105: train

The car soon drove out of the city, heading toward the Military Camp deep in the suburbs.

There were almost no lights along the way, and the two reached their destination in a daze.

"Get out. Your dormitory is the same one as before." Yan Zhuoyang shooed him out of the car. "I've handed everything over to Lin Fang; he'll be in charge of your training."

"You're just going to dump me here and ignore me?" Yan Zhuohua's eyes were filled with disbelief.

"It's not like you haven't been here before. I'm busy! I've also put the specific training plan on your desk; look at it yourself."

After giving his instructions, Yan Zhuoyang left immediately.

Yan Zhuohua stood blankly on the spot for a long time before turning to go to the room where he usually stayed. Fortunately, he had a good memory; otherwise, he would have definitely gotten lost after not being here for five years.

The dormitory he stayed in remained exactly as it was when he last left.

Since there wasn't much to change anyway, it only contained a bed, a set of desk and chairs, and a small locker of his own.

After all, he wasn't a regular soldier, so there were no housekeeping requirements. Yan Zhuohua stuffed his backpack into the locker and lay down on the bed to read the training plan.

This is truly insane! It wasn't this insane five years ago!

Yan Zhuohua put down the stack of papers, silently grumbling about how cold-hearted his eldest brother was! Feeling uneasy, he simply took out his phone and called Yan Qinghe. Unless there were special requirements, phones were actually allowed in the Military Camp. Moreover, Yan Zhuohua's phone had been modified, so there were no issues at all.

The call was picked up quickly on the other end.

"Zhuohua, have you arrived?"

"I arrived ages ago." Yan Zhuohua rolled over on the bed. "Big Brother dumped me and left. I'm all alone in the dorm now, and it's so boring."

"Then I'll chat with you every day!"

"That probably won't work. I just looked at the training plan. After a full day, I'll be lucky if I even have the strength to make it back to the dorm, let alone chat with you." Yan Zhuohua poked the quilt dejectedly. "Big Brother even handed me over to that most heartless Lin Fang. I'm afraid this month is going to be very rough for me."

Yan Qinghe didn't know how to comfort him, so he could only pivot to another question.

"Then... can I come see you?"

Yan Zhuohua's spirits visibly lifted. "Yes! Big Brother said you can come for two hours every week!"

"Alright, then train hard, and I'll definitely visit you." Yan Qinghe's voice was very warm. "I'll bring you some candy and small cakes."

"You'd better not forget!"

"I won't. Go to sleep early. Training starts very early, so don't be exhausted tomorrow."

"I don't want to sleep." Yan Zhuohua rolled over again. "This bed is so hard! I don't even know how I managed to endure it before."

"You have to sleep even if you don't want to," Yan Qinghe said with a laugh. "Tuck yourself in and lie down. How about I read to you?"

"Why not tell a story?"

"...Then do you want to hear Little Red Riding Hood or Snow White?" Yan Qinghe teased.

"You'd better just read a book!"

At six o'clock the next morning, Lin Fang indeed appeared at the door of Yan Zhuohua's room.

"Brother Lin Fang, you really are a robot." Yan Zhuohua was prepared and had gotten up five minutes early. "I have a friend who's very similar to you named Xiao Xiao. I'll definitely introduce you two someday."

"Cut the nonsense. Hurry out and get your gear. Five-kilometer cross-country run to warm up."

"You're so cold!"

The cold Lin Fang added a sandbag for him.

Under Lin Fang's exploitation, Yan Zhuohua spent the entire day in misery.

At eleven o'clock at night, having finished his first day of training, Yan Zhuohua could finally return to his room. If it weren't for the fact that he felt uncomfortably dirty, he probably wouldn't have even bothered to wash up.

When he finally "crawled" out of the bathroom and collapsed onto the bed, just about to fall asleep, a phone ringtone sounded.

Yan Zhuohua struggled to open his eyes to look at the name on the screen: Wen Hengtang.

Seeing this name, Yan Zhuohua instantly woke up quite a bit.

"Hengtang? Is something wrong, calling so late?"

"I've come to A City, so I'm here to have you make good on that meal you promised last time."

Yan Zhuohua gave a loud yawn. "That probably won't work. I got caught doing something wrong by my big brother a couple of days ago, and now I'm grounded at home!" This training matter was of great importance, so Yan Zhuohua would never mention it casually to outsiders.

Well, training was no different from being grounded.

"...Then your family discipline is quite strict," Wen Hengtang's voice sounded a bit stunned. "What did you do?"

"Oh, I beat up my husband." Yan Zhuohua made it up with his eyes closed.

"Beat him up?" Wen Hengtang seemed to have bitten his tongue. "How badly? I haven't heard anything about the chairman of Xingfeng Group being in trouble!"

"Not on the surface; it's all under his clothes. Besides, it wasn't heavy. It's not like I could actually cause him real harm, right?" Not bad, the logic held up!

"If it wasn't heavy, why are you grounded?" Wen Hengtang's voice rose. "They've already started suppressing you!"

"There's nothing I can do; he's the real young master." Yan Zhuohua had a playful smile on his face, but his voice sounded very aggrieved.

It was quiet on Wen Hengtang's end for a long time. "You... they treat you like this, and you don't have any thoughts about it?"

"What thoughts can I have? I just have to take it." Yan Zhuohua yawned silently again, missing Yan Qinghe a little. He wondered what would happen if Yan Qinghe found out he was spreading such rumors about him. Why not tell him tomorrow and see?

"Zhuohua, tell me the truth. Did they hit you? Is that why you can't come out, because you're recovering from injuries?"

"Not really." He couldn't make up any more lies; if it got too ridiculous, no one would believe it. "It's just a simple grounding."

"Oh... how long are you grounded for?" Wen Hengtang was still somewhat anxious. "They can't keep you locked up forever, right?"

"I don't know. They said if I behave well, it'll be three months." In over two months, when the test drive ended, he could play at home for a few days before heading out.

"Then... I'll come find you then."

Yan Zhuohua suddenly smiled. "Hengtang, why do you only care about me and not ask why I hit him?"

"I'm on your side, so of course I support you!" Wen Hengtang became excited. "If there ever comes a day when you can't take it anymore, remember to come to me. I'll definitely help you get what belongs to you."

"Alright, I won't forget you."

After hanging up the phone, Yan Zhuohua's emotions gradually stabilized.

Not many people knew about him coming for training. It wasn't a big deal originally, but now was a critical moment with people prying everywhere; he truly needed a suitable reason to disappear for a while. Otherwise, someone might infer things based on the timing of both he and Fu Yifeng losing contact.

Disappearing early now happened to separate his situation from Fu Yifeng's, weakening the connection between the two.

Yan Zhuohua suddenly sat up from the bed, thought it over carefully, and simply sent a text message to his big brother.

Within a few minutes, Yan Zhuoyang replied with six dots.

Yan Zhuohua fell back onto the bed laughing, accidentally pulling his overexerted muscles as he tossed and turned, making him grimace in pain.