"Congratulations, everyone has walked three kilometers, this is a great start. After passing through this door, there will only be mountain roads. I want to emphasize a few points here, please listen carefully!" Zheng Qiancheng's voice was loud, at first people thought he was yelling at them, but after getting used to it they realized he just naturally spoke loudly, so every time he was the one to speak. He stood on the stairs, shining his flashlight at the door behind him.
"There are reflective signs along the mountain road, just follow the prompts and you won't get lost. There are down jackets and first aid supplies in your backpacks, as well as emergency tools that can be used if necessary."
"I saw your performance, I can only advise everyone to take the training seriously. If you do not complete it, you will be deemed as not meeting the physical standards, and will have to undergo additional training in the days to come. So I'm wishing everyone the best of luck in completing the task ahead." After saying what needed to be said, Instructor Zheng stepped aside to let the students enter.
"Why do they need such an exaggerated door?" Song Huan had been to this training base before, but never asked about this in detail.
Zheng Qiancheng replied:
"This area was originally going to be a park. The approval went through and construction had started, but due to changes in city planning it was no longer needed. In addition, this place is a bit remote, so the military decided to use it as part of the training ground."
"As for this door..."
Zheng Qiancheng thought back and said,
"Battalion Commander Zhao said demolishing it would cost money again, and leaving it doesn't get in the way, so it was just left there."
"Doesn't get in the way? It looks to me like..."
something from a horror movie.
Song Huan shined her flashlight on it again. The faded red paint was mottled and sinister... No wonder those students looked terrified when they reached this point, and many hesitated for a long time before going in.
Zheng Qiancheng saw her unspoken words and walked over to her side. In a resonant voice he said to her:
"A Chinese soldier has righteous spirit and fears nothing!"
...
Qin Wei stood in front of the door, hesitating again and again but still didn't have the courage to go in.
Like the others, she lifted her foot a few times but gave up each time.
This place was sinister, it felt like one step through this door would lead straight to the underworld...
Inauspicious...
Zhou Fang was impatient:
"Hurry up... everyone else has gone. It's just our group left..."
Before she could finish speaking, someone suddenly pushed Qin Wei from behind. The force wasn't big, but it startled Qin Wei and she took a step forward into the doorway.
She turned around, and it was you again!
"Ye Jiahe!"
Qin Wei was a little angry.
"What are you doing!?"
Ye Jiahe was thrilled inside that Er'e had already remembered her name, and even personally called out to her!
But on the surface, she knitted her brows and glowered:
"If you don't hurry up, it'll be daylight. Don't drag us down."
Even Zhou Fang couldn't stand to watch:
"Ye Jiahe, aren't you her fan? That's too much, even for her. How could you push her? What if she fell?"
Poor thing. Even a fan from the opposing team couldn't bear to watch.
Hearing this, Ye Jiahe glanced at her and left with just one line:
"A mother's excessive doting spoils the child."
Then she walked ahead first.
Qin Wei: "..."
Zhou Fang looked at Qin Wei with a bit more sympathy in her eyes.
The other two looked at each other without saying anything, and caught up with the team.
"What a crappy fan."
Qin Wei also caught up, cursing under her breath the whole way.
...
To climb the mountain, they had to pass through an abandoned park. Because it hasn't been maintained since it was built years ago, the man-made pond has dried up with overgrown weeds, the outdoor fitness equipment is covered in rust stains, and abandoned spring riders in the bushes stare at them with hollow eyes.
The wind blew past and a half-broken swing let out creaking sounds...
Qin Wei happened to glance over and was so frightened she grabbed Ye Jiahe next to her.
"Are you scared?"
The voice was wrong. She took a closer look and realized she was holding on to Song, the guardian deity.
"Instructor Song... I mean, Instructor Song, what are you doing here?"
Song Huan looked at her with a hint of a smile.
Qin Wei let go, embarrassed that she had been scared witless and forgot that Instructor Song had been with them the whole time.
At least there was another living person here now, making her feel not as afraid.
She moved closer to Song Huan, and Song Huan smelled a faint fragrance from her again: "Using perfume again?"
"That's the smell of my shampoo."
Qin Wei defended herself.
"How did you fall behind?"
Ye Jiahe came back, looking a little anxious as she checked that Qin Wei hadn't gotten lost. Only after confirming did she crook her finger to urge her to hurry up.
Kids will always be kids, not one bit easy to look after.
It took them a full 15 minutes to get through the eerie, dilapidated park. Climbing the stairs signified the official start of the mountain trail.
The mountain road wasn't steep but it definitely wasn't as easy as walking on flat ground either. After hiking up for about half an hour, joyful voices became seldom heard. Just as Song Huan predicted, they tired quickly.
And after another half hour, the gap between individuals gradually widened...
"Let's take a break."
Qin Wei checked her watch. 4:30am. They had been walking continuously for over two hours.
