Chapter 1678

Wang Yan not only beat the instructors in running, but he also challenged them to a push-up contest afterward and outperformed them all.

Plus, since everyone had brought a pile of cooked food, instant noodles, and the like, they weren't lacking for anything to eat or drink, so naturally, there was none of the usual bickering and laughter that came from wanting to eat meat.

However, the laughter and bickering during daily training were still unavoidable; Bi Shisan was still dizzy, Yu Hao was still restless, and Xiao Haiyang was still at odds with the instructors.

Instructor Zhang had indeed lost to Wang Yan, but that didn't mean he had changed his personality or way of doing things. It just meant he wouldn't go looking for trouble with Wang Yan, but everything else remained largely the same.

At this point, Wang Yan didn't have anything else to do; he just followed the training routine step-by-step. Since the men and women trained separately, he didn't have much contact with the female students, and there were activities every night after dinner, so everyone was quite busy.

Just like that, the days passed, and in the blink of an eye, the military training was more than halfway over.

"We brought way too little stuff; we've already eaten almost everything in just these few days."

Yu Hao was eating a steamed bun, feeling listless.

"Yeah, just thinking about how we'll have to eat so poorly every day for the rest of the time makes my heart feel cold and desolate." Lu Qiaochuan's eyes brimmed with tears, looking as if he were terribly wronged.

Zhong Bai said from behind: "You guys have it pretty good; you brought so much food, and you're still not satisfied after eating for so many days? You're doing much better than everyone else."

"Exactly, how could you possibly understand the misery of others?" Lin Luoxue sighed, looking pitiful.

Gu Yixin scoffed: "No matter how much they bring, it's never enough; some people are just bottomless pits."

Li Shuci turned her head to look next door. Wang Yan was there, taking big bites of a steamed bun. Their eyes met, and Wang Yan read from Li Shuci's eyes that 'Gu Yixin is talking about you'…

Wang Yan shook his head: "Shuci, if you didn't look at me, I could still pretend I didn't hear it."

"I'm sorry~" Li Shuci apologized immediately, as if she had done something wrong. Her voice was truly pitiful.

"It's fine, it's just that some people don't eat their meals properly and insist on looking for trouble. I didn't provoke her or bother her, yet she insists on mocking me for fun. Where is the logic in that? And she's still so impolite."

"Wang Yan!" Gu Yixin gritted her teeth and glared at him.

"Why do you always look at me with such deep affection?" Wang Yan frowned. "I'm telling you, Gu Yixin, don't get your hopes up. My heart is with Li Shuci, and with Lin Luoxue."

Li Shuci waved her hands repeatedly, still as earnest as ever: "Wang Yan, don't say that. I have a boyfriend; we are just good classmates."

"Then this good classmate is heartbroken; I can only put my whole heart into Lin Luoxue." Wang Yan shook his head regretfully.

"I am a little man who has no place in his heart for welcome." Lin Luoxue smiled brightly. The waves she stirred up hadn't even touched Wang Yan yet before they swept Jiang Yunming in first.

Before Wang Yan could discuss the issue of size with Lin Luoxue, Jiang Yunming was already licking his face and grinning. "Xue'er, I have a place in my heart; my place is you. Please take me in too."

"Really? Then I'm truly sorry, my place is small and can only take in one person." Lin Luoxue looked quite embarrassed. Her refusal wasn't absolute; it seemed like a joke, leaving people unable to give up hope.

"Don't ruin the bond between us brothers; this is my own brother who sleeps foot-to-foot with me."

Wang Yan wasn't lying; in the school dorm, the two of them were in adjacent beds, sleeping foot-to-foot.

Lin Luoxue laughed: "Would it work if I paid extra?"

Wang Yan laughed too: "Then you pay first."

"You two should just stop while you're ahead," Yu Hao spoke up for justice. "Look at how angry you've made our little sister Yixin."

At this moment, Gu Yixin's face was red, and she glared at Wang Yan, angry because of the affection Wang Yan had just spoken of.

"Jealous because I'm close to Luoxue? You really don't have to be like that. Yixin, you have to know that no one belongs to anyone. If you think I'm some kind of scumbag or heartbreaker, then I apologize for not being scummy enough yet."

"Wang! Yan!"

"Grandpa is right here!" Wang Yan smiled happily and raised one eyebrow at her, the provocative meaning self-evident.

Zhong Bai spoke up to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, let's eat. You two are really something, bickering every single day."

"It's dear classmate Yixin who can't stop thinking about me."

"Get lost!" Gu Yixin's eyes were about to pop out...

After lunch, everyone went back to the dorm for a nap.

