Half of the military training had passed without anyone noticing. Shi Jin's performance had improved significantly, and he was recommended by several instructors to become the flag bearer for their cohort.

"The flag bearer is always the coolest during the performance and final review. I want to be one too," Liu Yong envied and sighed.

Shi Jin collected the flag bearer's shoulder patch, gloves, and other items that were issued to him. He turned to Liu Yong and asked, "The flag bearer has to train for an extra hour every day. Are you willing to do that?"

Liu Yong immediately threw his envy aside and shook his head in fear, "No, no. We have rope climbing in a few days, and I need to save my energy. I don't want to embarrass our team by not being able to finish the race."

"Unfortunately, this training doesn't allow us to form teams. Otherwise, we could have walked together with Shi Jin," Luo Donghao sighed with regret.

"I'd rather not. I can't keep up with Shi Jin's speed," Liu Yong shook his head vigorously, even moving further away from Shi Jin.

Shi Jin looked at him helplessly, not understanding why Liu Yong was so in awe of him. Just as he was about to reassure him and maintain his normal persona, he saw Xiang Aoting, who had been called away earlier, walking back towards him and waving.

"The instructor called me, I'll be back in a bit," Shi Jin said goodbye to Luo Donghao and Liu Yong before getting up and walking towards Xiang Aoting.

Liu Yong sighed again, "The instructor really likes Shi Jin, doesn't he?" Luo Donghao lowered his head and counted ants, pretending to be a wooden log without eyes or ears.

......

The two brothers walked to a corner far from the team. Xiang Aoting whispered, "We've decided on the location for the training. It's a small mountain near the military camp. I told Lian Jun about it, and he might come."

Shi Jin's eyes widened in excitement, and he looked up at Xiang Aoting.

Xiang Aoting quickly put his hand on Shi Jin's head and helped him control his expression. He said helplessly, "Calm down... One of the training tasks is a speed competition. You have to run from the bottom of the mountain to the top, grab a small flag, and then run back down to the starting point with the flag. The first person to come down gets extra points. If you want to be the first in this military training, don't miss this opportunity."

"Then, what about Lian Jun?" Shi Jin asked eagerly.

"He will stay in the mountain guard's house halfway up the mountain for a while. The guard's house is a bit far from the main path, so it will take some time to go back and forth. Be careful not to delay too long," Xiang Aoting instructed.

Seeing Shi Jin already excited beyond words, he felt a faint sense of loss in his heart. He gently patted Shi Jin's head and said, "University military training only happens once in a lifetime, Xiao Jin, learn to enjoy it and be happy."

Shi Jin was stunned, looking at Xiang Aoting's warm and accepting eyes, he calmed down a bit. Suddenly, he reached out and hugged him tightly, saying seriously, "Fourth Brother, thank you. I am very happy now."

Whether it was secretly sending him a phone or arranging for him to meet with Lian Jun during training, these were all actions that went against his own principles for the sake of making Shi Jin happy. This gesture was too rare, and he would cherish it dearly.

Xiang Aoting was momentarily stunned by the embrace, but quickly returned it with a gentle hug. "Don't be so polite with your brother," he said.

The two of them let go after just a brief hug, but Luo Donghao had sharp eyes and noticed everything. He was so shocked that he gasped and reflexively shouted, drawing the attention of all the other team members.

"What's wrong with you?" Liu Yong looked at him with concern, reaching out to touch his forehead. "You're shouting so loudly, are you possessed by a ghost?"

As Luo Donghao caught sight of Shi Jin and Xiang Aoting parting ways, he breathed a sigh of relief. He shook off Liu Yong's hand and said wearily, "What's wrong with you? Don't you believe in science? I just had an itchy throat and wanted to shout a little."

"Whatever," Liu Yong said, pushing him away uninterestedly.

......

After training that day, Luo Donghao sought out Shi Jin and gave him a vague reminder, "Shi Jin, you and the instructor should be more careful. It's too obvious when students and instructors...cough...are together. People will talk."

