Forbidden Fruit [Full Text] - 4

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Chapter 42 Long-Distance Running Champion

Xingye returned to school on the morning of the sports meet. Seeing Ye Tianya near the agreed-upon grove, she rushed towards him from afar, and Ye Tianya quickly caught her. He playfully pinched her nose and laughed, "Are you crazy? What if I couldn't catch you?"

Xingye laughed, "I'm not worried. Anyway, this person is yours. If you can't catch her and she falls, it's your loss."

Ye Tianya's heart fluttered, and he hugged Xingye tightly, laughing, "Then this person is mine. I can do whatever I want with her!" Ye Tianya said, kissing Xingye passionately. Having not seen her for over a day, the intense longing made him unable to resist kissing her. It was their first kiss. Xingye's body trembled, noticeably stiffening for a moment, but quickly softened, awkwardly responding to Ye Tianya. She cautiously extended her delicate tongue, and Ye Tianya seized the opportunity to capture it, teasing the sweet little devil.

After a long while, Xingye finally pushed Ye Tianya away, panting, her face flushed as she scolded, "You bad boy, are you trying to suffocate me?" She buried her head in Ye Tianya's chest, not daring to look at him. Ye Tianya felt a surge of sweetness in his heart, smiling as he gently stroked Xingye's long hair draped over her back, saying, "How could I bear to? This is my little darling, I have to protect her well." "

You're so cheeky, who's your little darling?" Xingye retorted sweetly and shyly.

"Just now someone said this person is mine, and that if she breaks, it's my own loss, hehe," Ye Tianya said with a laugh. He lowered his head, wanting to find Xingye's sweet cherry lips again, but Xingye sensed Ye Tianya's intention and suddenly jumped away, giggling, "Still wanting? I won't give it to you, hehe."

Ye Tianya was stunned for a moment, then chased after her, laughing, "Trying to run? There's no way out!"

The two chased and played in the grove, completely ignoring the morning's opening ceremony and the other events.

Ye Tianya's 5,000-meter race was scheduled for the first afternoon, and Xingye arrived early at the best spot in front of the stands to wait. When Ye Tianya stepped onto the track, he saw Yin Chao, who was also running. Ye Tianya also spotted someone he knew, Fang Hua, on the track.

Yin Chao noticed Fang Hua's unfriendly gaze towards Ye Tianya and asked softly, "Tianya, who's that guy?"

Ye Tianya smiled faintly and said, "He's Fang Junwei's son. During military training, the regimental commander secretly chose him as the flag bearer but made us go along as substitutes. After it was exposed, he harbored a grudge against me." "Damn

it, another spoiled brat like him. I'll teach him a lesson today!" Yin Chao said angrily.

"Don't underestimate him. It looks like he's trained in the army since he was a child. You might have to go all out later. Luckily, we've all trained before," Ye Tianya advised Yin Chao to be careful.

"Brother, good luck!" Xingye shouted to Ye Tianya with a smile from the starting line.

Yin Chao, standing to the side, chuckled and looked at Xingye in the stands, saying, "Xingye, why aren't you cheering for me? You're prioritizing your girlfriend over your friend, aren't you?"

"Alright, alright, Yin Chao, you cheer too, is that alright?" Xingye said, blushing slightly.

Yin Chao said smugly, "That's more like it."

But just as he finished speaking, Li Lanyu beside him called out, "Tianya, go for it!"

Yin Chao wanted to call out, "What about me?" but then realized he didn't recognize Li Lanyu; he was simply captivated by her beauty.

"Tianya, who's that? So beautiful! You have such a pretty friend and you didn't even introduce her to me?" Yin Chao said to Ye Tianya, displeased.

Ye Tianya gently kicked him and said, "Stop making noise. She's our teacher. What are you yelling for? Your Sisi is here. Be serious."

Sure enough, He Sisi walked over to Xingye's side and said to Yin Chao, "Chao, good luck! I'm here to cheer you on!"

Ye Tianya chuckled and looked at Yin Chao, laughing, "Kid, should I say that He Sisi is prioritizing romance over friendship this time?"

"Well," Yin Chao chuckled, "you and Sisi aren't friends, are you?"

"Oh, I forgot," Ye Tianya had just finished speaking when He Sisi said to Ye Tianya again, "Ye Tianya, you should do your best too!"

Ye Tianya chuckled at Yin Chao before saying to He Sisi, "Okay, thanks, He Sisi. But aren't you afraid I'll steal your Chaochao's ranking?"

He Sisi blushed and spat, "What do you mean, my Chaochao? No way!" But her beautiful eyes still glanced at Yin Chao.

This made Xingye and Ye Tianya laugh.

"Hmph, maybe he'll manage to come in last place." A discordant voice rang out, and Ye Tianya knew without looking that it was Fang Hua. He glanced back at him but didn't reply.

Yin Chao simply smiled. After the starting gun fired, neither Ye Tianya nor Yin Chao rushed out like the other students. Fang Hua paused briefly before running off, not rushing at the start like the others. As

a result, the three of them lagged behind from the beginning, running neck and neck.

The track was 500 meters long; ten laps would make it 5000 meters. By the second lap, the participants had spread out, no longer as crowded as before. Ye Tianya, Yin Chao, and Fang Hua had already overtaken four or five people, but Fang Hua was in front, Yin Chao in the middle, and Ye Tianya at the back. The three maintained a roughly equal distance. Ye Tianya gradually began to activate his internal energy circulation again. Judging from Yin Chao's breathing, he had also activated his internal energy circulation. By the fifth lap, some runners were already struggling to breathe. Ye Tianya and his two companions were overtaking more and more people, and by the sixth lap, they were in third, fourth, and fifth place respectively, with two large runners ahead of them.

Ye Tianya smiled faintly. Fang Hua, as expected of someone who had trained in the military since childhood, was still in much better shape than the others, even though his breathing wasn't quite smooth.

Every seven laps, Fang Hua overtook another runner, with Yin Chao and Ye Tianya close behind, pushing the second-place runner down to fifth. After another half lap, the three of them were at the very front of the long-distance race. Fang Hua was still in the lead. As the three of them continued to overtake, the cheers from the stands grew louder and louder. Ye Tianya began to accelerate, and as he passed Yin Chao, he turned his head and smiled, "What are you waiting for?"

Yin Chao nodded, and the two ran side by side, Yin Chao in the inner lane and Ye Tianya in the second. They both accelerated simultaneously, rushing towards Fang Hua, who was five meters ahead. "Come on, overtake him! Come on, overtake him… overtake, overtake…!" The audience in the stands erupted in cheers once more as they watched Ye Tianya and Yin Chao accelerate. Sensing Ye Tianya and Yin Chao's acceleration, Fang Hua also picked up his pace, seemingly not having gone all out initially.

The three drew closer, and Fang Hua's speed increased. However, the two behind him were still a bit faster, and soon the three were side by side again, their speed reaching the pace of a sprint.

On the last lap, Ye Tianya noticed that Fang Hua's breathing wasn't too erratic, which surprised him. It seemed this guy had also practiced internal energy. So he said to Yin Chao, "Yin Chao, I'm going to move forward."

Yin Chao's breathing wasn't erratic either, but he was a little out of breath. He said, "Go ahead, it's a matter of respect for your opponent."

Ye Tianya knew that Yin Chao was telling him not to hold back, so he suddenly accelerated again. Fang Hua was shocked to see Ye Tianya accelerate again and followed suit. Yin Chao wasn't going to fall behind and accelerated to catch up. The three of them sprinted like the wind, and the audience in the stands was ignited by their speed. In the last hundred meters, Ye Tianya accelerated again and brushed past Fang Hua. When Fang Hua saw Ye Tianya move forward and wanted to accelerate again, he found that he was already too weak. Feeling a sense of dejection, he slowed down slightly, but Yin Chao brushed past him and overtook him. Ye Tianya was the second runner to cross the finish line, while Fang Hua became the third. After crossing, Ye Tianya and Yin Chao exchanged a smile, glanced at the exhausted Fang Hua, and then gave each other a high five in mid-air. Meanwhile, Xingye and Ye Tianya's classmates jumped down from the stands and rushed to Ye Tianya's side, excitedly pounced on him.

The two hugged tightly, and Xingye happily kissed Ye Tianya on the cheek in front of everyone, leaving Li Lanyu, who was standing nearby with a towel to wipe Ye Tianya's sweat, stunned.

Chapter 43 Investigating Tianya

"Brother and sister? So they're not siblings after all. Damn it, you made me happy for nothing!" Li Lanyu felt a pang of disappointment. She watched as the students surrounded the two, lifting Ye Tianya up and tossing him into the air. Ye Tianya cried out in mid-air, "Help! Teacher, I can't breathe!"

Li Lanyu then remembered that she had just done strenuous exercise and shouldn't have been thrown. She quickly went down to persuade the students to separate them, put Ye Tianya down, and took out a clean white towel to wipe his sweat. Suddenly, she noticed Xingye watching her strangely, paused, and handed the towel to Xingye, saying, "Xiaoye, you do it."

Xingye happily took the towel and began wiping Ye Tianya's sweat. The other students started to cheer and jeer. "One more kiss, one more kiss..."

Xingye's face was flushed, but she suddenly stood on tiptoe and pecked Ye Tianya on the cheek again, then lowered her head and fidgeted with the towel. On the other side, Yin Chao was quite cunning. Taking advantage of the chaos, he grabbed He Sisi and pulled her into his arms, making He Sisi blush to the roots of her neck. After breaking free,

she ran away with a red face. Ye Tianya saw Yin Chao standing there dumbfounded and hurriedly called out, "You silly boy, what are you standing there for? Chase him!" Yin Chao then reacted and took off after him. Ye Tianya called out from afar, "He Sisi, Yin Chao just finished a long run. Slow down and find the nearest secluded place."

Everyone laughed. While everyone was looking at Yin Chao, Xingye quietly pulled Ye Tianya away and ran off. When everyone turned around, Ye Tianya and Xingye had disappeared. Li Lanyu saw the two running away, but she didn't want to warn everyone. Now, her mind was in turmoil. Xingye wasn't Ye Tianya's sister, but his girlfriend. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal for a teacher, but for some reason, Li Lanyu felt an emptiness in her heart. Could it be… that she had really fallen for her student? Li Lanyu was shocked, feeling her face burning.

In the northeast corner of the sports field, a girl quietly watched the long-distance race and then silently left the field. "Which one is him?" the girl wondered to herself.

In another corner, Ouyang Xin'er stared blankly in the direction Xingye and Ye Tianya had just fled. "That guy's fighting Fang Hua again," she said. "

But this time, Fang Hua didn't get away with it."

"I'm afraid he'll resort to underhanded tactics again."

"Ye Tianya's in trouble again. Should we help him?"

"Why should we help him? Didn't you see he has a girlfriend?"

"You... you won't help him just because he has a girlfriend? Do you like him?"

"You're the one who likes him! Look at how concerned you are about him. I heard you helped him in the cafeteria last time, is that right?"

"So what if I did? It's common for people from the Sima family to help those in need. Do you think we're like your Murong family, where we won't help unless it's your boyfriend?"

"You... who said I wouldn't help? Humph, you just wait and see, I'll show you."

Sima Ruyan and Murong Piaoxue left the stands, bickering.

After escorting Xingye back to her dorm, it was already past six o'clock. Ye Tianya returned to her room and found a missed call from an unknown number on her phone. Curious who would call, she dialed the number, and to her surprise, Hu Qing answered.

"Brother Hu, why did you change your phone number?" Ye Tianya asked in surprise.

"Hehe, Tianya, we moved to S City and just got a new phone," Hu Qing chuckled on the other end. "You're here? Settled in?"

"Yes, I'm in Qingfeng Building, not far from your school, in the same district."

"Qingfeng?" Ye Tianya was taken aback. Wasn't that the headquarters of Night Owl Spy Shadow? However, Ye Tianya didn't say it aloud, but instead said, "Great, let's get together again sometime. Is your law firm also located there?"

"Yes, I'm planning to open it here. The office is all rented, on the tenth floor of Qingfeng. When are you coming?"

"Okay, you must be very busy these days. Let's do it in a while." Ye Tianya knew that opening a law firm, managing the foundation, and dealing with a lot of reporters would keep him very busy.

"You're only just realizing how busy I am? You and Xingye have been doing nothing, and I've been driven crazy by those reporters these past few days. You absolutely have to treat me to a nice meal sometime."

Ye Tianya laughed. "Okay, definitely. Thanks for your hard work, Celebrity Lawyer."

Ye Tianya thought of Qian'er, his online friend. He turned on his computer and logged onto QQ. She was online! Ye Tianya happily sent her a message: "Good news! Be happy for me! I got first place today!"

"Really? That's great! Congratulations!"

"Hehe, thanks. What are you doing?"

"Hehe, waiting for you. You said you were going for a run this afternoon. I'm waiting for you to come back and tell me what place you got."

"Ah, really? Just waiting for that? I should have gone online earlier."

"If you hadn't spent more time with your girlfriend, would you have been able to get away?"

"How did you know?" Ye Tianya replied in surprise.

"Hehe, just guessing. I didn't expect you to be right. You have a girlfriend? I've never heard you mention her."

"Hehe, you tricked me. The girl I told you about last time, the one who reunited with her family, is my girlfriend."

"Oh, okay, I've got the good news. I'm so happy for you. I have something to do, I'll log off now. Goodbye."

"Okay, goodbye." Ye Tianya saw Qian'er's profile picture turn gray and didn't send her any more messages. He was immersed in the wonderful memories of his afternoon run with Xingye in the grove.

"Did you find anything?" Lan Yang looked at his capable assistant in the office. "Yes, boss, but..."

"But what?" Lan Yang sat up straight and asked.

The assistant hurriedly said, "However, the result isn't ideal. Ye Tianya's file was blank before October last year, and his household registration was only registered around that time."

"Oh? I heard from Xiao Ye that he used to be homeless, so it's normal that he didn't have a household registration. What about the rest?" Lan Yang nodded.

"When Ye Tianya appeared in Lincheng, he proactively approached the teachers at Lincheng No. 1 Middle School, guaranteeing them a place in China. He passed the teachers' assessment, and the school waived all his tuition fees, even covering his lodging. Ye Tianya himself doesn't have a bank account, though we can't find any like a Swiss bank account. But I don't think Ye Tianya could possibly have a Swiss account."

"Anything else? Is there any information about his time as a homeless man?"

"No, we just don't know how Miss met him when she was a child. The orphanage director had never heard of Ye Tianya before."

"Anything else? Ye Tianya's friends, etc."

"Yes, Ye Tianya only has two friends. One is Miss, and the other is a single-parent boy named Yin Chao. Yin Chao is also a student in China. He only has a mother who sells vegetables. His tuition wasn't waived by the school like Ye Tianya's; he had to take out a loan. That's all we can find out."

"Alright, go on downstairs. You've worked hard."

After Lan Yang dismissed his assistant, he fell into deep thought. This Ye Tianya's origins were unknown. There had been no news of him for over ten years, yet he appeared before the college entrance examination, took the exam, and even got into China University of Science and Technology. Where did he learn his previous courses? Could it really be as Xing Ye said, that he was self-taught?

