In the afternoon, the heat wave on the drill ground is surging, and there isn't any single shade that people could seek shelter from being roasted under the fervent heat of the sun. Under such condition, a group of soldiers is currently standing there in a circular formation.
This is the first time for Lian Qing to hear that the special forces team still needs to examine new recruits thoroughly before admitting them. He can't help but squeeze a sweat for the weak and small comrade Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Jing stood in the middle of the crowd while receiving a look of compassion from all directions.
'Would I be beaten to death?' Xiao Jing thought to herself.
Shen Chengfeng, who is still wrapped up from head to toe like zongzi, majestically entered the drill round. As the current captain of the special forces team, it would only be normal if he'll make a person wait there for an entire day and so, his sudden appearance extremely shocked the soldiers. But not even one of them dares to utter a single word.
"Do you know why I am here?" asked Shen Chengfeng.
Xiao Jing steadily gazed at him. Her focus was kept on the lens of the other guy's sunglasses, which reflected herself. Looking at it, that face of hers is somewhat giving off a guilty conscience.
Shen Chengfeng walked around Xiao Jing. The figure in front of him is standing upright and is not in the least affected by his presence. It was as if his body has always been fixed on that spot. If it wasn't for the wind that came which moved his hair lightly, he would've thought that this figure was a statue and not a flesh of human body.
Xiao Jing swallowed the saliva inside her mouth. Though the zongzi man is not touching her, she still couldn't help but wonder what the other person is thinking as he scrutinizes her. She could feel her own blood rising, fearing that she would be in a deadlock with him again. Even if she won't have a heatstroke, she would definitely be crushed by the other party's imposing manner and cause her to faint.
"So as not to be told off that the strong is bullying the weak, I will give you a chance to prove yourself and do chin-ups [see photo below] a hundred times. Dare to do it?"
The chin-up (also known as a chin or chinup) is a strength training exercise. People frequently do this exercise with the intention of strengthening muscles such as the latissimus dorsi and biceps, which extend the shoulder and flex the elbow, respectively.
It is a form of pull-up in which the range of motion is established in relation to a person's chin. Source
"What?" Xiao Jing thought that she was still lost in her own world and unknowingly blurted out the question in her mind.
Shen Chengfeng stopped and took off his sunglasses. His deep set of eyes is just like a world of ice and snow which instantly extinguished the scorching heat of the July sun. It felt like the surrounding wind suddenly began to rise and filled the sky with dust.
Shen Chengfeng raised his hand and pointed his fingertips towards the two-meter-high horizontal bar behind the crowd and commanded, "Start."
Xiao Jing stepped back three times and turned around — Is this not so simple?
Shen Chengfeng remained calm and composed. He briefly glanced at the pole.
After doing two chin-ups in a row, Xiao Jing began to appear physically weak.
Shen Chengfeng then hooked his fingers towards Lian Qing and the latter hastily stepped forward to wait for the senior officer's command.
Not long after, the voice of Shen Chengfeng, which is as cold as ever, ordered "Supervise. One hundred."
Lian Qing's lips twitched. Don't even say one hundred, just doing twenty chin-ups alone will make any person so tired to the point of breathing hard. Isn't this just wanting Xiao Jing's life?
Xiao Jing's eyes began to emit golden flowers while being suspended on the chin-up bar. She felt that she could not hold out any longer.
"When you fall down, add ten at a time until you finish it." The man's clear and cold, but powerful voice resounded and lingered throughout the drill ground.
Xiao Jing forcefully grabbed the horizontal bar for fear that she would fall off should her body swayed.
Lian Qing stood under the horizontal bar and could only helplessly encourage Xiao Jing. "Xiao Xiao, you have to hold on. If you got over this, we can enter the special forces team honorably and gloriously. You have to know that there exist an elite force of crouching tigers, hidden dragons (concealed talents) in such a team. There are other people who can do a thousand but still, they weren't able to get in, however you… you only need to do a hundred."
