Chapter 28: Class Dinner
Liu Cheng, the first person to be penalized for talking, could no longer contain himself. He stretched his neck and shouted, "Reporting!"
"Speak!"
"If you're so capable, why don't you demonstrate it? If you can hold the position longer than we can, I'll be convinced!"
What Liu Cheng said was exactly what everyone in Lin Bai's squad was thinking. After all, this young girl looked too inexperienced; without that camouflage uniform, Lin Bai really doubted she had even graduated from high school.
The female instructor sneered, "Fine! Let's make a bet. If I can hold it longer than you, you automatically drop out of the assessment!"
"And what if you lose!?" Liu Cheng was clearly fuming.
"If I lose, I will voluntarily withdraw from the National Flag Guard!"
"Fine! You're on!"
Hearing Liu Cheng agree, the female instructor didn't hesitate. She picked up a brick, hooked it onto the top of her foot, and kicked it out into a standard goose-step position.
Everyone in Lin Bai’s squad stared at the instructor, watching as she maintained the pose without the slightest movement.
Just like that, one minute passed, then two, then three...
Three minutes later, the female instructor looked at Liu Cheng. "Do you still need to continue?"
Liu Cheng’s face turned ashen; he remained silent.
The female instructor took the brick off her foot, pivoted 180 degrees on the spot, and shouted to the instructor recording the attendance:
"Squad 6, Liu Cheng! Eliminated!"
The attendance instructor nodded and quickly made a note on the form.
As for Liu Cheng, after his chest heaved violently a few times, he threw his cap on the ground in a rage and ran off.
Similar scenes were playing out in other squads, and one could clearly hear reports being called out one after another. Naturally, people were being eliminated one by one.
After the incident with Liu Cheng, no one in the squad dared to underestimate the young instructor anymore, and everyone became much more obedient.
Under the guidance of the female instructor, Lin Bai and the others began two hours of continuous training.
...
Two hours later, after the assembly, everyone finally finished their first day of training.
Lin Bai admitted he had underestimated the intensity of the National Flag Guard’s training. Fortunately, his physical fitness was no longer what it once was; as long as things went normally, passing the assessment wouldn't be too difficult.
Returning to the dorm, Lin Bai took a shower, had breakfast with Qin Ruowei, and then headed to class.
There were quite a few classes today—three sessions—leaving Lin Bai with almost no spare time.
School ended at six in the evening. Lin Bai rushed back to the dorm in a hurry. Not having time to do his homework, he changed into his camouflage uniform and headed straight for the central sports field.
At 6:30, the new recruits of the National Flag Guard stood in formation on time. The familiar female instructor arrived in front of Lin Bai’s Squad 6 and began drilling the nine of them.
The two-hour training session was long. During the process, Lin Bai felt, through a sixth sense, that there was a gaze fixed upon him from the stands.
He turned his head to look and saw a man in a military training uniform sitting on a chair, legs crossed, holding a bottle of cola. Despite it being late at night, he was wearing sunglasses, making it impossible to see his features.
Lin Bai was certain this person hadn't been there in the morning, and he didn't know what his identity was. However, judging by his posture, his status was definitely far above everyone else's.
Because he was wearing sunglasses, his eyes were hidden, but Lin Bai was sure that this was the person who had been watching him all along!
"Creep," Lin Bai muttered under his breath.
...
A week of training is neither long nor short.
From the initial group of over two hundred people, only about thirty remained by the seventh day.
Lin Bai finally understood what Qin Ruowei had said a week ago.
Most of the two hundred-plus people who were eliminated were either unable to persist or gave up because they couldn't get out of bed in the morning. Perhaps this was the very purpose of the National Flag Guard's training.
Lin Bai passed the assessment smoothly, and with a perfect score, no less.
Strangely enough, the soldier in sunglasses was present during the entire process, but he never spoke—he just sat on the stands and watched.
It was very strange.
"Congratulations on joining the National Flag Guard. You've worked hard this week! Have a pleasant weekend. Report to the National Flag Guard on Sunday afternoon. Dismissed!"
[Beep! Congratulations to the host for completing the side quest. The quest reward, a Favorability Detection Card, has been issued and can be used by the host at any time.]
As the captain announced that the remaining recruits were now part of the National Flag Guard, Lin Bai finally completed the side quest and received his reward.
Down below, Qin Ruowei had been waiting impatiently. Seeing that Lin Bai was finally dismissed, she immediately rushed over and hugged his arm.
"My boyfriend is amazing! Hehehe."
Lin Bai hadn't forgotten the main point and looked at her with a mischievous smile.
"I did what I promised you. What about you?"
Qin Ruowei's ears turned red. "What's the rush? Let's go, let's go eat."
Lin Bai was actually very curious about what kind of surprise this girl had prepared for him.
However, the class monitor had mentioned on Monday that the class was organizing a dinner party this weekend, so Lin Bai held Qin Ruowei back.
"Ruowei, my class is organizing a dinner tonight. Why don't you come with me?"
"Ah? Is that so? It wouldn't be good for me to go to your class dinner. How about... I wait for you to come back?"
Lin Bai thought about it seriously; what Qin Ruowei said made sense. It really wouldn't be right to bring someone else to a class dinner.
After thinking it over, Lin Bai said, "Then wait for me in the car. I'll just go in, show my face, and leave."
"Mm, okay."
...
The location for the class dinner was set at a "party house" in the commercial street near the university town.
A so-called party house is a place that combines dining, drinking, and entertainment, and it is very popular among college students.
At seven in the evening, Lin Bai drove Zhao Fangting, Chen Zhe, Lu Xiaobin, and Qin Ruowei to the location.
The four of them got out of the car, and Qin Ruowei stayed behind.
"I'll be waiting for you."
Lin Bai nodded, touched Qin Ruowei’s cheek, and turned to walk toward the party house with the other three.
Entering the room, the noise mixed with DJ music rushed toward them. Everyone except the four of them had already arrived and was already having a blast.
"Lin Bai, over here!"
Following the direction of the voice, Lin Bai raised an eyebrow.
"Why aren't you out there having fun?"
Lin Bai asked with a smile as he approached Li Ruonan.
Li Ruonan was holding a bottle of mineral water, sitting on the sofa watching the TV, but her mind was clearly not on the screen.
"I can't drink, and I don't know how to play, so I’m just sitting here. What about you? Why are you only arriving now? I thought you weren't coming."
Because the volume was so loud, Li Ruonan was standing very close when she spoke. At this distance, Lin Bai could even smell the fragrance on her, which was very pleasant.
[Beep! Side quest triggered!]
[Side quest content: Use the Favorability Detection Card on Li Ruonan.]
[Quest reward: Unlock the Female Beauty Attribute Panel.]
The system's notification sound left Lin Bai stunned.
"Female beauty attribute panel? What is that?"
[Beep! The Female Beauty Attribute Panel will score women based on their appearance, from 1 to 9 points, from low to high. This attribute panel can help the host quickly filter for outstanding women.]
The system's explanation was easy to understand. Lin Bai realized it in an instant and thought to himself that it was indeed a good thing.
He then looked at Li Ruonan. The moment their eyes met, Li Ruonan immediately looked away, pretending to open her mineral water to take a sip.