Deep in thought, Lan Yang suddenly received a financial newspaper delivered by his secretary. The front page headline read: "Angels of Justice March into S City; Snow Cliff Frost Leaf Foundation Headquarters Relocates to S City; Tens of Millions in Funds to Expand Charity Nationwide."

A large photo of Hu Qing was on the page, followed by an introduction to Snow Cliff Frost Leaf. Lan Yang's expression shifted slightly when he saw that Snow Cliff Frost Leaf's initial capital was 1.1 million, and that it had raised over 20 million in just six months.

"Over 20 million, that's not enough to have a significant impact on S City's financial sector," Lan Yang thought. However, charitable funds can be invested for appreciation and are tax-exempt, so Lan Yang had to pay close attention to the foundation's movements. Thinking of his daughter, Xingye, he couldn't help but think, "It seems I should donate some money to it too."

Chapter 44: The

Xueya Shuangye Charity Foundation's Relocation. Upon entering S City, the Xueya Shuangye Charity Foundation received a warm welcome from the municipal government. A business networking event hosted by the municipal government was held in the auditorium. Of course, the sole purpose was to extort some money from these extremely wealthy businessmen to donate to the Xueya Shuangye Foundation, which could be considered the municipal government's contribution to the foundation. The largest donation came from Lan Yang's Lan Family Foundation; Lan Yang generously donated one million, and was thus invited by the host to speak at the microphone.

"Friends, I, Lan Yang, am but a humble person, having done my best. Today, I am here to express my gratitude to society and the government. My daughter, because of them, was raised and educated by them after being separated from her at a young age. She is now a freshman at Huaxia University, yet we have only just found her after more than ten years. It is social welfare that has enabled my daughter to be where she is today, and allowed me, Lan Yang, to see my daughter again. I express my sincerest gratitude to the government, to society, and to all those with a charitable heart. I also thank those who have sponsored my daughter." "I express my sincerest gratitude to the Xueya Foundation of Lincheng Welfare Home and all the staff of the welfare home. This one million is not much, it's all I can do. I hope it can help more children like my daughter who have been separated from their families until the day they are reunited with their families. Thank you everyone, thank you!"

Lan Yang's words were met with applause from the entire audience. He not only announced that he had found his daughter and proudly stated that she was a student at Huaxia University, but he also made a significant appearance in the business world without being accused of showing off, because he was there to repay a debt of gratitude.

The most surprised person present was probably Hu Qing. Xingye was the true owner of this foundation, and now his father had appeared and donated a large sum of money. How could he not be surprised?

This charity event made Lan Yang a celebrity, and Xingye was once again on the front page of the newspaper. Xingye's past deeds of clearing his brother's name were also dug up by the media in S City. Xingye had to hide from reporters for several days, which prevented Ye Tianya from seeing Xingye for several more days.

The first thing the Xueya Shuangye Foundation did upon entering S City was to donate 100,000 yuan to the S City Welfare Institute. Simultaneously, they invested 10 million yuan to build a school for the deaf and mute next to the welfare institute. While not large, it could accommodate over a hundred students. The government provided the land free of charge and offered considerable assistance.

Almost all the donations received in S City were invested in the establishment of the school for the deaf and mute, and the Xueya Foundation only began to operate normally a week later. Hu Qing's law firm also opened. When Ye Tianya and Xingye went to congratulate him on the opening day, they witnessed the scale of his operation—several times larger than in Lin City. The foundation's staff had increased by nearly ten people. Shortly after their arrival, Xingye was spotted by reporters, forcing Ye Tianya and Xingye to flee. Afterwards, Hu Qing called, scolding them for not being loyal enough to have a drink with him.

Hu Qing's arrival in S City caused quite a stir, taking almost two weeks to subside. Ye Tianya and Xingye, however, spent two peaceful weeks on campus. At the last sports meet, Class 1 of the Network Engineering Department lost to two classes from the Physical Education Department. After all, those classes specialized in that area, so Ye Tianya's record-breaking first place wasn't much of a deal. What puzzled Ye Tianya was that Li Lanyu hadn't bothered him for the past two weeks. "What a ungrateful guy! He disappeared after giving you first place. It's been so long since anyone argued with me," Ye Tianya thought to himself. Completely unaware, Li Lanyu was terrified by her feelings for Ye Tianya and dared not appear in his presence, wanting to take time to calm down. She was avoiding him. And the reward for first place hadn't been given yet.

At the Lan residence, Lan Yang and his wife were arguing. "I don't approve of Xiao Ye continuing to date that Ye Tianya. Ye Tianya is a poor boy; what can he give us? I think he's after our Lan family's wealth," Lan's wife said.

"What are you saying? Xiao Ye didn't know we were her parents when she was with Ye Tianya. How could she be eyeing our family's wealth? Are you out of your mind?" Lan Yang reminded the woman.

"Even if she wasn't then, didn't you see how he tried to persuade Xiao Ye to acknowledge us? Wasn't it because he saw that our family was rich that he was so eager to persuade Xiao Ye to acknowledge us? Putting aside everything else, he's an orphan. If Xiao Ye goes with him, who knows how much suffering she'll endure. In the end, she'll just be riding on our coattails. If Xiao Ye can find a rich man's son, and our two families' assets are combined, then our strength will be a completely different story." The woman's words made Lan Yang's heart flutter, but he immediately said, "Don't interfere in Xiao Ye's affairs. As long as she's happy, let her be with whomever she wants. Don't mess around and upset Xiao Ye."

The woman didn't respond, but she made up her mind to drive Ye Tianya away from Xing Ye and introduce her to a rich young man. For example, Mo Jun from the Mo family, a business partner of the Lan family, is a handsome young man. Although he doesn't have Ye Tianya's looks, he has a fortune that Ye Tianya could never earn in a lifetime. If the two families were to merge, who in S City could rival the Lan family? They would even hold a prominent position nationwide.

Meanwhile, Ye Tianya, completely unaware of this, was embracing Xingye and counting the stars, utterly oblivious to the fact that this woman's idea almost separated them forever.

It was the weekend again, and Xingye was picked up from school by her mother. Ye Tianya finished his homework, packed his books, and was about to go to bed for a nap to kill the loneliness when he suddenly heard a notification on QQ that someone had come online. Ye Tianya went to check and saw it was the girl named Qian'er. Feeling bored, Ye Tianya sat down at the computer. "Are you there?" the girl asked immediately.

"Just now, I finished my homework and you came online." "Hehe, what a coincidence! What are you planning to do this weekend, spend time with your girlfriend?" "No, she's already been taken home by her mother and is spending the weekend alone, planning to sleep soundly. What about you?" "Sleeping? That's so tasteless! Why don't you go out for a walk?" "Hehe, not a bad idea, worth considering." Ye Tianya sent the message but didn't receive a reply for a whole day. He sent another message, and after a while, he received a message from Qian'er. However, the content of the message shocked Ye Tianya: "Shadow, J-country hackers have invaded our national homepage. Let's talk another day." Ye Tianya stared at this line, stunned. J-country hackers?! That ambitious little island nation? Hacking into the national homepage stirred a surge of patriotic fervor within Ye Tianya. After Qian'er's avatar went gray, Ye Tianya, driven by curiosity, logged onto the national homepage, only to find it plastered with large, colorful characters: "Chinese pigs, inferior race!"

Overwhelmed by intense anger, Ye Tianya couldn't help but blurt out, "You'll see, you despicable Japanese dwarfs!"

The national homepage had been compromised. Ye Tianya closed QQ, opened and ran a program he had written, and simultaneously pulled out his computer, Lisi, from his ring, saying, "Lisi, protect the network for me. I need to drive away some intruders."

"Young Master, you mean the Japanese intruders? Do you need my help?" Lisi asked with a smile.

"How did you know?" Ye Tianya asked in surprise.

Alice laughed and said, "I created a clone in the network and didn't return to my original body. Everything that happens in the network is under my monitoring, but I dare not take any action without your order. Now those intruders have attacked the national military intranet server, and all the experts in the country are defending it. Young Master, you only need to say the word, and I will send them all back within two minutes."

Ye Tianya was also itching to try his hand at hacking. He hadn't had a chance to use the hacking techniques he learned in Tianya Valley, and he wanted to test his skills. So he said, "Don't make a move yet. I want to try. But you have to protect me. If I can't evade being tracked, you have to help me."

"Yes, young master," Lisi smiled.

Ye Tianya quickly accessed the military intranet, which ordinary people couldn't normally access, using his self-written program. Now, under attack, it was easy to log in. There was a fierce battle going on there. Ye Tianya was shocked to see thousands of people fighting on a single server. It seemed that the Japanese invasion was well-prepared, with hundreds of intruders and hundreds of Chinese defenders. The battle was fierce, but the Chinese were clearly at a disadvantage, and they were on the verge of being overwhelmed. The military intranet was about to be breached.

"Why didn't they shut down the server?" Ye Tianya wondered. Liz, seeing this, also grew anxious and said, "Young Master, hurry! China is currently conducting an exercise in the Bohai Bay. The military dares not shut down the servers. If we don't act now, China could lose thousands of soldiers' lives and hundreds of millions of dollars."

Ye Tianya then realized what was going on. It seemed that Japan had targeted this time period to disrupt the military exercise.

Chapter 45: The Hacker's Shadow.

Han Lao watched the battle from the lobby of the Cybersecurity Department of the Ministry of State Security, his heart pounding like a cat on a hot tin roof. Japan's blatant attack had not only breached the national homepage, causing the country to lose face, but also threatened to break through the military intranet. The military exercise in the Bohai Bay was being watched by the entire world. If the intranet servers were breached, the commanders in the exercise would be unable to access any data, and the exercise would be ruined. Moreover, the officers and soldiers at sea might be in mortal danger.

Watching China's defenses retreat further and further, large beads of sweat dripped from Han Lao's forehead, a veteran of many battles. The Cyber Security Director beside him was deathly pale; this time, his position was likely over.

Suddenly, an anomaly appeared on the large screen. A hacker named Shadow entered and typed: "Some of you defend, others come with me to J country. Their rear is currently vulnerable; we'll use a diversionary tactic!"

Shadow's words immediately energized Old Han, and the Cyber Security Director straightened up, addressing the nearly one hundred operators sweating profusely in the hall: "Numbers one through seventy, defend. After number seventy, follow Shadow's instructions: use a diversionary tactic."

Old Han stared at the screen, watching Shadow charge into the enemy ranks, quickly opening a passage. The others followed, rushing straight to the enemy's headquarters. While Shadow led the others, the Cyber Security Director skillfully operated another computer, quickly gaining access to J country's national homepage server. The large screen was divided in two: one half showed the battle situation on the Chinese military intranet server, and the other half showed the battle situation on the J country's server.

Just as Shadow had predicted, the enemy's rear was undefended. Shadow easily broke through three checkpoints and approached the enemy server. While the enemy did organize a defense, it was incredibly weak; their top fighters were all on the Chinese side, leaving few for defense. With their rear under pressure, the J-country hackers already on the Chinese side received the information and quickly redeployed some to defend, significantly reducing the attack intensity on the military intranet servers.

"A feint attack, a diversionary tactic. Everyone attack their homepage; I'll go check out their national bank," Shadow left another message on the computers of the Chinese personnel before disappearing from the J-country national homepage server. "Do as instructed!" After reading Shadow's message on the screen, Old Han suddenly laughed and, without waiting for the Cyber Security Director's approval, directly gave instructions to the operators. The Cyber Security Director then manipulated the screen, dividing it into sections, one of which displayed the status of the J-country national bank server. The people there were also organizing to resist Shadow's solo attack. However, Shadow's abilities astonished everyone. Even a national bank security officer couldn't stop its advance. The attackers on the Chinese military intranet server, likely summoned by J, withdrew most of their forces, allowing J to breathe a sigh of relief. Old Han let out a long sigh of relief.

However, under Shadow's powerful attack, J hackers began to scramble, trying to both defend the national homepage and fight Shadow on the national bank. The national homepage held, but the banking system was constantly under attack, with most J hackers shifting their focus to the banking system to fight Shadow. Seeing that the J national homepage was proving difficult to breach, Old Han ordered, "All forces attack! Focus on the enemy's national homepage, tie down most of our forces, and reduce Shadow's resistance."

Old Han was taking a gamble; if the enemy also used a diversionary tactic, his own side would be in danger. However, the enemy's priority was protecting the national bank; he was certain the enemy wouldn't gamble with the bank on China's military exercise.

As a result, all of China's cyber experts rushed in, launching a full-scale attack on the enemy's national homepage. This meant that Shadow had taken away most of the top hackers, and J country's national homepage was once again in jeopardy. The J country hackers who had been infiltrating the Chinese side finally realized the danger, finding themselves unable to manage both ends. Ultimately, the other side sacrificed a pawn to save the king, shutting down the national homepage server. This allowed all the top hackers to flood into the banking system, launching a major battle on the J country's bank servers. The battle, originally fought on the Chinese side, had shifted to J country.

The battle continued. After all the Chinese personnel went to help with the J country's national bank system server, Shadow quickly breached the system and began causing chaos. This delighted the head of UNICEF, as funds were flowing steadily into the foundation's account from the J country bank. However, J country was soon forced to shut down its national bank system server again, but before doing so, Shadow erased all records from the system.

The shutdown of the J country's banking system threw the entire nation into chaos. Many companies and businesses were processing transactions, and many ordinary users were withdrawing money from banks, all of which were abruptly interrupted and canceled. Chaos reigned wherever there were banks.

The Shadow quickly withdrew from the shut-down J country banking system and reappeared on the newly reopened national homepage server. Caught off guard, it hacked the website, leaving a message in return: "This is a small warning to the invaders. Prepare yourself, J country dwarfs!"

Ye Tianya's first attempt at this tactic was a resounding success. In high spirits, he wanted to attack the DJ subway system, but dozens of Chinese agents returned and began investigating him. Fearing discovery, Ye Tianya had to withdraw and disappear from the network.

"Did you find anything?" Old Han asked the Cyber Security Director anxiously.

"No, it disappeared," Director Zhang said helplessly. The Shadow had returned from J country when Old Han ordered the investigation, disappearing from the network and becoming untraceable. A thrilling cyber war had thus come to an end. Both countries' homepages were hacked, forcing J country's banking system to shut down for nearly half an hour. It only resumed operation after backup data was restored, resulting in a loss of nearly 10 billion J dollars, which the "Shadow" sent to UNICEF.

"Can't find it? Heh, Director Zhang, if it weren't for this Shadow, you should know how much the country would have lost this time. I don't care how well you've done as director, just find a way to find this Shadow, or just give me a letter,"

Han Lao's words made Director Zhang's face break out in large beads of sweat. He knew that the letter Han Lao was referring to was a resignation letter. But in this vast sea of people, where could he find this Shadow? Watching Han Lao's departing figure, Director Zhang felt a chill run down his spine.

A girl with the online name Qian'er was sitting in front of her computer, lost in thought. She had also joined the hacker battle, but helplessly watched the Chinese side suffer defeat after defeat. The Shadow had given her a huge shock; from the moment he entered, he had directed all the Chinese experts to use diversionary tactics, sometimes attacking from the front, sometimes feinting, turning the entire situation around. They stormed straight into the enemy's base and turned defeat into victory.

