The Taming of the Ruffian Hero

Zheng Kai shouted, “You want me to take the first place, I got it!”

In a screaming cheer, Chen Wanxin pulled her face down. “Boring!” She turned and left.

Zhang An’an and Shu Xiaoman shook their heads at the same time. “Lovers.”

Zheng Kai didn’t expect Chen Wanxin to have any response. For a long time, he didn’t know what to say. Hence, he passed the microphone to the champion of the girls’ team, Wang Zhengjuan.

Wang Zhengjuan wore a baseball cap and a yellow short-sleeved T-shirt. It was worn in black crocodile leather trousers. On her feet, it was a pair of well-designed shoes tailored by famous designers. The look was simple and refreshing. She might be recognized as a fair-skinned man if it was not for her black horsetail and the curve of her body.

“Zhou Nannan, I love you!” Wang Zhengjuan shouted toward the field.

It was really interesting that the confess came one after another. It was only two months since school started. Everyone was surprised by how many couples appeared in such a short time. They were all guessing which boy was called Zhou Nannan and was able to make the girl happy. Zhang An’an and Shu Xiaoman turned pale. They looked at each other and went back to the dormitory to ask Zhou Nannan, who refused to come out earlier, for an explanation.

Everyone was taking pictures and uploading them to all kinds of social media. Zheng Kai and Zhao Yuan found that there were so many girls at Jifu University. Zheng Kai, in the middle of the crowd, starring at the familiar back that was leaving the field, tried to squeeze a way out. However, the champion’s honors, awards, signatures, and other itinerary arrangements followed. The field was still crowded with many people. The girls found that Zhao Yuan, who was more eye-catching than the title of champion, was missing.

Zheng Kai was surrounded by the crowd. Zhang Dong’s eyes swept across the inconspicuous corner of the playground, where two teenagers stood there, one was covering another’s eyes.

On that day, Lin Wenxi, as the platoon leader, led the whole platoon to salute on the ceremony. When the leaders finished their speech and the winners got off the stage, the field was so noisy that Lin Wenxi didn’t want to keep the order anymore. So he stayed away and watched Zhao Yuan, Zheng Kai, and others being surrounded by the crowd. He turned around, walked slowly around the playground and stopped under a tree. Here, it was once the place where Class ten was trained. The vigorous military training of the Jifu University came to the end with the end of the field training.

His eyes were covered while he was standing there along. A low voice came beside his ear, “Guess who I am?”

Lin Wenxi couldn’t help but smile. This kind of joke, he played often when he was a child. After all these years, someone was still playing such naive tricks on him. But he knew who it was, so he didn’t turn around but just stood quietly.

The owner of the pair of hands was obviously curious. He touched Wenxi’s eyebrows and didn’t get any response. He thought he might not cover the right place so moved up and down on Wenxi’s face, and finally decided to stop on his eyes. After a while, Zhao Yuan finally turned Lin Wenxi around. “You are very patient…” No sooner did he said the word, he was stunned when he saw Lin Wenxi’s naughty smile and bright eyes.

“You’ve changed,” Zhao Yuan said, smiling.

“Really? How?” Lin Wenxi smiled harder.

“Becoming more handsome…” Zhao Yuan had always been good at dealing with people and coping with ease. But now he only wanted to take a closer look at Lin Wenxi’s smiling face. He did not feel like having a talk and also had nothing to say, so he made an awkward conversation.

“I think that you’ve also changed.” Lin Wenxi still kept a smile.

“Oh? How?” Zhao Yuan was delightedly getting closer to Lin Wenxi.

Lin Wenxi moved backward and snorted, “Become more honest.”

Zhao Yun rubbed Lin Wenxi’s nose and said, “Shameless.” He reached out his hands and tried to tickle Lin Wenxi. Lin Wenxi laughed and dodged, suddenly he shouted, “You bastard!”

Bastard, Lin Wenxi suddenly stopped.

He looked around and didn’t find the one he was looking for. That person had been cruel to him, but he made him successful. Lin Wenxi just realized that, until the end of the welcome ceremony, after tonight’s chorus performance, all the military instructors would leave the next day.

