Chapter 97: I Endure, I Continue to Endure (1.3)

Page 1 of 3

The Unrivaled Mad Dragon – No pop-up ads
It seems there will be three chapters a day until the end of the month. The novel’s about to explode in popularity, so please give me some motivation—flowers and favorites are much needed.

Long Fei understood perfectly well why Luo Hongli harbored such resentment toward him. Yet, he was also certain that Luo Hongli would never reveal the truth to Wu Song. To think a simple joke could spiral to this extent was something he’d never anticipated, and the thought itself made him suppress a smile; he quickly composed himself, knowing that, at this moment, cooperation was crucial.

The new recruit who had initially clashed with Long Fei found himself in an awkward predicament when the commanding officer arrived in person. He cursed his own luck for being humiliated by a mere student—especially now that the incident had been witnessed by the regimental commander and other senior soldiers. He could only imagine the ridicule he would face later, but more pressing was the question of how to resolve this embarrassing scene.

He began recounting the events—without embellishment, to his credit. Still, Luo Hongli’s brows furrowed; the matter seemed unfavorable for Long Fei. Yet, he recalled how last night, Yang Batian had beaten the leader of the Tianhai Green Gang unconscious for Long Fei’s sake. That alone spoke volumes about Long Fei’s significance to Yang Batian—their bond was evidently far deeper than his own with Yang Batian. After all, he couldn’t imagine Yang Batian lifting a finger to handle a gangster like Ding Lifeng on his behalf. Such characters were not easily dealt with—one misstep could spell disaster. Even if, for the moment, Ding Lifeng dared not retaliate, anyone versed in politics knew fortunes changed with time; even tigers had their slumbering moments. When you fall from grace, that’s when disaster strikes.

On the side, Wu Song was frowning as well, inwardly blaming the veteran soldiers for their poor handling of the situation. Still, he couldn’t say anything, since Long Fei was his trainee and he had to avoid any appearance of favoritism. Let Luo Hongli take the lead in resolving this.

Luo Hongli wished nothing more than to kick that rookie recruit all the way back to his grandmother’s house. Why, of all people, would he provoke Long Fei? Was Long Fei someone he could afford to offend? If Long Fei wanted to sit with the female students, just let him be—why insist he move to the men’s side? Frankly, if Long Fei decided to kiss a girl in front of him, he ought to just turn a blind eye. Besides, Long Fei had a point—why should he abide by unwritten rules?

Luo Hongli could even understand Long Fei’s actions. He’d noticed Liu Ruoyi—she was a real beauty. Not just Long Fei, but even he himself was slightly tempted. From his perspective, Long Fei’s behavior seemed natural; for a woman like that, bending the rules was only to be expected. If he were in Long Fei’s shoes, he might be even more shameless—perhaps serenading Liu Ruoyi with lewd songs outside her barracks in the dead of night.

“All right, enough. I hereby announce: you, you, and the rest of you—three days in confinement, and each of you will write me a thorough self-critique!” After pointing out the more than twenty soldiers present, he turned to Long Fei. “And you—report to my office immediately!”

With a dark expression, Luo Hongli turned and left. The soldiers shuffled out, feeling rather dejected. After such a scolding from the master regimental commander, none dared voice the slightest complaint, no matter how unfair they felt it was; they each accepted their punishment quietly.

Long Fei tried to follow, but Liu Ruoyi clung to his arm, worry clouding her gaze. “Long Fei, are you all right? He won’t do anything to you, will he?”

“How could he? The army’s uncles are the dearest people of all!” Long Fei joked, though inwardly he thought, If he dares lay a finger on me, it’ll be his own fault—Yang Batian gave him fair warning last night. Most likely, Luo Hongli wants to settle other scores, like how he suddenly became Long Fei’s uncle for no reason. That account will definitely be settled. Still, Long Fei found himself curious—how would Luo Hongli bring this up? Would he have a chance to deny everything and throw the blame onto Wu Song?

“Is this really the time to joke?” Liu Ruoyi shot him a reproachful look but finally let go. Regardless, his playful remark eased her anxiety a little. Perhaps it was his unwavering confidence, or maybe she simply believed—without reason—that Long Fei could handle whatever trouble came his way.

As Luo Hongli returned to his office, the orderly and Wu Song followed him up to the second floor. The orderly dared not enter, so he nudged Wu Song inside. Wu Song, ever the simple-minded soul, made the mistake of barging in just as Luo Hongli’s temper was at its peak.

“What are you doing in here?” Luo Hongli lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, his anger boiling over at the sight of Wu Song.

Page 2 of 3

Wu Song snapped to attention. “I apologize, Commander. I’m here to accept my punishment.”

