plumnovel Chapter 0012: The Fragile Mentality of New Recruits
Chapter 0012: The Fragile Mentality of New Recruits
In the dormitory.
Cheng Cai walked in with a gloomy face, sat down without saying a word, and Xu Sanduo didn't notice Cheng Cai's expression at first. Seeing that Zheng Yingqi hadn't come in, he ran over and asked:
"Chengcai, where's Yingqi? Weren't you and he kept behind by the class monitor? Why hasn't he come in yet?"
Cheng Cai said with a dark face, "He can go wherever he wants. I'm not a mind reader, how would I know where he went?"
Xu Sanduo then noticed Cheng Cai's face, which was filled with regret and other negative emotions. He asked with concern, "Cheng Cai, are you alright? Did the squad leader scold you?" He wasn't very good at comforting people, but he still awkwardly said:
"It's okay, really. The class monitor said you're doing this for your own good. Our class monitor wouldn't have bad intentions, you..."
Before Xu Sanduo could finish speaking, Cheng Cai snapped, "Xu Sanduo? Aren't you annoying? Aren't you annoying? Can't you just leave me alone for a bit? Huh?"
Xu Sanduo looked at Cheng Cai with a wronged expression: "Cheng Cai... I..."
"Get away from me! Can't I be in a bad mood? Can't you just let me have some peace and quiet? Don't tell me your thoughts!" Cheng Cai yelled at Xu Sanduo, startled by Cheng Cai's sudden outburst. Xu Sanduo was stunned and speechless for a long time. The other recruits rushed forward and pulled Xu Sanduo away. Looking at Cheng Cai's flushed face, the recruits sighed inwardly.
The position of class monitor definitely fell to Zheng Yingqi!
Regarding the new squad leader, the new recruits in the fifth squad could all sense the rivalry between Zheng Yingqi and Cheng Cai. They privately speculated about who would ultimately become the squad leader. Since Wu Liuyi had specifically kept the two of them behind, the new recruits wondered if the selection of the squad leader was about to be finalized.
Judging from Cheng Cai's current appearance, the position of deputy squad leader will definitely fall to Zheng Yingqi!
Just then, Zheng Yingqi came in.
"He's just a deputy squad leader, and he can only be in that position for a little over two months. What's there to brag about?"
Zheng Yingqi also believed that the position of vice class monitor would almost certainly fall to him, but once he thought about it, he calmed down and did not show any arrogance or smugness. When he came back with Cheng Cai, he even took the time to go to the bathroom to relieve himself. After taking care of his urgent need, he became even calmer. His steps and demeanor when he came in were the same as always.
But others don't see it that way.
"When Zheng Yingqi came in, he brought a spring breeze with him, and he looked so smug. It's really different now that he's become the deputy squad leader!" the new recruits thought to themselves.
Amidst the stares of the new recruits, Zheng Yingqi entered and sat down as usual, before finally sensing the strange atmosphere in the dormitory.
Cheng Cai sat there, his face flushed and panting, while Xu Sanduo stood beside him, looking wronged. Fortunately, there were no tears in his eyes, but Zheng Yingqi wanted to kick him because of his pitiful and pathetic appearance.
[He has absolutely no guile.]
After glancing at Cheng Cai, Zheng Yingqi thought to himself, "He's still too green."
Clearing his throat, Zheng Yingqi said, "The squad leader just asked us to pass on a message to everyone: don't go out. He'll be coming over in a bit to announce something."
Is there something to announce?
The recruits understood immediately. Why ask anything else?
No wonder Cheng Cai looked like a defeated rooster, and no wonder Zheng Yingqi looked so smug when he came in.
He originally wanted to say something to Cheng Cai, at least to stop that silly boy from constantly arguing with Xu Sanduo, but considering the current mentality of the loser, he immediately gave up the idea and said to Xu Sanduo, "Sanduo, look at yourself now? If the squad leader comes in, won't he scold you again? Calm down, calm down, change your expression."
He got a little too cocky after all, and he even stole Wu Zhe's catchphrase, which hadn't even been shown yet.
