Military Training

Carrying several large stacks of camouflage uniforms, I returned to the classroom.

Chen Zhi threw the clothes in his arms onto the podium, and the dull thud startled several girls in the front row who were still catching up on homework.

Dust danced in the shafts of sunlight.

"Alright, stop reading, everyone pause for a moment."

Chen Zhi clapped the dust off his hands. His voice wasn't loud, but the class immediately quieted down.

Over fifty pairs of eyes in the class turned to look in unison.

"Group leaders, come up and collect the clothes according to the headcount. Size S on the left, M in the middle, L on the right. Pick according to the sizes you filled out, don't grab randomly."

He leaned on the edge of the podium with one hand, his skilled commanding posture resembling a contractor who had spent years on construction sites.

Li Zihan, Zhang Wei, and a few others carried the remaining clothes and shoes through the door, piling them breathlessly next to the podium.

"Brother Zhi, these shoes smell really strong."

Li Zihan fanned his nose in disgust.

"Rubber shoes are all like this, you'll get used to it after wearing them for two days."

Chen Zhi replied casually, tossing a stack of hats to the sports committee member.

"Hand them out, one per person, don't miss anyone."

The classroom instantly became a chaotic mess.

The sounds of desks and chairs colliding, shouting, and complaints about getting ill-fitting clothes rose and fell.

The lines were crooked.

Most of the boys aimed for size L, as if getting a size L could prove they were indomitable men, even if the waistband was loose enough to fit two basketballs.

The girls were much more reserved, mostly hesitating between S and M.

"Next."

Chen Zhi held the roster, checking off names without looking up.

A faint, sweet fragrance wafted into his nose.

Chen Zhi paused his pen and looked up.

Lin Wanwan was standing in front of the podium.

The young girl was wearing an off-white short-sleeved T-shirt and light blue jeans today. Her ponytail was tied high, revealing a smooth, full forehead.

She didn't look at Chen Zhi; her large eyes stared straight at the stack of size L camouflage uniforms on the far right.

Chen Zhi raised an eyebrow.

Lin Wanwan reached out, her pale fingers grabbing a set of size L clothes, and held them against her chest to measure.

"Whoa."

Chen Zhi let out a meaningful exclamation.

Lin Wanwan's movements stiffened, and she looked up warily.

"What?"

Chen Zhi looked her up and down, his gaze lingering on the slightly loose T-shirt for two seconds, then let out a soft chuckle.

"Lin Wanwan, not bad."

He leaned forward, lowering his voice, and teased at a volume only the two of them could hear.

"Food's been good these past few days? Swelled up so much you need a size L? Looks like those bottles of pure milk weren't drunk in vain, it all went to meat."

The air froze for a second.

Lin Wanwan's originally fair and rosy face instantly flushed like a ripe tomato.

Her shame and anger reached a peak within a few seconds.

"Chen Zhi!"

The young girl gritted her teeth, squeezing his name out through them.

The next second, a foot wearing a white sneaker kicked fiercely against Chen Zhi's shin with lightning speed.

"Bang."

A muffled thud.

"Hiss—"

Chen Zhi sucked in a breath of cold air, almost jumping up from the podium.

This girl was really ruthless!

She didn't hold back at all!

That piercing pain shot straight up his nerves to the top of his skull, and Chen Zhi felt like his bones were going to crack.

"Are you trying to die, Chen Zhi!"

Lin Wanwan hugged the huge camouflage uniform, her chest heaving violently with anger, like a kitten with its fur standing on end.

"Who got fat? This lady is called growing taller! Do you understand growing taller!"

As she spoke, she specifically puffed out her chest. Although there wasn't much scale there yet, her momentum was full.

"As for you!"

Lin Wanwan didn't seem satisfied. Her lively almond eyes swept over Chen Zhi and finally settled on the top of his head.

Then, she let out an extremely contemptuous, highly damaging, and even more insulting sneer.

