Chapter 246 - 244: Midnight Field March

Chapter 246: Chapter 244: Midnight Field March

"Mom, I’m doing great over here, you don’t have to worry. Yeah, I couldn’t have my phone during military training. I’m getting used to life here."

That evening, after his military training ended for the day, Wang Ming returned to his dorm and received a call from his mom.

"As long as you’re getting used to it. By the way, I took Yingying to school today," Li Weiya said, looking out the window at the night sky.

"Oh, I saw the messages in the group chat," Wang Ming said.

His mom and Shen Ying had been joined at the hip lately, so he didn’t dare ask about any details, afraid she’d pick up on any clues.

"I think that girl, Yingying, is quite nice," Li Weiya said suddenly. "What do you think?"

Wang Ming’s heart skipped a beat. He thought his mom had found out about his unspeakable, messy situation.

He pressed his lips together slightly. Realizing he hadn’t contacted Shen Ying at all recently, he asked tentatively, "What do I think about what?"

"Her personality. Aren’t you her classmate?"

"We’re not in the same class. Old Jiang and I are classmates. Um... Lin Yanwan was her deskmate."

"So, Ah Xia and Yanwan got together. What about you?"

For a moment, Wang Ming didn’t understand what his mom meant. "What about me?"

"Aha... It’s nothing."

Li Weiya gave a faint smile. Over the past few days, Shen Ying had been casually asking her questions about Ah Ming. She’d thought the two of them might be like Jiang Xia and Yanwan, but it seemed her own son had no interest at all.

But children will make their own way in life. Li Weiya didn’t want to press the issue of Ah Ming’s love life. She’d just let him be. Who knows, maybe one day he’d suddenly surprise her by telling her he had a girlfriend.

"Ah Xia asked me to come to the Imperial Capital again today. I thought about it and agreed," Li Weiya said, holding a childhood photo of Wang Ming and sighing softly. "Ah Ming, you don’t feel like I’m always meddling, do you?"

Wang Ming paused for a moment, then laughed. "Mom, what are you talking about? You’ve always taught me to be independent. Compared to other parents who can’t let go, I kind of wish you’d meddle a little more."

"Hahaha, no way. Even if I come to the Imperial Capital, I won’t meddle. You’re a grown-up now. You have to make your own way in life."

A gratified smile appeared on Li Weiya’s face. What satisfied her most was that she had raised Ah Ming to be the person she’d hoped for—not the kind of child who wouldn’t know how to live without his parents.

Wang Ming chuckled along. He knew his mom would say something like that.

"Mom, when you get to the Imperial Capital, I’ll come pick you up."

"When I was making my way in the Imperial Capital, you hadn’t even been born yet."

"Things are different now than they were ten-plus years ago."

Li Weiya took a soft breath. Things really were different. Since the start of the 21st century, the Capital had been changing day by day. If it weren’t for Ah Xia, she might have just stayed in her hometown and slowly grown old.

’It’s time to get out and see the world again.’

"We’ll see when the time comes," she said.

"Alright, that’s all for today. I’m hanging up now. You should take a shower and get to bed early."

"Okay, Mom. Good night."

After hanging up, Wang Ming smiled to himself. He sometimes wondered if his mom would be lonely at home by herself now that he was at university. To be honest, he was very happy that she was coming to the Imperial Capital.

After his shower, he climbed into bed. Thinking about what his mom had said on the phone regarding Shen Ying, he thought for a moment, then found Shen Ying on QQ and sent her a message.

[Wang Ming]: You there?

◇

11:50 PM.

Over three thousand freshmen gathered punctually at the East University Playground. Arranged into their previously assigned formations, they were divided into four battalions, standing at attention with a heroic air.

Each carried a neatly bundled quilt on their back, along with a single bottle of water and a chocolate bar, waiting with high spirits for the commander-in-chief’s inspection.

Midnight.

With a single command, the freshmen set off, their packs on their backs and the moonlight overhead, a vast and mighty procession.

After leaving Tsinghua Garden, Jiang Xia found Lin Yanwan in one of the rear groups. She had an excited look on her face, too. She had long heard that Tsinghua University had a tradition of early-morning marches during military training, but she never expected it to actually be real.

If nothing else, walking 20 kilometers together with so many people late at night was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"Babe, did you get a good rest this afternoon?" Jiang Xia asked.

"Mhm, I dozed off for a bit, but I woke up as soon as my alarm went off," Lin Yanwan nodded. To make sure they wouldn’t fall behind during the 20-kilometer march, everyone in dorm 520A had made sure to get plenty of rest.

"What about you?"

"I tried to sleep but couldn’t. I feel alert enough, though." Jiang Xia gave a small yawn as he spoke, but his eyes were still bright. "Give me your bag."

"No need." Lin Yanwan shook her head. They had only just started, and her energy was still high. Plus, she was still feeling excited, so she barely even noticed the weight of her pack.

"You should save your energy. We’ll talk when I can’t walk anymore," she said with a light laugh, proactively taking his hand in hers.

To an onlooker, it didn’t look like they were on a long-distance march at all. It was more like a couple’s hiking trip, accompanied by the stars and the moon, breathing in the faint fragrance on the night breeze. Every step of the journey felt like a romance.

Cui Jiaying watched them, dying of envy. "Ahhh! Yanwan, you two are showing off your love right here! Can’t you have some pity on us single dogs?"

"Well... do you want to walk up ahead?" Lin Yanwan blushed slightly.

Cui Jiaying turned to look at the calm Si Si, then at the earnestly walking Qiuting, and her face twitched. "Forget it."

"Don’t you two feel anything at all?" she asked.

"No man in my heart, no hurt to be found," Si Si said, glancing at her coolly.

"Sister Jiaying, 20 kilometers is a really long way to walk. You need to talk less to save your energy, or you’ll get really, really tired," Tang Qiuting said very seriously.

This was all experience she had gained from walking mountain paths since she was a child.

"...I get it," she said with a look of resignation.

"Sister Jiaying, if you get tired later, you can give me your bag. I’m not tired."

Cui Jiaying gritted her teeth. "No! It’s just 20 kilometers, I can finish it myself!"

And then she really did stop talking. She ignored all of Jiang Xia and Lin Yanwan’s intimate interactions, stared straight ahead, and followed the group step by step toward the finish line.

However, after more than an hour had passed, the group had barely covered six kilometers. Cui Jiaying could feel her legs starting to ache and burn. They felt as if they were filled with lead, and every step was a struggle. She had to take a sip of water after just a short while of walking.

But she had just made that bold declaration a short while ago, so even if she had to crawl, she would crawl to the finish line.

Qiuting gave her a concerned look.

"Sister Jiaying, are you sure you don’t need my help?"

"No, I can do it!"

She gritted her teeth, determined. When she went shopping, she could walk all day without getting tired.

She took the bottle of mineral water out of her bag, twisted off the cap, and tilted her head back to take a drink, only to find it was already empty.

"Sister Jiaying, have some of mine."