"Shadow? Isn't that my online friend? I told him about the attack on China, and then he went online." Qian'er immediately logged into QQ in stealth mode and searched for the name "Shadow." She found more than ten people with that name, but after checking their profiles, she found none of her friend's information. Curious, she looked at the QQ account in her friend list that used to be called "Shadow," but the name had been changed to "Lone Star at the End of the World.

" "A self-incriminating confession!" Qian'er laughed. The name "Shadow" had suddenly changed to "Lone Star at the End of the World"—wasn't that a clear indication that she had hastily changed it to avoid being found out?

Qian'er laughed and muttered to herself, "Shadow, Ye Tianya, long-distance running champion, hehe, I know it's you."

"Qian'er, come down for dinner!" An old man's voice rang out from downstairs. The girl had just turned off her computer and come downstairs. A sprightly old man was smiling at the girl coming down from the living room downstairs.

"Grandpa!" the girl called out affectionately. The old man smiled and asked, "Qian'er, what's making you so happy?"

"I won't tell you, hehe," the girl said coquettishly.

"You little rascal, are you dating someone and don't want Grandpa to know? When are you going to bring that boy home for Grandpa to see, okay?" the old man teased the girl. The girl retorted coquettishly, "Grandpa, you're making fun of me again. Qian'er isn't dating anyone! I'm ignoring you!"

The old man laughed heartily, and the two entered the restaurant one after the other. After the old man sat down, he said, "Your Grandpa Han will be coming to S City in a few days. He called me yesterday and said he wanted to come see you. Is it okay if you take Tuesday off to come back?"

"No problem, Grandpa. Grandpa Han hasn't come to see me in so long. I really miss him," Qian'er said happily.

The old man thought of his son and daughter-in-law, who had both died tragically while protecting Old Han, leaving the two of them to depend on each other. Fortunately, his granddaughter was sensible and lived a peaceful and happy life. No matter how busy Old Han was, he would still come to see Qian'er from time to time, taking care of her like his own granddaughter. Perhaps he also felt guilty towards this lonely girl.

Chapter 46 A Bad Premonition

Ye Tianya was actually quite regretful. He had been blinded by the words left by the Japanese on the country's homepage, and without thinking, he had used the name "Shadow" to engage in a cyber battle. Only after returning did he remember that his QQ name was also "Shadow," so he had to change it to "Lone Star at the End of the World.

" Hackers fear nothing more than having their identities exposed. Even with his incredible skills, Ye Tianya was still afraid. Fortunately, there were quite a few people with the name "Shadow," which reassured him somewhat. "I changed it in time; no one will notice," Ye Tianya comforted himself.

Bored, Ye Tianya took Qian'er's advice and went out to explore the city early the next morning. He had been at school for several months and hadn't really gone out to see the sights. Ye Tianya boarded a sightseeing bus. S City was a modern metropolis, without many of the dilapidated buildings like Beijing, but its modern architecture had its own unique characteristics, which explained why S City's real estate industry was developing so rapidly.

He looked at the PD Bridge, the TV tower, and other landmarks, occasionally taking short photos with his camera. He leisurely played all day, not returning to school until after 8 PM. He copied the footage he had taken to his computer, and when bored, he would cut and edit the videos on the computer to save for later viewing. Xu Fan went home every weekend, leaving Ye Tianya alone at school, feeling incredibly bored.

"I wonder if Bing Shuang and Bing Xue have emerged from seclusion yet? Why haven't I heard from them?" Ye Tianya asked Li Si, the smart computer.

"Young Master, the two young ladies have emerged from seclusion, but they are currently learning about the real world. They may not leave the valley until they learn how to live in the real world," Li Si told Ye Tianya.

Ye Tianya was overjoyed to hear this and suddenly had an urge to return to the valley. However, he restrained himself because he didn't know how to face the two girls with whom he had consummated his marriage. Although Ye Tianya had promised to be their husband before rescuing them, the two women had entered seclusion after their three-way union. Now, facing them directly, Ye Tianya felt extremely awkward and simply refrained from looking at them. With nothing to do in his dorm, he simply lay down on his bed to practice his martial arts to pass the time.

"Practicing martial arts is so good," Ye Tianya sighed when he woke up the next morning, realizing he had spent the entire night in meditation, feeling refreshed and having whiled away the time. Suddenly, he remembered he hadn't received a call from Xingye the night before. He wondered what she had been doing and why she hadn't called. He couldn't help but dial

her number. But it wasn't Xingye who answered; it was her mother.

"Auntie, is Xiaoye there?" Ye Tianya didn't know why Xingye's phone was with her mother, but he still asked politely.

"Oh, it's Ye Tianya. Xiaoye went to bed a little late last night and hasn't gotten up yet. Please don't call and disturb her unless it's important; Xiaoye needs rest too," Lan's mother's voice was somewhat cold. Ye Tianya's heart sank. Before, Xingye's mother always called him "Little Ye," but now she called him "Classmate Ye Tianya." This subtle change in address made Ye Tianya, already sensitive about Du Qing's departure, realize something was amiss.

"What did Xiaoye do last night?" Ye Tianya couldn't help but ask with concern.

"I don't need to report this to Ye Tianya, do I? Xiaoye is being taken care of by her parents now, so don't worry about it. Don't worry, we'll take good care of our daughter." Mrs. Lan's tone was somewhat unfriendly. Before Ye Tianya could reply, the phone went dead; Mrs. Lan had hung up.

Ye Tianya's heart sank, then sank further. The thought of the phrase "worrying about it" caused a pang of pain.

"Could it be that my worst fears are about to come true?" Ye Tianya stared blankly at his phone, listening to the dial tone. Mrs. Lan's sudden change in attitude made Ye Tianya sense something was wrong. "Xiaoye won't be another Du Qing. We've been through thick and thin," Ye Tianya comforted himself. Now, he could only wait for Xingye to call him.

However, Ye Tianya waited all day, but Xingye didn't call. Ye Tianya comforted himself, "It's okay, maybe Xiaoye is busy. She'll be back at school soon, and then I can ask her what happened."

Ye Tianya couldn't sit still in his dormitory, so he grabbed his phone and wandered around the main gate. He wanted to wait for Xingye there, as she might return to school around five or six o'clock. Ye Tianya lingered at the gate for nearly an hour before he saw a luxurious Rolls-Royce parked at the school gate. A well-dressed young man got out, then gracefully walked around the front of the car to the other side and opened the door. A pure-looking girl in white got out of the car, smiling and thanking the well-dressed young man. When Ye Tianya saw the girl clearly, he couldn't help but call out, "Xiaoye!"

When Xingye saw Ye Tianya at the gate, her face lit up with joy, and she rushed over, calling out from afar, "Brother—" Then, like a swallow returning to its nest, she threw herself into Ye Tianya's arms. When Ye Tianya saw Xingye running towards him, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. He hugged Xingye tightly in his arms; she was his everything, his world. Only with Xingye in his embrace did he truly feel fulfilled and content.

The two held each other tightly, oblivious to the bright young man's expression turning somber before returning to normal. He coughed as he approached the embracing couple.

Only then did Ye Tianya release Xingye and look at the young man. Xingye blushed slightly and said to Ye Tianya, "Brother, this is Mo Jun, the son of Uncle Mo, my father's business partner. My mother didn't have time to take me to school today, so she asked him to bring me."

Xingye then said to Mo Jun, "Brother Mo, this is my boyfriend, Ye Tianya."

Ye Tianya smiled faintly and said to Mo Jun, "Thank you for taking Xiaoye back to school."

Mo Jun also extended his hand to shake Ye Tianya's, saying, "You're welcome. I'm also Xingye's friend." Then he said to Xingye, "Xiaoye, you've arrived at school. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now. See you next week on your birthday."

Xingye smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, Brother Mo."

Mo Jun smiled, nodded to Ye Tianya, turned and left, getting into his Rolls-Royce and driving away. "Young Master Mo, who is that guy? How dare he hug the girl you've set your sights on?"

"Who the hell cares who he is? Since I've set my sights on Xingye, he can't just hug her now. Sooner or later, Xingye will be mine."

Ye Tianya didn't press Xingye about why she hadn't called him, nor did he blame her. As long as she was back, that was enough. Ye Tianya couldn't even bear to blame her. Because of his absolute trust in Xingye, Ye Tianya didn't even question why Lan's mother would arrange for a handsome young man to escort Xingye. He cared deeply for Xingye, but he was careless. He just didn't know that his carelessness would lead to the tragedy that followed.

With Xingye around, time always passed quickly. Two days went by in the blink of an eye.

A villa in the S City villa district was secretly surrounded by many men in black from noon onwards. On the surface, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But inside, a powerful figure was concerned about a girl's life and studies.

"Qian'er, did you miss Grandpa Han?"

"Yes, I did. Grandpa Han, you haven't visited Qian'er in so long. Are you very busy?"

"Yes, Grandpa Han is busy, but you should at least take some time to visit our little Qian'er. By the way, are you getting used to university?"

"I'm doing well. Anyway, it's close to home, so I can come back and talk to Grandpa every weekend. It's pretty much like high school."

"Oh, that's good. Qian'er has made the Nangong family proud. Getting into Huaxia University is an honor for the Nangong family."

"Grandpa Han, what are you busy with? Look how much white hair you've gotten." The girl nestled closer to the old man, looking at his half-white hair with concern.

The old man sighed and said, "Grandpa has a lot on his plate, mostly national affairs. You wouldn't understand. You should focus on your studies and come help Grandpa after you graduate."

"Hmph, Grandpa, you look down on me. Last time during the Sino-Japanese hacker war, I did my part for China. Ambition knows no age. Don't underestimate me," the girl chuckled.

"Oh, you participated too? You know what, that incident still terrifies me. If it weren't for that shadow, China might have lost hundreds of millions. It's just that we didn't find that shadow, otherwise, I would definitely enshrine him as a thank you," the old man said with a sigh.

The girl's eyes darted around, and she suddenly laughed, "Grandpa Han, if I help you find that shadow, how will you thank me?"

Grandpa Han's body stiffened, and he looked at the girl in surprise, excitedly saying, "Qian'er, do you know who that shadow is? Tell Grandpa where he is, and I'll give you anything you want!"

The girl chuckled and said, "I want to participate in this joint military-academic training. Will you allow it?"

The old man hesitated, then said, "This... no, the training is dangerous. You're the only one left in the Nangong family. I'm sorry to your parents; I don't want you to risk your life again. Let's find something else."

The girl said reluctantly, "But I heard that people from the other three families are participating. My parents are gone, but they died with honor. I want to learn from them. I want them to see from heaven that the descendants of the Nangong family are not cowards and will never lose to the other three families. Grandpa Han, I won't tell you unless you agree!"

The girl's words were forceful and resolute. The old man was stunned, and after a long while, he sighed and said, "Alright, as long as you promise to come back safely."

"Yay—" The girl jumped up and laughed, "Grandpa is the best! You wait here, I'll go find the Shadow for you." The girl then ran out of the villa, leaving the old man stunned. At this moment, another old man came down from upstairs and laughed, "Old Han, where's Qian'er?"

Old Han laughed, "She... went to invite a friend. Wow, what tea is this? It smells so good!" Old Han smiled at the teapot the old man carrying.

"Biluochun, top-grade! I've collected so many of these. Come and try some."

The two old men sipped their tea, but Old Han's heart was pounding. He hadn't expected to find the Shadow by chance. This made Old Han almost unable to contain his excitement.

Chapter 47 The Shadow's True Form

Ye Tianya was about to call Xingye after class when a burly man in black approached and stopped him, saying, "Excuse me, are you Ye Tianya?"

Ye Tianya was startled and hesitated before saying, "Yes, what can I do for you?" He sensed that the man in black possessed a powerful aura.

"It's like this, someone wants to meet you. Her name is Qian'er, your online friend. Do you have time?" the man in black said stiffly.

Qian'er?! Ye Tianya was taken aback. How did Qian'er know him? Out of curiosity, Ye Tianya nodded and said he had time. He also wanted to meet this girl named Qian'er. Ye Tianya followed the man in black out of the school. He didn't need to inform Xingye anymore, because Xingye had recently been arranged by her mother to attend some social studies classes and rarely spent time with Ye Tianya. Although Ye Tianya was a little unhappy, he thought about Xingye's future development and couldn't ruin her bright future for his own selfish reasons.

The man in black stopped in front of a Hongqi sedan, opened the back door, and gestured for them to enter. After Ye Tianya got in, he noticed a girl in the back seat who was just as pure as Xingye, perhaps even more so. She wore a light purple sweater and a matching long skirt, her long hair flowing down her back. Seeing Ye Tianya sitting down and staring at her in a daze, the girl smiled and said, "Hello, Ye Tianya, my name is Nangong Qian'er, the Qian'er from online."

"You... hello, nice to meet you, but... how do you know me?" Ye Tianya asked in surprise. Just then, the car started moving, and Nangong Qian'er smiled mischievously, "You seem to have forgotten that you told me you won first place in the long-distance race, right? I'm a student at this school."

Ye Tianya suddenly realized that he had first told Qian'er that he was going to participate in the 5,000-meter race, and then told her after the race that he had won first place, so the girl naturally knew that he was her online friend.

"Where are you taking me?" Ye Tianya asked Nangong Qian'er, looking at the scenery outside the window in confusion.

Nangong Qian'er smiled and said, "Come to my house. We're best friends who can talk about anything. I'm inviting you to one of my parties. You won't refuse, will you?"

Ye Tianya believed her and awkwardly said, "But I haven't prepared anything. Wouldn't that be too abrupt?"

Nangong Qian'er smiled and said, "It's alright. I'm here to see you. I'll be happy as long as you show up."

Ye Tianya didn't suspect anything until he entered the villa. Then he realized something was wrong. He noticed that there were many skilled people, like the black-clad driver from before, lurking in the shadows around the villa. Ye Tianya became wary without showing any emotion. He followed Nangong Qian'er out of the car and into the villa. "Experts!" Upon entering the villa, Ye Tianya saw two elderly people drinking tea together. When he saw the sprightly old man on the left, he felt a chill. This old man had an incredibly powerful aura; he was the most powerful person Ye Tianya had ever seen. He was a level above Ye Xiao and his group. The two old people were looking at him in surprise.

Seeing the deserted living room, Ye Tianya knew it wasn't a party. He turned to Nangong Qian'er and sneered, "Miss Nangong, you didn't invite Tianya here for a real party, did you? What's the matter?"

Seeing Ye Tianya's tone turn cold, Nangong Qian'er quickly explained, "I'm sorry, I lied to you, but I meant no harm. Grandpa Han wanted to see you, so I had no choice but to use this method to invite you."

"Hello, Shadow," the old man sitting opposite the expert greeted Ye Tianya with a form of address that startled him. Ye Tianya was still too inexperienced; that one surprised expression was enough for Old Man Han to confirm that the young man in white was indeed Shadow.

"Old man, you must have mistaken me for someone else. My name isn't Shadow, it's Ye Tianya," Ye Tianya hurriedly retorted.

