Chapter 56: Even Iron Men Have Tender Feelings!

Four boys of similar height, neither fat nor thin, stood at the front of the formation, tasked with carrying the flag.

Because Tang Chong wore large black-rimmed glasses, he was not selected. Hua Ming was too tall, Liang Tao too short, and Li Yu was both short and thin, also wearing glasses. Thus, Dorm 307 was completely eliminated.

As Class 1's formation marched past the reviewing stand, the temporary class leader, Lu Yifei, shouted, "Salute!"

Then, all the students in the class raised their right hands to their eyebrows in unison, their heads turning toward the reviewing stand.

"You have worked hard, students," a military leader standing on the high reviewing stand returned the salute and shouted loudly.

"For the people," everyone shouted with all their might, their voices like a mighty wave.

Thus, the reviewing stand and the audience erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.

After the entire freshmen formation had passed, the school leaders gave speeches and awarded prizes.

When Vice President Wang Hongsheng loudly announced that the first-place team was Class 1 of the Psychology Department, the boys in Class 1 jumped and danced with excitement, then hugged each other wildly.

Li Tieshu looked at the soldiers he had led and smiled, his face breaking into a cute grin.

Unfortunately, they still had to part ways.

Originally, Li Tieshu had promised to celebrate with the students over lunch, but before lunchtime, Tang Chong and the others received news that the military trucks had already arrived at the school, and all the instructors would have to leave early.

Tang Chong and the others ran quickly to the instructors' camp. Along the way, countless freshmen in camouflage uniforms ran in the same direction, clearly to see their instructors one last time.

They all knew that, though it was not a matter of life and death, this parting might be a permanent farewell.

After graduation, they would enter the workforce, while these instructors would either serve in the military for life or return home after retirement. Would they ever meet again?

Sure enough, Tang Chong and the others saw the military trucks that had come to pick them up.

The instructors were lined up, listening to their superior's instructions. After the superior finished speaking, the instructors loudly responded and began to march toward the trucks.

"Instructor Fu Qiang, don't go, you can't go!"

"Instructor Li Tieshu, you promised to drink with us at noon!"

"Instructor Yang Jun, don't be in a hurry, I'll make you some noodle soup!"

The freshmen surrounded the trucks, shouting their instructors' names and begging them to stay.

The girls were especially heartbroken, tears streaming down their faces as if they were breaking up with their boyfriends.

But no one could change the reality of the situation.

The military trucks slowly started, moving through the crowd of students toward the main gate.

The instructors on the trucks did not sit down. They stood in two rows, removed their military caps, and held them in their left hands, their faces solemn as they saluted the students who had come to see them off.

Suddenly, someone started singing "The Green Flower in the Army":

"Chilly winds blow, leaves fall,

The army is a green flower.

Dear comrades, don't miss home,

Don't miss your mother."

At first, only a few sang, but soon, it turned into a chorus of all the freshmen.

"Even iron men have feelings,

Willing to walk with you to the ends of the earth.

Only because of the heavy responsibility,

They must put love aside."

At first, the instructors could still hold back their emotions, but eventually, they could no longer hold back.

Some had red eyes, some pretended to adjust their caps while wiping away tears, and some cried like children, covering their faces.

Even iron men have tender feelings.

Instructors, goodbye!

Instructors, never to see again!

Bai Su finally called again.

Or rather, Tang Chong had to face his other identity again.

Bai Su told Tang Chong to go to the Ziyuan Villa that evening, saying there was a notice for him to participate in.

Although Tang Chong was reluctant, he had promised and would do his best. At least, he would persist until Tang Xin returned.

After dinner, Tang Chong said goodbye to Hua Ming, Liang Tao, and Li Yu, left the school, and took a taxi to the Ziyuan neighborhood.

For safety, he did not let the car enter the neighborhood directly but stopped a street away. He then walked to the neighborhood.

Tang Chong stood at the villa's door and rang the bell. The lock clicked, and he pushed open the electronic gate and walked in.

Seeing Tang Chong enter, Lin Huiyin's gaze shifted from the TV to him, giving him a glance as a greeting.

Zhang Heben 'hmmphed,' clearly still holding a grudge over Tang Chong's comment that she was unwanted.

AKEN, who had just come downstairs, let out a scream as if he had been molested.

"Ah, Little Xin Xin, you're back?" He twisted his slim waist and ran over to Tang Chong with a joyful face.

