Liang Zhiyi replied with an “oh” and joined the queue. Shortly after, Pei Chen finished calling the roll and ended up standing right behind her in line.
The girl’s gaze involuntarily fell on him again. She noticed that the boy had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, with a perfectly proportioned physique. The camouflage uniform only made him look even more upright and dignified.
She hadn’t expected him to be so fit despite his seemingly slim frame.
Could he have abs…?
Liang Zhiyi stifled her curiosity and quickly averted her gaze.
After a while, the instructor arrived. He organized the queue, introduced himself, and then laid down the rules for military training, such as no tardiness or early departures. Because the instructor was very strict, everyone listened attentively, not daring to be as carefree as usual.
There was no training scheduled for the morning, and it was nearly noon by then, so the instructor led them to the cafeteria for lunch.
The class changed from a formation to a single file line. Since they were among the last to arrive, they had to queue up behind other groups to enter the cafeteria in order.
Under the shade of the trees, the line moved forward slowly, then came to a halt as if the instructor of the class ahead was giving a speech.
Liang Zhiyi stood at the far right of the second row, and after the formation turned into a single file line, Pei Chen ended up directly behind her.
She pretended to move a few steps backward.
Pei Chen, with his eyes half-lowered, sensed something after a while. When he looked up, he saw that Liang Zhiyi Zhi was standing very close to him, even though there was enough space between her and Ji Fei’er for another person to stand.
A faint floral scent lingered in the air. Pei Chen lowered his gaze slightly and noticed the fair skin on the back of her neck exposed under her ponytail, and below that, her slender waist accentuated by the fabric of her clothes.
He turned his gaze away, and after a few seconds, coldly said, “Move forward a bit and keep your distance.”
Liang Zhiyi hadn’t expected to be caught. She turned her head and replied seriously, “The sun is too strong up ahead. I’m just trying to get some shade under the tree.”
The implication was clear: Don’t misunderstand.
However, the spot in front of them was indeed exposed to the sunlight, and where she was standing now was indeed in the shade, so her reasoning was valid.
“…” Pei Chen didn’t say anything else and didn’t look at her again.
In the ensuing silence, Liang Zhiyi grew bored and eventually glanced back at Pei Chen, unable to resist calling out to him, “Pei Chen, Pei Chen—”
The boy lifted his eyes to look at her.
“Pei Chen, how tall are you?” She scrutinized him and curiously murmured, “I’m already 167 cm, so why do you still seem so much taller than me?”
Under her persistent questioning, Pei Chen finally responded, “188 cm.”
“So tall.”
Great, that means our kids’ genes will definitely be fine.
Wait… What was she thinking?!
This is a children’s channel, no way.
The line moved forward slowly, making the wait exhausting. After a while, even Liang Zhiyi lost the desire to speak.
Pei Chen noticed that it had gotten much quieter around him. He casually glanced ahead and saw Liang Zhiyi with her head drooping, occasionally looking toward the entrance of the cafeteria. Her cheeks puffed up as she mumbled, “I’m so hungry…”
He looked away.
Fortunately, it only took a few more minutes before Class 9 finally entered the cafeteria.
Everyone went off to get their meals. After getting their dishes, Liang Zhiyi and Ji Fei’er headed to the station where the rice was served. Pei Chen happened to be right in front of them. The lunch lady had just scooped out the last two bowls of rice from the pot—one she handed to Pei Chen, and the other to Ji Fei’er.
The lunch lady then said to Liang Zhiyi, “Please wait a moment, a new pot will be out shortly.”
Liang Zhiyi nodded, trying to hold back her hunger as she prepared to wait. But the next second, a bowl of rice was pushed toward her, accompanied by a cool male voice:
“Take it.”
She looked up and saw that it was Pei Chen. She was momentarily stunned, then smiled at him, “Thank you, Class Monitor.”
The two girls walked to their seats, and Liang Zhiyi sighed, “Pei Chen is really good to me…”
“Maybe he just saw you were about to turn into an idiot from hunger.”
“…What happens if you just don’t talk?”
