The onlookers had dispersed, and Song Lili calmed down somewhat.
"Are you... the leader of the Xilin Military Region?"
"Commander of the Independent Company directly under the Xilin Military Region, Duan Chen."
"If I were the person you just mentioned, you would already be dead, Tang Xiaohua."
Duan Chen sat back by the window, looking at Song Lili’s puzzled face, "Sit down."
Song Lili felt uneasy; she really remembered that man’s face! She also remembered his name was—
"Duan Shen, my twin brother, an extreme militarist, the terrorist leader who initiated the Xilin rebellion."
Duan Chen, Duan Shen, twin brothers?
Was fate playing such a trick on her?
"So the call you just took was from... Lu Ziqing?"
"..." Song Lili furrowed her brows.
"How do you know Duan Shen? How do you know he’s the head of the Xilin incident? This is a top military secret, never disclosed to the public."
Song Lili clenched her fists, annoyed at her own impulsiveness.
"I don’t want to say."
"If you don’t reveal the full truth, you will lose the eligibility to apply to Xilin Military Academy; considering this, do you still not want to speak?"
Song Lili frowned slightly and met Duan Chen’s gaze,
"I thought military school tested morality, intelligence, and physical ability; I didn’t expect it to test personal privacy."
"You thought I was a terrorist; didn’t you also not expect me to be a soldier?"
"Now it’s just the two of us; being honest only benefits you. If you get disqualified from the exam because of this at Xilin Military Academy... Considering the rough two days and nights it took to travel here, wouldn’t that be somewhat wasteful for a young girl like you?"
"Don’t keep calling me a young girl; it sounds awkward."
Song Lili was also temperamental, feeling that Lu Ziqing had plotted against her from behind.
He clearly knew the identity of the person sharing her carriage but said nothing!
Duan Chen, with his rugged and fierce appearance, was not ugly.
He glanced at Song Lili’s resentful face and said,
"Alright, I’ll change the question; why do you, a girl, want to apply to a military academy?"
"What? Does your military academy discriminate against women?"
Song Lili responded a bit aggressively, but Duan Chen didn’t mind,
"If you really have what it takes to be a soldier, no one would discriminate against you, whether you’re a young girl or just a kid."
Song Lili took a deep breath,
"I’ve wanted to be a soldier since I was young. There’s no other reason."
"But do you realize, everything you just did is not what a soldier should do."
Song Lili’s brows furrowed tightly,
"I just wanted to do what I could... Isn’t combating violence and promoting peace exactly what soldiers are supposed to do?"
"If the other person is a criminal, in a public place, crowded with civilians, your actions could hurt innocent people!"
Song Lili fell silent, realizing her impulsiveness as soon as she knew Duan Chen was the military leader...
"Heart, but no strength; courage, but no strategy. Able to wield a gun but unable to keep your cool, who can you protect, who can you save?"
The train pressed against the tracks, the sound mingling with the wind blowing into her ears.
The scenery outside the window passed frame by frame, from south to west, from high-rise buildings and steel structures to endless grass and shimmering lakes...
Duan Chen’s question stumped her, leaving her only with silence in response.
"You said you’ve wanted to be a soldier since you were a child, why is that?" Duan Chen didn’t press her further, shifting the question instead.