The morning training went smoothly, and the afternoon was a rare free time, which meant rest time. After finishing the training, Shi Jin refused Luo Donghao's invitation to go to the cafeteria together and sat on the ground, staring straight at Xiang Aoting, who was preparing to leave with the roster. The implication was very clear.

Xiang Aoting glanced at him sideways, put down the roster, and walked to him after everyone had dispersed.

Shi Jin looked up at him and said, "My hand hurts."

Xiang Aoting frowned, squatted down to pull his hand, and asked, "What's wrong? Are you injured?"

"It's not that, it's just that I can't sleep well," said Shi Jin, allowing Xiang Aoting to take his hand. He saw his hand trembling just a moment ago, but it instantly calmed down as it fell into Xiang Aoting's palm. With a complex sigh, he clenched his fist and withdrew his hand, saying, "Fourth Brother, let's find a place to sit."

Xiang Aoting looked at his obviously low mood and didn't say anything, just pulled him up.

......

Xiang Aoting took Shi Jin to the infirmary and had the doctor check his hand. The pain in Shi Jin's fingers was caused by psychological factors, so the doctor naturally didn't find anything wrong and only gave him some medicine to reduce the heat.

Afterwards, the two went to the cafeteria for a meal, then casually found a shady corner on the playground and sat down side by side. "These next few days, it's likely to rain. During the rain, the military camp will arrange indoor national defense education for new trainees, give lectures, and play military movies for you all. You can take a break for a while," said Xiang Aoting, handing a bottle of chilled fruit juice to Shi Jin. "Here."

Shi Jin thanked him and took the juice, using it to cool his fingers, which were still throbbing with pain. He lowered his head and said, "Fourth Brother, I've been having nightmares every night for the past few days. In the dreams, my father had just passed away, and I inherited his estate. Then, I was kidnapped, disfigured, and had my fingers cut off. When I was in excruciating pain and about to die, you came to save me."

Xiang Aoting frowned as he listened, turning his head to look at him. "After waking up from the dream, I started feeling pain in my hand, as if my fingers had really been broken. This is what they call phantom limb pain, which often occurs in people who have had amputations."

Shi Jin unconsciously rolled a water bottle and turned to meet his gaze. He asked, "Fourth Brother, there's something I still don't understand. In the dream, you saved me, but afterwards, you never paid any attention to me. Why is that? If it were you, why would you make that choice in that situation? Can you tell me the reason?"

Xiang Aoting reached out and held his hand, taking the water bottle from him. He said, "Xiao Jin, it was just a dream. Let's assume it had no meaning. I was wondering why you looked so tired and unwell these past few days. If you're not feeling well, you should have told me earlier. I..."

"If it wasn't a dream," Shi Jin interrupted him, gripping his hand tightly, "if it really happened, what Xu Jie asked Xu Chuan to do to me, do you remember her demands? Disfigurement, fingers cut off... If I hadn't given up my inheritance, hadn't attempted suicide, hadn't escaped from the hospital by chance and met Lian Jun... That list could have become a reality, couldn't it? Fourth brother, I'm so close to that tragic scene in my dream, just a little bit more, and the outcome between us would be irreversible."

"Xiao Jin!" Xiang Aoting suddenly felt a bit anxious, because at this moment, there was no focus in Shi Jin's eyes, and the sunny and confident aura that he always had suddenly disappeared. He seemed to be pulled into the abyss, wandering and unable to get out.

Moreover, what Shi Jin said could indeed happen. Everything was just a little bit different, which was what he was most afraid of and also the most fortunate thing. Fortunately, everyone still had a chance to save and make up for it.

"That's just a hypothesis. The fact is that you are living well now, and your brothers know that they have done wrong in the past and no one can hurt you anymore." He reached out and touched Shi Jin's head, comforting him, "Xiao Jin, those are just dreams. The present and the future are more important. Don't let those dreams hold you back."

As he felt the warmth of the hand on his head, Shi Jin snapped out of his emotional daze and slowly released Xiang Aoting's hand. "Tell me, why did you save me in my dream but then ignore me?" he asked.

