The Sinister Night

Chapter 41: The Eerie Night

Youth is wasted if not spent in passion!

The soldiers in the camp were also spirited young men, and now with so many college girls visiting, the soldiers naturally wanted to put on a good show.

Playing instruments, singing, dancing, and sword fighting!

They gave it their all!

Such displays of tough masculinity mixed with tenderness held a unique charm for the innocent and naive young girls, different from ordinary boys.

Of course, this would have been the likely outcome if Zhao Rui hadn't intervened.

But now, with Zhao Rui setting such a high bar, the so-called tough masculinity mixed with tenderness lost some of its luster.

The bonfire party was only halfway through when the girls from the accounting department started egging Zhao Rui on to perform.

Zhao Rui naturally refused, but he couldn't resist when even their counselor, Liu Jie, joined in the teasing with great interest. The outcome was predictable.

Zhao Rui had no choice but to stand up helplessly and walk to the bonfire under the watchful eyes of the students and soldiers.

He said loudly, "I'll sing a song a cappella! Please bear with me if I don't sing well."

After speaking, he took the microphone handed to him by a soldier, cleared his throat slightly, recalled the melody from his past life, and began to sing slowly!

"The beacon fires rise, the empire gazes north, the horses neigh..."

With the support of his powerful inner qi, the resonant melody roared like an army of thousands, echoing throughout the entire camp!

The song painted a picture of a group of warriors charging bravely towards the enemy through adversity, their charge unstoppable even amidst the barrage of artillery fire and the corpses strewn behind them.

Everyone had expected him to sing some sentimental love song to entertain the female college students and show off a little.

They never imagined that this kid would directly belt out a song they had never heard before, yet one so grand and inspiring that it made their blood boil.

"This kid is getting more and more interesting!"

The camp commander, drinking tea with Vice Principal Peng not far away, had a sharp glint in his eyes, as if piercing through the crowd to fix his gaze directly on Zhao Rui.

"Principal Peng, does your school have any openings for students to transfer to the army..."

Vice Principal Peng quickly laughed it off, saying, "The child just started his first year of college; his life is just beginning! Commander Sun..."

"I was just saying!"

Commander Sun smiled calmly, as if he had indeed just spoken casually.

"I am willing to defend our land and expand our borders; the glorious China shall welcome tributes from all directions!"

The word "tributes" shot up to the heavens like a dragon ascending, or like the bright sun illuminating the world, instantly igniting the passion of everyone present.

Especially the soldiers in the camp, they felt their blood boiling, wishing they could roar to the sky and let the peaceful world know that this beautiful land was being protected by their bloodshed.

"One more, one more!"

After the song ended, this time, not only the college girls were clamoring for more, but even the surrounding soldiers joined in the demand.

Zhao Rui quickly waved his hands and returned to his group amidst the "screams of surprise" from the girls.

Once is enough to steal the spotlight; too much can lead to aesthetic fatigue!

"Second brother, you're my real brother! So cool!"

As soon as he sat down, Le Bin leaned over, threw an arm around Zhao Rui's neck, and shouted excitedly.

He already had a delicate, feminine appearance, and in the flickering light of the bonfire, he looked even more alluring than a woman.

The sight startled Zhao Rui, making him almost push Le Bin away forcefully.

He decided he would stay far away from Le Bin in the future and definitely not spend too much time together.

It had nothing to do with gender discrimination; he was simply afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself and would be attracted to both men and women!

He should suggest Le Bin grow a beard someday!

Zhao Rui awkwardly removed Le Bin's arm and patted his shoulder, saying, "You're my real sister too, no, my real brother!"

"I'll introduce my sister to you another day!"

Le Bin chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Don't tell me you have a sister who looks exactly like you?"

Zhao Rui's pupils widened in surprise.

"Holy crap, how did you know!"

Now it was Le Bin's turn to be astonished.

"Sigh, how boring. Why are you so smart!"

Zhao Rui's facial muscles twitched. It wasn't that he was smart; it was just that this kind of thing happened in TV shows in his past life, and he never expected to encounter it for real now.

He looked at Le Bin's face and a "bad" image immediately flashed in his mind.

Sin, sin!

It's all the fault of those perverted Japanese dramas.

The bonfire party continued with lively performances, lasting until past 8 PM, when the entire military training camp activity finally concluded.

Zhao Rui and the other students, led by their drill instructors and accompanying teachers, followed the original path and hiked back to the school under the moonlight.

