My family is very wealthy!

I can't say exactly how much money we have.

But I've always been the precious jewel pampered and adored since childhood!

During my sophomore year, my grandfather retired from the military. As soon as he saw me, he scolded my parents for spoiling me too much.

I didn't take it to heart, because after all, there was no way my grandfather would send me to the military, and my dad definitely wouldn't agree to it.

What I didn't expect was that on the day before summer vacation, several military trucks drove through the bustling city and entered our luxurious campus.

They quickly sealed off the school and confiscated all our phones.

They informed us that we were about to start a two-month military training camp.

At first, we all thought it was a prank until a line of live drill instructors stood right in front of us!

He stood in the center, very handsome, somewhat resembling a cartoon character I had saved on my phone.

But his tanned skin made him look even more masculine.

His military uniform was crisp and straight, with the buttons of his white shirt meticulously fastened to the top, giving off a sense of both elegance and restraint.

I seemed to catch a whiff of his "hormonal" scent, and my heart started pounding wildly.

I felt a bit dizzy, a bit short of breath...

Then, my legs went weak, and I fainted.

Before losing consciousness, I seemed to see the man flash towards me.

Then I collapsed onto a firm back.

His profile was right in front of me, and he looked incredibly handsome!

When I woke up, the smell of disinfectant filled my nose.

I was all too familiar with this smell—it was the school clinic.

As I was about to get up, I saw him sitting beside me, holding a book, looking at me leisurely.

"You got heatstroke before even standing in the military posture. You're really delicate!"

I was speechless.

So what if a girl was a bit delicate?

What was the point of being handsome? With such a sharp tongue, he'd never find a girlfriend, hmph!

The next day...

I was still in a sweet dream when a sudden alarm woke me up.

Startled, I hurriedly ran out, not even bothering to change my clothes, afraid that if I was too slow, I might lose my life.

Outside the dormitory building, a group of sleepy, disheveled students had gathered.

Twenty drill instructors stood in a row, creating an unusual but striking scene!

I was the last to arrive, and at that moment, all eyes were on me.

I glanced back at my dorm room—thank goodness, it wasn't on fire!

He raised an eyebrow and looked at me, "Is this student cosplaying as Peppa Pig?"

Amidst the laughter, I looked down at my pink pajamas and wished I could find a hole to crawl into.

"What's so funny? Line up!"

A darker instructor, known as Mr. Black, was standing next to him. Mr. Black bellowed and helped me out of my embarrassment.

I gratefully looked at him, but Mr. Black avoided my gaze as if he had seen a ghost.

The domineering aura they exuded was something us greenhorn students couldn't resist.

The fear that arose involuntarily made the students obediently comply.

But this formation... He didn't seem satisfied with it.

His frown deepened, and his expression grew more unpleasant.

"Haven't you ever done morning exercises? Even elementary school students can line up better than this. Is your intelligence lower than that of elementary students?!"

I looked at the student standing in front of me and quietly lowered my head, determined not to step forward no matter what.

There's no way I would ever admit that I'm short!

Some students subtly shifted their positions in the line, but most stayed put, which gave me a bit more confidence.

"Ariya, step out of the line!"

He suddenly called my name, which startled me!

I reflexively responded with an "Ah?" and sluggishly stepped out.

He glanced at me, and that glance was full of criticism.

"What's with the 'Ah'? When the instructor calls your name, you have to answer!"

The sternness in his tone made me feel embarrassed and wronged, but I didn't dare to resist.

"Here..."

My timid voice was as quiet as a mosquito, I couldn't even hear it myself, and he was naturally even more displeased.

"Louder!"

His tone suddenly became harsher.

"Here!"

Startled, I shivered, and tears uncontrollably started streaming down my face.

"Do you have no awareness of your height? Hiding behind those tall students as a shield?"

I wiped away the blurry tears, reluctantly moving to the very first spot in the first row.

Secretly cursing him in my heart, I thought stubbornly, 'This grudge is now set in stone!'

After I was publicly reprimanded as an example, my classmates became much more obedient, and within five minutes, the lineup was neatly formed.

Then Mr. Black stood at the front, calling names and distributing camouflage uniforms.

His gaze swept across our faces one by one as he began his self-introduction.

"My name is Rex Black, codename 'Aurora Wolf.' I'm honored to have been invited by your school to participate in this military training. I hope we can get along well in the days to come!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jaden Brown, who was beside me, couldn't wait to start clapping, looking both excited and thrilled.

"The 'Aurora Wolf' of the Wild Wolf Unit? Seven-time national champion, honorary judge of the world championships 'Aurora Wolf'? The one who cracked countless international cases, chasing criminals to the border to eliminate them, that 'Aurora Wolf'? You're my idol! I've watched all the movies based on your team!"

