Chapter 1918 — It's Actually Chen Yutian

By now Chen Yutian had already begun to speak: "Hello, fellow freshmen. I am Chen Yutian, the man in charge here and the chief instructor for this military training! Military training at Donghai Engineering University has always been the strictest. Here, I will hold you and train you entirely according to our unit's standards! This is a tempering and a test of your will, and also intensive physical training! In the days to come, everything I have arranged for you is the content of recruit training. Those recruits of your own age—or even a year younger than you—can do it, and I do not want to see anyone among you falling behind!"

Though the students below the platform had long anticipated that military training would be strict, hearing Chen Yutian say they would be trained to recruit standards made them groan inwardly. But then they thought: this was still the better case. If they were trained to veteran standards, it would be far harder.

"This time, I too will join the other instructors in completing your training. I will serve as the instructor for one of your classes!" Having said this, Chen Yutian went on: "Instructors, to your positions. Take the students of your classes to collect camouflage uniforms and daily necessities, arrange dormitories, eat dinner, and be back here at six **!"

"Yes, sir!" A row of instructors standing not far from the platform answered in unison.

What Wei Zhao had not expected at all was that Chen Yutian would turn out to be the instructor for the pharmaceutical major! And when Chen Yutian saw that Wei Zhao was in the ranks as well, astonishment and embarrassment immediately appeared on his face.

Once, Wei Zhao had been his instructor; and even now, Wei Zhao was his leader, a man he respected in his heart. To be Wei Zhao's instructor—he did not have the ability for that. He knew Wei Zhao's capabilities very well.

That he had become the instructor for the pharmaceutical major was in fact a coincidence, not something deliberate. He had merely heard that it was the smallest major in the whole school, and so had casually chosen it to instruct—never imagining that Wei Zhao would be here too.

Wei Zhao did not much care about attending university; he had come purely to accompany Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu. So Wei Zhao had never told Chen Yutian where he was studying or what major he had applied for.

As for Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu, because of the business of fleeing with Wei Zhao, they too had never had the chance to say much to Chen Yutian. Their only meeting after the escape had been at the hospital, and after that Chen Yutian had returned to his unit, leaving no opportunity to speak of such things.

Wei Zhao smiled faintly at Chen Yutian and made a gesture for silence. Chen Yutian understood at once: Wei Zhao did not want his identity revealed.

This set Chen Yutian's mind at ease. Wei Zhao was by no means an easy man to deal with, but toward his own friends he was very accommodating.

Chen Yutian led the twenty-odd students of the pharmaceutical major to a row of connected houses and said, "This is your dormitory. Men and women share the same long bunk; at night you must sleep with your clothes off, and if you hear the ** horn in the middle of the night you must get up at once! Now, men in one line and women in another—come collect your camouflage uniforms and supplies..."

These were the words Chen Yutian said to these students at every military training. Though over the years his rank had risen with one merit after another, he had started from the very bottom as a non-commissioned officer, and he had served as an instructor for university students for many years, so the words came out of his mouth by habit.

But after he finished speaking, he clearly sensed that something was off—because the pharmaceutical department actually had only one girl! In the past, the pharmaceutical department had basically had no girls at all, and though the classes Chen Yutian had led sometimes had more boys than girls, there had never been a case like this with only one girl!

After all, when a university divided classes by major, it also balanced the numbers of male and female students. Though majors like computer science and office automation, with their many boys, had few girls, even so a class of thirty would have eight to ten girls; even fewer, but never just one!

When there were more girls, a few of them could band together, and sleeping in the same room as the boys at night was no great matter—after all, everyone was clothed, and the girls would surely cluster together, far apart from the boys. But a situation like this, with only one girl, was the first Chen Yutian had encountered, and he felt somewhat at a loss.

How were they to sleep? Let this one girl spend the night with a whole crowd of boys? Even one more girl to keep her company would have been better. As it was, if the girl wanted to use the toilet or take a shower at night, there would be no one to accompany her—inconvenient beyond words.

Glancing at the roster in his hand, Chen Yutian said, "Wang Xinyan, you are the only girl in the class. It may be a little inconvenient for you at night. How about I transfer you to another class?"

"Huh?" Wang Xinyan was slightly taken aback. To be honest, being the only girl in the whole class was indeed inconvenient in many ways, but here at least there were a few classmates she knew, and her good friend Wei Zhao. If she were transferred to a class of complete strangers, she feared she would be even more ill at ease.

Seeing Wang Xinyan dazed, Bai Weituo stepped out of the ranks, stood at attention, and said, "Reporting, Instructor! I am the class monitor, Bai Weituo. Wang Xinyan is Wei Zhao's girlfriend. There is no inconvenience!"

As class monitor, he naturally had to step forward at a time like this—and besides, Wei Zhao was his elder brother, and Wang Xinyan counted as a good friend of his. The vice monitor was Wang Xinyan herself, so it would clearly be improper for her to report on her own behalf; better that he, the class monitor, speak up.

Bai Weituo had already received the military training regulations and knew how to report a situation to an instructor, so he did it meticulously.

Chen Yutian glanced at Wei Zhao in some surprise and found that Wang Xinyan was indeed standing beside him. He was rather puzzled—when had Wang Xinyan become Wei Zhao's girlfriend? But seeing Wang Xinyan's face slightly flushed and Wei Zhao raising no objection, he nodded: "Very well. Class Monitor Bai Weituo, return to the ranks. In that case, collect your camouflage uniforms and supplies, go to the mess hall for dinner at five, and be back here at six **!"

"Yes, sir!" Bai Weituo answered and returned to the ranks.

Just then, soldiers from the unit drove up a load of supplies in a small pickup. Chen Yutian beckoned to Bai Weituo, signaling him to help hand the things out.

After collecting their supplies, the classmates all went to the connected houses to rest. The connected houses were in fact one long communal bunk; the conditions were not good, but such an arrangement was probably meant to temper everyone's spirit of hardship.