Shi Jin looked at him inexplicably and asked, "What did you say in the second half? I didn't catch a word. What's wrong with the instructor?"

Luo Donghao was getting impatient with his friend's act of pretending to be clueless, so he decided to be straightforward and said, "I came here to remind you as a brother that when you hugged the instructor this afternoon, there were so many people around. You should have restrained yourself a bit."

"Oh, so you saw it," Shi Jin finally understood what Luo was talking about and felt a bit embarrassed. "I admit that I was wrong. I was just too happy at the moment and didn't pay attention to the occasion. Thank you for reminding me. I have to go for extra training now. Bye."

With that, he picked up the equipment of the flag bearer and went to find Xiang Aoting for additional training. As Luo Donghao watched him leave, he sensed the excitement and anticipation in his words, and his heart was instantly filled with despair - this kind of reaction meant that Shi Jin was not afraid of trouble, and was determined to be with the instructor.

It's over, it's over, please let the military training end soon. With Shi Jin in this state, he was afraid that he would lose control and do something with the instructor in the barracks.

......

Shi Jin was indeed excited and looking forward to something, but these emotions had nothing to do with Xiang Aoting, only with Lian Jun. After an hour of extra training, Shi Jin's gaze immediately fixed on Xiang Aoting's pocket - there was a tool there that could contact Lian Jun!

Xiang Aoting understood his meaning in seconds, sighed in his heart, frowned on his face, and emphasized, "I'll help you send a text message, but you're not allowed to touch the phone."

With his head bobbing like a little chick pecking at grains, Shi Jin kept his arms tightly crossed in front of him, as if to say, "I absolutely won't use my hands."

Seeing this, Xiang Aoting sat across from him and couldn't help but feel as though he was looking at a little dog wagging its tail frantically at him. His annoyance at Shi Jin's connection to Lian Jun lessened a bit, and he took out his phone to find Lian Jun's number and compose a text message.

"Why don't you just call him directly? I won't use the phone, but you can put it on speaker and I'll listen to you talk to Lian Jun," Shi Jin pushed his luck and made a "polite" request.

What could an active-duty soldier and a criminal organization leader possibly have to talk about? With reluctance in his heart, Xiang Aoting glanced at him and then moved his fingers to exit the text editing interface and directly called Lian Jun.

He answered almost instantly, ignoring the fact that it was Xiang Aoting's phone number and calling out, "Shi Jin?"

"It's me!" Shi Jin immediately leaned closer to his phone. After being warned by Xiang Aoting with a glance, he nonchalantly turned to the side and lowered his head to tidy up the tassels on his shoulder badge, saying to the ground, "I'm just background music. You guys talk, I'll just listen. Don't mind me."

Lian Jun's voice immediately softened as he asked, "Is Xiang Aoting there too?"

"I'm here," replied Xiang Aoting, looking at Shi Jin's lowered head with a hint of sympathy. "It's already two minutes until curfew. Shi Jin must return to the dormitory to wash up and rest on time."

Shi Jin perked up his ears and lifted his head.

There was a moment of silence from Lian Jun's end, then he said, "Thank you."

So a strange scene appeared on the playground. An instructor held a phone and seemed to be talking on it, but his mouth didn't move. Beside him, a seemingly obedient student waited for the instructor to finish the call, but his mouth never stopped moving.

Two minutes was too short a time. Shi Jin only had time to ask about Lian Jun's eating and resting situation before the time was up. He bid Lian Jun goodnight reluctantly and watched sadly as Xiang Aoting hung up the phone, sighing with sadness.

The stolen moments of happiness had come to an end. "Do you really like him?" Xiang Aoting asked suddenly, as he put away his phone.

Shi Jin glanced at him and saw that he was serious, so he answered just as seriously, nodding his head. "Yes, I really like him. I want to spend the rest of my life with him. Fourth Brother, Lian Jun is really good. I hope you two can get along well."

Xiang Aoting didn't say anything, but bent down to help him pack up his things. They walked out of the playground together before he asked again, "Why him?"

