C18 Su Mo Fell down

"Senpai, what's the matter?"

Lin Chen inquired.

Today, Soong Qingwan was dressed simply in a white T-shirt and jeans, her hair plaited into a pigtail that draped over one shoulder, and even her bangs were meticulously curled.

She seemed to have hurried over; her bangs were damp, and her cheeks bore a rosy flush.

From her crossbody bag, Soong Qingwan produced a small bottle and handed it to Lin Chen.

"Here, did you forget? Sunscreen!"

Lin Chen paused, realizing he had indeed overlooked it.

He had been too comfortable earlier, merely chanting slogans and hardly spending time in the sun.

Even though he might not need sunscreen now, Soong Qingwan had brought it all the way to him. How could he refuse it?

Accepting the sunscreen, Lin Chen expressed his thanks:

"Thank you, Senpai."

Without missing a beat, Soong Qingwan continued to search her bag.

"Hold on, I've got something else for you!"

She handed Lin Chen another small bottle.

"This is a post-sun exposure repair serum; it even has whitening properties. Apply it to any tanned areas, and you should see them lighten up."

"Senpai, you're so thoughtful."

Lin Chen genuinely complimented her as he examined the bottles in his hand.

Soong Qingwan's smile was sweet, her eyes twinkling like crescent moons.

"I have plenty more where that came from."

She then posed another question:

"Lin Chen, why weren't you training with everyone else just now?"

Lin Chen glanced back at the team and explained,

"I'm an assistant instructor now, tasked with their training."

"Huh?"

Soong Qingwan was taken aback, puzzled by the situation.

"Did I hear that right? You're training them?"

Lin Chen nodded.

Completely baffled, Soong Qingwan pressed on,

"Why are you training them? Aren't you a freshman too? Shouldn't you be training alongside them?"

Her bewildered expression made Lin Chen laugh, and he decided to tease her a bit.

"Who knows? Maybe the instructor just thinks I'm good-looking."

Soong Qingwan paused for a moment,

"Always with the jokes!" she retorted, then handed him a chilled lemon grapefruit tea.

"I'm done talking to you. I'm out of here. Hmph!"

She spun on her heel and strode away.

But not before throwing over her shoulder:

"Don't forget to buy me dinner once military training's over!"

Lin Chen responded with a smile and a wave.

By the time Lin Chen got back, everyone was taking a break, lounging in a circle, while a few girls from the class were in the center, dancing up a storm.

The boys watched, clearly entertained, occasionally commenting on which girl had the better figure or prettier face.

Lin Chen found a spot to sit and sipped his honey grapefruit tea.

"Man, look at you. I never thought you'd snag the attention of Colonel Soong Qingwan," Zhang Cheng ribbed Lin Chen.

Lin Chen took a slurp of his lemon grapefruit tea and flashed a grin:

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Zhang Cheng gave him a knowing look.

"Oh, come on, still playing coy? That's not cool! We all saw it—School Beauty Soong gave you that milk tea, didn't she?"

Before Lin Chen could reply, the instructor started addressing the group.

He rambled on about playing a game, something like the old 'drop the handkerchief' game.

Lin Chen just found it tedious.

After several rounds, Lin Chen was yawning, fighting off sleep.

This time, it was Su Mo's turn.

The game's rule was simple: she had to stealthily drop the handkerchief behind someone before the song ended.

Her eyes immediately locked onto Lin Chen, and she formulated her plan.

Lin Chen just shook his head, amused by her transparency—her intentions were clear as day.

As expected, she tossed the object behind Lin Chen.

Quick on his feet, Lin Chen leapt up and gave chase with the handkerchief in hand.

Su Mo, caught off guard, stumbled and took a tumble to the ground.

Everyone gasped in surprise.