Chapter 20: Physical Fitness Test—Bai Yalan Is a Weakling

A surge of excitement welled up in Qin Kaishen’s heart—he thought she couldn’t hold back anymore and had come to seek him out on her own.

He was all smiles and just about to step forward to greet her when someone suddenly called out to him.

“Captain Qin, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be training?”

Qin Kaishen had to stop in his tracks. Reluctantly, he glanced at Bai Yalan’s figure in the distance. She seemed to be preparing for something, her attention fully focused, completely unaware of his presence.

This both delighted and disappointed him.

“Oh, I got injured earlier. Wasn’t feeling great just now, so I came to see a doctor,” Qin Kaishen replied absentmindedly.

The other person immediately asked with concern, “Oh? Are you okay? Is it serious?”

Not wanting the other party to notice anything unusual, Qin Kaishen forced a smile and casually said, “Just a minor issue. Won’t affect my training.”

The man slung an arm around his shoulder and said enthusiastically, “Good! I know what you’re made of—this kind of minor injury is nothing to you. Come on, let’s hit the training field and spar a little. The brothers haven’t practiced together in a while.”

Dragged away by the other man, Qin Kaishen had no choice but to suppress his urge to approach Bai Yalan. He took one last lingering glance at her charming silhouette and followed reluctantly.

Though unwilling, he still replied half-heartedly, “Fine, let’s train.”

Yet in that moment, the old feeling of being pursued by her came flooding back. All her coldness and arguments from before suddenly didn’t matter anymore.

As he walked, Qin Kaishen’s mood brightened, and he couldn’t help feeling a little smug.

This woman, after pretending to be so cold and heartless, was now coming to find him on her own.

Maybe she’d finally figured it out—that there wasn’t a better man out there—and so she’d gone to great lengths to find him and make peace.

The gloom clouding his heart seemed to dissipate. Qin Kaishen was elated, the bitterness inside completely swept away.

Grinning, he made up his mind: since she had come, there was no rush. He would wait for her to come to him first.

Meanwhile, Bai Yalan had already entered the military doctor qualification assessment organized by the medical unit. In addition to a solid theoretical exam, the evaluation included her ability to handle injuries and respond to emergency situations.

Due to the unique nature of military work, army doctors often go on missions with soldiers. Most of the patients they see are troops who get injured during training or on assignments.

So aside from theoretical knowledge, the key components of the assessment were trauma diagnosis and treatment—followed by a physical fitness test.

Bai Yalan quickly passed the theory exam, and her outstanding performance in diagnosing and treating trauma caught everyone’s attention.

Whether it was examining the “wounded” soldiers (played by role-players), identifying the injury, deciding the appropriate emergency response, stopping bleeding, dressing wounds, or stabilizing fractures, she completed each task quickly and flawlessly.

Her foundational knowledge was rock solid. The examiners were clearly impressed, and Old Master Bai was not only satisfied—he was visibly proud.

Though he had confidence in his granddaughter, he couldn’t help but feel nervous. Now that she had aced the exam, he finally relaxed.

The examiners teased, “Old Bai, your granddaughter’s no ordinary girl! You’ve got yourself a worthy successor.”

Old Bai chuckled, though he remained modest. “You flatter her. The girl’s still inexperienced—she needs more training.”

“Oh, come on, don’t be so modest. She’s Bai Miaoshou’s granddaughter. She can’t go wrong!”

Just then, Bai Yalan, who had passed the assessment and was finally catching her breath, overheard them. She wiped the sweat from her brow, stood at attention, and saluted.

Thanks to her grandfather’s guidance, she now had a proper military stance and could salute like a pro.

“Reporting! There is no ‘Bai Miaoshou’s granddaughter’ here—only Bai Yalan, an intern military doctor who has passed both theory and practical tests. Requesting permission to proceed with the next test!”

Everyone was stunned for a second, then burst into laughter and applause.

“Not bad at all—truly worthy of being Old Bai’s granddaughter!”

“Comrade Bai Yalan, I hereby inform you that you’ve passed your assessment. Go prepare for the final physical fitness test. Is that clear?”

“Clear!”

“Louder!”

Bai Yalan straightened her back, raised her voice, and replied with great enthusiasm, “CLEAR!”

