“Ruiyang! Ruiyang?”

Zhang Hengye fell into the muddy water, but without caring about his own condition, he scrambled up and ran back. Just now, when the tree was about to fall, if Ruiyang hadn’t pushed him away, he would have been crushed to death.

But because Ruiyang pushed him aside, he had no time to dodge. With such a massive tree falling, could a person even survive?

“Commander!”

The soldiers rushed forward together, working to move the fallen trunk and rescue him.

“I’m fine.”

Huo Ruiyang pressed a hand against his injured shoulder as he stood up. His face was covered in scratches from the tree branches.

When the tree fell, he had rolled instinctively after pushing Zhang Hengye away, narrowly avoiding the main trunk. Only a branch had struck his shoulder.

He tested his movement—still functional. No bones were broken. The injury wasn’t too severe.

Zhang Hengye, seeing that Huo Ruiyang was still alive, couldn’t contain his emotions. His face—whether streaked with rain or tears—was indistinguishable as he rushed forward and hugged him tightly.

“Ruiyang! I knew you wouldn’t die. You’re fiercer than the King of Hell—he wouldn’t dare take you!”

Huo Ruiyang winced as his injured shoulder was jostled. He frowned, pushed Zhang Hengye away, and sternly ordered:

“Maintain your composure!”

A political commissar crying in front of his soldiers—where was his dignity?

“Yes, sir!”

Zhang Hengye also realized he had lost his composure. And what nonsense had he just blurted out in front of the soldiers? Talking about superstition?

Huo Ruiyang wiped the rain off his face and gave his commands in a loud, unwavering voice:

“Engineers, clear the obstruction. All battalions, check your headcount. Medics, tend to the wounded. Regroup and keep moving forward!”

Zhang Hengye saw that Huo Ruiyang still intended to lead the troops in training and hurriedly tried to persuade him.

“Ruiyang, go back and get your wound treated. The training can be handled by me, Old Lu, and Lao Xing. You don’t have to worry about it.”

Huo Ruiyang cut him off.

“The purpose of field training is to test the troops’ ability to respond to unexpected situations and to improve their coordination in emergencies. If this were a battlefield, would a commander flee over a minor injury?”

Zhang Hengye looked into Huo Ruiyang’s resolute eyes, knowing he wasn’t wrong.

Extreme weather, sudden incidents, injuries—this was precisely the kind of scenario that tested a unit’s ability to cooperate and respond under pressure.

Since he couldn’t change Huo Ruiyang’s mind, Zhang Hengye simply shouted, “Medic! Over here!”

…

It rained the entire night.

Xia Anran kept thinking about that dream and didn’t fall asleep until just before dawn. But it felt like the moment she drifted off, the morning wake-up call blared.

She sat up in bed with a jolt, momentarily forgetting she was sleeping on the top bunk. The abrupt movement nearly sent her tumbling to the ground.

Liu Mei was already up and putting on her uniform. She moved quickly, speaking as she dressed:

“Anran, you have to hurry. The director will be here soon for a room check. If our room isn’t up to standard, we’ll lose points.”

Xia Anran scrambled to put on her uniform in a flurry of panic, then fumbled to fold her blanket.

She had learned how to fold a blanket during high school military training, but nerves were slowing her down, and her folds weren’t neat.

Liu Mei, having already tidied her own area, turned to help when she saw Anran struggling.

But before she could assist, the door swung open.

Director Yan, who oversaw dormitory standards, entered with a female soldier.

Seeing that Xia Anran’s blanket was still not folded, Yan immediately pulled out a notebook, her expression strict as she asked:

“What’s your name?”

“Blanket not properly folded. Collar button undone. Deducting two points.”

Getting points deducted on the first day—not a great start. But there was nothing she could do. Her dormitory standards simply weren’t up to par.

Xia Anran answered honestly, “Xia Anran.”

Chen Yu walked into the room and said to Director Yan, who was in charge of housekeeping, “Director Yan, Xia Anran just arrived yesterday and hasn’t learned the rules yet. Let’s not deduct points this time.”

