Chapter 28: It Cannot Be Treated as If It Never Happened

Seeing their reaction, Squad Leader Wu laughed instead. He continued, "Actually, I have no regrets about my military career, from being an ordinary soldier to a scout, and then to the special forces."

"In this era of peace, I have experienced things most soldiers have not. I can say I have been very fortunate."

"But when I arrived at the mess squad, everything was a new beginning. Although there are no special missions here, nor any danger, you cannot say it is useless."

"Perhaps in the eyes of many, it is the worst branch of service, not even considered 'real' soldiers. But those who say such things are certainly not true soldiers themselves."

"Here, you must understand that as long as you wear this uniform, no matter what your specialty is, you are a soldier."

"Even if you are only in the mess squad, you must do your best. Believe that... one day, someone will see your efforts."

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon them. "Even if you remain in the mess squad, there will be moments when you shine."

"Just like in this exercise, Xu Qiao's performance completely exceeded my expectations."

"Xu Qiao, although I don't know why you did those things in the past, the Xu Qiao I see now is excellent, hardworking, and ambitious."

Without further hesitation, he turned and walked away, feeling a touch of sorrow in his heart.

He stepped forward and patted Xu Qiao lightly on the shoulder. "Now that you're back, do well."

No one expected that she would not only stop being the 'bad apple' but even begin to train diligently.

If they could have joked about it before, they were now truly stunned, unable to believe that they were waiting for her and welcoming her back.

After staring at her in surprise for a moment, Squad Leader Guan Yuqi was the first to react. "We heard you were coming back, so we wanted to welcome you."

Bei Chuanchuan also smiled and said, "Xu Qiao, now that you're back in the communications squad, it won't be so easy to get home-cooked meals. If you're craving them, just come back, and we'll make them for you."

Having received her assurance, Guan Yuqi finally smiled and waved at everyone. "Alright, you've all heard her."

"So no matter where you go in the future, keep up the spirit you have now."

For a moment, everyone felt a bit reluctant to see her go.

They had thought everyone would be asleep, but tonight was truly special; no one had gone to bed yet, and they hadn't even taken off their uniforms.

This was a real eye-opener for everyone, and their attitudes toward Xu Qiao began to shift.

"This uniform, it seems simple to put on, but it is the dream of so many."

Unlike Yin Li, who simply could not learn, she had truly been causing trouble; a single bad apple nearly ruined the entire regiment.

Yet no one expected that she would perform so well during this exercise, which accelerated her departure.

"From today on, no one is allowed to bring up the past."

Knowing she was leaving, other than this farewell, no one spoke words of persuasion to make her stay.

Xu Qiao nodded firmly. "Squad leader, don't worry, I guarantee I won't repeat those mistakes."

"Never underestimate it!"

Hearing this, Xu Qiao’s expression turned serious. "Squad leader, don't worry, I... will certainly not let down this uniform."

Dinner ended. The meal had lasted a long time, and with lights-out approaching, it was time for Xu Qiao to leave.

"Since Xu Qiao is back, she is our comrade-in-arms, and there is nothing more to be said."

Cheng Yifei looked at her and nodded hesitantly. "We welcome you back... to the communications squad."

They had assumed that even with Squad Leader Wu, it would be impossible for her to change so quickly just by being in the mess squad.

But despite the reluctance, returning to the communications squad was indeed a better choice for her.

She looked at them in disbelief. "Are you... really welcoming me back?"

"The past is in the past. What we must do now is face the future."

Xu Qiao was not angry; she simply smiled, stood at attention, and gave them a military salute.

Judging by their expressions, their emotions seemed somewhat complex.

Guan Yuqi added quickly, "Yes, everyone was waiting here just to welcome you back."

Xu Qiao nodded firmly. "Don't worry, I will definitely keep working hard."

The others turned serious as well, exchanging glances with a sense of sentiment.

Squad Leader Wu nodded slightly. "Go back. From now on... we expect to hear good news from you."

Everyone laughed at his words.

Before she could finish, Cheng Yifei said, "Since it happened, why can't it be mentioned?"

"But from today on, you are back in our squad; it has a different meaning."

Except for the new recruits today, anyone could cook a meal for her.

The atmosphere turned awkward for a moment, but Guan Yuqi reacted quickly. "What 'smearing our reputation'? This exercise brought glory to our entire communications company."

She picked up her belongings—only a simple small backpack—and stood at the door, looking at them. "Squad leader, I... am returning to the communications squad."

In truth, when Xu Qiao began to change, they had realized she wouldn't stay here for long.

That was why Bei Chuanchuan had joked about it.

Guan Yuqi was left between laughter and tears. "Of course you'll come back every day, but just because you stay here doesn't mean you belong to the communications squad."

"As long as you don't drag our squad’s name through the mud again, we can barely accept it," a voice said from not far away.

As she spoke, feeling a bit awkward, she nudged Cheng Yifei, who was beside her, signaling her to speak.

Although she could still come here while in the communications squad, the moment she left, she would become an outsider to the mess squad.

Fortunately, this was the mess squad; the one thing they never lacked was cooks.

They had all heard what Xu Qiao was like before she arrived.

Although Xu Qiao understood what she meant, she still smiled and said, "I'm not coming back every day, so what is there to welcome?"

She sighed deeply and walked quickly back to the communications squad, entering the dormitory just before lights-out.

"Squad leader, what is this..." Xu Qiao looked at them in surprise.

Compared to other female soldiers, Xu Qiao was not particularly delicate, but she was quite particular about food. She didn't even need to taste it to know who was a good cook and who wasn't—she could tell just by the smell.

"Yifei..." a young girl beside her pulled her sleeve gently.

"Xiao Yu, don't mind me," Cheng Yifei shook her off and said directly, "Squad leader, it's not like you don't know how much trouble she caused us before."

"But now, just because she got lucky in an exercise, can everything from before just be treated as if it never happened?"

Hearing this, Guan Yuqi’s face darkened. "What do you mean, 'got lucky'? Why didn't you discover the enemy? Why didn't you avoid the enemy's sneak attack, or better yet, defeat the entire Blue Team force yourself?"