Chapter 47 A Nose Full of Ashes

  Qin Qing felt the hairs on his face standing on end. What kind of banner couldn't be hung, and yet he chose to take an ambiguous route?

  Still dare to come and provoke him, it seems that Ouyang Mengmeng is not afraid of anyone; the lesson of being locked up that day, she obviously forgot.

  Logically speaking, given the unpleasantness of their first encounter that day, even if Qin Qing didn't hate Sang Hong, he should have at least shown his deep disgust and hatred towards her, or at the very least, ignored her.

  On the contrary, he actually became interested.

  ……

  "Senior, someone like you, with the dignified and upright air of a soldier, must have a broad mind. Let's just forget about it and have a cup of coffee together, shall we?"

  Shang Hong continued to entangle and unleash his invincible entangling skills.

  "Do you want to have coffee with me or is there something on your mind?"

  "Isn't this the same thing?"

  Qin Qing was indignant and said, "How can this be possible!"

  Choosing one is because you succumb to my charm, choosing two proves that you just have an ulterior motive for me.

  "Alright, for uncle's sake, I'll treat you to a cup of coffee then."

  Will Xiao Hua admit she likes me?

  Qin Qing turned around gloomily and led her to that simple coffee shop on the east side of the campus.

  But in her heart, she couldn't help but mutter to herself, if it wasn't because she liked him, then what was the point of being so polite and courteous.

  ……

  "Senior, I really didn't recognize a great person like you. Someone as excellent as you, and yet I gave you such a terrible first impression. How regrettable!"

  As soon as Xiang Hong avoided the crowd, she spoke freely and exaggeratedly flattered.

  "Pfft——" Qin Qing was so taken aback by her words that he spat out his coffee. To curry favor without reason, to be either a cheat or a thief - she could say such brazenly flattering words with a straight face, and he couldn't help but admire this woman's unparalleled shamelessness.

  Xiang Hong hastily pulled out a pack of tissues from her pocket and pushed them across the table with a smiling face.

  Qin Qing took it over at a moderate pace, opened it, pulled out one and elegantly dabbed the corner of his lips: "Oh? You'd better tell me how excellent I am?"

  "When you first entered school, your grades were the top of last year's class. The promotion assessment was also the top of the whole grade; what's even more admirable is... uh, this next part is a secret topic."

  Xiang Hong's eyes darted around, and she beckoned him over with a wave of her hand, indicating for him to lean in close.

  Qin Qing rarely experienced a girl being so intimate and natural with him, he was curious for a moment, and leaned in closer.

  I only felt a faint scent wafting before my face, and gentle words that intoxicated me: "Someone told me that you participated in the final selection of special forces last year, wow, being able to charge to that step, in our school, is truly an invincible existence!"

  Qin Qing's face changed, he sat up straight and looked at Sang Hong from head to toe: "Is this the reason you asked me out for coffee today?"

  Xiang Hong's eyes sparkled as she nodded repeatedly: "Yes yes, it's a gesture of admiration!"

  "Not yet selected, what's worth worshipping."

  The gloom on her face was unreservedly evident, so obvious that it made Sang Hong feel piercing to the eyes. It wasn't until then that she realized the experience she yearned for was someone else's pain.

  Xiang Hong quickly adjusted her expression and pretended to be surprised, saying:

  "How can you say that? Being able to participate proves that you are excellent in your generation, and it's not necessarily that you weren't selected. I think - maybe it's because your family doesn't want you to take being a soldier as a lifelong career, so they're interfering! If you were selected, having a strong background wouldn't be of much use, but if they don't want you to be selected, then there are many ways to do that."

  "How could you have such an idea?" Qin Qing was somewhat stunned.

  "Thinking of your family background, Qin Luoshui is your uncle, he said you are the eldest grandson of the eldest house. I pondered that with such a large foundation in your family, why did you come here to temper your body and courage? In the end, where can this path full of sweat and hardship lead?"