At this moment, Nangong Qian'er behind Ye Tianya laughed and said, "Don't deny it. Others may not know your name is Shadow, but I do. Don't you think it's a bit of a cover-up that you hastily changed your online name after your battle with the Japanese hacker? Also, you were so scared when you heard the name Shadow, were you faking it? Besides... hehe, I found a few of the attack programs you used that day on your computer. Denying it won't help."

"Impossible! You don't have the ability to hack into my computer and steal programs..." Ye Tianya reflexively replied. Before he could finish speaking, he realized he'd fallen into a trap. This was a self-incriminating confession. He sighed and said, "You've won. What do you want? Speak."

Lan Gong Qian'er behind him laughed, "Actually, I really didn't steal your information. Hehe, I didn't force you to admit it." Then, she smiled at the old man and said, "Grandpa Han, my mission is complete. I've found the shadow for you. Remember you promised to let me participate in the joint training?"

The old man smiled at her before turning to Ye Tianya and saying, "Young man, don't worry, we mean no harm. I'm just in charge of..." "Vice Premier of the Ministry of State Security, my surname is Han. I invited you here today to thank you for your help to the country last time. If it weren't for you, the country would have suffered huge losses. Come and sit down, let's talk slowly."

Ye Tianya didn't walk over, but coldly said, "Thank you? But just when I was preparing to teach the J country's transportation and administrative systems a lesson, dozens of people in the country turned around and investigated me. Is this your thank you? As a Chinese, doing these things is what I should do. No need for thanks. If there's nothing else, I'll go back first."

Ye Tianya said, and was about to leave. Old Han hurriedly stopped him and said, "Wait, young man, I think there's some misunderstanding here. The investigation of you is not malicious. I just want to find you so that I can ask you to come out and fulfill the responsibilities that Chinese people should fulfill to the country. Another reason is that if the country encounters a similar incident again, I can find you in time to ask you for help. This is also the purpose of inviting you here today."

Ye Tianya stopped and turned to look at the old man. What he said was all reasonable. Ye Tianya stared into his eyes and found that they were very clear and sincere. There was not a trace of impurity in them. On second thought, this old man was a great figure who had devoted himself to national security; he had to give him face. So he said, "No problem. If this happens again, I'm willing to do my part for the country. However, I hope you won't leak the information that I'm the Shadow. Otherwise, if I get into trouble, it might not be good for anyone.

" Old Han naturally understood this and quickly said, "Don't worry, only I and the Nangong family know about this. I promise I won't leak it to anyone who shouldn't know."

Ye Tianya nodded and said, "Then thank you, Old Han. I'll take my leave now." Ye Tianya took his leave again, his tone much more gentle. "

Stay for a cup of tea and dinner before you go," the expert old man urged.

Ye Tianya shook his head and said, "I won't bother you any longer. I have other things to do. Goodbye."

"But, how can I contact you if I need anything?" "Old Han watched Ye Tianya walk out and hurriedly asked.

Ye Tianya gave Nangong Qian'er a cold look and said, "Miss Nangong knows so much about me, so I suppose you know how to find me, right?" He then walked out.

"Hey, hey, wait for me! I'll drive you!" Nangong Qian'er ran after him, but Ye Tianya coldly replied, "No need, Miss Nangong, I know the way back myself."

"Hey, Ye Tianya, you're being too petty! You're already angry? I know it was wrong of me to lie to you, but I had no choice. Would you have come if I hadn't told you? If I had been upfront from the beginning, you wouldn't have come with me, would you? Please, forgive me this time, okay? Aren't we best friends who can talk about anything?" Nangong Qian'er pleaded as she followed him out.

"But it seems like my friend used me as a bargaining chip, doesn't she?" Ye Tianya was angry when he remembered Nangong Qian'er using him to negotiate with that old man for some joint training program.

"I'm sorry, I promise I won't do it again. Listen to me, get in the car first, I'll take you home and then I'll tell you. You don't want your girlfriend waiting for you at school for too long, do you?"

Nangong Qian'er's last words made Ye Tianya get into her car. Sitting in the back seat, Nangong Qian'er said softly, "I know what I did hurt you deeply, and I sincerely apologize. Remember I told you, I'm also an orphan. I only have a grandfather. My father and mother both died protecting Grandpa Han when he was assassinated. Therefore, Grandpa Han felt he owed me too much and never wanted me to take risks. But we, the Nangong family, cannot be cowards, we cannot lose to the other three great families, even though now I'm the only one left in my family besides my elderly grandfather. I also want to prove that the Nangong family is not useless." In a few days, the school will be selecting people to participate in a special joint training program between the military and the school. This training is very tough and dangerous, so Grandpa Han doesn't want me to participate. However, the Sima, Ouyang, and Murong families all have members who want to participate. I don't want to lose, so I must participate. I had no choice but to use you as a bargaining chip to make a deal with Grandpa Han. Please forgive me.”

Ye Tianya was moved, not knowing that Nangong Qian'er had such a strong heart beneath her gentle appearance. He turned to look at her and said, “I'm sorry, I didn't know there were so many things. I shouldn't have blamed you.”

Nangong Qian'er was happy to hear this and said, “Really? You don't blame me anymore? That's great, thank you, Ying… no, Ye Tianya.”

Ye Tianya glanced at the burly man driving the car when he heard her almost call him Yingzi. Curious, he asked, “By the way, do all four great families have to participate in the special training? Why?” "

Nangong Qian'er said softly, "The four great families are all ancient martial arts families, and they have close ties with the government. They often contribute to the country, and the country also cultivates talents for the four great families. My parents unfortunately died while contributing to the country. Every year, as long as someone from the four great families participates in the special training, the military will select some outstanding students from Huaxia University to participate in the training as well. This also cultivates some outstanding talents for China. This year, the selection will probably take place in the next few days. Anyway, I'm definitely going." "

How is the selection process conducted?" Ye Tianya asked.

"Outstanding students are selected from each year's freshmen, but it is based on the principle of voluntariness. Because there may be a risk to life, a waiver must be signed, promising no legal responsibility if the student dies during training." Nangong Qian'er explained in detail. "Because of this, ordinary students generally do not participate. So, if no one from the four great families participates in the special training, it is generally impossible to hold such a training." Ye

Tianya nodded in understanding. When the car arrived at the school gate, he got out, turned back to say goodbye to Nangong Qian'er, and then went into the cafeteria alone for dinner. He wasn't really busy, but he didn't want to get involved with the two elderly people there, and he was also quite angry with Nangong Qian'er at the time, so he had no choice but to come back and eat the simple food in the cafeteria. However, no matter what, it was hundreds of times better than the food in Lincheng Prison.

Chapter 48 Birthday Party

On Friday, Ye Tianya was summoned again by Secretary Chen from the principal's office. This time, he wasn't deliberately made difficult and let him into the principal's office. Once inside, Ye Tianya saw Xu Fan and Yin Chao, along with seventeen students—nine boys and eight girls—whom he didn't recognize.

The principal waited until Ye Tianya entered before saying, "I called you all here today to announce something. Our school has a tradition of jointly training outstanding students with the military every year. After graduation, these students directly enter important government departments. The special training is the responsibility of the military and will begin tomorrow night. All of you here are among the top twenty students admitted this year. That's why I called you all here. If you're interested, you can sign up for this training. However, because the training is very arduous and potentially life-threatening, those who sign up will need to sign a waiver. In the event of a fatal accident, the school will not bear any responsibility. Of course, this is voluntary. Those who want to go can sign up, and those who don't can go back. However, if you've already decided and still want to participate, you can still sign up before 8 PM tomorrow night. Please consider it."

Ye Tianya turned and left without a second thought. He had already considered it when Nangong Qian'er mentioned it. He wasn't interested in the training, let alone working in an important government department. Besides, he couldn't bear to leave Xingye.

Yin Chao followed Ye Tianya out, and then the others followed, leaving no one behind. The principal shook his head with a wry smile, saying nothing.

As they walked out of the administration building, Ye Tianya ran into Fang Hua, the grandson of the Military Commission, whom Ye Tianya had never offended but who had a grudge against him because of someone else's personal gain. Seeing Ye Tianya and the others coming out, Fang Hua blocked Ye Tianya's path, chuckling, "Hey Ye, you're so tough, aren't you? What, you're too scared for training camp? Looks like you're a coward too."

Yin Chao, hearing this, was so angry he was about to attack, but Ye Tianya stopped him, coldly smiling at Fang Hua, "What I, Ye Tianya, do or don't do isn't determined by your words, you little scoundrel. You only beat me by relying on others' abilities; you lost to me by your own. Just remember that."

"You—, hmph, if you really have guts, we'll see each other at training camp," Fang Hua sneered at Ye Tianya's retreating figure. Ye Tianya ignored him and instead called Night Owl, asking him to send his agents to do something. Only then did he return to his dormitory.

Xingye's birthday banquet was a grand affair orchestrated by Lan Yang, who booked the entire Imperial Capital Restaurant to entertain his relatives, friends, and business partners. Lan Yang came partly to demonstrate his respect for Xingye, and partly to use this opportunity to cultivate good relationships with his business associates, making things easier for him in the business world.

When Ye Tianya and Yin Chao arrived at the banquet, it was already packed with people and bustling with activity. At the entrance, Lan Yang smiled and greeted Ye Tianya, "Little Ye, you're here too! Welcome, welcome! Come in and have a seat." Lan's mother merely glanced at Ye Tianya without offering them any further greeting. After greeting Lan Yang with a smile, Ye Tianya then said to Lan's mother, "Hello, Auntie."

Lan's mother hummed in response and went to attend to other guests. Yin Chao and Ye Tianya exchanged a glance, a flash of anger crossing Yin Chao's eyes. Ye Tianya stopped him, saying, "Today is Xiao Ye's birthday. Don't cause trouble. We're just here to celebrate Xiao Ye's birthday."

Yin Chao calmed down slightly and looked for Xing Ye, only to find her smiling and chatting happily with a young man named Mo Jun. Upon seeing Ye Tianya and Yin Chao, Xing Ye's eyes lit up. She apologized to Mo Jun and then walked towards Ye Tianya.

"Happy birthday, Xiao Ye!" Ye Tianya and Yin Chao both handed over their gifts. At this moment, Mo Jun walked over and said with a smile, "Xiao Ye, what gift did your brother give you? Open it and let everyone admire it."

Xing Ye looked at Ye Tianya, wanting to ask for his opinion. Ye Tianya smiled faintly and said, "Open it if you want to see."

Xing Ye was also eager to see what kind of birthday gift her beloved had given her, so she opened it in front of everyone. Xing Ye was the birthday girl today, and also the protagonist of the day. She had never opened any gifts given to her by others before. Now, she was suddenly going to open a gift in front of everyone. The guests all looked on curiously, wanting to see what the first gift Xing Ye opened was.

When Xingye opened the gift, everyone was stunned. Inside was only a single lily, just one stem with a card attached. "Ah, so this beautiful box only contains a lily worth less than a dollar? Ye Tianya, you really know how to wrap things! But one flower is nothing, it's the thought that counts, no one will laugh at you for being stingy. Why did you wrap it so nicely, making everyone think it's some rare treasure?" Mo Jun mocked sarcastically.

Many guests laughed, and Xingye felt embarrassed. Others didn't know the meaning of the flower, but Xingye did. The card on the stem said it was from the East Gate Flower Market in Lincheng. Xingye remembered that Ye Tianya had once told her, "Xiaoye, when I have money in the future, I will definitely buy you the most beautiful lily from the East Gate Flower Market for your birthday." And this flower had just been airlifted from Lincheng that morning, as the packaging box was from the airport.

Although the flowers held profound meaning, they were given inappropriately. In front of these money-grubbing businessmen, they would naturally be seen as stingy. Amidst the guests' laughter, Xingye felt embarrassed and awkwardly said to Ye Tianya, "Thank you, brother. You've kept your promise."

Ye Tianya didn't react to the ridicule, but seeing Xingye's unease, he regretted giving her the gift. He realized the flowers were inappropriate for the occasion. Xingye led Ye Tianya and Xingye to a nearby table and said, "Brother, please sit for a while. I'll go greet the guests."

Ye Tianya nodded. It was only right for Xingye to greet the guests; he couldn't neglect them just for his own sake.

Xingye moved among the guests, responding to their congratulations with a charming smile. Ye Tianya was impressed by her transformation. She was now adept at navigating social situations.

"Tianya, why did you only give her one flower? Xingye looked quite embarrassed just now," Yin Chao said softly.

"You also think Xingye was embarrassed just now, right? If this were a year ago, do you think Xingye would have been embarrassed?" Ye Tianya asked quietly.

Yin Chao sighed and said, "People change. In this kind of situation, even though Xingye made some promise to you, it still didn't look good."

Ye Tianya was stunned for a moment, then murmured, "You mean, people change, the environment changes, and people change too, right?" Ye Tianya suddenly remembered that Xingye seemed to have rarely called him recently. 'Maybe she's too busy,' Ye Tianya comforted himself.

"I don't know how to say it, maybe Xingye hasn't changed," Yin Chao said, looking at Xingye chatting and laughing with the guests. Xingye's mother was introducing some young talents to Xingye from time to time. Xingye greeted them with a smile.

"In the past, Xingye probably wouldn't have smiled at these people." Remembering that Xingye had never smiled like that at Liu Qiyun, or even Xu Fan, Ye Tianya's heart sank slightly.

The dance began, and many young people took the initiative to invite Xingye to dance. Xingye looked at Ye Tianya, and Ye Tianya understood and walked towards her. Just as he was about to approach Xingye, Xingye's mother suddenly appeared, pulling Xingye in front of Mo Jun and saying, "Xiaoye, come, dance with your brother Mo Jun so he can properly instruct you on the dance steps you just learned."

Xingye was pushed forward, turning her head apologetically to Ye Tianya, and reluctantly walked onto the dance floor with Mo Jun. As Mo Jun left, he gave Ye Tianya a smug smile. Ye Tianya froze, but Xingye's apologetic look comforted him. He slowly returned to his seat, unaware of his mother's smug smile. As the song

in Chapter Forty-Nine, "The Waves of Love,"

was drawing to a close, Lan's mother walked to the seat where Ye Tianya was sitting and said, "Ye Tianya, may I have a word with you?"

Ye Tianya didn't understand what this woman wanted to talk to him about, but he nodded nonetheless. He had a bad feeling. He followed Lan's mother upstairs into an empty room. After closing the door, Lan's mother went straight to the point with Ye Tianya and Yin Chao: "I know you two used to be Xingye's best friends, and Ye Tianya is Xiaoye's boyfriend. Take this money and stop bothering Xingye, okay?"

As she spoke, she took out a check and handed it to Ye Tianya. Ye Tianya was stunned. Although he had thought it might be about this kind of thing, he didn't expect it to actually happen. He stared blankly at the one and five zeros on the check. Looking at Lan's mother, he asked, "Auntie, what do you mean by this?"

Lan's mother snorted and sneered, "Do you want me to be clear? You saw it yourself just now. Every guest in this hotel is either rich or powerful, and you only brought a single flower. How embarrassing for Xingye! I'm giving you this money partly as repayment for your emotional investment, and partly hoping you'll have some self-awareness. Xiaoye already has a wealthy family; she can live a stable and high-class life. Don't you think you're no longer suitable for her?"