His intuition told him that this question was the key to breaking the nightmares. It was an important question, a very important one.

"Xiao Jin," Xiang Aoting was at a loss, suppressing his dislike for the dream's content. He summarized the dream information Shi Jin had provided and said, "If what happened in your dream really happened, then the reason I ignored you later can only be one thing. I remember that the werewolf Xu Chuan ordered was from a criminal organization overseas."

Shi Jin was taken aback by this and nodded. "Yes, the werewolf's main activity area is overseas, and in my dream, I was kidnapped overseas."

"That's it," sighed Xiang Aoting, somewhat helpless. "I am a soldier of the nation, and my unit is quite special. To go abroad to save you, I had to act on my own without the military's knowledge. Acting on my own means I will be punished. After saving you, I will probably have to face punishment and won't be able to contact you. Xiao Jin, how could I not care about you? Whether you like it or not, you will always be my little brother."

He explained, reaching out to touch Shi Jin's head, his eyes filled with guilt. "I'm sorry for making you feel so insecure. With so much going on, everyone only cares about the psychological state of our eldest brother, but they forget that you are the one who has been hurt the most. I'm sorry."

Shi Jin stared at him blankly, his nose tingling. Suddenly, he let out a low laugh, covering his face with his hand. He felt foolish for not understanding things for the past few days. It was actually because of this, such a realistic and reasonable reason...

Yes, given Xiang Aoting's personality, it could only be this reason. He was unable to see him not because he disliked or hated him, but because he was punished.

Shi Jin, Shi Jin, can you hear me? It's not that they don't care about you. Your Fourth Brother has never thought of abandoning you, never. He even risked his future and acted secretly to save you, which is a big taboo in the military.

Suddenly, a feeling of relief surged in his heart. He lowered his head and pressed his face against his arm, blocking the tears that were flowing uncontrollably. He took a deep breath and tried to suppress his emotions.

Xiao Si said, "Jin Jin, don't hold back. It will be better if you cry it out."

"Why am I crying? I'm not even the original owner, why should I cry for him?" Shi Jin thought fiercely in his mind, but he couldn't hold back his tears any longer. They flowed freely down his face, his shoulders shaking with sobs. He cursed himself for not wanting to be burdened with the weak emotions left behind by the original owner.

But damn it all, what a mess of misunderstandings and plot twists!

A startled Xiang Aoting didn't know what to do as he watched Shi Jin cry. He awkwardly reached out to try and comfort him, asking if he had something in his eye.

"Don't block me, let me take a look," he said. But what was there to look at? Shi Jin blocked his hand, rubbed his eyes hard, and stood up, frowning at him. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed his right hand, staring fiercely at it - it was this hand, the hand that the original owner of his dream had held tightly.

"Xiao Jin?" Xiang Aoting looked at him with concern and confusion, seeing him crying but pretending to be serious, and felt a little inappropriate urge to laugh - Xiao Jin, who cried with a straight face, seemed like a child.

"If you dare to laugh, I'll knock your teeth out." Shi Jin noticed the corners of his mouth about to curl up, his eyes sharp, and suddenly buried his head and bit his right hand hard. Then he stood up and slapped his hat crooked, breathed out with his nose, wiped away his tears, and turned around without looking back and walked away.

Next year, he would definitely beat Xiang Aoting to the ground, fiercely! Xiang Aoting adjusted his hat and watched the angry figure leave. He looked down at the bite mark on his hand and couldn't help but laugh.

As he laughed, he noticed the tear stains on the ground where Shi Jin had sat. His smile faded as he reached out to touch the wet spot, remembering Shi Jin's description of his dream and his trembling fingers.

He had suffered too much, his youngest brother. He gently tapped the ground as if he were patting someone's head.

......

It was a great time for free activities, but Shi Jin had used it all to catch up on sleep.

After leaving Xiang Aoting, he went straight back to his dorm and threw himself onto the bed. Finally, he had a good nap without any dreams, and woke up without any strange emotions bubbling up from within.

