Rebirth of a Mercenary: The Ace Mercenary Forced to Be the Beloved of the Group

Bai Ye stood in the line, his gaze sweeping over his future classmates. Two people stood at the very front of the line.

One had black hair, and the other had blonde hair.

The one with black hair was very tall, with broad shoulders and long legs, standing there like an iron spear driven into the ground. His black hair was cut very short, making his facial features appear even more hard and cold. The most striking feature was his eyes—deep purple, gleaming with an almost inky dark light in the sunlight, like two pools of water frozen for a thousand years.

The blond one stood next to him, much more relaxed, hands in his pockets, his blond hair gleaming brightly against the dusty playground. A smile played on his lips, making him seem very amiable, but what was hidden in his golden eyes was far more complex than his smile.

Bai Ye lowered her eyelashes and looked away.

"Class One."

The dark-haired man spoke. His voice was low, with the texture of sandpaper scraping against wood, so brief that it didn't even have any extra punctuation.

"I am Li Mo, the class monitor of Class 1. This is Lu Xiao, the vice class monitor."

He tilted his chin toward the blond man beside him.

Lu Xiao pulled his hand out of his pocket, waved to the new recruits, and smiled as brightly as if he were on a spring outing.

"Let's go, let's go, keep up, don't fall behind. Anyone who gets lost on the first day has to buy drinks for the whole class."

After saying that, he winked at Zhao Xiaohu and Qian Duoduo.

Zhao Xiaohu and Qian Duoduo felt a chill run down their spines from that smile, and for some reason, they felt like they were being watched.

The dormitory building was an old four-story structure with a slightly worn beige paint on the exterior walls, and several camouflage uniforms were drying on the corridor railings. Li Mo pushed open the dormitory door for Class One and stepped aside to make way for the entrance.

"Go in."

Ten people carrying bags rushed in.

The dormitory wasn't large, with three bunk beds on each side of the wall, totaling twelve beds. A narrow aisle ran through the middle, ending at a window with a drooping potted green ivy on the windowsill. The air was thick with the mixed smell of disinfectant and wood, and the floor, recently mopped, still felt damp.

Bai Ye chose a lower bunk by the window and placed her bag on the bed board. Her movements were swift and decisive, without hesitation.

Xuanxiao threw his bag on the bunk above him.

Bai Ye looked up and glanced at him.

Xuanxiao looked down at him, smiling innocently: "What's wrong? Upper bunk and lower bunk, aren't they a good match?"

Bai Ye ignored him and continued tidying up her things.

Xuanxiao wasn't annoyed. He braced himself on the edge of the bed with both hands and lightly leaped onto the upper bunk. His movements were so light that he made almost no sound, like a cat landing on the ground.

Lu Xiao stood at the door, smiling as he watched the new recruits frantically rummaging through their luggage, grabbing lockers, and searching for slippers in the dormitory. His gaze lingered for a moment on Xuan Xiao's neat and efficient movements on the upper bunk, and then on Bai Ye's quiet profile as he organized his belongings.

Then he looked down at the watch on his wrist.

Five minutes.

The sound wasn't loud, but everyone in the dormitory heard it.

"Five minutes to pack your things, make your beds, and put your personal belongings away. After five minutes, everyone, regardless of whether you've finished packing, must gather downstairs."

He held up five fingers and shook them.

"Let's begin."

The dormitory instantly erupted in chaos.

Five minutes?!

"I forgot the combination to my suitcase!"

"Who saw my towel? I was just holding it in my hand!"

Zhao Xiaohu and Qian Duoduo were like two meatballs launched at the same time, one lunging towards the cabinet and the other towards the bed. Qian Duoduo took a couple of steps, tripped over her shoelace, and stumbled a couple of steps before regaining her balance, her face jiggling.

Bai Ye had already made the bed. Holding the two corners of the sheet with both hands, she shook it, unfolded it, and tucked it in, fitting the four corners perfectly under the mattress. She flipped the pillowcase over and put it on, the movements as fluid as if she had done it a thousand times.

Then he opened his bag.

The bag contained very little: two sets of clothes, a set of toiletries, a spare pair of shoes, and a notebook with a worn cover. Everything was taken out, sorted, and placed in the closet.

The whole process takes no more than two minutes.

A slight noise came from the upper bunk; Xuanxiao had finished packing his things.

Lu Xiao leaned against the door frame, his gaze shifting from Bai Ye. The smile in his golden eyes faded, replaced by something else.

Making the bed and tidying up all personal belongings in two minutes—this efficiency isn't innate; it's trained. Even if new recruits prepare before enlisting, tidying up their quarters is still inevitably chaotic. But Bai Ye wasn't. Every movement he made was precise, efficient, and without a single unnecessary step, like a calibrated machine.

This is not the level of skill a sixteen-year-old should have.

Unless someone taught him.

They started teaching very early and were very strict.

Lu Xiao put down his watch and flashed a flawless smile.

"Three minutes left, hurry up!"

Xuan Xiao jumped down from the upper bunk, landing silently. He glanced at Bai Ye's bed, which was made up like a perfect square, then looked at his own bed, which was made fairly neatly but far from meeting that standard, and his lips twitched.

"Did you measure this bed sheet with a ruler?"

Bai Ye ignored him.

"Really, did you secretly bring a protractor?"

Bai Ye stood by the window, looking at the potted green ivy that was almost dying of thirst, and reached out to pick off a withered leaf.

Xuanxiao leaned against the bedpost, arms crossed, and remained silent, watching Bai Ye pick at the withered leaves. His amber eyes were fixed intently on the wilted leaves of the pothos, his eyelashes gleaming with a pale gold in the sunlight, making him appear quiet and harmless.

He was a completely different person from the one who stepped on the thief in the square.

Three minutes have passed.

Lu Xiao clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.

"Time's up! Let's go eat. This is your first meal in the barracks, so make sure you eat your fill—after all, you'll miss today starting tomorrow."

He said this with a bright smile, as if he were announcing good news.

Zhao Xiaohu and Qian Duoduo exchanged a glance, both reading the same premonition in each other's eyes.

It’s over.

Li Mo walked over from the end of the corridor and nodded to Lu Xiao.

Lu Xiao stepped aside to clear the doorway, raised his chin at the new recruits, his golden hair still shining brightly in the shadows of the corridor.

"Everyone come out and follow your squad leader, Li. The canteen is 200 meters to the right downstairs. If you get lost, no one will come back to find you."

When Bai Ye walked out of the dormitory, the September wind blew in from the end of the corridor, carrying the aroma of food from the cafeteria and the smell of dust from the training field in the distance.

He followed at the very back of the first class, his back straight, his pace neither hurried nor slow.

Behind him, Lu Xiao watched his retreating figure, his golden pupils narrowing slightly. Then he looked away, followed him, and his carefree smile returned to his face.

"Let's go eat."