The wound in Ye Tianya's heart, inflicted by Du Qing, reopened and began to bleed again. Meanwhile, Yin Chao beside him couldn't help but roar, "Don't be so ..." "That's going too far! What's so great about having a few stinking coins…"

Ye Tianya stopped Yin Chao again, signaling him to stop cursing. His heart was bleeding, but he calmed down and said lightly, "Auntie, if this is Xingye's wish, then please have her hand me this check herself. I promise I won't bother her anymore. If it's just your wishful thinking, then even the gods can't stop Xingye and me from loving each other."

A ruthless glint flashed in Lan's mother's eyes. She said, "Fine, you wait," and then went out the door and downstairs. Ye Tianya stopped the angry Yin Chao and said with a bitter smile, "Money, Yin Chao, it's still money!"

The two returned to their seats. Xingye had changed partners and was dancing happily. After another song, Ye Tianya saw Lan's mother pull Xingye away, whisper something to her, and then hand her the check. Xingye walked towards him.

Ye Tianya's heart was beginning to ache, but on the surface, he remained calm. Yin Chao, however, was clenching his fists nervously. Mo Jun and Lan's mother followed Xingye over.

Xingye walked up to Ye Tianya, who stood up and quietly looked at her.

“Brother, you and Yin Chao are both having a tough time right now. Yin Chao, I don’t know how to repay you for all the care you’ve given me. Here’s 100,000 yuan. Winter’s coming, take it and buy some clothes.” Xingye held out her hand and handed over the check. When Ye Tianya saw her hand outstretched, he finally couldn’t hold back his tears, which welled up in front of Xingye for the second time. Ye Tianya tried his best to remain calm and said, “Xiaoye, do you know what this 100,000 yuan represents?”

Xingye looked up at Ye Tianya and said, “I know. You’ve taken such good care of me all these years, I have nothing to repay you with…” At this moment, Mo Jun interrupted her with a smile and said, “Ye Tianya, 100,000 yuan is no small amount. Take it.”

Ye Tianya felt Yin Chao’s body trembling violently, while he calmly said “okay” three times, then took the check from Xingye’s hand. Tears involuntarily streamed down his face. Yin Chao couldn’t hold back any longer and shouted, “Tianya, you can’t take it!”

Yin Chao’s shout made all the guests stop and look at them curiously.

Ye Tianya accepted the check, a faint smile playing on his lips, tears welling in his eyes. He held the check behind his back and said with a bitter laugh, "One hundred thousand yuan, that's quite a sum. Hehe, Xingye, thank you. I wish you happiness." As he spoke, Ye Tianya rubbed the check between his hands, then tossed the powdered check into the air. To Xingye's astonishment, he walked to where the gifts had been, found the lily, and gently stroked it as if it were a treasure. He then gently put it down, turned back, and silently glanced at Xingye with tears in his eyes before turning and walking towards the hotel entrance, leaving everyone speechless. He never looked back again.

Yin Chao's face turned purple with anger. He coldly said to Xingye, "Xingye, I, Yin Chao, misjudged you. I also wish you a lifetime of happiness." Then he chased after Ye Tianya and ran out.

Coming to her senses, Xingye looked at her mother, then at the retreating figures of Ye Tianya and Yin Chao at the train station, and suddenly burst into tears, crying, "What happened?"

She chased after Ye Tianya in the direction he had gone, shouting, "Brother, don't go! What happened? Brother, wait for Xiaoye!"

However, Ye Tianya, already in a taxi, couldn't hear Xingye's cries. Watching the taxi speed away, Xingye suddenly remembered the flower Ye Tianya had carefully examined last. She rushed back to the gift-giving area in front of the astonished guests, reaching for the flower. The moment her hand touched a petal, the entire flower turned to dust, scattering on the ground.

Broken, nothing left. Xingye stared blankly at the scattered dust, when suddenly her internal energy spiraled out of control, causing her to cough up a mouthful of blood. She collapsed to the ground.

"Xiao Ye—" Lan Yang exclaimed in shock, rushing over to help Xing Ye up. Lan's mother, also terrified, threw herself at her. The couple hurriedly took Xing Ye to the hospital. A perfectly good birthday party ended on a sour note.

"Tianya, calm down. People are materialistic. It's not a big deal. Don't be too sad..." Yin Chao sat next to Ye Tianya, rambling on and on, only to realize he had no idea how to comfort anyone. Ye Tianya suddenly asked, "Yin Chao, what time is it?"

Yin Chao glanced at his watch and replied, "7:50."

Ye Tianya turned to the driver and said, "Master, if you can get to the entrance of Huaxia University within eight minutes, I'll give you two hundred yuan."

The driver was overjoyed and said, "Really? Okay, hold on tight!" He then suddenly stepped on the gas and sped off. The driver's skills were truly impressive; after many twists and turns, he arrived at the entrance of Huaxia University in just over seven minutes. Ye Tianya got out of the car, threw two hundred yuan at the driver, and ran inside. Yin Chao thought Ye Tianya had gone mad and chased after him, shouting as he went. He saw Ye Tianya rush into the administration building. Yin Chao suddenly remembered that the principal had said yesterday that there was still a chance to participate in the training camp before eight o'clock. Understanding what Ye Tianya was planning to do, Yin Chao shouted, "Tianya, stop! You can't go! You can't go!"

However, Ye Tianya still rushed into the principal's office at seven minutes and fifty-eight seconds. The principal was already packing his things. Ye Tianya, panting, asked, "Principal, it's not past eight o'clock yet, I need to participate in the training camp."

The principal was taken aback, but then laughed and said, "Are you sure? You don't think this is child's play?"

Ye Tianya nodded solemnly and said, "I'm sure! I'll even play child's play once."

The principal laughed and said, "Good, finally someone in China is willing to go to the training camp with the four great families. Here, this is a life-or-death contract. Sign it and go to the training ground."

Ye Tianya picked up a pen, glanced at the life-or-death contract, and then signed his name, Ye Tianya. At this moment, Yin Chao rushed in and shouted, "You can't sign this! Fang Hua can kill you this time without breaking the law!"

Ye Tianya smiled faintly. The thing he had been worried about for a while had happened. The moment Ye Tianya left the hotel, he actually felt much more relaxed. Looking at Yin Chao who came in, he waved the life-or-death contract in his hand and said, "Then, Yin Chao, if I don't die, I will definitely be your sworn brother for three lifetimes when I come back."

"You bastard! Who wants to be brothers with you? You're degrading yourself by trying to kill yourself! Don't I know that Xingye went too far? But do you think you'll die without Xingye? I won't let you go! Tear it up!" Yin Chao roared as he lunged at Ye Tianya to tear up the death agreement she had signed. Ye Tianya gently pressed on his pressure points, helped him walk out, and turned back to the surprised principal, saying, "Principal, goodbye. I'll bring you good news when I get back."

The principal was surprised by what Yin Chao had said about Xingye and Fang Hua. He knew the reason for the feud between Fang Hua and Ye Tianya. It seemed that Ye Tianya's journey was truly fraught with danger. He wanted to stop Ye Tianya, but Ye Tianya had already dragged Yin Chao out, leaving only the death agreement on the table.

Ye Tianya placed Yin Xue on the lawn below the administration building and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Yin Chao, you don't understand. You don't understand the pain of being hurt twice by the same kind of injury. If I can come back alive, I promise I will become the richest person in the world, definitely. You should sleep for a while. In half an hour, your acupoints will automatically release. I hope we will have a chance to meet again."

Chapter 50 Heading to Special Training

After saying that, Ye Tianya ran towards the large training ground. A military helicopter was parked on the training ground, with two officers and four girls standing beside it. Ye Tianya only realized that he recognized all four girls when he got closer: Nangong Qian'er, Sima Ruyan, Murong Piaoxue, and the girl who had warned him to be careful in the cafeteria last time.

Seeing Ye Tianya running over, the four girls were stunned and asked in surprise almost simultaneously, "Why are you here?"

Ye Tianya did not answer them, but instead showed the two officers one of the two copies of the life-or-death waiver, saying, "Hello, I am a student from Huaxia University participating in the training camp. This is my life-or-death waiver."

"What? You're going too?" the four girls asked in surprise again.

Ye Tianya didn't answer them, but nodded instead. The two officers put the death warrant on Ye Tianya's person into their briefcases, made a phone call somewhere, checked their watches, and said, "8:10, time's up, prepare to board the plane."

Ye Tianya and the four girls boarded the plane. He couldn't help but look back at the campus, at the grove of trees where he and Xingye had once kissed. "I'll come back, I definitely will. Money? Heh, I'll make you all be surprised by money," Ye Tianya vowed silently.

The plane roared into the sky, circled once, and then flew away into the distance.

Xingye woke up the day after the banquet, pulled out the IV drip, and despite the objections of Lan Yang and his wife, resolutely rushed out of the hospital and back to school.

Xingye called Ye Tianya, but was told the phone was out of service. She called the dormitory, but Xu Fan told her Ye Tianya hadn't returned the night before. Xingye then called Yin Chao, but Yin Chao hung up without saying a word when he heard her voice. Xingye was going crazy; she wanted to know what was going on, but couldn't find anyone to ask. Helpless, Xingye could only wait downstairs at Yin Chao's dormitory until he came out. "Yin Chao, tell me what happened! Why are you all angry with me? What did I do wrong? Tell me!"

Yin Chao sneered, "You did nothing wrong. I misjudged you. Tianya loved the wrong person. It's all our fault. You did nothing wrong. You did nothing wrong."

"No, Yin Chao, explain yourself clearly! Why did my brother get so angry when he saw 100,000 yuan? Tell me!" Xingye grabbed Yin Chao and pleaded desperately.

Yin Chao sneered, "You don't know? But when Tianya asked you what that 100,000 yuan represented, didn't you know? What else don't you know? Are you forgetful? Let me remind you, that 100,000 yuan was what your mother used to buy off all feelings between you and Tianya, so he wouldn't bother you anymore, saying you wanted a wealthy life, that he was no longer suitable for you, that you were already a member of high society. Tianya confiscated it, saying that if it was your wish, you should give it to him yourself, hahaha," Yin Chao laughed angrily, his eyes filled with pain, "You actually took it, don't you remember? You gave it to him yourself, hahaha, Xingye, do you remember now? Do you remember now? You drove Tianya to his death, are you happy now? Are you happy now? You can live your wealthy life without any hindrance, no one will bother you anymore, is there anything else you don't understand? Miss Lan?" Yin Chao sneered sarcastically.

Xingye's eyes widened with disbelief as she listened, finally collapsing to the ground in disbelief, tears streaming down her face. She murmured, "I understand, I understand everything. But why did Mom say that the 100,000 yuan was just to help you guys live? She didn't tell me it was to buy off my brother's relationship!"

This time, it was Yin Chao's turn to widen in surprise. Suddenly, he squatted down and sobbed, "What's the use? Tianya's already gone. He signed a death warrant and went to the army for training. Fang Hua wanted to harm him all along. Tianya is definitely not coming back. It's no use."

Xingye sat up and grabbed Yin Chao anxiously, asking, "What death warrant? What training?"

Yin Chao recounted the school's selection of people for training and how Ye Tianya went straight to sign the death warrant after returning from the banquet. Xingye collapsed to the ground again.

"It's all my fault, it's all my fault. Where did my brother go for training? I need to find him!" Xingye scrambled to her feet and ran to the principal's office, only to be told that everything was a military secret and couldn't be disclosed. No matter how much Xingye begged, the principal only said three words: "I don't know." Xingye left the administration building like a walking corpse. She didn't know how she got back to her dormitory; her mind was filled with Ye Tianya's every word and action. It was her mother, the mother she had longed for for over ten years,

who had ruined her love. From then on, Xingye rarely went home. She didn't want to go back to that home. She now understood that the home she longed for wasn't as warm as she had imagined. In fact, even with that home, she wasn't as happy or joyful as before. Every weekend, Xingye would disappear for a while, only reappearing after her parents, who had come to pick her up from school, had left empty-handed. She turned off her phone and wouldn't answer any calls. She used studying to numb herself, like a bookworm, spending all her time in the library. He either sleeps in his dorm or... goes to the playground to wait for the military helicopter that might one day fly back.

Lan Zhai, Lan Yang, and his wife have argued more than once about Xingye not coming home.

"Look what you've done! I forgot to tell you, Ye Tianya has already left Huaxia University. I heard he signed some kind of life-or-death contract to participate in some training somewhere that could kill him. Are you happy now? Xiaoye isn't coming home anymore, she won't see you, she won't answer your calls. She's living a good and happy life. You short-sighted woman, she's a student who got into Huaxia University through self-study, how could she be bad? How could she be worse than a spoiled brat who lives off his parents? Go ahead and choose, what are you choosing now, Mo Jun? Who are you choosing for, your daughter? Do you even have a daughter anymore? Does Xingye still acknowledge you? Are you happy now? Are you happy now?"

Lan Yang angrily berated the woman, who retorted, "What did I do wrong? Everything I did was for our daughter. No matter how capable Ye Tianya is, it will take him ten or twenty years to accumulate the same level of experience as Mo Jun. By then, our daughter will be an old woman, what will she have left to enjoy?"

"Enjoyment? Is our daughter enjoying herself now? She's hiding somewhere crying, regretting coming back to this family. When we reunited, we promised to make it up to her, but what have we brought her now? Pain. If she hadn't met us, she'd be happily with Ye Tianya, living a life of unimaginable joy. What have you given her to enjoy?"

"Our daughter is still young, blinded by that Ye's appearance. When she's older, she'll understand my good intentions. Would I harm my own daughter?"

"Just wait patiently for her to understand your good intentions, until she forgives you, until she comes back and calls you 'Mom.'" Lan Yang stormed out of the house. He rarely returned, and when he did, he'd only come back briefly before leaving again. The Lan family was left with only the mistress of the house and some servants who were often verbally abused by her when she was in a bad mood.

A perfectly good banquet, a perfectly good home, ruined by a conspiracy. That woman had only herself to blame, now left alone in her empty house.

Xingye went to see Hu Qing, wanting to return the Xueya Shuangye Foundation, which Ye Tianya had created for her, to him. She felt ashamed to still possess the foundation and hoped that Ye Tianya would one day return, using its resources to create a

better future for them, so they wouldn't be looked down upon anymore. When Hu Qing heard that Xingye wanted to transfer the foundation to Ye Tianya, he readily completed all the formalities. He had already had this idea after donating money to Lan Yang, and since Xingye herself had brought it up, he naturally wouldn't refuse. Thus, Xueya Shuangye returned to Ye Tianya's hands. However, Ye Tianya, currently thousands of miles away, was unaware of this.