–
After lunch, all the students returned to the dormitory building.
Next was the lunch break. Everyone was dismissed, with instructions to reconvene at 2 PM.
Liang Zhiyi and Ji Fei’er headed back to their six-person dorm. One of their roommates ran next door to hang out with friends, while the other three roommates noticed them holding hands and were surprised. “Fei’er, do you know the new classmate?”
Ji Fei’er smiled and put her arm around Liang Zhiyi, proudly introducing her, “This is my best friend. We’ve known each other since we were little.”
“Wow…”
Ji Fei’er then turned to Liang Zhiyi and said, “Let me officially introduce you. These three are my good friends in our class…”
Among the three, the girl on the left wore glasses, the one in the middle had her hair in braids, and the girl on the far right was the smallest, with skin as fair as snow, delicate enough to break with a touch. Her almond-shaped eyes were bright and watery, making her look like a porcelain doll.
Ji Fei’er introduced the one on the right, “This is my desk mate, Zhi Mian.”
The girl curved her almond eyes into a smile and, in a soft, slightly shy voice, said, “Hi, you can call me ‘Xiao Jiu.'”
“Hi…” Liang Zhiyi looked at her, feeling her heart melt completely.
Oh my gosh! How can there be such a cute girl in the world? I just want to cuddle her!
At first, the three girls thought Liang Zhiyi, being a rich young lady, might be aloof, but after greeting her, they found her to be very cheerful and down-to-earth. They soon started chatting together.
The girl with the braided hair joked that earlier today, she saw some girls from the neighboring class practically jump with excitement when they saw Pei Chen in his military uniform. “Do they really have to get that excited?”
“Isn’t the class monitor naturally attention-grabbing?” someone replied.
Curious, Liang Zhiyi asked, “Is Pei Chen really popular with girls?”
The girl with the braided hair nodded vigorously. “A lot of girls in our year like him.”
“Does he have someone he likes?”
“He probably doesn’t. I’ve been his classmate since the first semester of high school, and all he ever does is study. He never gets close to any girls.”
Liang Zhiyi smiled.
Staying pure and focused—very good.
The girl with glasses quietly added, “But I heard that his family situation isn’t very good. Something happened in the past, and it was pretty rough for him…”
However, no one knew any more details.
Most people knew very little about Pei Chen; he was as mysterious as something hidden deep beneath the ocean.
After hearing this, Liang Zhiyi’s curiosity about him only grew.
A while later, Ji Fei’er needed to go to the restroom, so Liang Zhiyi went with her. Ji Fei’er teased, “Why are you so interested in Pei Chen? Do you actually have feelings for him?”
“Why not?”
Ji Fei’er was shocked. “Are you serious? You’ve only known him for a little while.”
“Maybe it’s love at first sight?”
Liang Zhiyi herself didn’t know why she was so interested in Pei Chen, but every time she saw him, her heart would start racing like a startled deer…
“Ha, who was it at the beginning of the school year that said they wanted to crush him? Doesn’t your face hurt now?”
“Ugh…”
Making him fall for her could also be considered a kind of crushing, right?
Ji Fei’er, surprised that Liang Zhiyi, who had always been pursued by others, was now actively interested in a boy, couldn’t help but warn her, “But let me pour some cold water on you first. Pei Chen might not be so easy to approach. You might just end up getting rejected.”
“And plenty of girls have tried to chase after him before, but he didn’t even spare them a glance. His heart is like a rock.”
Upon hearing this, Liang Zhiyi wasn’t worried at all. “Am I just any ordinary girl?”
Even among a sky full of stars, Liang Zhiyi was undoubtedly the brightest one.
–
After their midday chat, the girls all took a nap. By 2 PM, everyone gathered again and headed to the training field.
The first training session focused on the basics—standing in military posture.
While the posture itself wasn’t complicated, maintaining it for a long time was a real test of endurance and physical strength.
After the first round, everyone was exhausted, groaning in discomfort. Liang Zhiyi wiped the sweat from her forehead and turned to see Pei Chen, who was standing behind her, drinking water. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and sweat rolled down his jawline, giving him a restrained yet intensely masculine aura.
