Chapter 570: 571, Is it a dream? (first update)

The Qiao family is a local tycoon in Capital City — who could afford to provoke them?

Although several girls had stopped talking, they were still very upset inside.

Their faces complied, but their hearts did not.

After ten minutes, the military training continued.

The boy who had fainted earlier also came over to resume the training.

The days of military training were tense yet exhilarating, arduous yet joyful.

Over the next 20 days, just as Song Shiqin had said, no matter the wind or rain, everyone kept on going without stopping, persisting together. Qiao Muyan was so busy that she didn’t have time to pick on Chu Jin.

They were so tired they felt like their bones were falling apart.

After being dismissed each day, they would fall asleep on their beds without even having time to remove their makeup, snoring away.

If they had a little spare time, they would want to take an extra look at Song Shiqin.

After 20 days, everyone had tanned several shades darker as if they had returned from a vacation in Africa, but at the same time, they also seemed more energetic and had matured a lot.

Only Chu Jin seemed as if she hadn’t participated in the military training at all, her skin still as white as snow.

"Jin bro, what brand of sunscreen are you using? It’s so effective; look how dark I’ve gotten," during break time, a group of girls surrounded her, looking at Chu Jin with curious faces and asking.

After spending time together, the students of Chinese Literature Class 6 discovered that Chu Jin was like an all-capable goddess. She could solve anything, whether the boys could do it or not, without a hint of the delicateness expected of a beauty.

Thus, everyone unanimously called her, Jin bro.

Chu Jin twisted open her bottle of mineral water, thought for a moment, and then said, "Comfort face."

Normally she didn’t really use skincare products. At the age of eighteen or nineteen, in the prime of youth, there was no need for those chemical products. Because of the military training, she saw a set of sunscreen while shopping at the mall and bought it on a whim.

Upon hearing this, everyone showed a surprised expression, having thought that Chu Jin was using some high-end skincare products — it turned out to be such an affordable one.

Comfort face is a domestic skincare brand, extremely popular and common.

This goddess is too down-to-earth, right?

People couldn’t help but have a better impression of Chu Jin.

"I also use comfort face, how come there’s such a big difference between us?" a girl touched her sun-tanned face, speaking somewhat sadly.

"I’ve been using imported ones, you know." The ones I use are imported and cost five or six times more than comfort face, yet the effect isn’t even half as good. It’s really baffling.

Qiao Muyan stood behind a group of students, sneering.

Paupers are just paupers after all and only deserve such cheap skincare products.

With 10 days left until the end of military training, let Chu Jin be smug for a few more days. After 10 days, she was determined to make Chu Jin look foolish.

During this time, she had had enough of Chu Jin.

These students were blind, favoring Chu Jin, a pauper who couldn’t bring them any benefit or value, over their own Miss Qiao of the Qiao family. They had no discernment.

Fortunately, during this time, Song Shiqin hadn’t had much contact with Chu Jin, and there seemed to be nothing unusual between them. Otherwise, Qiao Muyan might have gone crazy.

Since it was the last day of in-school military training, the training ended around 3 p.m.

After Song Shiqin went over the precautions, he announced dismissal.

The last ten days were for wilderness training, testing the college students’ ability to survive in extreme outdoor conditions.

The students were quite looking forward to this training.

No need to stand at attention or march, just bring tents and daily necessities and live in the wilderness for ten days. It’s like going on a picnic, should be fun.

So, with liberation at hand, smiles were on everyone’s faces.

"We’re finally free!" a girl let out a long sigh and then stretched out her arms contentedly.

A passing upperclassman from the second year gave her a sympathetic look.

Back then, they were just as naïvely enthusiastic.

In the end, they learned that standing at attention and marching were the least of worries!

Wilderness training was the most brutal!

Back in the dormitory, Liu Meng Haoran was lying on the bed, snoozing away, Yin Wu was sitting there reading a book, and Qiao Muyan sat in front of the dressing table doing her makeup.

She had been going without makeup for more than twenty days, and now she could finally take her time to apply a delicate makeup look.

The next morning, before the sky had even brightened,

everyone had already assembled on the sports field.

The principal stood on the podium, holding a microphone, feeding everyone some motivational chicken soup.

About twenty minutes later, the lecture ended, and the instructors sent the class monitors to check everyone’s backpacks.

Apart from everyday clothes and medicine, all other items were confiscated.

"Ah... can’t we even bring food?"

"What are we supposed to eat for those ten days?"

"Damn, are we going to starve to death?"

"..."

"Oh my god, even skincare products are being confiscated?"

Peoples’ laments filled the air as they belatedly realized that this wilderness training might not be as glorious as they had imagined.

About an hour later, the students began to line up and head towards the school gates.

Rows of buses were parked outside the school gate.

There were also several military off-road vehicles parked behind the buses.

By then, the sky had already brightened.

"Those off-road vehicles look so cool." A few lively boys whistled in the direction of the vehicles.

The girls’ eyes sparkled with excitement.

