After gathering on the training ground, Zheng Yang realized that what troubled her most wasn’t helping the teacher organize the students or dealing with troublemakers, but…
How did her underwear get wet after just a dozen minutes?!
Her wet underwear clung tightly to her chest, hot and uncomfortable.
Was this the predicament girls had to face?
Zheng Yang didn’t have the mind to think about it anymore.
She undid the first button of her shirt, sneakily glanced left and right, and when she saw no one was watching, she tugged at her clothes and flapped them a few times, letting some air flow in from her neck down to her chest, which made it a bit more bearable.
After a while, it felt uncomfortable again, so she did it once more…
After a few times, light murmurs came from beside or behind her.
“Damn, look at Brother Yang doing that? Always tugging at her shirt.”
“I feel like she wants to take it off…”
“She’s acting all slutty… hehe~”
Zheng Yang’s mind buzzed, her face flushing bright red.
She hadn’t expected such a normal action to be interpreted so maliciously.
Scared, she didn’t dare move her clothes anymore.
A memory flooded into her mind.
It was from when she was still a boy in junior high.
There was a girl in the class who one day wore a slightly shorter top, with a cinched waist.
When she stretched her arms a bit, a little skin showed on her waist.
Both Zheng Yang and her male deskmate saw it, and her deskmate whispered to her:
“She’s acting slutty.”
She had laughed along with contempt.
Now, as a girl herself, those harsh words had landed on her.
At that moment, she felt a pang of guilt toward that junior high girl.
‘I’m sorry…’
Even though she had forgotten that female classmate’s name, she still apologized in her heart.
‘It seems that what you owe will eventually be paid back!’
Zheng Yang couldn’t help but sigh.
She smiled self-deprecatingly, not really blaming the boy who called her “slutty.”
Kids that age probably didn’t have much ill intent—at worst, they were just being cheeky and trying to be clever.
Fortunately, it was her.
If it had been another girl spoken to like that, she would probably have been crying from anger.
Setting aside the discomfort of her underwear, Zheng Yang actually enjoyed military training.
She only needed to follow the simplest orders, do the simplest things.
Even if it was tiring and hot, compared to being ostracized at work or ignored by family, this was nothing.
But for some classmates, it seemed different.
Especially the spoiled rich kids.
Once the training officially began, the instructor’s first words were:
“I know you all come from wealthy families, but! No matter what young masters or princesses you are at home, here, you are my soldiers! You only listen to my orders! No one gets special treatment, and don’t try to throw your rich-kid tantrums with me. The instructor doesn’t buy that! If you have a problem, call out ‘Report!’…”
Zheng Yang stood in the formation and smiled as she listened.
This kind of command was right up her alley.
She liked the feeling of equality, liked that even the privileged had no way to use their privilege here.
But the instructor thought her smile meant she was causing trouble or challenging him, so he marched over to Zheng Yang with proper steps.
“If you want to laugh, you have to call ‘Report!’”
This command made Zheng Yang want to laugh even more, so she said:
“Report! I want to laugh!”
“Why do you want to laugh?”
“Report! Because I like what the instructor… said!”
She almost slipped up… but it still caused a wave of quiet laughter across the class.
The instructor worked his jaw muscles a few times:
“Even if you like it, you have to hold it in!”
“Yes, sir!” Zheng Yang stood tall and answered loudly.
The instructor looked at Zheng Yang standing in perfect military posture and couldn’t help saying:
“You do have some soldierly qualities…”
Zheng Yang felt proud inside:
‘Of course! I’ve been through military training three times—junior high, senior high, and college—and was a model soldier every time. How can these kids compare to me?’
The instructor returned to his spot:
“Alright, first move: standing at attention!”
He demonstrated and explained the key points, then said:
“Hold it for one hour!”
“Huh?”
Someone in the class couldn’t hold it together upon hearing an hour.
“Any problems?”
The instructor asked.
No one said a word.
“Don’t let me hear that ‘Huh?’ sound again! If you have a problem, call ‘Report!’”
Sigh, they had to just tough it out and stand…
Zheng Yang’s sense of superiority overshadowed the discomfort of her underwear.
She stood straight and proper.
In less than ten minutes, a girl called out “Report!” saying she felt dizzy.
