TITCFRIBN 8

 Chapter 08

When An Cheng and the others arrived at the sports field, their previously tired classmates immediately gathered around, asking about An Cheng and Bai Qing’s injuries. After all, the rumors on the forum had been quite intense.

Instructor Wang also joined in, trying to make his presence known at the right moment.

Bai Qing took a few steps in place and said, "It's nothing serious, I'm fine!"

Only then did the crowd disperse.

As the sound of two whistles blew, today's military training began.

Yesterday, with three people missing from the formation, Instructor Wang had only practiced marching and turning. Today, he planned to start teaching the formal marching steps. After demonstrating the movements, he had the students walk in rows.

Some students' movements were a bit awkward, even managing to march with synchronized arms and legs. As they walked, they found themselves amusing and couldn’t help but laugh, which caused the entire row to collapse into laughter.

Bai Qing couldn't hold back either, covering his face as he laughed until his stomach hurt, leaning on An Cheng’s shoulder and wiping the sweat from his forehead with his wrist.

He turned his head and suddenly noticed An Cheng’s indifferent expression. "Cheng-ge, your humor threshold is really high."

An Cheng responded, "It's not bad."

After experiencing so many rounds of military training, he had seen all kinds of funny incidents. No matter how amusing they were, they could never outweigh the pain of military training.

He took the opportunity to check the time. Only one hour had passed, with two and a half hours remaining.

Alright, no more reason to laugh now.

When An Cheng’s row finished marching, Instructor Wang touched his chin with a displeased expression. What kind of troublesome kids were these?

Last night, he had chatted with a colleague who was in charge of a girls’ platoon. The girls were sweet, well-behaved, and clever, a stark contrast to these boys who were like rotten wood that couldn’t be carved.

After some thought, he said, "Alright, let's choose a class leader to help me train the group."

A group of boys immediately lowered their heads, indicating they had no interest in the role.

Instructor Wang decided to sweeten the deal. "Whoever becomes the class leader will automatically become the flag bearer at the end of training. Naturally, that means you’ll also be recognized as an outstanding cadet, earning nearly full marks for this course."

The overachievers in the group began to show signs of interest.

Before long, someone raised their hand. "I'll do it!"

A boy with a buzz cut stepped forward and eagerly demonstrated what it meant to be dedicated, kicking his military training shoe three meters into the air, only for it to land right next to Instructor Wang.

Instructor Wang: ...

Never mind the quality of his marching. With his height of just 1.7 meters, being the flag bearer was out of the question.

"Next!"

There was a rustling of fabric beside him, and An Cheng turned to see Bai Qing adjusting his shirt, straightening his belt, and rolling up his sleeves.

An Cheng raised his head. "You want to give it a try?"

Bai Qing nodded, brimming with confidence. "Yeah, I'll give it a shot."

That brave golden retriever-like energy emerged once again.

An Cheng pressed his lips together. He wanted to stop him because he remembered this part of the storyline.

With Bai Qing’s height, build, and fluid movements, becoming a flag bearer would be an easy task. He would indeed earn a top grade of 98 for this course.

However, on the downside, Instructor Wang would use this opportunity to add Bai Qing's contact information.

Later, during the parade, Bai Qing’s excellent performance would catch the eye of one of the professors, making him a target for that person.

An Cheng wanted to change this course of events. But looking at Bai Qing’s enthusiastic and eager demeanor, he realized he couldn’t just stop him because of the potential danger—just as he couldn’t prevent Bai Qing from going to the bathroom just because there might be an ambush there.

Although this is a world of quick transmigration, it is real, and Bai Qing has his own life.

And protecting Bai Qing is An Cheng's mission.

An Cheng patted Bai Qing on the shoulder. "Good luck."

Bai Qing smiled. "Don't worry, Cheng-ge."

When Drill Instructor Wang saw Bai Qing, his eyes lit up. He had already wanted to make Bai Qing the squad leader but didn’t feel comfortable directly appointing him.

Bai Qing walked a few steps in front of the formation. Although he had just learned the moves, his movements were smooth, and his posture was precise, causing the other students who wanted to try out for the role to give up.

Drill Instructor Wang nodded in satisfaction. "It's you, Bai Qing."

Bai Qing said, "Thank you, Instructor."

A voice from the crowd suddenly suggested, "Instructor, doesn't the flag-bearer need two people? Why not choose both at once?"

Instructor Wang looked over and saw that it was the cold and aloof troublemaker from yesterday.

"One squad leader is enough for now," he replied.

An Cheng said, "Bai Qing hasn't had the same level of training as you, Instructor. His physical fitness might not keep up."

Bai Qing thought that An Cheng was now trying to earn higher marks too, so he chimed in, "Yeah, Instructor, I was injured just yesterday."

Instructor Wang, not entirely pleased, reluctantly said, "Alright, give it a try then."

An Cheng walked in front of the formation and took a few steps. Applause erupted instantly.

Faint murmurs from the male students could be heard.

"Damn, this guy is too handsome."

"Right? I couldn't help but stare. His posture is perfect. How is this any different from a real soldier on TV?"

"Who knew this cheap military training uniform could look this good? I might be falling for him."

An Cheng: ...

Instructor Wang: ...

Bai Qing: Perfect!

Thus, the formation gained two squad leaders, and under Instructor Wang's lead, the real tough training began.

Bai Qing had a gentle nature. When he pointed out others' mistakes, he did so with a smile and a soft tone, which didn't embarrass those being corrected. Instead, it made their hearts race and faces flush.

An Cheng observed this and became slightly frustrated—how many crazy admirers would this attract?

During a break, he advised, "I think your teaching method is too soft, making things less efficient."

