In the blink of an eye, this youth-worthy military training was nearing its end. When the instructor blew the dismissal whistle, everyone was just short of hugging their heads and crying with joy. After all, they had spent an entire week in this godforsaken place—no internet, barely any phone signal, and constant torment from devilish instructors. It felt like living in hell. But suffering only stands out when compared—at least for Ke Bu, staying in this bizarre group for nearly a week made military training seem like nothing in comparison.
The final dinner was just as lavish as the first. Logically, food during camping should grow scarcer over time. Ke Bu’s right eye twitched, and he hurriedly counted the group members, finally relaxing once he confirmed everyone was still alive. His thoughts were a bit dark—he had almost imagined the meat in the pot as his teammates. But it wasn’t entirely his fault for being so nervous. At first, being group leader made him feel proud, but gradually he realized that wearing that title was like carrying a bomb—or worse. The group members happily caused trouble, while he was scolded by the instructor like he was less than human. Every day, he worried Ying Xiu Jie would go rob other groups, Chu Hao Yu would scam innocent girls, Zhou Xin He’s knives would mysteriously disappear and reappear with blood, Su You Yan might leave at any moment to buy more books, and he still had to monitor Gong Zhu and Zhi Li. All of this made Ke Bu miserable.
“Smells great. Where did this meat come from?” Ke Bu asked Zhou Xin He.
Zhou Xin He smiled shyly. “It seems to be a wild chicken from the mountain. It ran right up to me while I was cooking.”
“Looks like our group is pretty lucky. You had Xiu Jie help you kill it, right?”
Zhou Xin He shook her head, still looking innocent. “Why would I need help? Killing a chicken is just grabbing its head, slicing its throat, then putting it in hot water and plucking the feathers. I always do it myself. The only trouble is the blood splashed all over me, so I had to change clothes.”
Cold sweat ran down Ke Bu’s back. He had thought Zhou Xin He was the most normal one. What happened to her shy personality?
Just as everyone was eating enthusiastically, members from another group rushed over. “Something’s wrong! A farmer’s chickens have been stolen. The instructor told everyone to help look for them. Have you seen anything?”
Chu Hao Yu and Ying Xiu Jie each bit into a drumstick and shook their heads. “Haven’t seen anything.”
After they left, Ke Bu pointed at them and exploded, “Haven’t seen anything? Then what are you chewing on?!”
“No need to make a fuss.”
“Stealing chickens and petty theft!!”
“We only stole chickens, not dogs.”
“So you admit it! If the instructor finds out, I’ll be scolded to death again. Zhi Li, didn’t I tell you to keep an eye on them?”
“What?”
“Don’t dodge responsibility.”
“What?”
Not long after, those two people returned. “It’s fine now. The old farmer found money left in the chicken coop—enough to buy ten chickens. He happily told the instructor and went home.”
After they left again, Ke Bu pointed at Zhi Li once more. “When I told you to watch them, I meant stopping them before they commit a crime—not helping them clean up afterward!”
Ying Xiu Jie and Chu Hao Yu gave Zhi Li a respectful salute. “Thank you, Chief!” Completely ignoring Ke Bu.
After eating, Chu Hao Yu proposed again, “It’s the last day. How about going swimming in the stream?”
“The instructor said no entering the water for safety. Do you think I’d jump in like an idiot and start splashing around with you, laughing and chasing each other? Dream on.”
“Leader, compared to us, your description sounds more perverted.”
“I… I didn’t bring a swimsuit. It wouldn’t be appropriate,” Zhou Xin He said shyly.
In the next second, Chu Hao Yu stripped completely. “Who needs a swimsuit? Let’s all go for a naked bath!” With that, he ran off and leapt into the stream.
Ying Xiu Jie at least kept some decency and wore underwear. “Dragon Tail Sweep!” Even while swimming, he insisted on naming moves. Gong Zhu simply rolled up his pant legs and stepped into the shallow water. “Zhi Li, will you come? The water’s quite cool.”
Ke Bu stood behind Zhi Li with a scheming look, then suddenly pushed him hard into the water. Zhi Li stood up, water dripping from his hair, and raised his head. “You bastard, what are you doing?”
Ke Bu’s face turned pale. When had Zhi Li entered his darkness transformation again? He hadn’t noticed at all. Zhi Li grabbed Ke Bu, who didn’t have time to escape, and tossed him into the water like trash. Irritated, he glanced at Zhou Xin He, who was nervously tidying clothes by the shore, walked over, and kicked her straight into the water. “Stop fussing. Get in.” Zhou Xin He screamed as she fell in.
“You Yan, fan me.”
Su You Yan walked over from afar, about to fan him with paper. Zhi Li shoved her into the water. “You really thought I meant it? Get in.” She fell in silently, her expression unchanged.
Zhi Li slowly walked into the water, staring at Ke Bu. Ke Bu swam desperately away, reaching toward Ying Xiu Jie and Chu Hao Yu for help. “Help your leader!”
“Don’t come over, you bomb—stay away! Lead Zhi Li somewhere else!”
“……”
Perhaps they had played too hard—everyone went to sleep early. Ke Bu hugged a set of clean clothes, planning to go to the stream one last time for a bath, as a kind of keepsake. He took off his clothes and stepped into the water, finding a comfortable spot and leaning his head against a rock.
“I figured you’d be here too,” Ke Bu said without any surprise to Zhi Li beside him. The weather that night was unusually hot, and this was the coolest place around. Ke Bu gazed at the pale moon hanging in the night sky. “A bunch of people who are all bad at making friends, gathered together—it doesn’t feel that bad. Come to think of it, it’s been many years since we’ve spent time together like this.”
“You sound like a middle-aged man sighing about life.”
“I heard that in ancient times, if a man saw a woman’s bare arm, she would either have to kill herself or marry him. If I were a woman back then, with how much you’ve seen of me now, how many times would you have to marry me?” Ke Bu joked.
“Are you proposing right now?”
Here it was again—someone who didn’t understand jokes. In a moment like this, he should be teasing back, but instead he just followed the joke straight through, making it even more awkward. Ke Bu squeezed shampoo onto his hair and lowered his head, hiding a faintly bitter smile. “Too bad this isn’t ancient times. Too bad I’m not a woman.” He felt the conversation was drifting somewhere strange. Grabbing a handful of foam, he grinned mischievously. “Lord Zhi Li, let me help wash your hair too.”
Zhi Li pressed Ke Bu’s head into the water. White foam rippled across the surface. “I think you should wash yourself first.”
On the school bus back to campus, Zhi Li was just about to sit down when Ke Bu darted into the window seat, wearing a triumphant expression as if he had won something. Zhi Li, however, sat down beside him as if nothing had happened. Even though Ke Bu had gotten the seat, he somehow felt defeated. “At least give me a reaction—like being annoyed that your seat was taken.”
“How annoying, my seat was taken.” The words and tone didn’t match at all, like a student mechanically reading a text.
“I suddenly feel so pathetic,” Ke Bu said, completely deflated.
“Ke Bu, in your previous life, you must have been a landlord. You seem very hard to please.”
“Zhi Li, in your previous life, you must have been Satan!!”
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