Chapter 5: Greetings, Brother Wang

Lu Qingyue lay stunned on the grass, recognizing the voice as vaguely familiar. She looked up in a daze and was caught off guard by a pair of dark, amused eyes.

Today, Cheng Xingye wore a black T-shirt with dark training pants, simple and neat from head to toe, which only made his long, straight legs seem even more striking.

That such legs belonged to a man was almost unbelievable.

Lu Qingyue couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—no wonder this man could be a heartbreaker. If she had those legs, she could play around for a whole year!

But this was no time to admire legs. Her current predicament was, in fact, rather embarrassing.

He was impeccably dressed, looking sharp and proper, while she was sprawled on the ground, a tuft of hair sticking up foolishly, even with some dry grass tangled in it.

Why is it that every time I bump into him, I’m always in such a messy state?!

Even worse, Chen Shujie was there too, leaning in mischievously beside Cheng Xingye and laughing, “Lu-ge’s little sister is quite something... I actually like her like this...”

Lu Qingyue closed her eyes in utter despair, wishing she could bury her face in the dirt.

Suddenly, there was a thud behind her—Zhou Tingting had jumped down from the wall as well. Seeing Lu Qingyue still lying on the ground, she reached out to pull her up. “Still lying there after falling flat? What are you doing on the ground?”

Lu Qingyue thought: You’re the one who fell flat! Your whole family fell flat!

With a heavy nasal voice, she replied hopelessly, “Don’t pull me up, just pretend I’m dead.”

Zhou Tingting was baffled, unable to comprehend how things had turned out like this.

Then, someone nearby let out a mocking laugh. She turned to see their chief instructor standing at the front, with another plain-looking man beside him.

Ignoring the unremarkable one, Zhou Tingting was momentarily stunned by the tall, handsome man. He looked quite familiar, but she couldn’t be sure, so she stammered in amazement, “Who is that? He looks a bit like our chief instructor…”

At this point, with her back exposed to everyone, Lu Qingyue could no longer play dead. She got up, brushed the dirt and grass roots from her clothes and hair, sighed, and decided to be straightforward, “Isn’t that—”

She suddenly noticed that Cheng Xingye wasn’t wearing his usual camouflage training uniform today.

Could it be that they were out incognito and didn’t want anyone to recognize them?

Lu Qingyue hesitated, unsure whether to call him “Instructor,” worried she might attract the attention of her classmates nearby.

In a flash of inspiration, she swallowed back the word “Instructor” just in time, and blurted out, “Good day, Brother Wang. Hello, Brother Gou.”

Zhou Tingting was bewildered.

Cheng Xingye froze.

Chen Shujie’s expression was utterly indescribable.

Seeing their faces, Lu Qingyue’s first instinct was to grab Zhou Tingting and run.

After they’d sprinted about ten meters and heard no pursuit, Lu Qingyue finally stopped, panting.

Zhou Tingting was completely at a loss, gasping, “Why are we running?!”

Lu Qingyue, breathless, explained, “The chief instructor didn’t recognize us—do you want to stick around and see what happens if he does?”

Zhou Tingting suddenly understood. No wonder the man had looked so familiar—he really was the instructor.

Now that they were a safe distance away, she realized something was wrong. “But we just ran off right in front of the chief instructor. Will we be in trouble?”

Lu Qingyue, still composed, analyzed calmly, “Why worry? He wasn’t in uniform today, which means he’s not on duty!”

Zhou Tingting relaxed, but then exclaimed, “But you just called the chief instructor ‘Brother Wang’?!”

Recalling this, Lu Qingyue glanced back uneasily and replied, “It wasn’t random—my brother said he’s a heartbreaker.”

Zhou Tingting gasped, “Wow! That level of heartbreaker…”

She took a deep breath and, adopting a serious tone, declared, “With looks like that, calling him a heartbreaker is too modest! He just wants to give every girl a home. He’s obviously a true gentleman.”

Lu Qingyue was left speechless. Were you always this complimentary?

Half an hour later.

After filling up at a convenience store, the two of them returned the same way, timing it perfectly.

Morning training ended at noon, and it was 11:50 now. As long as they hurried, they’d make it back before Lu Yi returned.

Lu Qingyue was confident.

Everything seemed to go smoothly. Inside, some were still training, others chatting, and no one paid any attention to the corner by the wall.

The slope outside was steep, but with years of wall-climbing experience, they scaled it with ease and landed safely.

Lu Qingyue, thinking they’d made a clean escape, dusted off her hands coolly. But when she turned around, her face went pale and her confidence shrank instantly.

“Brother… Instructor Lu.”

Lu Yi stood under a large banyan tree, hands in his pockets, his expression chilly and composed as he raised an eyebrow. “Lu, care to explain yourself?”

Lu Qingyue immediately wanted to hide behind Zhou Tingting, who also looked guilty and hung her head.

Lu Yi was tall and intimidating when unsmiling, commanding respect and even fear from the entire class.

He glanced at the two of them, his gaze finally settling on the main culprit. His tone was casual but laced with warning, “Well, your wings have finally hardened. Daring to pull this under my very nose.”

He knew Lu Qingyue had always been a handful, but at least she’d avoid adults when up to no good. Now, sneaking out right in front of him, she clearly no longer took her brother seriously.

Lu Qingyue’s heart skipped a beat.

Though he sounded nonchalant, she could sense his restrained anger. After sixteen years of dealing with him, she knew his temper well and quickly confessed before he could get harsher.

“Instructor, I’m sorry! We know we were wrong!”

Lu Yi was unmoved, looking down at her lazily. “Where did you go?”

Softly, she replied, “To eat fish balls.”

Lu Yi was speechless. Was this kid born a glutton? She scaled the wall just for some fish balls?

Seeing his confusion, Lu Qingyue hastily explained, “The curry fish balls at 7-Eleven are really good. I’ll bring you some next time?”

Lu Yi couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. “Lu Diandian.”

Seeing his stance, Lu Qingyue wailed in despair, “I know I was wrong! I really didn’t think I’d get caught—otherwise I definitely wouldn’t have gone today…”

Her surrender was swift, and after years of wits and battles with her brother, she’d mastered the art of crying on demand.

Lu Yi flicked her forehead. She instantly held back her tears, not daring to utter a sound, like a mute little quail.

Zhou Tingting, watching their exchange, was too frightened to enjoy the view of handsome men, her face turning pale.

With the two girls hanging their heads, Lu Yi decided not to make things harder, especially since it was almost lunchtime. Folding his arms, he ordered coldly, “Run three laps around the field. No lunch until you finish.”

Miserably, the two girls gave in to Instructor Lu’s authority and helped each other off to run.

After they finished their laps, Lu Yi left without another word.

Out of her brother’s immediate danger zone, Lu Qingyue, exhausted, rubbed her reddened forehead and grumbled, “So unlucky… If only I’d ordered a medium portion, maybe we would’ve come back earlier and not been caught…”

But Zhou Tingting tugged at her sleeve and whispered, “Hey, isn’t our chief instructor still here?”

At the gate to the field, a familiar figure stood. Dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, outlining his tall frame in a soft golden glow.

Lu Qingyue narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, “We were only gone half an hour—how did my brother find out so quickly?”

As she realized this, Lu Qingyue spared no effort in launching a barrage of personal attacks in her mind.

“What’s the use of being good-looking? Playing the tattletale? Is he a sore loser or what!”

This grudge had been forged—and she swore she’d get her revenge!