Ten

Although the physical education standards for the high school entrance exam were stringent, after a summer of lazy indulgence and the intense competition at the start of term in key schools, everyone’s athletic abilities had more or less regressed to where they were before the ninth grade. Just three consecutive days of standing through formation drills had left them all exhausted, as if their bones had turned to mush. In the steamy bathhouse, hot water cascaded from the showerhead, utterly relaxing their weary bodies.

“If only there were a big pool full of hot water to soak in—my knees ache so much,” Zhu Xinyi, who shared the room, lingered under the showerhead, letting the hot water soothe her aching joints even after she’d finished washing.

“You wish! Hurry up and get dressed. There are only nine minutes left—if you’re too slow and the boys come in and see everything, don’t blame me for not warning you.”

There were no female soldiers at the training camp, and only one communal bathhouse, so the instructors scheduled the girls first, then switched over to the boys. The girls were only allotted thirty minutes, so Wu Ziqing wore a waterproof watch to keep track of the time.

Huang Qi turned off the tap, heading to the changing room, and caught sight of Bai Luyao in the corner, still scrubbing hard at the dirt on her skin. Her fair skin was marked with red streaks from the friction. Huang Qi reminded her, “There’s less than ten minutes left. Hurry up a bit—it’s so hot, we shower every day anyway, you don’t need to scrub so thoroughly.”

Bai Luyao nodded silently and continued rubbing at her chest.

Bai Luyao was notoriously slow at everything. At dinner, her sluggishness meant she ended up with nothing after trying to snatch food with the ravenous boys, and had to make do with two plain buns. Worried she’d dawdle and lose track of time again, Huang Qi kept an eye on her, only relaxing when she saw Bai Luyao following her out to get dressed.

Bai Luyao first used a towel to dry off her body, then switched to another towel for her hair, before meticulously applying skincare products, hair oil, and body lotion in turn. By the time Huang Qi and Wu Ziqing were fully dressed, she was still rubbing lotion into her calves. The bathhouse was thick with steam. Wu Ziqing said to Huang Qi, “Why don’t we wait outside? It’s too hot in here, I’m sweating all over again. There’s a clock on the wall anyway, they can see the time.”

Outside the bathhouse, a single dim streetlamp lit the way. Of the eight girls sharing their room, Wu Ziqing and Huang Qi were the quickest, finishing first. After a couple of minutes, the others emerged as well. Wu Ziqing called out, “Is everyone here?”

Zhu Xinyi replied, “There are six of us here!”

Imitating a TV driver, Wu Ziqing snapped her fingers, “Alright! Time to head home!” The group of girls, carrying clothes and toiletries, laughed and chatted as they walked back toward the dormitory.

At the fork outside the bathhouse, they ran into a group of boys heading in to shower. With their camouflage uniforms off, some wore only vests and shorts, others were bare-chested, and a few sported tattoos of dubious taste. Spotting the freshly bathed, pajama-clad girls with damp hair, the boys whistled and cracked lewd jokes in their local dialects.

Wu Ziqing had no desire to get into a confrontation. Tangling with these troublemakers would only put the girls at a disadvantage, so she stood to the side, face set in a stern line, waiting for the boys to pass. The boys, for their part, had no real intentions beyond teasing, and moved on after a few crass remarks.

Huang Qi glanced back, watching as the boys entered the bathhouse. The girls kept walking toward the dorms, but suddenly, one girl broke away from their group and hurried to join another cluster of classmates ahead. Only then did Huang Qi realize she was from the neighboring class and had been walking with them in the dim light by mistake. Their own group actually had only seven people.

Wu Ziqing noticed too, scanning the faces of the remaining girls. “Where’s Yao Yao? Where did she go? Didn’t we say we’d only leave when everyone was here?”

Zhu Xinyi, who’d answered earlier, panicked, “The bathhouse was all foggy, and I wasn’t wearing my glasses… I just saw six people come out together, how was I supposed to know…”

Wu Ziqing’s face turned pale. “Yao Yao’s still in the bathhouse! That gang of hooligans just went in!”

As if to confirm her words, a sudden, sharp scream from a girl echoed from the direction of the bathhouse, abruptly cut off as if stifled.

