We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

The south playground was already packed with people.

Compared to the relaxed atmosphere of yesterday's mobilization meeting, there was a greater sense of tension on the playground this morning.

Under the guidance of their counselors and senior students, freshmen from each department began to be divided into groups and rows according to their majors, and assigned to their respective areas.

The Computer Science Department was assigned to the 7th Company of the 3rd Battalion, and their formation was on the east side of the playground, near the rostrum.

Ye Chen stood in line with his class, surrounded by classmates who were still confused.

After the senior student in charge of the class finished calling out the names from the roster and repeatedly reminded everyone of the rules, she retreated to the sidelines.

At 7:30, the military training commencement ceremony officially began.

As the national flag was raised and the national anthem was played, the buzzing in the stadium gradually subsided.

On the podium, the principal, representatives of the instructors, and representatives of the new students spoke in turn.

The lengthy speech seemed especially long in the gradually scorching morning light.

The plastic track, having been exposed to the sun overnight, began to absorb heat again; when you stood on it, you could feel the temperature rising from the soles of your shoes.

"Finally, let me emphasize a few points of discipline!" The leader of the armed forces department spoke into the microphone, his voice resounding throughout the room.

"During military training, tardiness and early departure are not permitted! Leave of absence cannot be requested without authorization! The carrying and use of mobile phones is strictly prohibited!"

"From this moment forward, you are soldiers! The 2010 freshman military training officially begins!"

As the announcement ended, the sound of synchronized footsteps echoed from the edge of the playground.

A team of instructors in crisp military uniforms marched in, like swords drawn from their sheaths.

Then, according to their pre-assigned companies, they each ran to the front of their assigned formation.

The instructor in charge of the seventh computer company was not tall.

But his shoulders and back were as straight as an iron rod, his skin was tanned dark brown, his cheekbones were high, and his eyebrows were almost connected.

He glanced at the disorganized group of freshmen in front of him and curled his lip in disapproval.

"Attention, all! At ease! Attention!"

This shout, though delivered without a megaphone, clearly resonated throughout the entire company.

The instructor walked to the front of the group and put his hands behind his back.

"My surname is Liu. You'll be under my jurisdiction for the next two weeks."

"Let's get the ugly truth out of the way first."

"I don't care who your dad or mom is, once you enter this playground, you'd better stand up straight!"

"Now, let's line up! Right face—all in! Front—face! From left to right, count off!"

After a series of halting counts, Instructor Liu began weaving through the ranks, relentlessly correcting the new students' basic marching movements.

"Hey boy, why are you hunching over? Stand up straight!"

"Hey fat guy in the third row, what are you doing fidgeting with your hands? Keep your hands close to your trouser seams!" Sun Haoyu, who was called out, immediately tensed up.

"Tuck your chin slightly in and look straight ahead! Don't look down at the ground!"

After a round of corrections to the basic movements, the team's basic structure was finally barely formed.

Instructor Liu walked back to the front of the formation and, without giving anyone a chance to catch their breath, immediately launched into today's "main event."

"Now, everyone—stand at attention!"

"Feet together, toes pointing outwards at a 60-degree angle, arms hanging naturally at your sides along your trouser seams, chest out, stomach in! Half an hour. Anyone who moves even slightly will have to step out and do extra training!"

A series of gasps echoed across the playground, but no one dared to utter a sound.

Ye Chen stood in the third row on the left, and quickly stood still as the instructor gave the order to tuck in his stomach and straighten his chest.

He had suffered enough from the long hours and sleepless nights he spent as a programmer in his previous life, so since his rebirth, he has maintained the habit of exercising regularly.

Although I can't be considered an athlete now, my physical condition is better than that of my peers who lack exercise.

Standing at attention is nothing more than a test of muscle endurance. As long as he finds the right center of gravity and holds his nerves, it's not too difficult for him.

The scorching sun overhead gradually grew more intense, and the air felt so stuffy it seemed to solidify.

The long five minutes finally passed.

Slight shaking began to occur around them.

ten minutes.

A tall, thin man in the front row started shifting his weight from side to side.

Fifteen minutes.

The sun had fully risen.

The air on the playground felt like it was enveloped in steam.

Sweat streamed down their foreheads, stinging their eyes, but no one dared to raise their hand to wipe it away.

twenty minutes.