Wang Yan went with Jiang Yunming and the others to smoke near the restroom. Although smoking isn't healthy, it certainly maximized their social attributes. Every morning, noon, and night, the same faces refreshed at this fixed spot, and everyone got to know each other, chatting and laughing.

However, compared to high school, the feeling now was much worse. After all, high school was like being in prison, where you really weren't allowed to smoke, so everyone doing it sneakily together felt different.

When Wang Yan and the others finished smoking and returned to the dorm, they saw Yu Hao standing at the door, looking very pleased with himself.

"You're back, Old Wang. Good, now everyone in our dorm is here. Tell me, who is the most beautiful person in this world?"

"Brother Hao, the scope is too big, let's narrow it down." Wang Yan patted his shoulder. "You are the most beautiful in this dorm, and you are also the most beautiful in our school."

"Then why can't I be the most beautiful in the world?"

"What about my parents? And the socialist philosophers, and the great revolutionaries? You dare to compare yourself to them?"

Lu Qiaochuan spread his hands: "Comrades, look at Old Wang's level of awareness; let's learn from Comrade Old Wang."

"We're talking about Brother Hao, how did we get to me? Right, Brother Hao?" Wang Yan waved his hands.

"Exactly, exactly, so annoying. Lu Qiaochuan, hurry up and say it, who is the most beautiful person in our school?" Yu Hao curled his pinky finger and pointed at Lu Qiaochuan.

"You, you, you."

"Impatient, insincere, dishonest." Yu Hao rolled his eyes. "Xiao Haiyang, you say it!"

Xiao Haiyang lay on the bed, not even looking, without the slightest movement.

"You're idling again." Jiang Yunming complained, returning to his own bed to take off his short-sleeved shirt and lie down, using the paper fan he folded to cool himself.

It was indeed uncomfortable here; it was the hottest time of day, there was no air conditioning, and there were quite a few people in the room, so of course it was hot.

At this moment, Gu Yixin appeared at the door. Seeing Wang Yan taking off his shirt inside, she first called him a hooligan, and only then said to Yu Hao: "Brother Hao, the things you wanted."

Yu Hao took the large black plastic bag: "I'll ask one more time, who is the most beautiful person in our school?"

Seeing no one answer, Gu Yixin said thoughtfully: "Brother Hao, if you don't eat the burgers soon, they'll get cold."

In an instant, everyone in the dorm sat up. Xiao Haiyang's eyes widened: "Burgers? Did I hear that right?"

"Magic mirror, magic mirror, hurry and tell me who is the most beautiful person at Southern Media University."

"You, you, you, it's you, it's you, it's still you." A group of people became lively, scrambling to say nice things to Yu Hao, waiting to be fed.

Gu Yixin took another bag and walked toward Lu Qiaochuan, saying it was the burgers Zhong Bai bought for him and Ren Yifan.

"Zhong Bai is so good, too good! Thank you, Yixin." Lu Qiaochuan laughed loudly as he took out the burger. Under everyone's gaze, he took a deep, intoxicated breath of the aroma, and then took a huge bite.

"Brother Hao! Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Xiao Haiyang was waiting to be fed.

Yu Hao looked disgusted as he distributed the burgers to everyone one by one. When he got to Bi Shisan, Bi Shisan said: "I want to eat dumplings."

"Just eat, Thirteen, where am I supposed to find you dumplings? Military training ends in seven days; just hold on a bit longer. When we get back, you can eat whatever you want."

Bi Shisan let out a long, lingering sigh...

Wang Yan chewed his burger and walked out from inside, holding the empty packaging.

Gu Yixin scoffed: "Such a big burger, they hadn't even finished unwrapping the box, and you finished it in two bites? You're practically a reincarnated starving ghost!"

"If I were a starving ghost, why would I eat a burger? I should be eating you, you pervert."

"Pfft! You're the big hooligan, the big pervert. What right do you have to call me a pervert?"

Wang Yan looked her in the eye: "Just in the few steps I took from inside to here, plus the time it took to say two sentences to you, more than half of your glances landed on my muscles."

"Oh~" Yu Hao leaned over with a grin. "So little sister Yixin likes muscular men. Really, I don't know what's so good about muscular men."

"Oh my, what are you saying, Brother Hao? Don't listen to his nonsense; he's slandering me, he's shifting the blame! He was even looking at my chest!"

"I was looking at your whole person from top to bottom, and just happened to linger on your chest for a few extra glances. But by comparison, you were looking at me more. So you're the one taking advantage, pay up."

"Get lost! As if I'd look at you, I'm afraid of getting a stye!"

Yu Hao took out money and placed it between Wang Yan and Gu Yixin, helping Gu Yixin, who had already blushed, to escape: "Here's your money."

Gu Yixin glared at Wang Yan again, then took the money and counted it.