Chapter 51 Physical Training

Ye Tianya and his group of five were taken by helicopter to an air force base, then transferred to a military transport plane, which took off overnight, leaving S City. Inside the cabin, Ye Tianya listened silently as the four girls introduced themselves. He learned that the only girl whose name he didn't know was Ouyang Xin'er. All four girls were descendants of four prominent families, and each possessed exceptional family martial arts skills. However, each harbored an inherent arrogance and disagreed with the others. After a brief introduction, they all looked at Ye Tianya, hoping he would say something. Ye Tianya simply said to Ouyang Xin'er, "Hello, my name is Ye Tianya. I've known these three for a while. I haven't had a chance to thank you for what you reminded me about in the cafeteria last time."

Ouyang Xin'er blushed slightly, speaking to Ye Tianya so closely for the first time, and said, "Hello, my name is Ouyang Xin'er. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ye Tianya nodded slightly, said nothing more, and closed his eyes to rest. The four women exchanged bewildered glances, confused as to why Ye Tianya was so cold. Nangong Qian'er, who had gone from being an online friend with whom Ye Tianya had shared everything to a acquaintance, was probably the one who understood him best among the four. She sat down next to him and softly asked, "Ye Tianya, what's wrong?"

Ye Tianya shook his head and said, "Nothing, let's rest. It's nighttime, time to sleep."

The four women paused, then fell silent. With Ye Tianya silent, these four competitive girls had nothing more to say.

They didn't know how long the plane had been flying, but it landed in the dark of night at a brightly lit air force base. The five of them were immediately led to a middle-aged man with the rank of major general on his shoulder. The middle-aged man was taken aback when he saw the five people, then smiled and said, "Welcome. I am your training instructor, Zhong Xiang, Major General of the General Staff."

The five, including Ye Tianya, didn't greet Zhong Xiang with proper military etiquette, but instead called him "General Zhong."

Zhong Xiang chuckled and said, "From today until you leave this training camp, you must appear as soldiers. First, change into a well-fitting military uniform. Then, you must have proper military etiquette. You've had military training; you should know how to salute. Tonight, change your clothes and rest. Starting tomorrow morning, you will begin the first item: physical training. Only after you pass will you move on to the next item. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" The shouting they had learned during military training came in handy, and Zhong Xiang smiled with satisfaction.

The five were led out of the airport to the logistics department of a military camp. Each of them received two sets of camouflage uniforms and were then taken to their dormitories. However, the camp only provided one dormitory room for the five of them, which left them in a dilemma.

"There's no other way. This is already giving up the company commander's room for you. There's only one empty room because we were told there would only be four girls this year. We didn't expect there to be an extra boy. However, you'll have plenty of opportunities to eat and live together in the future, especially since it's in the middle of nowhere. You won't be staying here for long, so just make do. Your team is officially named the Flying Dragon Team. Tonight, you have another task: to choose your own captain. Tomorrow morning, I hope a captain will come out and assemble your team when the whistle blows." Zhong Xiang finished speaking and turned to leave without paying attention to the five girls' surprise or willingness. Five pairs of eyes stared at each other. The four girls blushed when they met Ye Tianya's gaze.

Ye Tianya glanced at the four girls indifferently, then at the five beds in the room. He chose the outermost one, sat down, and lay down to rest fully clothed, completely ignoring whether the four girls had any objections. The four women looked at each other, then Sima Ruyan walked over to Ye Tianya and pulled him up, saying, "Ye Tianya, don't sleep yet. We need to choose a team leader."

Ye Tianya sat up, looking at the four women calmly, and said, "Let's choose. How? Who will be the leader? Sima, you're the leader."

"Why her? Can't I be one?" Murong Shuangxue objected.

"Murong, you should be the leader," Ye Tianya said again.

"Why just the two of them? I can be one too!" Nangong Qian'er objected again, and Ouyang Xin'er immediately stepped forward, saying, "I can be one too."

Ye Tianya smiled wryly. From the moment he boarded the plane, he could tell that none of these four women would submit to anyone else. Like Nangong Qian'er, these daughters of noble families all had innate pride. They wouldn't easily submit to others.

Helplessly, Ye Tianya lay back down and said, "Then you guys discuss it. Let me know when you've decided." With that, he lay back down on the bed and went back to sleep.

The four girls exchanged glances, then glared at each other before finally fixing their gazes on Ye Tianya, who was lying on his side.

"Choose him—" they all pointed at Ye Tianya simultaneously.

No one would accept any of them as captain, so they simply chose someone else, and the target was Ye Tianya. Ye Tianya rolled over, lazily saying, "Whatever, don't disturb my sleep."

The four girls snorted in unison, each thinking to themselves, "Let you get a cheap captain position, you think you're so great?" They each chose a bed and slept fully clothed. However, none of the girls could fall asleep; they were worried about Ye Tianya. Ye Tianya, too, couldn't sleep; he was reminiscing about his time with Xingye, secretly licking his wounds.

Ye Tianya felt a chill and realized he was sleeping fully clothed without a blanket. He sat up to get one, only to find that the four girls next to him were also without blankets. He got off his bed and went to the four beds where the girls were sleeping. His departure immediately put the four girls, who hadn't been asleep, on edge. They worried Ye Tianya was up to something bad and cautiously prepared to ambush him if he did anything wrong. But when they peeked through their half-closed eyes and saw Ye Tianya walk to their bedsides, gently pull back the covers, and then softly cover them, the four girls pretended not to know anything, though a different feeling lingered in their hearts. A sour feeling, indescribable. After covering

all four of them, Ye Tianya returned to his own bed, but he couldn't fall asleep no matter what. He got up again, went to the window, and stared at the setting moon, thinking of the two girls on the other side of the sky who had bought off their feelings with money. He

sighed deeply. Ye Tianya told himself, "Forget it. Isn't the purpose of this training camp to forget?"

Ye Tianya didn't sleep all night until the morning reveille sounded in the barracks. He turned around and found the four girls behind him sitting up, looking at him strangely. Ye Tianya said nothing, returned to the bedside, folded the quilt, and then found the washing utensils the army had provided for them to wash up. After all five had washed, Ye Tianya gathered the four of them before Zhong Xiang. He saluted crisply and said, "Report, Flying Dragon Squadron is assembled. Please give your instructions, General!"

Zhong Xiang smiled with satisfaction, returned the salute, and then looked at a young lieutenant beside him, saying, "This is your physical training instructor, Instructor Tang. He will be responsible for your physical training. From today until you pass the physical training test, you will train with Instructor Tang. Do you have any questions?"

"No!" the five answered in unison.

Instructor Tang stepped forward and first greeted Zhong Xiangjing before addressing Ye Tianya and his group of five: "Hello everyone, my surname is Tang. I won't say much else, but your task today is for the boys to carry 40 kilograms of weight and the girls 30 kilograms to march 100 kilometers, to be completed before 6 PM. You will only have breakfast and two meals of dry rations for lunch. If you fail to complete the task, your dinner will be canceled. Understand?" "

Understood!" Ye Tianya and his group of five had already prepared themselves for the task. They didn't understand what carrying 30-40 kilograms and marching 100 kilometers meant, but the task had been assigned, and they had to complete it.

When they received their 30-kilogram backpacks, they realized the difficulty of the task. They didn't even have time for breakfast at the military camp before setting off with their backpacks. Instructor Tang had been driving ahead, leading the way and supervising them. While

the five girls were complaining about how heavy their backpacks were, Ye Tianya smiled. He wished the backpacks were even heavier, to cause more physical pain so he could forget his inner turmoil.

Fortunately, the approaching winter season lacked the scorching summer heat, unlike the sweltering heat of military training at the start of the school year. Nevertheless, by noon, the four girls were drenched in sweat and exhausted.

However, they were all competing with each other, none wanting to be the first to give up, striving to keep going. Ye Tianya also felt aches in his shoulders and legs, but he wished they would hurt more.

The five of them walked in silence, their engines roaring ahead, while other military vehicles passed by, kicking up clouds of dust. The sun was setting, and Ye Tianya and the four girls were still on their way. They didn't know how much further they had to go, but their limbs felt numb, and they moved mechanically.

Chapter 52: Tianya Encounters Danger

When the military camp reappeared before them, the five of them didn't know what to feel; it was a mixture of joy and something else entirely. When the instructor said there were only two minutes left until six o'clock, the five of them mustered their last bit of strength and rushed towards the military camp. They completed their task on time, and of course, they had to eat dinner, but all five of them felt they had no appetite; the soreness in their bodies made them unable to appreciate the aroma of the food.

"You did very well. Today's task wasn't too heavy, but not many trainees could complete it. Tomorrow you'll have the same training, but the time will be shortened by one hour. If you're not back by five o'clock, you won't get any food. Get some rest." Instructor Tang's words made the four girls feel like they had fallen into hell. They all let out a cry of despair. But suddenly remembering they couldn't admit defeat in front of others, they exchanged glances, snorted, and went to sleep. That night, everyone slept soundly, their exhaustion making them forget everything else. Ye Tianya was also lulled to sleep by exhaustion.

The next day, the five of them were still carrying so much stuff. Having learned from yesterday's experience, they all knew they needed to speed up to arrive early. In the end, they still made it, but the four girls almost fainted.

On the third day, the time was shortened by another hour. Finally, Ye Tianya couldn't help but remind the four girls, "Don't all four of you have family-inherited cultivation techniques? Why don't you use them to regulate your breathing while traveling?"

Ye Tianya's words reminded the four girls, and so, on the third day, the five of them completed the task, even more easily than the previous day.

On the fourth day, the instructor increased the weight. Ye Tianya's weight was increased to fifty kilograms, while the four girls' to forty kilograms, completing the same task as the third day.

On the fifth day, the five were taken to a fast-flowing river and ordered to swim across. The river water was icy cold in early winter, but Ye Tianya jumped in without hesitation. The water was incredibly cold, the kind of cold that chills you to the bone. Ye Tianya felt his heart contracting as he jumped in, but only this temperature reflected a sliver of warmth within him, making him feel that his broken heart wasn't completely cold, not dead yet. Ye Tianya almost got leg cramps from the cold after entering the water. Fortunately, they adapted quickly, and the Chaos Technique automatically protected their bodies.

The four women exchanged glances, each with a look of defeat in their eyes, and then jumped in. Each of them possessed their own unique internal energy cultivation method, which naturally protected them from the cold. When the five of them climbed out of the river, they were soaked to the bone and shivering. Beneath their wet clothes, their shapely figures were visible, but at this point, no one paid any attention. After the instructor gave another order, "Swim back," the five jumped back into the river.

The sixth day, they swam again, but each carried a 10-kilogram backpack. The seventh day, they swam, with backpacks weighing 15 kilograms.

The eighth day, they swam, with backpacks weighing 20 kilograms. This time, none of the four girls could withstand the swift current. Their hands were numb from the cold water, making their swimming effortless, and they were carrying a 20-kilogram load on their backs. All four were swept downstream. This was particularly difficult for Ye Tianya. To prevent them from being swept away, he had always swum downstream of them. When they were swept downstream, Ye Tianya first grabbed Nangong Qian'er, then quickly told her to grab the others. In this critical moment, the four girls didn't abandon each other. After the five of them were together, Ye Tianya managed to pull them out of the most turbulent area with a powerful throw. Ye Tianya himself, however, sank into the water because of the force of the throw.

"Captain—" Reaching the shallow water at the riverbank, the four girls looked back for Ye Tianya, but found nothing on the surface, only swirling eddies.

The instructor panicked. The extra 20 kilograms wasn't part of their training; Instructor Tang had added it to test the capabilities of these five trainees who consistently completed their missions. But when he saw the usually cold and silent boy swept into the whirlpool while saving four girls, he immediately ordered the soldiers preparing first aid, "What are you waiting for? Save them!"

The soldiers rushed into the river, while the four girls on the bank cried and tried to jump in, but Instructor Tang had them held back.

"Captain—!" The four girls, their lips purple from the cold, cried out towards the river. They knew this was why they had to sign a waiver; if Ye Tianya died like this, no one could be held responsible.

When the soldiers, shivering, reported that they hadn't found him after searching the river for a long time, the four girls cried out in despair and their captain fainted.

"Take them to the hospital immediately, call headquarters for help, and continue searching downstream."

"Yes, sir!" The soldiers scattered, some taking the girls back to the hospital, others running downstream.

The soldiers couldn't find Ye Tianya because they were searching in the river. Ye Tianya, swept downstream over a thousand meters, had reached the shore and was using his internal energy in a small bamboo grove to expel the chill that had seeped into his body. When he awoke after completing his third stage of internal energy cultivation and returned to the upstream area, he found the training grounds deserted, with only a long tire track remaining. Ye Tianya was unaware that many soldiers had gone further downstream to search for his 'body,' missing him completely.

Frustrated, Ye Tianya followed the tire track back. However, he lost his bearings on the paved road, unsure which way to go. He continued walking along the paved road, determined to find a town or someone to ask for directions.

When Sima Ruyan and the other three woke up in the hospital, their first question was about Ye Tianya. When Zhong Xiang sighed and said no, the four girls, usually fiercely competitive, embraced and wept bitterly. Zhong Xiang called the armed forces on both sides of the river, demanding a full-scale search for Ye Tianya, alive or dead. However, two days passed without any news of Ye Tianya, and the four girls began to despair. After leaving the hospital, the four girls, listless and unmotivated to train, were scolded by Zhong Xiang: "Before you came, you were prepared for the danger to your lives. You could lose your comrades at any time. If you can't even handle this, what's the point of training? You might as well give up and go back to your universities for a comfortable life."

After the scolding, the four girls resumed training, studying tactics and the use of firearms.

Still no news of Ye Tianya. During breaks in training, Ouyang Xin'er would take out her phone from her luggage, looking at the screen and crying. At first, the other three girls didn't know what she was looking at, until one day, Murong Shuangxue accidentally saw Ye Tianya's picture on her phone screen. All four girls then started crying, looking at the boy standing in the snow on Ouyang Xin'er's phone screen.

On the fifth day, the four girls made no progress in their training; they couldn't even get past the nine rings in target practice. That day, as they returned from the shooting range, they saw a familiar figure standing with Zhong Xiang on the parade ground in front of the company, watching them. The four girls froze, then forgot they had to maintain formation and scattered. They even threw their guns to the ground, shouting, "Captain—!" and rushed towards the figure next to Zhong Xiang.

Ye Tianya was surrounded by four girls who rushed towards him, their eight slender hands gripping his arms as if afraid he would disappear. Yet his face remained calm, almost expressionless, detached, as if he had seen nothing of the world. This astonished Zhong Xiang, who was standing nearby, excited by the girls' reaction. 'In this situation, he's still so indifferent?' Zhong Xiang couldn't understand it, and was even more surprised.

Ye Tianya calmly observed the girls' excited expressions and said lightly, 'Alright, line up, stand still.'

'Yes!' The four girls' spirits soared to the heavens upon seeing Ye Tianya return. They hadn't noticed his indifference, because he had been like that for over a week. Every night, when they saw Ye Tianya sighing while looking at the air conditioner, they knew that their captain harbored a painful secret. No one dared to ask, yet they understood Ye Tianya's coldness.

The four girls obediently lined up and straightened themselves, only to realize they had left their guns on the ground. Their shooting instructor, carrying four guns, approached. They placed them down and saluted Zhong Xiang.

Zhong Xiang laughed and said, "You four, your captain is back. Train hard and don't just give me average scores of four or five rings a day!"