Without the instructor or the counselors, the scene inevitably became a bit unruly.

Gradually, the line began to get chaotic.

"Chinese Literature Class 6, assemble over here." Chu Jin raised her little red flag and called out with a clear, melodious voice.

Despite the noise, her voice was clearly heard by everyone.

Everyone moved toward her and formed up in line.

Chu Jin waved her little red flag again and continued, "Now start lining up to get on the bus. Keep quiet inside the bus and don’t talk loudly."

"Brother Jin, can we sit wherever we want?" a boy asked—this was a perfect opportunity to flirt.

"Yes," Chu Jin nodded.

The crowd cheered and proceeded to board the bus in an orderly fashion.

Chu Jin followed onto the bus, and after roll call was done. When she wanted to sit down, she tragically found that the bus was already full.

Chu Jin was slightly embarrassed.

Qiao Muyan, sitting by the window, was secretly pleased with the situation.

The bus had exactly 58 seats, but there were 59 people in their class.

"Brother Jin, why don’t you squeeze in with us?" A girl with short hair and her friend scooted over to make a tiny space available.

"Brother Jin, you should sit with us," the boys nearby started to coax.

Even one boy sat on another’s lap to free up a full seat for Chu Jin.

"You guys shouldn’t mess around, okay," the bus driver interjected as he walked in, "If we get checked for overloading, it’ll cost 6 points off my license."

Right then, the counselor walked in and, smiling at Chu Jin, said, "Student Chu Jin, Class 8 happens to have an extra seat, come with me."

Such situations were common among the classes—sometimes there would be one person too many, other times one too few. The counselor was used to it by now.

Chu Jin nodded and followed the counselor.

As they approached Class 8’s bus, the Class 8 counselor informed them that the last empty seat had been taken by a student from another class.

With no other choice, the counselor had to lead Chu Jin back.

Chu Jin, dressed in a plain white T-shirt and ripped jeans, turned many heads; her slender figure resembled a graceful bamboo stalk.

As they passed a military off-road vehicle, the door swung open.

The first thing that caught the eye was a pair of gleaming army boots.

Looking up from the boots, they faced a pair of deep black eyes, whose piercing gaze felt somewhat daunting.

"No more seats?" Song Shiqin looked at the counselor and asked.

"Yes," the counselor nodded, "I was just about to take Chu Jin to another class to check."

"No need," Song Shiqin said indifferently.

"Huh?" The counselor was taken aback, not quite catching on.

Chu Jin was also slightly taken aback. Apart from the time they fought over the journalist’s camera, she had almost zero interaction with Song Shiqin during these 20 days.

Song Shiqin circled around to the other side of the car, opened the driver’s door, "It’s too much trouble, just take my car." As an instructor, Song Shiqin was also expected to accompany them on this wilderness training.

"This..." the counselor said, somewhat embarrassed, "Is that appropriate?"

He knew of Song Shiqin’s identity and even found it somewhat puzzling why the grand military chief of Hua Nation would come to Capital University to serve as an instructor for these new students, especially since his appointment seemed to be parachuted in at the last minute.

The originally scheduled military training on September 5 was postponed by one day on the evening right before it was due to start, and that very night, Song Shiqin arrived with his soldiers, replacing the previous instructor.

This sudden change had shocked the school leaders, who had been on tenterhooks ever since, hoping the military training would end soon for fear of accidentally angering the military chief.

"There’s nothing inappropriate," Song Shiqin said expressionlessly, "Get in, we’re leaving in 5 minutes."

The counselor could only glance at Chu Jin, thinking to himself, could this young woman be an old acquaintance of Song Shiqin’s? Otherwise, why would Song Shiqin be so nice to her?

Without putting on airs, Chu Jin simply said "Thank you" and then sat in the passenger seat.

Unperturbed.

"Then we’ll trouble Instructor Song," said the counselor after a moment’s delay.

Song Shiqin replied as usual, "Of course," and then pulled open the door and got into the vehicle.

The atmosphere inside the car was somewhat stuffy.

Neither of them spoke.

Song Shiqin still had the demeanor of a stern instructor.

Chu Jin faced forward, without glancing sideways.

On the bus, Qiao Muyan witnessed all of this and felt her teeth itch with hatred! She was truly about to be driven mad by Chu Jin! She had never even ridden in Song Shiqin’s car, and now Chu Jin had managed to do so before her.

If she had known this would happen, she should have offered her seat! Then she would be the one sitting beside Song Shiqin right now!

Before long, the car started moving slowly, passing through the bustling city center to the quiet outskirts, and then onto the bumpy mountain road, causing the people in the bus to sway back and forth. Without their phones, everyone just closed their eyes and leaned back in their seats to sleep.

Throughout the journey, neither Song Shiqin nor Chu Jin said a word.

"There’s a phone in the storage compartment on your left, if you’re bored you can take it out and play," Song Shiqin suddenly spoke up. Although he was talking to Chu Jin, his eyes remained firmly fixed on the road ahead.