Wang Yan raised an eyebrow at her, then walked around to throw away the packaging and went to the sink outside the door to wash his hands.

Inside the room, Gu Yixin finished counting the money and, just like in the original story, said the boss wouldn't allow cola to be brought in, so she returned some money. However, Bi Shisan heard the word 'boss' and immediately thought of the base's supermarket, thinking there might be dumplings there. So he got out of bed and went with Gu Yixin to find the boss to eat dumplings...

The two left, and Wang Yan had just finished washing his hands, and even washed his face while he was at it.

"You two are truly more annoying than the other!"

She glared fiercely at Wang Yan, then walked away angrily.

"She's unreasonable, but I believe you should be used to it by now." Bi Shisan tilted his head at Wang Yan, then walked forward unhurriedly, bickering with Gu Yixin...

Military training here involved night shifts for standing guard, but unlike in a real army, standing guard here was just to temper one's patience.

Standing guard used to be very peaceful, with nothing happening. He would just be with the little fatty Luan Mengyu, bored, looking at the night sky, listening to the cicadas, feeling the cool breeze in the night, and swatting at mosquitoes, chatting about random things. The little fatty had almost told Wang Yan his entire family background, but Wang Yan just wasn't interested.

"Old Wang, want a smoke?" Luan Mengyu took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket.

Wang Yan took the cigarette and let Luan Mengyu help him light it, but he gave some advice: "You're really bored; if you don't know how to smoke, don't learn. Just because they tricked you into it, you have to smoke? This stuff isn't good for your health."

"Then why are you still smoking, Old Wang?" These words weren't from Luan Mengyu, but from a familiar female voice.

Luan Mengyu patted Wang Yan: "It's Lin Luoxue, she couldn't be here looking for you, could she?"

"Obviously not." Wang Yan smiled and shook his head.

Lin Luoxue smiled brightly: "Why not?"

"We don't have a secret affair, so there's no need for a rendezvous after dusk. It's clear you're just out for a stroll while on guard duty, and our times just happened to coincide." Wang Yan turned to Luan Mengyu and said, "Don't you remember? Jiang Yunming said he saw her on guard duty the day before yesterday."

Luan Mengyu let out a long 'oh', stood up, and said: "Then you guys chat, I'm going for a stroll too."

Lin Luoxue sat down beside Wang Yan: "He's creating an opportunity for you."

"I don't want to be executed by firing squad."

"You're really humorous."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Seeing Wang Yan smoking leisurely, Lin Luoxue asked: "You still haven't said why you know smoking is bad, yet you're still smoking?"

"Just bored." Wang Yan exhaled smoke leisurely.

"You're different from everyone else."

Wang Yan asked sensibly: "How am I different?"

"You don't seem to like me?"

"How could that be? You're the one I like the most."

"Then tell me, what do you like about me?"

"Liking is liking, where does 'what' come from? If you insist on me saying it, I can only say I like your appearance and your figure; those are your most external expressions."

"Really? That's a uniquely perverted way of putting it." Lin Luoxue smiled brilliantly. "But since that's the case, why didn't I see any liking for me in your eyes?"

"What is this 'liking' in your eyes that you speak of? Is it that kind of lecherous scrutiny? That greed that can't wait to throw you on a bed and tear you apart?" Wang Yan smiled and shook his head. "Maybe you've seen too much of that kind of gaze, so when faced with my appreciation, you feel something is wrong instead. If we go by your logic, Xiao Haiyang is also very special."

"No, he's not special at all."

Lin Luoxue said very firmly, "He just doesn't like my type, that's all. I don't believe you didn't notice."

"I noticed, only three people didn't."

"Zhong Bai, Lu Qiaochuan, and Xiao Haiyang himself?"

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "Smart."

"Knowing that, you still talk about him." Lin Luoxue gave him a coquettish look and said, "You're different. Whether you're looking at me, or at Li Shuci, Gu Yixin, Zhong Bai, or even other pretty female students, it's all the same."

"So you feel your charm has been challenged, and encountering me on such a quiet night, you decided on a whim to tease me here?"

"Then how do you feel?" Lin Luoxue turned to look at Wang Yan.

"Nietzsche said that when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. You're here seducing me, which means you've become curious about me. I have quite a lot of charm myself; I'm afraid you'll become addicted to liking me and be unable to extricate yourself."

Lin Luoxue laughed again: "You're really humorous."

"You're really tactful; you could have just said I'm shameless."

"That's what you said."

"So that's what you really meant? Then I'm truly heartbroken." Wang Yan shook his head repeatedly. "What a heartless woman."

Lin Luoxue laughed, then said: "In a setting like this, talking like this, it feels really good, doesn't it?"

Wang Yan smiled happily...

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