What a relief.

He put down his hand that he had been holding up and let out a sigh while lying on the bed. He propped himself up on the bed and prepared to get up for dinner, but his peripheral vision caught sight of a black square object on his pillow.

What is this...

His eyes lit up, and he immediately sat up. He looked around like a thief, making sure there was no one else in the dorm before quickly grabbing the black phone on the pillow. He turned it on and confirmed that it was Xiang Aoting's phone! It had already been unlocked and set to silent mode!

In order to cultivate the independence of the new recruits, they were not allowed to use their phones throughout the month-long military training. The only way to contact their families was through the instructor. But now, Xiang Aoting had secretly sent his phone to him!

Did this mean he was giving him a backdoor to contact Lian Jun?

Shi Jin was so excited that he pounded on the bed and felt like he could fly - Xiang Aoting was truly the best brother in the world! Hooray, hooray, hooray!

He quickly threw off the covers and ran to the door of the dormitory to look outside. After making sure that there were no familiar faces nearby, he squatted behind the door and quickly dialed Lian Jun's phone number, making the call directly.

"Beep beep beep..." Shi Jin anxiously waited, and finally heard a familiar voice from the receiver just as the phone was about to hang up: "What's up?"

Oh, that cold and distant tone, that alluring and deep voice.

Shi Jin's face broke into a silly grin as he deliberately cleared his throat and said, "Xiao Jin asked me to give you a message, he said he's been missing you a bit."

Lian Jun's voice immediately softened and rose in pitch, quickly responding, "Shi Jin?"

"No, it's me, Xiang Aoting." Shi Jin continued to speak in a muffled voice.

Lian Jun chuckled lightly, his voice becoming gentle, "Okay, you're Xiang Aoting. Does Shi Jin have any other messages for me?"

"Sure," Shi Jin replied, grinning from ear to ear as he plopped down on the ground. "He wants to know if you've been eating well, exercising, how busy you've been, and if you've been sleeping well at night."

Lian Jun waved his hand, indicating a temporary break to the person in front of him. He looked at the photo of Shi Jin on his computer desktop and carefully replied, "Uncle Long's new nutritious meals are hard to swallow, but my exercise routine is going well. I've been a bit busy and haven't been sleeping well at night. I keep waking up because I miss someone."

As Shi Jin listened, he imagined Lian Jun's wrinkled brow as he struggled to eat the nutritious meals and his constant waking up at night. His smile faded, and his heart felt both sour and soft. He sighed, "Lian Jun, I want to see you."

As Lian Jun reached for the photo on his computer desk, his smile faded and he murmured softly, "Me too." He couldn't help but think about how much he despised his current, less-than-ideal status.

Hearing the sadness in Lian Jun's voice, Shi Jin couldn't resist any longer. He hung up the phone and quickly searched for Xiang Aoting's phone number on his own device. Ignoring the overwhelming number of messages in a certain group chat, he logged out of Xiang Aoting's account and logged into his own. He found Lian Jun's friend and immediately initiated a video call.

Lian Jun answered almost instantly, and his figure appeared on Shi Jin's phone screen. Shi Jin stared wide-eyed until Lian Jun's figure became completely clear, then slowly relaxed his body and smiled towards the camera, trying to maintain a normal appearance.

"You seem to have lost some weight, that's not good. You need to eat well. I'll check on you when I get back."

"Well then, I'll eat a little more every day." Lian Jun leaned closer to the camera, examining his appearance carefully. Suddenly, he frowned and asked, "Why are your eyes swollen?"

...He cried earlier at lunch and then went to sleep.

Shi Jin felt a little guilty and covered up his expression by running his hand through his hair. "I had half a day off this afternoon, so I slept in my dorm. I think that's why my eyes are swollen."

Lian Jun wasn't easily fooled. He scrutinized his face carefully, his brows furrowing even more tightly as he asked, "Your dark circles are still so heavy. Did you not sleep well over there?"