The officer in charge of the physical test took her away, while the other examiners continued joking with Old Bai.

One of them, an older officer, teased, “Old Bai, your granddaughter’s temperament is just like yours when you were younger.”

Now that everyone had seen her off, Old Bai dropped the modesty and beamed, “Of course! Who do you think trained her?”

“Look at this old guy getting all proud! Say, are you interested in watching the last part—the physical test? That little girl’s so thin and delicate, she probably hasn’t suffered much in life. I doubt she can handle it.”

Old Bai bristled, “Says who? My granddaughter’s tough! Don’t believe me? Let’s go watch!”

Still, despite his words, worry gnawed at his heart.

His granddaughter had inherited his medical talent, so theory and practical tests were no problem. But physical fitness… well, that wasn’t something talent alone could help with.

Just by looking at her slim frame, it was obvious she hadn’t trained much.

With mixed feelings, he followed the others to the testing field.

When the officer solemnly announced, “1,500-meter run, must be completed in six minutes,” Bai Yalan’s jaw dropped.

One thousand… five hundred meters?

She stared wide-eyed at the 400+ meter track. How many laps was that?

Seeing her confusion, the officer kindly clarified, “Four and a half laps around the field.”

Bai Yalan nearly collapsed on the spot. But a glance at her grandfather and the others who had come to watch stiffened her resolve. She couldn’t let them down.

She gritted her teeth and charged forward.

At first, the onlookers joked, “Whoa, the little lady’s pretty fast!”

But before she even finished the first lap, her pace began to slow. She was gasping, drenched in sweat.

Before she reached two laps, her speed had dropped so low it was more like a tortoise crawl.

Breathing hard, face flushed, legs like lead—she was completely out of steam. The spectators struggled to hold back laughter.

The officer called time: six minutes were up. Of the four and a half laps required, Bai Yalan had barely completed two and a half.

Her fitness level? Completely abysmal!

Old Bai couldn’t bear to watch anymore. He rushed forward to support his granddaughter, who was panting so hard she could barely stand upright and nearly collapsed.

“Girl… I’m not trying to scold you, but this result—honestly, it’s embarrassing. Not even three laps in six minutes? At your age? Your fitness level is worse than mine!”

Bai Yalan, after catching her breath, wiped her sweat and pouted in frustration. “Grandpa, I really tried my best! But 1,500 meters is too much! I just haven’t trained enough for it…”

Then she protested, “It’s one thing to say I’m out of shape—but saying I’m worse than you? That I don’t accept!”

Old Bai chuckled. “Still not convinced, eh? Dare to race your grandpa?”

He started stretching and warming up.

Seeing that he was serious, Bai Yalan pouted and said, “Fine, bring it on!”

The onlooking military doctors laughed, and one examiner joked, “Old Bai, want me to time you two?”

Old Bai waved him off. “No need. Whoever finishes three laps first wins.”

With that, he took off running. Bai Yalan blinked, then chased after him. “Grandpa! That’s cheating! We didn’t even say go!”

Everyone laughed again as the two began their playful race around the track.

At first, Bai Yalan sprinted ahead with fierce determination. She left her grandfather behind and felt smug—until her stamina gave out.

Her pace slowed. Her legs grew heavy.

In the end… it was just sad to watch.

She could only stare as her grandfather overtook her, lap after lap.

Old Bai had long finished his three laps. Still full of energy, he jogged back to her and taunted cheerfully, “Well? Admit defeat now, little girl?”

Bai Yalan, exhausted and out of breath, plopped to the ground and clung to his leg, mock-crying.

“No more! No more! Grandpa’s bullying me! You didn’t even give me a head start!”

Old Bai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Amid the good-natured laughter of the crowd, he helped her up.

He scolded her affectionately, “Get up! You’re a grown woman—can’t lose and still act spoiled!”

Then, in a more serious tone, he added, “You need to start training harder. Being a military doctor isn’t just about solid skills and knowledge.”

A nearby military doctor chimed in, “Comrade Bai Yalan, your grandfather is right. Army doctors don’t just do first aid or remove bullets—we have to accompany troops on missions. Some missions require doctors to be on standby and ready to run. You need to keep up, and that means good stamina and speed.”