Unlike the main base which only members of Red Scorpion were allowed in due to it being a forbidden place, the reserve base did not have as many restrictions. Once Bai Yufang got in the car, he asked his assistant, “Isn’t Jiaying attending military training? How come the sudden decision to expel her?”


  The assistant explained the entire matter to him, which he listened to with a frown.

  “Did the assembly end halfway?” When the assistant shook his head and told him that it had ended smoothly, his forehead became smooth again as he relaxed and spoke in his deep, aloof voice, “In that case, an apology from Jiaying should suffice. The gall of them to expel my granddaughter!”


  The assistant looked down. “According to Capital University, she was a bad influence to the other students.”


  Scoffing, Bai Yufang thought to himself,

  His expression turned dour. “Is Principal Ren also currently at the reserve base?”


  “Yes.”
……

  After two hours of driving, the car finally stopped at the entrance of Red Scorpion’s reserve base with the rear door window lowered. A stern-looking fully-armed sentry walked over and examined the car warily. Upon realizing that the car came from the capital, as indicated by its license plate, he saluted and politely asked, “Which unit are you from?”


  “This is Academician Bai Yufang. He’s looking for Principal Ren,” answered the assistant as he handed his boss’ identification card to the guard, who matched Bai Yufang’s face to the photo shown before returning it to them.

  “Please wait here for a moment.” The sentry then returned to his post, where he made a phone call to his superior. The commander responsible for the reserve base had left with Lu Chengzhou, so the guard was unsure whether he should let the visitors in because he had no idea what prompted Bai Yufang’s visit. The commander thus gave Principal Ren a call.

  Despite Principal Ren’s reluctance to meet Bai Yufang, there was no way he could avoid a meeting with him. With a weary sigh, he said, “Yes, he’s here to look for me. Please let him in.”


  The commander relayed the message to the sentry on duty. After ending the call, the sentry motioned the other guards to clear the barricades to allow the car to enter. The assistant smiled and thanked them before driving off……

  Meanwhile, at the training ground, the students had just finished the first round of their training. The guys and girls had had to do two hundred and a hundred push-ups respectively. With the instructor keeping a close eye on them, they were not allowed to rest until they had completed the required number of push-ups.

  It was quite a tough feat for the students. They had just graduated from high school and were in bad shape. The exercise alone completely drained them, evidenced by their flushed faces, ragged breathing, and messy appearances. The hand of one of the girls was even trembling as she lifted a cup of water to her mouth. Her arms were aching badly.

  Gu Mang, however, sat on the ground looking pretty much as she usually did, save for the slight sheen of sweat on her face and a few strands of hair clinging to her cheeks. Her ebony hair accentuated her fair and lustrous skin, which glistened under the light. When Tang Xiaoxiao, who was sitting right next to her, saw how composed Gu Mang looked, she commented, “Gu Mang, you’re amazing! How can you still look okay after doing a hundred push-ups?”


  Gu Mang merely tugged the corners of her lips in response as she took out a flask from her backpack, opened it, and took a gulp of water.

  Zheng Miao looked around at the students sitting around them who were holding plastic cups in their hands, then whispered to Gu Mang, “Why are you holding a thermos, Gu Mang? Are you on your period? Do you need to get some rest?”


  “No.” Gu Mang licked her lips. “It’s to keep my drink cold.”


  Water quickly warmed up in the summer heat.

  Zheng Miao’s lips twitched at that.