The journey was far from "peaceful"; one girl sprained her ankle, another got a leg cramp.

It wasn't just the girls; a few boys also suffered muscle injuries due to the prolonged hike.

Zhao Rui busied himself like a field medic. Whether the injuries improved or not, he gained over ten new WeChat friends from the girls!

At this moment, he had clearly become the soul of the entire team.

The road was long, and to alleviate their fatigue, the lead instructor even suggested Zhao Rui teach everyone to sing that song, "Jing Zhong Bao Guo," as they walked.

Zhao Rui didn't refuse. He had loved this song in his previous life, and teaching more people to sing it was a joy in itself.

Soon, the long line of students marched towards the brightly lit city, their voices singing loudly.

Under the night sky, the wind was clear, songs were sung, and the time of high summer bloomed with the scent of youth, unfolding into an unforgettable life melody.

The next day, on the vast sports field, neat rows of students marched in formation past the basketball court.

Although the instructors demanded that the trainees keep their eyes straight ahead and not look around, it didn't stop them from secretly observing this "world" out of the corner of their eyes.

In another corner of the "world," five companies were leisurely hiding under the cool shade of the trees, drinking mineral water and singing songs, enjoying themselves.

This stood in stark contrast to those who were marching in formation under the scorching sun, drenched in sweat.

It's not poverty but inequality that troubles people!

Why?

"Instructor, why aren't they training?"

During a break, a curious student sidled up to an instructor and voiced everyone's confusion.

"They earned it. It's said to be a special approval from the camp commander and your school leaders!"

"Damn, there's such a thing?"

"Don't worry, it's your turn to march this afternoon. Maybe you'll get a break too!"

The instructor smiled mischievously. It was said that because of Zhao Rui's "troublemaking," the camp commander had ordered that all instructors would have to run twenty kilometers with a weighted load if they lost to ordinary students again.

"I'm a little excited. I heard we're running five kilometers first this afternoon? Instructor, are you tired?"

"Not tired at all! Not even a little bit!"

The instructor said nonchalantly.

On the field, the five college squads, led by the Accounting College, were leisurely enjoying the two-hour break Zhao Rui had won for them yesterday.

However, even though they could rest, they still had to stay within the boundaries of the sports field, maintain their formation, and not move around freely.

"Zhao Rui, come here for a moment!"

Just after finishing the tea egg handed to him by a girl from his class, Zhao Rui was called over by his counselor, Liu Jie.

"I just asked, and Principal Hao also knows about you. With your conditions, you're perfectly qualified to join the Martial Arts Team."

Liu Jie said in a gentle voice, small beads of sweat glistening on her delicate face, sticking a few strands of hair to her fair cheeks.

"Thank you, Teacher!"

"You're welcome. However, since you've chosen our Accounting College, you can't neglect your major courses. I asked for you; you can't transfer majors in your first year, only in your second. But there's never been a precedent for transferring to a Martial Arts major before. I'll communicate with the school about this matter again."

Liu Jie pursed her slightly dry lips and continued.

Seeing this, Zhao Rui quickly bent down, picked up a bottle of mineral water nearby, and handed it to her.

Liu Jie didn't stand on ceremony, took the mineral water, and took small sips.

Sunlight filtered through the clear bottle, casting dappled shadows on her face. The faint down on her skin was as soft and delicate as dandelion fluff in early spring.

"Go back. After the military training, you have to be my class monitor!"

After finishing her water, Liu Jie waved her hand, dismissing Zhao Rui.

Hearing her words, Zhao Rui's face fell. He wanted to retort, but Liu Jie shot him a glare, silencing him.

Zhao Rui had no choice but to return to the team reluctantly.

As for whether he would be the class monitor or not, he'd think about it later. He didn't want to waste his energy on such trivial matters.

However, since the counselor was so enthusiastic, he couldn't refuse too harshly.

Two hours passed in a flash. Soon, the instructor blew his whistle, gathering all the resting students, forming them into lines again, and resuming the "brand new" daily military training.

At Lin City First Middle School, in Class 2 of Grade 2, Zhao Ke found himself momentarily unable to react to the bright-eyed, radiant female classmate in front of him.

"What are you looking at? Take it if I'm giving it to you!"

The girl slightly tilted her swan-like neck, long and fair. Her words were domineering, yet carried a hint of concern.