"Yes, sir!" the four girls replied loudly, their eyes shining as they looked at Ye Tianya.

It turned out that Ye Tianya had gone the wrong way that day and had walked a long way without finding anyone. When he finally found ordinary people's homes, he could only ask for lodging for the night. The civilians had no idea there was a military camp nearby. When Ye Tianya finally found a town the next day, he went directly to the armed forces department, but the people there knew nothing about the training camp and refused to help him. They did point out that he was going the wrong way, that the military camp was on the other side, and that Ye Tianya was going in the opposite direction. Helpless, Ye Tianya had to turn back. On the third day, he returned to the fork in the road leading from the river back to the highway and headed in the other direction. On the fourth day, they arrived at another town, where the armed forces had already received instructions from the army to search for Ye Tianya. When Ye Tianya went to inquire, he was immediately recognized by the locals and sent back to the military camp.

Chapter 53 Survival Training

Ye Tianya's return restored the four women's former radiance. Ye Tianya studied through the night, catching up with the four women's progress, and then the next morning, they stood together at the shooting range.

Gunshots rang out, and when the results were tallied, the shooting instructor's jaw dropped to the ground; if he had glasses, they probably would have shattered. Everyone's shooting scores were between eight and ten rings.

"One person's addition changed everything from the ground to the sky, this... how is this possible?" the instructor said, staring blankly at the scores.

For the next three months, the five practiced various firearms during the day, including dead targets, live targets, and moving shooting; sniping; protection; tracking and counter-tracking; driving various types of vehicles; helicopter piloting; and several hours of physical and combat training every day.

Three months later, the school's final exams were over. Watching the students pack their bags and head home, Xingye felt lost. Should she go home too? Could she ever go back to that home? Xingye walked aimlessly through the campus. She didn't want to go back. She didn't know how to face her mother. She was afraid she would hate her if she saw her. She hadn't been back since that time she left the hospital.

"Xingye, what are you doing here? Aren't you going home?" Someone called to Xingye. She looked up and saw Li Lanyu, Ye Tianya's counselor.

"Hello, Teacher Li?" Xingye greeted Li Lanyu with a bitter smile. Li Lanyu noticed Xingye's expression was off and asked with concern, "What's wrong? You've become listless since your brother left. It's not like he's never coming back." Li Lanyu comforted her. Xingye shook her head and smiled wryly, "Nothing. Teacher Li, where are you going now?"

Seeing that Xingye didn't want to talk about it, Li Lanyu didn't press further and said, "I'm going to go shopping with Sister Siyin and also discuss with her about working for her during the holidays. Do you want to come?"

Xingye's heart skipped a beat. Work? She didn't want to go home, and working wasn't bad. She didn't know how to do anything else, but cleaning the office should be fine. So she quickly nodded in agreement and went with Li Lanyu to find Lin Siyin. After explaining her intention to work to Lin Siyin, Xingye was surprised and said, "What's wrong, Xingye? Why did you think of working? It would be too much for me if the young lady of the Lan family came to my company to pour water and sweep the floor."

Xingye smiled bitterly and said, "I wish I weren't the young lady of the Lan family, but the Xingye I used to be, so I could be with my brother. Sister Siyin, I just want to do an internship. I don't even need your salary, okay?"

"Well—," Lin Siyin thought for a

moment and said, "Okay, you and Xiaoyu can come together. You can learn how to type and come to my office to help me. That way, you can get a better internship." Xingye was overjoyed and said, "Really? Thank you, Sister Siyin."

Lin Siyin just smiled. She made this decision entirely because of Ye Tianya. She learned from Li Lanyu that Xingye was Ye Tianya's girlfriend. Although she felt a little jealous of Xingye, she thought that Xingye might come to Ye Tianya's company to help after graduation. It would be good to build a good relationship now, so she agreed. He didn't know that, so, Xingye and Li Lanyu went to work at Lin Siyin's company during the day, typing and organizing documents for Lin Siyin, and then went back to their school dormitory at night, studying desperately from the books borrowed from the library to kill time. She wanted to stop thinking about those painful things. She wanted to wait patiently for Ye Tianya to return so she could personally explain the conspiracy and misunderstanding to him. But at the same time, she was worried about Ye Tianya's safety. Fang Hua's grandfather was a member of the Central Military Commission; if he really wanted to make things difficult for Ye Tianya and murder him in the military camp, the death warrant would absolve him of all responsibility. And she could only pray for Ye Tianya on campus, asking God to bless him with a safe return.

Meanwhile, Ye Tianya and the four girls, including Nangong Qian'er, were being carried by a helicopter over a desert, descending to a certain altitude.

"This training is survival training. Below is the Guban Desert in the Junggar Basin. You only have ten days' worth of food and water, a compass, and a tent. You must reach the Communist Youth League farm to the west within twenty days. Now, jump." After Zhong Xiang finished speaking, Ye Tianya led the four girls and jumped. No one noticed the sinister smile on the face of the lieutenant colonel next to Zhong Xiang, who was preparing food and water for Ye Tianya and the others.

Landing, the five girls looked at the endless yellow sand and felt the biting north wind. The four girls couldn't help but shiver. Looking up at the departing helicopter, they exchanged silent glances.

After months of grueling training, they no longer complained. This was real training, not child's play.

"Let's go, we don't have much time," Ye Tianya said calmly to the four girls, but he found his voice carried away by the wind, barely audible even to himself. Ye Tianya took out the compass, trying to find the right direction. But after Ye Tianya spun it around once, the compass didn't budge.

"What's going on? The compass is broken!" Ye Tianya thought he was mistaken and handed it to Sima Ruyan beside him. Among the four women, she had better organizational and management skills.

After Sima Ruyan looked at it and confirmed that the compass was broken, the five of them changed their expressions.

Ye Tianya thought he had accidentally broken the compass and apologized, "I'm sorry, I probably broke it when I jumped down."

Sima Ruyan quickly said, "No, this compass is the oil-impregnated kind. As long as the outer shell isn't damaged, it can't break. The only possibility is that it was originally a defective compass." "Never mind

, let's look at the sun and the wind direction. In winter, the wind blows from the north. It's morning now, the sun is in the east, so the west is this way." Ye Tianya pointed to the opposite direction from the rising sun, and the five of them set off with their backs to the sun.

On their first day, they encountered a major problem. Walking in the arid desert, all five of them were incredibly thirsty in less than half a day. The four girls took out water to drink, but Ye Tianya, trying to conserve water, resisted the urge to drink. However, less than three hours after the four girls drank, all four felt their stomachs churning violently. Ye Tianya looked at the four girls in surprise, a bad premonition rising in his heart.

"What's wrong?" Ye Tianya asked.

The four girls blushed and remained silent, each clutching their stomachs, anxiously looking at the endless desert nearby.

Ye Tianya pressed them again, and Sima Ruyan finally said, "I... my stomach hurts so much! I need to... relieve myself, but... there's nowhere around here..."

Ye Tianya finally understood why the four girls were blushing; there was nowhere to hide nearby, and they could see the sand dunes meeting the sky at a glance. If the four girls needed to relieve themselves, Ye Tianya would see them no matter what.

Suddenly, Ye Tianya seemed to realize something and looked at the other three women anxiously, asking, "Do you also want to... well..." Ye Tianya hesitated , unable to finish his sentence.

His face also showed some unease. He turned his back to the four women and said, "Go ahead and relieve yourself. I promise I won't turn back."

The four women blushed to their necks, their eyes almost brimming with tears. They looked at each other. Seeing that none of them moved, Ye Tianya grew somewhat angry and said, "Don't you respect my dignity? Then bring out something and blindfold me."

"No, no... okay, but you're not allowed to turn back," Nangong Qian'er said shyly, blushing. She walked behind Ye Tianya, stood far away, held up her backpack to block his view, and then squatted down. Sima Ruyan and the others did the same. Ye Tianya truly did as he said, keeping his back to them the entire time.

But Ye Tianya's ears were too sharp; there was no way around it. The sounds the four women made not far behind him penetrated his ears perfectly. Just as Ye Tianya was wondering if they were done, suddenly, a massive sandstorm rose up directly in front of him, like a wall of sand, rushing towards him with incredible speed, like a raging storm. Ye Tianya was shocked. This was a massive sandstorm, heading straight for him at this inopportune moment.

Chapter 54 Trapped in a Desperate

Situation Ye Tianya had forgotten his earlier vow not to look back. He had only one thought in his mind: how to rescue the four women from this sandstorm. Otherwise, everyone would be buried in it, or at least swept away, possibly even killed. Ye Tianya turned around and saw four women crouching behind their backpacks, their mouths agape in astonishment as the approaching sandstorm grew stronger. Ye Tianya couldn't care less; he turned and rushed towards where the four women were crouching. Shouting as he rushed forward, "Hold hands, hurry!"

Ye Tianya's words brought the four women back to their senses, but they had forgotten that they were squatting on the ground relieving themselves, their pants not even pulled up. Hearing Ye Tianya's shout, they grabbed each other's hands. Just as Ye Tianya reached the four women, tightly grasped Sima Ruyan's hand, and grabbed their two backpacks from the ground, a whirlwind carrying sandstorms swept in. Ye Tianya had only managed to shout, "Hold on tight, don't let go even if it kills you!" before his voice was drowned out by the sandstorm.

The five women, clinging tightly to each other, were swept into the air by the whirlwind. Feeling dizzy and disoriented, the four women remembered Ye Tianya's last words and refused to let go, clinging desperately to each other's hands. The raging sand whipped at their faces, and they were swept away by the sandstorm for an unknown distance. Finally, the five were thrown high into the wind and swirled, falling far away. The four women in the air were already dizzy and seeing stars. Fortunately, Ye Tianya was still somewhat conscious and quickly gathered his qi to stabilize himself, pushing his chaotic true qi to its limit to slow his descent as much as possible. After Ye Tianya stabilized himself a little, the four women gradually regained their senses and also hurriedly gathered their qi and whispered. But the five of them were still slammed heavily onto the sand dune.

"How are you? Is anyone hurt?" When Ye Tianya looked anxiously at the four women, he was stunned. Eight white, beautiful legs were stretched out in front of him, and the most private parts of the four women's private parts, the dark, downy grass, were all exposed to Ye Tianya's eyes. Because they were stunned when the sandstorm came, they forgot to pull up their pants. When they were swept into the sky, the strong wind blew their pants off, which were originally tucked into their ankles, and they didn't know where they were.

"Ah—" Murong Piaoxue's scream alerted the other three women who had just come to their senses. All four noticed a chill in their lower bodies, and when they looked down, they were shocked and screamed in surprise. They hurriedly curled up, trying to cover their private parts so Ye Tianya wouldn't see, but in doing so, they exposed their four beautiful, white buttocks to him. Their fair skin was still covered in sand, and the small patch of dark hair peeking out between their thighs made Ye Tianya feel a surge of desire rising in his lower abdomen. Startled, Ye Tianya quickly turned away, took a deep breath to suppress his lust, and, not daring to look back, shouted, "Quickly take off your shirts and wrap them around your waists!"

The four women were then reminded and hurriedly took off their camouflage uniforms and wrapped them around their waists. They were only wearing military cotton-padded jackets on their upper bodies, but no matter how they wrapped them, they couldn't cover their buttocks completely, or their front wasn't covered. The four women were so anxious they were on the verge of tears. They blocked the way and turned to face Ye Tianya, saying, "You... help us get... from our bags..." They wanted Ye Tianya to take out their spare clothes, but they found only three bags at his feet. One was Ye Tianya's own bag, and the other two were ones he had grabbed haphazardly when he was swept up. That meant there were only three sets of clothes inside. Before they could finish speaking, they stared at each other blankly, unsure whose bags the other two belonged to. Ye Tianya understood their meaning, so without turning around, he threw all three bags behind him, saying, "One set is mine, make do with that for now."

He then began to pull down his pants.

"Captain... what are you doing?" Sima Ruyan exclaimed in surprise when she saw Ye Tianya taking off his pants.

Ye Tianya didn't answer her. He didn't care about anything else and took off his pants, leaving only his underwear. Then he took off his shirt, wrapped it around his waist, and threw the patched pants behind him, saying, "Just wear these for now!" The four girls had never experienced such embarrassment and humiliation. Not only had their lower bodies been completely seen by a boy, but they also had no pants to wear. Tears welled up in their eyes. Their shame prevented them from refusing Ye Tianya's kindness, and they took the pants he had taken off, so that each of them could have a pair to cover themselves.

"Captain... okay..." Nangong Qian'er called out, choking back tears, behind Ye Tianya.

Ye Tianya turned around. All four girls had put on their pants. Sima Ruyan and Ouyang Xin'er's pants were clearly ill-fitting; they were Ye Tianya's. However, all four girls were still crying, their faces red, and they lowered their heads, not daring to look at him. He still only had a shirt wrapped around his waist to cover himself.

"Get me another piece of clothing," Ye Tianya said calmly. He felt his legs were bare, and the cold wind was really biting. Ye Tianya wanted to awaken the Magic Armor, the set of armor that Frant had given him. After he put it on, it disappeared from his body. As long as he thought about awakening it, it could reappear on Ye Tianya's body and take on various shapes according to his will. But he didn't want to reveal the Magic Armor to the four women, so he asked for another piece of clothing to cover himself, hoping it would block out some of the wind.

Sima Ruyan lowered her head and took out another piece of clothing from her bag, handing it to Ye Tianya. She didn't dare to look up at him, but instead threw the clothing on the sofa in front of him. Just as Ye Tianya picked up the clothing and wrapped it around himself, the four women's stomachs rumbled. The four women blushed again and looked around, trying to find a place to hide.

Ye Tianya understood what they meant from their actions. "What happened? What did you eat? Are you all having diarrhea?" asked anxiously.

"Nothing, today... we just drank..." Nangong Qian'er said, blushing.

"The water... the water is the problem. Captain, you weren't thirsty, so you're fine," Sima Ruyan said suddenly, realizing something. Ye Tianya also thought that the four of them had drunk water around the same time and developed problems at the same time, and they hadn't eaten any food that day. So the problem must be with the water.

He hurriedly took a water bag from a bag, uncorked it, and sniffed it, but found no strange smell. The four women's stomachs growled again. Ouyang Xin'er said anxiously, "Captain, I... I can't hold it in anymore!"

Ye Tianya was about to go crazy; he was now certain there was something wrong with the water, someone had tampered with it.

"Let's go somewhere further away to take care of it. Call me if another sandstorm comes," Ye Tianya said, grabbing another piece of clothing to cover his head.

The four women had been enduring the discomfort for a long time. Seeing Ye Tianya do this, they quickly ran away. Ye Tianya's hearing was excellent; he heard the four women whisper, "What do we do? The captain saw everything. I... I don't want to live anymore." It was Nangong Qian'er's voice.

"Qian'er, stop it. The captain is a gentleman; he only saw it by accident. Now, everyone, quickly use your inner energy to expel the laxative from your bodies. Someone must have put laxatives in the water. The captain doesn't even have a pair of pants. In this cold weather, we still have to discuss how to continue our journey." It was Sima Ruyan who spoke. "But... how are we supposed to face the captain? It's so embarrassing!" It was Ouyang Xin'er's voice.

