She’s a Passerby, But Can See the Protagonist’s Halo

Yan's family was well-off, and due to her unique experiences growing up, she often received generous gifts from influential people around her.

However, even so, the ice-jade bracelet on her wrist felt a bit too heavy.

Such a valuable item—even selling herself wouldn't be enough to repay its worth!

Since her other roommates had accepted their gifts, she couldn't outright refuse it in front of everyone.

That night, she carefully removed the bracelet and gently held it in her palm, planning to return it when she was alone with Gu Jiasui.

The first two days of enrollment at Bin University had made it a trending topic online, but by the third day, once the new student registration had ended, the university gates reinstated their facial recognition access system.

Only students and staff were allowed entry.

Meanwhile, Yan and her batch of freshmen were preparing for military training.

"Is your sunscreen SPF enough? I bought a bunch of different kinds and left them here. Help yourselves," Chu Bingbing said, arranging a row of sunscreen bottles on the shelf by her bed. This was the result of her shopping spree the day before.

"With Bin City's climate, going out for military training now would be like asking to get sunburned," Yan remarked, glancing at the weather forecast. It was already 29 degrees Celsius early in the morning, and by noon, it would likely exceed 30 degrees. The dorm was already air-conditioned, but outside, it was stiflingly hot—just the thought of it was suffocating.

Her hometown, Ning City, the capital of Xia Country, had distinct seasons. By September, it was already the most pleasant time of autumn.

"Speaking of which, Ding Ling probably won't be joining the military training, right?" Yan glanced at the large black umbrella hanging on the closet handle.

Ding Ling always carried an umbrella during the day and only returned after dark. Wouldn't the strong sunlight during the day drain Ding Ling, the so-called "Ghost King," completely?

And then there was Gu Jiasui. Even with layers of sunscreen, a week of military training would likely darken her skin. Surely, she'd get a medical exemption, right?

"I'm participating," Ding Ling suddenly spoke up, her dark eyes locking onto Yan.

It was as if she was asking, *Why wouldn't I participate?*

Yan was stunned. Ding Ling was joining? How could a ghost participate? Would she hold an umbrella the entire time?

Yan quickly scanned Ding Ling's pale complexion and the umbrella, then came up with an excuse: "I noticed you always carry an umbrella, so I thought you might have a sun allergy or something."

Ding Ling seemed to process this for a moment before slowly nodding. "I can't be in the sun, but someone told me this year's training will be indoors."

"Wait, really?" Yi Zhi chimed in.

"Are you serious? Don't joke about this!" Chu Bingbing exclaimed, leaping up from her chair.

She had been tanned to a deep shade during her two weeks of high school military training. The thought of indoor training sounded like a dream come true.

Ding Ling thought for a moment before explaining, "They were going to give me an exemption, but since it's indoors, they didn't."

Given her unique status, her supervisor had initially planned to visit, but upon learning about the indoor training from the school, they decided against it.

"Ah, I see. Your family must have heard it from the counselor," Chu Bingbing concluded.

She glanced at the row of fresh sunscreen bottles and began distributing them to everyone's desks. "I opened them all yesterday. Even if we're not training outdoors, we should still use sunscreen daily. It expires quickly, so let's not waste it."

Sure enough, shortly after, the group chat for their college sent out a notice about indoor military training. The schedule was released, and uniforms were distributed by seniors, organized by dormitory.

The group chat was buzzing with excitement, but after too many "received" messages flooded in, the chat was muted, and new notifications were sent.

"We need to pick up our textbooks. The training is only a week long, and then classes start right after," Yan noted.

The latest notice instructed freshmen to collect their textbooks at the entrances of their respective colleges.

In the dorm, only Yan and Gu Jiasui were from the College of Liberal Arts. Anticipating a heavy load, Yan suggested, "Jiasui, let's bring our suitcases."

The other three roommates, being in different colleges, had to collect their books separately.

On the way to the college, Yan mustered her courage and spoke up, "Jiasui, I know you meant to thank me, but that bracelet is too extravagant. It's like gifting me a ten-square-meter apartment in Bin City. I really can't accept it."

Gu Jiasui's lips parted slightly. She had never taken back a gift once given.

Yan didn't give her a chance to respond and continued, "If you really want to thank me, even a small handmade item would be enough. It's the thought that counts. We're roommates, and we'll be together for the next four years."

Gu Jiasui fell silent for a moment. Did Yan dislike such items? Did she find them too extravagant?

It was true—gifts should suit the recipient's preferences. In the past, even a simple teacup would have been met with endless gratitude, but times had changed. Yan was just a young girl, barely an adult, and even with her family's wealth, she had never handled such extravagant items. The gift had likely kept her up at night, worrying. Gu Jiasui sighed inwardly, reminding herself once again that this world was different from her past.