Chu Jin was stunned for a moment before she realized he was speaking to her. She turned her head and said, "No, thank you," then slowly closed her eyes, leaning back in the seat to rest.

Song Shiqin didn’t say more, his hands firmly on the steering wheel as he drove attentively.

Time passed, but how much, who knew?

Chu Jin seemed to have entered dreamland.

In her dream, something seemed to be pressing down on her, heavy and burdensome, with warm breath spraying on her face.

It was a very real, very clear sensation.

Chu Jin could even feel the other person’s slow and powerful heartbeat.

Thump thump thump—

One after another.

And then the scent of medicine lingering around her nose, light and subtle, not pungent but rather relieving fatigue, making one somewhat covetous of the scent.

It was the fragrance of a very familiar medicinal herb.

What herb could it be?

Chu Jin frowned slightly, as if an answer was on the verge of emerging in her mind, but she just couldn’t remember it.

She tried hard to open her eyes but her eyelids felt as they were glued shut, unable to open, with nothing but darkness before her.

Then, a pair of warm, soft lips touched hers, their tongue extended but not penetrating deeply, just gently outlining the shape of her lips, inch by inch.

Inch by inch of yearning.

Inch by inch of infatuation.

Inch by inch of tenderness.

Inch by inch of entanglement.

The scent of medicine become clearer, passing from his lips to hers, enveloping her in the familiar fragrance.

Was it a dream?

If it was a dream, why did that sigh lingering in her ear sound so familiar?

If it was a dream, why did the scent of the medicine feel so well-known?

If it wasn’t a dream, then who was he?

The rough palm moved to her collarbone, gently caressing it, slightly ticklish, devoid of any lustful air, only deep affection.

The lips that were pressed against hers did not move away.

The rough touch on her collarbone was still there.

Chu Jin suddenly opened her eyes to find — nothing.

The car was still traveling on the road.

Next to her, Song Shiqin was driving with an expressionless face.

The car was moving fast; the scenery outside the window turned into a blur.

The sunlight streamed through the windshield, somewhat dazzling. Chu Jin subconsciously raised her hand to shield her eyes, slightly furrowing her brow.

The hand under the sunlight looked almost transparently white.

Thin sweat appeared on her pale forehead.

Her heart was still a bit panicked.

Seeing this, Song Shiqin immediately reached up and pulled down the sun visor above Chu Jin’s head.

"What’s wrong?" Song Shiqin turned his gaze and asked, "Are you feeling unwell? Do you want to stop and rest for a while?"

This was the second of the few words that Song Shiqin had said during the entire trip.

Chu Jin then came back to her senses and smiled politely, "I’m fine; there’s no need to stop the car."

"Are you sure you’re okay?" Noticing the unnatural paleness on her face, Song Shiqin asked with some concern.

Chu Jin’s tone was light, "I’m really okay."

In the closed car besides her and Song Shiqin who was driving, there was no one else.

Everything was reminding her that all that had just been a dream.

Was it really a dream? But why was the touch on her lips still so vivid?

If it wasn’t a dream, then how could all this be explained?

It must have been a dream.

Because there was no third person in the car at all.

Chu Jin furrowed her eyebrows and touched her own red lips, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. Suddenly, she thought about Mr. Mo. Wasn’t this experience somewhat unfair to Mr. Mo?

How could she have had such a dream out of the blue?

Song Shiqin freed one hand, took a bottle of water from the storage compartment, and handed it to her, "Drink some water. If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, tell me directly, don’t be shy."

Chu Jin was startled at first, then realized what he meant, took the water, and thanked him.

She twisted the cap and took a sip, her eyebrows raising in surprise.

Expecting it to be just ordinary mineral water, she hadn’t anticipated a hint of fragrance within it, somewhat like peach blossoms, faint and subtle, the sensation soft and refreshing upon tasting.

With a hint of sweet fragrance.

A stunning flavor.

It looked like nothing more than plain water, but it concealed a wealth of beauty within.

Chu Jin couldn’t help but take a few more sips.

Then, Song Shiqin spoke again, "Take another nap; we probably have another hour before we reach our destination."

"Okay," Chu Jin replied softly, without further words.

This time, she fell asleep again, but did not have that strange dream anymore.

By the time they reached their destination, the sun was high in the sky, past noon.

Everyone gathered at the foot of a mountain.

Surrounded by dense jungles, tall trees, mountains, and water, various bird calls and insect sounds filled the air, the only thing missing was signs of human life.

"Everyone present, assemble."

Even though they had driven nearly six hours, Song Shiqin still looked energetic and not at all tired, his figure imposing, his military uniform showcasing the spirit and heroism of a soldier.

"At ease, attention."

Though the students weren’t wearing military uniforms, performing such actions was still impressively sharp and splendid.

Song Shiqin looked at everyone and spoke in a deep voice, "Next, I’m going to discuss the contents of this wilderness training with you. This training will last for ten days. No one is allowed to back out or evade their duties, rain or shine. Understand?"

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read