Chapter 85: Dropped Chain at Critical Moment

  The military training time is passing day by day, and it has been five days now. On the sixth day's morning, Officer Shang came and selected a few male and female students, saying that they would be representing their class in the flag-raising ceremony during the military training performance review.

  I think I didn't kick well enough, so naturally there was no me. The boys in our class chose three people: Ji Fengyuan, Wu Hanwen and Li Murongyu, while the girls only chose one person, Lü Wuyi. This made many boys and girls envy them, which is a kind of recognition of the military training results.

  Gan Lingling blinked her eyes on the side, both admiring and jealous. Li Muyue was very happy to be in close proximity with Lian Wuyu, which had always been his hope. I originally didn't have anything to envy, but seeing Ji Fengyuan inside, I couldn't help but think about it. If only I had taken training more seriously back then... But as they say, "there's no medicine for regret" - that's why there's the phrase "if only I had known". Now all I can do is watch. Wu Hanwen turned his head to look at me, seemingly indicating that I shouldn't lose heart either. I smiled back at him, telling him it was okay, that I could handle this little setback.

  The four of them left our formation and went somewhere else for training, and we continued with our training.

  In the afternoon, the sun hid in the clouds and it started raining. After gathering, our instructor led us to an empty classroom downstairs for a temporary rest until the rain stopped before continuing training. We've been having military training for six days already, with sunny weather all along, so everyone didn't know that rain could have such benefits too. For a moment, everyone said it would be great if the rain wouldn't stop soon, so we could take a longer break.

  Suddenly, someone pointed to the playground and said: "Oh my god, look! There are still people training on the playground, it's raining heavily and they're still training. Which class is this? They're so dedicated to their training. Their instructor must be very strict!"

  "You don't know, do you? The ones training on the playground are either the flag team or the military boxing team. For us, as long as we march in sync and shout slogans loudly, it's fine. Of course, there's no pressure then. But they can't afford to slack off, their performance is tomorrow afternoon and they need to make every second count."

  "But isn't this a bit too much? What if they catch a cold? It would be a waste. However, looking at their spirit, I think the possibility of them catching a cold is low."

  "Who says it's not? Look quickly, isn't that Ji Fengyuan holding the flag over there? And isn't that Li Wuxiao behind him? They look very impressive. Usually during training, they don't stand out, but at critical moments, they really do a great job!"

  As soon as I heard Ji Fengyuan, I quickly turned my head towards the direction that classmate was pointing at. Ji Fengyuan stood with his right hand saluting and his left hand grasping a corner of the five-star red flag, marching in step with his head held high. His face was covered in water droplets flowing downwards. It was unclear whether it was rainwater or sweat, but it didn't match his usual gentle and refined appearance. He looked very majestic, indeed people who are serious are the most beautiful.

  I was staring in the direction of Ji Feng's distant figure, when I heard a female voice behind me saying that some girls were infatuated with him, maybe because they felt a little guilty. I quickly shifted my gaze to the male students practicing military boxing, and the one standing at the front demonstrating was none other than Xuan Yuan Ruo. This guy is always the leader wherever he goes, while the other boys are all posing, he's walking around correcting their stances, isn't that what instructors are supposed to do? It seems Xuan Yuan Ruo has gained recognition from the instructor too, he can really thrive in any environment. No wonder, not only does he learn Tai Chi, but also martial arts, don't underestimate him. When it's time for the male students' military boxing performance, I'll definitely watch him show off his skills.

  After the rain, we continued to train diligently. As our instructor said, "A rainbow always appears after the storm, and it won't be long before we can successfully conclude." He asked us to come up with a slogan for our class, something that would sound loud and clear when spoken. If Season Wind were here, he would definitely be the one to do it, but unfortunately, he's not here. Instructor Wang suddenly said, "Which of you has good language skills?"

  I was pushed out in a grand manner, and the one who pushed me out was still Gan Lingling. She said: "Teacher, our classmate Nan Xiuxiu is the champion of n city's junior high school entrance examination for girls, with the same score as Ji Fengyuan. If Ji Fengyuan wasn't here, she would definitely be fine." What does that mean? If Ji Fengyuan isn't here, I'm definitely fine; if Ji Fengyuan is here, I'm still fine.

  The instructor walked up to me and said, "Oh, in that case, Nan Xixi, this slogan is now yours. Tell me tomorrow, we'll start practicing early tomorrow morning." I could only agree, how could I say no to the instructor? Wouldn't that be giving Gan Lingling a free laugh? I looked up, smiled and said, "Yes, instructor. I will do my best."

