"Tomorrow morning at eight sharp, we'll meet at the entrance to Yangcheng East Station. Make sure you're wearing your camouflage uniform and bring your necessary luggage."
"The box has a list of what you'll need. You can follow the instructions on it to get ready."
As Staff Member Wang handed the box to Lü Qinglong with both hands, he made sure to add:
"Thanks."
Lü Qinglong nodded, took the box in one hand, and turned toward the door.
Seeing him, the parents on both sides immediately moved aside, clearing a wide path.
"Qinghan, I'm downstairs at your building!"
Lü Qinglong arrived at an apartment building and took out his phone to message Lin Qinghan.
Lin Qinghan was his childhood friend.
When he was six, he was in the senior kindergarten class. He stood 1.75 meters tall and weighed eighty kilograms. One day, he cheerfully headed home from school with his little yellow backpack on his back.
On the way, he suddenly saw three complete strangers dragging a girl from his class toward a van.
The girl called for help. Maybe he'd just gotten carried away in the heat of the moment, but he pulled the Arm Strength Bar out of his little yellow backpack and beat the three men until they were black and blue. He even left one of them in a vegetative state.
From then on, the two of them were inseparable, both on their way to school and on their way home.
"Got it, Brother Qinglong."
A voice message came back, her voice tinged with a hint of sleepiness.
A little while later, a young girl in a white dress came bouncing out of the building. Her whole figure had a fair, luminous glow.
"Did you just wake up from your nap?"
Lü Qinglong's voice softened as he looked at Lin Qinghan.
"Mm-hmm, I just woke up."
The girl stretched, showing off her graceful curves before Lü Qinglong.
She stood 1.7 meters tall, and her long legs were especially striking beneath her little black shoes with three-centimeter heels. She radiated youthful energy.
"Have you packed your things? I heard the school wants us to report the day after tomorrow."
"Don't forget anything, and remember to look at the guide I found online."
Lü Qinglong fussed over Lin Qinghan like a worried father, afraid she might leave something behind.
Ever since they were little, Lü Qinglong had always looked after Lin Qinghan, keeping her behind him whenever anything happened.
Her parents were businesspeople, but they hadn't objected to the two of them being so close. In fact, they thought highly of Lü Qinglong and often invited him over for meals.
"What about you, Brother Qinglong? I heard the National University of Defense Technology is starting soon, too. When are you going to tell Auntie you got in?"
"We can't keep hiding it forever. If you don't tell her, I will."
Lin Qinghan planted her hands on her hips and asked, looking a little indignant.
She knew what Lü Qinglong's family situation was like, but she had always felt that dragging this out wasn't a good idea. They couldn't keep it secret forever.
"Qinghan, I've already told my mom. There's something else I wanted to talk to you about this time."
"You already told her? That's great! So, what did you want to talk about, Brother Qinglong?"
"I'm planning to enlist and start out in the ranks."
"Huh? Wouldn't it be great to enlist after graduating from the National University of Defense Technology? You'd come out with the rank of Second Lieutenant."
The girl looked at Lü Qinglong, a little puzzled.
"I know, but my brother and my dad both started as conscripts and earned their commissions."
"Military Academy takes four years. That seems too long to me. I'll work hard and try to earn my commission within two years, then attend ten months of officer training. I'd still come out as a Second Lieutenant."
"And you know what my family's situation is like, Qinghan. What do you think?"
Lü Qinglong looked at the girl earnestly.
"I agree, Brother Qinglong. You know I trust you no matter what."
The girl hugged Lü Qinglong around the waist, buried her face against him, and took a deep sniff. Then she said, satisfied:
Lü Qinglong smiled. She'd always liked doing that, ever since they were little. It meant she trusted him.
"Oh, by the way, I heard Cheng Liang from our class is enlisting, too. He's booked several tables at a restaurant tonight and invited our whole class."
"He announced it in the class group. Should we go?"
Lin Qinghan tilted her head up and looked at Lü Qinglong's reassuring face.
"Huh? He invited us? There hasn't been a message in that group for ages. I thought I'd left it."
Lü Qinglong took out his phone and handed it to Lin Qinghan, puzzled.
Lin Qinghan took it, entered the unlock code, and tapped around for a moment.
"Brother Qinglong, you didn't leave. They blocked you from seeing the messages. Here, look at mine."
Lin Qinghan took out her own phone and opened the class group. The chat was bustling, with everyone talking about how upscale the restaurant Cheng Liang had booked was:
"Shunshui Tower? I heard the average meal there costs more than five thousand yuan per table."
"Cheng Liang—no, President Cheng—is so awesome! He booked four tables in one go. There are only a little over thirty people in our class, but that's our President Cheng for you!"
"Nothing special. As agreed, everyone, six sharp tonight in Room 308 on the third floor. I'll be waiting there!"
More than half the class had sent messages in the group.
"Seriously? Then Cheng Liang clearly doesn't want me showing up and crashing the party. I'll sit this one out."
Lü Qinglong shook his head, declining.
Cheng Liang's family worked in real estate. When they'd just started high school, he'd seen Lin Qinghan and gone crazy trying to pursue her.
But Lin Qinghan found him annoying and made it clear she didn't like skinny guys, telling him to give up.
Naturally, Lü Qinglong, who was always with Lin Qinghan on her way to and from school, became the target of his resentment.
At the time, Cheng Liang had tried to find people to deal with Lü Qinglong. But the local punks he knew outside school were so scared when they heard Lü Qinglong's name that they could barely stand, and they repeatedly refused.
Left with no choice, he started making snide remarks about Lü Qinglong every day, openly or under his breath, just to get under his skin.
At first, Lü Qinglong didn't care about him at all. But later, the guy went too far and finally got on Lü Qinglong's nerves.
Lü Qinglong found an opportunity to give him a good beating, including a kick to the gut and a face full of dragon fruit, then performed CPR on him. That soon knocked some sense into him.
After that, he kept well away from Lin Qinghan.
"Did Auntie cook at home today?" the girl asked, looking up.
"Huh? Let me check. Looks like my mom told me to fend for myself. She went to the neighboring province today and hasn't come back yet."
"Then we'll do what I say! We're going out to eat!"
"Wait here. I'll get my dad's car."
Lin Qinghan bounced back into the apartment building.
A little while later, she came back down with a car key.
She led Lü Qinglong over to her dad's Mercedes-Benz G-Class, got into the driver's seat, and opened the passenger door from inside. Then she waved him over.
"Come on, Brother Qinglong! I'll drive us there!"
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