"Some people, ah, should drink more milk. If you don't work hard to grow, you won't even be as tall as me."

After speaking, she deliberately reached out and drew a horizontal line between the top of her head and Chen Zhi.

That line showed the currently almost equal altitude of the two.

Chen Zhi: "..."

Defense broken.

First year of junior high, twelve or thirteen years old.

This was exactly the awkward age when girls were developing like tigers and boys hadn't started to shoot up yet.

Lin Wanwan had good nutrition since childhood and was already nearly 1.7 meters tall, considered tall among girls.

And Chen Zhi...

Currently barely 1.65 meters.

Although in his past life he eventually grew to 1.83 meters, that was after his first year of high school.

Now, at this point in time, he indeed faced the cruel reality of being humiliated in height by his childhood sweetheart.

"Ahem."

Chen Zhi gave a tactical cough, forcefully trying to save face.

"I'm just accumulating strength. When I shoot up, you won't even be able to reach my chin."

"Blah blah blah, can't hear you."

Lin Wanwan made a face at him, turned and walked away hugging the clothes, her ponytail whipping a dashing arc in the air.

After taking two steps, she turned back and viciously added another stab.

"I took the size L. If you can't fit into yours, even if you beg me, I won't trade with you!"

Watching the young girl strut back to her seat with her head held high like a victorious little rooster, Chen Zhi rubbed his throbbing shin and sighed helplessly.

Stupid mouth.

It really is a moment of pleasure from a stupid mouth, followed by a crematorium afterward.

Of all people to provoke, he had to provoke this little ancestor with severe violent tendencies since childhood.

Below the podium, Zhang Wei, who had witnessed the whole process, opened his mouth wide enough to stuff an egg in.

He nudged Li Zihan next to him with his elbow, his face full of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

"Fatty, did you see that? Is this the value of a childhood sweetheart?"

"Hitting is intimacy, scolding is love. This kick... tsk tsk tsk, I can even smell the sour stench of it."

Zhang Wei shook his head, wearing a desolate expression of "I shouldn't be under the car, I should be in the car."

Li Zihan was busy trying to find a pair of pants that his thick legs could fit into, and didn't even look up when he heard this.

"Get used to it. They've been like this since they were kids."

In another corner of the classroom.

With a crisp "crack," the poor gel pen in Li Jiahao's hand finally succumbed to the pressure and snapped completely in two.

Black ink flowed all over his hand, but he didn't care at all.

His eyes stared fixedly at Chen Zhi, who was rubbing his leg on the podium, the anger in his eyes almost erupting.

Why?

Why could Chen Zhi's frivolous appearance make Lin Wanwan so "special" to him?

Even if it was a beating, it was personally delivered by Lin Wanwan!

If it were anyone else, Lin Wanwan wouldn't even give them a straight look.

Li Jiahao thought about how just now when he went to get his clothes, Lin Wanwan had only politely and distantly made way, without even saying a word to him.

This huge gap made the jealousy in his heart grow wildly.

"Chen Zhi... you just wait."

Li Jiahao pulled out a tissue and wiped the ink off his hand fiercely, as if it were Chen Zhi's face.

On the podium.

Chen Zhi didn't receive the resentment from the corner.

The clothes were mostly handed out, leaving a mess of empty cardboard boxes and plastic packaging bags on the floor.

"Alright, everyone who got their clothes, check if any buttons are missing. If there are no problems, go back to your seats and sit properly."

Chen Zhi closed the roster and waved at the few boys still loitering at the front of the classroom.

"Sports Committeeman, and you, Zhang Wei, don't just stand there looking dumb. Come give me a hand and clear out this trash."

Although the boys muttered complaints like "the class monitor only knows how to boss people around," their bodies honestly sprang into action.

They stomped the cardboard boxes flat and stuffed the plastic bags into the trash can.

In less than two minutes, the area around the podium was neat and tidy again.

