151. Military Training

Ziwei Garden was the neighborhood Chen Ruowen had just moved into. Chen Liwan personally chose Building Eight, the best location in the complex, and bought her a four-bedroom, two-living-room apartment. Two bedrooms were combined into a spacious master bedroom, one was left as a study, and the remaining one converted into a walk-in closet. Chen Ruowen moved in just yesterday.

Originally, Chen Liwan wanted her to bring either Sister Zhang or Sister Feng along to help with cooking and cleaning, but Chen Ruowen firmly refused, declaring she was ready to live independently and take care of herself.

Chen Liwan found it hard to believe but reluctantly agreed to her request.

Room 801 looked orderly enough for now, except the bed was unmade, several sets of clothes were tossed on the sofa, and skincare products were scattered all over the dressing table.

It had only been one day.

The next day, military training began. Chen Ruowen took her training uniform from Guo Jingyuan but immediately flung it away with a tremble of her hand.

“Wear this rag?” she scoffed.

Unlike the high school uniforms, the military training clothes were truly poor in quality—scratchy even for ordinary people, let alone someone like Chen Ruowen, who had been pampered since childhood and had delicate skin. She couldn’t even bear to touch it.

Guo Jingyuan picked up the camouflage uniform from the ground and carefully brushed off the dust.

“Then… would you like to wear something underneath?”

“That’d be unbearably hot!” Chen Ruowen rolled her eyes.

There was a time limit for changing clothes, and the duty of ensuring everyone arrived on time fell to Guo Jingyuan. Chen Ruowen didn’t want Guo Jingyuan to get a bad reputation on her first day as class monitor, so she took a photo of the uniform and sent it to Assistant Pan, asking him to commission a tailor at home to make an identical set. She kept a vest on underneath, then thought better of it and added a short-sleeve shirt, then finally a blouse—holding her nose, she put on the camouflage uniform.

“This is so uncomfortable,” Chen Ruowen grumbled.

“Then… do you want to skip training? Or wait until the new uniform is ready?” Guo Jingyuan offered.

Chen Ruowen said nothing, frowning in discomfort as she hurried Guo Jingyuan out to the assembly.

Military training separated boys and girls. The girls from the eight clinical medicine classes split into three groups arranged by height. The instructor in charge of Chen Ruowen’s group barely said two words before scowling and ordering them to stand at attention under the blazing sun.

September in Nancheng was still oppressively hot. Chen Ruowen, wearing four layers, could barely stand it after ten minutes. Sweat dripped down her forehead and soaked the back of her clothes; she felt utterly miserable.

When had Chen Ruowen ever endured such suffering?

In extreme discomfort, her agreement with Bai Jinyan from a few days ago was instantly forgotten.

Besides, the Management School’s military training was held on a different field from the Medical School’s, so even if anything happened, he wouldn’t see.

With that in mind, Chen Ruowen, feeling dizzy, stepped out of formation and sat on a nearby bench—too annoyed even to spread out her scarf.

After all, she wasn’t wearing her own clothes.

Her sudden move caught everyone off guard. Only when she sat down did the others realize what had happened, staring incredulously at the rebellious girl who simply walked away. The instructor’s face darkened immediately.

“Stand up! Return to formation!”

The instructor approached Chen Ruowen, his expression grim.

Having served in the military, he despised disorder and indiscipline more than anything. He might have sympathized if she felt unwell after long training, but this was only day one! Only ten minutes standing! How could anyone be so fragile?

This girl must be slacking off!

Chen Ruowen’s head swam; she didn’t even bother to respond to the voice above her or lift her eyelids.

“Stand up and get back in line, understood?”

“Annoying, don’t bother me,” Chen Ruowen replied weakly, irritated beyond measure.

Seeing this undisciplined girl openly defy orders, the instructor was furious. He grabbed Chen Ruowen’s arm and yanked her roughly from the bench.

“Don’t pull me!”

Chen Ruowen angrily shook off his hand, looked up fiercely at the instructor, just about to speak when dizziness overwhelmed her, her vision went blank, and she lost consciousness.

“Someone fainted!”

Whispers rippled through the formation.

Guo Jingyuan, standing at the back row, finally exclaimed in alarm and rushed over, snatching Chen Ruowen from the stunned instructor.

“Why are you bullying her?”

The instructor looked bewildered.

I… I didn’t do anything! I just pulled her a little, and she fainted? Could she be pretending?

Definitely pretending!

Faking fainting on the very first day of training? The thought darkened the instructor’s face even more.

“Ruowen, Ruowen, wake up!” Guo Jingyuan shook Chen Ruowen’s arm gently, afraid to be too rough, tears threatening to spill as she grew more anxious.

“She fainted from just that? She must be faking. Move aside, I’ll pinch her to see if she’s really out!”

“Don’t touch her!”

Hearing the instructor’s intent, Guo Jingyuan panicked, pushing him away with all her strength, fiercely protecting Chen Ruowen like a mother hen guarding her chick, not allowing anyone near.

This chaotic scene quickly spread, and within a minute, half the field knew that Chen Ruowen from the Medical School’s first battalion had fainted.

“Chen Ruowen? That Chen Ruowen from Shuangxing? Such a strong-willed person fainted? You must be joking!”

On the other side of the field, the boys’ formation heard the news and whispered secretly behind their backs.

“What’s so surprising about that? Those rich kids have been pampered all their lives and never endured hardship. Fainting during training is hardly strange.”

Gao Tang, who was almost asleep while standing at attention, suddenly opened his eyes.

“What did you say? Who fainted?”

“Chen Ruowen! From Shuangxing…”

Before the speaker could finish, Gao Tang threw down his hat and strode briskly toward the other side of the field. The instructor in their group was stunned, then shouted loudly:

“Student, return to formation!”

Gao Tang didn’t even look back.

When he reached the other side, he saw the first clinical team dispersing. In the center, delicate Guo Jingyuan was desperately stopping the instructor, whose face was very pale, from approaching.

“You two are disorderly and undisciplined, feigning illness and causing trouble on the very first day of training. People like you would have been kicked out of our unit long ago! Step aside, or I’ll report this to your counselor and have both of you punished!”

Guo Jingyuan clenched her teeth but said nothing, holding Chen Ruowen tightly. Her gentle eyes blazed with anger and anxiety as she stared down the instructor.

What could she do? The Chen family’s bodyguards hadn’t entered the school, Assistant Pan wasn’t around, and Bai Jinyan was absent. What was she to do?

Seeing that his harsh words failed to intimidate Guo Jingyuan, the instructor’s face darkened further. Snorting, he suddenly used real force, roughly yanking Guo Jingyuan aside and throwing her down. Then, he reached out to pinch Chen Ruowen’s fair arm.

“Get away!”

A sharp shout cut through the tension. A figure approached quickly, leapt forward, and delivered a clean kick to the instructor’s arm. Landing softly, he carefully lifted Chen Ruowen into his arms.

Gao Tang looked up at the retreating instructor, his usually playful face now filled with deadly seriousness.

Without turning back, he carried Chen Ruowen away.