Chapter 48

48 Enemies meet on a narrow road

She straightened her coat and said, “Cadet Han your class is this way,” before pointing the way.

“Thank you.....,” replied Zi Han as he followed her instructions. Unexpectedly he found himself standing right next to shorty and his accomplices, well, short of one. That Maverick guy was standing behind their class, presumably standing in class two’s designated row.

Soon the sound of the Onyx federation’s anthem began to play in the background and the staff of the academy dressed in academic regalia stepped onto the platform led by the dean of Scylla Military Academy.

As a sign of respect to the scholars, the students performed a three-finger salute in honour of their teachers. They only lowered their arms when the last of them got on stage and the anthem came to an abrupt halt.

A couple of boring speeches followed and Zi Han who hadn’t slept enough today couldn’t help but feel the after-effects. These scholars were like a cure to insomnia. He maintained his stance but his eyes involuntarily drooped that he had to pinch himself a couple of times.

In the front row, Hela who was especially sensitive to Cadet Han’s presence looked back through her peripheral view and when she saw him fighting off sleep she pressed her lips into a thin line suppressing a smile.

If she did it once then it would be fine. No one would care but she looked back four times. Yi Chen who was standing beside her felt something was wrong but couldn’t investigate. With a glare sharp enough to slice a glacier clean through he managed to subdue Hela.

She wasn’t too pleased with the class president’s reprimand but she also knew this wasn’t the right time to simp on this new classmate.

Zi Han’s eyes finally shut but before he could doze off while standing he was roused from his sleep when loud claps around him woke him up.

.....

“Shit,” he muttered as he clapped his hands. In this moment he sincerely regretted not running away with his mother. Yes, his grandfather would be pissed off but he could be coaxed after a few years, right?

His voice was as low as a church mouse but Yi Chen who was in the first row heard it. He felt a great sense of familiarity but before he could take a look the dean invited the class presidents and their vices onto the platform.

As he walked up the stage followed by eleven other individuals the dean went to say, “Take a close look at these faces. For this semester these people will be your leaders. What they say goes and if you defy their orders it would warrant strict punishment.”

Zi Han who was absent-mindedly listening just now flinched when he saw that annoying face that not only his grandfather but also his mother had been warning him to stay the fuck away from. His blood ran cold as he subconsciously followed the man’s figure with his eyes.

His lips twitched as the veins on his neck pulsed. He didn’t think that seeing this person would affect him this much. What he didn’t realise was that this person had left a psychological shadow on him. That’s because for the first time in his life he had lost a fight and he lost miserably.

Annoyed he pressed the tip of his tongue against his cheek his eyes as sharp as knives. Because of how sharp Zi Han’s glare was Yi Chen who had a keen sense felt it. Thus he looked in that direction and when he met those familiar fox eyes his breath hitched.

He almost couldn’t maintain his indifferent expression seeing that ever so familiar face. In that moment he recalled the half-smoked cigarette on the ground and that familiar voice swearing behind him. Everything seemed to come together like a puzzle.

Zi Han wanted to continue with this staredown as he didn’t want to be the first one to break eye contact but he suddenly glanced over to Yi Chen’s right and almost got a heart attack. That six-foot beauty from the last time was staring at him sending goosebumps all over his body.

After that, he couldn’t look anymore. He would do anything to dispel this awkward atmosphere. Heck, he wouldn’t even mind staring at the dean’s braided beard just as long as it can help him get rid of the oddity lingering in the air.

Lucky for him Yi Chen wasn’t rude enough to keep staring. On the contrary, it was Hela who kept stealing glances like a leprechaun greedily staring at a pot of gold. Ah, Zi Han just wanted to call his mother so she would come to pick him up and he would start his life as a fugitive.

Yi Chen had stopped looking but to be frank, his mind was in turmoil. That giddy feeling from the day they met sprung up again making it very difficult to breathe.

He had already been warned by Zi Xingxi to stay away from her son and he had also vowed to stay away from the crazy but now..... Zi Han had become a cadet in his class. How was he supposed to fulfil his promise to himself?

Even as he left the platform his mind was in such a mess. He absentmindedly organized class one for the compulsory picture that would be posted on the Scylla Military Academy’s Starnet page. It was because of this absentmindedness that he found himself standing right beside Zi Han.

Zi Han had been shuffled around by the dissatisfied photographer’s humanoid assistant that when he was finally allocated the perfect spot he heaved a sigh of relief. That is until someone stood right beside him.

At first, he wanted to politely nod at the person but when he met that face again his foot subconsciously took a step. He was going to fulfil his promise to his grandpapi and stay as far away as possible from this person.

But just as his heel touched the ground his arm was pulled and he heard that deep hypnotic voice command, “Don’t move.”

‘The fuck!’ screamed Zi Han internally as he tried to free himself but that grip was so tight that it was either he stayed put or lose his arm. Before he could decide which one was more important, his arm or his freedom a blinding bright flash from the camera grasped his attention.

The photographer who thought this was going to be a single take stared at the image with a look of dissatisfaction. He raised his head and with a displeased tone he pointed at Zi Han. “You!.... what were you looking at? Why were you gazing affectionately at the class president like a bride staring at their husband? Eyes over here monsieur,” yelled the photographer causing the entire class to snicker.

Zi Han, “....”

“You fucking bastard,” he mumbled through gritted teeth while attempting to pull up his sleeve. Gazing at who affectionately? Those who talk shit must bear the consequences but Yi Chen wasn’t going to let that happen. He grasped Zi Han’s arm even tighter while whispering,

“Cadet, restrain yourself.”

Zi Han, “.....”

Now he was fighting the urge to beat the shit out of the so-called class president. Somebody hold him back because he was about to burn all bridges between the Marshal and the Bloodgarde.