Shi Jin walked beside him with his hands in his pockets and replied, "There's no reason why you like someone. When I realized it, I already liked him a lot. Luckily, he likes me too. Fourth Brother, you all have prejudices against Lian Jun. His profession wasn't something he chose willingly, but life pushed him into it. He's just doing his job and has too many constraints. Compared to being the leader of a criminal organization, he actually wants to be an ordinary person."

A serious expression crossed Xiang Aoting's face as he pondered Shi Jin's words. Shi Jin continued, "He's a great guy and he's been really good to me. When I first met him, I was in a terrible state - poor, fat, and didn't know anything. I even stole some chickens from his orchard, but he didn't hold it against me. Once he found out about my situation, he took me in, fed me, clothed me, gave me work, found people to teach me things, and took me everywhere with him.

"I wasn't planning on continuing my education, thinking I would wait until my life was more stable and then maybe go to an adult university or something. But he didn't agree. He used all sorts of methods to encourage me to study, arranged teachers for me, helped me prepare for the college entrance exam, and even helped me choose a school. I told him I wanted to go to police academy, but no one else supported me except for him... Without him, I wouldn't be where I am today. He pushed me onto the right path in life and didn't let me stray too far."

It could also be said that it was Lian Jun who, with his own hands, turned his messy, reborn life into the promising future it is now, helping him establish roots in this world.

"He's very important," Shi Jin emphasized, his tone firm. "I want to be with him for the rest of my life."

"Xiao Jin," Xiang Aoting suddenly stopped and asked, "Are you happy now?"

Shi Jin turned his head to look at him, squinting and smiling. He replied, "If you could lend me your phone so I can make a video call to Lian Jun, I would feel even happier."

Even happier, so does that mean he's already very happy now?

"That's good," Xiang Aoting reached out and ruffled his hair, his expression resigned but also compromising. "I trust your choice... but no video calls. Go back on time to wash up and sleep."

Shi Jin's face fell. He snatched his things back with a stern face, muttered a curt "goodnight," and walked away without looking back.

Xiang Aoting watched him leave, feeling heavy-hearted. Poor and fat, and didn't know anything... What have he and the other older brothers done in the past...

......

After the date for the training exercise was announced, the team was surprised to find that Shi Jin, this monster of a man, was displaying an extremely frightening enthusiasm for it. Every day, he would ask the instructors about the preparations for the exercise.

"Is he a devil? What is he expecting from this grueling and miserable training exercise?" Liu Yong asked with difficulty.

As Shi Jin was asking about the upcoming training, shamelessly clinging to Xiang Aoting, Luo Donghao looked serious as he said, "Training itself isn't the most important thing. It's the preparation for training that matters most. You just don't understand."

"What are you babbling about?" Liu Yong furrowed his brow and turned to look at him, then reached out to touch his forehead, his face full of concern. "Are you possessed by a ghost? I can help you drive it away. I heard spitting can..."

Luo Donghao slapped him directly to the ground, silencing his nonsense.

The day of the military training arrived in the blink of an eye. Shi Jin was the first to get up and rush to the playground for assembly. With heavy equipment on his back and an anxious heart, he listened to the half-hour mobilization meeting. Finally, the main force set off, and he eagerly stepped towards the training site - yes, walked, because this time there were no vehicles, they had to rely on their legs for the entire journey!

"Hell has arrived," Liu Yong said with a sense of hopelessness.

Shi Jin, on the other hand, was beaming with excitement. "That mountain isn't actually far from the barracks. Let's go play on the mountain!"

Play... Liu Yong choked and didn't even look at him, afraid that he would be driven to death by anger.

On the way up the mountain, there were other tasks to complete. The group walked and trained, and even though the journey wasn't too long, it took them a solid three hours to reach their destination. Exhausted, they collapsed at the meeting point designated by their instructor, and filled their stomachs with some dry rations and water.

After a brief rest, they were ready for the main event of this training exercise - climbing the mountain to retrieve an item!

