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Yu Xiaozhou’s words piqued Cao Shuang and Chen Yuwei’s curiosity. Jiang Se, however, was stunned. She remembered some of her grandfather, Feng Zhongliang’s friends. Indeed, they had sons stationed in the imperial capital. Some of the Pei family’s juniors were also in the military. She wondered if they would meet each other this time.

Nevertheless, Yu Xiaozhou did not know much. Jiang Se had only allowed her mind to wander off for a short while, but Yu Xiaozhou had already told her new friends everything she knew from her online search.

However, when the military training was mentioned, Jiang Se felt slightly nervous. Although she had graduated from the First Academy before, she had never experienced the hardships of military training thanks to the influence of her family.

It was now nearing the end of August, and the sun still shone brightly. Although she did not know the contents of the military training, she could tell by the reactions of the girls that they would not be something positive.

Since she was determined to enter the entertainment industry, for now, she would have to protect her face no matter what. She would have to prevent herself from getting too tanned from the training.

When she thought about this, she looked at the other girls.

“Do you guys have anything else to buy?”

They nodded. They glanced at the fruits of their shopping and seemed to be wanting for more.

Then, she noticed a signboard up ahead on Jianxi East Road. She saw the name “Imperial Century Mall” displayed on it. It was the name of a huge shopping complex.

“Do you need anything?” Cao Shuang asked Jiang Se who nodded.

“I’d like to shop in there.” She pointed toward Century Mall. The other girls appeared hesitant.

Aside from Jiang Se, Yu Xiaozhou was also a local from the imperial capital, and her family was well-off. However, no matter how rich her family was, she had a fixed monthly stipend.

Most of the goods that were sold within the mall were branded. Although the qualities of the clothes and accessories were much better, they were really expensive as well. The three of them had spent several hundred bucks during their little shopping spree just now. When they heard that Jiang Se wanted to shop in the mall, the girls hesitated. They wanted to go but were worried that they would not have enough money.

“What is it that you want to buy, Jiang Se?” Yu Xiaozhou was the one who asked her this.

Jiang Se did not lie to her. “I want to buy some sunblock and skincare products.” Then, she added, “They should come in handy during the military training.”

The girls had never thought about this before. When they heard her mention this, they naturally wanted to visit the mall.

Jiang Se still had quite a huge amount of money after paying her tuition fees. She did not hold back when picking the skincare product for herself.

She picked a pure plant-based product from a popular French brand. The price of sunblock was not cheap for a student. However, Jiang Se was fortunate that she was still young, and her skin was good. She did not have to use a complex combination of products. After selecting some simple skincare products, she spent more than $6,000 there whereas the other girls picked items on the cheaper end.

Jiang Se initially thought that she would have difficulty adapting to her first experience of living in a dormitory. However, after spending some time living in the Du residence, she found the dorm a welcome change. The girls were still excited since this was their first day here. However, after shopping and dinner, they were tired and quickly fell asleep.

Two days later, the school started mobilizing the freshmen to go off for their military training. Everyone packed their bags and hopped onto the bus which brought them to the military training base.

The First Academy military training venue was located on one side of the Armed Forces stationed in the imperial capital. The coaches were largely from the Armed Forces.

Jiang Se had never gone through any military training before, so she did not know what to expect. At the military training grounds, they were assigned to their respective bunks. Then, the hostel warden came and briefed them about the house rules.

A young student in camouflage clothing came to distribute the flyers. He sported a thin mustache yet appeared young. He was paralyzed when he saw Jiang Se. He stood in the hostel and chatted with the other girls, but his gaze frequently fell onto Jiang Se, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

“The sun will be strong during training. Remember to apply your sunscreen, eau de cologne, soothing ointment, and talcum powder. Do you have all of these?” Although he directed the question toward Yu Xiaozhou and the others, his eyes were fixed on Jiang Se.

Jiang Se was taking her things out from her luggage. She liked to plan ahead, hence before the military training began, she had learned about what she needed to prepare.

Aside from her skincare products and sunscreen, she came prepared with other medications as well.

The other girls, on the other hand, were feeling slightly nervous now. When they heard this person mention what they should have brought, they grew even more flustered. Almost everyone had forgotten to bring a thing or two.

When the young man noticed Jiang Se keeping quiet, he lowered his head with a slightly dejected air. As more of the girls mentioned that they had forgotten to bring some things, he said in a forceful tone, “I can help you buy the things that you’ve forgotten to bring. Just pay me $50 for the service. I won’t ask for any other payment.”

These words sparked some feigned coquettish outrage from the girls. He tried to stay as long as he could, but the girls were already telling him to make a move. Then, the young man went out reluctantly.

Although she had prepared herself mentally, Jiang Se still found it difficult to endure it when the military training started.

The sun was intense and bright. She felt like a slice of meat that was thrown onto hot coals. She could hear herself sizzling and oozing with fats.

Fortunately, she wore an old T-shirt underneath her camouflage clothes. The T-shirt soaked up all her sweat. However, after a day of training, she could not even stand her own odor.

The military training would go on from the end of August until early September. This was only the first day, but when the girls returned to their dorms, they wailed and fell onto their beds. Many of them cried, “I almost died!”

Fortunately, Jiang Se had applied enough sunscreen, so she did not get tanned even after six days of military training.

The instructor’s surname was Liu. He looked like he was in his 30s and he was a very strict person. The students trained by him complained incessantly throughout the training.

In the morning, he instructed them to run five laps around the field. The 10 students who finished last were required to do three more laps while those who finished earlier could rest.

The field of the military training base was too vast, almost boundlessly so. When they heard that they were required to run five laps and that the final 10 would be punished with more laps, every one of them pleaded desperately with the instructor.

However, Jiang Se understood this instructor’s character throughout these few days. After preparing herself, she heard the whistle blow.

Many of the other students were afraid to finish last. They sprinted the moment they heard the whistle.

Jiang Se, however, was in no hurry. If she sprinted too fast in the beginning, she would not be left with enough juice to sustain her throughout the run, so she would run out of breath very quickly.

As expected, after the second lap, those who were in the lead began to slow down. Instead, Jiang Se, who had maintained her place in the middle, pulled up to the front.

In truth, she was gritting her teeth with effort. After the fourth lap, her mouth was dry, and she started having trouble focusing her sight. However, she managed to finish the fifth lap. The instructor blew his whistle and gave the signal for the students who had finished to go and rest.

Those who finished earliest were long past their exhaustion point. They sat down where they stood.

Jiang Se stopped running, but she continued walking around. Even though her body was screaming to stop and sit down, she did not yield.

“Old Liu!” someone hollered. Jiang Se found the voice slightly familiar but did not turn to look.

Soon enough, she heard someone running over. After exchanging some pleasantries with the instructor, Instructor Liu asked about the reason for the summoning. The man answered, “I’m bringing the apple of my old man’s eye here to greet you.”