Chapter Ninety-Eight: Greetings, You Obscene Fellow (2.3)

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Luo Hongli once again lit a cigarette for Long Fei from the Fire Gang, then hesitated and said, “Isn’t that enough?”

Long Fei laughed and replied, “I have to ask, Teacher Luo, you said earlier today you had something to discuss with me. Why are you hesitating now? I heard from Yang Batian that you two are good brothers. He even told me to come to you if I had any issues at Tianhai. You wouldn’t let me down, would you?”

In truth, Long Fei was subtly leveraging Yang Batian’s name to gauge Luo Hongli’s reaction.

Unexpectedly, Luo Hongli’s response was remarkably calm, as if he hadn’t noticed Long Fei mentioning Yang Batian by name. He quickly patted his chest and said, “Of course, Brother Tian and Dani know. We grew up together, and whatever they say, I follow without fail. I never cut corners!”

Long Fei gave a knowing hum and continued to stare at Luo Hongli, making the latter slightly uneasy.

“Hey, Long Fei, what’s gotten into you today? Shouldn’t I be the one settling scores with you? Why are you sitting in my seat? Ah, never mind. Listen, Long Fei, just keep out of trouble in the future, especially with jokes like that. If the men hear it, how will I save face as their commander? If you have issues with any instructors, just tell me quietly. I’ll find a chance to deal with them. I can handle them, okay? No more causing a ruckus. You don’t know how bad it would be if this escalated — I’d get scolded by the old man at home. Besides, I’d lose face, you know?”

Luo Hongli was almost on his knees begging Long Fei, and his words were sincerely well-spoken.

“All right, all right, I’m not crazy. Fine, I’ll keep things peaceful from now on. By the way, did you remove Instructor Wu?” Long Fei couldn’t stand seeing a grown man so meek, so he quickly changed the subject. As he spoke, he stood and approached Luo Hongli, lowering his voice to ask.

Luo Hongli was taken aback. “Yes, that did happen, but it was just a work requirement. Nothing unusual, very normal!”

“Really?” Long Fei almost laughed out loud, pursing his lips and staring into Luo Hongli’s eyes.

Luo Hongli was truly skilled at pretending—his eyes didn’t even dart. “Really, it’s just a normal work transfer.”

“Actually, that guy isn’t bad. Why not let him keep his instructor position as a favor to me? If you want to deal with him, just wait until after the military training. By then, you can give him hell all you want, and we won’t see it. How about that?” Long Fei pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to Luo Hongli. It wasn’t a good brand, but Luo Hongli had no choice but to accept and quickly light it. It seemed Long Fei didn’t realize how odd it was that he had a cigarette but still had to ask Luo Hongli for a light and a match.

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“All right then, you’ve spoken for him. I can’t refuse you face, can I?” Luo Hongli agreed quickly, though inwardly he cursed both Wu Song and Long Fei heartily. He couldn’t handle Long Fei, but he had some tricks for Wu Song. He resolved that as soon as military training ended—or as soon as Long Fei withdrew—he would severely punish Wu Song and find a chance to get him expelled from the camp. Whatever kind of soldier he was, if he didn’t please Luo Hongli, he would be dealt with without hesitation.

Long Fei thanked him and was about to leave. Liu Ruoyi said she would wait for him on the training ground; he didn’t want to keep his beauty waiting.

Seeing Long Fei about to leave, Luo Hongli hurried after him, lowering his voice with a sly smile: “Hey, Long Fei, you really have skills. When will you teach me a couple of tricks so I can also attract a pretty girl?”

Long Fei gave Luo Hongli a somewhat disdainful look and shook his head. “You’re hopeless. How can a commander like you talk so crassly? Do you even have a mirror? Look at your face—so sleazy it makes me blush for you!”

“Is it really that bad?” Luo Hongli’s face darkened.

“Absolutely. But if I were you,” Long Fei chuckled, “I’d be even cruder and more shameless. Look at this camp—if it weren’t for us students coming here, you wouldn’t find a single female around. Yet you do so well in Yanjing with all those girls. Can’t you find one you like? Anyway, I’m just giving you a heads-up—don’t get jealous of my woman. Even though you’re a commander, if you piss me off, I’ll still beat you up. And not just you—I even beat Yang Batian last night. Don’t believe me? Go ask him yourself!” With that warning, Long Fei strode off.

“Hey, whenever you don’t want to do military training, bring your girlfriend to see me. I’ll make an exception for you, heh heh!” Luo Hongli chuckled as he saw Long Fei off, though he felt a cold sweat break out down his back.

This kid really dared to beat Yang Batian? And from the sound of it, Yang Batian couldn’t fight back?

Heavens, who was this guy? What kind of powerhouse was he? How could someone be so twisted?

Indeed, in Luo Hongli’s eyes, anyone who dared to beat Yang Batian had to be formidable. In Huaxia, such people were rare. Those who could actually defeat Yang Batian were absolute demons, freaks. Aside from that kid from the Yan family, who might stand a chance after giving it their all, Luo Hongli had never seen anyone who could beat Yang Batian.

From a distance, Liu Ruoyi saw Long Fei approaching and hurried out to meet him. She ignored the many gazes fixed on her and pulled on Long Fei’s arm, running her hands over him to check carefully. Only after confirming Long Fei was unharmed did she finally feel relieved.

“Did they give you a hard time?” Liu Ruoyi asked, surprised. Perhaps she thought Long Fei was going to be beaten half to death this time. She had a distant cousin who served in the military and had told her many stories. The military, revered by ordinary people, wasn’t as noble or reasonable as imagined.

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Long Fei smiled. “What nonsense! I didn’t make any mistakes. How could they dare to give me a hard time?”

Liu Ruoyi cast Long Fei a reproachful glance and asked curiously, “So they didn’t punish you?”

“I told you, it was their fault. Why should I be punished?” Long Fei laughed.

“Are you sure you’re not lying to me?” Liu Ruoyi still looked doubtful.

Long Fei was puzzled. Was this girl always so suspicious? Maybe she cared too much and got confused.

From a distance, some students began whistling and greeting Long Fei and Liu Ruoyi. Once one started, others quickly joined in, filling the camp with whistles.

Only after several instructors sternly intervened did the students stop.

Long Fei wanted to take a walk with Liu Ruoyi on the training ground. The weather was perfect, and strolling with her now would be wonderful and romantic. But Liu Ruoyi lacked Long Fei’s boldness. When the whistles came from the crowd, she couldn’t hold back and dashed to her barracks, leaving Long Fei alone on the field.

Long Fei, bored, returned to the barracks. Immediately, the atmosphere around him shifted dramatically. Some asked Luo Hongli how he handled the evening’s incident; others praised Long Fei’s courage and skill; some condemned him as despicable. Yet many hoped the military might revise the rules because of this, like allowing men and women to sit together during meals. According to the saying "a feast for the eyes," this could save plenty of food. Also, the idea that men and women working together would ease fatigue was popular.

Unintentionally, Long Fei had done something good. After a grueling afternoon of training, everyone was exhausted and silent at dinner. But because of Long Fei’s scuffle with a few soldiers, everyone seemed revived, as if they had regained years of youth. Even those punished with five hundred push-ups for being late to assembly were still lively and chatty despite their exhaustion. Their spirits amazed Long Fei.

It seemed human potential was truly boundless, like squeezing water from a sponge—if you press hard enough, something will come out. Like a woman’s charm—no matter how small her assets, with enough effort, there’s always something to show.