A Masochist?

The past few days of training had been so normal that it almost felt like Instructor Kai Ang had been dragged back to Moye headquarters for another interrogation.

But clearly, that wasn't the case, because during these ordinary training sessions, Instructor Chen took the mornings and Instructor Kai Ang took the afternoons. The students saw both instructors every day and could confirm that neither had been kidnapped or gone missing.

"It's so normal it's abnormal," Xu Xiqin remarked from the edge of the training ground.

Jin nodded in agreement. "I feel like they're plotting something big, like they've got a surprise waiting for us."

That afternoon's training had already ended, but Xu Lingqu was still on the field, drilling on her own.

Recently, her daily routine no longer left her with that overwhelming exhaustion that begged for an immediate rescue. According to Doctor Li, that wasn't good for her physical improvement, so Xu Lingqu took it upon herself to add extra training.

Over the past few days, she'd been practicing nearly every day. As soon as the regular session ended and everyone scattered, she stayed on the field, working on her own.

Jin crossed his arms, watching Xu Lingqu with a sigh. "Our commander seems like the type to succeed at whatever she sets her mind to."

"What do you mean 'your commander'? That's my sister," Xu Xiqin said proudly. "And isn't that obvious?"

Because of Xu Lingqu's extra practice, many people felt compelled to keep up. Some adopted the attitude of "If Xu Lingqu is still training, how can I eat? How can I sleep?" and turned themselves into her sparring partners on the spot. They'd stay as long as she did, just to keep her company—the prime examples being Wang Qihu and Tang Muwen.

Others, led by Sun Liao, found her behavior grating. Or rather, they'd never liked her from the start.

Why should she be the one to steal the spotlight, get praised, and win over the students?

Human jealousy doesn't need a reason. Even if Xu Lingqu had plenty of achievements worth praising, some people would rather turn a blind eye. They stubbornly believed that her leading this extra training was just an act for the instructors—a despicable move. The day before, a male student had walked straight up to her during her extra session and said, "Do you get any satisfaction from dragging all of us into your grind? I get that you're strong, but is this necessary? You could easily dial back your shine."

Some people could be shameless without a leg to stand on.

Xu Lingqu just gave him a cold look and shot back, "Does the first-ranked student's effort have anything to do with the 196th-ranked one?"

Those in the top ten could at least complain that her grinding added to their anxiety, but someone ranked 196th—doomed for elimination—had no right to say anything.

The boy stood frozen, as if turned to stone. He pointed at her, his hand trembling several times, too furious to speak. Walking away in defeat seemed even more humiliating, but staying didn't give him any time to come up with a solid comeback. As she finished her training and left, she made sure to twist the knife: "No matter what I do, nothing will stop you from getting eliminated soon."

It was devastating, and insulting.

Jin, never one to miss out on drama, had gone to watch that boy cry into his pillow back in the dorm. He shamelessly peeked in just to see the tears. He really had to witness their misery firsthand, otherwise he'd start wondering if these people had some kind of masochistic streak—getting scolded by Xu Lingqu and enjoying it. That must be why they kept picking fights with her.

"As if you're any better," Shen Shouli muttered from the dorm room after hearing Jin's account. If anyone had a masochistic tendency, it was Jin, to a more serious degree. The guy had taken plenty of beatings—literally—just to hang around Xu Lingqu.

Jin immediately protested loudly, "That's not true at all! Our commander is gentle with me now. Don't go spreading rumors about her."

He rubbed his chin, studying Shen Shouli's stiff expression, and suddenly felt like he'd uncovered something huge. "Honestly, you've never been one to take losses lightly since we were kids. With that spoiled temperament of yours—I remember the first time your grandpa brought you to the palace, and we met for the first time. You punched me just because I accidentally flicked mud on you! But I've noticed your tolerance for our commander is unusually high..."

Shen Shouli cut him off. "Are you saying you didn't do that on purpose back then?"

Back then, the Third Prince Jin had been a genuinely sickly kid, but he'd pulled plenty of mischief in the palace. When he heard that General Shen was bringing his exceptional grandson to meet the vigorous Emperor Andrew Uriufis, Jin had specially prepared mud bombs in the garden for Shen Shouli's arrival. The result? He got a beating from the fearless young Master Shen, and General Shen had awkwardly dragged his grandson to apologize before the emperor. Andrew Uriufis, with a grin, praised Shen Shouli for a job well done.

"You always change the subject when you're nervous! Every single time!" Jin shot to his feet, looking like a victorious general. "I've got you dead to rights now! You're completely—"

Shen Shouli instinctively reached out to cover his mouth, but quickly realized he'd end up touching Jin's saliva and yanked his hand back, wiping it on a handkerchief with disgust.

"Hehehe, look at you. In the capital, there are so many young men and women dying to have a word with you. The wealthy and powerful are practically tripping over themselves to get close to the Shen family, wearing down your doorstep. Countless people are eyeing you like a prize... and here you are, pining in secret." All of Shen Shouli's strange behavior earlier suddenly made sense to Jin.

Jin was thoroughly enjoying teasing his friend, but as he rambled, he stumbled onto a realization: "Alright, honestly, if it were our commander... I guess it kind of makes sense?"

Shen Shouli's ears were red enough to drip, but he still found the presence of mind to warn his chatterbox of a friend: "If you dare breathe a word of this..."

Jin blinked rapidly. "Look, even if you stood in front of her and said 'I like you so much,' she'd either ignore you or tell you to go to the hospital for treatment."

That was just how Xu Lingqu was. Throwing flirtatious glances at her was like talking to a wall. An outright confession would be even more pointless.

"...You've got a point," Shen Shouli admitted, recalling his past attempts to get close that had all come to nothing. He was almost surprised he'd been capable of such things.

Jin's gossip senses were blazing. "Wait, when exactly did you start having impure thoughts about our commander? Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Shen Shouli's face turned stern. "No comment."

"Tch, you're doing that again. Look at you." Jin figured he wouldn't get anything more out of him. With a shred of goodwill, he tried to console his friend. "Honestly, I think she's got bigger things on her mind, but you're still a strong contender. If worst comes to worst, go ask my dad for an imperial decree to get a title. Something's better than nothing, and my dad's pretty fond of you..."

Hearing the underlying suggestion that he should give up, Shen Shouli paused, then countered, "But I think she treats me a bit specially."

Jin: "...Where?!"

Shen Shouli: "Don't you see it?"

Jin: "No way!"

Shen Shouli: "I think there is."

Jin: ...

He shouldn't go around labeling people so quickly. The true masochist was his own brother.