"Reporting, Instructor! I feel dizzy."

A weak voice came from the right side of the group, followed by a thud as someone collapsed to the ground.

Instructor Liu strode over, waved to the senior students on the sidelines to help the person to a shady spot, and then turned around to scan the room expressionlessly.

"Anyone else who can't take it anymore, step forward now."

"If you dump it again, you'll be fined an extra hour."

Nobody moved.

Ye Chen stood firmly.

The soles of my feet felt soft and dry to the touch.

That soft "woman's friend" separated the hard rubber soles from the scorching hot plastic track into a world of its own.

We'll be there in thirty minutes.

"Okay, ten-minute break!"

At Instructor Liu's command, the team instantly fell apart.

Most of the freshmen collapsed to the ground, some bending over and gasping for breath.

Ye Chen stretched his ankles and walked towards the shade of a tree.

Sun Haoyu strode up to him, his face covered in sweat, but his energy was surprisingly good.

"Old Ye, you're awesome! I'm perfectly fine! My feet are completely dry!"

"Keep your voice down." Ye Chen patted him on the shoulder.

Chen Zhiqiang followed, his face flushed red from the sun.

But his condition was clearly much better than those of his classmates who frequently switched feet.

On the other side of the playground, the foreign language department's contingent was also resting.

Sun Haoyu's gaze drifted over uncontrollably.

In the crowd, Li Meng was squatting under the shade of a tree, taking small sips of water from her water bottle.

She wore her hair in a high ponytail, and her cheeks were flushed pink from the sun exposure under the brim of her military training cap.

After watching for a while, Sun Haoyu's Adam's apple bobbed.

Silently, he picked up a bottle of room temperature mineral water from the ground, held it in his hand, his eyes showing a hint of eagerness, but he didn't dare to move his buttocks.

Ye Chen glanced at him in the direction of his gaze and saw through his thoughts.

"Want to deliver water?" Ye Chen asked casually.

Sun Haoyu scratched his head a little embarrassedly: "It's quite hot, and she looks really tired... Lao Ye, do you think it's appropriate for me to go over now?"

"Of course it's not appropriate." Ye Chen answered crisply, and casually shoved the bottle of mineral water out of his hand.

"She rejected you yesterday, and today you're going to go and fawn over her in front of so many people. Aren't you afraid of scaring her away?"

Hearing the commotion, Lu Wenbo came over and chimed in, "Old Ye is right! Old Sun, use your brain. Look at all those eyes watching us on the playground."

"If you just walk over there like that, is that what you call delivering water?"

"Wouldn't that make her furious? Girls are shy, so she'd be caught in a dilemma – accepting the answer or not accepting it would be just as awkward."

Upon hearing this, Sun Haoyu deflated like a punctured balloon, sighing in frustration, "That's true... but am I just going to stand by and watch?"

"The worst thing you can do when pursuing a girl is to overdo it; you need to find the right balance," Ye Chen said slowly, leaning against the tree trunk.

"What's the rush? After military training ends, everyone can go to the cafeteria and wait until there are fewer people around."

"If you pretend to walk by and hand her the water, saying 'Drink more water in this hot weather,' it will be a hundred times more effective than what you're doing now."

Sun Haoyu imagined the scene, nodded in deep agreement, and let out a long sigh: "Phew...that makes sense."

"To be honest, even if you had asked me to go, my legs would have been weak and I wouldn't have been able to take a step."

Lu Wenbo mocked mercilessly, "Look at your pathetic self!"

Just then, a beautiful figure gracefully walked over from the entrance of the playground.

The person who came was Li Xue, a third-year student and the vice minister of the external relations department.

Today, Li Xue wore a fitted white knitted short-sleeved top, which perfectly accentuated her full and proud curves.

She wore a pair of light blue denim shorts, and her two straight, long legs were dazzlingly white.

Wearing white sneakers, she exuded the unique brightness and competence of a mature senior.

Among a group of freshmen dressed in cheap, sack-like camouflage uniforms, looking dusty and disheveled.

Li Xue's appearance was like having her own spotlight, instantly attracting the attention of a large group of boys around her.

"Holy crap, isn't that Li Xue, a third-year student? She's so pretty..."

"That figure is amazing, those legs are incredible! What's she doing at the freshman field? Is the student council checking attendance?"