Chapter 26: Sigh! Questions & Capitalism

The Military-Political Academy’s public elective building occupied an enormous area. Its spiral exterior and extensive use of rare-element glass made the entire structure resemble a colossal tower rising from the ground. Sunlight reflected off the glass, casting a cold metallic sheen.

Cars steadily pulled into the parking lot. Students emerged from passageways or stepped off aerial shuttle vehicles. Their tailored uniforms, varying in color according to department, made every student look polished and refined. Even the air carried traces of expensive perfume.

After parking his car, Zephy exchanged greetings with several students from the Finance Department. Following a brief round of pleasantries, he passed through multiple security checkpoints and entered the teaching building before making his way into the classroom.

There were still about ten minutes before class began, and the room was noisy.

Zephy took a seat near the front and glanced at his terminal.

The latest report still indicated that she had not been found.

His eyelashes lowered slightly.

He did not believe she would simply give up because of time constraints. Under the current circumstances, she had no room to refuse.

Had she already guessed his intentions?

…It seemed he should not have been so concerned about leaving traces and should have simply had someone bring her in.

As Zephy pondered the matter, a familiar voice sounded beside him.

“Senior Zephy?”

Looking up, he saw Lin Zhiyan wearing a surprised expression. She hugged a stack of books to her chest. Her black-and-white eyes were bright and clear, and her dark hair made her already fair complexion appear even paler.

One of Zephy’s brows twitched slightly, though he maintained his smile.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

“But I have class today. I can’t skip it.”

Lin Zhiyan naturally sat down beside him and smiled.

“You look angry.”

Zephy raised an eyebrow, and a hint of arrogance appeared on his handsome face.

The expression vanished as quickly as it appeared.

“So you figured it out.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Lin Zhiyan opened her textbook and replied,

“I just feel that if you won’t explain anything clearly, then I shouldn’t do anything either.”

Zephy’s pale lashes trembled slightly as his ice-gray eyes settled on her.

“So out of spite, you chose not to do what you should have done?”

Lin Zhiyan turned to meet his gaze.

“Who was it that got angry first and blocked me?”

Zephy narrowed his eyes.

Lin Zhiyan calmly accepted his scrutiny.

“It seems you’re feeling rather confident.”

“Confident about what? Confident about not listening to you?”

She twirled her pen and continued reading.

“If you want me to listen to you, the least you can do is give me the right to know what’s going on, isn’t that true?”

She looked at him again after speaking.

This time, Zephy did not answer.

He seemed lost in thought.

A short while later, the classroom door opened.

Jiang Yi entered.

The room instantly quieted.

After hanging up his coat, Jiang Yi walked onto the podium. His gaze swept across the room, passed over Zephy, and finally landed on Lin Zhiyan.

“Lin Zhiyan. Come up and take attendance.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Lin Zhiyan felt countless eyes stabbing into her.

Even Zephy turned to look at her, curiosity evident in his gaze.

Sigh. This is the price of pretending to be familiar with Jiang Yi.

Convincing herself not to care, she calmly walked to the podium, picked up the attendance list, and began calling names.

As she read, she secretly glanced at Jiang Yi.

He was reviewing documents on his terminal. It looked as though mountains of paperwork and meetings were waiting for him no matter where he went.

Excellent.

She continued.

“Lu—Rudel, Lu Yousi…”

When she reached Lu Weixi’s name, she skipped it entirely.

Just as she continued reading, she noticed from the corner of her eye that Jiang Yi had folded his arms and was looking at her.

The little person in her head laughed awkwardly.

Her face remained expressionless as she forced herself to continue.

Jiang Yi said nothing.

Only after attendance was finished and she handed the booklet back did he raise an eyebrow.

“Shouldn’t you at least put a checkmark next to his name?”

Lin Zhiyan immediately looked away.

“There were circumstances.”

Jiang Yi looked as though she had actually managed to amuse him.

He let the matter drop and handed her another stack of materials.

“Pass these out.”

Lin Zhiyan nodded and began distributing them.

Once everyone had received their copies, Jiang Yi put down his terminal.

