On a rainy night, the school beauty knocked on my door and asked for shelter

"Take a break!"

The formation emitted a synchronized grinding sound.

"After a full two weeks of hard work, everyone has completed the task perfectly!" He spoke concisely, without any unnecessary embellishment. He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room again, and emphasized, "You guys didn't let me down!"

The language was still rough and carried the unique atmosphere of the military camp, but it was like an invisible hand that instantly touched the softest string in the hearts of countless people, and many students' eyes immediately turned red.

“I’m not one to say nice things.” He paused, his gaze slowly and heavily sweeping over each face that was looking at him. “These past ten days or so, I’ve been ruthless and demanding of you, sometimes even heartless.”

Why? Because I know you can do it! You are not ordinary university freshmen; you are students of Xiangchuan Medical College! You are the most elite students in the eight-year clinical medicine program at Xiangchuan Medical College!
These are the doctors who will one day wear white coats and wield scalpels! Without iron discipline, without excellent physical fitness, without this tenacious spirit of perseverance, how will you save lives? How will you shoulder the weight of life entrusted to you by patients? How will you fulfill that heavy responsibility?

His voice wasn't loud; it was even lower than when he usually gave speeches. But every word seemed to carry immense weight, striking everyone's hearts and resonating with their souls.

"Today!" His voice suddenly rose, filled with pride, "You proved yourselves! You showed me your growth, your transformation! I am proud of you!"

The moment he finished speaking, he suddenly stood at attention, his body taut like a bow, and with a snap, gave a standard, powerful, and solemn military salute to all the students!

At this moment, all the complex emotions that had been building up in my heart—the hardships of training, the grievances of being punished, the camaraderie of fighting together, the conflicting feelings of fear and respect for the instructors, and the overwhelming sense of accomplishment and sorrow of parting—seemed to finally find an outlet.

"Salute—!" A passionate boy, his voice cracking with emotion, was the first to shout it out.

All the students, regardless of whether their movements were standard or not, and regardless of whether their arms were trembling, raised their right hands in unison with the utmost sincerity, to pay their highest respect to Instructor Lei, whom they both loved and hated, and to the person who had accompanied them through half a month of sun and rain.
Wang Lan was the first to break down, tears welling up in his eyes. He wiped them away with his sleeve without thinking and shouted in his already hoarse voice, "Thank you, Instructor Lei!"

Immediately following, a chorus of tearful expressions of gratitude erupted, merging into a torrent of emotion that echoed across the playground: "Thank you, instructor!"

"Thank you for your hard work, instructor!"

Many girls couldn't hold back their sobs and began to cry softly. Even Zhou Yue and Lin Xiaoxiao had tears in their eyes. Su Yuqing leaned on Chen Mo's shoulder and quietly wiped away the moisture from the corners of her eyes.

Without any further lengthy ceremonies, the group eventually announced its disbandment.

But the students did not leave immediately.

They spontaneously rushed forward, surrounding the instructors, wanting to say a few more words to them, take a photo together, and freeze this final moment with light and shadow.

Instructor Lei was surrounded by layers of people. His usually taut, bronze face finally managed to force out a gentle smile, albeit awkwardly.

Although the smile on his face seemed somewhat unnatural, even a little stiff, it was incredibly genuine and precious.

He awkwardly cooperated with his classmates' requests to take photos, occasionally accommodating the girls' peace signs that were completely unfamiliar to him, and sometimes reaching out to pat a boy on the shoulder and say, "Work hard in the future!" Chen Mo and Su Yuqing exchanged a smile, everything understood without words.

They walked hand in hand, slowly strolling along the edge of the bustling crowd, enjoying the tranquility amidst the noise.

"To be honest, these past two weeks have been really tiring, but now that it's suddenly over, I feel a little reluctant and unaccustomed to it," Su Yuqing said softly, her tone carrying the relief and ease of completing a major challenge, but also a hint of melancholy at the impending end of this special time.

"All good things must come to an end, but I'll always be here." Chen Mo gripped her hand tightly, his palm warm and strong. He turned to look at her, his gaze deep.

This somewhat cheesy and corny love confession resonated deeply with Su Yuqing.

Su Yuqing met his gaze, smiled sweetly, and understood all the unspoken words.

On the other side, Zhao Ya took a deep breath, mustered the greatest courage she had ever had, and walked through the crowd to Shen Xinghe, who was preparing to leave silently.

"Shen Xinghe." Her voice wasn't loud, but it sounded exceptionally clear amidst the noise, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor. "You said before that you would teach me to play the leaf flute, but I've been so busy with military training these past two weeks that I forgot. Now that military training is over, when are you free?"

Shen Xinghe stopped and turned around, his cool gaze falling on her face, which was slightly flushed with nervousness.

He looked at her quietly, and after a few seconds, nodded, his voice still calm but with a hint of gentleness, saying, "Anytime is fine when you don't have any free time while filming."

"Okay." Receiving Shen Xinghe's affirmative answer, Zhao Ya breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile bloomed on her face, like moonlight breaking through the clouds, carrying a sense of ease and relief.

This simple agreement, like a small bridge, quietly connects us to the future.

At this moment, Wang Lan had quickly shaken off the sadness of parting and excitedly pulled Li Zhe and a few other boys around her, loudly planning which restaurant on the back street of the school they would go to that night for a big meal to commemorate all the hard work they had put in these past few days and to let loose!
In the past two weeks, everyone's social circle has greatly expanded.

I'm no longer limited to talking only to a few people in my dorm; I'm making more and more friends.

The military parade ended close to noon, and the sun was shining brightly, with the unique clarity of autumn.

After the military parade ended, although I was still wearing my camouflage uniform, my nerves, which had been tense for half a month, had completely relaxed.

The crowd on the playground began to disperse naturally, moving towards the dormitory area or the commercial area outside the school gate.

"I'm starving! I'm starving!" Wang Lan rubbed her stomach and said to Li Zhe and the other boys with their arms around each other, "Hurry up, let's change out of this outfit first, then go to the commercial district to find a place to eat! I need to have a good meal of meat!"

"Let's go to Sister Wang's place, their barbecue is amazing, the ingredients are so fresh," a boy suggested. (End of Chapter)