Chapter 18: Secured

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“I want it—what use is this iron rod...”
On the way to the military training field, Wang Can kept humming this line from a song.
“Stop singing that, damn it.”
Chen Xiaobei, with dark circles under his eyes, irritably scratched his messy hair.
“Why? I think Old Wang’s humming is pretty catchy. I haven’t heard it before,” Yang Shuang said, trying to hold back a laugh.
“Bei-ge, you don’t really think Can-ge is singing about you, do you?” Zhang Bailan chimed in.
The three of them looked at Chen Xiaobei in unison. His face flushed bright red, and they all burst out laughing.
“Hey, damn it!” Chen Xiaobei pulled out his phone, gritting his teeth as he shouted, “I want to change dorms!”
“Hahaha, stop messing around, no more singing.”
...
...
By the time the group arrived at the training field, counselor Zheng Jun had already been waiting at the assembly point for quite some time.
Since it was the first day of military training, he wanted to be present and see how things were going.
Shen Hongge and Guo Wanwan stood on either side of Zheng Jun, greeting each student as they arrived.
“These two really give it their all,” Chen Xiaobei muttered under his breath.
Yang Shuang, a bit flustered, tugged on Wang Can’s sleeve. “Oh no, Old Wang, are we late? Do we still need to stand by the counselor now?”
Wang Can patted his shoulder calmly and said, “Why panic? People’s abilities show in action. Just being familiar with faces doesn’t help much.”
“Alright then.”
Though still uneasy, Yang Shuang had no choice but to trust Wang Can for the moment.
When they greeted the counselors, Shen Hongge maintained a perfectly composed smile, waving at them without any hint of surprise.
But Guo Wanwan, also from Wang Can’s hometown, reacted quite differently—she turned her head aside, refusing even a glance.
Wang Can was unfazed; people who want benefits but can’t let go of their pride are found everywhere, and they never amount to much.
What surprised Wang Can was that Jiang Zi, also from his hometown, greeted him warmly and smiled, saying they should go home together if the chance arose.
Soon, it was time for the formal assembly. After a few leaders spoke, the military training officially began.
Two rows of drill instructors in crisp camouflage uniforms marched in perfect unison.
They stood firmly in front of the podium and, at a sharp “Attention!” command, performed several right and left turns and at-ease drills.
Each movement was precise and crisp, eliciting bursts of admiration from the freshmen.
After the demonstration, the instructors quickly dispersed to their respective classes.
The instructor for Economics and Management Class Two was Zhang Huan, a short man with thick eyebrows and large eyes.

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Instructor Zhang approached the front of the formation, first casting a stern glance over the students, then pulling out a neatly folded sheet of paper from his uniform pocket.
“Roll call begins now. When your name is called, respond loudly!”
Zhang Huan unfolded the roster and ran his finger down the list.
“Guo Wanwan.”
“Present.”
“Fang Qian.”
“Present.”
...
“Chen Zhao.”
No response.
Zhang Huan frowned and raised his voice. “Chen Zhao!”
Still no answer.
His expression darkened as his sharp eyes swept over the students of Economics and Management Class Two.
“What’s going on? Is this Chen Zhao absent?”
According to school regulations, unless there are special circumstances, all freshmen must participate in military training.
Zhang Huan was certain this “Chen Zhao” had no official leave.
From the cool shade beneath the podium, Zheng Jun noticed the commotion and hurried over.
“Instructor Zhang, what’s the matter?”
With no response to his calls, Zhang’s frustration grew.
He turned to Zheng Jun, clearly displeased.
“Teacher Zheng, I’ve called this Chen Zhao’s name three times with no response. If he doesn’t want to participate, he should just say so.”
“Chen Zhao?” Zheng Jun raised an eyebrow in confusion. He didn’t remember anyone by that name in the class and reached for the roster to check.
Just then, a somewhat thin student raised his hand and said, helplessly, “Um... were you calling me? But my name is Chen Tiao, not Chen Zhao.”
The whole class froze for a moment before erupting into laughter.
Students from several nearby classes cast curious glances their way.
Zhang Huan’s face flushed bright red, spreading from his ears down his neck.
He clutched the roster awkwardly, lips moving silently, like a schoolboy caught in the act of wrongdoing.
The character “Tiao” is often mispronounced, not just by Zhang Huan, who dropped out of high school, but even many college students.
But to misread a name so blatantly in front of everyone, and then aggressively demand an explanation—his embarrassment was profound.
Amid the laughter, Wang Can seized the moment of distraction, casually leaned forward, and lightly placed his right hand on Yang Shuang’s shoulder, whispering a few words into his ear.
“Report!”

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Yang Shuang suddenly raised his right hand and, amidst the rising laughter, loudly announced, “When I was copying the roster, I accidentally wrote Chen Tiao’s name as Chen Zhao.”
The laughter stopped abruptly, all eyes turning to Yang Shuang with incredulous confusion.
How could such a simple task as copying names go wrong?
As the students whispered among themselves, counselor Zheng Jun frowned privately.
This roster was issued directly by the academic affairs office. If there was any mistake, it was an error made by their staff—not something Yang Shuang should be involved in.
Zheng Jun took the roster from Zhang Huan and glanced down. It indeed said “Chen Tiao.”
He narrowed his eyes and gave Yang Shuang a long, sharp look.
“Yang Shuang!”
His voice suddenly rose, tinged with clear anger.
“How can you make such a careless mistake even with a basic task like copying names? Why are you so negligent?”
“Now, apologize to Instructor Zhang immediately!”
Being scolded so publicly, Yang Shuang felt a burning flush on his face and a deep sense of frustration.
But since Wang Can had asked him to do this, there had to be a reason.
Taking a deep breath to calm his emotions, Yang Shuang lowered his head and stepped forward to the instructor, earnestly saying,
“I’m sorry, Instructor. My negligence caused you trouble.”
Zhang Huan was still somewhat dazed.
He vaguely recalled the idiom “a journey of a thousand miles,” which he had once mispronounced in front of a military instructor who corrected him on the spot.
Some habits are ingrained so deeply they’re hard to change, so he instinctively read “Tiao” as “Zhao.”
But now, how had this become the student’s fault?
He was about to say something when he caught Zheng Jun giving him a warning look. Clearing his throat twice, he said,
“Don’t let it happen again. Return to your formation.”
Strangely, once Yang Shuang took the blame, Zhang Huan seemed relieved, his tense expression softening.
However, Zheng Jun wasn’t finished; he coldly added a punishment.
“Go run five laps around the field.”
Yang Shuang, feeling helpless, cast a resentful glance at the “instigator.”
Wang Can simply smiled faintly and silently mouthed to him,
“All set.”