The Moon Upon My Heart - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: An Accident

Forget it, I’m shipping this right now!

Finally, the break arrived. The instructor announced that the morning session was over and they were to assemble punctually at 3:00 PM. He blew his whistle, and the moment the sound rang out, the entire formation seemed to lose its skeletal structure, collapsing instantly.

Students who had suffered through most of the morning wailed as they scrambled toward the shade, grabbing their water bottles and gulping down water. Ji Fengyue, however, received much better treatment. She had someone to bring her water and wipe her sweat.

Ji Fengyue took off her hat, accepted the water bottle from Shen Wangshu, and tilted her head back to take several swigs. The cold liquid slid down her throat, finally dispersing some of the parching heat.

“Here, let me wipe the sweat.” Shen Wangshu held a wet wipe and meticulously dabbed the perspiration from Ji Fengyue’s face. Her movements were natural and practiced, as if she had done this a thousand times before.

Ji Fengyue wasn’t shy at all. She lowered her head and leaned her face forward with a beaming smile: “Thank you~”

“Tired? Have candy.” Shen Wangshu pulled a lemon-mint hard candy from her pocket. Ji Fengyue opened her mouth and stayed still, clearly waiting to be fed.

Shen Wangshu gave a helpless smile but actually indulged her. She set down the wipe, unwrapped the candy, and held it to her lips. Ji Fengyue took it into her mouth, the sweet and refreshing flavor melting on her tongue.

She smiled so widely her eyes crinkled into slits: “It’s very sweet. Delicious.”

Not far away, Liu Shang, who was gulping down water, stared with wide eyes and nearly choked to death.

“Cough! Cough cough!”

Wu Minyan hurried over to pat her back. “Liu Shang, are you okay? How do you manage to choke on plain water?”

Liu Shang thumped her chest, coughed a few more times, and waved her hand. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Just a slip-up.”

That said, Liu Shang stroked her chin, wearing a meaningful smile, and walked over to Shen Wangshu and Ji Fengyue.

“Yo, Ji Fengyue, Shen Wangshu! What are you eating? Can I have some?”

Ji Fengyue, mouth full of candy, didn’t speak. Shen Wangshu replied with a smile: “Mint candy. Want one?”

“Yes!” Liu Shang opened her mouth and said indistinctly, “I’m so tired, I want to be fed too.”

Shen Wangshu laughed. “No problem. Standing in military posture is hard work.”

Shen Wangshu had her back to Ji Fengyue and couldn’t see, but Liu Shang saw it perfectly: if looks could kill, she would have been minced into meat filling by Ji Fengyue’s “eye-daggers” by now.

Liu Shang chewed the mint candy twice, a cooling sensation rushing to her brain. Hiss… A bold thought rose in her mind. When she looked at the two again, her gaze had completely changed.

Ji Fengyue glanced at her, said nothing, and pulled a sunscreen spray from her bag. “Xiaoyue, close your eyes. Let’s reapply.”

The cool mist landed on Shen Wangshu’s face, driving away the heat. With her eyes closed, she could feel Ji Fengyue’s fingers gently brushing over her cheeks to spread the spray evenly.

Liu Shang watched expectantly, but Ji Fengyue ignored her entirely. After spraying herself, she tucked the sunscreen away, took Shen Wangshu’s hand, and prepared to leave.

Liu Shang quickly followed them, asking tentatively: “Shen Wangshu, Ji Fengyue, I heard you guys moved out to live together?”

“Yeah, we just moved in before school started,” Shen Wangshu admitted frankly.

“Just the two of you?”

“Mm,” Ji Fengyue said as a matter of fact. “We want our ‘world of two,’ so of course we can’t have others bothering us. Why, got a problem with that?”

Liu Shang bit her candy again and stopped in her tracks. She looked at their tightly clasped hands, then at their backs as they walked toward the school gate side-by-side. Her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Oho! Who would’ve thought I’d be shipping a real couple!

Outside the school gate, students scattered in small groups. With no one around, Shen Wangshu couldn’t help but laugh. “Fengyue, do you have to be jealous of a ‘child’ too?”

