A group of people were enthusiastically posing for a group photo.
To be more precise, a crowd was bustling around Cheng Feng as they took pictures.
She was holding a large bouquet of flowers in her arms, so big that it nearly obscured her face.
The words on the card were illegible, but from the university emblem printed on the wrapping paper, it could be inferred that the flowers were from their respected president.
These leaders, nearly two generations older than Cheng Feng, kept circling around her, grinning from ear to ear. Their voices were soft and gentle, stripped of their usual solemn authority.
“Cheng Feng performed exceptionally well – neither arrogant nor impatient. Anyone can see she’s born to be MVP!”
“The moment I first saw you, I knew that a golden trophy would one day bear your name!”
“Say a few words about your thoughts on the team competition. You can also share your comments on your teammates. And don’t forget to mention your goals and aspirations for the next match.”
“We’re not arrogant, but we’re not timid either. This time, we can say it loud and clear -the golden trophy is ours!”
Jiang Linxia felt as if she were standing at two poles of the world. They were on one side, and Cheng Feng was on the other.
Although they had also been the darlings of the university when they won MVP last year, the president back then was far from this benevolent. He had maintained enough composure to shake their hands, take a group photo, and then leave.
He didn’t give them flowers – just five banners.
Times had changed. For the same MVP title, not only were there no banners now, but they were also being nailed to a pillar of shame.
Why put themselves through this?
Perhaps their gazes were too mournful and intense, catching the president’s attention. Spotting them, he waved and said with a hearty laugh, “You’re here! Come, come, you’re the main characters too. I was looking for you earlier, but your instructor called you away first.”
The four of them walked in, bowed to the leaders in greeting, and were then pulled over to Cheng Feng’s side to take a complete team group photo.
The university president tried several angles but couldn’t find a satisfactory shot to post on the school’s website. Staring at the images on his optical computer, he asked with a smile, “Why all the long faces? How can young people be so listless?”
Jiang Linxia’s gaze was hollow as she let out a soft sigh. “We got scolded.”
The president’s expression didn’t change. “I already told them – a few words are fine, but no berating. On such a happy day, we should all be celebrating.”
A major event like the Military University League, with the golden trophy staying at UFU for two consecutive terms, and Cheng Feng likely to clinch the 3 MVP titles this year with her third win – this was a rare and truly commendable achievement, and more effective than any advertisement as a recruitment brochure.
Next year, the quality of UFU’s incoming students would undoubtedly surpass that of many top-tier military universities. Its reputation within the Expeditionary Force would also rise further, and the funding allocated by the Alliance next year would naturally follow suit!
When that time came, everyone would know – the glory of UFU had returned! And that glory belonged exclusively to UFU!
Jiang Linxia was about to say something more when the optical computer in his pocket buzzed – a message from someone on his special notifications list.
He pulled it out and saw it was from the instructor, with just one line: “If you dare tattle, you’re done for.”
Jiang Linxia immediately tugged at the corners of his mouth, flashing a standard, practiced smile. He reached out to pull the brothers beside him close, huddling tightly together.
The president nodded approvingly. “Good, good. Cheng Feng, hand the flowers to Xiang Yunjian, and then Xiang Yunjian gives them back to Cheng Feng. That’s the passing of the golden trophy! Next year, the trophy will still be ours!”
Xiang Yunjian took the bouquet with a hint of exasperation.
The two of them stood there awkwardly, neither quite knowing how to respond. After locking eyes for a moment with intense, unblinking stares, they both raised their hands and froze in the middle, each secretly pushing the bouquet toward the other.
Jiang Linxia hissed through clenched teeth. “What are you two doing? Your faces are turning all twisted, you know that?”
A quarter of an hour later, they finally finished taking the photos. The president and the others stayed behind in the office to continue discussing how to write the promotional copy.
Walking out of the equipment building, Jiang Linxia tightened his collar, feeling that the three short days of exams had aged him far too much. The winter wind carried a particularly desolate chill. As it blew past, it took not only his body heat but also his youth.
And to make matters worse, Yan Shen was right beside him, heaving sighs in solidarity. Jiang Linxia felt like he needed a review of his own life – and that only made him feel even more haggard.
The bouquet Cheng Feng received wouldn’t fit in her backpack, and carrying it in her hands was cumbersome. After a moment’s thought, she casually tossed it over her shoulder, landing it squarely in Xiang Yunjian’s arms.
Xiang Yunjian caught it effortlessly and raised an eyebrow. “Cheng Feng.”
Cheng Feng shoved both hands into her pockets and immediately darted ahead in a light jog, leaving the group with a carefree silhouette.
“Why is she so happy?” Jiang Linxia asked sourly, raising his voice. “Didn’t your instructor scold you at all?”
