I thought you'd learned to cluck

Jian Li was no ordinary guy!

Watching that tall, casually rugged figure walk away, the veteran intelligence operative and the veteran Domestic and International Affairs Bureau informant reached the same conclusion.

Both narrowed their eyes, their expressions inscrutable.

"How much do you think he heard?" Shi Huayi asked in a low voice.

Zhou Nan kept scrubbing himself. "Not sure, but he's certainly light on his feet."

The reconnaissance skills these two outstanding Military Academy graduates had learned had proved completely useless.

They had only discovered that their supposedly safe space had been breached because the intruder deliberately made a sound.

"A little embarrassing," Shi Huayi sighed.

Zhou Nan said, "More than a little."

Ten minutes later, the two walked out of the bathhouse.

Yuan Feng rushed inside, unable to wait any longer.

Lu Yuanhang followed him.

Although he looked reluctant, the smell of his own sweat finally persuaded him to grudgingly shower with someone else.

"Don't you peek at me," Lu Yuanhang muttered disdainfully.

Yuan Feng turned at that, wearing an expression that said, "Is there something seriously wrong with you?" He had no intention of responding to Lu Yuanhang and simply started stripping.

The camera malfunction happened to be fixed just then, and the livestream picture became clear again.

[Yuan Feng's looking good! Perfect definition, and you can tell his core is strong. Was he the top or the bottom in that web drama?!]

[Lu Yuanhang really has some nerve. He's skin and bones, yet he's worried someone will peek? What exactly is there to look at?]

[Have you noticed the viewer count has been shooting up since they started showering? We're about to break the all-time record!]

[That's normal. The screen's overflowing with testosterone. Aren't you excited?!]

[Excited! I've already lost several vials' worth of blood to nosebleeds!]

As they showered, Lu Yuanhang noticed out of the corner of his eye that Yuan Feng was entirely focused on washing and had no intention of looking his way. Annoyed all over again, he rolled his eyes. "Did you hear what Jian Li said earlier?"

"What?" Yuan Feng was rinsing his hair and gave him a perfunctory reply.

"He said he forgot to put on underwear." Lu Yuanhang curled his lip. "I get wanting to become famous, but isn't this kind of attention-seeking a little disgusting?"

[What?! Li was going commando just now?! Oh my god! Why didn't the cameraman give us more shots?!]

[Exactly! At least let us try to make out the outline!]

[I feel like I missed out on a hundred million! Why did the camera have to malfunction right then?!]

"Disgusting? I don't think so. I forget to wear it pretty often too."

Especially when he went out on missions in the middle of the night. That chilly draft through his crotch was seriously uncomfortable.

That was what the thoroughly straight Yuan Feng thought as he sped up his shower.

Although he couldn't figure out what Lu Yuanhang was getting at, the blatant passive-aggressive act instinctively put him off.

"I'm done." Yuan Feng turned off the shower, hastily pulled his clothes on, and started to leave.

Lu Yuanhang hurriedly called him back. "Wait! What am I supposed to do if you leave so quickly? Won't that make me look slow?!"

Yuan Feng glanced sideways at him. Seeing that he had only just taken off his camouflage uniform and was testing the water temperature, he said, "What does you being slow have to do with me? Ridiculous!"

[He's reached a whole new level of shameless. No wonder our boy wants to stay far away!]

[Trying to use someone else as a shield? Who does he think he is?!]

[We're not your dad. Nobody's obligated to indulge you!]

Watching the comments fill the screen, the paid trolls couldn't find any opening to post. Their team leader turned to their boss. "Can we cancel this job?"

These netizens were absolutely vicious. They couldn't compete!

Sometimes the comments even swayed them, making them want to join in with a few insults of their own!

The boss looked equally troubled. "You think I don't want to? But who can afford to offend a rising business star like Lu Siqi? Besides... they're paying too much!"

He stood and patted the troll team leader on the shoulder. "Keep looking for an opening. Once we finish this job, we'll have met our targets for the year. Bonuses will be paid early!"

The team leader sighed. "...I'll try."

The afternoon training session took place indoors.

Feng Dayuan stood at the blackboard as the instructor, his expression as stern as ever. "Although we won this morning's field battle easily, we absolutely cannot get complacent. As far as I know, everyone the Red Team sent out was a raw recruit with very little practical combat experience."

"And after suffering a defeat, they'll definitely be fired up. In the next field battle, they'll send their best troops to reclaim their lost pride."

"What we need to do is..."

He paused and looked at Jian Li. "What is it? You answer."

"Uh..." Jian Li's lips curved into a flippant smile. "Let them save a little face?"

"Wrong!" Feng Dayuan was clearly taking this seriously, bristling and glaring. "What we need to do is cut that face into insoles!"

He turned and pointed to the map on the blackboard. "This is the highest point on Deserted Island, and the objective of our next field battle-the Hilltop Capture Battle!"

"Whichever team reaches the top first wins!"

The guests seated below the podium nodded, showing little emotion.

Having already suffered one defeat, Lu Yuanhang secretly studied the others. I won't be unlucky enough to draw the undercover role again this time, will I?

As long as he coasted along with everyone else, he probably wouldn't have to face another punishment.

"In this Hilltop Capture Battle, a direct confrontation is unavoidable. There's a strong chance you'll engage the enemy in close-quarters combat. If you lose, you'll be captured and become leverage for the other side's victory."

"So in the training ahead, you'll learn not only tactics, but hand-to-hand combat as well."

Feng Dayuan's sharp gaze swept across all the guests' faces. "You were all selected through professional fitness testing, so your physical condition should certainly meet the standard. I'm confident..."

When his eyes landed on Lu Yuanhang, he abruptly paused, unable to get the rest of his words out.

He turned toward the monitor, and the director behind it guiltily avoided his gaze.

Unable to sit still after being so blatantly looked down on, Lu Yuanhang stood straight up. "Don't worry. I won't hold everyone back. I took fencing lessons as a kid."

"Pfft." Jian Li laughed.

Lu Yuanhang glared at him. "What are you laughing at? I'm not lying!"

"I didn't say you were." Jian Li waved a hand. "I just misheard. I thought you'd learned to cluck like a chicken."

"Hahahahaha!"

Yuan Feng slapped his thigh and obligingly burst into uproarious laughter.

The other guests couldn't help laughing either.

Only Huo Xiao gave it some serious thought. "Your pronunciation really wasn't clear. You'll need to correct that if you're going to act."

"You guys..." Lu Yuanhang's face flushed scarlet. "You've gone too far!"

No longer caring that they were still filming, he turned and ran out of the classroom. He had expected someone to stop him, but after waiting by the door for ages, all he heard was Feng Dayuan continuing his lesson on tactics.

"This is blatant exclusion!" Lu Yuanhang complained to the cameraman through gritted teeth. "Isn't the production team going to do anything?!"

The cameraman couldn't help rolling his eyes. "Didn't you bring it on yourself?"

Lu Yuanhang's expression cracked. "What?!"