Chapter 4: Sigh! Ceremony & Capitalism

By the time Jiang Yi returned to Huánxīng Central United Military-Political Academy, it was already deep into the night.

The school term had not yet begun, and only a small number of students were permitted to move about campus with authorization.

As a result, beneath the darkness, the enormous luxurious academy was silent like an uninhabited city.

His car sped smoothly through checkpoint after checkpoint before finally stopping in the Military-Political Division district.

A signal light blinked over an empty parking space.

Jiang Yi turned the wheel and activated automatic parking on the dashboard flashing with streams of data.

He unfastened his seatbelt, and a mechanical arm extended to drape his coat behind him.

Before he could even turn around, however, a violent impact slammed into the rear of the vehicle.

The entire car shook lightly.

A few strands of his meticulously combed black hair fell before his eyes.

[Warning: Rear of vehicle under attack.]

An error-code window flashed in front of him.

Immediately afterward, the rear-view display appeared.

At the tail end of his car, a luxury vehicle with an absurdly low chassis and an aggressively flamboyant design had drifted sideways into his parking spot at high speed.

One swing of its rear end had directly smashed into his car.

…That car.

And that license plate.

Jiang Yi’s face darkened.

He grabbed his coat and shoved the car door open.

At the exact same moment, the owner of the other vehicle lazily stepped out as well.

He wore a silver-black uniform with a sword hanging at his waist.

Tall and powerfully built.

Under a head of platinum-blond curls, his brows were raised high.

His gray-blue eyes glittered with fragmented light.

Even in the dim environment, one could still see that dazzling grin—so bright it almost carried malice.

—Lu Weixi.

The son of the Minister of Military Defense.

The Taan family and the Jiang family both belonged to the military faction, but they stood in opposing camps.

Their parents’ power struggles had extended all the way into the academy, and the two of them had become famously hostile forces within the Military-Political Division.

Now that Lu Weixi had come over to stir shit, Jiang Yi naturally had no intention of tolerating it.

Jiang Yi stepped out of the car without even shutting the door.

In two quick strides, he reached Lu Weixi, grabbed him by the collar, and drove a punch straight into his face.

“Bang—!”

Lu Weixi was knocked to the ground, his body slamming against the car.

But in the very next second, he pushed himself back up against the vehicle, seized Jiang Yi’s shoulder, and kicked viciously toward his abdomen.

Jiang Yi coughed from the blow, his eyes turning vicious.

He grabbed Lu Weixi’s arm and threw him over his shoulder.

Lu Weixi hit the ground hard, blood immediately streaming from his head.

His reaction speed was terrifyingly fast.

Borrowing the momentum, he swept Jiang Yi’s legs out from under him and flicked out a dagger, stabbing it straight into Jiang Yi’s arm.

In an instant, both of them were bleeding.

And both of them became even more fired up.

But just as the brawl was beginning in earnest, shrill alarms erupted throughout the parking area.

Private fighting was forbidden inside the academy.

Unfortunately, students from the Military-Political Division were notorious for exploding at the slightest provocation.

Any friction could escalate into a full-scale fight.

As a result, every area was equipped with alarms, and once triggered, Security Division personnel would immediately rush over.

Jiang Yi and Lu Weixi were both fighting viciously, but neither wanted the humiliation of receiving disciplinary action.

So, at almost the same time, they released each other.

Their expressions, however, remained terrible.

Clearly, this fight was still going to happen.

Just not now.

Lu Weixi casually wiped the blood from his forehead back into his blond hair.

Scarlet drops stained his eyelashes.

“When you stabbed me in the back, were you having the time of your life, you shady bastard?”

“Feeling good now?”

His manners were utterly incompatible with his godlike sculpted appearance.

Jiang Yi pulled the dagger out of his arm and sneered.

“Using your brain is always better than using brute force, idiot.”

“I’ll settle this score with you sooner or later.”

Lu Weixi threw down the threat and turned toward his car.

Jiang Yi said calmly, “Maybe focus on your grades first.”

“The one who still hasn’t finished his credits isn’t me.”

“Ha. Doesn’t matter if I can’t manage my grades.”

Lu Weixi turned back and raised a brow.

“My father will still be managing all you people who did finish your credits.”

The military formally belonged under the Cabinet’s Ministry of Defense.

Even if reality involved constant power struggles between both sides, what he said was technically correct.