“Tomorrow, are all the military instructors going to leave?” Lin Wenxi asked.

“Yes. It was a short stay,” Zhao Yuan said. When they were in the helicopter and looked out over a panorama of the small city, he was told on the that tonight would be the goodbye dinner and the chorus performance, and they would say goodbye the next day. Zhao Yuan didn’t have any attachment to any instructors except Zhao Dong. Perhaps it was because he was his instructor, or perhaps it was because he kept letting the ease of Lin Wenxi in the training.

“You don’t want they go?” Zhao Yuan said.

“They have to leave.” Lin Wenxi sighed.

“You’re really taking this easy.” Zhao Yuan laughed. He held Lin Wenxi around his shoulders and talked about the journey he just had as if he was talking about his biographic. Lin Wenxi listened carefully and enjoyed.

Zhang Dong was standing behind them and no one could tell what he was thinking. “If this person could make you happy. Then I wish you could be like this ever after.” He thought in his mind.

At night, everyone put on their performing dress, which was a pair of camouflage olive green pants and a black top with a red and yellow Jifu University armband. The clothes made everyone look heroic and capable. Zhao Yuan noticed Lin Wenxi was having a feeling of seriousness and coolness, perhaps because of his skin color.

“Leaves are falling in the cold wind, the army is a green flower, dear comrades, don’t miss home, don’t miss your mom…” The students of Jifu University sang the bright military song. Their sensitive and shyness faded away, replaced by their boldness and braveness. The night sky was solemn, but the song made it gentle and stagnation. Many students hugged their military instructors at the end of the performance and cried. Lin Wenxi stood next to Zhao Yuan. He was shocked by the loud voice of the performance. He noticed that Zhao Yuan was devoted when singing. Some words rolled in his throat, and he shivered. Especially when singing a word like “mom”, he felt that Zhao Yuan was out of control.

The military songs went round and round, and all the people sat in their platoon and shared the last supper. The school canteen logistics department were so generous and offered the dishes that could not be eaten in the dining hall. The ban over tobacco and alcohol during training time was canceled with an announcement. Boys and the instructors were talking about life, football, and future. Girls also enjoyed eating and drinking. They told each other their secrets. The whole place had become a mess.

The farewell banquet lasted until the middle of the night, and until the next morning. At the beginning of November, a cold autumn day, no one expected the full moon stood for a farewell. Wang Xiang sat alone under the tree. He had a few threw-ups already. He whispered, “The military training like this will not happen again in my life. People like this is rare in my life too.”

Zhang An’an filled up a cup and gave it to Wang Xiang. She said softly, “Come on, Xiangxiang, you read me a poem!” Wang Xiang took the wine and stretched his neck and drank it. He also lifted Zhang An’an’s chin slightly and started to say, “It was hard to meet thee and then bid farewell. The east wind blew weakly… and all flowers fell.”

Zhang An’an threw Wang Xiang on the ground hard. She put her hands on hips, and said with anger, “In front of me, remember to say, the chrysanthemum fell!” Wang Xiang nodded and carefully wiped the wine stains on his chin. He didn’t want any stains on his jersey.

Zhang An’an couldn’t help but ask, “Did you wear this jersey to break the mood?”

Wang Xiang replied with tears, “An’an, my jersey that has the autograph of Jordan, won’t be mine anymore. I want to wear it while I can.”

Zhang An’an was still puzzled. She heard Wang Xiang mumbled, “There are only less than fifteen days left. You didn’t see the way Chen Wanxin looked at Brother Yuan. She must have agreed.”

Zhang An’an felt more confused and said loudly, “Wang Xiang, explain yourself!”

Wang Xiang was suddenly stunned and said, “My bet is going to lose! When the school started, Brother Yuan and I made a bet. If he could make Wanxin date him, I should give him my jersey. Three months, three months are almost…” Zhang An’an was trying to cover Wang Xiang’s mouth, but it was too late.

Chen Wanxin suddenly dropped her glass and turned pale.