  Xiang Hong started making things up in order to gain his trust.

  "Is this what my uncle said?"

  "It's not all of it, there are some factors that I inferred." The thick-skinned woman was sweating a bit.

  Qin Qing was somewhat distracted, and after a while, he shook his head and said: "This possibility is extremely small. However, we who come from school can't compare to those selected from the grassroots level. You're just a girl, don't have any illusions."

  "Why can't it be done? As long as you think about it and prepare thoroughly, there's a possibility of achieving it."

  "Hmph - this is just empty talk, I'm not hiding anything. With only a few dozen days of military training to improve my physical strength, it's basically hopeless."

  "Can you tell me a little bit about the competition?" Shan Hong asked softly.

  Qin Qing fell silent for a while, seemingly lost in those unbearable memories, and finally pursed his lips to say:

  I didn't persist until the end, I was lucky to have participated in only three games, the third one is - carrying 30 kilograms of weapons and survival supplies, being airdropped into an unknown jungle, running for at least 200 kilometers within 4 days and 3 nights, with 'pursuers' behind and 'blockades' ahead, planes and police dogs constantly chasing, requiring high vigilance, almost the entire journey was spent jogging, no rest time, because once you stop, you absolutely don't want to move forward again.

  At the last moment, physical energy consumption almost reached its limit, and the body was numb. Only spirit and faith remained. Without a strong will and a tempered physique, it is impossible to complete the task.

  We were all sent by military schools and lacked combat experience. Almost all of us were eliminated in that game.

  Xiang Hong's face turned pale as she listened, and she couldn't imagine how it was possible because they were only doing a 5km cross-country run with light gear. When she reached the finish line, she was panting like an ox, her chest heaving like a bellows.

  30 kilograms, 200 kilometers, running continuously for 84 hours without sleep or rest, with obstacles of encirclement and interception, just thinking about it makes her sweat profusely.

  Qin Qing smiled: "You're a girl, how can you have this idea?"

  "What's wrong with girls? Didn't you have any girls in your match that time?" San Hong asked curiously.

  "There were those few girls, just one look and you could tell they were top-notch elites, each with their own unique skills. They weren't even comparable to the average college girl." Qin Qing seemed to recall the scene at that time, his eyes filled with admiration, but when he turned to Sang Hong, his expression became disdainful.

  "Qin Qing, can you help me develop a physical fitness improvement plan based on your understanding of that assessment program?"

  Qin Qing was taken aback, staring at her in a daze - what kind of girl would, in such an unfamiliar first conversation, ignore the previous misunderstanding and make such an excessive request?

  Either overconfident or lacking common sense.

  "Uh—" Xiang Hong looked at his reaction and only then realized that her words were a bit abrupt. She dryly laughed, "Don't you feel any regret? If you could train one, wouldn't the frustration be alleviated somewhat?"

  Qin Qing was even more stunned. What is called self-deception? What is called a fantasy? Today, he gained some experience.

  "What's with that look?" Sang Hong wasn't an idiot, she could clearly understand the incredulity in Qin Qing's eyes.

  "That's exactly what you meant!" Qin Qing retorted.

  Xiang Hong twisted her neck and suppressed her frustration, smiling and misinterpreting: "What I understand? So you agree with my suggestion?"

  "It's a bit silly, not your fault, but pretending to be silly on purpose is nauseating! Waiter, bring the bill!" Qin Qing didn't want to listen to her nonsense and waved his hand for someone to pay the bill.

  Xiang Hong had never been so humiliated before. The mental hint he had before coming was thrown far away, and with a slap on the table, he burst out in profanity:

  "Wow, sister is so low-key for half a day, you're really out of touch with the world, it seems like you've forgotten my style!"

  Digression

  Our always smooth-sailing Hong finally encountered a challenge, will she be disheartened and retreat after being knocked off her pedestal? Hehe! Tonight at 7 PM, the second update of the day is coming!

  7:00 PM release today's second update!