“Ha. Then I wish your father luck keeping his d*ck under control.”

“Wouldn’t want him producing an illegitimate son to replace you.”

Jiang Yi’s mocking tone nearly provoked Lu Weixi into starting another fight on the spot.

Fortunately, Security Division personnel began arriving one after another.

Lu Weixi narrowed his eyes.

Even the diamond eyebrow piercing gleamed viciously.

Jiang Yi was equally furious, but seeing he was about to be late for training, he turned and left.

The Security Division members didn’t dare trouble either Jiang Yi or Lu Weixi.

After all, neither of them were merely students.

Most students in the Military-Political Division were required to complete the full six-year curriculum.

But a rare handful already held official ranks before enrollment or were active in the military and political systems long before entering school.

Those students received deeper and more specialized instruction.

As a result, most of them completed their credits within the first few years and spent the latter years focusing on their own affairs, rarely returning to campus.

The reason both of them happened to be at school now was simple:

Every year during the opening ceremony, Military-Political Division students had to perform ceremonial guard training and demonstrations.

By the time Jiang Yi reached the training grounds, he was already somewhat late.

He hurriedly changed into the academy uniform and ceremonial sword.

As for the wound on his arm, he merely wrapped it hastily with medical bandages.

The training itself wasn’t difficult, but it required extensive sword movements.

His wound repeatedly tore open.

Blood streamed down his arm and dripped onto the floor.

After an hour of training, Jiang Yi was in an even worse mood.

Without saying a word, he entered the locker room.

He slammed the door shut, tore off his coat, unbuttoned his shirt, and began rewrapping the bandages.

‘Why didn’t I just knock that idiot’s teeth out earlier?’

His expression was colder than a frozen dish grandparents ordered kids to thaw.

Like it would never melt in this lifetime.

His terminal assistant activated automatically and began reading unread messages aloud.

[The body search has been completed.]

[Nothing was found.]

[The evidence chain cannot be completed.]

[She has been released according to procedure.]

Jiang Yi’s hand jerked, aggravating the wound.

His expression turned foul.

A bunch of useless trash.

‘Wasn’t it right there on the inside of her arm?’

‘And they still couldn’t find it?’

The anger in Jiang Yi’s stomach surged even higher.

He opened the body-search footage they had sent over.

From the camera angle, the recording looked blurry.

Lin Zhiyan stood there while two other people searched her.

One held her shoulders.

The other began searching upward from her legs.

Their hands gradually moved toward the inside of her arm.

Very quickly, they noticed something slightly unusual.

The two exchanged a glance.

One of them produced a pair of scissors.

Inside the inspection room, even the air felt cold.

The icy scissors sliced upward from the sleeve opening.

The snipping sounds were chilling.

They lifted her arm like people adjusting the pose of a mannequin.

She lowered her eyes and watched their movements.

Like a tamed sheep standing obediently in place while others sheared away its wool.

Soon, the sleeve split open down both sides of her skin until they reached her upper arm.

She raised her arm.

The black leather arm strap was revealed before everyone.

But inside the shrink pouch fixed to the strap…

There was nothing there.

Lin Zhiyan lowered her gaze.

The tear mole at the corner of her eye rested within the shadow of her eyelashes.

Several seconds later, she looked up toward the law-enforcement surveillance drone in the distance.

Her eyes were clear.

So clear it almost felt as though she were meeting Jiang Yi’s gaze directly through the screen.

“Do you still want to continue searching?”

It was a subtle yet effortless provocation.

On one hand, Jiang Yi felt she had an endless number of tricks.

On the other, her provocation only poured oil onto the fire of his irritation.

In that instant, he lost all patience.

He stopped bandaging himself altogether.

Instead, he changed into a clean shirt while striding rapidly toward the exit, fastening buttons as he walked.

He was going to figure out exactly how the so-called evidence had disappeared right under those idiots’ noses.

Something he could have crushed with a single finger had somehow been turned upside down by them.

Jiang Yi strode to the doorway and roughly yanked his coat from the hanger.

Unexpectedly—

Something rolled out of the pocket with a clatter.

He bent down to pick it up.

After examining it for several seconds, he realized it was a palm-sized telescopic self-defense baton.

Jiang Yi: “……”

He froze for several seconds.

Then the fury burning inside him all night suddenly exploded upward, scorching his brain until it felt wrapped in oil paper.