Cheng Cai, watching Zheng Yingqi's performance, felt a surge of urge to break down; he desperately wanted to have a good fight with Zheng Yingqi.
Xu Sanduo glanced at Cheng Cai with some anger. Seeing Cheng Cai's face full of anger and embarrassment, he forced a smile. Although the smile was ugly, it was very firm.
Cheng Cai was so angry that he turned his head away, deciding to avoid seeing it altogether.
The new recruits looked at each other, and some resentment towards Cheng Cai began to rise in their hearts. They didn't owe him anything!
Wu Liuyi didn't keep the new recruits waiting long before he and Shi Jin arrived at the dormitory of the fifth squad. Seeing the squad leader and platoon leader arrive together, the new recruits hurriedly greeted them in their best form.
After saying a few polite words, Wu Liuyi said that it would be the platoon leader's turn to speak. The new recruits stood at attention, and Shi Jin said:
"Comrades, I have an announcement to make. Due to some reasons, the selection of the vice squad leader for our fifth squad has been temporarily postponed."
Postponed?
After Shi Jin finished speaking, Zheng Yingqi was stunned, Cheng Cai was stunned, and the new recruits were also stunned. Only Xu Sanduo seemed unaware, just smiling foolishly at Shi Jin.
This is actually a sign of happiness upon seeing Shi.
"It was supposed to be announced today, but due to some reasons, it has to be postponed. It will be announced the day after tomorrow at the latest. Don't be too surprised then," Shi Jin added with a smile. He was the most amiable to the new recruits, and they all liked this seemingly kind sergeant platoon leader. Most of the new recruits in the entire 2nd Platoon were thinking of joining Shi Jin's platoon after basic training.
This is probably what personal charisma is all about. In the second platoon, Shi Jin is kind and gentle, while Wu Liuyi is strict. The new recruits naturally prefer the kind platoon leader. But they don't realize that if they were to actually be under Shi Jin's command, Wu Liuyi would still be the deputy squad leader and would still be just as strict with them!
……
In the afternoon training, Cheng Cai's performance was far below par, and Zheng Yingqi's performance was also not good. Wu Liuyi was almost driven mad with anger. He kept correcting the two of them, and even scolded Xu Sanduo less often. The words he often said became:
"What's wrong with you? How could you do such a terrible job?"
"What's wrong? Where's your heart? Can't you use your heart?!"
He used to say things like, "Xu Sanduo, look at how your comrades are doing!"
In the afternoon training session, Xu Sanduo surprisingly became one of the spectators, whereas in the past, he was always the protagonist, the one being scolded!
Cheng Cai's performance was far below par because he knew that he had no chance with the deputy squad leader. He even suspected that it was because of his act of offering him a cigarette that his deputy squad leader had slipped away—otherwise, why would the platoon leader have said, "But for some reasons, this matter can only be put on hold"?
The thought of this made Cheng Cai want to bang his head against the wall; he was filled with regret.
The biggest reason for Zheng Yingqi's poor performance in the afternoon training should be this mentality: I work so hard and am so excellent, why am I not the candidate for vice class leader? Even after Cheng Cai made a mistake, I was not considered directly for the position, but was discussed again later.
Clearly, he drew the same conclusion as Cheng Cai from Shi Jin's words, which greatly frustrated Zheng Yingqi.
Fortunately, he knew in his heart that if Cheng Cai failed to be selected, he would have a 70% chance of becoming the class vice-president.
Even so, Zheng Yingqi still felt a sense of being discouraged, which caused him to perform poorly in the afternoon training sessions.
Xu Sanduo watched the two people being called out one after another, thinking to himself:
This was the most grueling training session for the Fifth Platoon so far. Their two previously top performers seemed completely lost, making countless mistakes. I, who should have been constantly reprimanded, was relegated to the sidelines as they lagged behind. Watching them being scolded by the platoon leader made me unhappy, because one of them was my best friend, even though he often yelled at me; the other was my best comrade-in-arms, a comrade who protected me like an older brother.