“Hmph! Of course. she just saw me getting candy and purposely ran over to be an eyesore! Xiaoyue, no more next time. You can only feed me, or I’ll be unhappy!”

“Pfft, alright, alright. I’ll listen to you.”

Only then did the clouds clear from Ji Fengyue’s face.

“Xiaoyue, let’s exercise together from now on,” Ji Fengyue said seriously, looking at her beloved whose stature hadn’t fully developed yet. “Once military training is over, we’ll go for a jog on the track every day after school, then go home to shower and change. Or we can play badminton during the long break. We need to increase your activity and strengthen your constitution.”

Her tone was firm, but her eyes were full of heartache.

Seeing her serious expression, Shen Wangshu felt a warmth in her heart. She nodded with a mix of helplessness and amusement: “Okay. Then I’ll have to trouble you to train with me.”

Military training was monotonous and grueling. The afternoon session focused on basic drill movements: at ease, attention… Instructor Wang was extremely strict. A simple movement had to be practiced dozens of times until the entire row was perfectly aligned.

Sweat soon soaked the camouflage uniforms again. The sticky sensation was inescapable. Shen Wangshu’s stamina hadn’t fully recovered, but compared to the morning, she had adjusted her breathing and rhythm. She did her best to make every movement standard, keeping her gaze fixed forward. She no longer pushed herself blindly; when she felt she was reaching her limit, she would proactively report to the instructor to take a brief rest in the shade.

Although Ji Fengyue was in the back row, at least half of her attention was on Shen Wangshu. Every time Shen Wangshu left the line to rest, Ji Fengyue’s gaze followed her until she confirmed she was safely seated and drinking water.

Shen Wangshu’s stamina was indeed her weak point. By the end of each day, her muscles ached and her sweat never seemed to dry. However, Ji Fengyue gave her a massage every night, making the endurance bearable.

The dull, repetitive military training passed day by day. Most students went from initial novelty to fatigue and complaining, and finally, they gradually grew used to the hardship.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, the instructor began teaching them basic military boxing moves. Many boys regained their spirits, wanting to learn a few moves to look cool. They were very focused, throwing punches with increasing force as if afraid of not being tired enough.

Unfortunately, military boxing requires high coordination and stamina. A boy in the back row likely ran out of energy and suffered a mild heatstroke; combined with missing a step in the rhythm, his feet tripped, and he fell straight backward.

“Watch out!”

The students closest to him were startled and instinctively backed away. At that moment, Ji Fengyue, who was in the same row, stepped over in two strides and firmly caught the boy’s back while her other hand protected the back of his head. Her movement was fast and precise, preventing an accident that could have resulted in a serious head injury.

Instructor Wang immediately blew his whistle to halt training and ran over.

“What happened?”

Ji Fengyue reported in a low voice: “Instructor, he might have heatstroke. His consciousness is a bit blurred.”

The scene was momentarily chaotic as more students gathered. Shen Wangshu didn’t rush forward; instead, she calmly instructed the classmates nearby: “Liu Shang, Wu Minyan—one of you will notify Teacher Liu, the other will find the school doctor. Tell them a student fainted from heatstroke on the field. Everyone else, don’t crowd around. Clear out and keep the air circulating.”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but she was organized and carried a convincing authority. Liu Shang and Wu Minyan reacted immediately, sprinting toward the office building.

On the field, Ji Fengyue and the instructor had already half-carried the boy to the shade. She unbuttoned the top two buttons of his camouflage jacket and laid him flat. Just then, Shen Wangshu handed over the small fan from her bag to help cool him down.

“Instructor, should we pinch his Ren Zhong (philtrum) or He Gu (hand pressure point)?” a student asked nervously.

“No need. Pulse is steady, breathing is normal. It’s not a severe heatstroke,” Ji Fengyue replied calmly without looking up. “He’s just suffering from temporary dehydration and low blood sugar; it hasn’t reached the level of shock. Keep him flat, ensure his airway is clear, and replenish his fluids and sugar.”

“Jiang Fu, are you awake?”

