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

A hushed murmur arose from the crowd.

Zhao Qiang, a classmate, was standing at the front of the line pretending to organize the class when he saw Li Xue walking over. His eyes lit up.

He immediately straightened his back, adjusted the collar of his camouflage uniform, and assumed that the senior was looking for the class officers. He was about to raise what he thought was a cool smile and go up to greet her.

However, Li Xue didn't even glance at Zhao Qiang. She strode straight through the crowd with her long legs and walked directly to Ye Chen.

All eyes in the room instantly followed Li Xue and focused on Ye Chen.

Li Xue stopped and looked up at Ye Chen, a beautiful smile curving her lips.

She took her hand out from behind her back, and held a bottle of chilled Gatorade, still emitting a faint chill, in her fair fingers.

"Good morning, Junior Brother Ye Chen." Li Xue's voice was clear and melodious, with an undisguised intimacy.

She generously handed him the chilled Gatorade in her hand, her beautiful eyes sparkling as she looked at him with a half-smile:

"I told you I'd look after you, so I came here today to check on you. How's it going? First day of military training, are you adjusting well?"

This scene left the surrounding freshmen completely dumbfounded.

Yesterday, a beautiful girl from the foreign language department was handing out water in public, and today even a third-year, campus beauty queen is offering to give her water?! Just who is this guy?!

Zhao Qiang's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, his smile completely solidified, his back teeth grinding together, his eyes practically bleeding with jealousy.

He, a local native and the class's life committee member, was utterly humiliated in front of Ye Chen.

Sun Haoyu, standing next to him, was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped to the ground.

He glanced at the bottle of Gatorade emitting a chill in Li Xue's hand, then thought about his own miserable experience of being refused when he tried to deliver water yesterday and almost rushing into the girls' dormitory with a sanitary napkin last night, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Both were delivering water, but he almost became a pervert, while Lao Ye had amazing female seniors delivering water to his door without him even moving!

Is this the kind of prestige the Sea King Ancestor possesses?!

Despite the envious and jealous gazes from everyone present, Ye Chen remained completely unperturbed.

Adhering to the principle of "not taking initiative, not refusing," he looked at Li Xue, who had a hot figure and a bright smile, and a sunny boy-like smile appeared on his lips.

He generously extended his hand and accepted the bottle of chilled Gatorade.

As their fingers intertwined, Ye Chen inadvertently touched the back of Li Xue's hand, causing Li Xue's eyelashes to tremble slightly.

"Thanks, senior." Ye Chen casually unscrewed the blue bottle cap, tilted his head back and took a sip, his Adam's apple bobbing sensually, his tone relaxed and easygoing.

"This water is just in time; I was worried I wouldn't have the energy to stand at attention for military drills later."

Seeing Ye Chen's calm and composed demeanor, completely unlike the awkwardness and naivety of a freshman, Li Xue's admiration deepened.

This perfect blend of maturity and youthful energy is incredibly attractive to a seasoned senior like her who has seen countless people.

Li Xue winked playfully, leaning forward slightly, and a faint scent of perfume mixed with the girl's natural fragrance wafted into Ye Chen's nostrils:

"Just saying thank you isn't enough. After military training is over, you'll have to treat me to a nice meal to show your sincerity."

After saying that, she didn't linger. She waved decisively, turned around and left Ye Chen with a graceful back view, then left the playground with light steps.

Watching Li Xue's departing figure, Sun Haoyu grabbed Ye Chen's shoulder and whispered, "I'm yelling!"

"Old Ye! You taught me how to deliver water, and now you're here collecting water from those awful senior girls! I can't live like this anymore!"

Lu Wenbo chimed in sourly, "Exactly! Comparison is the thief of joy! Old Ye, how many womanizing secrets have you been secretly learning from us?"

"Alright, stop being so cheeky." Ye Chen chuckled and slapped Sun Haoyu's paw away, rattled the Pulse in his hand, and glanced at the front of the training ground. "The instructors are here. Get ready for some training."

In the distance, a row of instructors in camouflage training uniforms were marching in neat steps toward the south training ground.

Rest time passes in the blink of an eye.

A sharp whistle pierced the sweltering heat above the playground.

"Attention, everyone! Assemble!"

Everyone immediately stopped laughing and started walking back into the group.

Instructor Liu walked back to the front of the line with a dark face. Seeing the new students slowly moving back, his temper flared up immediately.

"Haven't you eaten yet? I'll give you ten seconds! If you don't stand still, you won't get lunch today!"

The team was thrown into chaos in an instant, barely managing to form a proper formation.

The sun was blazing overhead, and there wasn't a breath of wind.

The 35-degree Celsius heat was baking the plastic track, and the heatwave shot straight up from the soles of your feet.

The training shoes issued during military training had pitifully thin soles; walking on them was no different from walking barefoot on a hot plate.

After standing at attention for several tens of minutes, some people in the formation couldn't help but gasp, their faces contorted in shock.

The boy in front of me was trembling, shifting his weight back and forth, trying to ease the burning and aching soles of his feet.

Instructor Liu stood with his hands behind his back, surveying the formation with a cold expression.

Today he plans to single out a few typical cases to make an example of and set an example for others, to establish rules.

Walking to the second row, he kicked a boy in the back of his bent knee, causing the boy to stumble.

"Straighten your legs! Are you a spineless cartilage?"

After finishing his tirade, Instructor Liu continued walking back, his gaze sweeping over the third row.

He paused for a moment.

The four boys on the left in the third row are standing incredibly steadily.

Especially the one at the head, named Ye Chen.

Relax your shoulders and back, straighten your back, and firmly plant your legs on the ground. Not only does your body not sway, but your breathing rate is also not disordered.

Instructor Liu took two steps closer and lowered his gaze.

The kid's heels were firmly planted on the ground, without any of those little movements like frequently tiptoeing because of the discomfort.

Then look at the three people next to him: one is fat, one is tall and thin, and the other is very dark and thin.

Although the four men were covered in sweat, their chassis remained as steady as an old dog.

Instructor Liu raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and continued walking.

After a morning of torment, the whistle finally sounded again.

"Morning training is over! Each platoon, go back for lunch and rest. Reconvene at the same location at 2 PM to continue training!"

That command was like heavenly music; as soon as the troops dispersed, a large number of them collapsed.

The cries of agony rose and fell.

Zhao Qiang slumped down in the shade of a tree by the playground, impatiently untying his shoelaces and taking off his stuffy rubber shoes.

"It's burning hot! I have to wear these awful shoes this afternoon, it's going to be the death of me!"

He looked at his bright red soles, where a small, transparent blister had formed at the base of his big toe, and he gasped in pain.

The boys around them followed suit, each clutching their toes and grimacing. The thought of having to suffer like this again in the afternoon left them with almost no energy to even go to the cafeteria for a meal.