Rebirth of a Mercenary: The Ace Mercenary Forced to Be the Beloved of the Group

As the bus entered the camp gate, its tires rolled over a speed bump, causing the bus to lurch violently.

Bai Ye woke up.

The moment he opened his eyes, a rare look of bewilderment flashed in his amber pupils.

In his field of vision was a gray-haired head—very close, close enough that he could see the outline of the hair behind the other person's ear. Then came the touch of a shoulder, warm through two layers of fabric. His left cheek was pressed against that shoulder, perfectly aligned.

Bai Ye's pupils suddenly contracted.

He sat up abruptly.

The movements were too fast, so fast that they strained the muscles in his shoulders and neck, causing a tingling sensation. But he couldn't care less. A voice kept echoing in his mind—he had fallen asleep. He had fallen asleep leaning against someone. He was in a completely unfamiliar environment, sitting next to a complete stranger, and he had actually fallen asleep.

In his past life, he could never truly fall asleep, not even in the lounge of his own base. He was always in a light sleep, always on high alert, the slightest sound would wake him in a fraction of a second and he'd reach for the gun under his pillow. That was how it was before that alley, and after that alley—there was no after.

But now, he leans on a stranger's shoulder and sleeps soundly, completely unguarded.

Bai Ye stared at his reflection in the car window and saw disbelief written in those amber eyes.

"How did you sleep?"

A voice came from beside me, hoarse from just waking up, with a slight upward inflection at the end, carrying a hint of lazy laughter.

Bai Ye turned her head.

Xuan Xiao leaned back in his seat, rubbing his right shoulder, which had been pressed against the seat the whole way, in an exaggerated gesture as if his shoulder had suffered a great injustice. His gray hair was a little messy, but his bright green eyes were clear and bright, not at all like someone who had just woken up.

Bai Ye's lips moved slightly.

"……Feel sorry."

His voice was very soft, with a slightly nasal tone, as if he had just woken up.

Xuanxiao paused in his rubbing of the shoulder.

He had expected this pretty girl to give him a cold shoulder and pretend nothing had happened, or simply ignore him—after all, from the moment she got in the car, Bai Ye had been looking at him like he was looking at a roadside telephone pole. But instead, she apologized. A sincere apology, with a small red mark on the tip of her ear.

Xuanxiao's mood suddenly improved.

He lowered his hands from his shoulders, turned to the side, placed one hand on the back of the seat in front of him, rested his chin on the back of his hand, and looked at Bai Ye with a grin. His emerald green eyes held the light streaming in from the window, shining like two pieces of jade that had been washed clean.

"An apology is all you're going to say? My shoulders are numb. You look light, but you're quite heavy to the touch."

Bai Ye remained silent for two seconds.

"So what do you want?"

Hooked.

Xuan Xiao's lips curled up a little higher: "To put it nicely, this matter is over."

He said this with a self-righteous air, as if to say, "This is reasonable compensation."

Bai Ye glanced at him.

Then Bai Ye spoke, his tone calm, his expression serious, his amber eyes staring straight at him.

"You are a good person."

The carriage was silent for a second.

Xuan Xiao's smile froze.

nice guy?

A good person?!

He was Xuan Xiao, the eldest young master of the Xuan family. From a young age, he was praised by elders in the military compound as "this kid will be a force to be reckoned with in the future." At sixteen, he had already defeated an opponent three years his senior in a fighting arena, leaving him completely disoriented. The outrageous things he had done before enlisting in the army at eighteen could fill an entire book of self-criticisms.

I got friend-zoned.

It was a man.

In a sincere, serious tone, not at all like a joke.

"puff--"

A snort of suppressed laughter came from the back row.

Xuanxiao slowly turned his head.

In the back row sat a chubby boy with a round face, desperately covering his mouth with his hand, his shoulders shaking, his face flushed red. When he saw Xuan Xiao turn around, he immediately lowered his hand, coughed twice, and his expression kept switching between "I'm very serious" and "I'm about to burst."

"Ahem—the weather is so nice today."

After saying that, Zhao Xiaohu guiltily turned his gaze to the car window. The sky outside was overcast, with low-hanging clouds that looked like it was about to rain at any moment.

Xuan Xiao stared at him coldly, his emerald green eyes conveying five words: I'll remember you.

Zhao Xiaohu shrank back, and the flesh on his round face trembled slightly.

Bai Ye showed no reaction to the commotion in the back seat. He had already turned his gaze back to the car window, as if the "nice guy" card he had just given was merely a statement of fact.

Xuan Xiao withdrew his gaze, leaned back in his seat, and looked at the roof of the car.

He lived for eighteen years.

This is the first time I've been friend-zoned.

My partner is a man.

The person who said this looked completely sincere.

His illustrious reputation was ruined by this dilapidated bus.

-

The car doors opened, and the new recruits filed off.

The September air was filled with the dry smell of dust and the aroma of food wafting from the mess hall in the distance. Several officers in camouflage uniforms were already standing on the parade ground, one of them holding a roster and expressionlessly scanning the group of new recruits who had just gotten off the vehicle.

Zhao Lei blew the whistle.

"Everyone! Assemble in formation! Hurry up, what are you dawdling for!"

The new recruits jogged along, carrying their luggage, their shoes making a clattering sound as they stepped on the concrete.

Bai Ye, carrying his bag, stood in line, his posture upright and his gaze fixed straight ahead. Xuan Xiao stood to his right, his gray hair standing out conspicuously in the crowd, like a flag with its own distinctive features.

When the company commander walked over, the parade ground fell silent.

He was a middle-aged soldier in his forties, with a square face, dark skin, and deep wrinkles around his eyes. He stood at the front of the formation, his gaze sweeping over the faces of each new recruit, like a measuring stick assessing something.

"My name is Zhou Jianguo, and I am the company commander of your recruit company."

The voice wasn't loud, but each word seemed to be driven into the air of the playground like a nail.

"From today onwards, you are no longer someone's son, someone's brother, or a student at any school. You have only one identity—soldier."

He glanced down at the roster in his hand.

"Now, the class assignments will be announced. When your name is called, please step forward and stand in the designated area."

One name after another was called out. Those whose names were called ran to stand behind their respective class leaders, carrying their bags. The speed of their movements varied. Some almost bumped into the person in front of them, and some dropped their bags and hurriedly picked them up.

Bai Ye stood still, her breathing steady.

"white night."

He picked up his bag and walked at a moderate pace to the end of the class's line.

"Xuanxiao".

A gray-haired boy emerged from the crowd, his steps carrying a lazy ease. He stopped beside Bai Ye, his shoulder almost brushing against Bai Ye's. Bai Ye didn't look at him.

"Zhao Xiaohu".

The chubby boy who had laughed out loud on the bus jogged out of line, his round face bouncing with each step.

"Money galore."

Another chubby boy squeezed out from the crowd. He was a little shorter than Zhao Xiaohu, and more evenly rounded. His round face had a pair of always smiling eyes, and he seemed to have a very good temper.

After all ten names were read, the entire class was present.