I had never seen Jaden like this before. He was the most introverted student at our school. I heard he was a victim of school bullying, which is why his parents sent him here.

The words he just said were probably more than all he's spoken in the past two years at school combined.

I didn't understand what 'Aurora Wolf' was.

But I knew you couldn't expect ivory from a wolf's mouth!

Rex kept a stern face and continued giving orders.

"You now have three minutes to change into your uniforms and come back! Those who are late will stand in military posture on an empty stomach!"

As soon as he said this, the previously quiet lineup started getting restless.

"Three minutes? I can't even run upstairs in that time..."

"Are we really going to have military training? My family paid so much money, it's not to have me suffer!"

"Yeah! Why should we?"

"Who brought you here, anyway?"

They rumbled on.

Listening to their noisy complaints, I felt a bit guilty.

The culprit behind all this... could it be my grandpa?

Although my dad donates to the school every year, the principal is my grandpa's old war buddy!

Just then, our elusive old principal suddenly appeared.

He said, "This military training is meant to inspire students' patriotism, cultivate a strong will to endure hardship, and strengthen the sense of national defense and discipline. It was arranged with the consent of all parents as a special surprise for everyone!"

Mr. Black then unfurled a red banner from behind, which was densely covered with chaotic signatures.

I immediately spotted my grandpa's calligraphy signature, bold and mighty.

"Any more objections?"

The lineup fell completely silent.

With the signatures of our benefactors, what choice did we have but to accept our fate?

Rex casually raised his wrist and said in a deep voice, "Three minutes!"

Then, like madmen, we grabbed our uniforms and rushed towards the dormitory building.

I changed my clothes as quickly as possible, not even pausing to catch my breath. While brushing my hair, I rushed downstairs, but still ended up being the last one!

A gaze that was impossible to ignore was fixed on me, making me feel incredibly nervous!

I quickly lowered my head and ran over, standing at the very front of the line...

That was directly in front of Mr. Black!

"Why didn't you become an ostrich in the sand? I really feel sorry for you!"

I muttered quietly, "I'm a rabbit."

Fortunately, he didn't give me too much trouble and instead started dividing us into groups.

"Everyone, form small squads and practice your military stance for an hour! Those who meet the standard can have breakfast; those who don't will have to practice more!"

I don't like Mr. Black. He always looks fierce and his words are sharper than a wolf's bite!

He dislikes me so much, he's probably going to put me in a different squad, right?

Just as I was hoping, Rex walked up to me, giving me a cold look.

"Ariya's row, follow me!"

Ugh...

I cried silently.

The look he gave me just now clearly meant "We'll see about this!"

...

We had already been standing in military posture with empty stomachs for an hour, but Mr. Black still hadn't let us go for breakfast.

The squad next to us had already started singing "Unity Strength," while our squad was still stuck doing extra drills because of me!

My calves were trembling uncontrollably, and I could barely stand under Rex's cold gaze.

"If you keep swaying like that, you'll be the reason your teammates go hungry!"

It didn't matter if I went hungry, but seeing so many hungry kids staring at me...

I had no choice but to grit my teeth and force my legs to stand straight.

But my weak body couldn't hold up, and I began to collapse to one side.

Fortunately, Jaden, who was beside me, caught me, preventing a total disaster.

I turned to say "thank you," only to see a flash of disdain in his eyes.

At that moment, even the most honest kid in the entire school started to dislike me.

In that instant, all my pride and confidence shattered.

I collapsed to the ground, thinking I would never get up again.

"You all go eat!"

He let everyone else leave, leaving only me behind.

"Giving up already? Haven't you inherited a single ounce of your grandfather's spirit?!"

I felt annoyed. So he really was one of Grandpa's people!

I said defiantly, "Who cares about inheriting his spirit? He doesn't like me, and I don't like him either!"

Grandpa spent most of his life in the military, and I only got to see him three times a year.

Now that he's retired, he still dislikes me and constantly lectures me! Why should I have to put up with that?!

"Do you know why the rabbit lost to the turtle? Because you're channeling your pride in the wrong direction!"

With red eyes, I glared at him. "Can't any of you see how hard I'm trying? All you do is scold me!"

I thought he would try to lecture me, but instead, he said, "The people who love you are the ones who care enough to correct you! How can you not understand such a simple truth? You really are foolish!"

"Go have breakfast, then come back and continue training! You're already weak; going hungry will only make you softer!"

He didn't even offer me a hand; he just stepped over me and walked away.

I stayed still, biting my lip as I reflected on Rex's words.

In truth, I really admire my grandpa. He's such a remarkable figure, but since he returned, all he's done is criticize me. I've always thought he hated me, which made me feel very sad and resistant toward him.

But Rex's words made me realize something.

I got up from the ground, and for the first time, I felt a real motivation to become stronger.