Self-sufficiency!?

Countless sighs welled up in her heart, yet they were eclipsed by a profound sense of helplessness. After all, who else was to blame for her falling in love with such a heartless creature? At that very moment, the person being labeled as heartless was sitting on the ground, staring blankly at the yellow sand.

Not far away, a malicious gaze remained locked firmly upon her, a silent omen that danger was creeping ever closer. The Chief Instructor walked up to the elevated platform, microphone in hand, and began to speak.

Why was it that whenever this Chief Instructor appeared, they felt as though nothing good would follow? Every time he showed up, it felt as if he were deliberately plotting against them. As it turned out, their intuition was spot on.

With an air of feigned righteousness, the Chief Instructor declared, "In light of the many complaints regarding the poor quality of our food, the instructors have reached a consensus—"

He paused deliberately for three seconds, causing everyone’s hearts to jump into their throats. It felt as if their hearts might burst from their chests, and the atmosphere instantly reached a fever pitch.

Seeing everyone hanging on his every word, the Chief Instructor beamed, his face crinkling like a blooming chrysanthemum as he continued, "We have decided that, starting today, you will prepare your own meals! You can cook them however you like! Happy now? Haha!"

His announcement was met with a chorus of groans. What was this? They had been hoping for extra food, not to be forced to cook it themselves! This was a truly disappointing result.

Shangguan Xiao looked up at the grinning Chief Instructor, at a loss for words. Cooking their own meals! It was unbelievable that the instructors had come up with something like this. Besides, if they had to cook their own breakfast, wouldn't they have to wake up even earlier? Oh, heavens! Just let me die!

Ignoring the discontent below, the Chief Instructor continued on his own accord, "Now, each squad, send a representative to collect the ingredients!"

What followed was a flurry of pushing and shoving. No one wanted this thankless task. Shangguan Xiao turned to the group behind her and said coldly, "Are you men or not? Is there any reason for women to handle the heavy lifting?"

The members of Class F, who had been in disarray, stopped their bickering upon hearing her words. They exchanged silent glances, feeling a mix of embarrassment and the stubborn belief that such menial labor was beneath them.

They stood there blankly, staring at Shangguan Xiao. One boy, looking at her with evident dissatisfaction, retorted, "If we guys have to do all the heavy and rough work, then what are you girls going to do?"

The other boys nodded in agreement. They had been training for the better part of the day; did they really have to do this manual labor too? These girls certainly knew how to enjoy themselves, didn't they?

Shangguan Xiao tilted her head to examine the boy who had spoken up. He had clean, fair features, and one look at his expression revealed that he rarely interacted with girls. After three seconds, she curled her lips into a faint, amused smile.

Being scrutinized by a girl as delicate as her made the boy feel bashful. Moreover, since this was the first time a girl had ever smiled at him, he felt even more awkward.

Although he rarely received smiles from girls, he had already spoken, and there was no taking it back. He had to brace himself and see it through. Even if it meant potentially annoying this beautiful girl, backing down would mean losing all his dignity.

If he gave in, he would neither win the favor of this beauty nor maintain his standing among the boys. After weighing the pros and cons, he decided it was better to offend the beauty. Watching his interesting expression, Shangguan Xiao smiled and said, "Naturally, the girls have their own tasks to perform."

She then turned to the others and commanded, "Now, those who can cook, stand on the left. Those who can't cook but have strength to spare, stand on the right. And those who are useless, stand in the middle!"

Good grief! She had been so clear that there was no room for further argument. Shedding their earlier friction, they began to sort themselves out according to her instructions.

The result: only a few girls knew how to cook, while all the other boys and girls stood on the right. Seeing this, Shangguan Xiao was stunned. Goodness! Only eight people who could cook?

Did everyone else really have nothing but raw strength? Surprised, she looked at the girls standing with the boys and asked, "You all don't know how to cook?"