“Exactly. College really does toughen people up.” Linlin rested her head on her arms and spoke helplessly.
Before this, she had never even argued with anyone. Now she could win argument after argument.
Dong Xiaomin was feeling rather miserable too. College had not toughened her up at all. She still had no idea how to argue, and whenever she saw Sun Lina, all she could do was feel afraid.
During the second phase of military training, the intensity suddenly became almost unbearable.
Forced marches at three in the morning, ten-kilogram loaded cross-country runs, surprise training sessions at midnight...
All kinds of hellish exercises began, and the students immediately started complaining bitterly.
Capital Aviation College had a dedicated military affairs department, and the overall training plan had been worked out jointly with the troops assigned by the garrison command.
Jiang Chengzhou was only an instructor. There was nothing he could do about it.
After several days of training, Linlin’s legs trembled every time she finished.
Seeing his little sister being tormented like this, Jiang Chengzhou felt both sorry for her and amused. “Can you really keep going? Should I help you ask for two days off?”
“No.” Linlin braced herself against her brother’s hand and stubbornly said, “I can do it. I can’t let Mom and Dad down.”
Jiang Chengzhou laughed.
He wondered which little fool it was who called home to complain after every training session, waited for her uncle and aunt to praise and comfort her, and then came back the next day fully recharged.
Jiang Chengzhou walked his sister all the way to the dormitory entrance and patted her on the head. “Pray tonight. If it rains tomorrow, you won’t have to train.”
“Will that work?” Linlin looked at her brother mournfully.
“Sincerity makes prayers effective.”
Jiang Chengzhou had already checked the weather forecast. There would most likely be a torrential downpour the next day.
Linlin was not that foolish. She flashed a sly smile. “I believe you, Brother. It’s definitely going to rain tomorrow.”
Jiang Chengzhou laughed and ruffled her hair. “Go back and wash up. Get some rest early.”
Linlin hurriedly tugged at his sleeve and asked with a bitter smile, “Brother, there won’t be another surprise training session tonight, will there?”
Being woken up in the middle of the night and ordered to train was truly miserable.
Jiang Chengzhou decided to give his sister a break. “Don’t worry. There’s no night training scheduled.”
Only then did Linlin relax.
That night, lightning flashed and thunder roared outside as heavy rain poured down.
No one complained about the weather. Instead, they all hoped the rain would last as long as possible so they could rest for a few days.
They still had to assemble in the classroom even though they could not train on the field.
The large tiered lecture hall was packed with more than two hundred students.
The rain poured down outside the windows, but it did nothing to dampen the atmosphere inside.
Several instructors took turns leading everyone in a few military songs before asking for volunteers to perform onstage.
Lu Zeyu was the first to stand up.
He had even brought a wooden guitar with him that day, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
Lu Zeyu sat on the platform, adjusted the guitar strings, then lowered his head and played a few notes of the introduction.
Once the classroom fell silent, the guitar began to play the melody of “Moscow Nights.”
The guitar sounded clear and pure, blending with Lu Zeyu’s rich, resonant voice and instantly setting the whole room alight.
Guitars were not common in those days, let alone people who could perform with one in front of so many others.
Lu Zeyu immediately became the center of attention.
Every so often, he raised his head to scan the audience. Once he found Linlin’s seat, his gaze never left her again.
Jiang Chengzhou’s teeth practically itched with irritation. The moment Lu Zeyu finished singing, he drove him off the stage.
Applause rang out from below.
Several more students went up afterward. Some sang, while others told jokes, and the atmosphere remained lively.
Jiang Chengzhou leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and watched for a while.
His silly little sister sat quietly among the crowd, clapping politely and showing not the slightest intention of going onstage.
When the performer onstage stepped down and no one else volunteered, Jiang Chengzhou suddenly spoke up. “Linlin, don’t you play the violin? Why don’t you come up?”
Linlin glared at her brother. “Reporting! I didn’t bring my violin!”
“Oh.” Jiang Chengzhou pulled a violin case out from beneath the platform. “I brought it for you.”
“Ooooh!”
A wave of teasing cheers swept through the classroom.
Linlin had no choice. Blushing, she walked up to the platform.
She did not know many pieces. After thinking for a moment, she chose “The Little Sisters of the Grassland.”
She took off her military cap, and her long black hair fell over her shoulders.
The bow touched the strings. The instant the first note emerged, the laughter and chatter below came to a complete stop.
Linlin lowered her eyes. The lines of her profile were gentle and lovely, and the graceful, melodious violin music flowed through the classroom. Every movement she made was serene and elegant.
Everyone’s gaze was firmly fixed on her alone.
Jiang Chengzhou surveyed the classroom and was satisfied.
Linlin’s life was simple. After each training session, she did nothing but eat in the cafeteria and return to the dormitory to rest. She paid no attention at all to what was being said around her.
Jiang Chengzhou, however, had heard quite a bit about Linlin from the other instructors.
Ultimately, it all came down to Lu Zeyu.
Lu Zeyu’s grandfather and father were both section-level officials in the Capital Light Industry Bureau, while his mother worked as an arts officer at the district cultural center. His family was comfortably well-off.
More importantly, his uncle was a senior official in the Military Affairs Office of the Capital Military Region, with extensive connections throughout the capital’s military and political circles.
Lu Zeyu himself was impressive as well. He had been admitted to Capital Aviation College’s aircraft design program.
On the first day of school, he had revealed his family background in the dormitory, though he had not dared mention his uncle. Jiang Chengzhou had learned about that from Cheng Qingshan.
Lu Zeyu’s family background was considered among the best at the college. Combined with his decent looks and his generosity when treating people, it did not take long for a circle of so-called “friends” to gather around him.
He had never tried to hide his interest in Linlin, either. Everyone knew about it.
Linlin was innocent. She believed that if one wanted to date, one should choose someone they liked who liked them in return.
But some people did not see things that way.
Linlin kept a low profile. Although the clothes and belongings she used were not cheap, she never flaunted her parents’ identities in public. Whenever people asked where she was from, she only said that her hometown was in the countryside.
Her older brother, Jiang Chengzhou, was indeed outstanding, but he was still only a student and had no official position or title. In the short term, he could not surpass the power and influence of Lu Zeyu’s family.
As a result, quite a few people believed that Lu Zeyu had talent and connections, while Linlin had beauty. They were a perfect match—a talented man and a beautiful woman.
Many people forgot that Linlin had achieved the highest entrance-exam score in her entire program.
She did not merely possess beauty. She had talent, too.
What was so impressive about Lu Zeyu knowing how to play the guitar?
Linlin could play the violin as well.
On one hand, Jiang Chengzhou detested the idea that the two were a match simply because of the “talented man and beautiful woman” argument. On the other, he simply looked down on Lu Zeyu as a person.
What kind of scumbag was he?
His sister wanted to date, didn’t she?
How could someone like Lu Zeyu, that piece of trash, possibly be good enough for her?
Linlin was honest and would only choose from among the people who liked her. Jiang Chengzhou wished he could make everyone in the world fall for her so that his sister could choose to her heart’s content.
As for Linlin choosing only one person...
Jiang Chengzhou did not care what all those people who loved her in vain would think.