  When I was resting, I wasn't chatting with Li Qiaoqiao, but sitting alone thinking about what good slogans there could be. What about "hard work and diligence in study" - definitely many classes have used that before, no good. How about "upholding integrity and pursuing loftiness"? That sounds a bit too empty. What to do? In the end I decided to use one that, although it doesn't sound very original, is quite suitable for shouting slogans. Just then, I saw our instructor talking with the male students' military training instructor over there, asking them how their slogan was coming along. I thought, why not go ask for some advice? If theirs is better than ours, I'll tell Instructor Wang; if not, I'll go back tonight and think it over carefully. And while I'm at it, I'll go take a look at Xuan Yuanrui - that guy has been acting cool lately, we haven't spoken in almost two months! I want to ask him what's going on.

  So I slowly walked up to Officer Shangguan and heard their slogan, which was "Study hard every day and strive for excellence". Suddenly, I gained confidence and said: "Officer Shangguan, I've thought about our class slogan a bit, do you think it's feasible?"

  Shangguan said, "Go ahead, it shouldn't be more disgusting than their class slogan."

  "This is certain, I said: 'Youth is infinite, courage is advancing. Building dreams and prestige, who else but me.'"

  Shangguan Jing laughed and said to the instructor next to him, "See? This is a slogan. The one in your class is really too vulgar, who came up with it?"

  As soon as this was said, the instructor's face turned black, and the students of Class 9 all burst out laughing. I think it's not far from ten that this instructor himself thought so, and estimated that before he still thought this slogan was very good and wanted to show off. The instructor coughed and said: "Classmates of Class 9, listen up, our class slogan may be vulgar, but it is practical, those fancy ones like flower racks, we don't want to learn from them, you all shout out loud for Instructor Wang to see how powerful our slogan sounds."

  The boys in Class 9 are numerous and their voices are loud, so they must be loud too. Indeed, one of their shouts is louder than several of ours.

  "Hey, Xiao Wu, you can't talk like that! How can you call her a flower vase? Look, the girl standing in front of you is an excellent student and the top scorer among all the girls in N city's elementary school entrance exams. She's not someone your classmates can compare to!"

  Officer Xiao Wu's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he looked at me with a serious expression, saying: "Officer Shang, you're not bringing such an arrogant attitude..." The boys and girls from Class 9 were also staring at me, probably wanting to see if I had three heads and six arms. I was very calm and looked back at them, especially at Xuan Yuan Ruo. As a result, Xuan Yuan Ruo didn't even have a hint of a joyful expression. When I saw him smile so happily, he should have at least given me a smile in return. Instead, he put on airs and I went to tease him.

  I walked up to Xuan Yuan Ruo and said in a sweet tone, "Ruo, long time no see! Didn't Bei Cheng tell you I called you? Why didn't you answer my call? We've been desk mates for years, after all." After I finished speaking, I could clearly feel the muscles on his face twitching. Yes, I had never called him by his name in such a familiar way before - it was always Xuan Yuan or Xuan Yuan Ruo. Seeing that he didn't say anything, I added, "There's going to be a class reunion after military training ends, you have to come! I'll leave now and not disturb your training." With that, I achieved my goal and walked away leisurely.

  Then some boys ran over to ask Xuan Yuanrui, "Xuan Yuanrui, is that Nan Xiuxiu? Were you and she classmates before? How did she usually study? She looks delicate and lovely, are you very familiar with her?" Many boys asked Xuan Yuanrui, who was annoyed and said, "No comment." He then went to find a place to rest. It was because of this that not long after, a storm really broke out, saying I had one foot in several boats, it's really unjust.

  It's finally time for the military training performance this afternoon, and each team is preparing for a perfect finale. Our class is no exception. Officer Shang asked us to practice our marching again to prevent mistakes during the performance. To be honest, I felt a slight pain in my knee yesterday during training, but I thought it was just fatigue and that it would get better after the training ended. However, today it hurts even more, and although I can still bear it, when we were doing the goose step march, my knee couldn't straighten or lift high. Standing in the first row, I was too conspicuous. As we marched, my leg suddenly trembled and I fell to the ground. Officer Shang came over to ask me what happened, and I told him honestly that my knee hurt terribly. He asked if I could hold on, but I hesitated, clearly uncertain.

  At this moment, Xuan Yuan suddenly ran over. We were from Class 10 and they were from Class 9. When we entered the venue, we were right next to each other. I fell down and he immediately saw me. Xuan Yuan said to the instructor: "Reporting to the instructor, Nan Xiuxiu is a girl with a strong sense of collective honor. She must have been unable to hold on, otherwise she would never have fallen at a critical moment. I hope the instructor will allow me to take her to the hospital."

  Upper Officer said: "Xuanyuan, I know you and Nanxiangxiang are good friends, but the military training report performance is about to start. You're still the leader of your class's military boxing team, and I won't be able to leave for a while. Why don't I call her parents to come take her to the hospital instead? That would be more responsible for her."