By now, all the girls had returned to the dorms, and the other boys hadn’t arrived yet. Only the seven of them were left nearby. Recalling the looks and words of those boys, the girls were gripped with fear, their voices trembling as they asked Wu Ziqing, “Wh-what do we do?”

Wu Ziqing was their anchor, but she, too, was just an ordinary girl raised in comfort. Her face was ashen with terror. She ran forward a few steps, then stopped. “Go find a teacher… Quickly, get a teacher and an instructor!”

Their terror found an outlet. They all bolted after Wu Ziqing toward the dormitory building. But Wu Ziqing heard footsteps behind her that didn’t match the group. Looking back, she saw Huang Qi had broken away and was running in the direction of the bathhouse alone.

Wu Ziqing called out, “Huang Qi! What are you doing?” But Huang Qi didn’t respond, sprinting straight into the bathhouse. Wu Ziqing hesitated, then decided to find a teacher first.

Huang Qi burst into the bathhouse. At the innermost changing room, two boys were posted as lookouts. Not expecting any girls to return, one of them reached out casually to block her. “Out, out, girls’ shower time is over.”

Huang Qi brushed his hand aside and charged in.

Inside, Bai Luyao was pinned against a locker by two boys holding her arms, one with a towel pressed over her mouth. She was clad only in a pink cartoon nightdress, the elastic neckline pulled askew, exposing her pale, full chest and cleavage, now marked with red streaks from rough handling. The lingering steam and scents of shampoo and body wash mixed with the tense, charged air, and the boys around them wore strange, excited expressions.

In the center, a burly, tattooed boy—clearly their leader—had his left hand over Bai Luyao’s chest. As she struggled desperately, his hand slipped inside her neckline, and he let out a lewd groan, his right hand fumbling impatiently with his belt.

A scrawny boy nearby hesitated, “Boss, this is the army base, isn’t this going a bit far? It’s enough to cop a feel of No. 1 High’s campus belle, no need to really go through with it, right?”

The leader chuckled, “What’s there to be scared of? This isn’t my first time. As long as you don’t go all the way, it’s not considered rape. The cops can't do anything to a bunch of kids like us, get it? Pay attention, rookies.”

Huang Qi took in the scene and, forcing her voice low and gruff, shouted, “Stop! What are you doing? Move aside, move aside!”

The lackeys, already nervous, were startled by the sudden deep female voice—thinking a teacher had caught them, their grip loosened. Huang Qi seized the chance to shove aside the boy muffling Bai Luyao, grabbed a towel from a bench, wrapped it around Bai Luyao’s chest, and pulled her behind for protection.

Bai Luyao was utterly terrified, her face streaked with tears and snot. She trembled violently behind Huang Qi, clutching her back, unable to speak, only emitting guttural, choking sounds.

Huang Qi whispered, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here. The teachers will be here soon.”

The boys, shocked at first, quickly realized they’d been bluffed by a mere girl and grew angry and embarrassed. The tattooed leader buckled his belt, rubbing his nose. “Well, well, what’s this? The heroine coming to the rescue?”

There were seven or eight boys in the changing room, and three or four more loitering in the corridor. The leader was older and more muscular than the rest, his movements practiced—clearly used to fighting. Huang Qi knew that even one of them would be difficult; with Bai Luyao to protect, she could only try to buy time for the teachers to arrive.

The boys, seeing her calm and resolute expression, hesitated, unsure how to act. The leader snorted, “What’s wrong? Scared of a little girl? Get her out of the way! First one to pin her gets to keep her!”

A boy sneered, “This one’s so dark and flat, who’d want her? I’ll wait my turn for the campus belle’s big boobs!” The others burst into raucous laughter.

As they joked, one reached to grab Huang Qi by the shoulder. Before he could touch her, she struck his elbow with a swift hand chop from below. Caught off guard, the boy clutched his elbow, mouth opening and closing in pain, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.

The others, seeing only that Huang Qi had hit him, jeered, “Seriously? Made you cry with just one hit from a girl?”

The boy, after a moment, wiped his tears and snot. “She hit my funny bone! Try it yourself if you dare!”

More boys from the vocational school trickled in, peering into the changing room. The tattooed leader said, “Well, looks like we’ve got a little fighter on our hands. My respects, heroine.”

