No One Else Will Do But You - Chapter 25

“One, two, one! One, two, three, four…”

Shu Luo had to shout while running at the front, and his lung capacity just wasn’t enough! Seriously, just one more lap to go.

“Good! Assembly! Twenty minutes of rest. We will practice the military combat techniques later.”

The lap was finally over.

Shu Luo was panting heavily and completely drenched in sweat.

“Shu Luo, how are you already spent after just three laps? Look at you, you’re like a little dog,” Wang Kai bumped his arm, laughing.

“Go away! Little master currently, cough, has no energy to talk to you. You guys just run, but I have to shout too!” Shu Luo glared at him.

“Haha, that’s just an excuse. If your stamina’s bad, it’s bad. I’m telling you, a man’s stamina is very important,” he said, raising an eyebrow with a suggestive look.

Shu Luo ignored him and sat down on the spot to rest.

Sitting in the first row meant he was sitting with the girls. Since the first two rows were all girls and the back three were boys, as the lead, he could only huddle among the girls for now. Most of the conversation also revolved around the girls surrounding him.

“Squad leader, do you want a tissue? You’re sweating a lot.”

Shu Luo smiled and accepted it. Aiya, girls are so gentle and considerate; she even offered me a tissue.

“Thank you.”

The girl next to him smiled shyly: “Um, Squad Leader, my name is Li Xing, the xing for apricot blossom.”

“I know,” Shu Luo had made a special effort to memorize everyone’s name and face and remembered most of them.

Li Xing looked surprised: “You know? But I sit in the very last row…”

“I specifically tried to memorize your faces and names. I know you sit in the last row, but you’re so tiny; can you even see from the back?”

Li Xing seemed a little shy and spoke with slight difficulty: “Um… I don’t mind. I can see, so it’s okay.”

Shu Luo nodded, then smiled and said, “But you really are tiny. You look a bit like a child, quite cute.”

Being complimented by a boy would naturally make her happy, especially by a handsome one. Her heart was blooming with joy, and she felt her face getting warm.

When Shu Luo saw her shyness, he felt particularly comfortable. In junior high, Zhong Qing had made him afraid that all girls were like that tomboy. But it seemed they weren’t all like that; Li Xing was very cute.

He chuckled to himself as he thought about it.

The terrifying gaze and low atmospheric pressure from behind could only be felt by the people nearby.

Wang Kai and Li Zixin were standing with Jiang Mu because they were all relatively tall.

“Jiang Mu, you look a little unhappy?” Li Zixin saw him staring continuously in Shu Luo’s direction. Could it be because of Shu Luo?

Wang Kai put his hand on Jiang Mu’s shoulder and comforted him: “Brother, children have their own destiny. When the chick grows up and its wings harden, it’ll naturally fly. Don’t worry too much now. Shu Luo’s not a little kid anymore.”

“He’s only fourteen. This is puppy love,” Jiang Mu said seriously, looking as grave as if it were a major crisis.

“Holy cow! Shu Luo is only fourteen?!”

Wang Kai’s voice suddenly rose, drawing everyone’s attention. Everyone heard that sentence.

“Fourteen years old?! The Squad Leader is only fourteen, three years younger than me! My heavens!”

Some boy suddenly said this, and the topic immediately exploded, leading to a wave of discussions.

Shu Luo frowned and looked back. Who said that? What’s there to discuss?

“Quiet! Who allowed you to talk! Squad Leader, you’re not in control! Squad Leader, step forward!”

The chief instructor happened to be passing by and saw everyone chatting loudly, immediately getting angry.

Shu Luo took a breath and stood up: “Reporting, Chief Instructor! I failed to maintain order.”

The Chief Instructor reprimanded him sternly: “You can’t even manage one class! What’s going on! Go run laps, five laps! As the Squad Leader, you are responsible for failing to maintain order in your collective. [He then looked at the students behind them:] You all look, too! Your Squad Leader is being punished on your behalf. Don’t you feel ashamed?”

“Reporting, Chief Instructor! I request to take the punishment for the Squad Leader!”

Jiang Mu stood up at that moment, his tall figure and imposing demeanor making the instructor momentarily freeze.

“You want to take the punishment for the Squad Leader, too? You’re trying to defy my order! Fine! The two of you go together!” the Chief Instructor said coldly.

