Chapter 11

As if you know.

Youyi silently thought to herself.

The afternoon sunlight had weakened significantly, taking on the hues of dusk. Youyi was left alone at the shooting range for extra practice and gradually grasped some of the techniques, learning to use her body to stabilize the recoil when pulling the trigger.

Dinner was at six, and they had to assemble for training again at seven. The dorm group chat tagged her, asking why she hadn’t returned yet.

Leaving Youyi alone there, Huang Youyi was extremely worried. They had left the shooting range and couldn’t find out what was happening inside, so they could only fret.

The dorms had bunk beds, with ten people per room. There were ten rooms lined up together, and the shared bathrooms required waiting in line for showers.

Compared to the school dorms, the conditions here were much harsher.

When everyone returned from the shooting range and took a break, they discussed how Ding Youyi had it tough.

It wasn’t just that she kept missing the target. She had been kept behind for extra practice by the chief instructor. Although the chief instructor was good-looking, he was really strict and serious. They didn’t dare to joke around in front of him.

Ding Youyi seemed to have caught his attention, and the coming week would likely be difficult for her.

But she was, after all, very pretty, and such beautiful girls often seemed delicate and lacking in strength.

Shooting wasn’t an activity suited for her.

Extra practice likely meant more scolding.

The next morning, there was a group competition with ten people per group and scoring based on shooting accuracy.

Youyi took three shots in total, scoring twenty-one rings. Although this score was average, it was the highest in her group.

Despite her struggles with hitting the target yesterday, she made such rapid progress today.

“Wow, Youyi, you’re amazing,” Huang Youyi exclaimed in surprise.

“Look at my hands, the skin is all broken.” Youyi showed her hands, frowning as she gently blew on the wounds.

She had practiced all afternoon yesterday, and only when she returned to the dorm that night did she realize the recoil had caused blisters on her palms.

“But you are the first.” Huang Youyi gave her a thumbs-up.

Seeing the results, Youyi was very pleased.

Yesterday afternoon, she had thought that learning to shoot was useless. After practicing all afternoon and getting first place today, she felt a sense of accomplishment and thought… it wasn’t so bad.

If she had the chance to continue practicing in the future, that would be great.

Huang Youyi also blew on her wounds and said, “I’ll get some medicine for you from the infirmary at lunchtime.”

But she only needed iodine to disinfect the wounds. If she avoided further irritation, they would heal in two to three days.

In the afternoon, there was still standing practice.

Wei Jing knew Youyi had injured her hands and stood behind her, gently patting her and offering her some medicine.

“Youyi, use this. It’s very soothing and won’t hurt,” Wei Jing said softly.

Their instructor had been called away for a moment, and everyone took the opportunity to relax slightly. You Yi shook her head, “It’s fine. My hands are okay.”

“Take it. Aren’t you afraid of pain?” Wei Jing urged softly, “I specifically brought this. It’s really effective.”

Youyi kept her hands at her sides, standing very obediently, but since Wei Jing continued talking to her, she could only slightly turn her head.

“Let’s talk about it later…” she started to say, but before she could finish, Fu Cheng’s stern voice rang out:

“Third row, second from the right, fourth row, second from the right, stand up!” Youyi’s body suddenly stiffened.

Her gaze paused, and she counted backward, realizing he was indeed referring to her and Wei Jing.

Youyi’s face turned red with embarrassment.

Oh no.

During the morning’s military stance practice, someone had been punished with thirty frog jumps, and their legs had trembled when they got up. Youyi absolutely did not want to be caught.

It was all Wei Jing’s fault for insisting on giving her the medicine.

“Report, instructor, it’s my fault for talking to her. It’s not her problem!” Wei Jing spoke firmly.

Fu Cheng’s gaze was icy as he stared at Wei Jing.

He looked at Wei Jing with a terrifyingly cold expression and repeated, “Step forward!”

He had said yesterday that in their base, everything was managed militarily. Thus, they were expected to fully comply with military discipline.

Regardless of who was talking to whom, if he saw two people not standing properly, both would be disciplined.

“Each of you run two laps around the field,” Fu Cheng ordered. “Start now.”

Running two laps around the training ground here was actually about the same as running 800 meters, so Youyi let out a sigh of relief.

At least it was better than frog jumps, and she could manage two laps.

However, these two laps were much easier for Wei Jing.

He didn’t run too fast and instead stayed by Youyi’s side.

Wei Jing was worried about her injury and had planned to give her some medicine. Little did he know that this would backfire, causing both of them to get punished together. He felt extremely guilty.

After finishing the two laps, Youyi was panting heavily.

She stood up straight, trying to regulate her breathing. Her cheeks were flushed from the exercise, and strands of her hair had fallen loose across her forehead. Her hat had been blown off by the wind, and when she put it back on, it only made her hair more disheveled.

“Ding Youyi, tie up your hair properly!” Fu Cheng reprimanded her in a cold voice.