As he ran, he opened his arms.

Tang Chong took a step to the left, making his hug miss.

AKEN did not seem embarrassed at all, smiling sweetly and clasping his hands together. "Little Xin Xin, you're finally back. I've missed you so much. Every time I called you to come back, you didn't listen. You always had something going on and hung up in a hurry. I wanted to visit you, but you never told me which department you were in. Oh, I've missed you so much."

Then, he walked around Tang Chong, grinning. "Not bad. Not bad. You haven't lost weight or gained weight. Just right. No one recognized you at school, right? Oh, of course not. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to stay at school. Big star Tang Xin, they would definitely ask for your autograph."

His gaze swept around, not finding Bai Su, and he stomped his foot, angry. "Where's Su Su? Where's Su Su? Su Su is really something. She called Little Xin Xin all the way here but doesn't come out to talk? What kind of thing is this?"

"AKEN, why are you so excited?" Bai Su yawned and walked down the stairs, wearing a purple silk nightgown. The fabric was thick, but it still perfectly accentuated her curvaceous figure.

"Little Xin Xin rarely comes back, so what's wrong with me being excited?" AKEN said unhappily. "I'm tired of looking at the same faces every day."

Heaven, earth, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Jade Emperor

If any other man heard AKEN's words, they would surely spit blood.

Not to mention Zhang Heben and Lin Huiyin, who were both rare beauties, even Bai Su was a stunning woman. Yet, AKEN, a man, complained about looking at the same faces every day.

Was there no justice in the world?

Not only were the men angry, but the women were also angry.

Zhang Heben pouted and coldly 'hmmphed' again. "We understand. Your boyfriend is back, so you're happy."

"Who's my boyfriend? Who's my boyfriend?" AKEN's face turned purple with anger. "I, AKEN, am a proper man. Who's looking for a boyfriend? Disgusting."

"..." This time, even Tang Chong began to doubt AKEN's intentions toward him.

If you like women, why are you so nice to me?

Bai Su also wanted to tease AKEN a bit, but she was worried that the topic might anger Tang Chong.

She knew how strong-willed this boy was.

If it weren't for the help of the bearded man in her family, she might not have been able to invite this great god.

"Alright, alright," Bai Su said, trying to smooth things over. "Tang Chong, come sit down. I need to discuss something with you."

Tang Chong nodded and sat down on the sofa with Bai Su.

Bai Su originally wanted to put her feet on the coffee table in front of her, but seeing Tang Chong sitting opposite, she realized that doing so would expose her private parts to him, making it seem like she was seducing him.

So, she chose to cross her legs.

"Have you been doing well at school recently?" Bai Su asked, looking at Tang Chong. She was grateful to see him still dressed as the 'ugly man.' Tang Chong was quite handsome, and if he had entered university with his real face, he would have gained the favor of many girls.

But because he had promised her, he had never changed his appearance. He had even made himself uglier than the look AKEN had designed for him.

This boy had none of the vanity or desire for attention that young people often have. He was like a man who had lived in society for decades but remained forever young.

"Before I received your call, I was doing very well," Tang Chong said with a smile.

"Disgusting," Bai Su said, giving Tang Chong a flirtatious look. "You're so mean to me as soon as you come back. Do I really deserve your hatred?"

She completely mimicked AKEN's mannerisms and tone, not in a funny or silly way, but with a certain charm.

"This is a woman with a story," Tang Chong thought suddenly.

Seeing Tang Chong's eyes momentarily lose focus, Bai Su giggled. "I called you back because I need to discuss something with you."

"Go on," Tang Chong said.

"It's like this. There's a notice for the next two days," Bai Su said. "We need to shoot an advertisement."

"An advertisement?" Tang Chong frowned. "Can't I skip it?"

"If I could, I wouldn't have called you back," Bai Su said, looking troubled. "When we signed the contract, it was for the three members of the Butterfly Group. The summer advertisement has already been released and has received good feedback. Now, we need to shoot the autumn and winter advertisements, and all three members of the Butterfly Group must participate. Otherwise, we would be in breach of contract, and the money we might earn wouldn't cover the penalty."

"What kind of advertisement?"

"An ice cream advertisement," Bai Su said.

"People eat ice cream in winter?"

Seeing Bai Su look at him as if he were an idiot, Tang Chong realized his question was foolish.

"Is there a high risk of exposing my identity?" Tang Chong asked.