Arthur looked down. The fire below still hadn't gone out.
This proud and mysterious woman had truly stirred something in his heart.
He turned to the Captain and asked, "What are you going to do? Word's already spread that she was punished for the whole class. Don't get yourself caught up in this."
"I know," the Captain sighed helplessly. "Women... they're terrifying."
But when Arthur recalled Hedy's blushing, arrogant face, he silently disagreed.
Women, he thought, are actually very cute.
That evening, the recruit company held a meeting.
The Captain formally announced Hedy's punishment.
"After the incident, Hedy approached me and the instructor. She took the initiative to admit her mistake and had a good attitude," the Captain said in a flat, emotionless tone. "She'll receive a serious warning and spend three days in confinement. After that, she'll attend seven days of ideological education with the instructor."
Hedy wasn't expelled, and surprisingly, no one from the camp seemed shocked.
After all, she had first made a name for herself in front of the teacher, and then stirred up the entire company.
Her confinement began immediately. Hedy stood and walked out.
A sharp, resentful gaze cut through the room like a knife. Hedy turned to see Susan silently mouthing something.
She didn't speak, but Hedy understood.
'The agreement is void'.
The door to the confinement room slammed shut. Hedy stood alone in the empty space, fully aware:
Once she walked out that door, another storm awaited her.
For three days, Hedy ate and slept, and slept and ate, letting her exhausted body recover.
By the third night, she was released.
The squad leader came personally to escort her to the study room for the class meeting.
The rest of the class clearly wasn't pleased to see her. The squad leader's words about "unity and friendship" fell flat.
Chloe, who had once somewhat liked Hedy, had grown annoyed over the past few days due to all the chaos.
"She's always falling behind in training, dragging down our class's overall performance. Now she's a deserter, and she's hurt our teacher rating! She might've shown her face to the teacher, but we're the ones paying the price!"
"Teacher rating?" Hedy was confused. "What's that?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "The teacher didn't just come to inspect us, there's a top-to-down rating system. And they say it affects all our futures!"
The squad leader frowned. "How many times have I told you, don't spread rumors! That 'teacher rating' stuff is just gossip!"
But no one believed him.
Chloe shot back, "Then why have you looked so down these past few days? Isn't it because Hedy's desertion hurt your teacher rating? I heard if your score isn't high enough, you'll lose your job and get sent home! You're the biggest victim here. So why are you still..."
"Chloe! That's enough!" the squad leader shouted, cutting her off. The room went silent.
Then someone spoke quietly: "There's no point blaming anyone now. We should focus on what to do next."
It was Susan.
She stood and addressed everyone. "Even if the teacher's rating affects our future, we still have time to fix it. If we perform among the best from now on, we can make up for it."
"Yes!" the squad leader added enthusiastically. "Susan's right. Even if the rumor is true, so what? As long as we work harder, we can overcome a little setback."
But the room remained quiet.
Chloe muttered, "Whether we can be the best isn't just about how hard we work... It depends on Hedy."
All eyes turned to Hedy.
She looked at them expressionlessly and said nothing.
There was nothing to say.
They had already labeled her a burden. The only way to shake that off was through action. Words wouldn't change a thing now.
The squad leader tried again to rally the group. "We're all classmates,we should help each other. You've all seen how determined Hedy can be. If we support her, she will improve!"
Still, no one responded.
Even though Hedy had run for hours that day, no one believed she had the perseverance to improve her training. It just didn't fit the Hedy they thought they knew.
Sensing the tension, Susan stood up again.
"How about this?" she said. "Let's each use our strengths to help Hedy. Laura is great at chores, she can teach Hedy. Quella excels at basic academics, she can tutor her. Chloe is our top athlete,she can help with physical training. And for combat and shooting, the squad leader can step in. If needed, I'll help too."
The people Susan named looked pleased. She had publicly praised them and herself.
Chloe puffed out her chest. "Physical training is my specialty! As long as Hedy's not afraid of hard work, I will boost her performance!"
Laura and Quella also agreed to the plan.
The squad leader beamed. 'Finally, a solution! And it was a good one.'
"Hedy, did you hear that?" he said, slightly emotional. "Everyone's willing to help you. You have to work hard!"
No one asked if she agreed, the decision was made for her.
After the meeting, the others gathered around the squad leader and left. Only Hedy and Susan remained.
Susan turned to her, face cold. "See? You hurt everyone, and they're still willing to help you. Tomorrow, when the instructor asks why you deserted, you'd better come up with a good excuse. Don't you dare say we bullied you."
She was pleasing the crowd while gagging Hedy's mouth.
Two birds with one stone.
Hedy didn't respond. She turned and walked away.
Behind her, Susan's calm voice rang out: "Aren't you afraid I'll show that thing to others?"
Hedy stopped, turned, and looked at her coldly. "If you really wanted to show that to others, you wouldn't have waited for me to come out of confinement."