Xiao Jing's arm began to tremble, and quickly shot a fierce glare at Lian Qing. How about you, old man, come up here and try?! If you could do ten, then I will carry your shoes!
"Captain, this seems to not conform to the rules." Mu Xichi stood behind Shen Chengfeng and whispered.
Shen Chengfeng coldly casts a sidelong glance at him and not minding it at all, he answered, "Rules? Are there any rules in my team?"
Mu Xichi fell silent. Indeed, in Shen Chengfeng's Iron Eagle Team, the only rule is to obey orders.
"You watch them for me. If he does one less, add a hundred." Shen Chengfeng puts on his sunglasses, turned and left with confidence and ease.
Mu Xichi's brows slightly creased. Why does it look like our captain is deliberately making things difficult for this Second Lieutenant Xiao?
Even if he himself can complete a hundred chin-ups, he would reckon that by then, he had already lost half of his life.
The sun is like a raging fire burning the earth and Xiao Jing's mouth is already parched while hanging on the bar. This time, her hands began to tremble, and even her body followed with spasm. She almost couldn't feel her breathing. It was as if every breath she takes would ignite her lungs like balls of fire. Her heart and liver also began to hurt.
"Xiao Jing, there's fifty more. You can't give up." Lian Qing roared as he stood under the horizontal bar.
Xiao Jing's pair of eyes began to diverge, and all the sound around her were like being automatically blocked by her ears. She could only hear her own coarse panting, and the endless pain every time she inhales.
"Xiao Jing, I heard that your fifth younger brother Xiao Ye has been granted an exception and has just been promoted to become the youngest major general of the empire." Her mother's words echoed beside her ear, like a spell that's being repeated endlessly.
"Mother isn't asking you to achieve or accomplish goals. Even though you are considered to be a waste (useless person) of the Xiao Family, you must remember well that five years will quickly pass. When you retire from service, mother will come and take you away from the capital. As long as you can live well, it doesn't matter if people look down on you."
The Xiao Family's waste became the Xiao Household's biggest joke and thus, was abandoned by them.
No, not reconciled! Even if she, Xiao Jing, is just a woman, so what? Why would she want to be inferior? Not reconciled, very unwilling!
Lian Qing does not dare to believe it as he opened his eyes wide. This person that was suddenly injected by chicken blood [1] … Is he still the same Xiao Jing?
{T/N: [1] injected with chicken blood – This is a Chinese colloquial expression which means jittery or agitated. It may also refer to a person who suddenly became energetic. I found an article about the origin of this expression and it was initially called Chicken Blood Therapy which was popular in the 1960's. If you frequently read Chinese novels, you will encounter this expression a lot so I encourage you to read the article here.}
Xiao Jing, who was just half-dead a moment ago is now alive and successfully completed the series of chin-ups with the most perfect movements. The last fifty could even be said to have been done smoothly and not even a tad bit sloppy. His natural and unforced movements seems like he could do another hundred more of chin-ups.
"97, 98, 99, 100!"
One hundred chin-ups has been completed, but Xiao Jing does not intend to stop there. She continues to struggle to hold the horizontal bar tightly. Every time she pulls herself up, sweat would sprinkle on her white forehead, dripping one after another, completely soaking her clothes wet.
"Enough, enough… Xiao Jing, it is already enough." Lian Qing saw that Xiao Jing's eyes are now lifeless, evidently showing his state of physical exhaustion.
"Not enough, far from enough… I can still do it! I can still do it. This is not my limit. Not enough… it's not enough at all." Xiao Jing's mind is like a clockwork's mechanical gears, never stopping for a rest.
Thud!
At 203, Xiao Jing fell from the horizontal bar and lay straight on the ground facing up. Her hands and feet are too stiff to even bend.
Lian Qing hurriedly held him up, poured a bottle of water on his head downwards, and kept patting his unresponsive face while anxiously asking, "How's it going? Do you know who I am?"
Xiao Jing heard the sound, and the mist in her eyes gradually dispersed. A face that was so close at hand became clear and then she pointed at him. "Even if you turn to ash, everyone will still recognize you."