and checked her makeup. Even though she was participating in military training, she still dressed very exquisitely.
She gritted her teeth, took her parasol, grabbed her things, and left.
âWhy is she leaving so early? Yating, arenât the two of you in the same class?â Hu Xinyue seemed not to notice the undercurrents in the dorm room. âArenât we going together?â
âA senior is treating her to breakfast.â Miao Yating lowered her head and tidied her military uniform, her voice muffled.
âSheâs really popular.â Hu Xinyue was speechless.
Song Fengwan brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth. âYating, why donât you eat with us later? After all, the venue of the art school is the same.â
People had just started school and didnât have many good friends in their classes. At this moment, everyone preferred to move together with the people in the same dormitory. If she was alone, she would definitely feel uncomfortable.
Song Fengwan was used to being alone in middle school and high school. Even though she had been alone, she didnât feel lonely. But Miao Yating was different. She had cried on the phone with her parents last night, so she was quite afraid of being alone.
When they arrived at the gathering point, everyone got on the bus. Song Fengwan sent Fu Chen a selfie.
The girl in the photo had her hair tied up in a ponytail and was wearing camouflage clothes, looking delicate, pretty, and capable. One of the buttons on her collar was unbuttoned, revealing her fair and tender neck, and she was smiling exceptionally brightly at the camera.
Fu Chen narrowed his eyes.?Sheâs going to be away for more than half a month, and my longing for her has already turned into a disaster. How can this girl still smile?
Heartless little thing.
***
After arriving at the base, everyone unpacked their things in the morning and carried out the military training in the afternoon. After it was over, the instructors led the various classes to find a place to train.
There were many girls in Song Fengwanâs class, and the instructor was a good person. He chose a shady place for them.
This instructor was only in his early twenties. Perhaps because he didnât know how to face a group of young ladies, his training wasnât usually strict. And in private, he would also blush from the teasing of a few students.
Because there were many girls, his requirements werenât particularly strict. When there was time, he would always let them rest for a bit.
The training content was boring. They had to stand in a military posture, take proper steps, practice military boxing, and learn a military song.
During the military training period, Song Fengwan felt that time passed exceptionally slowly. Everyone had to turn off the lights on time at night. With instructors patrolling and checking rooms, people couldnât even play with their phones.
Every day, she was so tired that she couldnât even lift her arms, and she still had to rush to take a shower. A few days during the training, when she returned to the military training baseâs dormitory, she fell asleep on the cold and hard bed right away. When she picked up her phone, even her arm was trembling, and her thighs were sore. She hung up after calling Fu Chen for two to three minutes.
There was no oil in the cafeteria. There was only vegetable soup with few oil spots in it. Song Fengwan had lost two to three kilograms after half a month of military training.
During the entire military training period, the person everyone discussed the most was Wu Yuxin. Because she was chosen to attend the Welcome Gala, she returned to campus after five days of training, barely participating in it.
This made everyone very envious. No one wanted to stay in this godforsaken place.
When everyone returned to the dormitory of the military training base, they could always see her news on the school forum.
âWanwan, thereâs a photo of you on the school forum!â Hu Xinyue was lying above Song Fengwanâs bunk bed. She leaned against the railing and tilted her head to look at her. âI think it was taken secretly by a boy from the class next door.â
âReally?â Song Fengwan was rubbing her legs. She had been standing in a military posture all afternoon, so her calves were a little swollen.
âA boy took a photo of you and posted it online. Many people are saying that youâre the true goddess. This post pushed down Wu Yuxinâs post.â Hu Xinyue got along with others purely based on her animal instincts.
Although they were in the same dorm room, Wu Yuxinâs relationship with them was average. She usually didnât participate in their conversations and was a loner, but there was never a lack of the opposite sex around her.
âOh,â Song Fengwan replied casually.
âI think you look better than Wu Yuxin. She wears makeup all day. Who knows what she looks like without makeup.â There were a total of eight people staying in this dorm room, all of whom were in the same class.