Every day he had nightmares, so it was strange if he could sleep well.

Shi Jin regretted having the video call now. He explained vaguely, "No, it's not dark circles. It's a tan. We had military training, so it's inevitable to get a little darker..."

Lian Jun's gaze fell on his body again, and he noticed a bruise on his exposed arm. His face darkened as he asked, "How did you get this bruise on your arm? Were you bullied over there? How did Xiang Aoting take care of you?"

"I didn't get hurt because of fighting, don't worry. Fourth Brother has been taking good care of me. Look, he even secretly gave me his phone to use," explained Shi Jin hastily, adjusting the camera to only show his face. "Really, I'm doing fine here. I haven't been injured or bullied. Don't worry."

As the camera zoomed in on his face, Shi Jin's dark circles became more prominent. Upon closer inspection, one could even see the red veins in his eyes.

It was obvious that he didn't get those from sleeping.

Lian Jun clenched his fist, but didn't show any expression on his face. Seeing Shi Jin's anxious explanation, he softened his expression and changed the subject, "Is the military training tiring?"

When Shi Jin heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief and eagerly told him about the events that had happened during training these past few days. He even intentionally brought up some embarrassing incidents to try to make him laugh.

As he watched Shi Jin gradually perk up, Lian Jun's tightly clenched hand slowly relaxed, and he felt a little more at ease as he focused on listening to him speak.

After chatting for just over ten minutes, they hung up because Luo Donghao had returned. Reluctantly, Shi Jin logged out of the social media app, erased his login information, hid his phone, and then found Luo Donghao to give him a good scolding!

At the club, Lian Jun looked at his blacked-out phone screen and thought of Shi Jin's reluctant expression from the night before. He clenched his hand and called for Number One.

......

The next day, Shi Jin intentionally arrived early at the training field and sure enough, he saw Xiang Aoting, who had also arrived early. "Thank you for your phone," said Shi Jin, leaning over and handing over his hat.

Glancing at the phone hidden inside, Xiang Aoting smiled and took it back, asking, "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yeah, pretty good. My hand doesn't hurt anymore since I woke up this morning," Shi Jin replied, putting his hat back on. Suddenly, he asked, "Will the military camp give out medals and certificates for the top performer in this training?"

Xiang Aoting's eyes flickered as he asked, "What do you want to do?"

"I want to bring back some special products from the military camp for my boyfriend," Shi Jin said, looking very domineering with his chin up. "He deserves the best, so I want to bring back the best for him."

Xiang Aoting frowned, reaching out to pat his hat and saying, "What nonsense are you talking about? You're training for yourself."

As Shi Jin leaned back to protect his hat, he added, "I don't even know who it was, but someone came at me all fierce when I first entered the military camp, saying that if I wanted to be their little brother, it's not enough to just be good, I have to be the best."

Xiang Aoting gestured and explained, "That's not what I meant, you..."

"Alright, alright, when did you become so long-winded?" Shi Jin interrupted him, standing up straight. Seeing Xiang Aoting furrow his brow again, he suddenly became serious and said, "Fourth Brother, if I get first place in military training, you have to go back to the Air Force."

Xiang Aoting was taken aback and called out to him, "Xiao Jin..."

"Don't let me hold back your future anymore. A soldier's lifetime to freely fight is too short. Instead of watching you trapped in this military camp, I'd rather see you soaring in the blue sky," said Shi Jin, looking up at him seriously. "If you want to be my older brother, being just good is not enough. You must give it your all and become the absolute best in your field of expertise, only then will I acknowledge you."

Xiang Aoting was moved and suddenly laughed, raising his hand to pat Shi Jin's head and saying, "Okay, I will work hard to earn your recognition."

Shi Jin slapped his hand away, annoyed, "I already told you not to touch my head. Do you want to fight?"

Not far away, Luo Donghao stared in shock at the flirtatious exchange between Xiang Aoting and Shi Jin. Various titles of love stories popped into his head, such as "The Dominant Instructor Falls for Me," "Frenemies - From Hate to Love," and "The Man Who Turned a Playboy into a Grown-Up."