Goddamn it.

This was seriously unbelievable.

Jiang Yi suddenly laughed.

Out of sheer rage.

“Bang—!”

The sound of the slammed door made the walls tremble slightly.

Huánxīng Central United Military-Political Academy lay immersed beneath the ink-black night.

Very soon, that silence was broken by a speeding car with a damaged rear end.

Then silence returned once more.

The night deepened.

Lin Zhiyan dragged her luggage off the bus and hurried toward the inn.

Her footsteps were light and brisk, almost skipping.

The moment she had been released, she immediately fled to another suburban district, terrified Jiang Yi might show up in the middle of the night to execute her on the spot.

After transferring through so many vehicles, she was finally close to the new inn.

The farther she walked, the lighter her body felt.

There was the exhilaration of escaping.

And also fear from offending Jiang Yi.

But by the time she reached the inn, all that remained was overwhelming exhaustion.

‘Whatever happens, I’ll deal with it after sleeping.’

‘There’ll always be a way.’

Outside the window, darkness gradually faded.

Morning light descended.

The sun and moon traded places twice.

Then opening day arrived.

Lin Zhiyan woke up early and headed to school.

The opening ceremony at Huánxīng Central United Military-Political Academy was magnificent.

Several main roads around the campus had been sealed off.

All kinds of airships and nuclear balloons floated overhead like swallows, each plastered with different advertisements.

Strangely shaped luxury cars flowed endlessly through the roads.

Every three steps revealed another conglomerate heir.

Every five steps, another doctor or professor’s family.

Every single person wore the exact same “say cheese” smile.

Students sat chatting beneath trees and across lawns.

The smiles on their faces looked like magazine photoshoots—

staring wide-eyed at the most ordinary things while laughing hysterically.

On both sides of the roads, student clubs used extravagantly ostentatious displays of wealth to recruit newcomers.

Several clubs seemed to be competing with one another.

The brochures distributed by drones contained cash, gemstones, or shopping cards tucked inside and scattered everywhere.

The once spacious roads became packed with people fighting over them.

The teachers leading new students around campus struggled desperately to maintain order.

Behind them, the pampered young masters and young ladies acted as though it was their first time sharing air and land with commoners, complaining nonstop.

Some openly said their families should never have donated money to the school’s club buildings.

Others angrily cursed the “poor country bumpkins.”

Still others mocked the shopping cards as cheap garbage.

Lin Zhiyan listened from within the group in absolute shock.

She genuinely suspected she hadn’t come from another district.

She’d come from another planet.

Otherwise how had the nation become this developed without informing her?

“Alright, this is the Military-Political Division area.”

The teacher pointed toward the distant, massive teaching district.

Unlike the crowded atmosphere elsewhere, the Military-Political Division buildings were stern and silent.

She continued, “Please note that this division is different from the others.”

“It is considered military territory and is not open to students from other divisions.”

“Don’t wander around here casually.”

The moment the teacher finished speaking, the entire group of freshmen erupted into even sharper complaints.

Clearly, they still hadn’t adjusted to the fact that they were no longer the sole owners of power.

The teacher was long accustomed to this.

She continued guiding them through the remaining divisions—the Finance Division, Technology Division, Arts and Sports Division, Medical Division…

Among them, the Finance Division’s buildings, filled with the children of financial conglomerates, were by far the most luxurious and exquisite.

The other divisions looked noticeably inferior by comparison.

As the introductions continued, students gradually peeled away from the tour.

By the time they reached the Culture Division, only the teacher and Lin Zhiyan remained.

The Culture Division occupied the smallest area.

Its architecture was elegant, but compared to the other divisions, it felt somewhat bleak and lonely.

Lin Zhiyan wasn’t surprised.

After all, the Culture Division was the only division in the academy that recruited from all sixteen districts purely based on academic scores.

Not only that, the division had only been established a few years ago.

Most of its majors were obscure academic disciplines.

It was perfectly normal for the school to neglect it.

Still, even though she had expected this, she couldn’t help feeling bleak.

Like she carried the aura of someone earning three thousand a month, working four days off a month, and surviving as a temporary contract worker outside the official system.

Lin Zhiyan touched her neck.

It felt itchy.

As though a pink collar had suddenly grown there.

That afternoon, the opening ceremony was about to begin.

The school’s open-air auditorium was enormous, almost like a sports stadium.