It left him completely bewildered; he couldn't recall when their relationship had become so close.

"Well, thank you!"

Zhao Ke accepted the drink from the girl and quickly expressed his gratitude.

"No need to be so polite, you and your brother... we're all classmates! But don't get the wrong idea."

Hearing the girl's words, Zhao Ke frowned even harder. What did she mean by "get the wrong idea"? He hadn't even thought anything of it.

We're not even in the same circle!

"We'll be in the same class from now on, so we need to keep each other in check and study hard. My goal is Dongqi University! You can do it too!"

After speaking, the girl brushed past him. Her graceful figure, illuminated by the sunlight outside the window, was hazy and beautiful. A gentle breeze swept by, carrying a scent like hyacinths that lingered around his nose.

Wait, Dongqi University, your brother?

Zhao Ke's eyes widened instantly, and he looked at the girl's retreating back with disbelief.

Does she want to be my sister-in-law?

His face immediately fell. He quickly chased after her and, to her surprised expression, shoved the drink back into her slender hand.

"You..."

Watching Zhao Ke run away, the girl's delicate eyebrows furrowed, her face filled with confusion. What a strange boy, nothing like Zhao Rui.

Hmph!

On the last day of the first week of military training, the students had already adapted to the high-intensity drills.

They began to "recover" some of their extracurricular activities in an orderly fashion.

Things like drinking, barbecuing, singing, and playing games.

Meeting girls under the moonlight, sending warmth downstairs!

Zhao Rui also had a girl to meet, but she wasn't from the school.

After finishing military training, he took a cold shower in the dorm, changed his clothes, and left the school alone.

Not far from the school gate, at the entrance of a snack street, a graceful figure was delicately pinching a skewer of grilled gluten, eating it with relish.

"You people from the Demonic path also eat grilled gluten?"

Zhao Rui walked over, smelling the enticing barbecue aroma, and couldn't help but swallow.

After a tiring day, he was starving.

"If we don't eat grilled gluten, are we supposed to eat grilled human flesh?"

The woman's beautiful eyes glanced at Zhao Rui, and she said crisply, "We practice Sacred Sect Martial Arts, not the Demonic path. If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll castrate you!"

"This is a school, can you be more civilized!"

"How come the places outside the school all look like hotels? Are you university students only allowed to do it but not talk about it?"

"Cough cough!"

Zhao Rui quickly changed the subject. "So, what did you need me for?"

"I need a boyfriend to accompany me to meet someone."

The woman casually tossed the bamboo skewer she had finished eating. It drew a beautiful arc and landed accurately in a trash can about five meters away.

"This is a dating app, this is the contact information for a famous entertainment club in the city, and this is my classmate's contact information."

Zhao Rui scrolled through his phone, placing the screen in front of the woman.

"Don't come to me with these cheesy old tricks. I don't want to be your boyfriend and get myself into trouble!"

"Alright then! Pretend I didn't say anything. Let's go for a walk, I've never been to a university before!"

The woman smiled nonchalantly, took out a tissue from her exquisite leather handbag, and gently wiped her bright red lips, removing the residue of the gluten from the corner of her mouth.

"Universities are pretty much like this. I'm curious, what do you usually do? Do you have your own job?"

Seeing the woman start walking, Zhao Rui paused slightly and then quickened his pace to catch up.

"Accompanying men!"

"..."

"Besides accompanying men?"

"Absorbing Yang to supplement Yin!"

"..."

Zhao Rui looked at the brightly lit street and pointed to the intersection ahead. "Go straight, and that's the East Gate of our school. Sister Youyou, do you want to go in for a look?"

"Huh? How did you know my name is Youyou?"

"Your WeChat name..."

"Oh, what's your name?"

"Zhao Rui!"

"Aren't you curious why I stopped you that day?"

Youyou tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her movements gentle yet carefree, a stark contrast to her usual indifferent demeanor.

"Because you were also after that person, weren't you?"

Zhao Rui said calmly.

"Alright, brains that go to school are indeed sharp! He's a hooligan, he's already bullied several girls..."

Zhao Rui quietly listened to her voice, as cool and refreshing as mint, as she recounted the events of the past in the night.

Unhurried, exceptionally peaceful.

"The cafeteria is just ahead, want to go in and sit for a bit? I'll treat you to our school's food!"

The two walked slowly through the campus, like old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time, with an unexpected lack of awkwardness.