Overwhelmed, he took a step back and clutched his chest, wondering if this was really happening. So, the reason why the instructor enjoyed tormenting Shi Jin so much was because of this...

Xiang Aoting and Shi Jin both noticed Luo Donghao's unabashed gaze and turned to look at him.

Startled, Luo Donghao turned around and hid behind a tree, pretending he hadn't been there.

"What's wrong with him?" Xiang Aoting furrowed his brows and asked.

Shi Jin shook his head and replied, "Maybe he ate too much for breakfast and couldn't handle it, so he went to throw up."

As the team rested for half a day, they noticed that their enthusiasm for training suddenly skyrocketed. However, at this point, no one had really noticed anything specific. After all, they had been practicing basic group exercises for the past few days, and they already knew that Shi Jin had excellent physical endurance. So, aside from marveling at how Shi Jin was not like an ordinary young master, they did not feel particularly shocked or amazed by his performance.

But when they finished the basic training and moved on to exercises like crawling and obstacle jumping, they finally realized something - this Shi Jin young master was an absolute monster!

While everyone was still slowly learning the proper technique for crawling forward, Shi Jin had already smoothly passed through the obstacles and climbed to the finish line, leaving the other students in the dust. When everyone was struggling to cross the first obstacle and falling to the ground in agony, Shi Jin had already effortlessly flipped over the last wall and sat down to rest and drink water. During combat training, Shi Jin was always able to easily flip over his partners, causing the instructor to have to personally step in and spar with him...

All of these things made everyone standing on the ground of ordinary mortals look up at Shi Jin rolling in the world of the strong, feeling heartbroken and unable to breathe.

Liu Yong collapsed by the sandpit, wondering, "What on earth did he eat to grow so strong..." He had been training all afternoon, yet still had the energy to spar with Xiang Aoting. He felt unworthy to even breathe the same air as Shi Jin.

Sitting beside him, Luo Donghao wiped the sweat off his forehead and also watched Xiang Aoting. He replied, "Let me tell you something even more hopeless. When the life coach came to inspect the dormitory, Shi Jin got the highest score. On his second day in camp, he could already fold his sheets into tofu blocks."

"Ah, I don't want to live anymore," Liu Yong said with a broken heart, turning his head to see the scene of Shi Jin punching towards Xiang Aoting's shoulder. He felt his own shoulder ache and shrunk his neck, saying, "The instructor seems to really like Shi Jin. They've been sparring every day these past few days, teaching him the techniques and everything. I'm so envious."

Upon hearing this, Luo Donghao's expression stiffened. He watched as Shi Jin landed a hit on Xiang Aoting then hurried over to check on him, while Xiang Aoting gestured that he was okay and patting Shi Jin's head...He closed his eyes with a world-weary sigh.

"Don't be envious. This isn't something you should envy... Anyway, let's focus on training. We have a live-fire shooting exercise in two days. If you don't hurry up and clear the obstacle course, be careful that the instructor doesn't keep you behind for extra training alone."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yong's body trembled and he quickly got up from the ground. He suddenly became hopeful and said, "Maybe Shi Jin is strong in other areas but has terrible marksmanship? My uncle owns a shooting range and I grew up with guns. Do you think I can beat him?"

Looking at his silly expression, Luo Donghao hesitated for a moment before sighing and walking away.

Two days later, at the shooting range, Luo Donghao nodded towards Shi Jin's impressive score and asked, "Liu Yong, do you think you can win?"

Liu Yong was on the verge of tears and said sorrowfully, "This is ridiculous... Shi Jin is a monster. Out of all his skills, marksmanship is actually his strongest. How can anyone compete with that?"

Luo Donghao patted his shoulder and comforted him, "It's okay, there's still a zip line training that hasn't been done, you still have a chance to beat him."

Liu Yong shook his hand angrily and said, "The zip line test is all about physical strength and endurance, what chance do I have to win?"