Chen Zhi clapped his hands together, walked down from the podium in satisfaction, and returned to his seat.

Just as he sat down, before he even had time to take a sip of water to moisten his throat, a familiar set of footsteps echoed from the classroom door.

After being in school for a long time, a student's hearing became enhanced; they could tell which teacher it was just by listening to the footsteps.

The entire class instantly fell silent.

The classroom, which had been as noisy as a wet market moments ago, was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

This was the oppressive aura of a homeroom teacher.

Wang Qian appeared at the door right on cue.

Holding a blue folder in her hand, her gaze swept across the room.

She had expected to see a complete mess and utter chaos, considering these freshmen had only arrived a few days ago and the rules hadn't been fully established yet.

But what met her eyes were students sitting neatly in their seats and a spotless podium.

The camouflage uniforms had already been distributed, and even the trash from the packaging had been completely cleared away.

Wang Qian was momentarily stunned, her eyes soon landing on the boy in the last row.

Chen Zhi.

This kid really had something to him.

The corners of Wang Qian's mouth curled up slightly into a satisfied smile, and she nodded at Chen Zhi.

Worry-free.

Having taught so many cohorts of students, a class monitor like Chen Zhi, who could handle things beautifully without her having to worry, was truly a first.

"Not bad, you all moved quite fast."

Wang Qian stepped up to the podium and set down her folder, her voice clear and bright.

"Since you've all received your uniforms, remember to try them on when you get back. If they don't fit, come exchange them together tomorrow morning. But let me be clear upfront: as long as you can fit into them and your pants aren't falling down, don't fuss over it."

A few scattered sounds of agreement came from below.

Wang Qian didn't mind. She turned sideways and waved toward the door.

"Come in."

Everyone's necks instantly stretched out as they looked curiously toward the door.

A dark figure strode in.

His footsteps were steady and powerful.

The man was very tall, visually close to 1.85 meters.

A dark green combat uniform fit him perfectly, outlining his firm muscle lines. The tactical belt around his waist was fastened meticulously, further accentuating his broad shoulders and narrow waist.

He wasn't wearing a hat, and his buzz cut stood straight up, making him look exceptionally sharp.

The man walked to the center of the podium and stood still.

His hands rested behind his back, his feet slightly apart.

"I am Instructor Tang."

His voice was deep, devoid of any unnecessary nonsense.

"For the next seven days, I will be in charge of the military training for seventh grade, Class Three."

Instructor Tang's gaze swept over the face of every student.

It lingered on Chen Zhi for half a second before moving away.

"I don't like listening to nonsense, and I don't like anyone falling behind. I hope you can hang in there."

After saying this, he turned around and left immediately, crisp and decisive.

It wasn't until that tall back disappeared from the classroom doorway that the entire class seemed to come back to life, letting out a collective sigh of relief.

"Holy crap... that aura is way too intense, right?"

Zhang Wei patted his chest, looking visibly shaken.

"He looks like he might be active duty."

Li Zihan's face was ashen, the freshly opened fruit milk drink in his hand suddenly losing its appeal.

"We're doomed. This kind of instructor is definitely going to be brutal. My fat is probably going to be left out there on the field."

"Seven days of hellish training under this devil in such hot weather? Just kill me now!"

Wails of despair rose and fell across the room.

Just then, Lin Wanwan in the front row suddenly turned around.

"Go get water!"

The young girl glared at him fiercely, the blush on her face not yet fully faded.

"I'm tired from kicking you earlier, and I'm thirsty!"

Chen Zhi looked at the pink Hello Kitty water bottle, and then at Lin Wanwan's self-righteous expression.

The sunlight from the window hit the side of her face perfectly, illuminating the fine peach fuzz on her skin.

In that moment, Chen Zhi suddenly felt that perhaps these seven days of military training wouldn't be so unbearable after all.

He picked up the water bottle, a helpless yet doting smile curling the corners of his lips.

"Yes, commander."