“Oh?” Luo Hongli was caught off guard. “And what punishment are you expecting?”

Wu Song’s hesitation only strengthened his resolve. With a hint of self-satisfaction, he replied, “As your uncle—no, as Long Fei’s instructor, I failed to protect my trainee. I was wrong, Commander—please punish me.”

Had he not brought up the word “uncle,” things might have been better. At the mention, Luo Hongli’s face turned the color of pig’s liver. Yet he couldn’t speak the truth, so he swallowed his grievances and replied in a low voice, “Very well. In that case, go spend three days in the confinement room. Afterward, submit a thorough self-reflection.”

Wu Song was momentarily stunned. He’d thought that by admitting fault, he was simply angling for praise or at least a few kind words, even if Luo Hongli didn’t approve his previous requests. Never did he imagine Luo Hongli would actually punish him.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Luo Hongli kicked Wu Song two meters out the door.

That was excessively violent, but by Luo Hongli’s standards, it was already restrained—he hadn’t pulled out a gun or worse, which counted as both civilized and merciful.

Wu Song, startled, still didn’t leave. He snapped to attention again. “Commander, this month I’m supposed to lead Long Fei’s platoon for training. Could my punishment be postponed until after training concludes?”

“Wu Song, listen carefully. As of now, you are no longer an instructor for the training group. Go serve your punishment—and for the rest of the month, you’ll be our orderly here!” Luo Hongli gritted his teeth.

Wu Song realized things were taking a bad turn. “Commander, I—”

“Out! Do you hear me? Out!” Luo Hongli bellowed, punctuating his words with another kick that sent Wu Song sprawling into the hall before slamming the door shut.

Wu Song climbed to his feet, just in time to see Long Fei and the orderly watching him with sympathy. Still clueless about Luo Hongli’s fury, Wu Song probably thought the commander was angry that he hadn’t rescued Long Fei sooner. Eager to curry favor, he hurried over to Long Fei. “Long Fei, could you do me a favor?”

Long Fei was secretly amused but replied warmly, “Instructor Wu, if there’s anything I can do, just say the word. As your trainee, I’ll do my best to help!”

Lowering his voice, Wu Song said sheepishly, “It’s like this. I’ve just been removed from my post and am about to be confined. Could you speak to your ‘uncle’ for me? I wanted to help you, but with so many veterans around, I couldn’t manage it alone—so I called for him. Who’d have thought he’d punish me for that, demote me, and assign me a month as an orderly!”

Page 3 of 3

Seeing Wu Song on the verge of tears, Long Fei nearly burst out laughing. This guy really was hopelessly naïve—so honest, yet so clueless. Still, he couldn’t help but pity him.

“Oh, my ‘uncle’ has a real temper, you know. When we were kids, once he wet the bed and his mom came to beat him. He insisted it was sweat. He got a good thrashing but refused to admit it. Honestly, he gives me a headache too. But don’t worry—I am his uncle, after all, so he’ll probably listen to me to some extent. Go on, I’ll talk to him for you.” Afraid he’d laugh out loud, Long Fei quickly slipped past them, didn’t even bother with formalities, and pushed open the door to enter.

Outside, the orderly and Wu Song exchanged bewildered looks. Wu Song had walked some distance before it struck him—how could Long Fei, so much younger, know about Luo Hongli wetting the bed as a child? Suddenly, he realized he might have been tricked. But then again, Luo Hongli had never denied being Long Fei’s uncle, so perhaps they weren’t blood relatives after all.

When Long Fei entered, Luo Hongli was brooding over a cigarette, having heard every word spoken outside. Seeing Long Fei stride in with a grin, he longed to ram the cigarette butt right into Long Fei’s mouth—or better yet, scorch a few marks onto his nether regions. But before he could act, he went to the door and instructed the orderly, “You—stand guard at the foot of the stairs. No one is to come upstairs, nor approach this building. Understood?”

“Understood, sir! No one is to come upstairs or near the building!” The orderly snapped to attention and repeated the order.

“Good. If you understand, then get to it!” Luo Hongli said sternly.

Once the orderly had gone, Luo Hongli turned back. Long Fei had already sprawled in the revolving chair, feet propped on the desk, looking for all the world like the real commander—or perhaps even the division or military district chief.

“Got a smoke?” Long Fei flashed a wicked grin.

Luo Hongli was momentarily taken aback, then shook his head helplessly and handed Long Fei a cigarette.

“There’s a saying in the countryside: ‘To hand a smoke without a light is to make an enemy for life!’” Long Fei chuckled, cigarette dangling from his lips.

Patience. I must endure. I will keep enduring!