However, Lin Beichen, who they were full of envy for, found it hard to express his difficulty.
The meal made him feel like he was about to burst, as the two of them kept dishing food onto his plate, and he could hardly bear it.
After the meal, the two wanted to drag Lin Beichen out for more shopping, but remembering the earlier scene, he quickly shook his head to refuse.
"We've been shopping all morning, I'm tired. Let's head back first."
"We've only been out for a little bit, and you're already tired?" Xia Luyao looked at him with confusion and asked.
Rachel chimed in from the side, "Yeah, we hardly shopped this morning!"
Lin Beichen looked at the two facing him and awkwardly smiled. He was mentally exhausted!
So he slowly said, "Whenever I shop, I get tired easily. If you two still want to continue, I can head back by myself."
Xia Luyao and Rachel, upon hearing this, immediately thought that most guys seem like this—tired after shopping.
Lin Beichen must be the same, except they actually wanted to hang out with him, so what's the point of shopping if he leaves?
Thus, the two reached a mutual understanding to head back with Lin Beichen. Seeing they didn't want to shop anymore either, Lin Beichen felt a sigh of relief and said, "Then let's head back quickly."
The three of them got up and left, with Rachel driving them back to the entrance of the Yanjing City Garrison District.
"Lin Beichen, I'll leave now. I'll come visit you whenever I have time." Rachel said with a smile at Lin Beichen after rolling down the car window as they got out.
Lin Beichen responded with an indifferent smile and vaguely said, "We'll see."
The army isn't like other places; even if she has time to come, he might not have time to meet her!
Rachel laughed it off and then sped away in the car.
Watching Rachel's car drive off, Lin Beichen sighed lightly, then turned and prepared to walk into the garrison area.
As soon as he turned around, he saw Xia Luyao scrutinizing him with a questioning look.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I haven't done anything wrong!" Lin Beichen said to her with a strange expression.
Xia Luyao took a deep breath, stepped forward and, with a steady look, asked, "What's the deal with this Rachel? Haven't you guys known each other for just a few days? Why do you seem so close?"
She had been feeling uneasy all day and couldn't help but want to directly ask about the nature of Lin Beichen's relationship with Rachel.
Lin Beichen frowned slightly and said, puzzled, "Close with her? I don't think so?"
"Don't deny it, her eyes were practically glued to you." Xia Luyao said angrily.
"Who taught you language arts? That metaphor is way too gory!" Lin Beichen couldn't help rubbing his arm as if there were non-existent goosebumps and said.
"Stop changing the subject. Give me your WeChat ID. We've known each other for so long, and I still haven't added you!" Xia Luyao fixed her gaze on Lin Beichen and asked.
She hadn't forgotten her original intention.
Hearing Xia Luyao ask for his WeChat, Lin Beichen instantly tensed up, thinking this little apprentice was up to something again!
He instinctively thought Xia Luyao was trying to trap him, catch him breaking rules, and then punish him severely.
So he directly said, "Didn't I just say, I haven't used my phone for so long that I forgot my number."
Xia Luyao laughed lightly after hearing it, crossed her arms and said, "You think I'd believe that nonsense? Forgot your own phone number because you didn't use it for a while, huh? Nonsense!"
Lin Beichen shook his head innocently and said, "We're in the army every day, see each other all the time, why do you need my WeChat? Plus, we're not allowed to use phones in the army, so it's useless to have it."
"Do you seriously think I'm not aware of the little tricks you guys are pulling behind the scenes?" Xia Luyao said plainly while looking at him.
Growing up in the army, she knew that even with strict regulations, many soldiers sneakily brought phones with them, though sometimes the officers were too lazy to manage it. Lin Beichen really thought he was that easy to fool?
After hearing, Lin Beichen couldn't help but laugh helplessly, reached out to pat Xia Luyao's head and said, "Oh really? Didn't realize my little apprentice is this smart."
"Lin Beichen, I'm warning you, stop patting my head!" Xia Luyao pushed away Lin Beichen's hand from her head and said.
What she couldn't stand was Lin Beichen's penchant for patting her head every time, almost like petting a cat!
"Oh, I just did. What can you do about it?" Lin Beichen said, and then flicked her head again.
Seeing this, Xia Luyao, out of frustration, raised her hand to retaliate, but the next second, Lin Beichen turned and quickly ran into the garrison area, leaving Xia Luyao stomping in anger on the spot.
Lin Beichen's speed was too fast for Xia Luyao to catch, and with the prohibition against horseplay in the garrison, she could only watch Lin Beichen's smug laughter and challenge from afar, then return to her dorm fuming.
...
A few days of vacation passed in a flash, and Lin Beichen and his teammates returned to their daily training.
Since Lin Beichen joined the Venomous Snake Special Team, the training included not only daily shooting and combat but also Taiyi Five Elements Fist practice.
It must be said, Lin Beichen's Taiyi Five Elements Fist was indeed powerful, even surpassing their Military Boxing.
With Lin Beichen's permission, teammates taught this martial art to others in the military.
Thus, Taiyi Five Elements Fist became a required course in training for soldiers in the Yanjing City Garrison District and even in the whole Northern Military Region.
As Taiyi Five Elements Fist spread widely through the military region, Lin Beichen's reputation soared with it.
Lin Beichen was quite satisfied with this and planned to teach more simple and easy-to-learn Daoist Techniques in the future, so more people could benefit.
This way, his Faith Value would continue to grow along with the spread of these techniques.
After the training ended, Flying Eagle and others approached Lin Beichen, out of breath.
Today's training included the Ironman Triathlon and a ten-kilometer weighted run.
Yet, Lin Beichen was leading the pack, taking half the time it took them, seemingly effortless.
Flying Eagle, sitting on a nearby rock, took a deep breath before saying, "Lin Beichen, are you even human? After so many events, aren't you tired at all?"
Wild Ox and Flame both echoed their amazement at Lin Beichen's endurance.
Lin Beichen laughed and said, "Then you should bring it up with the captain."
Wild Ox exclaimed in terror, "Are you kidding? Bringing that up with the captain is like getting us killed!"
At this moment, Xia Luyao suddenly appeared, asking what they were discussing.
They immediately panicked, worried that the captain might have overheard their conversation.
Xia Luyao coldly said, "I came to see how your training is going. What, am I not allowed to be here?"
They quickly said yes, though feeling uneasy inside.
Xia Luyao told them that Commander Fu wanted them to go to the administration building.
Wild Ox asked suspiciously why, and Lin Beichen guessed it might be a mission.
...
In Commander Fu's office, they learned about a clue concerning Long Chuzhi, possibly linked to a rebel group in Ivya.
Commander Fu instructed them to secretly investigate, and they immediately pledged to accomplish the task.
On the way back to meet at the helipad, Wild Ox remarked, "Didn't think our captain and Long Chuzhi were that close!"
Flying Eagle replied, "That's women's friendship for you—we don't get it."
Thunder, patting Wild Ox on the shoulder, earnestly advised him.
Lin Beichen glanced at them, half-jokingly reminded, "If you keep chatting and end up late, the captain won't let you off easy."
At that, Wild Ox and Thunder's faces changed, and they hurriedly dashed towards the dorms.
Lin Beichen shook his head with a smile and quickened his pace back to the dorm as well.