Looking at the neverending mountain path ahead, the group didn't object when she suggested stopping, even Zhou Fang who originally wanted to keep going was tired now too. So the five of them found a flat area by the side of the road to sit down and rest.
Qin Wei felt the compressed biscuits in her pocket and wondered if she should eat some. To be honest, she was very hungry already.
"Here."
Ye Jiahe handed her half a compressed biscuit, signaling for Qin Wei to eat it.
"I have some too..."
"Eat this one first."
Ye Jiahe put it in her hand. Seeing that she was still hesitant, she said to her:
"I've opened this one already, I can't finish by myself. Don't worry, I checked the ingredients, no peanuts or peanut butter. Just opened it."
As she spoke, she started eating her piece. Glancing at Er'e from the corner of her eye from time to time to see that she had started eating before Ye Jiahe felt assured.
Zhou Fang also ate some of her own. After resting briefly, she wanted to get going again, but the other four didn't share her intention.
"We just took a five minute break. Let's sit a while longer, it won't be late if we leave after we're well rested."
Qin Wei persuaded her to sit back down, but Zhou Fang was a little annoyed.
"They used to say things about you that I didn't quite believe. Turns out you really don't have any ambition at all, needing me to lead you by the hand for everything. If it was me instead, I would be at the very front of the pack already. Aren't you afraid of losing face?"
No one expected Zhou Fang's words to anger Ye Jiahe first. Before Zhou Fang could finish speaking, Ye Jiahe suddenly stood up and pointed at Zhou Fang:
"Whether you want to rest or not is up to you. Qin Wei's physical strength is better than you think, she can run several kilometers in Rome without even breaking a sweat. She's only letting us rest because she cares about us! Yet here you are acting all high and mighty when she's kind enough to consider us. What's wrong with you, did my girl offend you somehow? She can't scold you so you just cross the line?
What face is there to lose? We just have to make it back by the designated time. What do you get for coming in first place? Are you in a rush to die or something, so Xiao Qiao can personally tend to your grave next year? You keep going on about your Xiao Qiao this and Xiao Qiao that. Does Xiao Qiao know you're bullying her friend like this?
Who are you putting on a show for? Huh? Trying to save face? Pretending I don't exist? Gotta consider who's the master even when beating a dog, right? Not that I'm saying Er'e is a dog of course..."
Zhou Fang was stunned speechless. Even Qin Wei gaped in astonishment.
She had initially felt that since she was older than them, she shouldn't bicker with girls in their late teens over this. And getting into a shouting match that ends up caught on tape would leave a bad impression even if only people within the school saw it afterwards.
Turns out these younguns can hold their own in a fight...
Han Zhou, who had been silent all this way, suddenly stood up:
"Ye Jiahe, watch your tone. This has nothing to do with Xiao Qiao at all, why do you keep bringing her up?"
When Qin Wei heard this she thought: *Oh no, these two are in cahoots. It's two against one for Ye Jiahe!*
With Han Zhou's backup, Zhou Fang also regained her confidence:
"Let's just talk about the facts. Qin Wei's dawdling is going to make us late for sure. She's dragging us down. Ye Jiahe, you might not mind but we do."
This displeased Han Zhou again. She turned to Zhou Fang and said:
"Wei Wei means well for us too. Let me tell you, night trails are harder to walk. We should rest more while it's dark. Once daylight comes we can speed up and rest less. No problem at all, rushing won't make it go faster."
Zhou Fang was taken aback, looking puzzled at Han Zhou.
Aren't you one of us?
Han Zhou: "I'm Wei Xiao..."
This angered Zhou Fang even more. She said "I hate Wei Xiao shippers the most", then picked up her bag and left alone.
"You chased her away."
Qin Wei looked at Han Zhou.
Han Zhou rolled her eyes at Qin Wei, then went to rest somewhere else.
The opponent's fans were angered and left, her mother's fans scolded her, and she also unlocked a cp fan but does not pay attention to her. In the team, there was only one Jiang Zhiyu left, perhaps there was still someone to talk to.
"They ignore each other just because of their fan identity..."
Qin Wei asked Jiang Zhiyu.
Jiang Zhiyu nodded.
"I thought this would only happen online, with everyone hiding behind screens not seeing each other..."
"Normal,"
Jiang Zhiyu lightly replied to her.
"People of different paths do not make plans together! Moreover, she is Wei Xiao's only fan."
Qin Wei listened in confusion, it seemed this girl Jiang Zhiyu understands the situation quite well.
So she continued to humbly ask:
"Then what about them and the cp fans..."
"I don't know about other families, maybe they can get along! But it's normal for Wei Xiao's only fans to dislike Wei Xiao cp fans, because that's how it is in my family, we've disliked passionate cp fans for many years."
Jiang Zhiyu glanced at Qin Wei.
This name sounds so familiar...
"May I ask if you are..."
"Shen Kai's only fan."
"..."