Ji Fengyue tapped Jiang Fu’s shoulders. Jiang Fu opened his eyes halfway and nodded: “Didn’t… didn’t pass out.”

Jiang Fu struggled to move, so Ji Fengyue quickly helped him sit up. “Who has a sports drink? Give him some to replenish energy. Someone else brings a water bottle and uses wet wipes to cool his face.”

Xu Da hurried to hand over the items, and Shen Wangshu guided him from the side: “Take small sips, no rush. You’ll be fine.”

“I’ve sent people to call the teacher and the doctor; they’ll be here soon. Xu Da, Teacher Liu will probably want him taken to the infirmary later. Get another boy to help you carry him over.”

“Oh, okay. Wang Zhiyuan, come with me… Uh, Instructor, is that alright?”

Instructor Wang, who had been squeezed aside by the students, looked at them with approval in his eyes: “No problem. Do it that way. Your name is Shen Wangshu, right? Good job, little girl. I’ll go to the infirmary with them to check on things. You calm the other students down and have everyone rest in the shade.”

“Okay, Instructor.”

Soon, the school doctor and Liu Shang arrived first. The doctor performed a quick check and confirmed Ji Fengyue’s assessment: mild heatstroke and physical exhaustion. Teacher Liu and Wu Minyan arrived shortly after they had to run up four floors, so they were a few steps behind.

“As long as he’s okay.”

Liu Xuezhu wiped the sweat from his forehead. After hearing Instructor Wang explain the situation, he nodded. “Alright. Xu Da, Wang Zhiyuan, help Jiang Fu to the infirmary. Everyone else, rest where you are. No wandering off. The instructor and I will be back shortly.”

The doctor added approvingly, “The handling was excellent. You waited until he was conscious before giving water, which avoided any choking risk. Otherwise, this wouldn’t be something solved in a school clinic. Don’t worry, everyone; he’s fine and can continue training tomorrow.”

Jiang Fu, who had been helped up and felt completely drained, twitched his lips and said weakly, “Then I’d rather the problem be a little bit bigger, not much, just enough to let me go home and rest for two days.”

The surrounding students burst into laughter at his words.

A small accident had been resolved quickly and properly.

“Ji Fengyue, Shen Wangshu, you two did very well.”

Once the class reassembled, Instructor Wang praised them in front of everyone: “Level-headed and handled it correctly. Military training isn’t just for physical exercise; it’s to train your will and your ability to handle emergencies. I hope all students can learn from them.”

With the accident handled, the afternoon training ended early.

After dismissal, Liu Shang approached them and gave Ji Fengyue a huge thumbs-up: “Sister Ji, you were so cool! Just now, you looked exactly like a doctor in one of those Japanese medical dramas, super professional.”

Ji Fengyue just gave a flat “Mm” in response. Liu Shang immediately asked, “You were the one who took Shen Wangshu to the clinic for her stomach ache too. Do you want to be a doctor in the future?”

“I plan to apply to medical school.”

Liu Shang went “Wow!”: “That’s so like you. Deciding on a career in tenth grade. A doctor! That’s so cool.”

Shen Wangshu listened to her praise Ji Fengyue with a smile the whole time, completely agreeing in her heart.

Noticing her nodding, Liu Shang gave her a thumbs-up too: “Shen Wangshu, you were so calm too. I was scared witless, but you actually thought of calling the teacher and doctor and even remembered to calm the rest of us down. Impressive.”

Shen Wangshu shook her head. “I just did what I should have. We’re all classmates; we should help each other.”

Her tone was gentle and humble, but Ji Fengyue took her hand with a look of immense pride: “Exactly. Shen Wangshu is impressive.”

“We’re going now. We need to get home, shower, and change. It’s not good if we catch a cold from the sweat.”

Shen Wangshu nodded to Liu Shang: “Go home and change too. See you at evening self-study.”

Liu Shang watched the two walk away hand-in-hand, her eyes nearly turning into stars. Wow, the more I look at them, the more they look like the leads of a Yuri novel breaking through the fourth wall. Forget it, I’m shipping this right now!