Countless eyes focused simultaneously on Ethan and the watermelon in his hands — shock, envy, jealousy, and a hint of anticipation for the upcoming show. This kid was doomed!
The instructor wasn't far away. Let's see how he gets dealt with!
Sure enough, Officer Davis seemed to sense something was off. He ended his conversation with the female instructor, frowned, and strode toward the 'troublemaker' under the shade of the tree.
All the students' hearts leapt into their throats, holding their breath, waiting to see Ethan get overwhelmed by a storm of scolding.
Davis walked up to Ethan, not shouting like everyone expected. He just looked at Ethan with a stern face, then at the bright red watermelon in his hand.
Ethan was completely unhurried. Instead, he confidently picked up a slice and held it out to Davis: "Officer Davis? Want a piece? Chilled to beat the heat."
Davis took the slice! Under everyone's stunned gaze, the two of them stood under the shade of a tree — one in camouflage, the other in casual clothes — munching on watermelon!
"Damn!!" The entire formation of Business Admin Class 2 erupted in a silent collective shout.
After a few bites, Davis let out a satisfied sigh, casually tossing the rind precisely into a trash can a few meters away, and subconsciously wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. "Hmm, pretty sweet."
Ethan smiled and pointed at the cart. "Grabbed it from the cart downstairs by the dorms. Want me to carry one back for you?"
"No need!"
Davis immediately snapped back into instructor mode, straightened up, and said loudly, "We have rules. Can't accept anything from students."
Ethan instinctively glanced at the rind sitting in the trash can.
Davis paused, as if still savoring the sweetness, then added seriously, "Yeah, what's already in your stomach doesn't count."
Then he turned around and strode back toward the front of the formation like he'd just been on a routine patrol.
Ethan stood there, mouth twitching, completely speechless. "..."
Davis stopped, his gaze sweeping over the stunned faces around him. He cleared his throat and shouted loud enough to pierce the whole yard: "Dismissed! Twenty-minute break!"
"Whoosh——!" That dismissal was pure heaven.
The tension snapped instantly. The entire formation collapsed. Students dropped like their bones had been yanked out — rubbing their legs, pounding their lower backs, gasping, groaning, wailing echoing from every direction.
But even more eyes were filled with wildly mixed emotions — envy, disbelief, barely-contained frustration — all aimed at the one leisurely figure still standing under the shade of the trees.
You lucky bastard, Ethan. That was basically everyone's inner monologue.
The three dorm guys reacted the fastest.
Marcus, Derek, and Kevin rushed the cart like starving wolves.
"Dude! Ethan! You're literally a lifesaver!!"
Marcus grabbed a slice of icy watermelon and shoved it into his mouth. The cold juice hit him like a reset button. "Source of life!! Real ones know!!"
Derek and Kevin didn't even bother saying anything. They each grabbed a slice and went to town, juice running down their chins without a care.
Ethan watched them inhale the watermelon, smiled, then called out to the rest of the class: "Business Admin Class 2! Come grab some! Watermelon and cold water, right here!"
Like rain after a drought. The same classmates who'd been silently cursing him out two minutes ago instantly forgot every bit of it.
People crowded in, scrambling for slices, twisting open cold bottles of water, faces glowing with the joy of someone who just survived something terrible.
The vibe flipped completely:
Guys: "Bro!! You are an absolute legend!!"
Girls: "Ethan! Oh my god, thank you!! You're the best!!"
Ethan's eyes swept through the crowd and quickly landed on the one figure sitting alone under a distant tree, quietly sipping from her own water bottle.
He raised his voice. "Nora! Come grab some water and hang out! It's cool over here!"
Nora looked up through the crowd, then quietly replied, "I... I brought water, thank you though, Ethan."
"You brought water, but you didn't bring a melon, did you? Get over here." His tone was easy but left zero room for argument. He was already cutting the biggest slice.
Nora hesitated for a moment, watching the classmates around her laughing and enjoying themselves, then slowly stood up and walked over.
Ethan pushed the heavy, dripping slice right into her hand. "Here. Grab more when you're done, there's plenty."
The cool, wet surface pressed against her palm. Nora's fingers tightened slightly around it. "Oh... okay. Thank you."
Marcus, standing beside them with watermelon juice all over his face like a complete mess, mumbled through a full mouth, "Ethan... be honest. What exactly is going on with you?"
He nodded toward Davis in the distance. "No leave request, skipping training, and the instructor's just... watching the drama with you? What's the deal?"
Derek chimed in, "Yeah, Ethan, you had to have filed for leave and skipped training, right? But why are you still here, and why didn't Davis say anything to you?"
A few other students nearby leaned in, equally curious.
Ethan smiled slightly. "Who said I filed for leave?"
Kevin looked genuinely confused. "You didn't? Then how did you skip training and just get away with it? The instructor didn't even say anything!"
Ethan kicked Kevin lightly on the butt. "Can't you just let me have this one, man?"
A few classmates who'd been listening in immediately crowded closer, eyes wide and desperate:
"Bro, please, share the secret!"
"+1!"
"+10086!"
Ethan looked at this group — every face screaming please save me from this misery — and felt both amused and kind of helpless.
He shrugged, his tone carrying just a hint of exasperation. "Honestly? This one I really can't teach you guys."
"Why?!" Everyone said it at the same time.
Ethan took a bite of watermelon and said slowly, "It's one of the perks I negotiated when I chose to come here."
The air went dead silent.
"..."
Then, after a beat — a collective "DAMN!" followed by groaning and wailing from every direction.
Everyone rolled their eyes and scattered.
Right. How did we forget.
He's the perfect SAT scorer.
He's the guy who can walk into the dean's office like it's his living room.
That kind of perk is about as achievable as landing on the moon. Not happening.
Fine. Back to being human BBQ under the sun.
Everyone gnawed on their hard-earned "Ethan Special" watermelon, feelings thoroughly complicated.
...
Nearby, the formation from Taylor's college and Ashley's college were doing their training right alongside campus.
The sun was absolutely merciless.
Taylor, who'd been bouncing around with energy earlier, now felt the world spinning. Her legs were lead, every step an effort, sweat stinging her eyes, throat so dry it felt like sandpaper, her whole body swaying like she was one step away from hitting the ground.
There are 130 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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