"Hey, water here."

"Thanks. I was just about to buy some."

Su Yu turned and caught the mineral water bottle tossed by Lu Siyuan. He gulped down a large mouthful—the cool water slowly soothing the dryness in his throat.

Early autumn sun blazed like a furnace, warping the air with heat. After standing at attention all morning, sweat poured down like a breached dam.

Freshman orientation had barely ended that first morning before military training began. Fourteen days of drills, rain or shine. Without a signed leave slip from their academic advisor, escape was impossible.

How could bodies used to hunching over desks endure this sudden intensity? By noon, the formation had crumbled. The drill instructor, deeply dissatisfied, punished them with hours of standing still—just to earn thirty minutes of rest. Thinking of thirteen days left, the road ahead felt endless.

"Tired?"

"How could I not be? Our drill instructor’s way harsher than the others," Su Yu muttered, glancing toward the distant lawn where instructors sat in a circle. The darkest-skinned one was theirs—and not just in complexion… his heart was darker too.

"Four fainted in our class alone. Hehe, Gu Chuan’s next."

Gu Chuan shoved Lu Siyuan. "Get lost. I’m fine—I’m pale, not weak. I’ve got muscles!"

"Chu Feng has real muscles. Your ‘two ounces of meat’? Don’t embarrass yourself."

"Yeah, Gu Chuan needs training. Too out of shape," Chu Feng said seriously after studying him. "Run with me tomorrow morning."

"Whoa, drop it." Gu Chuan’s pale face darkened. He nodded toward the girls’ rest area. "Haven’t you noticed our class girls?"

"They’re not even wearing makeup. Why stare?" Lu Siyuan shot back. "Is your brain full of nothing but girls?"

"Damn it! My two classmates added *you* yesterday, and now you flip the script?"

"W-Well… I don’t have a girlfriend!"

"Neither do I. What’s wrong with looking?"

"I don’t believe you!"

"Believe what you want."

They lounged on the grass, bantering about trivial things. With Gu Chuan around, the talk always circled back to girls and gossip.

"Hey, someone posted the campus beauty on the confession wall—a law student, supposedly gorgeous."

"Law department? Close to us then."

Su Yu chimed in. He’d chosen computer science again, same as his past life. Years in the field had carved those skills deep. Reborn? No need to suffer. He’d take the easier path.

"Yeah, somewhere over there. Good luck spotting her."

Lu Siyuan scanned the formations. The lawn buzzed with squads and students gathered in circles, watching performances. Silhouettes crisscrossed under the lively hum.

"Let me check—my friend sent a photo."

Gu Chuan scrolled through his album, then glanced up. Su Yu leaned in—but froze.

"Holy shit! Left side of the lawn—the one watching the performance!"

The crowd fragmented Su Yu’s view. Singing, dancing, fluttering jackets tied at waists—boys radiant, girls graceful.

Then—a figure emerged. A long, fair neck. A cute little bun. Just a plain camouflage training tee, yet she stood out vividly. One accidental glance—his heart skipped. The glaring sun blurred his vision.

No mistake… *Her*. But how? She shouldn’t be here. *Shouldn’t*. Was she… here for *him*?

Su Yu rose slowly, knees weak, nearly stumbling. For a heartbeat, he wanted to run. She had no reason to come to Qingchuan…

But running was useless.

"Where you going, Su Yu?" Gu Chuan called, puzzled.

His hands clenched tight, blue veins stark on his knuckles. Step by step, he walked toward her. His heart hammered with every meter closed. She hadn’t seen him yet—laughing with friends at the performance.

Ten meters felt like eternity. Others noticed his fixed stare. Mocking smirks spread. *Another guy trying his luck. Predictable.*

"Xia Qian'ge…"

His voice trembled. She turned. His chest tightened. An impulse seized him—he grasped her slender wrist.

"How… how are you here?"

"Hey! Who *are* you? Harassing her?"

Xia Qian'ge stayed silent. Xu Dan, her fiery roommate, exploded. "He grabs my roommate’s wrist out of nowhere?!" Her tone sharp as shattered glass. Others joined in.

"Dude, flirting doesn’t mean grabbing hands. Not cool."

"Let go before this gets ugly."

…

Eyes swarmed. The spot became a stage.

"Su Yu, what’s wrong with you?!"

"Do you even know her?"

Gu Chuan and the others rushed over, frantic.

"You *know* this creep?" Xu Dan glared at them. "Disgusting. Make him let go. Stop playing innocent."

Emotions choked the space—dense, suffocating. Only two exits: Su Yu. Xia Qian'ge.

Confusion flickered in her eyes the moment she turned—then vanished. Her gaze held his reflection. The boy under blazing sun. His eyes, filled only with her, shone like the Milky Way.

"You came?"

A smile curved her lips—gentle ripples on a still pond, spreading deep. Like a butterfly settling on a willow branch. The crowd fell silent. Hearts raced.