A soft, almost ethereal smile appeared on Gu Jiasui's usually cold face, as if a celestial being had touched the mortal world. Yan was momentarily entranced.

"Alright," Gu Jiasui said gently. "I'll make something for you myself next time. Please don't refuse it then."

Relieved, Yan nodded repeatedly. "Of course, of course."

The two collected their textbooks and headed back, drawing curious glances along the way. Yan was used to it by now.

Back in the dorm, Yan handed over the jade bracelet, which she had wrapped in multiple layers, to Gu Jiasui.

At noon, a senior came to distribute the military training uniforms—dark camouflage combat gear with short-sleeved tops and long pants. After trying them on and confirming the sizes, the entire dorm tossed them into the washing machine.

The military training officially began. The first three days were spent indoors, covering basic formation drills, safety lectures, and watching instructional videos on shooting, with live demonstrations by instructors. Compared to high school training, it was surprisingly comfortable.

On the fourth morning, Yan noticed something unusual about Yi Zhi.

Yi Zhi had gone out early to buy breakfast for the entire dorm, but Yan noticed she ate less than usual.

Yi Zhi had a big appetite and usually finished whatever leftovers there were, but today, she didn't even touch the extra hand-pulled pancake or the spare meat bun!

The whole dorm noticed.

"Yi Zhi, are you feeling okay? Did you already eat at the cafeteria?" Chu Bingbing asked.

"Today's the shooting drill. I ate less to stay focused," Yi Zhi explained.

She was secretly thrilled. It had been so long since she'd held a gun after arriving in this world, and she was itching to try it out.

Guns were strictly controlled in this world, and shooting ranges had stringent requirements. But who would have thought university military training included live shooting drills? Even if they were old rifles, they were still real guns!

"Is that a thing? Then I'll eat less too," Chu Bingbing said, taking only a couple of bites of her sugar pancake before stopping.

Yan gave her a look. "Your college's shooting drill is tomorrow. Today it's for the College of Mathematics, Physics, Liberal Arts, and Agriculture."

Inside the gymnasium, the students lined up, buzzing with excitement as they saw the rows of Type 95 rifles and targets set up ahead.

"Real guns! We each get to shoot ten rounds, right?"

"We'll be shooting prone. I wonder how strong the recoil will be."

"Too bad it's just for training. I wish we could do this more often."

Modern shooting ranges were advanced, with real-time scores displayed on electronic screens and printed scorecards for each participant.

"I'm so nervous. What if I miss all my shots? Does this count toward our training grade?"

Yan and Gu Jiasui stood together in line, next to the College of Agriculture.

Yi Zhi, standing out due to her height in the female lineup, caught the instructor's attention and was called up to shoot first.

Yan watched as Yi Zhi walked forward with a confident posture, a faint smile on her face, as if reminiscing about something.

To avoid disturbing the shooters, there was a considerable distance between each participant. One person would finish before the next stepped up.

Yan and Gu Jiasui watched as Yi Zhi approached the shooting station. Just as the male instructor was about to give instructions, Yi Zhi assumed a perfectly poised stance.

Her familiarity caught the instructor off guard. Originally, he had intended to use a new student as a teaching example for common mistakes, but seeing how flawlessly Yi Zhi executed the movements, he quickly changed his tone and praised, "Yi Zhi, right? Your form is impeccable. It’s clear you’ve studied the instructional videos carefully."

"Focus on the target..." the instructor had barely started speaking when Yi Zhi pulled the trigger.

"10.9 points," the display terminal announced loudly.

Yan watched as the instructor’s expression froze, and then he seemed to lose himself in the continuous announcements of her scores.

"10.7 points."

"10.9 points."@@novelbin@@

"10.9 points."

...

In the blink of an eye, ten shots were fired, and the electronic screen showed the bullseye completely obliterated.

Not a single shot below 10.6 points!

The instructor was stunned for a moment before clapping as Yi Zhi stood up. "Miss, have you practiced before?"

"Where are you from?"

The instructor had initially planned to use Yi Zhi as a cautionary example, but instead, she became the standard. These results were simply unbelievable for a first-time shooter!

The score sheet printed out, showing that Yi Zhi had completed her ten shots in just 50 seconds, while the instructor had allotted three minutes per person.

In less than a minute, Yi Zhi was already craving more.

Meanwhile, the other students who had heard the announcements were buzzing with excitement. "She hit ten points every time! That’s incredible."