“Professor Tang encountered an accident last week. As the teaching assistant, I’ll be serving as the lecturer for this course temporarily. The vacant TA position will be filled by Lin Zhiyan.”

A wave of whispers swept through the room.

“For questions regarding the course, you may relay them through her. She will also be responsible for notifying everyone about assignments and examinations.”

Lin Zhiyan had just returned to her seat.

“So this is where your confidence comes from.”

Zephy’s voice was soft.

His long fingers intertwined neatly.

“As a teaching assistant, you naturally have a relationship with him. No wonder you know about the matter involving him and Lu Weixi.”

Without taking her eyes off the lecture, Lin Zhiyan quietly shot back,

“So Senior Zephy came here just to mock me?”

Zephy smiled.

Before he could respond, Jiang Yi’s calm voice rang out from the podium.

“Class begins now. Today’s topic is political developments in the Interstellar Empire during the last century. Among them, the most famous is the Pollution Gate Incident.”

The smile on Zephy’s face disappeared instantly.

His expression turned cold.

The Pollution Gate Incident had been a major scandal.

During his campaign for reelection, the Prime Minister of the time was exposed for abusing his authority to shield individuals who should have been under government supervision.

The reason it was called Pollution Gate was because those people were victims of genetic contamination.

The revelation plunged the entire empire into panic.

The government was forced to impose travel restrictions and conduct large-scale screenings.

The Prime Minister was removed from office, the cabinet was reorganized, and the royal family issued repeated public apologies.

“As everyone knows,” Jiang Yi continued, “the Pollution Gate Incident shattered public trust in the cabinet. Even today, people continue to be discovered with contaminated genes.”

He lowered his head slightly and looked directly at Zephy.

His black eyes were cold and unwavering.

“This case remains one of the most common subjects in examinations at the Interstellar Academy because it encompasses nearly every major concern people have about politics and the future: abuse of power, oversight of authority, civil rights—”

He paused.

“Student Zephy. Analyze it for us.”

Lin Zhiyan: “…”

She glanced at Zephy.

The handsome face that normally carried a perpetual smile was now thoroughly darkened.

Yet in the next moment, the gloom vanished.

The smile returned.

Standing up, he said,

“My apologies. As an auditing student, my knowledge in this area is somewhat limited.”

“Oh, you’re auditing?”

Jiang Yi nodded.

“Then sit down.”

Resting one arm on the lectern, he added,

“I’m glad you’re interested enough in this course to attend. I hope you’ll gain something from it.”

His gaze lowered.

“Lin Zhiyan. You explain it.”

Lin Zhiyan: “…”

This guy really knows how to fire artillery.

Slowly, she stood up.

As she explained, she sneaked a glance at Zephy.

His pale gray hair draped over his shoulders.

There was no trace of a smile left on his face.

His sharp features carried an eerie coldness, almost lifeless, like a perfectly carved statue.

Noticing her gaze, he simply tapped the desk lightly, signaling her to focus.

Lin Zhiyan quickly looked away.

Suppressing her laughter, she completed her analysis.

“Very comprehensive.”

Jiang Yi then pointed at another student.

“She mentioned the Nosoi Incident. Please supplement her explanation by discussing its background.”

Lin Zhiyan’s shoulders trembled.

She could not take it anymore.

The hostility was simply too strong.

One particularly annoying thing about Jiang Yi was that he always knew exactly where someone’s sore spot was.

Back when he targeted her, she would become so angry her head hurt.

Now that someone else was being targeted, she suddenly felt refreshed.

For the remainder of the class, she watched Zephy’s expression grow darker and darker.

By the end, he could barely maintain his trademark smile.

Jiang Yi truly was an excellent lecturer.

So excellent that every point in his political analysis sounded like a deliberate jab at Zephy while simultaneously corresponding perfectly to real historical events.

By the end of class, Lin Zhiyan had lost count of how many times Jiang Yi had stepped on Zephy’s metaphorical toes.

The bell finally rang.

Students began packing up and leaving.

Jiang Yi walked slowly toward them.

Looking at Zephy, he asked casually,

“So. Do you still have a cooperation proposal to discuss with me?”

Zephy’s gaze lingered on Lin Zhiyan before shifting back to him.

