Reborn not to be a beast of burden, I set the rules.

The second day of military training.

The formation of Class 3 of the Humanities Department had just finished standing at attention for half an hour when a slight commotion arose within the ranks.

Ye Ming lowered his eyes and adjusted his breathing, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a figure walking towards the instructors' office.

It's Xu Wei.

Holding a neatly folded hospital certificate in her hand, she walked briskly to Instructor Li Feng and Liu Ting.

Liu Ting is the freshman counselor for Class 3 of Humanities. She has already graduated with a bachelor's degree and stayed on to work at the university. After working for three years, she can be admitted to a master's program without taking the entrance exam.

At this moment, she was looking down at the list of those exempt from training, her fingertips moving gently yet efficiently across the paper.

"Instructor, Director Liu, this is my exemption certificate." Xu Wei's voice was sweet, with just the right amount of obedience.

Li Feng took the certificate, glanced at it, and nodded to indicate that it was approved. Liu Ting also picked up a pen and signed her name. The process was completed quickly.

The moment Xu Wei turned to leave, her gaze pierced through the orderly ranks and landed precisely on Ye Ming.

She didn't say anything, but her eyes curved into a smile, and she winked at him playfully, like a child who had secretly hidden a piece of candy.

Ye Ming was slightly taken aback.

This girl is being hypocritical after getting the benefit.

He then nodded almost imperceptibly.

The two understood each other without saying a word; he covered for her little trick of pretending to faint to avoid military training that day.

Liu Ting, who happened to be standing nearby, looked up and saw this subtle interaction.

She didn't say anything, but just kept her head down and checked the list, her pen pausing briefly on that name.

The cafeteria was bustling with noise at noon, the clatter of plates echoing everywhere. Ye Ming, carrying a plate of two vegetarian dishes and one meat dish, saw Xu Wei eating alone in a corner.

He hesitated for two seconds.

Sitting down won't kill you.

I walked over and sat down diagonally opposite her, neither trying to get closer nor appearing distant.

Xu Wei looked up and saw it was him. Her eyes immediately lit up, and she teased with a smile, "Oh, Mr. Ye, are you here to make sure I eat properly?"

Ye Ming didn't take the joke seriously. He looked up at her and said in a stubborn and earnest tone, "Be careful when you're riding a bike or walking, especially on the curb. Don't bump into anything."

Xu Wei paused in her act of picking up food, tilting her head to look at him, her eyes full of confusion: "Why are you always bringing this up? Besides, we've only met twice, why are you so concerned about me?"

Ye Ming remained silent for a moment.

I don't care what you're worried about; I just don't want to see anything happen to you.

Unable to explain the accident in his past life to her, he simply said, "Just remember it."

Xu Wei stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled, her eyes bright as if bathed in sunlight: "Okay, thank you!"

She lowered her head, ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice, then looked up and added, "You're a really strange person, but your strangeness is quite sincere."

Ye Ming didn't say anything more, lowered his head and ate in silence, hiding his unspoken worries in the silence of a reborn person.

For the next ten days or so, the military training entered a period of tedious repetition.

Standing at attention, marching in formation, singing, and shouting slogans, sweat soaked through their military training uniforms, leaving them tanned but full of youthful resilience.

Ye Ming is neither lazy nor does he try to stand out, but he always does things quietly and subtly.

During the break, a boy in the corner was looking down, his fingers nervously fidgeting with his training uniform. He had poor coordination and always moved his hands and feet in unison when practicing drills, and the instructor had called him out on it several times.

Ye Ming walked over, squatted down beside him, whispered a few key points, and then led him through the exercise twice. The boy finally got it right the first time, and when he looked up, there was a hint of gratitude in his eyes.

On the hottest afternoon, a girl in the queue staggered, her face pale.

Taking advantage of the moment when the instructor turned away, Ye Ming quickly walked to Liu Ting's side and whispered the situation. Liu Ting immediately went forward and helped the girl to rest under the shade of a tree.

During a break in training, roommate Zhou Lei got into an argument with Chen Mo over a water bottle. Zhou Lei was stubborn and argued loudly with a red face. Chen Mo's good-natured explanations were useless, and the surrounding classmates gathered around.

