Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Curing All Kinds of Defiance

His heart sank, and his legs trembled.

A ten-kilometer weighted run. Extra punishment, no extra charge.

This was the Ling family’s ancestral punishment, the perfect cure for any and all defiance.

Ever since they were children, anyone who displeased Ling Anxun was treated to this special "perk."

Ling Zhiwei had suffered this punishment plenty of times as a child.

He thought he’d finally escaped it after becoming an adult, but he never expected to face it again today.

Ling Zhiwei was screaming on the inside.

But he was also afraid of losing face in front of the new first-years, so all he could do was put on a pained expression and beg for mercy.

The group of girls who had been chattering nonstop just a moment ago instantly fell silent.

They could feel the pressure from his gaze as it swept over the crowd.

The surrounding students instinctively took half a step back, their breathing growing shallow.

Shanshan pouted and replied reluctantly.

She knew he was looking at her, and she knew he had intimidated those girls on her account.

But she didn’t want to appear too submissive.

After all, what happened wasn’t her fault.

"Got it, Instructor Sir."

She even rolled her eyes after she finished speaking.

Then she turned her head away.

Ling Anxun’s gaze lingered on her face for a second. Without another word, he turned and walked away.

When he reached the front of the formation, he simply waved his hand and said in a low voice, "Resume training."

After that little scene, the rest of the training session went much more smoothly.

Even the most boisterous boys were noticeably subdued.

Their marching was far more orderly, and their count-offs were loud and sharp.

If someone’s form was off, their neighbor would immediately prompt them to correct it.

When it was time for dismissal that afternoon, Ling Anxun discreetly shot Shanshan a look.

The two of them, with a silent understanding, slipped away to meet in a secluded corner of the parking lot.

It was far from the main road, with only a few old driver’s-ed cars parked there.

Clumps of weeds grew in the corner, and sunlight slanted across the concrete.

It was uncannily quiet; you could even hear the sound of the wind rustling the leaves.

"Get in."

He was in the driver’s seat, speaking to Shanshan, who stood outside the car, pouting and ignoring him.

The car’s air conditioning was already on, slowly blowing out cool air.

It was a stark contrast to the muggy air outside.

"I’m not getting in! You made me mad, Dad. I’m ignoring you!"

Shanshan stood her ground, arms crossed, lightly kicking at the pebbles on the pavement with the toe of her shoe.

"Alright, alright, I was wrong. It was all my fault. Can you please just get in first?"

Ling Anxun’s tone softened. His brow furrowed slightly as he clearly adopted a more conciliatory stance.

He unbuckled his seatbelt, leaned forward a bit, and reached out to open the car door.

When she still didn’t move, he added...

"It’s hot out. Don’t get a sunburn."

Ling Anxun was quick to bow his head and admit fault.

Only then was Shanshan coaxed into reluctantly pulling open the car door.

The first thing she did after getting into the passenger seat was buckle her seatbelt.

Then she placed her hands on her knees, sat up straight, and assumed a posture that said she had no intention of talking.

But the slight upward curve of her lips betrayed her true emotions.

The silence in the car grew a little awkward until Ling Anxun was the first to speak.

The numbers on the dashboard glowed faintly, displaying the time as 17:23.

"So, what was that all about this morning?"

He stared at the windshield ahead, not turning to look at her.

"What thing?"

Shanshan played dumb, rolling her eyes.

She turned sideways, leaning against the seatback with one leg drawn up and her chin cupped in her hand.

Gazing out the window, she tossed the question back with feigned nonchalance.

She already had her answer prepared but was determined to make him say it first.

Ling Anxun sighed.

He raised his right hand and rubbed the spot between his eyebrows.

After a moment of silence, he finally spelled it out.

"Someone offers you a bottle of water and you just accept it? Don’t play dumb with me. You can’t tell what that kid was after?"

"I’m in college now! I’m not a little kid anymore! Can’t I even try to make a friend?"