“Fine, but this is an exception,” Director Yan said reluctantly. However, out of respect for Chen Yu, she ultimately chose not to deduct points and nodded.

Chen Yu smiled and nodded. “Alright, I’ll find someone to teach her later.”

Xia Anran gratefully nodded at Chen Yu. He smiled, waved at her, and left with Director Yan.

Normally, Chen Yu didn’t need to accompany the housekeeping inspections unless there was a special case. But since Xia Anran had just arrived and was unfamiliar with the dormitory standards, he had made a special trip.

Once everyone had left, Liu Mei patted her chest in relief. “That scared me! Luckily, Instructor Chen stepped in. Otherwise, you would’ve lost points for sure. If you lose more than three points, you’ll face disciplinary action.”

Xia Anran watched Chen Yu’s departing figure and made a mental note. From yesterday to today, he had helped her three times.

Even though Aunt Liang had asked him to take care of her, he wasn’t obligated to go to such great lengths.

The assembly call sounded outside. Liu Mei grabbed Xia Anran’s arm and pulled her along. “Hurry up! If we’re late, we’ll lose points.”

Xia Anran had been through military training before, but school training was nothing like this. The atmosphere here felt like a taut bowstring—intense and nerve-wracking.

By the time they ran outside, the troops were already lined up on the field. Everyone had a designated spot, but since Xia Anran was new, she had no idea where she should stand. Left with no other choice, she stood at the back of the formation.

Chen Yu stood in front of the group, holding the attendance register. When he saw Xia Anran standing alone at the very back, his eyes flickered slightly. He pointed to an empty spot in the front row.

“Xia Anran, stand here!”

Xia Anran jogged over to the spot Chen Yu had indicated and stood at attention. Her posture was quite standard—thanks to her school military training, standing in formation was no challenge for her.

Seeing her maintain such a precise stance, a hint of amusement flashed in Chen Yu’s eyes. He opened the register and began roll call.

Once roll call was over, the morning training began—running drills.

Unlike the strict training of regular troops, cultural soldiers weren’t required to run several kilometers. A simple 1,000-meter lap around the field was enough.

In her previous life, Xia Anran had maintained a strict running routine every morning to stay in shape. Running 1,000 meters was a breeze for her. By the time she finished, she felt refreshed and energized.

After the run, they were dismissed to the cafeteria for breakfast. Xia Anran and Liu Mei grabbed their meal trays and queued up for food.

Breakfast consisted of steamed buns, porridge, and a small serving of pickled vegetables. Each person also received a boiled egg. Though simple, the meal was nutritionally balanced.

The officers sat separately at a large round table, while the female soldiers sat in rows at long benches. After getting their food, Xia Anran and Liu Mei found an empty spot and sat down.

Chen Yu glanced in Xia Anran’s direction. Seeing that she had already gotten her meal, he finally started eating his own.

Just then, Zhou Yuxin carried her bowl of porridge over and forced the female soldier sitting across from Xia Anran to move.

Xia Anran glanced up at her before lowering her head and continuing to eat.

Seeing that Xia Anran ignored her, Zhou Yuxin frowned, feeling displeased.

If she didn’t want to figure out Xia Anran’s connection to the Huo family, she wouldn’t have bothered acknowledging her at all!

“Xiao Xia, how are you adjusting? Are you getting used to everything?”

After finishing his meal, Regiment Commander Zhou walked over to Xia Anran, his face warm and kind. The female soldiers in the cafeteria immediately grew curious about her identity.

After all, Regiment Commander Zhou was usually stern and serious, rarely smiling. Only a select few people ever saw his softer side.

Besides his own niece, the only others who received such treatment were daughters or relatives of high-ranking officers.

Could this new recruit have an influential background?

Since the regiment commander was speaking to her, Xia Anran quickly stood up and smiled. “Thank you for your concern, Regiment Commander Zhou. I’m adjusting well.”

Regiment Commander Zhou looked at Xia Anran’s beautiful face, his smile growing even warmer.

“Xiao Xia, come to my office later.”