Chapter Thirty: Gradually Becoming Acquainted

When Jian Suifei saw the usually impassive Si Yan become so sorrowful about the matter, his own discontent eased a little, and the knot in his heart loosened. His expression softened, and he no longer pressed aggressively.

Si Yan observed the gradual return of color to Jian Suifei’s face and understood that his convincing explanation had managed to subdue the other's anger. This man’s ability to lie was truly unrivaled—after such a performance, how could Jian Suifei continue to accuse him? The two of them turned to speak with others, letting the topic drop.

As they walked, Ye Qianling gradually fell to the back of the group, moving forward mechanically, not speaking to anyone. Even though the others could see her many wounds, they felt powerless to comfort her.

Sui Ying’ai suddenly thought of something. She glanced back at Ye Qianling, who walked with her head down, deep in thought, then took a small white porcelain bottle from her sleeve, its surface glazed and shining—a container that spoke of expensive medicine.

“I happen to have some healing salve. You should use it—your wounds look serious, and some have reopened. If you don’t treat them, it’ll be very painful.” Sui Ying’ai stopped to wait for Ye Qianling, pressing the medicine into her hand.

Ye Qianling looked up with wide, innocent eyes, a touch of emotion showing on her face. “Thank you.”

Everyone here knew how precious medicine was. For Sui Ying’ai to offer such a rare item to her, Ye Qianling felt a complicated ache beyond gratitude.

Yes, an ache—how had it come to this? Once a princess of a nation, now just a struggling slave, without even medicine for her wounds.

These days, Ye Qian’ge would often have the servants secretly deliver her medicine, but it was used up quickly—especially painkillers. The agony was so intense that she often doubled the dose, as the standard amount had no effect at all.

Sui Ying’ai looked at Ye Qianling. “You shouldn’t have come here. Your body might not withstand the training at the Western Suburb’s Southern Compound.”

She was right, but Ye Qianling couldn’t tell her that she had simply had no other choice. Sui Ying’ai wasn’t a woman of many words, but seeing Ye Qianling, so wounded, come to participate in a trial that could claim lives at any moment, her heart filled with instinctive feminine pity.

“It’s all right. Since I’m here, I’ll do my utmost to pass.” Ye Qianling spoke with no hint of retreat.

Sui Ying’ai liked this kind of spirit. In the earlier battle with the tiger, she had already taken notice of this battered girl. They had dispatched the beast swiftly, but the martial prowess revealed showed she was anything but ordinary. Sui Ying’ai, though not talkative, enjoyed sparring and befriending the strong.

Suddenly, the group ahead stopped. Something was said by the man in charge, and many of the boys rushed into the rooms, forming spontaneous cliques despite being strangers—quite the contrast to their earlier dejected arrival.

“What did they just announce up there? Why is everyone dashing inside?” Chu Zimu glanced at Si Yan and asked.

“They’re probably choosing rooms. The next few rounds might have to be completed quickly,” Si Yan replied.

Sui Ying’ai glanced at him. All of them were teenagers, and there was always a certain air when it came to the opposite sex. Her first impression: handsome and calm, though not outgoing.

“We girls will likely end up together,” Ye Qianling, having just finished applying the medicine and feeling the pain subside, now joined in the conversation. “From what I saw, there are only five girls left. We’ll probably share a room.” She looked at Sui Ying’ai, her opinion of her much improved by the earlier kindness. At this point, whatever Sui Ying’ai said, Ye Qianling was inclined to believe.

Ye Qianling’s way of trusting others was simple—if someone was kind to her, she would trust them, even after experiencing betrayal. Just moments ago, she had been wary, but now her old self resurfaced. She had always considered everyone a friend until the knife was in her back, never questioning her judgment once trust was given. Truly, a case of forgetting pain as soon as the wound healed.

“Let’s find a room too,” Chu Zimu suggested to Si Yan and Zhao Mengge.

There were eight beds per room—something Ye Qianling had learned during her days here.

“Great, it’s an honor to room with you all,” Zhou Xiaojie enthusiastically agreed, waving his hands in approval.

