The training camp only provided a massive camouflage backpack and two basins. Inside the backpack were a few sets of clothes and basic toiletries—a very minimalist setup.
The backpack was a bit heavy, but it wasn’t much of an issue for Sang Ning. Even so, her back still bent slightly under the weight.
Life isn’t easy, Ningning sighed.
Following the guide, Sang Ning carried her backpack to the girls’ dormitory.
She happened to arrive at the dormitory during everyone’s lunch break. When Sang Ning pushed open the door, she found the curtains drawn, leaving the room pitch dark.
Everyone was sound asleep. Not wanting to disturb them, Sang Ning walked in quietly, placed her belongings by the door, and gently closed it again.
The dormitory was a four-person room with bunk beds. Three bunks were occupied, leaving only the lower bunk near the door available.
Sang Ning carefully climbed into the empty bed, her movements so quiet that they were almost ghost-like. Apart from a slight shift from the person above her, no one seemed to notice her presence.
She observed for a few seconds—it seemed the person above had only turned over.
Fortunately, the bed was ready and made up, so lying down to rest was straightforward.
The training camp was quite far away, and Li Juezhou insisted on driving her there. After sitting in the car for hours, Sang Ning felt like her body was falling apart. The sheer bliss of being able to lie down immediately upon entering the dorm was indescribable.
The curtains had an excellent blackout effect, creating a drowsy atmosphere. It didn’t take long for Sang Ning to close her eyes and drift off.
Sang Ning was jolted awake by a series of urgent whistles. Before she could process what was happening, someone had pulled back the curtains, flooding the room with light. The girl from the top bunk descended the ladder with a series of loud thuds, shaking the entire bed.
Sang Ning sat up and was greeted by the sight of the girl coming down from the top bunk.
"Hi—" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝕟𝕖𝕥
Before Sang Ning could finish her greeting, the girl suddenly let out a loud yelp.
The other two girls in the room simultaneously turned their attention to Sang Ning.
"You scared me to death! Who are you? Don’t tell me you’re the female lead from the movie?" The greeting from Sang Ning’s top bunk neighbor was anything but friendly.
"Lejun, this is Sang Ning. Sang Ning—you don’t recognize her? She was really popular online a while ago," said the girl from the opposite bed as she approached Sang Ning.
"Nope, don’t follow that stuff. There are so many celebrities out there—big and small. If I had to remember every single face and name, wouldn’t I be completely drained?" Wei Lejun’s attitude toward Sang Ning carried obvious hostility.
So being a lead actress means you get special treatment now? They’d been training like crazy and practically killing themselves, so why did Sang Ning get to arrive so late?
"Sang Ning, Lejun’s temper’s a bit fiery, but she doesn’t mean any harm. Don’t take her words to heart," chimed in the girl who had just tried to de-escalate. Smiling at Sang Ning, she continued, "I’m Huang Chengzi. The one in front of you is Wei Lejun, and the quiet one behind me is Sun Bangyu. We’re teammates from now on~"
Huang Chengzi matched the cuteness of her name both in appearance and voice.
"Huang Chengzi, you’re lying through your teeth! My tone was downright antagonistic. Which ear of yours didn’t hear that hostility toward Sang Ning?" Wei Lejun interjected grumpily.
Huang Chengzi pulled Sang Ning aside and whispered into her ear, "She’s got a contrarian personality—just let it slide."
"Huang Chengzi, what did you just say? I’m not deaf!" Wei Lejun shouted furiously in Huang Chengzi’s direction.
Sang Ning felt her eardrums vibrate slightly. With a voice like that, Wei Lejun could easily become one of the instructors—hers sounded no different from Instructor Zheng’s earlier.
"I didn’t say anything," Huang Chengzi stuck out her tongue at Wei Lejun.
The three of them were lively and noisy, but standing behind Huang Chengzi, Sun Bangyu was exceptionally quiet. She remained silent, staring at the ground as if in a daze. It was almost like she existed in a separate world from the other three.
"Is your friend okay? She looks like she’s not feeling well," Sang Ning whispered to Huang Chengzi.
Huang Chengzi smiled lightly. "Don’t worry. Xiao Yu’s a level-ten social anxiety sufferer—she gets lost in thought and zones out all the time. You’ll get used to it."
Sang Ning wasn’t sure how to respond, so she just smiled back.
Compared to the other two girls in the dorm, Huang Chengzi was far more enthusiastic and outgoing—a total extrovert. Sang Ning couldn’t help feeling like she was always meeting extroverts wherever she went.
Back when she was filming the rural reality show, Song Shiye was the epitome of an extrovert on the program. And just recently, her younger brother Sang Chuan had proven to be the same way. Huang Chengzi instantly reminded her of them—lively as ever.
Huang Chengzi and the others had been at the training camp longer than Sang Ning. As soon as they arrived at the camp, they’d been required to hand over their phones. So far, they were still completely cut off from the outside world.
The gossip about Sang Ning’s family and relationships hadn’t reached them at all. Huang Chengzi’s understanding of Sang Ning was entirely limited to her appearance on the rural reality show.
And because Sang Ning had left a very positive impression during the show, Huang Chengzi practically idolized her, eager to bond and get close.
While Huang Chengzi chatted away with Sang Ning, a sudden realization hit her. She exclaimed in panic, "Oh no! I completely forgot the instructor said we needed to gather within five minutes!"
Huang Chengzi’s words immediately jolted the other two awake. Wei Lejun and Sun Bangyu hurriedly threw jackets on over themselves, shoved their feet halfway into their shoes, and ran toward the door without bothering to fully put them on.
"Sang Ning, I’m heading off too—I’m not waiting for you!" Huang Chengzi yelled as she donned her cap mid-run, shouting ahead at the other two, "Why are you rushing? You haven’t even put your caps on yet!"
Sang Ning yanked a coat down from the top bunk and called after Huang Chengzi’s disappearing figure, "Hey! Your jacket and shoes aren’t on yet!"
But no one paid her any attention—everyone had already dashed out. Sang Ning simply put the jacket back where it belonged for now.
Instructor Zheng had said Sang Ning would officially start training this afternoon. Once the dorm emptied out, she pulled out the standardized uniform from her backpack and began changing.
Though it was called a training uniform, it was essentially the same outfit worn during military-style drills. Sang Ning suddenly felt like she was experiencing déjà vu from her freshman orientation days.
Sang Ning changed swiftly and efficiently, slipping into her training clothes in under two minutes.
When Sang Ning arrived at the ground-floor training field, she was met with three pairs of glaring eyes.
Other than Sun Bangyu, who merely glanced at her briefly before shifting her focus elsewhere, both Huang Chengzi and Wei Lejun stared fixedly at her.
The difference? Huang Chengzi’s gaze was filled with grievance, while Wei Lejun’s radiated pure rage.
"Instructor! I’m not okay with this! If there’s punishment, it needs to be fair—Sang Ning should run laps with the rest of us too!"