"There are three paths to climb the mountain, and you are free to choose which one to take. The departure time is exactly 1:00 pm. Anyone who hasn't retrieved the flag before 3:00 pm will have their training credits deducted and must undergo additional training to complete the military training," explained Xiang Aoting, as he handed out a map to each person.

"It's currently 12:30 pm, so you have half an hour to prepare. If any accidents occur during the climb, immediately signal nearby instructors and don't try to be a hero. During the competition, all trainees are not allowed to form teams or help others retrieve flags. You must complete the task independently. Understood?"

"Understood!" everyone responded in unison, eagerly opening their maps. There were three routes up the mountain, each with varying levels of difficulty. The first route near the meeting point was the easiest, but it was a bit winding and slow. The second route was an abandoned path left by former residents of the mountain, straighter but with poor road conditions. The third route was a faint trail that led straight to the summit, but it was notoriously dangerous and treacherous.

Liu Yong knew himself well and decided to take the easiest route. He then asked Luo Donghao, "Which route are you taking?"

"I'll take the second route. I have good endurance but not much flexibility, so I'm not suited for the steeper third route," replied Luo Donghao, showing his rationality.

He then turned to look at Shi Jin, wanting to ask him about his choice, only to find that Shi Jin had already picked up his things and was preparing to leave.

Luo Donghao was taken aback and quickly called out to Shi Jin, "Where are you going?" Shi Jin turned around and kept walking, pointing to the left side of the mountain and saying, "Go to the third route on the mountain, the scenery seems good over there." He was already more than ten meters away and quickly disappeared from sight.

Liu Yong was stunned, "Good scenery? What is he here for?"

"What else could he be here for? Of course, he's here to train. He can't be here for a romantic getaway," said Luo Donghao, feeling a bit speechless as he glanced at Xiang Aoting, who was watching Shi Jin leave with a sigh of resignation.

......

At one o'clock, the starting gun sounded and Shi Jin immediately rushed out of the starting point, quickly climbing up the mountain path, running and climbing, and soon disappeared into the forest.

Some of the students who also chose this path were immediately discouraged when they saw his movements. One person couldn't resist and tried to follow his method of running and climbing the mountain, but tragically fell down and angrily exclaimed, "Don't let me find the person spreading rumors, I will definitely kill him! What a spoiled young master, bah!"

The others silently agreed in their hearts and slowly walked up the mountain, not daring to rush like Shi Jin.

......

Shi Jin ran all the way to the top of the mountain, grabbing a small flag tied to a tree and holding it in his hand. He then ran straight towards the direction of the mountain guard's hut - faster, even faster. He was getting closer to spending more time with Lian Jun.

Finally!

After his hair was half-dampened by sweat, he saw the mountain guard's house appear in his sight. His eyes lit up and he quickly put the flag in his hand into his bag behind him. He rushed to the door of the house in three steps and two steps, pushed it open, and shouted happily, "Lian Jun!"

Lian Jun, who was flipping through documents on his tablet, had just heard the sound of someone running outside. The door not far in front of him was pushed open directly before he could even adjust to the change in light. A wall of a sweaty person fell over directly.

Bang.

"Ah!"

Shi Jin didn't have a good angle and his head hit Lian Jun's wheelchair directly, causing him to cry out in pain. Lian Jun quickly put down his tablet and reached out to touch Shi Jin's head, frowning as he asked, "Where did you hit? Let me see, did you break the skin?"

Shi Jin looked up at him, no longer feeling any pain, and immediately hugged him like a ball of dough, happily exclaiming, "You're really here! The road up the mountain is difficult, how did you get up here? When did you arrive? Did you have a good lunch? What about a nap? Did you take one?"

Lian Jun felt like he was being trapped by an overly excited bear, feeling both amused and pained in his heart. He raised his hand to hug Shi Jin back, soothingly stroking his back and replying, "I came up from the newly repaired mountain path. Number One and Number Two accompanied me. I had lunch, but I haven't taken a nap yet. I'll make up for it later."

