A cursed land!

Lying there, feeling utterly powerless. Isn’t my mother still around? Why should it ever fall to me? Just thinking about it gives me a headache! Bored, she lay back and closed her eyes, preparing to sleep a little longer.

Yu looked at Xiao’s demeanor and knew immediately that she had remembered! He really couldn’t win against her—how could anyone forget something like this? Yet, he found her adorable in her own way.

He would never reveal his thoughts to anyone! Sunlight spilled across her, accentuating her already striking features.

The instructor noticed Shangguan Xiao looking like she was about to sleep again. He hurried over and called out, "Hey! You can’t sleep anymore! You need to join the others for training now!"

Without waiting for a response, he strode to her bedside and let out a torrent of shouts. Xiao, startled by his loud voice, found her drowsiness vanish entirely and reluctantly got up.

Sitting on the bed, she took colored contacts from her pocket, preparing to put them on. The instructor watched her and finally understood why her eyes had appeared black earlier—it was just the colored lenses!

Fulfilling his duty, he reminded her, "It’s better not to wear colored contacts here. You could easily hurt your eyes."

He finished speaking, but Xiao continued putting them on, leaving him speechless. Are all kids these days so rebellious? He really didn’t know what else to say.

After putting on her contacts, Shangguan Xiao gave the instructor a mischievous smile and said cheerfully, "Don’t worry! I won’t let myself get hurt." She certainly knew not to wear them for too long.

But if she didn’t wear them, chaos might break out—who could say? When push comes to shove, she’d take them off. Military training was such a pain! After finishing up, the two followed the instructor out of the lounge.

Stepping outside, the scene was exactly as she had imagined: a barren expanse of yellow sand, the wind stirring up clouds of dust. Shangguan Xiao coughed lightly, discomforted.

Nu stared, dumbfounded, at the landscape. Truly, this was a land so desolate not even birds flew or chickens laid eggs. She was about to spend half a month here—unbelievable.

She felt the urge to faint outright! She hadn’t felt this way even when pursued and besieged. Military training really could wear someone down.

Looking around helplessly, sand swirled everywhere. If there was any redeeming feature, it was perhaps only the deep blue sky overhead. Xiao reached up to remove her contacts and immediately felt much better.

Yet the problems she faced remained. But really, what business was it of others what color her eyes were? Exactly! She didn’t owe anyone an explanation.

Thinking this, her mood soared from zero to a hundred. Her steps grew lively, and she hummed a little tune, skipping after the instructor.

Indeed, a person’s mood is the source of all motivation! Ouyang Qianyu gazed tenderly at Xiao’s cheerful silhouette, feeling a touch of happiness himself—perhaps influenced by her.

He smiled wryly, a gesture that could charm all who witnessed it, even the blue sky and white clouds. The sun, shy, hid behind a cloud, bringing a cool breeze.

The wind blew gently, spinning tiny whirlwinds of sand. Walking carefully, Yu watched Xiao’s figure, a thousand emotions stirring in his heart.

—Extra Note—

Upon seeing the number of bookmarks, the author was so delighted their eyes nearly disappeared. So, a bonus chapter is posted tonight! Thank you, dear readers!