Pepsi is Heaven

A week after the start of the semester, military training arrived as expected.

Nanjiang University's military training didn't require going to a specific training base; it only needed to be done on campus.

Because of her low blood sugar, Li Shiyan had applied for an exemption from military training well in advance. While Xia Yanchun and Shen Nian were training, she would slip over to the Flying Tigers squad's area and find a shady spot to sit down.

Although the teachers and instructors had strictly forbidden bringing mobile phones, Li Shiyan saw a few girls next to her playing on theirs. Moreover, the instructor in charge of watching the Flying Tigers squad didn't seem to care when he walked by and saw them. Her courage grew, and on the second day of military training, she brought her own phone down.

However, Li Shiyan was relatively restrained. She only read comics and novels, looking up from time to time, and hiding her phone whenever the instructor approached.

Shen Nian had already been standing in military posture for a few days and felt his skin had tanned a whole shade darker.

Now, he would ask Xia Yanchun for sunscreen every day. When it came to sun protection, you really had to respect it.

Otherwise, after baking in the sun for a full fourteen days, he would turn into a dark-skinned liberal arts student.

Because Xia Yanchun had been consistently applying sunscreen, her skin hadn't changed much. You could only say that sunscreen was the real MVP.

The military training was very plain. There were no show-offs in the class challenging the instructors to arm wrestling or push-up contests, nor were there any unknown campus beauties delivering milk tea to anyone. Standing in military posture for half a day was basically how the time passed.

It was frustrating—which school out there actually let students do live-fire shooting during military training anyway?

During the lunch break, after finishing her meal, Li Shiyan went back to her dorm room alone.

Thick clouds blocked most of the heat, and when the wind blew, Shen Nian could feel a slight chill.

"This breeze is so nice." Xia Yanchun took off her military cap, and her flattened hair was gently blown about by the wind.

Perhaps because it had been stuffy for so long, Shen Nian, standing next to her, could catch a nice-smelling fragrance.

They were still some distance away from the single dormitories. Like taking a walk to digest their food, Shen Nian held Xia Yanchun's hand and smiled faintly. "I wonder if it will still be hot this afternoon. How about it, are you tired from standing today?"

"It's alright, it's not like they don't let us rest. I kind of want a drink... Let's buy a bottle of cola, okay? I'll just take one sip."

"If you want an indirect kiss with me, just say so."

"Ew, so stupid." Xia Yanchun didn't even know how to retort.

Indirect kiss, really? She could have Shen Nian's actual kisses whenever she wanted.

Of course, even when she didn't want them, a certain someone would lean in and give them to her anyway.

There was a beverage vending machine right under the international students' dormitory, and the prices were cheap. A canned cola that cost two and a half yuan outside only cost one point three yuan in Nanjiang University's vending machine.

Unfortunately, they only had cans.

Shen Nian bought one, casually wiped the rim of the can, and held it up high. "Open your mouth, I'll pour it for you."

"I know how to drink it myself."

"These cans are a bit dirty, there might even be rat droppings on them. Whenever I buy them outside, I have to wash them before I dare to put my mouth on them."

"Is that so..."

Xia Yanchun nodded her little head, tilted it back, and opened her mouth.

Shen Nian carefully poured a sip for her. The Pepsi was ice-cold and refreshing. Taking a sip like that in the summer, even Xia Yanchun, who didn't usually drink carbonated beverages, found it delicious.

Two blonde international students walking by covered their lips and giggled. Xia Yanchun couldn't hear their whispers and thought they were laughing at her, feeling a wave of embarrassment in her heart.

"Hmph, I won't buy canned ones next time."

"I agree, drinking from a bottle is much more satisfying."

Xia Yanchun just wanted to satisfy her craving and only took one sip. Shen Nian could easily finish the rest in two gulps.

"Phew, Pepsi is just the best." Shen Nian wiped his mouth. "Hey, which one do you think tastes better, Pepsi or Coca-Cola?"

