Chapter 509: Your eating habits are also too unsightly

Outside the office, in the hallway.

Several figures were crouched by the door, eavesdropping.

They heard from inside the constant slapping sounds, the chief of staff's shouting and scolding, and Kang Changyi saying, "I'll never dare again."

Gao Feng, He Zhen Tao, Ma Qing'an, and Pan Yuan exchanged glances, scratching their heads nonstop; they really couldn't figure out what the situation was.

"What on earth is this supposed to be?"

"No one gave us a heads‑up, and there was no rehearsal either?"

"We already used the self‑injury trick before—why use it again?"

"I don't think it's just a self‑injury act; it sounds like a real beating. Listen to that voice—Kang Changyi's emotion is so genuine, like a kid screaming."

Just as the four were fussing over their hair like Louis XVI, utterly confused, the office door suddenly swung open from inside.

Xiong Yao appeared at the doorway with a cold stare, fixing his gaze on the four lizards clinging to the wall.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh no, I dropped my money."

"My phone fell."

"I—I didn't drop anything; I'm helping them look......"

The four hurriedly pretended to search the ground, then, spotting a chance, they took off running.

Xiong Yao walked to the neighboring office, glanced through the window at Lu Yang writing his self‑critique, and let out a deep sigh.

"He's just too young—never thinks about the consequences, leaving me to clean up the mess!"

"Ow... ow... ow, be gentle!"

On the dorm bed, Kang Changyi lay face down, his pants pulled down to his knees.

His buttocks were bright red, like a blooming flower, covered in red welts.

LiMin disdainfully dabbed ointment onto a cotton swab and applied it to him.

Even though his movements were already very gentle, the other kept complaining of pain.

Sun Chen leaned against the bed, unable to hold back a click of his tongue: "Aunt Kang, do you and your uncle have a grudge? You hit him so hard it's like you're trying to beat him to death—his butt is almost as red as a monkey's."

Kang Changyi grunted: "A beating is love, a scolding is affection, and not beating or scolding is spoiling; I've been beaten into shape since I was little—what do you know?"

"Oh, is that how it is?"

"Looks like you've suffered a lot since childhood."

"So what exactly did you go through out there that made the chief of staff fly into such a rage?"

"Brother Yang was put in confinement to write a self‑critique; you've ended up the same, and everyone else is staying tight‑lipped—what actually happened? Spill it."

"I heard you went to an autopsy—could it be that the corpse faked death and you ran into a ghost?"

Kang Changyi mumbled into his pillow: "It's confidential—don't pry into society's affairs."

The less he said, the more everyone wanted to know, like a hundred claws scratching at their hearts.

At the same time, He Zhen Tao also approached Zhou Kaidong, Ding Tengfei, and a few others to ask for details.

They looked at each other, embarrassed: "Instructor, don't ask— the chief of staff specifically ordered us not to talk."

He Zhen Tao wouldn't give up: "The chief of staff just left—just tell us a little, and I'll buy you sodas."

"No, this is like coaxing a child."

"Instructor, it's not about whether you get soda or not—speaking would be a leak."

"You just need to know we didn't do anything wrong and didn't violate any principle."

He Zhen Tao took off his hat, scratched his head in frustration: "No mistake, no wrongdoing—so why is the chief of staff so furious? You weren't just in an anatomy class—what could have gone wrong?"

"Did you set the school on fire?"

Zhou Kaidong gave a wry smile: "Instructor, don't ask—we actually earned merit."

He Zhen Tao simply couldn't understand—he had never seen someone who earned merit come back only to be scolded and locked up to write a self‑critique.

Seeing that he wouldn't get an answer, he gave up and went to the office where Lu Yang was.

"Hey~ Lu Yang."

"What's up?"

Lu Yang put down his pen and looked at the sneaky instructor lurking in the hallway.

"Hungry? Want the cafeteria to cook you a bowl of noodles?"

"I'm not hungry."

"People are iron, food is steel—this isn't wholly your fault; nobody's perfect."

"Hmm."

Lu Yang nodded and kept his head down, continuing to write what was in his hand.

He Zhen Tao still tried to worm information out of him, but it had no effect whatsoever.

Until Ma Qing'an and Gao Feng showed up at the door holding thermal flasks, winked at him, and shoved the door open to enter the office.

"Eat first—no matter how big the matter, you've got to fill your stomach!"

"Right, put the self‑critique aside for now!"

The two shoved the self‑critique to the side and used their bodies to block it.

He Zhen Tao seized the moment to slip inside and glance at the top of the page, hoping to grasp the whole story.

But when he saw the dense text and the hand‑drawn illustrations covering the page, he was utterly dumbfounded.

This was hardly a self‑critique; the title blazoned in large characters read 【Bomb Disposal Guide】.

"Lu Yang, you—you're not supposed to be writing a self‑critique, are you?"

"Nope."

So what are you doing, and what's this?

Oh, the next phase of the training plan—doesn't it still include learning Mine Clearance and Mine Laying? I just found some time to draft the lesson plan and schedule, so we can use them later.

What talent! Your guts are way too big; aren't you afraid Chief of Staff will come back in a moment and beat your butt until it blossoms?

Gao Feng and the others all gave a thumbs‑up; they were nothing but admiration, pure admiration.

Lu Yang, eating the food from the insulated container, said with a grin, "I can't beat anyone into blooming; I'm afraid he'll come back in a moment and smile into blooming."

What does that mean?

Just the literal meaning.

No, you one or two of you, why does it all sound like a riddling game; what exactly did you do out there, don't force me to kneel and beg you, don't push me, if you push me too hard I'll really kneel—argh!

After a short while, Xiong Yao arrived at the brigade headquarters, nervously knocking on the Brigade Commander's office door.

When he pushed the door open, Zheng Chengfeng was on the phone and gestured with his eyes for him to wait a moment.

"Hmm, hmm, okay, okay; it's fine, no big deal, as expected, that'll do, see you later."

After hanging up, Zheng Chengfeng, smiling broadly, looked at his old classmate and asked, "What's the matter?"

Seeing the other in a good mood, Xiong Yao took a deep breath and quickly reported Lu Yang's incident.

He concluded by emphasizing that Lu Yang had called him before the bomb disposal to request instructions and report.

It was he who took the initiative, agreeing to let Lu Yang take that risk, and he stressed that any consequences would be borne entirely by him.

Bang!

Zheng Chengfeng snapped a palm onto the table, startling Xiong Yao.

He knew it would be like this; he knew the Brigade Commander would definitely get angry.

Without seeking approval, without reporting, he unilaterally made such a significant dangerous decision.

As Chief of Staff, as Lu Yang's direct superior, when the subordinates need someone to shoulder responsibility, you must do so; otherwise, who will trust you later?

"You've got some nerve!"

"......"

"With such a huge contribution, you actually…"

"Huh?"

Xiong Yao, who earlier had worn a look of deep grievance, was stunned at that moment.

Zheng Chengfeng pounded the table, standing up angrily: "The commendation calls from the municipal bureau and provincial department were all sent to the headquarters; half an hour ago, the commander of the People's Guard specifically called to commend Lu Yang for responsibility, accountability, and courage."

"Firefighters, bomb disposal units, the district police station, the education department, even school principals—one after another called to express thanks, and said they'd send us a banner of honor!"

"I told the outside world that it was my order; you just…"

"I can share some of the credit, but you can't just snatch it!"

"Your way of taking credit is just too damn ugly!"