Standing up, he replied quietly,

“At the moment, it seems I don’t.”

“Good.”

Jiang Yi nodded and looked him straight in the eye.

“Then please leave. I have matters to discuss with my teaching assistant.”

Zephy smiled.

“What a coincidence. I also have matters to discuss with her.”

Lin Zhiyan: “…”

Excellent.

Zephy was clearly planning to recover his dignity through her.

“Uh, if it’s about that matter…”

She looked toward Jiang Yi.

“I’d like to speak with Zephy first.”

Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow.

“Of course.”

Then he added,

“When you’re done, come find me in the lounge.”

After saying that, he returned to the podium, gathered his things, and left.

Soon, only a handful of people remained in the classroom.

“We should find somewhere suitable to talk,” Zephy said.

“Why is the location always so important to you people?”

Lin Zhiyan was genuinely puzzled, but she still nodded.

“Fine. Let’s go.”

A short time later, they arrived at a secluded garden.

Zephy brushed his fingers across a nearby flower.

His long hair moved gently in the wind, and a warm smile rested on his handsome face.

“It seems that not only Le Mans and Li Siheng, but even Jiang Yi has an unusually close relationship with you.”

“The way you say that makes me sound promiscuous.”

Lin Zhiyan grabbed his hand.

“Don’t pluck flowers. It’s rude.”

Zephy immediately pulled his hand free and frowned.

“You seem very fond of touching people.”

“Aren’t you wearing gloves?”

Lin Zhiyan was confused.

“That’s hardly an excuse.”

His expression remained cold.

“Yet you don’t seem interested in explaining yourself.”

“Explaining that I’m not promiscuous?”

Lin Zhiyan laughed.

“If I had no relationship with Li Siheng, I would have been expelled long ago.”

“And if I had no relationship with Jiang Yi, I’d probably have already been silenced by your people.”

She looked directly at him.

“What value does innocence have, anyway?”

Zephy’s lips slowly curved upward.

“You really are skilled at borrowing the glory of others.”

“Isn’t the moon merely borrowing the sun’s light?”

Lin Zhiyan immediately retorted.

“Aren’t you borrowing your family’s influence too?”

Zephy raised an eyebrow.

“You’re far more aggressive than you were that night. It seems you’re convinced Jiang Yi will stand on your side.”

“And you’re much easier to talk to than you were that night.”

Lin Zhiyan countered.

“It seems you no longer think I’m easy to bully.”

A dangerous glint appeared briefly in Zephy’s eyes before disappearing.

“Correct.”

His voice was gentle.

“And now, I believe we can finally discuss terms.”

“Tomorrow evening, I’ll send a car to bring you to meet Le Mans. Afterward, you’ll meet Li Siheng.”

He continued,

“They plan to transfer schools the day after tomorrow. I’ll send you the details. Your task is to persuade them to agree.”

“And afterward, you may continue maintaining contact with them. Before the end of the semester, however, you must sever those relationships.”

Zephy pulled out his terminal.

Ding.

Lin Zhiyan’s terminal vibrated.

A new email appeared.

Smiling, Zephy said,

“The email contains the GPA requirements and registration key for the Royal Internship Program. Once your grades qualify, use the key to enter the selection process. After that comes the interview. If successful, you’ll be admitted into the royal internship.”

Lin Zhiyan stared at the email for a long moment.

Then she suddenly said,

“If your little test had succeeded today, I probably would have died before ever seeing this email.”

“Correct.”

Zephy looked down at her.

Red flower sap stained the fingertips of his white silk gloves.

At first glance, it looked almost like blood.

He lifted a hand and brushed a flower petal from her hair.

Smiling, he said,

“You successfully passed this small test. Yet you don’t seem happy about it.”

After speaking, he did not wait for a response.

Just as his orders only needed to be given and never questioned, he turned and left.

Lin Zhiyan let out a long breath.

Holding her terminal, she reread the email over and over again.

She was extremely satisfied.

But a few seconds later, her expression changed.

Wait.

Jiang Yi told me to go to the lounge.

He’s definitely going to ask about Lu Weixi!

Aaah! How did I almost forget about the Lu Weixi situation?!