Ye Ming walked over, without trying to mediate or reason with him, but simply handed Zhou Lei his freshly filled water bottle: "Drink mine first, then we'll talk."

Zhou Lei was stunned for a moment, then took the kettle and drank a few sips, instantly calming down his anger.

Chen Mo looked at Ye Ming, and the two exchanged a knowing glance.

These are just a few examples; Liu Ting noticed all of Ye Ming's habitual behavior.

One day, she chatted with her homeroom teacher, Wang Jianguo, about the new students.

Wang Jianguo is the class advisor for Class 3 of Humanities and a full-time lecturer in the Department of Philosophy. He is rigorous in his scholarship and humble in his personality. Liu Ting specifically mentioned, "Ye Ming from Class 3 is quite reliable. He is tactful and considerate. We can recommend him to Dean Li."

Wang Jianguo adjusted his glasses, nodded, and noted it down: "I'll keep an eye on it."

During the military training, although Xu Wei did not have to participate in the training, she always liked to pass by the playground and glance at the formation of Class 3 of the Humanities Department.

That afternoon, the sun baked the ground until it was scorching hot. Ye Ming had just finished practicing marching, his throat was dry, and sweat was streaming down his jawline.

He turned his head and saw Xu Wei standing under the shade of a tree, holding a bottle of mineral water and a box of medicated oil, waving at him.

He walked over.

Xu Wei shoved the things into his hands, her tone light and cheerful: "Training is tough, don't get heatstroke. Apply some Tiger Balm to your temples to refresh yourself."

The cool mineral water bottle pressed against her palm still retained the warmth of Xu Wei's hand.

In Ye Ming's heart, it was as if a tiny drop of clear water had fallen into a desert that had been dry for more than a decade.

He recalled his past life, working tirelessly like a nuclear-powered donkey in a government agency, enduring chest pains until dawn, and the despair in the last second before collapsing.

Apart from Xu Wei from her previous life, no one said a single word of concern for the "nuclear-powered donkey" from beginning to end.

Everyone judged him only as "useful," "capable," and "family-oriented," which was both pragmatic and cold.

The girl in front of him offered him water and gave him instructions without any ulterior motive or expectation; she simply wanted to be kind to him.

He clearly sensed that this concern was a pure and selfless act of kindness.

The scene before my eyes suddenly blurred, and I could vaguely hear a hoarse, trembling voice.

"Don't sleep! Don't sleep!"

He told himself: I should protect everyone who has shown me pure kindness.

Therefore, he wanted to protect Xu Wei, to prevent her from repeating the accident of her previous life, and to prevent her vibrant and bright face from disappearing from the campus.

Ye Ming unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip.

The water was warm, but it felt like a cool river was flowing down my throat.

He paused for a moment, not because the water was cold.

It's been so long since someone has thought of me like this.

My heart skipped a beat.

Stop.

Saving lives is one thing, but don't overthink it.

She must have been born kind.

I carefully recalled my life experiences.

She was of average appearance and never had any luck with women.

There were no bad romantic encounters either.

Yes, that's it.

Seeing him staring blankly at the water bottle, Xu Wei assumed he was exhausted and waved with a smile, "Go back to training, or the instructor will catch you!"

As she turned to leave, she looked back one last time.

Ye Ming was still standing there, holding the bottle of water in his hand.

No, why would I look at her?

He turned and left.

She suddenly felt that this person was strange, but strangely interesting.

During the singing competition that evening, the class next door started a taunting stunt. The students from Class 3 of the Humanities Department pushed and shoved each other, and finally pushed Ye Ming out.

Again.

He got up, started, and then moved to the back row.

Let whoever wants to show off do it.

He didn't want to get involved in anything that was detrimental to making money.

On the last two days of military training, the instructors announced that a drill competition would be held, with several platoons from each company taking turns to give scores.

Wang Chao was the first to step forward as commander. After a day of training, the whole class was thrown into disarray by his leadership.

The next morning, Wang Chao stood in the commander's position again and shouted two commands, but it was still chaotic.

Someone in the group whispered, "Let's find someone else." More people chimed in, "How about Ye Ming? He usually helps us correct our movements, he's pretty accurate."