And so, during the twenty-minute rest period, everyone watched the two boys running laps on the field, garnering all the attention.

“Why did you run out and say you’d take the punishment for me? That’s so foolish.”

“Your stamina is poor.”

Shu Luo regulated his breathing. His stamina was indeed lacking. It was all his fault for being lazy normally. Now, he was struggling to breathe just from running.

“It’s not like you can run for me right now; it’s the same result,” Shu Luo looked at him, bewildered: “Why did you guys suddenly bring up my age just now, and with such a fuss?”

Jiang Mu didn’t speak, because he was the one who had brought it up unintentionally.

“Hmm? You’re the only one who knows my age. Whoosh…” He was halfway through his sentence and nearly ran out of breath.

“Just now, you were chatting with a girl…”

It was rare to hear Jiang Mu speak with such ambiguity. Shu Luo looked at him with amusement. This kind of Jiang Mu was a novelty!

“What about it? What’s wrong with me talking to Li Xing just now? She gave me a tissue, and I chatted with her for a little while, about nothing much. What, are you afraid I’m going to have puppy love?”

Jiang Mu felt a sense of displeasure at being seen through, but there was nothing he could do. In the current situation, he was at a disadvantage, and whatever he said, the logic was on Shu Luo’s side. It was better to retreat to advance.

“Indeed, you’re only fourteen. You shouldn’t be focused on girls.”

Shu Luo was in no mood to listen to him anymore. His lungs were starting to ache from running, and he had to stop first.

“Bro… Stop, stop talking. Give me a hand, my legs feel weak.” Shu Luo waved at him, his small face pale and streaming with sweat.

Although it was September, the sun was still out. It was after three in the afternoon, and the sun was quite strong.

Jiang Mu let him put his hand on his shoulder, lending him some support. He then looked worriedly at Shu Luo’s poor complexion. Could this be fatigue and low blood sugar?

“Do you want to go to the infirmary?”

Shu Luo shook his head: “No, people will laugh at me. I… I’ll just rest for a bit. There’s still one lap left. If I don’t finish, the instructor will…”

“What time do you think it is, and you still care about ‘face’!” Jiang Mu interrupted him before he could finish, his tone quite stern.

Shu Luo saw how serious Jiang Mu was, and he feared him like this. He subconsciously shrunk his neck.

“You two come back. Squad Leader, are you okay?”

Instructor Chen Xin had already noticed the two of them stopping. He had also heard the chief instructor punishing them and couldn’t say anything, so he could only watch from the side of the field. These kids just don’t like to exercise. They can’t even handle running laps.

“Instructor… I’m about to die! I won’t even be able to shout later. My butt muscles are all sore.” Shu Luo clung to Jiang Mu like a dying man, just short of hanging entirely from him.

Chen Xin waved his hand, signaling them to return: “Alright, alright, you need to get some exercise. This classmate next to you is fine, and he’s tall. He ran and didn’t complain like you. How do you expect to lead the class well like this? It’s only the second day.”

Jiang Mu brought him back to his original spot. Their run had consumed all the rest time. The military combat techniques practice was about to begin.

So, by the end of the day, he was truly ruined… Shu Luo was genuinely ruined.

“Bro, ah, Bro, ah… My body aches, save me!”

After the ten o’clock finish, he lay directly on the floor without even taking a shower.

Li Zixin helped by pressing on Shu Luo’s leg muscles to help him relax.

“Mmm… Ouch, hiss… That feels good…” Shu Luo closed his eyes comfortably, letting out sounds of pleasure.

Listening to his comfortable sounds, Jiang Mu felt his heart rate increase, but he calmly responded to Shu Luo’s call.

“Take a shower after you rest. I’m going in first.”

“Why are you so obsessed with taking a shower? Little master is in trouble, and you won’t even help me. Aiya, Zixin, you’re so much better. You’re giving me a massage. Looks like I should tip you. But I don’t have any money because it’s all in my brother’s hands, so I can only offer myself in return.”

