Shi Jin nodded and watched them leave, then turned back to look at the door of the dormitory and sighed. As expected, the superficial relationship he had with his roommates on the first day of school couldn't withstand the torment of rumors.

He pushed open the door and entered the dormitory, lazily glancing at his roommates who were intentionally or unintentionally sizing him up. He didn't feel like explaining to them, so he turned around and tidied up his own bed, arranged his toiletries, then grabbed his phone and wallet and left the dormitory.

He casually found a quiet corner on campus and called Lian Jun - he would rather spend his time caring about Lian Jun than waste it on explaining the situation to his easily swayed roommates. The phone was answered almost immediately, and when Shi Jin heard the familiar voice, he immediately shouted with vigor, "Baby, have you finished your check-up?"

Lian Jun laughed for a second and instantly relaxed, scolding him, "You're being ridiculous again."

When Shi Jin heard his laughter, he also smiled contentedly.

The two of them chatted on the phone, occasionally Lian Jun had to put down his phone to cooperate with Uncle Long for the check-up, while Shi Jin listened quietly on the other end, trying to distinguish between Lian Jun and Uncle Long's conversation, analyzing Lian Jun's current physical condition.

Time passed by unconsciously, and finally it was time to hang up. Shi Jin suppressed the urge to sigh and maintained a cheerful tone as he said goodbye to Lian Jun.

Lian Jun responded softly and suddenly said, "Don't worry, I've arranged everything for you at school. Don't overthink it."

Shi Jin was puzzled and was about to ask for more details when he heard Uncle Long's roar from the other end, urging Lian Jun to put down his phone. His heart skipped a beat and he dared not delay any longer. He said goodbye again and hung up the phone.

After dinner, Shi Jin followed Luo Donghao and Liu Yong to the largest classroom to attend the weekly Sunday evening roll call. It was his first time there, so he memorized the route as he walked and didn't notice the students around him staring and whispering. However, Luo Donghao and Liu Yong noticed and their previously happy moods quickly turned sour.

"What are you looking at? So annoying, a bunch of people who just go along with the wind," Liu Yong muttered with a frown.

Luo Donghao remained expressionless and said, "I guess we'll become the lackeys of this arrogant second-generation with connections, Shi Jin, tomorrow."

Shi Jin snapped out of his thoughts and furrowed his brows, asking, "What kind of stuff is this 'arrogant second-generation with connections'?"

"It's your new 'legend.' The fact that you're the brother of our instructor has already spread throughout the school. And since you haven't come to class for over a month, everyone is starting to guess that you're the child of some corrupt official. You're here to get a degree so you can climb the ranks and make a fortune in the future," Liu Yong said, sneering as he spoke.

Shi Jin was speechless and said, "My dad was just an ordinary businessman who has already passed away. My eldest brother is the one who manages our family business, and my fourth brother, uh, our instructor, is the only one in our family who joined the military. His achievements were all earned by himself, not because he's a second-generation kid."

Liu Yong was taken aback and looked at him apologetically, saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't know your dad had..."

Shi Jin quickly waved his hand to indicate it was okay.

"The rumors outside are just too much," suddenly spoke up Luo Donghao, his face showing clear disgust. "Those people are all so idle and jealous. If only a teacher could stand up and explain for you, the explanations we gave in class were completely ignored."

Shi Jin was touched and comforted him by patting his shoulder, saying with a smile, "Maybe the counselor will help me explain tonight. Be optimistic, don't get upset, it's not worth it."

Luo Donghao shook off his hand, frowned and said, "How could the counselor help you explain? You're really something, everyone is worried sick for you, but you act like nothing's wrong."

Shi Jin continued to put his hand on Luo Donghao's shoulder and said, "Dreams are still worth having. What if they come true? Alright, alright, don't be angry."

Half an hour later, Luo Donghao watched as the counselor stood on the podium and loudly praised him for completing the task excellently, encouraging everyone to learn from him as their counselor. Luo's eyebrows twitched and he looked at Shi Jin expressionlessly.

Shi Jin lowered his head, remembering the sentence "I have arranged something for you on the school side" that Lian Jun said before hanging up the phone. He felt both happy and painful. He knew that the counselor's praise was definitely arranged by Lian Jun, which was really thoughtful!

However, the complex and intense gazes from everyone made him feel like he was being scrutinized. He felt like he was being pierced by their stares. On stage, the counselor was still excited. Unable to explain the task in detail, he emphasized Shi Jin's practical skills.

Holding Shi Jin's student file, he projected the evaluation of his performance onto the big screen and exclaimed loudly, "See that? Strong crisis awareness, solid psychological quality, above-standard marksmanship and close combat skills, mature overall perspective and excellent combat literacy. Remember these four points, this is the standard you need to achieve in the next four years! Take a good look back at how Shi Jin became the top performer in military training and learn from him!