“I’ll repeat: eight beds per room. There are 82 of you—five girls will share one room, and the remaining 77 will be divided among ten rooms. Feel free to choose your own groups. No need to move your luggage yet; only after all six trials are over and you pass may you bring your belongings and become part of the Western Suburb’s Southern Compound,” announced the male supervisor.

“Let’s go.” Si Yan nudged the seemingly indifferent Chu Zimu.

“Let’s pick a room quickly,” Zhou Xiaojie hurried ahead, hoping to claim a spot with good sunlight. As he stepped onto the porch, Chu Zimu reached out to halt him, but a quiet voice from behind declared, “That’s the girls’ dormitory.”

This was the room Ye Qianling had stayed in these past days—better lit and less damp than the others, and facing south, one of the best in the whole compound. Truly, rarity had its privileges—even the living quarters were better for the few remaining girls.

Zhou Xiaojie jumped at the sudden warning from a hidden guard, quickly withdrawing his foot. The others, except for Zhao Mengge, couldn’t help but smile—Chu Zimu even burst out laughing.

“Zhou, are you planning to room with the ladies? If you want to, we won’t stop you—just ask Miss Sui and Miss Wu if they mind?” Chu Zimu teased.

“No, no, forget it!” Zhou Xiaojie reflexively retreated into the group.

At the rear, Ye Qianling and Sui Ying’ai, hearing this was their dorm, slipped past the group and entered.

“Gentlemen, see you later,” Ye Qianling paused at the threshold, remembering her manners and offering a polite farewell.

Inside, she saw the other three girls had already arrived. She hadn’t noticed them earlier while organizing her things. One, a round-faced girl with long twin ponytails, greeted them, “Hello! We’ll be sharing this room for a while—it’s so great to meet you two. Your fighting earlier was amazing. I’m Qian Yiyi.”

“I’m Ye Qianling, and this is Sui Ying’ai. You flatter us, Miss Qian,” Ye Qianling replied, sitting on her bed, exhausted.

“Are you afraid of heights?” she asked Sui Ying’ai. “There’s just the five of us, and the other three all like the lower bunks and have already settled in. Only one lower bunk is left. Where do you want to sleep? I’ll take the other.”

Ye Qianling got up from her bed and asked.

“I don’t mind, either way. I’ll take the upper bunk,” Sui Ying’ai replied simply, climbing to the bunk above Ye Qianling’s.

Just then, the sound of military drums rolled through the air, followed by a blaring horn. Even without a reminder, everyone knew it was time to leave the dorm again—far too soon.

The whistle this time felt ominous—likely the fourth trial was about to begin.

No respite was given—the Western Suburb’s Southern Compound truly knew how to torment people.

Many hadn’t recovered from their earlier ordeal, and now the next test was upon them. Some were on the verge of collapse.

“How much more can we take? We barely rested fifteen minutes, and now they’re calling us out again. How much suffering is enough?”

“The worst part is, we can’t even quit. Can anyone live like this?”

The crowd grumbled in every possible way about the cruel system, desperate to give up, but the overseers refused. None knew how many would survive the next round.

Yet, despite the complaints, curiosity about the fourth trial simmered.

“We just agreed—let’s see which of us gets through fastest. The slowest takes an upper bunk,” chatterbox Chu Zimu announced.

Qian Yiyi, watching the five handsome boys, sighed with a hint of disappointment. “That’s a great idea. We should have done that too.”

“It doesn’t matter. Their way wastes time—this is fine.” Sui Ying’ai replied, expressionless, not looking at Qian Yiyi, waiting for the next round to begin.

“We five are all so competitive—it won’t be easy to win.” Jian Suifei, who had initially wanted to avoid rooming with Si Yan, found that the tiger fight had drawn the group together. Mutual admiration led him to accept them as dorm mates. Si Yan’s convincing performance had fooled him, so he no longer held a grudge.

“Let’s see what the fourth trial holds!” Zhou Xiaojie, full of excitement, flexed his arms and began warming up for what lay ahead.