The Contents of the Box

Silence is the key; otherwise, breakfast today will be ruined for sure! The instructor noticed all eyes fixed intently on the box behind him and glanced back.

With a sly grin, he addressed the entire class, "Are you all eager to see what's inside this box?"

The students, heads bowed, opened their wide, eager eyes. They wanted to nod but dared not move, restrained by the instructor’s authority. The chief instructor lowered his head, chuckling mysteriously—an eerily unsettling sight!

With a glance, the chief instructor signaled another instructor to open the box. That instructor stepped forward, tore off the tape with a loud rip, revealing the contents inside without any concealment.

A pile of blue fabric lay before them. Question marks seemed to hover above every head. What was this? It wasn’t edible—what use could it possibly have? The greater the hope, the deeper the disappointment.

Just moments ago, everyone had been cheering with joy, but now their spirits plummeted to the depths. Thunderstorm raged within their hearts as the sound of broken dreams echoed around. Their faces etched with grievance, they stared at the box, as if blaming it for containing such useless cloth.

The chief instructor swept a gaze across the crowd, a cold smile curling at the corners of his lips: "There’s enough for everyone."

One by one, each student received a set of what appeared to be wrist guards, but their weight rivaled iron bands. Each person looked down at the objects in their hands, a strong sense of foreboding creeping into their hearts.

The chief instructor, clearly proud, addressed the students beneath him: "As you can see, these are wrist and ankle guards with lead weights added. Now, put on what you’ve been given!"

Almost immediately after his words, everyone felt their futures darken. For these pampered sons and daughters of wealthy families, wearing these would make even walking unbearable.

Not to mention the rigorous training that would follow—the very thought was suffocating. Yet, when they looked up to the stern, fierce expression of the chief instructor, fear overwhelmed all other emotions.

In the end, all could do was wear the weighted guards reluctantly, their faces heavy with unwillingness. Shangguan Xiao stared at the item in her hand, seemingly hesitating.

A classmate beside her nudged her elbow and whispered urgently, "Shangguan, hurry up and put it on! Everyone else is almost done. Stop hesitating!"

After speaking, she glanced up to check the chief instructor at the front—he hadn’t noticed their side yet. She touched her lips nervously. Shangguan Xiao smirked faintly; it wasn’t that she didn’t want to put them on—she already had a set on her arms!

And her set was even heavier than the ones handed out by the instructors. If she wore both... who knew what might happen! Well, whatever. She might as well put them on—after all, it wouldn’t cost her any flesh.

With that thought, Shangguan Xiao donned the wrist guards. Fortunately, her arms were slender, so wearing two at once made it look like she had extra long sleeves. She flexed her arms and legs, noticing no discomfort.

With the added weight, these pampered children felt extremely uneasy. After putting them on, they began pacing in place restlessly—the result was inevitable.