A butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon rainforest might trigger a chain reaction that could bring a tornado to America two weeks later.

The occurrence of one event always affects others.

Xia Xiaolan had no idea how many people and things were influenced by her three-second camera appearance.

Fortunately, she had been caught up in patriotic fervor at the time, her heart truly red and dedicated, which had diluted much of her natural charm, leaving only youthful vitality.

It was truly a pleasing sight.

Wang Guangping and Ran Shuyu were also watching television.

Ran Shuyu tried to spot her son Wang Jianhua in the parade, but among so many people, her eyes grew sore without finding him. After the parade ended and the military review began, Ran Shuyu reluctantly looked away:

“Jianhua’s school is still lacking. Can’t you transfer him? Look at Hua Qing’s honor guard just now, that girl’s position, that Hua Qing female student who got the close-up…”

The young girl was beautiful.

Ran Shuyu didn’t care about others’ beauty; she coveted that position.

Wasn’t Wang Guangping envious too?

If Wang Jianhua had stood in that position and had those three seconds of camera time, he would have made it into the newspapers!

What use was giving it to a pretty female student? Not utilizing it was simply a waste.

Wang Guangping replied irritably, “How could he transfer schools? Do you think it’s easy to transfer into schools like Hua Qing and Beijing University?”

Transfers were possible.

From good schools to worse ones, or at least to equal ones, Wang Guangping could manage that. But transferring from a teachers’ college to Hua Qing or Beijing University? Was that possible? If all families with some authority operated that way, Hua Qing and Beijing University would be overwhelmed with transfer students yearly. Besides, Wang Guangping had only recently been reinstated, his previous work had nothing to do with education, and with so many people watching for his mistakes, he wouldn’t do such things.

It was still regrettable that Wang Jianhua hadn’t performed better on the college entrance exam.

…

While his parents worried about their only son at home, that only son’s mind was full of Xia Xiaolan.

As the celebration dispersed, Wang Jianhua searched everywhere for traces of Xia Xiaolan.

Xia Ziyu secretly grew angry and suddenly grabbed Wang Jianhua’s sleeve: “Jianhua, my stomach hurts.”

Seeing her pale face covered in fine sweat, Wang Jianhua had to temporarily abandon the thoughts of Xia Xiaolan. There were tens of thousands of people in the square – how could he find her easily? Besides the morning celebration, there would be a dance in Tiananmen Square that evening. Although Xia Xiaolan couldn’t dance, she still came out with her roommates.

It had been a crazy day.

Everyone sang and danced in the square. Xia Xiaolan’s voice had grown hoarse. She was particularly open now; when walking through Tiananmen Square today, she knew something inside her had changed.

Not an external change, but a change in mindset!

When a Hua Qing male student boldly asked her to dance, she danced!

After the dance, as the Hua Qing senior called out “Junior Sister Xia” with a red face, Xia Xiaolan candidly told him she had a boyfriend and wasn’t planning to change that for now.

“Junior Sister, you… you stepped on my feet while dancing.”

The Hua Qing senior practically fled in embarrassment.

Xia Xiaolan turned to stone, unsure if the senior was saving face or telling the truth.

Liu Huazheng immediately revealed the cruel truth: “How could you dance so stiffly? Moving your arms and legs at the same time!”

Su Jing and others were more interested in Xia Xiaolan’s boyfriend: “Do you have someone, or are you just using it as an excuse? You told Ji Jiangyuan the same thing when he chatted with you!”

Su Jing’s tone suggested that just chatting with Ji Jiangyuan could lead to dating!

Although Ji Jiangyuan was indeed different from other boys his age – confident, witty, knowing how to please girls… that didn’t mean she should be fickle.

“I have a boyfriend. Didn’t you eat the braised chicken he sent?”

Xia Xiaolan ran away after saying this, while Su Jing and others called out in protest.

The braised chicken was bought by Xiaolan, how did it become a gift from her boyfriend? Besides, they were training in Ji Bei Province – had Xiaolan’s boyfriend followed her there?

Ning Xue’s gaze shifted.

As the dancing crowd pushed back and forth, Ning Xue unconsciously found herself near Ji Jiangyuan.

She seemed to gather immense courage, yet spoke as if casually:

“Ji Jiangyuan, I need to talk to you about something.”

Ji Jiangyuan and Xiong Baiyan were inseparable. Xiong Baiyan seemed even more excited than Ji Jiangyuan – Student Ning Xue looking for Ji Jiangyuan. Damn, this bastard’s luck was too good! Ji Jiangyuan seemed to frown slightly, but quickly displayed his standard smile:

“Student Ning Xue, what can I help you with?”

Ning Xue turned to leave. Under Xiong Baiyan’s urging gaze, Ji Jiangyuan slowly squeezed out of Hua Qing’s celebration circle and followed Ning Xue to a quieter spot.

“Ji Jiangyuan, Xia Xiaolan’s boyfriend is our Chief Instructor, isn’t he?”

Ning Xue’s tone was very certain.

Ji Jiangyuan was surprised, “Who told you?”

He regretted it immediately – hadn’t he just admitted it?

Ning Xue pressed her lips together, “I wasn’t certain before, but thanks for confirming it just now.”

Why had Ning Xue called him out to discuss this?

Ji Jiangyuan thought she wasn’t one to meddle in others’ affairs.

“It’s better not to spread this around. This is Student Xia’s privacy… If you think Instructor Zhou being Student Xia’s boyfriend means she’ll automatically become an outstanding graduate of military training, such concerns are completely unnecessary. Instructor Zhou isn’t that kind of person.”

Ji Jiangyuan couldn’t judge what kind of person Zhou Cheng was.

At least he was a man.

If he had revealed how he had saved Ji Jiangyuan and the others, Hua Qing students wouldn’t have thought Instructor Zhou’s marksmanship was mediocre, but Zhou Cheng hadn’t done so, covering it up after making them run 20 laps. No one knew Zhou Cheng had saved three students; after military training ended, those unaware of the truth might still think Zhou Cheng’s skills were ordinary!

Since Zhou Cheng didn’t care about reputation, Ji Jiangyuan believed he wouldn’t show favoritism over a military training outstanding graduate title.

Ning Xue seemed to radiate coldness:

“Ji Jiangyuan, what kind of person do you think I am? I just wanted to confirm something with you and ask you to restrain your behavior. Your passionate romance, if directed at Xia Xiaolan, will only deepen others’ misunderstandings about her!”

Ji Jiangyuan stood stunned.

Why was Ning Xue so angry?

…

The joy of National Day celebrations hadn’t yet dissipated.

Early the next morning, Xia Xiaolan was called by her department teacher for a talk:

“Student Xiaolan, did you know you’re one of the candidates nominated by the military for an outstanding graduate of military training? The other candidate was Student Ning Xue, but this morning, she voluntarily withdrew from this selection…”

The teacher observed Xia Xiaolan’s expression while speaking.

Xia Xiaolan looked completely bewildered.

What was going on? Why had Ning Xue suddenly withdrawn?