Noticing the sweat continuing to drip down, Liang Zhiyi handed him a packet of tissues with a smile. “Here you go.”
He hesitated for a moment before taking it and quietly said, “Thank you.”
Liang Zhiyi stepped closer to him and grinned, “Pei Chen, you were standing behind me earlier. Did you notice how well I was holding my military posture? Was I standing straight?”
He replied, “I wasn’t paying attention.”
…
So cold, so heartless.
At that moment, the instructor called for everyone to gather, and they resumed standing in military posture.
Under the blazing sun, the students stood tall with their heads held high, gritting their teeth as they endured the heat and sweat.
Pei Chen gazed straight ahead but couldn’t help noticing the girl in front of him. Her ponytail’s loose strands stuck to the back of her neck with sweat, and her back was drenched, yet she remained perfectly still, like a sturdy young tree.
His eyes deepened slightly.
After a few more rounds, the instructor finally called it to an end, giving everyone a twenty-minute break. The group felt as if they’d come back to life.
That afternoon, Liang Zhiyi had already gotten along well with a few of her roommates. After the training, they were all quite thirsty, so they decided to go to the small convenience store together to buy some water.
As they walked, they complained about how tired they were. The girl with glasses, noticing that Liang Zhiyi still seemed full of energy, asked in surprise, “Zhiyi, aren’t you tired?”
Liang Zhiyi smiled, “I’m fine.”
When she was younger, her father had arranged for her to live in the mountains with her grandmother for a while. During that time, she practiced the guzheng calmly and even did some farm work, so she had pretty good stamina.
The group arrived at the small convenience store. Zhi Mian and the girl with glasses went to the nearby restroom, while the other three entered the store first.
Feeling in a good mood, Liang Zhiyi turned to her roommates and said, “I’ll treat you all to drinks. Pick whatever you like.”
“Wow, Zhiyi, you’re so generous…”
“It’s just a few bottles of drinks, no big deal.”
Liang Zhiyi bought two extra bottles because it was scorching hot outside. She and the other three waited inside the store for the other two to return. When Zhi Mian walked in, Liang Zhiyi handed her a bottle of grape soda. “Here, this is for you.”
The girl was a bit taken aback and quickly declined, “Oh, you don’t have to…”
Liang Zhiyi raised an eyebrow playfully, “Everyone else has one. Don’t tell me you don’t want the one I bought?”
“No, no,” the girl quickly waved her hand, then finally accepted the drink. Two small dimples appeared on her cheeks as she smiled sweetly, “Thank you…”
Afterward, Liang Zhiyi went to find Ji Fei’er, who was still picking out snacks. The two of them stood by the dried fruit shelf. Liang Zhiyi looked over at the girl sipping her soda in the distance and couldn’t help but sigh, “She’s just too cute.”
Ji Fei’er grinned playfully at this and joked, “Aw, why are you calling me cute?”
Liang Zhiyi glanced at her, exasperated, “Can you be a little more self-aware?”
“Then who were you talking about?”
“Your desk mate.”
Ji Fei’er looked up at Liang Zhiyi, stunned. “Do you realize you’re looking at a girl with the eyes of a lovestruck fool right now?”
Liang Zhiyi rolled her eyes, “What’s so special about men? Girls are the cutest creatures in the world.”
“Then who was the one swooning over Pei Chen this afternoon?”
Liang Zhiyi paused for a moment before replying, “Pei Chen is different, of course.”
“How so? Isn’t he just a guy?”
“He’s still a pure, under-eighteen boy.”
“?” Ji Fei’er was speechless, “Pure? What makes you think that?”
Liang Zhiyi’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, imagining, “A bookworm like Pei Chen would definitely blush easily. If someone were to rush over and give him a kiss, he’d turn bright red for sure.”
Just as she finished speaking, a boy walked past them and headed to the freezer section.
She turned her head, only to see Pei Chen taking a bottle of mineral water from the freezer. After closing the door, he glanced at her, his expression difficult to describe.
Liang Zhiyi: …?