Chapter 34: The Price of Being Outstanding

When the instructor of the second squad saw that the third squad hadn't taken all the cold drinks, he immediately announced a break and told his students to go get some.

However, just like the third squad, many students were no longer interested.

Of course, there were still plenty of people who didn't care about the rumors, and Tian Siyi happily gave them drinks as well.

Some students even cheered her on.

"We believe in you! Stay strong!"

Tian Siyi smiled and replied, "I definitely won't be defeated by evil people!"

Seeing that she could still laugh and joke, one particularly extreme student decided to cause trouble.

A girl deliberately walked over and spat at Tian Siyi.

Fortunately, Chen Chen reacted quickly. He pulled Tian Siyi into his arms, and the spit missed her.

When the girl saw that she had failed, she frowned, turned around, and quickly walked away without saying another word.

Chen Chen looked down at the girl in his arms and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

Tian Siyi slowly shook her head.

Looking at her unbelievably beautiful face, with her hair now messy from what had just happened, she looked especially pitiful and helpless.

Even Chen Chen couldn't stop his cheeks from turning slightly red.

For some reason, something had felt different lately whenever he looked at Tian Siyi.

They were obviously just good friends.

Best buddies.

But the more he looked at her, the harder it became to look away.

His eyes always seemed to follow her without him noticing.

Just like a moment ago.

Even though it had been an emergency, he couldn't help noticing how soft she felt in his arms, along with the faint, pleasant scent around her.

Even yesterday, when he saw how upset she was, all he wanted was to pull her into his arms and let her cry as much as she wanted.

Shaking those thoughts out of his head, he quickly let go of her.

Feeling a little embarrassed, he scratched his hair.

Then he noticed that her hair had become a complete mess because of what had happened, so he reached out and gently fixed it for her.

Tian Siyi came back to her senses and smiled as she watched his hand carefully smooth the hair on her forehead.

Chen Chen was thoughtful.

He was reliable.

He always knew how to take care of people.

Zhou Jiajia really didn't know what she had lost. She let such a wonderful boyfriend slip away so easily.

If I really keep living as a girl, then when the day comes that I want a boyfriend... I'd want someone like Chen Chen.

Someone who's thoughtful.

Reliable.

Good at taking care of people.

And someone I can always enjoy talking to.

Maybe a person like that is hard to find.

Too bad Chen Chen probably wouldn't ever like me that way. After all, he knows what I used to be. If we really got together, it would probably be pretty awkward.

She pushed those distant thoughts aside.

For now, she could still tease him a little.

Looking at him with her big eyes, she asked playfully, "Were you blushing just now?"

Chen Chen quickly looked away.

He pulled his hand back and hid it behind his back.

Tian Siyi laughed. "Well, what can I do? I'm just too pretty. Beauty really does bring trouble."

"It really does."

This time, Chen Chen agreed.

If she hadn't been so unbelievably beautiful and caught Bai Hang's attention, Wang Xiaoxiang wouldn't have become so jealous.

And none of this trouble would have happened.

She knew exactly what Chen Chen meant.

But if she really had to give up this beautiful body just to have a peaceful school life, she simply couldn't bear to do it.

After all, you can't gain something without giving something up.

So she didn't mind putting up with some criticism.

"There's nothing I can do. Outstanding people have to pay the price that comes with being outstanding."

"You're really an optimist."

"Is this your first day knowing me?"

"You've never been through something this bad before."

"Who says I haven't? I've been through things that were much worse."

Of course, Chen Chen knew what kind of person she was.

That was exactly why he was worried.

Now that Tian Siyi mentioned it, this situation, no matter how bad it was, still wasn't as terrible as when she lost her voice.

Back then, she had been depressed for a long time.

But after some time, she found the courage to live again.

Even if she could no longer sing, she could still find another way to live.

She couldn't just give up on life.

Compared to that time, when the doctor had practically told her that her dream was over, what she was facing now really wasn't as terrible.

Meanwhile, in the third squad, after gathering everyone together, the instructor didn't give any commands right away.

He simply had everyone stand at attention.

Those who hadn't finished their cold drinks were even allowed to keep eating them, making students from the other squads quite jealous.

Only then did the instructor shout,

"Jealous? If you're jealous, then why didn't you go get one?"

A few students wanted to answer, but the instructor cut them off with a loud voice.

"I haven't studied as much as you have, but I still understand the saying, 'If someone helps you, you should repay their kindness many times over.' That girl hurt her foot and couldn't even join military training. Instead of staying in the clinic or the dorm with the air conditioner on, she came out under the burning sun and spent her own money to buy cold drinks for all of you."

"And what about you? Not only are you ungrateful, but you're also talking badly about her behind her back. Is that really how a decent person should act?"

One of the girls couldn't stay quiet anymore and interrupted,

"But her money is dirty!"

"Dirty?" The instructor snorted.

"I think she's much cleaner than all of you! I don't care where her money came from. It's her money. She was willing to spend it to buy you something to eat and drink, and all she gets in return is being called 'dirty'?"

The entire third squad fell silent.

The only sound was the quiet crying of one girl.

No one paid any attention to her.

After a short pause, the instructor continued,

"I'm not your teacher, so it's really not my place to lecture you. But I still hope you learn to be grateful. And don't judge other people with bad intentions. As for the photos and videos you mentioned, I haven't seen them myself. But I do know one thing. That girl is currently living in the staff dormitory with Brother Yu. Brother Yu is the instructor working in the clinic. We all call her Brother Yu, but she's a real woman."

No one knew how much the instructor's words had changed people's minds.

But at least the students in the third squad looked at Tian Siyi much more kindly afterward.

Even if Tian Siyi really did have some secret no one knew about, she had still treated everyone in the third squad with kindness.

And besides, the instructor had already explained that she was indeed staying in the staff dormitory.

Her roommate just happened to be another woman.

When Tian Siyi noticed the instructor talking to the students, she could vaguely hear part of what he was saying.

She smiled at Chen Chen.

"I think the instructor is on our side."

Chen Chen nodded.

"That means he's a reasonable person."

"I think Sister Qin also told him about my situation. Did you know? Sister Qin actually has a higher military rank than their chief instructor."

"Really? Then we're lucky to have her helping us."