The villainous female supporting character beckons, and the aloof male lead kneels down to pamper he

The original training was three kilometers, but if she runs ten more laps, she will have to run at least five kilometers!

That would take half her life!

"Representative..." Lin Shuyao tried to be charming, fluttering her eyelashes and winking at him, "My alarm clock broke, that's why I'm late. I really didn't mean to. Can you give me a chance and let me run fewer laps? Please..."

"Is the alarm clock broken?"

Cheng Zheng remained expressionless, letting out a cold sneer. "Does the enemy care whether your alarm clock is broken or not on the battlefield?"

"But this isn't a battlefield..."

It's just regular military training, why make such a big deal out of it?

"Not a battlefield?"

"Have you forgotten your roots after only a few days of peace? The shelling along the southeast coast has never stopped, and American and Chiang Kai-shek spies are watching us from the shadows! Factory 306 bears the heavy responsibility of national defense. Every minute we are faster means that our domestically produced cars can reach the front lines a minute earlier, giving our country more confidence, ensuring that critical supplies arrive a day sooner, and reducing the bloodshed and sacrifice of our soldiers!"

"If you're going to say it doesn't matter if you're late, then you can get out of here right now!"

Cheng Zheng's dark eyes narrowed, his sharp gaze pressing down on her, and his voice suddenly rose.

Lin Shuyao was stunned by his shout, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

She wasn't deliberately late, nor did she neglect her work; it wasn't at all like he thought.

What right did he have to be so mean to her?

But she didn't dare confront him directly; she was afraid.

Her eyes were filled with tears, her eye rims were red, and her cheeks and the tip of her nose were flushed with a faint pink. She looked as delicate and fragile as a crabapple tree with dew on its branches.

Seeing her pitiful look, Cheng Zheng's Adam's apple bobbed, and his thin lips tightened. In the end, he didn't say anything more unpleasant about being late.

"Let's go for a run!"

A few seconds later, he looked away, his voice stiff.

Lin Shuyao pouted, feeling wronged, and without even looking at him, rushed towards the playground.

Feeling wronged and angry, she ran without thinking, wanting only to vent her anger.

The first two laps were fine, but gradually, the weakness from not having eaten breakfast began to creep in. She felt her limbs become heavy, as if she were wearing several heavy iron sandbags. With each breath, the air felt like knives scraping across her chest, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.

And the rubber shoes she was wearing were too hard and rubbed her feet raw.

She had her feet blistered by gravel when she was escaping in the mountains before. The wounds had scabbed over but hadn't fallen off yet, and now the rough uppers of her shoes were constantly rubbing against them, causing the scabs to crack open again.

Moreover, new wounds were rubbed into my heels and the sides of my feet, and every step I took felt like stepping on a knife's edge, burning with pain.

Lin Shuyao's pace slowed down involuntarily, and she staggered, running and walking.

"Stop dawdling!"

Cheng Zheng had been staring at the playground, and when he saw her stop, his cold, hard voice immediately came through.

Lin Shuyao had no choice but to speed up her pace again.

But her feet hurt so much that she had to stop after running a few steps, her face contorted in pain as she struggled to breathe. A small dark shadow had appeared on the surface of her army green shoes from the blood.

Cheng Zheng's gaze swept over the other comrades who were running laps—

A short female comrade was panting heavily, swinging her arms; the back of her uniform was soaked with sweat. The two men in front of her were pale and walked with heavy steps, yet they continued mechanically forward without stopping.

It's clear that everyone is entering the most difficult period, but they are all gritting their teeth and persevering.

Only one figure lagged far behind, running a few steps and then resting for a few seconds, wishing he could just stop and rest altogether.

With this level of physical fitness, can he keep up with the high-intensity work pace of the technical department?

The higher-ups gave a strict order: the first domestically produced truck must be manufactured within six months. After the military training, everyone had to get into a race against time to work.

Cheng Zheng looked at Lin Shuyao, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

Lin Shuyao couldn't hold on any longer. Under his murderous glare, she shuffled over to him and whispered, "Excuse me... my feet hurt. Can I rest for a bit?"

rest?

Cheng Zheng's face immediately darkened, his gaze sharp as he stared at her: "Look at everyone behind you, who isn't tired? Who doesn't want to rest? Everyone else can persevere, but you're the one who wants to treat them specially!"

"Let me tell you, this is Factory 306, not a place for you to enjoy yourself. If you don't want to run away, then pack your things and get out of here right now!"

His voice was loud, echoing throughout the entire playground.

This caused everyone to look at Lin Shuyao.

Lin Shuyao blushed as she was stared at, her cheeks feeling as if they were being ground down with a red-hot iron. But it was mostly because Cheng Zheng had scolded her. All she wanted was to rest for a while. If he didn't agree, fine, but why did he have to yell at her in public?

The more she thought about it, the more upset she became, and tears of humiliation welled up in her eyes, but this time she didn't want to shed tears in front of him.

Lin Shuyao bit her lower lip hard, until it turned white, stubbornly turning her face away, forcing back the stinging tears in her eyes. She didn't look at him again, lowering her head and limping back onto the playground. The other comrades running past her exchanged glances and whispered among themselves.

"Why is the military representative so angry today?"

"Did that woman offend him? He sounded so fierce. This is the first time I've seen him lose his temper in public since I started working at the factory..."

"Yeah, I thought he'd be gentler with women, but his attitude is even harsher than when he's scolding men. Just as rumored, he's not interested in women. But that woman is in for a rough time..."

Waves of excruciating pain shot through the soles of her feet. Lin Shuyao had no time to care what others were saying. Every step she took felt like walking on shards of glass, and the pain made her vision blur.

After running a few more steps, her legs gave way and she fell heavily to the ground.

The runners noticed the commotion and some men immediately stopped to help her up.

"Keep running! Who gave you permission to stop?"

Cheng Zheng shouted a stern rebuke, and the men who had stepped forward stopped in their tracks and had to return to the group. The group then started moving again, running past Lin Shuyao.

Cheng Zheng strode forward, walked to Lin Shuyao's side, and picked her up in his arms.

"Let me go..." Seeing it was him, Lin Shuyao struggled, tears rolling down her reddened eyes. She sobbed and accused him, her voice soft and nasal, "I don't want you to hold me... Let me go..."

"Behave yourself."

Cheng Zheng looked down at the tearful person in his arms, and his cold, hard voice softened a little.

"Why are you being so mean to me, waaaaah..." Lin Shuyao's shoulders trembled slightly, tears streaming down her face, her beautiful features glistening with tears, making her breathtakingly beautiful.

Cheng Zheng's Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly, his arms tightened, and his deep voice carried an undeniable air of authority, "If you cry again, I'll throw you down!"

Lin Shuyao truly dared not cry anymore. She pursed her lips tightly, suppressing her sobs, and stared at him with tearful eyes, unwilling yet stubborn, her eyes reddening from holding back her tears.

Cheng Zheng glanced at her with his eyes down, quickened his pace, carried her across the playground, and went straight to the infirmary.