"Don't think that the final exams are still far away. Get your spirits up, or you'll fail the first semester and won't even get to spend winter break. You'll all have to go to the military camp for extra training!" He finished by slamming the table with force.

The entire classroom fell silent as the counselor's imposing presence overwhelmed everyone. They quickly averted their gaze and dared not continue staring at Shi Jin. Even Shi Jin's body trembled as he silently resolved to study hard and never fail!

After roll call, Luo Donghao and Liu Yong were the first to pounce on Shi Jin, questioning why the counselor spoke up for him. Shi Jin gave a vague answer and quickly fled back to his dormitory. But even there, he was not safe as his roommates surrounded him.

Facing five against one, Shi Jin scanned his roommates, his muscles slightly tense. "Um, sorry for how we treated you this afternoon," one of his roommates hesitantly apologized, his face full of discomfort and regret.

The others also apologized to Shi Jin one by one, saying they didn't mean to ignore him that afternoon. When Shi Jin was caught off guard, his muscles relaxed and he waved his hand to indicate that it was nothing. He smiled and said a few polite words about it being a misunderstanding and that everyone should get along well in the future. He made an excuse to take a shower, grabbed his pajamas and toiletries, and left the dormitory.

As soon as he left the dormitory, his smile disappeared from his face and he rubbed his face with a low mood. He was also a person with a temper. Since returning to school, he had clearly understood that some people were true friends, while others could only ever be roommates.

On the first night back at school, Shi Jin didn't sleep very well. He felt like the bed was too narrow and there was too much space around him. However, he quickly adjusted and only took two days to get used to school life.

Without realizing it, a week of classes had ended and the rumors caused by Shi Jin's sudden return to school and the discussions caused by the counselor's explanation gradually died down.

After school on Friday afternoon, Shi Jin once again declined Liu Yong and Luo Donghao's invitation to hang out over the weekend. He didn't even bother changing out of his uniform or returning his textbooks to the dormitory. Instead, he stuffed them into his backpack that he had brought to class and ran towards the school gate without looking back.

Liu Yong was furious and dragged Luo Donghao to chase after Shi Jin to the school gate. They watched helplessly as Shi Jin got into a low-key black business car and disappeared from their sight.

"Just now, when the car door opened, a handsome man wearing a strange robe appeared... Is that Shi Jin's boyfriend?" Liu Yong asked foolishly.

Luo Donghao was also a bit foolish, but he quickly covered it up and said, "Didn't you see what his boyfriend looked like last time?"

"I only saw a fleeting side profile last time, but this time I saw the front and upper body... Is that really a human? How can someone be so good-looking..." Liu Yong pinched himself and winced in pain before howling with jealousy, "Although I like girls, I have to say, this guy deserves a beating. How come he always gets all the good luck? I wonder if his boyfriend has any sisters or something..."

Luo Donghao raised his hand and gave him a slap, saying, "Wake up, with the way Shi Jin looks and his temperament as a boyfriend, even if he has sisters, they definitely wouldn't look twice at you. Give up already."

......

As soon as Shi Jin got in the car, he hugged Lian Jun and gave him a kiss before sitting up straight and asking, "How long have you been waiting? Will it delay your work?"

Without answering, Lian Jun carefully examined the uniform on him. Suddenly, he leaned in and pressed him against the car door, kissing him deeply.

Shi Jin was stunned and quickly looked towards the front seat of the car. He saw that the partition had already been raised, and he relaxed. He immediately hugged Lian Jun's waist and returned the kiss with delight.

The two of them kissed for a while before finally breaking apart. Lian Jun stood up and helped Shi Jin straighten out his disheveled clothes. "You look really good. This jacket suits you well," he said.

Shi Jin adjusted his breathing and looked at Lian Jun's hand resting on his uniform button. He narrowed his eyes, hooked his neck, and pulled him down for another passionate kiss.

......

A few days before Shi Jin's birthday, Lu Shan finally sent a message - the alliance between the four families was officially settled. To show sincerity, Lu Shan returned Xi Fan, who had been detained for a long time, to Snake Fang. Meridian Gate and Thousand Leaves greatly appreciated Lu Shan's generosity and hinted that they wanted her to be the leader of the alliance. Snake Fang wisely did not object.

"You can't be the leader," Lian Jun frowned when he received the news. "Meridian Gate and Thousand Leaves are testing you. You took the initiative to contact them for this alliance and gave Snake Fang the opportunity to bite you. You have already stood out too much. In the next period of time, you must settle down and let Meridian Gate and Thousand Leaves take the lead, and draw out their thoughts and plans from the safety of the background."

Lu Shan's excitement subsided slightly as she thought about his words. She realized belatedly that since they had met, Meridian Gate and Thousand Leaves had never expressed any intentions or thoughts of their own, always just going along with what she said. She was startled and frightened as she said, "Meng Qing and Qi Yun are indeed cunning. I was too proud and almost fell into their trap, becoming their pawn."

Lian Jun comforted her, "No, you're just tired. You've been working hard during this period."