"Even embarrassment is better than death, right? If the captain hadn't told everyone to join forces in time, we might have been buried, or we might have all fallen to our deaths, or... we might have been blown away somewhere

, naked and unable to find a pair of pants. Now there's a problem with our water, and we've lost two food packs. I'm afraid we're going to die in this desert." Murong Shuangxue said dejectedly. "Don't be discouraged. There's always a way out. Maybe... we'll find an oasis, then we'll have water. We can save our rations; maybe we can make it." Sima Ruyan comforted her.

"What about the captain? It's so cold, and the captain's legs are bare..." Nangong Qian'er said anxiously.

"Don't say anything yet, quickly use your inner power to stop the diarrhea, then talk to the captain."

Chapter 55 A Turning Point Appears

When Ye Tianya heard the four people mention the oasis, he had an idea and put his divine sense into the ring on his left hand to communicate with Lisi.

"Liz, we're in big trouble. Can you confirm our location?"

"Yes, young master, I'll try. Maybe using ionized wave communication to access the US GPS system will work." Soon after, Liz sent a message: "Young master, it's confirmed. You're currently in the west-central part of the Guban Desert in Xinjiang."

"Can you scan for an oasis nearby?"

"It's difficult. It will take some time. I need to hack into the US military spy satellite system. Is it urgent?"

"Yes, but there's no rush. Go do it now, and let me know when you have the results, okay?"

"Yes, young master." Liz went to do it. Ye Tianya withdrew his divine sense. The four girls, having finished dealing with the situation, approached Ye Tianya, blushing, and said, "Alright, Captain."

Ye Tianya then turned around and looked at the four girls. As soon as they met Ye Tianya's eyes, the four girls lowered their heads. Thinking about how they had let this boy see everything, the four girls wished they could find a hole to crawl into.

Ye Tianya knew they couldn't afford to lose morale now. If they all despaired, the group would be more likely to collapse. So he said, "Don't panic. When the storm came, I was facing east. That means, although we've lost a lot of food and have no water, the strong wind may have carried us quite a distance. Maybe our destination is just ahead."

The four women agreed; they had indeed been carried by the wind from the east for an unknown distance. A glimmer of hope rekindled. Only Ye Tianya knew they were in dire straits. If Lis couldn't find an oasis, the five of them would die of thirst without water. He had originally wanted to try water magic to see if he could conjure a water sphere, but he discovered that the desert air was too dry for water to gather.

As the sun began to set, the five of them headed west, facing the direction of the sun. Ye Tianya's clothes, wrapped around his waist, were constantly billowing in the wind, causing the four women behind him to blush and quickly catch up to him when they saw his white underwear and muscular thighs.

Night fell, and the desert night was eerily quiet. Even in winter, the stars were visible, but the silence was somewhat frightening. Ye Tianya pitched the tent, a design specifically for the desert, so he wouldn't have to worry about sandstorms or waves. After setting it up, he crawled into the dark tent. Carefully sensing if anyone was around, he found an empty spot to sit. The four women had already taken the remaining three sleeping bags, leaving him to squat to one side.

The tent was quiet for a moment; no one spoke. Only breathing could be heard. Ye Tianya felt cold, especially his legs; even in the windless tent, his bare legs were still cold. Ye Tianya felt around in the three bags and quietly took out all the clothes inside. He put on an extra layer and wrapped the rest around his legs, hoping it would help keep him warm.

In the end, it was Sima Ruyan who saved Ye Tianya for the night. Sima Ruyan arranged for Murong Xiaoxue and Ouyang Xin'er to share a sleeping bag, while she and Nangong Qian'er shared another, freeing up her own sleeping bag for Ye Tianya. Only then did Ye Tianya escape the misery of a freezing night. As he lay down in the sleeping bag, Ye Tianya could smell a faint, fresh fragrance of hair.

"Why did something go wrong in the water? Could it be that General Zhong deliberately wanted to harm us?" Murong Shuangxue asked, lying in the sleeping bag next to Ye Tianya, puzzled.

"Impossible! Why would General Zhong want to harm us? What does our life or death have to do with him?" Nangong Qian'er questioned. Suddenly remembering something, he said, "I saw someone last night, the flag bearer from the last military training performance. Why is he in the military camp, and in civilian clothes? Is he here for training too?"

"What? Fang Hua!" Sima Ruyan and Murong Shuangxue exclaimed. No one could see Ye Tianya's expression in the darkness, but he calmly said, "I should have known. It was him plotting something, trying to kill us." Ye Tianya

hadn't hated Fang Hua much before, but now he hated this guy who wanted to kill the five of them to the core. Ye Tianya's personality was like that: I won't offend others unless they offend me, but if they do, I will not forgive them. Fang Hua should have stopped after suffering one loss, but he first tried to provoke Ye Tianya into signing a death warrant to enter the training camp, and then so viciously wanted the five of them to die in the desert. Ye Tianya vowed that once he got out, he would never forgive this spoiled brat.

Sima Ruyan was explaining to Ouyang Xin'er and Nangong Qian'er why Fang Hua had harmed the five of them.

Ye Tianya received a message from Lisi via brainwaves: "Young Master, we've found it. There's an oasis about 300 li to your east."

"What about the west?" Ye Tianya silently communicated with Lisi using his divine sense. He couldn't go east; that would be a waste of time, as their destination was the west. Ye Tianya hoped there was an oasis in the west too, so they wouldn't have to turn back.

"There's one in the west too, but it's over 800 kilometers away." Lisi's words left Ye Tianya feeling helpless. Over 800 kilometers; even traveling 200 kilometers a day, it would take four days to reach that point. He'd already felt his mouth was burning from eating two compressed biscuits without water, let alone four days.

Touching his water bag, Ye Tianya felt an even stronger urge to drink. He could only imagine how the four girls who had suffered from diarrhea must feel.

Ye Tianya couldn't sleep anymore. At this rate, all five of them would surely die. Damn it, the water element wasn't appearing in the desert... wait, the water element... Ye Tianya caught a glimmer of inspiration and suddenly felt a surge of joy. He heard the four women beside him breathing steadily, knowing they were asleep. So, he quietly picked up his water bag and left the tent. Now they only had one water bag left. Ye Tianya regretted not thinking of this idea sooner. He hadn't stopped the four women from emptying their other water bags, and his purpose in keeping this one was only to take it back as evidence to find out who wanted to kill them.

Survival was paramount, so Ye Tianya disregarded any evidence. He uncorked the water pouch, placed his hand over the opening, and channeled his magic. Instantly, countless water elements flew out of the pouch and gathered in his palm.

The water sphere in his hand grew larger and larger until the pouch was empty and flat. Ye Tianya now had a large water sphere in his palm. He then directed a small amount of water back into the pouch to wash it twice before putting the water sphere back in. After

finishing, a slight smile appeared on Ye Tianya's usually calm face. With this bag of purified water, the four of them might be able to reach the oasis.

Back in the tent, Ye Tianya heard Nangong Qian'er muttering in her sleep: "You're not allowed to look, close your eyes, don't... don't turn around."

Her sleep-talking reminded Ye Tianya of the 'beautiful sight' of the four women naked from the waist down that afternoon, and a surge of lust rose within him. Ye Tianya quickly composed himself, cursing himself for being so despicable, for not thinking about those things.

"Water... thirsty... Captain..." It was Ouyang Xin'er talking in her sleep, crying out for water even in her dreams, placing all her hopes on Ye Tianya. Ye Tianya felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, but he didn't know how to explain the origin of the bag of water in his hand to the four women. After thinking it over, he came up with a suitable lie. As dawn approached, Ye Tianya quietly left the tent and walked towards the far east. He stopped when the tent was just a small black dot in the distance, gazing intently at the movement outside. Only when he saw four small black dots emerge from the tent, running and calling anxiously around, and occasionally hearing a tearful cry of "Captain!" did Ye Tianya run towards the tent.

"Captain is there—" Sima Ruyan was the first to spot Ye Tianya, calling out in surprise as she ran towards him. The other three women also rushed towards him in surprise.

"Captain, where have you been?" "You scared us to death! You bastard, bastard, bastard!" Sima Ruyan threw herself at Ye Tianya, seemingly forgetting all girlish modesty, crying and pounding her fists on his chest. She didn't notice the three girls who ran up behind her, still crying and looking at her in surprise as she threw herself into Ye Tianya's arms and pounded his chest. Ye Tianya calmly let her hit him until she realized her lapse and jumped away with a cry.

Chapter 56 Embarrassing Moment

After jumping away, Sima Ruyan looked at Ye Tianya with a flushed face and said, "I'm...I'm sorry, Captain..." "..."

Ye Tianya said nothing to them, but instead raised the water bag in his hand, looked at the four women's chapped lips, and calmly said, "Don't cry. You must save every drop of water in your bodies. Tears are more precious than gold now. This morning I faintly heard the sound of camels, and since you were all sleeping soundly, I got up and ran towards the sound. There I met a passing expedition team. They said that if we got this bag of water, there would be an oasis more than 800 kilometers ahead of us. So, we have to rely on this bag of water to travel more than 800 kilometers."

The four women's faces lit up with surprise, and they couldn't help but lick their dry lips. Ye Tianya handed the water bag to Sima Ruyan, who was closest to him, and said, "Everyone drink a little, and then we'll continue on our way. Hopefully, we can find the oasis before this bag of water runs out." Sima

Ruyan took the water bag, brought it to her lips, and carefully sipped it like a precious jewel. She then passed it to Nangong Qian'er, who also took a sip before passing it on. This bag of water had become their treasure, perhaps their only means of survival.

After packing up their tents, the five of them set off westward, their backs to the rising sun. When hungry, they would eat a biscuit and sip water, continuing their journey without stopping. They encountered no major trouble that day, at most some minor whirlwinds that they could avoid. The five of them continued until sunset and nightfall, when they could no longer discern their direction, before finally pitching their tents again.

It was unusually cold. Even sleeping in their sleeping bags inside the tents, Ye Tianya and the others felt icy cold. In the desert night, without the insulation of clouds, combined with the low winter temperatures, the temperature inside the tents was at least minus twenty degrees Celsius.

When they woke up in the morning, they found that three of their sleeping bags had been used to keep them warm. The sleeping bags were crammed together tightly. The two sleeping bags of the four women were squeezed next to Ye Tianya's sleeping bag, almost pressing him down. It turns out that when people sleep, they subconsciously roll towards warmer places. After Ye Tianya fell asleep, his chaotic true energy naturally circulated to maintain his body temperature, which actually made the area around him much warmer than the surrounding area. Naturally, the four women subconsciously huddled against him, resulting in this awkward scene when they woke up.

The four women blushed furiously, while Ye Tianya remained calm, as if it had nothing to do with him. The embarrassing incidents that had happened to the four women over the past two days made them wish they could dig a hole in the sand and disappear. They all scurried out of their sleeping bags and escaped the tent, their hearts pounding. Ye Tianya, having packed up the tent, ignored the women's flushed faces and teary eyes, and calmly said, "Let's go!" The four women exchanged bewildered glances as they watched Ye

Tianya's expressionless face and his departing figure. This bewilderment, however, lessened their embarrassment. They hurried after Ye Tianya, the wind once again lifting his clothes around his waist. For some reason, this time, when the four women saw Ye Tianya's legs, no longer pristine white but covered in dust, they felt not shame, but a pang of heartache. Those legs should have had a pair of trousers, but he had given them to the four of them, even though Sima Ruyan was wearing them. The four women knew that without those trousers, one of them might have been walking naked from the waist down.

Another day of hurried travel... The four of them rushed off, exhausted, and didn't settle down for the night until dark. Before falling asleep, the four girls were extremely careful not to lean against Ye Tianya, but when they woke up the next morning, they found themselves next to him again. Even worse, Ouyang Xin'er and Murong Xiaoxue were practically sleeping on top of him—the warmest spot.

Inevitably, their faces turned bright red. But Ye Tianya remained calm, as if nothing had happened.

By the afternoon of the third day, their water bags were empty. Although each of them only took a small sip, and each water bag only provided ten days' worth of water for one person, the five of them had used it for three days, which was already quite frugal. With the water bags empty, the four girls panicked.

"Captain, there's no water! What do we do?" Nangong Qian'er looked at Ye Tianya nervously. After several days of travel, all five of them had a thick layer of grime on their faces, obscuring their once beautiful features, but their anxious expressions were still immediately apparent.

Ye Tianya remained calm. Thanks to Lisi's constant reminders, the five of them hadn't strayed from their route. They had already traveled over 600 li, and in less than a day, they would reach the oasis.

Ye Tianya said calmly, "Let's continue. The oasis shouldn't be far. I think we should reach it by tomorrow afternoon at the latest." "

When the four girls started their training together, they chose Ye Tianya as their captain only because they were all at odds with each other and didn't respect his abilities at all. They thought the people from the four great families were no less capable than Ye Tianya, and that he was lucky to be captain. But as the training progressed, the four girls discovered that Ye Tianya not only didn't hold them back, but he even saved them during river training. In the following training sessions, the four girls gradually developed a dependence on Ye Tianya, which explained why they were so anxious and cried when he suddenly disappeared from the tent that morning. The four girls didn't know Ye Tianya knew martial arts; they only thought he was physically strong. However, in terms of leadership, they completely obeyed Ye Tianya. At this point, Ye Tianya had become the pillar of the team.

Hearing Ye Tianya say this, the four girls felt much more at ease and continued their journey with him.

"Wait, what's that?" Suddenly, Nangong Qian'er pointed to a green shadow in the distant yellow sand. As the five curiously approached, Nangong Qian'er, who was in front, exclaimed excitedly, "It's our camouflage pants that were blown away! I didn't expect them to be blown so far! The captain has pants to wear now! Hey, whose pink underwear is that?"

Nangong Qian'er pulled her camouflage pants out of the sand and found a pair of pink underwear underneath. She exclaimed innocently, overjoyed at finding a pair of pants.

As soon as she spoke, the other three girls chided her, "Qian'er, can't you be a little more refined?"

"Ah—" Nangong Qian'er realized how embarrassing her words had been. Her face turned red to her neck. Ouyang Xin'er, who had been behind Ye Tianya, was even more ashamed and rushed forward to snatch the pants from Nangong Qian'er's hand, scolding, "Are you trying to kill me? Why are you yelling so loudly?" She glanced sideways at Ye Tianya, but he remained indifferent, as if he hadn't heard her. Because two of their bags had been lost, two of the four girls had been without underwear for over three days. Ouyang Xin'er hurriedly took off the small pair of underwear and stuffed them into her pocket before walking towards Ye Tianya with her head down, her face flushed, and whispering, "Captain, set up the tent and I'll change my pants for you."

Ye Tianya was actually quite embarrassed as well. Any man, unless he was completely insensitive, would feel awkward in such a situation. However, he had maintained his calm and indifferent demeanor to avoid embarrassing the four women. He nodded, and Ye Tianya hastily set up the tent. After Ouyang Xin'er went inside to change out of the pants he was wearing, Ye Tianya went in and put the pants, still warm from Ouyang Xin'er's body, on his legs, which had been bare for more than three days.

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