Li Zixin patted his seemingly mischievous face: “Cut it out. You’re just a kid joking with me, only fourteen years old.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with being fourteen? I still study well and made it to high school. Poor me, because my parents were busy with work when I was little, they just threw me into primary school at the age of four. Ignorant and innocent, I survived through that fierce environment. When I was little, I was small and often bullied. Aiya, I can’t believe you guys are bullying me too! Where is the justice! Bullying the weak! No traditional virtues left!”

Seeing Shu Luo acting like a movie star, Wang Kai wanted to pinch his face off.

“If you’re so good at acting, why don’t you go to the Beijing Film Academy! You’re getting all dramatic now. Fine, you rascal, you’re starting to fish for sympathy. You deserve to have Jiang Mu manage your money. The way you are, who knows how you’d spend it.” Wang Kai spoke expressively, but his eyes were filled with playful amusement.

Shu Luo stood up, feeling indignant, but because he stood up too quickly, his leg muscles tensed, and he cramped.

“Ouch, ouch! I-I have a cramp!” He sat back down on the floor.

Jiang Mu had just come out and saw Shu Luo on the floor with his face scrunched up.

“What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable?” Jiang Mu’s voice was flat, but his eyes showed concern.

“My leg is cramping…” Shu Luo’s eyes glistened with tears as he looked at Jiang Mu pitifully: “Bro, they’re all bullying me! You have to avenge me!”

“Who’s bullying you? You’re being the villain who frames the innocent first. We gave you the chance to go to the Beijing Film Academy, and you actually thought you could make it. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Jiang Mu, you can’t leave this little brat alone! He’s a great actor,” Wang Kai patted Jiang Mu’s shoulder, looking helpless.

Shu Luo rolled his eyes at him: “You’re pretty good at acting yourself. You could go to the Shanghai Theatre Academy.”

Wang Kai shrugged smugly.

Li Zixin smiled: “Alright, Shu Luo, hurry up and straighten your leg, or it’ll be uncomfortable when you sleep tonight. You should really soak your feet in hot water; it’ll feel better.”

Jiang Mu went over to massage his cramped leg, doing so skillfully and expressionlessly… Shu Luo looked quite aloof.

Afterward, he dragged his still-sore legs to take a shower. After showering, he sat outside and began soaking his feet.

The steaming water felt incredibly soothing.

“Shu Luo, what year were you born?”

Everyone decided to chat for a while.

“I’m December ’95.”

Wang Kai raised an eyebrow: “You really are young! I’m April ’93.”

“I’m August ’93.”

Shu Luo smiled: “Haha, is my brother the oldest then? He’s February ’93.”

“You’re the youngest,” Wang Kai didn’t forget to tease him.

Forget it, talking more will only bring tears…

Shu Luo silently soaked his feet. Only this basin of hot water was loyal to him, accepting his “trampling” without complaint.

Suddenly inspired, he decided to write a diary entry tonight, to record his… unrestrained life.

September 13, 2009 | Mood: Normal

I’ve put down my pen for a long time, but I’m back to writing my diary.

The feelings of becoming a Squad Leader, of being the lead, of being the youngest, of having the worst grades… Too many feelings. This is what I have to bear at this stage of high school. I can’t be my former self, who was so willful. As the Squad Leader, I have to set an example for them. If I don’t do well, I’ll probably be criticized and talked about behind my back. Maybe I’ll even be “dismissed.” It was hard enough to finally become a class cadre. My previous teachers never let me be one, but Teacher Wang has a keen eye… Ahem, being humble, being humble. Teacher Wang gave me such an important responsibility. If I don’t do well, she’ll probably be disappointed. Aiya, my parents don’t even know I’m the Squad Leader yet! Should I tell them? Never mind, I’ll keep silent. If they find out, they’ll probably laugh at me. I have to achieve some success first before I tell them; that way, they’ll be impressed. Yes, that’s the plan. Also, I feel like Jiang Mu has been acting a little strange lately. How has he changed toward me? Could he have a little girlfriend? Hmph! Prioritizing romance over friendship. But he still stood up for me when I got punished today. Now that’s a good brother! Even though I ended up getting punished anyway.

I’ll stop writing the diary here. My arm is starting to ache. I don’t want to struggle to turn over in bed tomorrow morning.

I wish myself sweet dreams, and I hope everyone in the dorm has sweet dreams. It’s not my turn for guard duty tonight, so happy sleeping!