But that earlier success had been a lucky shot; now, the rest were wary, tightening the circle around the two girls. Huang Qi’s heart pounded—she had no real hope of winning—but she held Bai Luyao close. “Don’t you dare do anything!”

The leader laughed heartily, “And if we do? What are you going to do about it, heroine?”

By now, a crowd had gathered in the corridor, eager for drama. Suddenly, a tall, thin boy squeezed through, stepping in front of Huang Qi and blocking the leader’s outstretched hand.

He wore camouflage, his hat still on, long hair sticking out from under the brim, obscuring his neck. From Huang Qi’s angle, only half his ear was visible, but she recognized him at once. “Xiao—”

“So it’s you again, Sha Zhouyin,” the leader said. “Can’t you mind your own business? Didn’t you learn your lesson last time?”

Huang Qi wasn’t afraid of being hit herself, but seeing Xiao Ying struck in front of her was intolerable. She bristled, ready to spring. “How dare you hit him! I—”

Sha Zhouyin turned and held her back. With Bai Luyao still clutching her from behind, she didn’t leap at the leader. Xiao Ying shook his head at her, then turned to the leader. “Boss, we’re in the army’s territory. Don’t make a scene.”

But the leader ignored him, “What did you just call me? Did you guys hear what he called me?”

The lackeys chimed in, “He called you boss!”

The leader grinned. “And these two girls, what are they to you? You backing down just for them? Weren’t you preaching at us the other day about staying out of gangs? How come you—”

Sha Zhouyin cut him off, “You’re the boss at our school, sure. But here, in this military camp, you’ve seen the soldiers—if there’s real trouble, we’re the ones who’ll suffer. These two girls are from No. 1 High, and a lot of their students have powerful families. You never know who might be related to the mayor or a bureau chief. Best not to cause trouble, right?”

Huang Qi was surprised. She’d never expected such words from Xiao Ying.

A few timid boys were persuaded. “He’s got a point, boss. More and more people are gathering outside. We can’t—well, you’ve already had your fun, right? Touched the campus belle’s chest. If you want more, we can try again next time, eh?”

The leader stroked his chin, considering, when a lookout burst in. “Boss, bad news! Someone’s tipped off the teachers—No. 1 High’s teachers and students are all coming!”

The leader’s face darkened. He swung a punch at Sha Zhouyin. “So you’re playing games with me, huh? Can’t get into No. 1 High so you’re sucking up to them instead?”

Huang Qi couldn’t stand by and watch Xiao Ying be hit again. She pushed past him to grab the leader’s arm. “Our roommate went for the teachers. If you want to hit someone, hit me!”

Outside, hurried footsteps echoed, and Huang Qi heard the shrill voice of the homeroom teacher. “Hurry! Bai Luyao! Where are you?”

At the sound of her teacher, Bai Luyao’s nerves finally gave way. She curled into a ball and began to scream—a shrill, piercing wail that seemed impossible from such a gentle girl. For a moment, everyone in the changing room felt as if their eardrums were slashed by metal, a ringing that left them momentarily stunned, even Huang Qi and the tattooed leader frozen mid-movement.

The homeroom teacher and vice principal burst in, followed by several male teachers. The vocational school boys, cowed by the presence of teachers, made way without protest. When a male teacher tried to approach Bai Luyao, she screamed and flailed, refusing to be touched. She let only Huang Qi near. Supported by Huang Qi and shielded by teachers, they hurried out of the bathhouse.

As they left, Huang Qi glanced back. Sha Zhouyin was still among the boys, but Bai Luyao needed her more. Wrapping her arms tightly around Bai Luyao, she quickly led her away.

Outside, other teachers and students arrived. When the boys from No. 1 High saw Bai Luyao’s state, their anger boiled over. “Damn it! Those vocational punks have gone too far! Peeking at our girls changing, and assaulting Bai Luyao!”

Who was Bai Luyao? The flower of the honors class, the goddess admired from afar by countless boys, who would have considered even imagining touching her as blasphemy. And yet, these thugs had cornered her in the bathhouse and molested her! Just the thought of it was infuriating.

A mass of boys from No. 1 High charged into the bathhouse for retribution. The teachers couldn’t stop them. The two schools’ boys clashed in a chaotic brawl, and it took more than a hundred soldiers from the training base, firing warning shots, to finally restore order.