Chapter 78: Someone Has Fainted

"How could anyone do something like that?"
This was simply too much!
Jiang Qiqi could never have imagined it.
Shen Chaoxi had actually dumped a basin of water over her quilt, soaking it through.
Now that most of it was drenched, the night would be freezing.
Even though it was summer, the evening breeze would still be chilly.
Sleeping under a wet quilt would surely give her a cold.
"If it gets too bad, Qiqi, you can use mine," Gu Wan offered softly, comforting her.
After all, Jiang Qiqi had gotten soaked searching for Gu Wan's necklace, so it was only right that Gu Wan offer her own quilt.
But how could Jiang Qiqi possibly accept?
So, Jiang Qiqi could only swallow her grievances. She couldn't very well ask the instructors for a replacement.
There were rules at the training camp: each person was issued a specific set of items, and there were never extras for replacements.

By the next day, late summer heat still lingered.
The sun blazed down fiercely on the sprawling parade ground of the military base.
This was the central drill field, vast enough that all three training groups could assemble together as if it were their common ground.
Shen Chaoxi wore the camp's uniform; she looked slender and frail, her face even more gaunt after her recent injury.
Pale-faced, she stood in the second row, with Zhong Qing beside her. The instructor had just ordered them to spend the first day practicing their stance.
"Now, the first thing you must get rid of here are your bad habits. Stand like a pine—everyone should learn how to stand tall and straight. Only with a straight back does a person have spirit..."
The chief instructor's voice rang out across the field, while the sun bore down mercilessly on them.
Everyone stood rigid and silent, not daring to move or speak.
Perhaps it was the atmosphere, but this group from Capital University was visibly intimidated by the parade ground's aura.
Off to their right, a dense formation of men stood—soldiers stationed at the base.
They all wore black uniforms, and despite the scorching sun, not one fidgeted.
Their postures were upright, the very image of military discipline.
Ahead, from the right side of the field, four or five men in impeccably pressed uniforms approached.

At their head was a man who seemed to be the leader of the base. By his side walked a man with a tall, straight figure, his features strikingly handsome and austere. The uniform on him seemed enough to steal a young woman's soul.
"Wow!"
"Look, over there!"
The girls, who had been standing at attention, were instantly dazzled by the sight of the approaching group; some nearly lost their balance, their legs turning to jelly.
"How could there be such a handsome man in the world?" They were, for the most part, newly admitted to Capital University—girls who had little experience of the world.
Never before had they seen a man as stunning as the one who just passed by.
As he walked past, his dark, cool eyes swept over the trainees. He seemed indifferent, but Shen Chaoxi's brows drew together.
"He—he—he's looking at me!"
"My God, he's really handsome."
"I wish he could be my husband!"
The girls were utterly smitten, their imaginations running wild.
Faced with such a striking man, their first thought was to dream of him as their boyfriend. Some had even begun naming their future children.
They said training was bitter and exhausting, but what could compare to the happiness of seeing such a man here?
And not just any man—a devastatingly handsome officer in uniform!
In the Capital University girls' group, whispers began: "This training is amazing, we get to see the base's heartthrobs. I thought our instructors and those special forces officers next door were handsome enough, but I didn't expect..." Someone even more breathtaking.
And judging by his bearing, he was an officer—oh, who could understand?
They could barely keep from drooling.
Lu Fifteen walked beside Lu Yunzhou as they crossed the parade ground. Glancing at the new trainees, he kept his expression calm, but inwardly he was in turmoil.
Why did it seem like the captain was in a terrible mood?
Ever since their return, and after the base leader asked the captain to serve as chief instructor and give a speech, Lu Yunzhou's face had been dark and forbidding.
Although Lu Fifteen knew the captain was always cool and aloof, this was something else entirely.
But it was an important occasion, so Lu Fifteen dared not ask, simply following Lu Yunzhou toward the special forces unit.
"Wanwan, who is that?"
When Jiang Qiqi saw Lu Yunzhou, she was transfixed.
She didn't notice Gu Wan's embarrassed, slightly flushed face at all.
Jiang Qiqi continued obliviously,
"Is he an officer here?"
"He's so handsome."

Jiang Qiqi, in her entire life, had never seen such a young and handsome man, and by the looks of it, his status was not low.
Even the base's leaders walked alongside him, speaking with him as they headed toward the far end of the parade ground.
"I'm not sure..." Gu Wan, standing in formation, couldn't keep her eyes from trailing that tall, upright figure, her voice barely above a whisper.
Distracted, her gaze lingered on Lu Yunzhou.
She watched him walk away.
Shen Chaoxi was no different.
She narrowed her eyes,
watching the man's figure as he strode across the field of hundreds.
Heh, so you've left me here.
Why don't you come stand under this blazing sun yourself?
She was speechless.
But then, a sudden thought flashed through her mind—
and Shen Chaoxi's lips curled with mischievous intent.
"Something's wrong!"
"Someone's fainted!"
Suddenly, a startled cry rose from the crowd,
even catching the attention of the man addressing the special forces in the distance.
He frowned deeply, immediately looking toward the new trainees, his eyes darkening, his face growing grim.
"Captain?!"
Lu Fifteen was shocked.
He watched as Lu Yunzhou left the podium.
Meanwhile, some in the crowd were startled by the girl who had suddenly collapsed!
But most were only curious—usually, when someone fainted from heatstroke, the instructors would call the medics.
But in the next instant, Shen Chaoxi was swept up into someone's arms.
Gu Wan's eyes darkened,
a look of deep shock flickering in her heart
as she watched the man carry the unconscious girl away.