The instructor gave her a quick look and let her rest in the shade.
Another seven or eight minutes later, a male voice rang out:
“Report! It’s getting dark!”
The instructor was experienced and immediately realized he was seeing black spots.
He rushed over to support the boy, checking him while saying, “This young man is about to faint and still has the mood for humor!”
After checking, he said:
“Mild heatstroke. Same as the girl just now, rest in the shade and drink plenty of water. Do you have water with you?”
The boy said:
“Report, instructor! Real men don’t need to bring water!”
The instructor laughed:
“Everyone brings water, even me. By saying that, are you trying to offend all the men?”
Zheng Yang took the chance when the instructor relaxed to turn her head and look.
‘Oh, isn’t this “Little Sister Zihan”? So he’s this manly? Could my shout of “Little Sister Zihan” have provoked him?’
Zhang Zihan realized his mistake after hearing the instructor’s words.
His already flushed face from the heat turned even redder.
The instructor continued teasing:
“Look, I don’t say things like ‘Real men don’t get heatstroke.’ Alright, go rest. I’ll have someone buy you water.”
Zhang Zihan reluctantly went to sit in the shade, deliberately keeping a large distance from the girl.
The instructor called out:
“Class monitor, step out!”
Zheng Yang stepped forward with a sharp, standard posture.
“Go buy two bottles of water and a towel. Put it on my tab. Note: one bottle should be cold, the other room-temperature electrolyte water. Got it?”
“Got it!”
“Repeat it!”
“Buy two bottles of water—one cold, one room-temperature electrolyte—and a towel, and… put it on the instructor’s tab!”
“Go! At a run!”
“Yes, sir!”
The instructor’s order to “go at a run” was just a habit, since they had only just started practicing standing at attention.
But he was surprised to see that even Zheng Yang’s running posture was very standard, and he couldn’t help showing an appreciative smile.
He turned back to the class and joked:
“Your class monitor has the makings of an accountant—she remembers the tab best!”
Everyone laughed, but the instructor turned serious again:
“If you want to laugh, call ‘Report!’ When you’re standing at attention, no matter how funny the joke I tell, you are not allowed to laugh!”
A bold boy imitated Zheng Yang:
“Report! I want to laugh!”
“Go ahead and laugh!”
Pfft… Was he actually allowing it?
Suddenly, many classmates couldn’t hold it in, and a series of “Report!” calls rang out.
The instructor checked his watch:
“Alright, everyone take a five-minute break!”
“Yeah!”
The classmates cheered and fled into the shade, drinking water, chatting, and stretching.
Zheng Yang quickly returned with the water.
Following the instructor’s instructions, she gave the electrolyte water to Zhang Zihan, wet the towel with cold water, and used it to wipe his neck and forehead.
But because she was worried about Zhang Zihan’s condition, she ran too fast and felt a bit thirsty.
Without thinking, she unscrewed the cap and took a sip herself before handing it to Zhang Zihan.
“Whoa! Indirect kiss!”
A classmate who saw it joked.
Zheng Yang’s face instantly turned red.
She regretted being so rash, but she could only force the water onto Zhang Zihan:
“Don’t listen to them. I just got thirsty and couldn’t help it. Hurry up and drink. Heatstroke needs electrolyte replenishment.”
Zhang Zihan took it in a daze.
Zheng Yang quickly opened the cold water and poured it over the towel.
Once it was wet, she went to wipe Zhang Zihan’s neck, which made him flinch and dodge wildly, spilling water all over himself.
“Brother Yang! Brother Yang! I can do this myself!”
Zhang Zihan wailed amid the teasing of the other boys.
The instructor also walked over and laughed:
“Brother Yang? A pretty girl like this, you call her Brother Yang? Careful, you might never get a girlfriend.”
The classmates had just started laughing when the instructor turned to Zheng Yang and asked:
“Brother Yang, did you bring your phone?”
Zheng Yang smiled:
“I didn’t.”
“Then send me your WeChat ID. I’ll add you.”
The classmates exclaimed:
“Whoa, is the instructor personally demonstrating how to flirt?”
The instructor said sternly:
“What are you yelling about? I’m going to transfer the water money to Brother Yang!”