Shanshan whipped her head around to stare at him, her eyes wide.

Ling Anxun’s heart skipped a beat, and it felt like a punch to the gut.

He hadn’t expected her to respond in such a way.

A feeling both familiar and strange washed over him, leaving him momentarily speechless.

’His daughter was grown up. She was starting to have her own thoughts, her own things she wanted to protect.’

"I’m not trying to control your every move, and I’m not trying to stop you from growing up... But you’re still so young. Kids your age are usually busy with cram school and homework. Relationships are complicated. You’re just curious now, and you could easily get hurt. Dad doesn’t want to see you get hurt."

After much persuasion, he finally managed to ease the girl’s concerns.

Shanshan lowered her gaze, her fingers slowly unclenching from her knees.

Her earlier stubbornness gradually faded, replaced by a hint of softness.

"Fine, fine. I’ll hold off, then. We can talk about it again in a few years."

she muttered, nodding.

Only then was Ling Anxun truly able to relax.

He let out a quiet sigh of relief, the faintest hint of a smile touching his lips.

The relationship between father and daughter had thawed, but they continued to act like strangers during the military training.

Even during assembly and roll call, Ling Anxun never gave her an extra glance.

This was their agreement, but it was also a matter of discipline.

It wasn’t that Ling Anxun was heartless.

It was just that for Shanshan, a little sun and sweat was no different from a stroll or a shopping trip; there was no need to make an exception to look after her.

Her physical constitution was far beyond that of an ordinary person. She had great stamina, recovered quickly, and wasn’t bothered by the scorching heat and sun at all.

Even after standing at attention for two straight hours, she wouldn’t turn pale and would barely break a sweat. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The other students, however, were suffering.

Some started swaying after less than ten minutes, needing their peers to hold them up to keep from fainting.

The instructors repeatedly stressed the importance of hydration and rest, but many students still suffered from heatstroke and had to be taken to the infirmary.

The girls slathered on sunscreen as if they were painting a wall and came fully equipped with hats and masks, yet they all ended up tanned to a deep, glistening brown.

But Shanshan’s skin remained so fair it almost seemed to glow.

When she stood at the end of a corridor, sunlight would hit her from the side, making her face appear to be surrounded by a faint halo.

Passing students often did a double-take.

Even her three roommates got to reap the benefits.

Thanks to the herbal mud mask she personally mixed for them, not only did they not get tanned, but their skin seemed to get brighter with every use.

She woke up half an hour early every morning to mix the mud mask fresh.

She took the ingredients from her family’s own medicine cabinet, mixing them in precise proportions.

Her three roommates were skeptical at first.

But after using it for a week, they discovered their complexions had indeed brightened considerably, and even their acne scars had faded.

From then on, it became a nightly ritual before lights-out for them to crowd into the bathroom, applying the masks while gossiping.

Word of this spread quickly, making many others green with envy.

Some girls from the next dorm over started staking out their room, trying to track when they came and went.

Someone even secretly took photos and posted them on the campus forum under a sensational headline.

The post garnered countless replies, with hundreds of comments begging for the recipe.

Some girls they were on decent terms with brazenly came to their door to ask for the recipe.

But Yuan Min and the others, remembering what they’d been told, didn’t let a single word slip.

No matter how others tried to cozy up to them—offering snacks or even volunteering to take their turn on cleaning duty—

they would just smile and say it was nothing special.

The girls would leave disappointed, muttering behind their backs that the roommates were just being pretentious.

But with no proof, they had no choice but to give up.

To make matters worse, Ling Zhiwei kept showing up at the girls’ dorm every few days, bearing all sorts of gifts.

When a group of girls who had crushes on him saw this, they completely lost it.

He’d be carrying a fruit basket, clad in sweatpants and sneakers, heading upstairs with a huge smile on his face.

Even the dorm supervisor knew him and would just wave him through.