âThere are always all kinds of boys fawning over her. I really donât know what those boys like about her.â
âMost importantly, she doesnât reject anyone. She gets along well with those seniors, and she has a lot of tricks up her sleeve.â
â¦
When girls were together, gossip was inevitable, and Wu Yuxin had always been a focal topic.
They were all classmates or seniors, so naturally, no one would say anything when male and female students chatted normally. But Wu Yuxin was familiar with everyone, and she didnât reject anyone. She made use of the boysâ good impression of her to get them to help her do things, and there had long been criticism about her among the girls.
Song Fengwan lowered her head and looked at her phone. Fu Chen had sent her a tutorial for massaging calves. She didnât participate in their conversation.
***
The military training would last for half a month. Fu Chen couldnât see her and could only look at Song Fengwanâs selfies all day.
Duan Linbai had been discussing a business deal with him recently and had a lot of dealings with him lately.
One time, he actually saw Fu Chen drinking during the day.
âOh, Third Fu, when Little Sister-in-Law isnât around, you drink to drown your sorrows. Do you want a cigarette?â
Fu Chen glanced at him.?Heâs asking for a beating.
âIâm going to visit the site later. Are you coming with me?â The government wanted to plan a new district at the edge of the capital. The land prices in the new district were soaring, and the Duan family wanted to build a new Thousand Treasures Mall there. Their family really couldnât take this business alone, so he went to Fu Chen.
âWhen?â
âOn the 6th day of National Day[1].â The capital had been mostly developed in recent years. The government had just started planning, and everyone was aiming for the new district.
The Duan family had acted quickly and bought a large piece of land. The land price had already increased by more than twenty times.
âIâll consider it.â
âItâs just one day. The new district is close, so itâll only take three hours to go back and forth.â Duan Linbai smiled. âYouâre not alone now. You need to earn money to support your wife.â
Fu Chen sneered. âYouâre a single dog, yet youâre talking about supporting a wife with me?â
âWhatâs wrong with being single? Iâm eating your dog food!â Duan Linbai was furious.
So what if youâre in a relationship? If you have the ability, tell the world. Do you dare to bring her home now?
Youâre working underground, yet you still donât know how to keep a low profile.
***
The half-month-long military training ended with a drag exercise. Everyone had to walk back to Beijing University from the military base. They gathered at eight in the morning, and when they reached Beijing University, it was already past three in the afternoon.
Song Fengwan received a call from Fu Chen the moment she arrived at the school.
âWanwan.â Fu Chenâs voice sounded. Song Fengwanâs eyes reddened, and she almost cried.
âDonât go in. Iâm at the bamboo forest behind your dormitory.â Their relationship hadnât been exposed after all, so it wasnât convenient for Fu Chen to appear at this time.
Song Fengwan handed her luggage to Hu Xinyue to bring upstairs and limped to the spot.
Behind the dormitory, there would be couples cuddling at night, but there would be few people during the day.
As soon as Song Fengwan arrived at the back, she saw Fu Chen standing deep in the bamboo forest.
He was wearing a moon-white shirt and light gray pants. The summer wind blew, and the bamboo forest rustled. The dancing lights cast mottled shadows on his body, complementing him to look even more handsome and elegant.
Song Fengwan felt a lump in her throat. She didnât know how she had survived the military training these days.
She looked at him with red eyes.
Fu Chen narrowed his eyes at her.?I havenât seen her in half a month. Sheâs lost weight.
She was still wearing her camouflage uniform, and her black belt accentuated her slender waist. Her face was flushed red from the sun, and her forehead was covered in sweat. She was holding a half-finished bottle of mineral water. When she looked at him, her eyes were red, and she looked pitiful.
He strode forward and reached out to hug her tightly.
âYouâve worked hard.â His voice was low and exceptionally pleasant to the ear.
âIâm covered in sweat.â Song Fengwan twisted her body. âIt smells.â
âDid you miss me?â Fu Chen tightened his arms around her, wishing he could bury her in his embrace.
âYeah.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âVery good. Me tooâ¦â
[1] Although it is observed on October 1st, another six days are added to the official holiday.