Chapter 6 Because I Want
Construction is always more difficult than destruction!
After leaving a bad impression on someone, it will undoubtedly take more effort to change their mind.
This is the case with Xu Yan now. It has been ten days since he was discovered cheating. During these ten days, he has changed his usual playful and smiling face and has been standing at attention and squatting outside the army every day, trying his best to make up for his lost credibility. The sweat on his face and body has never stopped, but it is of no avail. Tang Jue has never looked at him again and seems to have given up on him.
After squatting in horse stance for half an hour, Xu Yan drank some salt water, rested for a few minutes, looked deeply at the troops, and stood up again, this time at attention.
I saw that his feet were separated by 60 degrees, his legs were straight, his thumbs were placed on the second joint of his index fingers, his hands were hanging naturally and close together, he straightened his chest, tightened his abdomen, raised his head, looked forward, stretched his shoulders back, and leaned his body slightly forward, so that the center of gravity was on the front of his feet. He stood in a very standard military posture.
Xu Yan stood steadily in place, without shaking or moving, like a sculpture. Only the slightly rising and falling of his chest and the sweat silently flowing down his cheeks proved that he was a human being.
Some people say that standing at attention is the mother of all military movements. It can best coordinate the internal energy with every muscle and bone in the body, perfectly stretch the energy and strength, form the greatest combined force, and stand like a tall and strong pine tree.
Xu Yan now felt like he was that strong pine tree. He didn’t know if it was an illusion. Following the method his father had always taught him, he seemed to really feel air flowing in his body. One stream went from his lower abdomen down his legs, making his legs straight and tight like pillars, his feet powerful and tightly grasping the ground; one stream went up from his lower abdomen, spreading to his shoulders and the top of his head, making his shoulders level and his head upright against the sky, his eyes staring straight ahead without looking sideways, even when the wind blew and the sand blew, he didn’t blink; one stream tightened his abdomen and lifted his hips, protecting his body, making his body as strong as steel…
Ten minutes... twenty minutes... thirty minutes...
As time went by, his breathing became heavier, his legs felt heavy as if they were filled with lead, and every part of his body ached, but he gritted his teeth and persisted... In his dictionary, there has never been the word "surrender". The more Tang Jue ignored him, the more he aroused his fighting spirit. Since the other party was dismissive, he would persist until the other party recognized him!
A few days passed in the blink of an eye. One day, Xu Yan was standing at attention when a light rain suddenly fell from the sky. The rain and sweat blurred his eyes. He couldn't tell whether it was rain or sweat. Xu Yan stood upright like a pine tree, his eyes didn't blink, and deep in his eyes, there was a flash of unyielding fierceness...
Just as Xu Yan was gritting his teeth and holding on, a commercial vehicle with the words "Donghai Morning News" written on it passed by the entrance of the army. A fashionable female reporter in the car accidentally saw Xu Yan in the rain and suddenly shouted to the driver: "Stop!"
"What's the matter?" The driver stepped on the brakes and the car stopped by the roadside.
The fashion reporter pointed in the direction of Xu Yan and said, "Go back!"
"They are just ordinary soldiers standing at attention. There is nothing to interview about them!" The driver curled his lips and didn't take it seriously, but he backed the car as he was told.
"You'll regret being a soldier for two years, but you'll regret not being a soldier for the rest of your life. Many people have a military complex. If we get some explosive information and report it, I believe the public will be interested."
The female reporter's eyes flickered, and she remembered several titles in an instant, such as "Unveiling the real life of the army", "Military posture in the rain shows the soul of soldiers", "Problematic soldiers are punished in the rain", etc. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that it was worth digging deeper.
The car backed up to Xu Yan's side, and the window rolled down. The female reporter looked through the window and asked Xu Yan, "Hello, I'm Zhang Lan, a reporter from the Donghai Morning News. Can I interview you?"
Xu Yan shook his head to get rid of the rain on his face, and looked at the female reporter. She looked to be about twenty-one or twenty-two years old. She was wearing a smart professional suit, but it could not hide her curvy figure. Perhaps because of her job, she had to run around for interviews frequently. She maintained a body that was well-trained through long-term exercise, without a trace of excess fat. The skin exposed outside the suit was dazzlingly white.
