Free Web NovelChapter 169: Chapter 169: Innocent
Tang Yuanxiao stared straight ahead, looking exceptionally prim and proper.
But for a fleeting moment, the corner of his mouth quirked into a smirk.
The vast drill ground was filled with a large crowd of students in identical military training uniforms. At a glance, the sight was a blur, making it impossible to tell anyone apart.
Su Li was tall, so she stood in the second-to-last row. She blended in with the other students, making her even less conspicuous.
Yet Tang Yuanxiao spotted Su Li at first glance.
He only glanced at her for a moment before looking away, but he could still see the utter astonishment on Su Li’s face out of the corner of his eye.
Seeing Su Li so flustered and astonished made Tang Yuanxiao feel incredibly smug and happy.
He had deliberately kept his visit a secret, all to give Su Li a surprise.
Su Li had no idea what was going through his mind. If she did, she would have coughed up blood from sheer exasperation.
Because this wasn’t a pleasant surprise at all, just a complete shock!
After seeing Tang Yuanxiao, Su Li felt unsettled and dazed, a feeling that lasted until a drill instructor came to claim her class.
The drill instructors each got started, but Tang Yuanxiao didn’t move.
Of course he wouldn’t. Though he was here, he was only serving as a lecturer.
In truth, his status wasn’t quite suitable for this role.
’But... none of that mattered.’
’What mattered was that he was here.’
He could finally see Su Li again.
If one person was missing another, they might be able to endure it. But with two people missing each other, it was unbearable.
Tang Yuanxiao and their son, Little Tang Mo, both missed Su Li. Little Tang Mo had been calling for his "Mama" dozens of times a day. Having not seen her for two days, Tang Yuanxiao was in agony. frёewebnoѵēl.com
He was finally experiencing the truth behind the saying, "A day apart feels like three years."
With his hands clasped behind his back and a stern expression, Tang Yuanxiao slowly ambled over to where Su Li’s squad was counting off.
As Su Li watched Tang Yuanxiao stand to the side, staring at her so brazenly with a completely straight face, all she could think was ’...’
’This is just ridiculous!’
Su Li’s drill instructor was full of vigor, his voice booming. He was not at all satisfied with their attempt at counting off.
"Not loud enough! Again."
Su Li: "..."
They had already counted off three times, shouting to the point their voices were about to crack. Their yelling had even drawn stares from the neighboring squads.
Seeing that everyone was finally fired up, the drill instructor looked very pleased.
"Very good. Next, I’ll teach you how to stand at attention."
The instructor glanced up at the sun, already high and blazing powerfully in the sky, and seemed very satisfied.
Tang Yuanxiao still hadn’t left. Resigned, Su Li decided to ignore him, staring straight ahead and trying her best to maintain her posture.
Unfortunately, it seemed fate was determined to work against her.
A gust of wind blew a strand of hair from beside her ear right across her nose.
Su Li tried to endure it, but she couldn’t hold back and let out two loud sneezes.
"ACHOO! ACHOO!" With those two sneezes, she broke her posture, and the students next to her glanced over.
The instructor immediately came to find the culprit. "Stand properly! All of you, stand properly."
Su Li looked back, her eyes glistening with tears brought on by the sneezes. They welled up, about to fall, and the sight made the instructor choke on his words.
Just as he was about to say something, he heard a cough from behind him.
The instructor immediately turned around and saw Tang Yuanxiao give a single cough before walking away.
And at that, Su Li’s tears finally fell.
The instructor saw Su Li’s tears but said nothing.
Military training for university students was still in its trial phase, so the content was actually very simple: counting off, standing at attention, dressing left and right, marching in step, goose-stepping, and the like.
After practicing standing at attention, Su Li and the others began learning how to turn left and right.
This part of the training was hilarious.
Some students couldn’t tell their left from their right. Or rather, they knew the difference but couldn’t react in time, so they always ended up turning in the opposite direction from everyone else.
The student next to Su Li was one such case.