After speaking, he glanced at Number One standing in the corner. As soon as Number One realized what was happening, he quietly slipped out of the house and exchanged a glance with Number Two, who was waiting outside. Together, they surrounded the house, one in front and one in back.

Inside the house, Shi Jin was making noises of agreement. He felt that the wheelchair was getting in the way, so he decided to pull Lian Jun out of it and sit him on the small bed that the mountain guard usually used for resting. He then hugged him again.

"Let me see your head first." Lian Jun held him with one arm and pulled back to take a look at his forehead. He noticed a bump and furrowed his brows. He reached up to touch it and asked, "Does it hurt?"

Shi Jin shook his head and looked at him with bright eyes. Suddenly, he turned his head and kissed him. He had just finished exercising, covered in sweat, with his short hair in disarray and grass stains on his clothes. His skin was a bit darker than before, and his muscles had become more defined. He wore a military green short-sleeved training shirt on top and camouflage pants on the bottom, with a pair of short boots on his feet.

This was the first time Lian Jun had seen Shi Jin like this, and he looked incredibly handsome, with his hormones in overdrive.

Lian Jun was a bit stunned, and before he knew it, Shi Jin had taken the initiative, kissing him and causing them both to fall onto the small bed.

The air was filled with Shi Jin's scent, and Lian Jun's heart was beating fast. His body was being held tightly, almost to the point of pain.

He opened his eyes and saw Shi Jin kissing him with urgency, and the emptiness in his heart was finally filled. He gently rubbed the back of Shi Jin's head and closed his eyes obediently. As their breathing became heavier, just as Lian Jun was about to take control, Shi Jin suddenly stepped back and took out a bottle of water from his backpack. He opened it and poured it over his head, panting heavily.

"What's wrong?" Lian Jun sat up and straightened his disheveled robe, trying to approach him.

"No, don't come over yet." Shi Jin quickly raised his hand to stop him, wiping the water off his face with a hint of frustration. "I can't stay here too long. Time is precious and I can't waste it. I want to talk to you properly. Just sit there and don't move. I'll calm down in a bit."

Upon hearing this, Lian Jun glanced at his half-crouched posture and the water bottle covering a certain area, feeling a bit intrigued but not showing it on his face. He kindly said, "Okay, I won't come over. Don't squat for too long, find a place to sit for a while. Squatting is too tiring."

Shi Jin simply sat down on the ground, looking at Lian Jun's disheveled appearance as he leaned against the bed with slightly red lips, groaning in pain. He lifted his hand and poured another bottle of mineral water over himself, then pressed down on the bump on his forehead with force.

A sharp pain arose, suppressing the impulse in his body.

Lian Jun quickly got up and leaned over, pulling his hand away and frowning, "Don't act recklessly."

Shi Jin held onto his hand and looked up at him, complaining with a hint of sadness, "Why are you so good-looking? I'm in the prime of my life. If I don't distract myself, I'm afraid I might just devour you alive."

As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Shi Jin's body had become younger and his energy had become more vigorous, to the point of being unbearable.

There's nothing more reassuring than having your lover express their desires so candidly. The anxiety and uncertainty that had been creeping up on Lian Jun due to his longing for Shi Jin dissipated with his lover's frank words.

He gave Shi Jin's thoroughly soaked head a pat and said, "I never realized you were so shameless with your words before."

"It's all because of you." Shi Jin didn't dodge his hand, looked up at him with no confidence, and warned, "Don't tease me, I'm in danger now."

"I'm in danger too." Lian Jun bent down and kissed his forehead, whispering, "Shi Jin, I understand exactly how you feel about me, it's the same as how I feel about you."

Feeling the warmth of his breath on his face, Shi Jin closed his eyes tightly and hooked Lian Jun down with his hand, biting his lip and fiercely saying, "I told you not to tease me!"

Lian Jun smiled, hugged him, and didn't care if the water on his body would wet his clothes, saying, "Shi Jin, I regret letting you choose the police academy." The feeling of being apart was too unbearable.

Shi Jin pursed his lips, raised his hand to hug him back, and buried his face in his chest.