92: Chapter 92 The First Day of Military Training

A faint sigh rose from the ranks, but no one dared to make a sound.

Chen Fan followed the instructor's requirements: chest out, head up, shoulders pulled back, palms pressed against the seams of his trousers, and his center of gravity slightly forward.

He had stood in this posture countless times in his past life; he could do it perfectly with his eyes closed.

The first few minutes were relatively calm, with only the occasional person secretly shifting their weight or quickly wiggling their fingers.

After about ten minutes, a subtle restlessness began to emerge in the ranks.

Some people's knees went weak, and their bodies began to sway slightly. Others let their shoulders slump, only to be glared back into position by Liu Qiong.

Someone took advantage of the moment the instructor turned around to quickly rub their lower back, but they were seen by the person next to them, who couldn't help but chuckle, only to be glared at by Liu Qiong as well.

Chen Fan, however, made no movements. His body remained motionless, his breathing was steady, and his gaze was fixed straight ahead. This level of training intensity was nothing to him—it was much easier than playing a game of basketball.

Liu Qiong paced back and forth among the ranks, correcting a student's posture from time to time.

"Keep your hands pressed to the seams of your trousers, don't let them drift."

"Pull your shoulders back, don't hunch."

"Shift your center of gravity forward, don't lean back."

When she walked up to Chen Fan, she paused, looked him up and down, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

It was probably because Chen Fan's military posture was so standard that no faults could be found.

She didn't say anything and continued walking forward.

The thirty minutes finally came to an end.

"Alright, relax," Liu Qiong said, clapping her hands.

A collective sigh of relief immediately rose from the ranks. Some bent over to rub their knees, some swung their arms to loosen their shoulders, and others simply squatted down.

"Who told you to squat? Stand up!" Liu Qiong roared, and those who had squatted immediately sprang back up.

After a five-minute rest, the tedious training of standing at attention, standing at ease, standing at parade rest, and stationary turning drills began again.

By the end of the day, Chen Fan felt as though he had relived the military training from his past life all over again.

...

At 8 PM, the day's military training finally ended.

As Liu Qiong announced the dismissal, the previously orderly ranks immediately dissolved into chaos, scattering like birds and beasts. Some dragged heavy footsteps toward the cafeteria, some just sat down on the playground, unwilling to move, and others had already started calling their families to complain.

Back in the dormitory, everyone except Chen Fan flopped directly onto their beds, as if all the bones had been drained from their bodies.

"I can't do it anymore..." Liu Zhipeng buried his face in his pillow, his voice muffled. "I feel like my legs aren't mine anymore. No, I feel like my entire lower body doesn't belong to me anymore."

Zhang Yuhang was too lazy to even speak; he just waved his hand from where he lay on the bed, indicating his agreement.

Wang Lei managed to turn over with difficulty and stared at the ceiling, his eyes as hollow as two black holes. "When we were standing at attention, all I could think about was braised pork. I thought about it all afternoon. The more I thought, the hungrier I got, and the hungrier I got, the more I thought about it... In the end, my brain was just full of braised pork spinning around."

Chen Fan stood by his bed, flexing his wrists and rotating his ankles. After a full day of military training, he felt only slightly tired, with no other ill effects.

"Aren't you tired?" Wang Lei asked, turning his head with difficulty to look at him.

"It's alright," Chen Fan said.

"Badass," Wang Lei couldn't help but give a thumbs up.

Chen Fan smiled and said nothing.

He took off all his clothes, leaving only his underwear. After a day of military training, his clothes were soaked with sweat and sticking stickily to his body, so he desperately needed a hot shower.

Everyone present was male, so Chen Fan didn't shy away, walking around the dormitory shirtless.

"Damn, are those muscles real or fake?" Liu Zhipeng sat up from his bed in surprise after seeing Chen Fan's bare upper body.

Chen Fan's upper body had well-defined lines—pectorals, abdominals, and obliques, all present. It wasn't the exaggerated kind deliberately built in a gym, but a balanced, aesthetically pleasing look full of a sense of power.

His skin had a slight sheen under the fluorescent lights, and the sweat, not yet dry, slid down the grooves of his abs.

"Duh, of course they're real." Chen Fan didn't even turn his head.

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhipeng's face showed envy. He climbed off his bed and leaned in, wanting to take a closer look. "Can I touch them?"

"Get lost." Chen Fan said succinctly.

Liu Zhipeng sheepishly withdrew his hand but still stared at Chen Fan's abs for several seconds, sighing. "If I had your muscles, would I still be worried about not finding a girlfriend?"

Zhang Yuhang, still lying on his bed without even lifting his head, chimed in gloomily, "Even if you had the muscles, it wouldn't matter. The key is that you don't have Chen Fan's face."

Liu Zhipeng's face instantly fell, like a deflated balloon. "Hey, I'm not ugly either."

"You're not ugly, just too round." Wang Lei added, still lying on his bed. His tone was light, but the damage was immense.

Liu Zhipeng looked down at his stomach—after taking off his camouflage uniform, the curve under his T-shirt was indeed a bit obvious.

Chen Fan didn't pay them any more attention, grabbing his towel and body wash to go to the bathroom for a shower.

In the bathroom, Chen Fan stood under the showerhead. The hot water washed away the sweat from his body and the fatigue accumulated from a day of military training.

After showering, Chen Fan lay on his bed and picked up his phone to take a look.

Lin Xi had sent a message half an hour ago: "First day of military training, how do you feel?"

He typed back: "It's alright, just a bit sunburnt."

The message had just been sent when she replied: "Did you put on sunscreen?"

"I did."

"Liar."

Chen Fan looked at the two words on the screen and smiled. How did she know he hadn't?

"Remember to put it on tomorrow." Another message followed.

"Okay."

"I won't talk to you anymore, I'm going to take a shower. Good night."

"Good night."

...

In the blink of an eye, more than half of the military training had passed.

After so many days of training, everyone had gradually adapted.

A group of people who had been fair and clean-cut just a few days ago were now standing together, most of them tanned by a shade or two.

Some had V-neck tan lines on the back of their necks, some had sleeve marks on their arms, and some had peeling skin on the tips of their noses.

Although they were a bit darker, their overall spirit looked much better.

Compared to when the training first started, the entire company now walked with a brisk, powerful air, shouted slogans with vigor, and even sat with straighter backs during rest periods.

Chen Fan, however, hadn't tanned much.

Standing in the ranks, with the people around him having all tanned several shades, he alone seemed to have the same skin tone as when he first arrived.

His cheeks would get slightly sunburnt and red, but after a couple of days, it would fade, and his original base skin tone remained unchanged.

He didn't use sunscreen either, standing under the sun every day just like everyone else, marching in step, standing in military posture, but he just wouldn't tan.

Perhaps it was truly just natural beauty.

...