"?"
Lu Lin's request for 2000 yuan was clear, but Zhou Yuwen, playing dumb, responded with a question mark, making the situation awkward for Lu Lin, who then sent an ellipsis.
2000 yuan wasn’t a large sum, but for a college student, it wasn't small either. Zhou Yuwen and Lu Lin were practically strangers, making her request unusual.
"Why are you asking
for money?" Zhou Yuwen asked, puzzled. In his ti since being reborn, many girls had tried to get close to him, but none had been so direct.
Lu Lin had moved to the balcony, sitting on a small chair with one leg propped up. The evening breeze tousled her hair, and a faint glow from her cigarette was visible in the darkness.
"You have money," she replied simply.
Zhou Yuwen found her logic baffling. Just because he had money didn’t an he should lend it to her. He didn’t like girls who smoked, and those who borrowed money so bluntly were even less appealing to him. Her ssage left him speechless, so he chose to remain silent.
On the balcony, Lu Lin quietly smoked, waiting for Zhou Yuwen’s reply. The cigarette burned down as ti passed, yet Zhou Yuwen remained silent.
"?" Lu Lin sent another question mark.
By then, Zhou Yuwen had already set his phone aside. Lu Lin had expected this outco but held onto a sliver of hope. She extinguished her cigarette on the cent railing of the balcony, leaning over to look out at the moonlit sky, her hair blowing in the wind. She watched the scenery for a while but received no reply from Zhou Yuwen.
"If you lend
2000 yuan, I can be your girlfriend," was the ssage Zhou Yuwen saw the next morning. Her profile picture, a black-and-white image of a girl in a camisole, looked quite seductive.
"Are you kidding ? We were supposed to have the morning off!" soone yelled.
"Damn it, why are we being called in early in the morning!" Chang Hao and Li Qiang grumbled as they hurriedly put on their training uniforms, cursing the sudden assembly call at 10 AM after being told they’d have the morning off.
Zhou Yuwen ignored Lu Lin's ssage and even deleted the chat. He didn’t lack potential girlfriends and had no interest in soone like Lu Lin. She wanted money and a free ride? Not happening.
The military training continued as scheduled. At 10 AM, the entire batch gathered on the field for a lecture. The head instructor, looking stern and disappointed, scolded them, "I gave you half a day off to buy necessities, and what did you do? Stayed out late!? I checked your dorms at 10 PM—80% of the lights were still on! So girls were even smoking on the balcony!"
The murmurs among the students grew louder.
"Which girl is that bold?"
"Impressive, smoking girls?"
"Quiet!" the instructor snapped. "I am very disappointed in you. Rember what I said on the first day of training? Now, because of this, your free ti on Fridays is revoked. From now on, you need intense training!"
The students, baking under the hot September sun, were mostly indifferent to the instructor’s frustration, thinking him overly zealous.
The stricter training began imdiately, with unannounced dorm inspections and deductions for any infractions like unmade beds. All snacks bought the previous day were confiscated for the duration of training. The students complained bitterly.
"This is tougher than the army!" soone griped.
"Zhou, what’s their problem?" Li Qiang whined.
"You don't even have snacks, why are you complaining?" Chang Hao, now the class representative, took his role seriously, setting an example by adhering to all the rules strictly.
Strangely, Chang Hao, once the biggest rebel, beca the most disciplined after becoming the class representative. He stood tall, leading drills with loud, clear commands.
During training, he often barked orders energetically, impressing everyone with his discipline and leadership.
"Class 2-4, reporting for duty!" he announced sharply, standing at attention.
Early weeks were tough, but as training progressed, it beca easier. The instructors eventually left the drills to the student leaders like Chang Hao, who thrived in this role. Even when passing by Zheng Yanyan’s group, he maintained his focus, much to her annoyance.
"Wow, Chang Hao’s ignoring you now?" Lu Lin teased Zheng Yanyan.
"He’s such a show-off," Zheng Yanyan grumbled.
In the first month of school, Zheng Yanyan and Chang Hao’s relationship had been slightly closer than others, partly due to their shared hotown and months of online chatting. However, his ignoring her in public was humiliating.
Chang Hao later tried to explain, "Yanyan, you know I have to set an example as the class representative. If I don't, how can I lead effectively?"
"Zhou Yuwen is also a class representative, yet he spends most of his ti in the dical office and doesn’t act all superior!" Zheng Yanyan retorted, unimpressed.
"He’s just a temporary class rep. After training, who knows who’ll get the position?" Chang Hao had a sense of personal pride. From being a troublemaker at the beginning to being appointed class representative, it was a journey for him. He enjoyed the authoritative image that ca with being the class rep, and his earlier act of ignoring Zheng Yanyan was indeed a way to show off.
"Hey, look at
now! I'm the class rep, I'm not the sa anymore!"
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