Thick and elegant stone pillars supported the grand stage.

Below it, students had already found seats according to their divisions and classes.

The endless speeches from school leadership were mind-numbingly dull.

At first, Lin Zhiyan chatted with nearby classmates and tried making connections.

But after enough time passed, even she started nodding off.

“Wake up. Get it together.”

Someone tugged hard on her sleeve.

Lin Zhiyan jolted awake and turned around.

It was Aiwen, a classmate from the same major she had just met earlier.

“Awake now?”

Aiwen had an energetic personality and spoke sharply, chattering nonstop.

“It’s the Military-Political Division honor guard performance.”

“Hurry and watch it with me.”

“Don’t miss it.”

“Every year people come specifically to see this performance.”

“We’re getting to watch it live, so we’re profiting big.”

Lin Zhiyan looked toward the stage.

Sure enough, a group of broad-shouldered, long-legged young men in uniforms marched forward in perfect formation.

The sound of horns mixed with symphonic music.

Their movements were sharp and graceful.

‘Aiwen’s a real one.’

She thought silently.

The ceremonial guards formed ranks.

Their swords rose in unison.

One person stepped out from the formation, seemingly the leader.

He raised his ceremonial sword with flawless, elegant movements carrying an air of utter superiority.

His expression was cold.

A glint of icy light flashed through pitch-black eyes.

Lin Zhiyan: “……”

Jiang Yi?!

Her heart jumped.

This was bad.

This man looked impossible to get along with.

Arrogant.

Stubborn.

…Would he cause trouble for her over the interrogation incident?

No, no, no.

A person like him clearly held enormous power, was deeply calculating, and busy beyond belief.

Surely he wouldn’t waste time targeting her specifically.

He wouldn’t.

He wouldn’t.

As she thought this, she also knew very clearly—

he absolutely would.

Sure enough, during the interval when she was preparing backstage as a freshman representative, she had barely taken a few steps before someone grabbed her, dragged her away, and hauled her into a lounge room.

The lounge was spacious and immaculate.

Playing cards, ashtrays, and scattered chess pieces lay across the tables.

A figure stood nearby, apparently fresh from washing up, drying his hair.

His shirt hung loosely open.

His belt wasn’t fastened.

—Clearly, it was Jiang Yi, a man exceptionally talented at causing trouble.

Two people shoved Lin Zhiyan down in front of the sofa.

Jiang Yi said nothing.

His military boots made soft muffled sounds against the thick carpet as he walked over and sat in front of her.

He stared at her expressionlessly.

Cold and dangerous.

Water dripped from his jawline, trailing down his neck and disappearing into the depths of his half-unbuttoned shirt.

‘If you’re here to accuse me, then accuse me.’

‘Don’t do all this borderline fanservice stuff.’

Lin Zhiyan found herself briefly unable to think.

Only when she felt something cold pressed against her did she turn her head.

One person had pinned down her hands.

Another held a pair of scissors.

“Since you managed to escape, I won’t pursue the matter further.”

“Nor will I make things difficult for you.”

Jiang Yi leaned forward.

His dark eyes were deep and imposing, as though delivering an imperial decree.

“But you will reenact it for me.”

“I want to see exactly how you transferred it right under my nose.”

He tossed the arm strap and self-defense baton onto the table before her.

At the time, there had been no audio or video recording active.

He genuinely wanted to know at which moment she had distracted him and succeeded.

He continued, “After the demonstration, I’ll let you go.”

As though it were some immense act of mercy.

‘This bastard really crowned himself emperor in this shitty lounge room.’

Lin Zhiyan thought bitterly.

Then she remembered the identity information she had searched online about him.

Immediately, her hatred softened into something light and fluffy like cream.

Sweet and completely harmless.

Still, the secret to surviving in life was elasticity.

Lin Zhiyan raised her chin and looked at him.

“If humiliating me will satisfy you, fine.”

“But at minimum, you should compensate me for the cost of my shirt.”

“This is the second one.”

Jiang Yi looked at her again.

Lin Zhiyan was practically being forced into a kneeling position.

Her hair clung messily to her face and neck, even brushing against the hands of the people restraining her.

She looked like a fragile flower.

Petals trembling in the wind while the roots beneath the soil refused to move.

Jiang Yi’s Adam’s apple shifted slightly.

Several seconds later, he said:

“Fine.”