Cheng Feng turned back in surprise. “Why would he scold me?”
Jiang Linxia said, “For not following protocol, losing contact with your teammates for a long time, causing information gaps, things like that.”
Cheng Feng let out an “oh” and glanced past the group. She then raised her hand and pointed, nodding toward someone emerging from the building. “There’s my instructor.”
The young instructor walked past the group with his hands behind his back. As he passed by, he turned his head and smiled at Cheng Feng – a look full of unspoken encouragement.
After a few more steps, he glanced back and smiled again, radiating warmth and spring-like cheerfulness. When he reached the fork in the path, about to turn toward the library, he paused briefly, turned around with that lingering smile still intact, and waved at Cheng Feng.
The two waved at each other from a distance.
The sincerity in his expression and the brilliance of his smile were so striking that even the hardy pines standing tall in the roadside greenery seemed to pale in comparison.
The four of them stood there dumbfounded, feeling that this winter wind was especially biting.
Even after the instructor’s figure had completely disappeared, that face of his continued to replay endlessly in their memory.
Jiang Linxia said in awe, “So this is what they call ‘a glance that radiates charm’?”
Yan Shen admitted his own ignorance. “Three looks back with one smile…”
Xin Kuang coldly snapped them back to reality. “Don’t overthink it. Our instructor would only give us three strikes with a stick per step – each one landing right on the crown of your head, helping you ‘enlighten’ yourself on the philosophy of life.”
Xiang Yunjian sighed.
Yan Shen shook his head. “Stop sighing, stop sighing – you’ll sigh all your luck away.”
The group reached the entrance of the residential area and waited to cross the street. Quite a few students stood on the opposite side with their suitcases, waiting for rides, ready to head home.
Several curious gazes fell on the bouquet in Xiang Yunjian’s arms. They probably figured that only the president would have the audacity to wrap flowers in the uni emblem, so their looks were especially pure – without a hint of romantic speculation.
Jiang Linxia teased, “There goes your one and only chance in your college life that could’ve passed for ‘maybe not single anymore.'”
Xiang Yunjian didn’t take it to heart. He tapped Cheng Feng on the head with the bouquet and asked, “Are you leaving tomorrow or the day after?”
Cheng Feng said, “Leaving? Where would I go?”
“Home for the New Year, of course!” Jiang Linxia stepped over. “Do you have new plans this year? Not staying at Aunt Chu Xuan’s place? She’s probably already bought you gifts.”
Cheng Feng blinked blankly. “Ah… really?”
Jiang Linxia laughed. “But since you’ve won double MVP, if you want to make some money, you can also work with San Yao. They’ve got all kinds of promotional events – meals and accommodation covered, plus a big red envelope. Oh, but that’s assuming your department head doesn’t keep you on campus over winter break for extra lessons, to push for that Grand Battlefield MVP.”
Cheng Feng hadn’t made up her mind yet.
Last year’s defeat in the Grand Battlefield was a regret shared by almost everyone, which was why Xiang Yunjian and the others had been willing to delay their military training by a year for another shot at the golden trophy. Although it hadn’t gone exactly as expected, it was still a certain degree of progress.
With Tao Rui operating in the open, the pressure in this year’s Grand Battlefield would likely fall more heavily on the commanders. But since Cheng Feng herself was a command major competing as an infantry, their side effectively gained an extra commander – greatly increasing their chances of avenging last year’s loss.
This year’s league schedule was progressing more slowly than usual. In previous years, the Grand Battlefield phase had taken place during finals, but this year it had been confirmed to be postponed until after the Spring Festival.
UFU would have to use the winter break to select a commander who could coordinate well with Cheng Feng, and she’d probably have to stay on campus as well.
Mr. Kong and Mr. Luo had mentioned it to her briefly, but they hadn’t gone into detail to avoid disrupting her rhythm.
“I’ll probably have to wait for the notice…” Cheng Feng started to say, but then her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, “My little owl!”
Across the street, the small owl fluttered its wings and flew over at a leisurely pace.
The traffic light at this intersection had an especially long red – over 50 seconds.
To save battery, the little owl picked the nearest lucky person and landed on the young man’s head.
Startled, the guy looked up and instinctively reached to grab it.
The little owl quickly hopped down and perched on his suitcase instead. The young man bent down to look at it but didn’t try to touch it anymore.
A student nearby laughed and said, “Isn’t that the military university’s mascot? The instructors’ favorite hand-warmer. Out for a stroll again, huh?”
“This owl still hasn’t gotten lost – that just proves how advanced intelligent robots are. You pay for quality, and it shows.”
Ever since the little owl gained its flying capability, it had grown bolder again. When Cheng Feng wasn’t around, it often ventured out of the dormitory, even dropping by places like the library to leech off the network and download documents, searching for information related to Cheng Feng.
