Night duty was two hours per shift, and it was Mo Xin’s turn at 2:00 a.m.

He went to the water room first, splashed his face with cold water to wake himself up a bit, and then went alone to the outpost where he was supposed to be on duty.

Normally, two people would be assigned to each post, but there was only his name on the list. Mo Xin wasn’t surprised by this situation.

Since basic training began, everyone had kept their distance from him, so being alone for the two-hour night shift wasn’t unexpected.

It didn’t matter; he didn’t come here to make friends anyway.

That’s why, when he saw Liang Qiuchi appear with a gun in front of him, he couldn’t help but be surprised.

At first, he thought Liang Qiuchi was there to inspect as a non-commissioned officer, but he unexpectedly took up the post with a gun.

“Don’t zone out.” Liang Qiuchi glanced at Mo Xin, “stand aside.”

Mo Xin walked to his right side and stood shoulder to shoulder with him. He glanced to the side several times, but ended up getting caught.

Liang Qiuchi chuckled and said to him, “If you have questions, just ask.”

Mo Xin withdrew his gaze, took a moment of silence to digest the embarrassment of being caught peeking, and then said softly, “Do instructors also have to stand guard at night?”

“Normally, no,” Liang Qiuchi pretended to sigh dramatically. “But isn’t it because someone insisted on being stubborn and came on duty despite being unwell? If you collapse, at least someone can discover it in time and send you for first aid.”

Mo Xin’s face turned cold. “I’m fine. I’m not that weak. You can go back.”

“Don’t misunderstand, I’m not looking down on you,” Liang Qiuchi teased him intentionally. “I’m just worried that if you were to collapse, and this side of the outpost is unattended, it could pose a safety risk.”

Mo Xin remained silent.

Liang Qiuchi glanced at him a few times. “Are you angry?”

Mo Xin tightened his jaw even more.

“Alright, alright, it was just a joke, don’t take it seriously,” Liang Qiuchi smiled and then said seriously, “I know you’re not some pampered young master. It’s clear from your performance in these past few days of physical training. You’re quite impressive, a good seedling.”

Mo Xin finally responded to him, “Compared to you?”

“Compared to me?” Liang Qiuchi raised an eyebrow, smiling but not answering.

Mo Xin suddenly turned to him, looking at Liang Qiuchi solemnly. “Let’s have a competition tomorrow.”

Even though he hadn’t interacted much with others these days, he always heard or saw others talking admiringly about Liang Qiuchi’s brilliant achievements as a prominent senior.

This undoubtedly aroused his competitive spirit.

Liang Qiuchi met his clear eyes and, feeling impulsive, said, “Sure, what do you want to compete in?”

Mo Xin said, “There’s a 5-kilometer timed run training tomorrow. Let’s compete in that.”

The 5-kilometer timed run not only had strict pace requirements but also included obstacles like climbing walls and ropes at the end of the course, testing one’s physical endurance.

Liang Qiuchi hesitated and looked at Mo Xin. “Is your leg alright? I don’t want to take advantage of your condition. It wouldn’t be meaningful to win that way.”

“It’s been fine for a while. So, are you going to compete or not?” Mo Xin stared at him intently. “Afraid of losing and embarrassing yourself?”

“Of course, I’ll compete,” Liang Qiuchi laughed. “If I don’t, you might start eating people.”

Mo Xin looked him up and down, then returned to his original position, retorting softly, “Not likely, you don’t look appetizing.”

This time, Liang Qiuchi laughed so hard that he almost couldn’t hold his gun steady.

He even felt that Mo Xin was actually a bit cute.

The night wind swept over a few fallen leaves on the ground, rustling softly. Because the training camp was located in a wilderness with no tall buildings around, the night wind felt a bit chilly when it hit the body.

“Next time, wear an extra layer when standing guard,” Liang Qiuchi, seeing Mo Xin dressed lightly, reminded him. “San Lorenzo isn’t as warm as your Danga side. Winter comes early here, and even though it’s hot during the day, it’s still quite cold at night.”

“Mm,” Mo Xin responded.

“Speaking of which, how did you injure your leg?” Liang Qiuchi asked before Mo Xin could refuse. “As a competitor, I should have the right to know a bit about my opponent’s physical condition, right?”

Mo Xin remained silent for a moment before saying, “I was hit by a stick.”

Liang Qiuchi furrowed his brows, suddenly remembering the gossip Xiang Bei mentioned. “You got into a fight with someone?”

Mo Xin nodded quietly again.

Liang Qiuchi thought of the horrifying bruises on his leg. It seemed like he didn’t win that fight.

Liang Qiuchi planned on changing the subject and move past the topic, but Mo Xin unexpectedly initiated the conversation.

“My older brother and I encountered an attack when we were out. It was two against eight, and we won.”

“But your leg…”

“It’s a minor fracture. I’ve been recovering for over a month before the start of the school year, and I don’t feel anything now.” Mo Xin turned his head, looking seriously at Liang Qiuchi. “So, there’s no need to go easy on me in tomorrow’s competition.”

Liang Qiuchi, rarely hearing him speak so much, sighed, “Your competitiveness is really strong.”

Mo Xin pursed his lips and said, “It’s just that I don’t like to lose.”

“I’m curious though, how do you deal with having your bones broken by someone?” Liang Qiuchi asked.

“There’s no need to deal with it.” That person is already dead,” Mo Xin’s tone was calm, as if someone dying was just a commonplace occurrence for him.

Liang Qiuchi asked, “Do you often encounter such incidents?”

Mo Xin turned the question back on him, “Isn’t your father the Deputy Minister of Defense for the Federation? You should have experienced more of these kinds of things than me.” The federal situation had never been very peaceful; high-ranking officials often got attacked, and their families suffered as well. That’s also why he chose to attend military school.

Liang Qiuchi was momentarily stunned, then smiled, “You seem to know quite a bit.”

Mo Xin sneered, “Even a stray dog in the camp can recite your resume.”

“Didn’t expect you to be so sharp-tongued,” Liang Qiuchi’s smile deepened. “Looks like I have to give it my all in tomorrow’s competition, or else I’ll be teased to death by you if I lose.”

Mo Xin made an indistinct “hmph” sound.

From the profile view, he seemed to be smiling, but it wasn’t as obvious, and it disappeared quickly.

Watching him, Liang Qiuchi’s heart stirred. “Since it’s a competition, there should be some rewards and punishments to make it interesting. If you lose, how about treating the whole team to drinks?”

Mo Xin asked, “And what if you lose?”

Liang Qiuchi laughed and said, “I’ll shine your shoes for a month.”

Mo Xin’s face darkened. “I don’t have OCD. I don’t need my shoes polished every day.”

Liang Qiuchi chuckled and then thought for a moment before saying, “How about this: until we return to campus for classes, I’ll accompany you for every guard duty. How’s that?”

Mo Xin glanced deeply at that handsome smiling face, turned his head away, and nodded slightly. “Okay.”

Liang Qiuchi straightened his back, full of vigor, and stomped his foot, looking confident.

“Then it’s settled!”