The chief instructor closely observed each new recruit during training and finally found the ideal candidates to form a team with Zhang Lu.

He selected four individuals in total, including Zhang Lu.

The calmest of them was chosen as the commander, a girl who excelled at shooting, an energetic boy who knew a bit of everything, ideal as a “glue” to bind the team together, and Zhang Lu, who was the strongest in combat.

The instructor took these four aside for special training, working on their teamwork and cohesion, aiming to mold them into the closest of comrades.

“Every freshman has a task, a hostage rescue mission that requires teams of four. Aside from your group, there are several other exceptional teams. I expect you all to win!” the instructor said confidently.

Zhang Lu could sense something unusual about this mission.

She had researched the typical military training at academies, and this seemed different from what she had read about.

The final drill began, with all the instructors carefully watching the students’ performances.

“Do you think Zhang Lu’s team will win?” one instructor asked her team’s instructor.

“Without a doubt,” Zhang Lu’s instructor replied without hesitation.

Another instructor commented, “I’m betting on my team—they’ve learned a lot from me.”

Zhang Lu’s instructor simply smiled. “Let’s see.”

Zhang Lu and her team were air-dropped onto a rugged mountain.

The terrain was difficult, and they had the added challenge of rescuing a hostage, making the task even harder.

“This path here was cleared by villagers collecting firewood, so it’s easier to walk. But this other path is remote, steep, and full of snakes and insects. Most teams will take the easier route, which means we’ll encounter a lot of competition early on,” the commander analyzed.

Zhang Lu glanced at the difficult path and patted her waist. “I’ve got some herbs here that repel snakes and insects.”

She had come prepared.

Knowing that attending a military academy would inevitably mean getting hurt, her friends—Chu Xia, Jiang Zhishu, and Luo Peng—had given her plenty of medicinal herbs, especially those to fend off pests and snakes.

The commander saw Zhang Lu take out several pouches of herbs from her pockets and even open her backpack to reveal more supplies.

He made a quick decision. “We’re taking the difficult path.”

At first, the route wasn’t too bad, but as they progressed, the path narrowed and was overgrown with thorny bushes, forcing them to cut through it to proceed.

The energetic boy wiped sweat from his face. “We’re moving so slow, we won’t be the last to arrive, will we?”

The commander remained calm. “No.”

As they followed the marked path on the map, cutting their way through, they moved slower than those on the easier route.

However, the commander was confident that the other teams would slow down too, as they would likely engage in conflicts, delaying their progress.

What they didn’t know was that another team, seeing the cleared path, had decided to follow closely behind them, hoping to take advantage of their hard work.

“Captain, your guess was spot on!” the followers praised their team leader.

By waiting a little and letting Zhang Lu’s team clear the way, they could now move faster.

Meanwhile, Zhang Lu’s group continued onward.

At one point, Zhang Lu stopped and set a small trap behind them.

“What are you doing?” one of her teammates asked.

“Just leaving a surprise for anyone following us,” Zhang Lu said, dusting her hands off.

The energetic boy laughed. “Who would follow us? We’re ahead. We’ll definitely get there first!”

The commander, however, gave Zhang Lu a thoughtful look, then said to the group, “Set up more obstacles.”

Realizing that his thinking hadn’t been as thorough, the energetic boy scratched his head and followed orders.

Zhang Lu hadn’t overthought it either; she just didn’t want others to benefit from the path they had painstakingly cleared.

Since the mountain was sealed off for the training, there was no risk of civilians accidentally stepping into their traps.

After setting more traps, Zhang Lu’s team moved on.

Meanwhile, the team trailing behind them continued their steady pace, unaware of the traps awaiting them.

As soon as they hit one of the traps, a teammate was hoisted into the air by a rope.

When another tried to help him down, he was also caught.

Their commander immediately ordered them to halt.

“There are traps. Don’t move until we figure out how to disarm them.”

After much effort, they freed their trapped teammates, but Zhang Lu’s team had already moved far ahead.

Their commander, frustrated by the delay, didn’t want to risk more traps.

He made a decisive call. “We’re taking another route.”

However, it wasn’t just this team following Zhang Lu.

Each team that came after fell into the same traps, wasting valuable time.

As the commander had predicted, Zhang Lu’s team was the first to reach the hostage location.

They began strategizing on how to rescue the hostage.

The commander positioned Zhang Lu as bait, the sharpshooter provided cover from a distance, he himself coordinated from the back, and the energetic boy engaged in negotiations with the captors.

However, the captors didn’t fall for Zhang Lu’s bait.

After some quiet discussion with the commander, Zhang Lu managed to convince him to let her try a new approach.

While the energetic boy continued negotiations, Zhang Lu snuck behind the captors.

Before they could react, she delivered a swift strike that incapacitated one of them. As the other captor aimed to shoot Zhang Lu, the sharpshooter took him out.

With that, they successfully rescued the hostage.