Its maximum flight altitude reached three meters, and the data told it that the plump, well-fed cats on campus were absolutely incapable of jumping that high from a standstill.
It was safe.
The traffic light turned green, and Cheng Feng dashed toward it. Spotting her approach, the little owl promptly turned around and flew back the other way.
Its battery was running low – better to save every bit of flight distance it could.
Cheng Feng called out, “Head to the cafeteria first! Go to the third dining hall!”
The little owl slowed down, adjusted its direction, and waited for Cheng Feng to catch up before landing on her shoulder.
That evening, UFU’s group photo was released. San Yao’s post-match interview was also switched to a recorded format, and after the tech team finished processing it, they released it ahead of schedule as well.
Cheng Feng went for a light jog on the track, planning to stay up a few more hours to reset her biological clock.
Her three roommates were even more excited than she was. They had been stationed in front of San Yao’s various sections since morning, emotionally invested in following this team competition.
Shen Dan’s fingers clattered rapidly against the keyboard.
She had saved quite a few screenshot pieces of evidence on her optical computer -records of comments from netizens who had mocked Cheng Feng back then, saying it was impossible for her to win “MVP.” Whenever she spotted a familiar ID still attacking Cheng Feng with harsh language, Shen Dan would slap those screenshots over to help jog their memory.
She also went so far as to mischievously modify her personal declaration: “Cheng Feng’s on break now, so she can fight side by side with me again.” That scared the netizens in the battle zone so badly that they didn’t dare respond to her all day long.
Her other two roommates were also browsing threads on the San Yao forums.
Perhaps due to the approaching holiday, San Yao users were celebrating wildly while still finding time to stir up trouble. Aside from the crowd that just chanted “Cheng Feng is awesome,” many others were fanning the flames and provoking discord among various military universities.
Wasn’t this way more entertaining than any idol drama?
“UFU has clinched the golden trophy for two consecutive years now. Cheng Feng won’t even be a junior until next year, which means she’ll likely help UFU win two more trophies. How are the other military universities supposed to handle that?”
“Four years of domination – terrifying!”
“To be in the same era as a genius is truly lonely. Crushed and unable to breathe – those of you lurking out there, are you really okay with that?”
“What were those netizens who once doubted triple-gold winner Comrade Ye Guicheng even thinking? Couldn’t they tell at a glance that Cheng Feng was born extraordinary?”
“Holy crap, you UFU people sure know how to take advantage! You haven’t even gotten one trophy yet, and you’re already claiming three on credit?”
“Isn’t that all but settled?”
“Not necessarily. There’s still the Grand Battlefield, you know. Don’t always dismiss it -there have been plenty of cases of a stunning comeback and a turnaround against all odds. It all depends on how hard the cadets are willing to work.”
“I’m not trying to tear anyone down, but if UFU wins the golden trophy four years in a row, then those First Military, Second Military universities… they’d be way too pitiful. [wiping tears]”
“Programmatic doom-saying – UFU’s Grand Battlefield hopes are in jeopardy this year.”
“It’s not doom-saying – it’s probably true. By the second day of the team competition, our instructor couldn’t even stand to watch anymore. He was so furious he nearly slammed the table, knowing this time was likely a loss, so he went straight to talk to people from neighboring schools to plan out the Grand Battlefield. So UFU is bound to be isolated this time.”
“If First Military and Second Military can join forces, how could UFU possibly survive?” “Let’s finish celebrating the team victory first – aren’t you the ones already betting on Cheng Feng failing in the Grand Battlefield?”
“Xiang Yunjian and the others are graduating next year – how are they supposed to win the trophy then?”
“Facts have already proven that Cheng Feng is capable of building her own team to win the golden trophy!”
“Cheng Feng’s experience is indeed a huge advantage. Experience as an infantry might even be more important than raw strength in that role. In this team competition, she was absolutely in a league of her own.”
“Is there anyone in this world who doesn’t like latching onto a powerhouse? Look how happily Xiang Yunjian and the others are smiling.”
“Yeah, right – I suspect those smiles were photoshopped for fifty cents. Yan Shen looks like he’s been taken hostage. Only the president’s laugh lines look authentic.”
By the next day, thanks to the relentless efforts of countless netizens, Cheng Feng’s tags had evolved from “on track for 3MVPs” to “triple-gold winner.”
Miss one, and she wouldn’t be Cheng Feng.
Lack one, and UFU wouldn’t deserve her.
Jiang Linxia scrolled through the pages, clicking his tongue in amazement. “Netizens these days sure know how to blow things way out of proportion.”
Yan Shen chimed in agreement and accused, “It’s all Cheng Feng’s fault for spoiling them.”