Half the time they turned, she would end up facing Su Li.
The student was both frustrated and amused, and the others laughed as well, which made it even harder for Su Li to hold back her own laughter.
By the end of the morning, Su Li’s stomach ached from trying to suppress her laughter.
Tang Yuanxiao couldn’t keep staring at Su Li so blatantly, so after a while, he had no choice but to leave for the time being.
He didn’t go far. He just sat down to rest under a distant tree off to the side.
His gaze remained locked on Su Li. He was too far away to see her face clearly, but he just liked watching her all the same.
He watched the hot sun beat down, keeping a constant eye on Su Li to make sure she didn’t get heatstroke.
He was being very considerate, but Su Li didn’t notice him at all.
He was too far away, and she didn’t have the energy to notice.
There was one break mid-morning for water and the restroom. Su Li and the others spent the entire morning in training, and when it finally ended, Su Li let out a huge sigh of relief.
However, the students around her didn’t feel the same way.
In those days, many students came from rural areas and were used to hardship, so they didn’t find the training particularly arduous. Even the students from the city weren’t the type to do nothing. Aside from the sunburn, they didn’t think it was that tough.
The overall mood was quite relaxed. After the session ended, everyone started chatting excitedly, and the drill instructor was a frequent topic of conversation.
The instructor wasn’t old, looking to be in his early twenties. The students were curious about him, but they were also very respectful.
Su Li scanned her surroundings warily. When she saw no sign of Tang Yuanxiao, she relaxed and headed to the cafeteria with Chang E.
After returning to the dorm for a midday nap, the afternoon military training continued.
The afternoon sun was even more vicious and scorching than it had been in the morning. Without exception, every student was drenched in sweat.
Su Li looked up at the "fine weather"—a cloudless sky with the sun blazing high above—and for the first time, she desperately wished for an overcast sky or even rain.
’Training in the rain would be better than training under this blazing sun.’
’There’s no such thing as sunscreen these days. After a week of this, I’ll probably be as dark as a piece of charcoal!’
After what felt like half a day of "dress left" and "dress right," the mid-session, morale-boosting singing competition finally arrived.
The singing competition was a peculiar activity that made everyone break out into roaring laughter; it was also the only period of relaxation.
When the singing competition ended, they could finally rest.
Training resumed after the break. Su Li felt like she was melting from the sun. It was so miserable that she no longer had the energy to pay any attention to Tang Yuanxiao.
Tang Yuanxiao had ambled by a couple of times at the start of the afternoon session before disappearing, so Su Li eventually relaxed her guard.
But as it turned out... she had relaxed too soon.
As she was rushing toward the cafeteria after training ended, Su Li suddenly heard a familiar voice right by her ear.
"Go home after dinner."
The low voice startled Su Li. She turned her head just in time to see Tang Yuanxiao walk past, his eyes fixed straight ahead.
No one around them noticed anything unusual.
Su Li: "..."
After finishing dinner, Su Li hesitated for a moment but ultimately returned to her place off-campus.
When Su Li arrived home, the corner of her mouth couldn’t help but twitch at the familiar sight before her.
Tang Yuanxiao and Little Tang Mo were squatting by the door again!
"Mama!" Little Tang Mo pounced on her.
Su Li hugged Little Tang Mo and looked at Tang Yuanxiao. "What... what’s all this?"
Tang Yuanxiao’s expression was the picture of innocence.
"Why is Little Mo here too?" Su Li clarified.
"His school doesn’t officially start until the day after tomorrow. There was no one to look after him, so I brought him with me," Tang Yuanxiao replied.
"And what about you? Why are you at our school?" This was the part Su Li couldn’t figure out.
"I’m here for work," Tang Yuanxiao answered matter-of-factly.
Su Li: "..."
’Does he think I’m that gullible?’
"Mama, I missed you so much. Did you miss me?" Little Tang Mo asked earnestly while hugging Su Li.
"I did. Mama missed you very much, too."
"I bet you didn’t miss me as much as I missed you, Mama."