Meanwhile, the other teams were still stuck fighting among themselves on the easier path.

Zhang Lu couldn’t believe it. “Did we really just complete the mission like that?”

Zhang Lu initially thought the mission would involve intense combat or failed rescue attempts, but none of that happened.

She found the task too easy.

However, the commander corrected her, explaining that if there had been any misstep in coordination, both she and the hostage would have been killed by the other captors.

Only then did Zhang Lu realize how close she had been to danger.

After completing the training task, Zhang Lu’s team unsurprisingly came in first.

Soon after, they were assigned their first real mission: rescuing hostages, not in their own country, but in a foreign one.

Zhang Lu was surprised that such a critical mission was entrusted to her team of four.

The instructor explained that since they were new faces with distinct identities, it would be easier for them to gain the trust of their targets.

Their recent entry into the school meant they didn’t yet have the obvious soldierly demeanor that could give them away.

……

Meanwhile, Cen Huai’an’s brilliance continued to shine, earning the admiration of all his classmates.

Even the other exceptionally talented students couldn’t keep up with his pace.

Cen Huai’an was so busy that even on rest days, he couldn’t go home.

Instead, he stayed in the lab, consumed with his work and assignments.

His mother, Chu Xia, came to visit him, bringing food and essentials.

She immediately noticed that he had lost weight. “Have you not been eating well?” she asked. Cen Huai’an touched his face and shook his head, “I always eat on time.”

Chu Xia didn’t believe him. “You’re just like your father. Whenever there’s work to do, you always prioritize that first.”

Cen Huai’an fell silent.

Chu Xia opened the lunchbox and urged him to eat. “Hurry up, I brought your favorite sweet and sour ribs.”

As Cen Huai’an ate, Chu Xia watched him and mentioned how strict Zhang Lu’s military school was, with even her aunt’s request to visit being denied. “At least, with you, I can still come to see you even when you’re busy,” she added.

Cen Huai’an promised to try to come home the following week, but Chu Xia shook her head. “You focus on your work. I can always visit you—it’s much easier for me to drive than for you to take the bus.”

Cen Huai’an had to admit his mother was right.

When the semester ended and winter break arrived, Cen Huai’an was unable to return home immediately.

His professor, knowing that he lived locally, kept him in the lab to continue working while the senior students went home for the holidays.

Chu Xia joked, “Your professor really knows how to make the most of you.”

Cen Huai’an responded calmly, “It’s almost New Year’s, and the professor’s wife wouldn’t let him keep us here forever.”

As expected, the work in the lab was paused about a week before the Spring Festival, allowing Cen Huai’an to finally go home.

On his first day back, he slept for hours.

The next day, he spent most of the time in his room with his notebooks full of research ideas.

However, Chu Xia couldn’t stand seeing him cooped up at home all the time.

She enforced a routine of taking him outside to walk the dog and help with cooking and house chores. “Balance is important,” she insisted. “If you’re always straining yourself, you’ll snap like a rubber band one day, and the consequences won’t be good.”

Cen Huai’an understood that his mother was concerned for his well-being, so he followed her advice and ensured he balanced work and rest.

After the new year, Cen Huai’an was soon called back to the lab by his professor. As the snow began to fall, Chu Xia suggested to Cen Zhengnian, “Let’s take a walk outside.”

The snow wasn’t heavy, and it wasn’t too cold either.

Chu Xia bundled herself up, leaving only her eyes exposed.

As they walked, she said, “Look at the snow on our heads and shoulders—doesn’t it look like we’re growing old together?”

Cen Zhengnian smiled and recited a line from a poem, “Two lovers standing in the snow, growing old together.”

Chu Xia smiled in agreement, but Cen Zhengnian shook his head. “I don’t like that metaphor.”

“Why?” she asked, stopping to look at him.

Cen Zhengnian held her hand tightly and brushed a snowflake off her eyelashes. “That poem has a sense of sadness. I only want us to truly grow old together, without any sorrow.”

He wasn’t fond of the melancholic tone in the poem; he only wanted a lifetime of happiness with Chu Xia.

She smiled at his sentiment and nodded in agreement. “You’re right. We will grow old together, for real.”

Then, she squeezed his hand through her glove. “Aren’t you cold?”

“No,” he replied.

“I am! Let’s go back inside,” Chu Xia said, realizing that the romantic idea of strolling through the snow wasn’t as enjoyable as she had imagined, especially since the snow was getting heavier and the cold was biting.

This year, Zhang Lu wasn’t able to come home for the holiday.

Though the school claimed she was on campus duty, Zhang Lu’s mother, Jiang Zhiguan, had a strange feeling.

Her request to visit Zhang Lu had been denied, which was unusual, as parents typically had opportunities to visit their children during such times.

“Chu Xia, I have this feeling that Zhang Lu isn’t actually at school right now,” she said, her voice filled with concern.