Chapter 24: The Overly Friendly Little Boy
Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr
Ling Lan assumed that the following tests would still be conducted individually, but unexpectedly, she found that that wasn't the case when she arrived at the site of the next test.
Both the stamina test and the speed test would be held at the same place — the academy’s large field.
When Ling Lan and Ling Qin arrived at the field and tried to enter, Ling Qin was immediately stopped by one of the waiting staff members at the entrance. He told them that parents and guardians were not allowed to accompany their child into the testing area.
Ling Lan did not need Ling Qin’s company to begin with; she had only let him tag along since she wasn’t able to refuse his kind intentions. Now, seeing Ling Qin’s worried eyes, she hurried to reassure him before saying a firm goodbye and entering the field. These thoughtful actions were noted by the staff member escorting Ling Lan into the field.
"You are surprisingly considerate …" praised the staff member. Among the many children who came for testing, he had seen many who cried and fussed, threw tantrums, or clung to their guardians — in contrast, Ling Lan’s mature handling of the situation amazed him.
Ling Lan merely smiled without saying anything in reply. She couldn’t very well say that she was already over 30 years old, which was why she wasn’t going to cling to her parents like other children, right?
Ling Lan’s calm and even-tempered attitude may have endeared her to the staff member, for he decided to provide an explanation as he pointed out the other children waiting ahead on the field grounds. "There are the children waiting to be tested. That group on the far right with less people is the commoner children, the middle group consists of children from military backgrounds, while the largest group on the left is made up of the descendants of the elite families."
Ling Lan looked towards where he pointed, and saw that there were already a lot of people gathered on the grass, all of whom were children enrolling for the year.
On the planet of Doha, there were countless scout academies just like this one; however, the one Ling Lan was trying to enrol in was reputed to be the best in Doha, with no close competition. Just to qualify for the enrolment tests, one had to either be from an elite family or a military family with a reserved spot, or else they would have to be like Ling Lan, who was an inheritor of premium military benefits. Those who inherited premium military benefits could come from commoner families, elite families, or even military systems, so the children on the field had knowingly or unknowingly drifted into three distinct camps.
Of course, if any of them failed the enrolment tests here, they would have to settle for the scout academy closest to their residence. This was the harsh reality of the matter — the Central Scout Academy of the Planet of Doha only accepted the best; they would not lower their standards just to boost their enrolment rates.
However, it should be noted that a large majority of the children who failed were those from the commoner families. The academy had released a statement to the public explaining that these children's physical fitness was not up to the academy’s standards. Whether that was true or if there was something fishy behind the matter, we will never know.
Because every year, this academy which claimed to only accept the best would still open two ‘Exception Classes’ for enrolment … to qualify, you’d have to have wealth, power, and status!
Ling Lan knew the staff member was trying to help her, so she responded with a bright smile. "Thank you!"
It should be noted that Ling Lan had a beautiful smile. This smile had been deeply ingrained into her bones, and as long as someone treated her well and with sincerity, she would be generous with it. In her past life, this smile had earned her the good will and affection of all the doctors and nurses who had treated her. And now, combined with the attractive face born from her good genes in this life, the sweetness of her smile had only intensified.
The staff member stared for a long moment, besotted. And then, he rubbed his nose lightly, peering around to the left and right. When he saw that no one else was paying attention, he said to her, "Little boy, don’t smile like that in the future. It’s for your own good."
If this child did not have enough social and political clout, it was better if he was more careful with his smile. Perhaps it wasn’t as dangerous now due to his young age, but in another five or ten years, this smile of his could very well be a problem.
Ling Lan was taken aback by this unexpected advice. But before she could ask about it, they had arrived at the fringes of the crowd and it was no longer safe to ask. Ling Lan could only wave goodbye under the staff member’s fond and worried gaze.
"Little Four, what do you think that person wanted to say?" asked Ling Lan with a slight frown on her face.
Little Four said nothing, but played a recording of Ling Lan’s previous smile within her mind. Till now, Ling Lan had never seen her current smile, though she knew that her original smile had been sweet enough to make people lower their guard and ease their spirits. However, looking at her smile now … she finally understood why that staff member had tried to warn her.
Dammit, looks like beauty is also a burden. In the past, she could only be considered pretty at most, with a sweet smile that could warm people’s hearts. But now, her androgynous appearance and her very attractive face somehow made that same sweet smile even sweeter, adding an almost seductive quality to it. And this was still as a six year old, if she were a little older …
Ling Lan was not so naïve as to believe that gay relationships did not exist in this era. Although she was a girl in reality, she still did not want a gay man to confess feelings for her.
Right then and there, Ling Lan decided that she could never smile like that again.
As Ling Lan neared the three groups, the children in all the groups started looking over at her curiously. As mentioned earlier, Ling Lan was a really good-looking child — even among the multitude of handsome men and beautiful women in this world, she would still be considered a top-notch beauty. With the honesty of youth, the children directly expressed their appreciation of her beauty with their focused attention. A pretty child was always popular.
In this manner, before Ling Lan could decide which group she should join, a well-built boy from the middle military group had started waving enthusiastically at her, shouting, "Here, here! Come quick!"
Ling Lan was nonplussed. Who the hell was this passionate fellow? He didn’t look familiar to her at all.
Still, his greeting helped her solve one of her worries, so she started walking slowly in his direction. Her slow pace was intentional — what if she had mistaken his greeting when he had actually meant it for someone else behind her? She wanted to avoid that embarrassment if possible.
However, it was soon proven that Ling Lan’s caution was unnecessary. That boy really had been calling out to her, because he had already run over to grab her hand in impatience before she had covered half the distance.
Ling Lan stared at the hand that covered her own with some consternation. Who the hell was he? How could he just grab her hand without asking as if they were familiar friends?
Hehe, don’t judge Ling Lan for her reaction. In the history of both of her lives, this was the first time a strange man, erm … little boy, had held her hand. Our intrepid little student Ling Lan was actually feeling shy.
They entered the group to the place the boy had run out from, but before the boy could say anything, a sulky voice could be heard saying, "Qi Long, who’s he?"
Ling Lan looked towards the voice and saw that it was a plump little girl who had spoken. The girl glared at her fiercely, as if she had taken away her favourite possession.
Ling Lan was rendered speechless once again. Did all children in this time go through puberty so early? This girl had already learned how to be jealous? That aside, shouldn’t she take a closer look before getting jealous? Couldn’t she see that ‘he’ was a little boy right now?
Ling Lan was also a little puzzled, as she felt that she probably looked better than Qi Long in her current body. Why did the plump little girl not seem to notice this, but had chosen without question to be jealous of her instead of wanting to get close to her? Could it be that she was just not the girl's type?
What Ling Lan did not know was that this world was no longer like her previous world where leanness was considered attractive. Here, the children were all raised with the understanding that stoutness, bulk, and health were beautiful, so Ling Lan’s weak and fragile beansprout look was not going to appeal to most of the female population, no matter how attractive her features were.
Qi Long had no idea that his little follower was jealous, focusing instead on introducing Ling Lan to his friends, "He was the one who was being tested before me in the strength test. Don’t look down on him ’cause he’s skinny, he’s really strong!" Qi Long liked to befriend those who he felt were stronger than him, as he felt that he could become stronger by mingling with them.
Ling Lan blinked. So that’s how Qi Long knew her.