Youyi took off her hat and felt the back of her head. The hair she had tied up earlier was already a mess. She had no choice but to take out her hair tie and haphazardly redo a low bun before putting the hat back on.

With her head down, she didn’t look at him. “Report, I’ve fixed it.”

Fu Cheng: “Join the team!”

After the formation exercise ended, Wei Jing followed behind Youyi, apologizing guiltily.

“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”

As they walked, Wei Jing added, “When we get back to school, let me treat you to a meal. You can choose whatever you want.”

Youyi didn’t even turn her head. “No need.”

Although Wei Jing was the one who insisted on talking to her, her mistake was engaging in conversation with him.

Wei Jing persisted, “I won’t feel right if you don’t let me make it up to you. I was just trying to help, but somehow I made things worse.”

At least he was aware of his own shortcomings.

“Really, it’s not necessary,” Youyi’s friend, Huang Youyi, grabbed her hand and turned down the offer on her behalf. “It’s clear that ever since yesterday, the chief instructor has been keeping a close eye on Youyi. Even the slightest misstep gets her into trouble.”

So Wei Jing was at most just a small trigger.

“Exactly. Things were fine before, but when Wei Jing started talking to Youyi, I saw the way the chief instructor looked over. His gaze was so intense,” Sheng Sheng chimed in.

Sheng Sheng turned around and blocked Wei Jing from following them, saying in a righteous tone, “So it’s best if you stay away from our Youyi.”

Maybe he was just destined to cause trouble for her.

*

That evening, Youyi lined up with everyone else to take a shower.

It was a public bathroom with only four stalls for a hundred people. The weather was hot, and everyone was sweating, so all the girls wanted to shower. They were also slower, especially when washing their hair, which made the line outside grow even longer.

Youyi counted the people in front of her—there were more than twenty. Judging by the time, if she waited for her turn, she wouldn’t finish showering until close to midnight.

By then, she’d go straight to bed, only to wake up early for the training again.

There was also the possibility of more drills ahead—jungle orienteering and other activities for the week.

Just then, she received a message from Fu Cheng on WeChat: [Come out now.]

Youyi looked at the long line ahead, then at the five people behind her, and decisively replied: [No.]

If she left and had to get back in line, she’d definitely end up being the last one.

By then, there might not even be any hot water left before midnight.

Fu Cheng: [Come shower at my place.]

Youyi hesitated and glanced back.

Two minutes later, she quietly left the line with her things.

As soon as she stepped out of the dormitory door and was about to ask where to go, a pair of hands suddenly wrapped around her waist, lifting her off the ground.

The items in her hands were taken away, and for a moment, Youyi’s feet were suspended in the air. Then, she fell into a familiar embrace, her forehead bumping into his chest, causing her head to buzz with pain.

“You didn’t reply to my messages, did you?” His deep voice sounded above her.

It was as if he was questioning her.

After the afternoon session, Fu Cheng had sent her several messages, but she didn’t reply until just now.

“What did you promise me, huh?” He looked down at her, his arm holding her tightly.

“You’re being unreasonable…” Youyi protested, not daring to speak loudly in case someone overheard. “You did it on purpose.”

“On purpose?” Fu Cheng smirked, his cold voice mocking her. “Standing in formation, chatting, and badmouthing me—did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Besides, the punishment wasn’t even that harsh. It was just two laps.

Consider it exercise.

In the narrow corner, Youyi’s voice grew softer as he pressed her against the wall. “You also promised me.”

A few seconds after she spoke, Fu Cheng let go of her.

“Let’s go take a shower.”

Fu Cheng’s private room had a bathroom inside, and it was kept very clean.

After closing the door, Youyi stuck her head out, worried. “Make sure you stand guard.”

Just in case someone saw her.

Fu Cheng: “No one dares to come in.”

Even though she knew no one would come in, Youyi still showered quickly. She changed into her pajamas and came out, asking Fu Cheng if he had a hairdryer.

“It’s in the cabinet above.” Youyi turned to look. It was a high cabinet, out of her reach, so she stretched up and could only barely touch the edge.

He must have done that on purpose, putting it so high.

Youyi turned back, giving him an annoyed look.

Fu Cheng remained indifferent, walked over, and easily took it down.

It was a new hairdryer, still in its packaging.

He handed it to her while unboxing it.

Youyi looked at the hairdryer and thought to herself, Fu Cheng definitely doesn’t use this. Could it be…

“Did you buy this just for me?”

Fu Cheng responded coolly, “What else?”

This was his way of giving her a sweet treat after the punishment.

Youyi took the hairdryer, thinking to herself, and began drying her hair.

Ten minutes later, she finished and packed up her things, ready to leave.

At the door, she turned back and asked, “What’s tomorrow’s training?”

Fu Cheng, standing in front of her, casually brushed her hair off her forehead and asked, “Why do you want to know?”

“I want to mentally prepare, so you don’t target me again.”

“Go to bed early,” Fu Cheng replied, saying nothing more.