"Is there a difference in their tastes?"

"Yes, it's like heaven and earth. Can't you taste it?"

"I can't taste it." Xia Yanchun tilted her head. "So which one is heaven and which one is earth?"

"Pepsi is heaven."

"Oh, then I like Coca-Cola."

That's how rivals were. Since Shen Nian liked Pepsi, as his rival, she could only choose Coca-Cola.

"You have heavy tastes, Xia Yanchun. You can actually stomach that stuff? I'd throw up after one sip. It really has to be Pepsi, right?"

"Not as good as Coca-Cola."

"Damn, it seems our values are just too different. We're breaking up."

"Eat my foot!"

Xia Yanchun was the most cunning kind of person. She would often sneak in a kick when Shen Nian wasn't paying attention, then turn around and dash headlong into the girls' dormitory.

Watching Xia Yanchun acting all smug as she entered the gates of the girls' dorm, Shen Nian felt an inexplicable sense of amusement in his heart.

He was just teasing Chunbao to make her happy. If Shen Nian really wanted to catch Xia Yanchun, she would be caught before she could even take two steps.

"If I catch you, you're in for it." Shen Nian talked tough.

"Come in if you dare!"

Dorm Auntie: "?"

"I can't be bothered with you. Go to sleep early." Shen Nian scratched his head and started walking towards the boys' dormitory.

The combination of being a day student and having a single dorm room was truly the ultimate setup. He could come over whenever he wanted to rest, and go home if there were no classes at night. It was simply too awesome.

...

During the two-week military training, thanks to the sunscreen, Shen Nian avoided the fate of being tanned into oblivion.

However, sunscreen couldn't provide absolute protection, and both Shen Nian and Xia Yanchun still got a little darker.

Especially Shen Nian.

Halfway through the military training, they were generally divided into various ceremonial formations. Because of his physical advantage, Shen Nian was naturally selected for the honor guard. Not only did it not get easier, but it actually became more boring and exposed him to more sun.

It might not be noticeable since they were always together, but if you took a photo from before the military training and compared it to him now, the difference in skin tone would be obvious. The same was true for Xia Yanchun.

On the last day of military training, the top university leaders came to the sports field to inspect the results of the training. This meant having the students demonstrate everything they had practiced. Some performed with wooden batons, others did wrestling. Compared to them, Shen Nian's flag guard squad was relatively easy, as they only needed to perfect those few specific movements.

By the time the military training ended, it was already eleven in the morning.

Just like other classes, some people in Shen Nian's class sent off the instructors with red eyes. Shen Nian wasn't close to the instructor, so he chose to go eat at the cafeteria with Xia Yanchun.

As for Li Shiyan, she had already returned to the dormitory early to take a shower with the few girls in their class.

"Official classes start tomorrow."

Xia Yanchun hummed happily. The grueling military training was finally over, and she was in a wonderful mood. She had even added an extra portion of char siu to her beef brisket noodles for lunch—it was incredibly delicious.

Shen Nian reached out his chopsticks and blatantly swiped a large piece of beef brisket from her bowl, saying seriously, "Time flies so fast. Before we knew it, military training is over. There are only four months left until the end of this semester, sigh."

"Why don't you just say there's half a year left until the New Year and wish me a Happy New Year in advance?"

"Uh, I suppose I could."

"Idiot," Xia Yanchun scolded, but she placed two more pieces of beef brisket and char siu into his bowl.

Shen Nian ate a lot, especially during military training. Every time he ate, he wolfed down his food like a starving ghost.

He looked like someone who would be very hard to feed.

Pouting her lips, she finished her lunch. Resting her chin on her hands, Xia Yanchun chattered on, "Sigh, I wonder if I can get my fair skin back before winter break. I hate being in the sun the most."

"Drinking black goji berry tea helps whiten the skin. Since we have the afternoon off today anyway, I'll go out with you to buy some later."

"Mhm, I'm already sleepy. I'm going to go back and take a nap first~"