Bai Qing reflected and realized that the people he corrected did indeed become more stiff in their movements. Feeling a bit discouraged, he asked, "Then how should I teach?"

An Cheng said, "Like me."

So, Bai Qing began paying attention to An Cheng's teaching style. He saw:

Cheng-ge, with a stern face, kicked the wobbly Chen He to the ground. "Your stance is unstable."

Chen He rolled his eyes but stood up more firmly this time.

Bai Qing felt that something was off. Wouldn't this make people hate him?

But after some thought, he decided that being more strict was probably for the best and started to imitate An Cheng, though he made his method a bit gentler by giving heavy slaps instead.

During the break, Instructor Wang walked over to Bai Qing, sat down, and took out his phone. "Let's add each other on WeChat so we can communicate later."

An Cheng: The old wolf is making his move.

Bai Qing replied, "My phone broke yesterday. I didn't bring it."

Instructor Wang then suggested, "No problem. Let me get your phone number then."

An Cheng pulled out his own phone. "Add mine."

Bai Qing nodded. "Yeah, you can add Cheng-ge's. We share the same dorm."

Instructor Wang: ...

Reluctantly, he scanned An Cheng's QR code. Although he was also attracted to An Cheng, this cold and aloof attitude made him much harder to approach.

There was a two-hour break at noon, which allowed time for lunch and a nap.

An Cheng, with his slight cleanliness obsession, didn’t want to dirty his bed, so he planned to take a short nap in his chair instead.

Next to him, Bai Qing also sat in his chair, his computer screen glowing softly, and the sound of keystrokes occasionally echoed through the quiet dorm room.

After a while, Bai Qing turned around and quietly asked, "Are you all going to sleep now? My mom wants to have a quick call with me."

Wang Qimeng, who had just washed his face, replied, "We can sleep later. It's only 12:40 now."

An Cheng leaned back in his chair. "It's fine."

He knew that Bai Qing’s phone was broken, so he had no way to make the call outside. He could only use WeChat on his computer.

Bai Qing thanked him, put on his headphones, and began the conversation.

"My phone broke, so I missed your call."

"Yeah, I’ll get it fixed tonight."

"The money was all earned legally. Don’t worry."

"No, no, I didn’t break any laws. Mom, please don’t worry."

"I’m not coming home for National Day."

"Alright, I understand. My roommates want to take a nap, so I’ll hang up now."

An Cheng hadn’t been intentionally listening, but bits and pieces of the conversation drifted into his ears.

Yesterday afternoon, he had transferred 50,000 yuan into the account Bai Qing had provided. The account belonged to a woman, who was likely Bai Qing’s mother.

Bai Qing's mother was worried about the source of the money and tried to call but couldn't get through, so she was understandably anxious.

Bai Qing took off his headphones. "All done. You guys can rest now."

An Cheng glanced over at Bai Qing. While talking to his mother, he had been cheerful, but after the call ended, he seemed like a deflated golden retriever, surrounded by an aura of melancholy.

Was the pressure from home weighing on him too much?

After their afternoon military training, An Cheng and Bai Qing went off-campus together.

The owner of the phone repair shop was a lively young guy. When he took Bai Qing’s phone, he shook his head. "This phone is seven or eight years old. You couldn’t even give it away. Now it's this broken? Forget about fixing it. You’d be better off buying a knockoff."

Although the guy could fix it, he felt bad taking money for such an old phone. He didn't want to make an easy buck at the expense of his conscience.

Finance University students generally had good manners and ethics, so business owners in the area usually avoided trying to rip them off.

Bai Qing hesitated for a moment, then smiled. "How much would it cost to fix?"

The young man flipped the phone over a couple of times and said, "150 yuan, but no guarantee it can be fixed."

Bai Qing gritted his teeth, seemingly ready to agree.

Suddenly, An Cheng asked, "How much money do you have on you?"

"150 yuan," Bai Qing answered with difficulty.

An Cheng: ...

An Cheng took the phone back from the young man. "Hold off on the repairs."

He then led Bai Qing to a nearby shop. "Come on, accompany me to buy a few lottery tickets."

An Cheng called out in his mind, [007.]

A little cat appeared, rolling around cutely, trying to act adorable.

[What can I do for you, Host?]

[You've been around for a long time. You should be able to influence this world to some extent, right?]

This was something An Cheng had heard from other systems during his previous missions. It's also why he didn’t immediately ask to switch systems when he realized how outrageous his cheat powers were.

[Yes, but there's a limit, and there are conditions. What does the Host want to do?]

[In a moment, make sure that whichever lottery ticket Bai Qing picks, he wins 10,000 yuan.]

[Kind reminder: This modification will come at a cost. The cost is that when you are reborn, your assets of 1 billion yuan will be reduced by 10,000 yuan.]

Ten thousand yuan compared to a billion? That was nothing. Besides, it was his last world anyway—why not splurge a little?

An Cheng accepted the deal.

Among the dizzying array of lottery tickets, An Cheng casually picked out two. He glanced over at Bai Qing, who was still standing there without moving, and asked, "Pick one."

Bai Qing hesitated. "Cheng-ge, I only have enough money to fix my phone."

An Cheng replied, "You pick, I'll pay. It counts as yours."

Since An Cheng put it that way, Bai Qing couldn’t refuse. He ended up choosing the cheapest ticket.

After paying, An Cheng scratched off his lottery tickets and won nothing.

This was Bai Qing's first time buying a lottery ticket. He followed An Cheng’s example and started scratching, but halfway through, his hand froze. His beautiful eyes widened, round with surprise.

His voice trembled, "Cheng-ge... I won! I really won!"

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