Chapter 20 - Twenty: Idol (Part One)

"Chen Gu, huh? Know him." Among the military fitness students, a big guy laughed maliciously. Zhao Ergou, with his brawny face, looked almost delicate in comparison. He stepped forward on his own, extending his hand to Chen Gu with seeming enthusiasm. "I’m Darkray, nice to meet you." Chen Gu shook hands with him and, sure enough, the other guy started applying pressure! Such a big hunk, his face plastered with smiles, yet his palm was like an iron pincer, exerting enough force to crush the bones in an average person’s hand. Chen Gu cocked his head, looking at him. So even you muscle-bound types know how to hide a dagger behind a smile. Discretely pinching back, Darkray’s face suddenly changed, his muscles distorting. After completing the first phase of the pre-training for "Star Battle Instructor," Chen Gu’s physical strength was already three times that of an ordinary person. Putting a military fitness student who hadn’t even entered the military academy in his place was a piece of cake. The two men released their grip. Chen Gu was without a scratch, but Darkray kept his hand hidden behind him, trembling continuously. "Wel-welcome," Darkray stammered. The students from Class Nine, who had been watching from a distance, were disappointed that a fight hadn’t broken out. They sighed and returned to their own training, no longer paying attention to the commotion. Teacher Ouyang, however, saw through it. A smile flickered across his face, and then he clapped his hands. "Alright, let’s test Chen Gu first." The various training equipment in the Military Corner was high-end, including a gravity training room. At this moment, Chen Gu understood the meaning of Teacher Dai’s cryptic words from lunchtime: the school clearly had high hopes for him and was ready to focus on his development. Chen Gu wasn’t ostentatious by nature. Like a minor actor new to a film crew, his first reaction was naturally to lay low. But after getting to know the ropes... if a minor actor doesn’t show his worth, when will he ever become a movie star? But such displays also require a certain balance. For instance, now was an opportunity, but one shouldn’t be so showy as to become annoying. Chen Gu felt he had managed quite well. Having deterred Darkray, the other military fitness students clearly lost any desire to challenge him. After a series of training tests, the whistle in Teacher Ouyang’s mouth had practically fallen out. Darkray inhaled sharply. They could become military fitness students, of course, possessing qualities far exceeding ordinary people. Compared to their peers from the same grade, all their metrics were about one and a half times higher. But what about Chen Gu? Without any enhanced training, just from a test, his indicators were already twice those of an average student! "Monster!" Another military fitness student quietly approached and asked, "Darkray, should we teach him a lesson after school?" Darkray shook his head lightly. "Are you stupid? He’s got the strength to aim for the Tiangong Military Division; we’re not even on the same level. He could be a future alumnus of the Tiangong Military Division, and that would greatly benefit us. Stop overthinking it and focus on building a good relationship with him now while we can." Teacher Zhou, at the side, slapped his thigh. "Chen Gu, you sure kept yourself well-hidden! With me, your physical combat scores were so mediocre, but with Senior Brother Ouyang, you don’t hold back. Are you looking down on me, Old Zhou?" Chen Gu gave a sheepish grin; this he really couldn’t explain. Since Teacher Zhou was calling himself "Old Zhou," he obviously wasn’t truly angry. Teacher Ouyang was so pleased he clapped his junior brother on the shoulder. "Leave him to me. If he doesn’t get into the Tiangong Military Division next year, I’ll call *you* Senior Brother!" As a minor actor, one must also know when to seize opportunities, and the Military Corner was just such an opportunity. Training with Teacher Zhou every afternoon was of no help to Chen Gu, but the Military Corner was different. Teacher Ouyang called Darkray over. "Today... you guys take Chen Gu and get him acquainted with the equipment. Just practice casually, and make sure not to get injured. I’m going to properly study up and develop the most scientific training regimen for Chen Gu." Darkray was envious. Out of the sixteen military fitness students at Lubei Middle School, only three had been fortunate enough for Teacher Ouyang to personally devote time to creating personalized training plans for them. He, Darkray, was one of them—but that was only after his old man had pestered Teacher Ouyang with drinks for six straight months. His dad had nearly developed a duodenal perforation from all the drinking before Teacher Ouyang reluctantly worked out a plan. But this guy... Teacher Ouyang was eagerly setting up a training plan for him the moment he arrived... In the subsequent training, Chen Gu remained constantly on guard. He was wary that these guys might try some dirty trick on him. Surprisingly, however, despite Darkray’s long face—looking like a wife who’d been wronged—he didn’t resort to any petty maneuvers. In fact, Darkray explained the use of the equipment and the important points very thoroughly. At the end of the school day, Darkray unexpectedly invited Chen Gu with enthusiasm. "Wanna grab dinner together? We’ll be training together in the future, so we should look out for each other." Since he was willing to extend a goodwill gesture, Chen Gu wouldn’t decline, but tonight was not possible; he already had plans with Ossosa. "I’ve got plans tonight, but how about this—tomorrow night, I’ll treat all the classmates to dinner, sound good?" Darkray laughed. "Deal, it’s agreed!" Military fitness students have a heavy training load, and the school provided them with a shower room. On the way there together, Chen Gu received a call from Ossosa. The roguish old man was always boisterous with Chen Gu. "Same place, the Sunset Restaurant, same old spot! Hurry up, don’t keep my dear wife and the most beautiful little princess on earth waiting!" "What’s your damn hurry?" Chen Gu retorted. "You’re bringing your ’daughter-in-law’ to meet *me*, her ’father’? Of course, I need to prepare! As an elder, I can’t be impolite!" "Screw you!" Ossosa shot back. "Eat if you want, don’t come if you don’t!" The two hung up the phone, still bickering. Darkray, who had overheard, graciously made way. "Since you’re in a hurry, you go shower first." With only two shower stalls available, Chen Gu didn’t stand on ceremony. Men shower quickly; he finished in five minutes. A car and bodyguards were waiting outside the school, and he quickly headed to the Sunset Restaurant. After Darkray and the others had showered, a military fitness student, drying his hair with a towel, suddenly received a message on his private account. DING! A look of surprise spread across his face as he read it. He threw the towel aside. "Quick, quick! Someone spotted Man Suling at the Taigu Skyscraper! If we head over now, we might even catch a glimpse of our idol!" Darkray and the others didn’t bother drying off completely. Hollering loudly, they quickly put on their clothes and dashed out. "Hurry up and call a cab!" "Stop rushing me! It’s already been called. This is all your fault for being so fussy. Your dad wanted to buy you a car, but no, you had to be all considerate about ’family difficulties’ and refuse it..." "I regret that a hundred thousand times over now!"