The most eye-catching thing is her eyes. Under her delicate and flawless facial features are a pair of green eyes, which are rare in the East. Her emerald eyes are as deep as a dream, carrying an indescribable temptation. She has the immaturity of a girl and the charm of a mature woman. The perfect combination of immaturity and charm in her is enough to drive any man crazy.
After a moment of distraction, Xu Yan came back to his senses and frowned unhappily. Although Zhang Lan was a good-looking lady, her attitude made him very unhappy. She wanted to interview him but didn't even get out of the car, which was a bit too much. In addition, he had been standing at attention outside the army for nearly half a month but still couldn't impress Captain Tang. Xu Yan was a little impatient, so when faced with Zhang Lan's questions, he just rolled his eyelids and chose to ignore them.
Seeing Xu Yan staring at her in a daze, Zhang Lan raised her pretty eyebrows, with a little more disdain in her eyes. She thought Xu Yan was just like those stinky men who coveted her beauty and was deceived by her beauty, so she asked directly: "Are you a soldier?"
"No!" Xu Yan said lightly.
Hearing Xu Yan's words, Zhang Lan became more excited and continued to ask: "Then why are you standing here at attention?"
Raindrops fell down, landing on the roof of the commercial vehicle and rebounding on Xu Yan's face, making his already sore eyes even more uncomfortable. Facing Zhang Lan's question, Xu Yan said impatiently: "I want to stand at attention, please don't disturb me."
"What's your attitude? What's wrong with us interviewing you? Why are you acting like a big shot? Do you think you are a big star ? I tell you this is a great opportunity to become famous. Many people are begging us to interview them, but we still don't want to interview them. Don't be ungrateful!" the driver said indignantly.
Upon hearing this, Xu Yan was immediately annoyed. Seeing Zhang Lan smiling , although he did not agree, he did not stop the driver from speaking. Obviously, he also had the same attitude. He wiped the rain off his face and asked with a smirk, "What do you want to know?"
If Da Zui or Xiao Sa were here, they would definitely know that Xu Yan must not be provoked at this time, and it would be best to stay as far away as possible, otherwise they would definitely be in trouble. However, Zhang Lan and the others didn't know this, and thought Xu Yan was moved. The two looked at each other, and Zhang Lan asked, "Why are you standing here at attention?"
"Why did Lao Tzu write the Tao Te Ching?" Xu Yan asked instead of answering.
"Why?" Zhang Lan was confused and asked subconsciously. He didn't understand what his question had to do with his own problem.
"Because I want to!"
After saying these cold words, Xu Yan turned and walked away, leaving Zhang Lan dumbfounded, and then angry.
"Stop right there!" Zhang Lan was furious and pretended to get out of the car to argue with Xu Yan.
The driver quickly stopped her and advised, "Zhang Lan, forget it. There's nothing to say to such an uneducated person. Let's go back quickly. The newspaper is still waiting for our manuscript!"
As the driver tried to stop him, Zhang Lan took a few deep breaths, glared at Xu Yan fiercely, and said angrily: "Just wait, I will definitely expose your ugly behavior!"
Zhang Lan returned to the office angrily , sat down on a stool, turned on the computer and began to edit a press release. Soon, an article criticizing Xu Yan was completed. It was one or two thousand words long and did its best to discredit Xu Yan, saying that he was a parasite in the army and had tarnished the image of soldiers, etc.
After checking it carefully twice, Zhang Lan nodded with satisfaction, knocked on the door of the editor-in-chief's office, and handed the manuscript to him for review, hoping that it could be reported. However, things took a turn at this moment.
The editor was very interested in the photos Zhang Lan had taken, but he disagreed with her manuscript and insisted on asking her to revise it. He even decided on the title, "The Strong Pine Tree Outside the Army". The content of the manuscript also changed from the original crusade against Xu Yan to a passionate young man with great ambitions, who insisted on joining the army to defend his country, like a strong pine tree outside the army...
After hearing what the editor-in-chief said, Zhang Lan was stunned!
She wanted to discredit Xu Yan and make him look bad, so how could she praise him!