"If she can do it, it can’t be that hard. We can probably do it too."

"Eh, maybe she practiced in CS. You could do it too. We’ll definitely do better," one of the boys said.

After finishing, Yi Zhi went to rest, waving at Yan and Gu Jiasui, signaling they’d talk later.

On the other side, at the instructor’s command, the eager freshmen stepped up to the shooting positions and began their turns.

The announcements came one after another:

"Miss."

"7.7 points."

"Miss."

"6.3 points."

"Miss."

"Miss."

The waiting students fell silent.

Why was this so different from the girl who had just shot so impressively? Weren’t they all supposed to become sharpshooters? Why were they all missing? Not a single person had even hit nine points yet?

Batch after batch of students took their turns, and after experiencing it themselves, they realized that watching someone else do it and actually doing it were two entirely different things! Just hitting the target ten times was hard enough, let alone scoring above 10.5 points every time!

"What was that girl’s name again? She’s amazing. She’s so tall too. Maybe her family is involved in this kind of thing."

It was Yan’s turn after about twenty minutes.

"Good luck," Gu Jiasui said to her.

"Thanks, I’ll bring back a perfect score," Yan replied with a smile.

Truth be told, it had been a while since Yan had last been to the shooting range.

Around her, students were still whispering about Yi Zhi, texting their friends. Yan thought to herself, this is what it’s like to be a standout. You don’t act until you’re ready, and when you do, you make a splash that leaves everyone in awe.

Yan lay down on the ground, gripping the Type 95 rifle in front of her. Back in high school, when she had accompanied Xu Jiaojiao and her ambiguous crush to the shooting range, they had mostly chosen pistols and sniper rifles to show off. Yan and her childhood friend, dragged along as buffers, had quietly practiced with the most basic rifles under the guidance of the shooting coach.

She had handled the Type 95, Type 81, and even the Type 56 before.

She focused her mind and aimed carefully.

"10.3 points."

"10.9 points."

"10.6 points."

The three perfect scores in a row silenced the air around her. Yan could almost feel the weight of everyone’s gazes on her.

Oh no, she had gotten too caught up in finding her rhythm. She didn’t want to become the center of attention.

She pulled the trigger again, but her aim seemed to waver slightly.

"7.9 points."

"9.0 points."

...

Yan’s final score for the ten shots was exactly 100 points. However, because of a few mistakes in the middle, while it looked decent, it didn’t have the same impact as Yi Zhi’s performance.

The instructor praised her, "You’ve got talent," and Yan quickly took her score sheet and left.

The entire morning was dedicated to shooting practice, and students were free to do as they pleased afterward. The afternoon would be fire drills.

After finishing, Yan told Gu Jiasui she was heading to the restroom. She had been waiting for a while and really needed to go.

Gu Jiasui went to find Yi Zhi after her turn, but Yan hadn’t returned yet.

"Everyone’s done? It’s a shame we only got ten shots," Yi Zhi said, watching the other freshmen take their turns, itching to shoot more but unable to.

Gu Jiasui nodded, her tone tinged with regret. "It really is a shame. If we had more shots, Yan might have found her rhythm and hit all tens."

"Huh?" Yi Zhi, who had been waiting on the other side, hadn’t heard about Yan’s performance.

"She started with 10.3, 10.9, and 10.6, but then she had a few misses and ended up with exactly 100 points. Before she started, she said she’d get a perfect score, and she actually did it," Gu Jiasui explained.

She didn’t know much about firearms in this world, but it was clear that Yi Zhi’s performance was even more impressive.

Unexpectedly, Yi Zhi’s expression changed slightly. "She said she’d get 100 points before she started, and then she actually did it?"

Gu Jiasui nodded. "Yeah, what a coincidence."

No, this wasn’t just a "coincidence." Yi Zhi kept her expression neutral, but her heart grew heavy.

Hitting three perfect scores right off the bat wasn’t luck—it was the result of real experience.

Yan had casually mentioned getting 100 points, but for someone who could hit tens so effortlessly, the so-called "misses" Gu Jiasui mentioned weren’t mistakes. She had deliberately held back!

It was like taking an exam: a struggling student might aim for 60, but a top student could score whatever they wanted.

Yan was controlling her score.

She had precisely calculated her total to be exactly 100 points.

She said she’d get 100, and she did.

She showed her skill without drawing too much attention.

This level of control required an incredible familiarity with the rifle.

A true master.

To be so proficient with firearms in this world—how many bullets had she fired to achieve such skill?

Such a young sharpshooter. Terrifying!

As Yi Zhi watched Yan jogging over with a smile, her heart sank.

Yan, just who was this roommate of hers?