TL: Hua

Chapter 72

Before Ji Xuan could speak, Pei Yingye’s arm swept grandly through the air and propped itself against the back of the chair behind him.

The hand playing with Ji Xuan’s fingers didn’t stop either. He just tilted his head in a carefree manner and said, “Having to send someone to deliver a message just for a meal… has the Ji family suddenly gone bankrupt and can’t even afford StarNet communication fees?”

These words could be considered quite blunt. The surrounding Mars teammates held their breath instantly, their eyes darting around as they pretended they hadn’t heard a thing.

Ji Yan’s expression, however, did not change in the slightest. He maintained his gentle tone: “Second Brother, this is our father’s intention. It’s just a simple family meal; it won’t take much of your time.”

Actually, Ji Xuan knew why Ji Zhongcheng had sent Ji Yan to deliver the message. It was because as a father, he didn’t even have his son’s contact information. In the strange pride of a middle-aged man, personally asking his youngest son for the second son’s contact info just to arrange a dinner was clearly beneath his dignity. It didn’t feel nearly as satisfying as this method of ordering someone else to do it.

As for why Ji Yan didn’t use his terminal, perhaps it was because he happened to be spectating at Eagle Military Academy, or perhaps Ji Xuan’s habit of not replying to messages was so common that he no longer expected a response through the terminal.

Regardless, Ji Xuan did not plan to refuse. Since Ji Zhongcheng was back, he could take the opportunity to make his attitude clear.

Otherwise, the way a certain someone only dared to refer to him as a “teammate” in the live stream was truly a bit pitiful.

“Location and time,” he asked.

Ji Yan immediately recited a restaurant name and the time following the conclusion of the preliminaries.

“The butler will come to pick you up then.”

“Understood,” Ji Xuan said, turning his gaze back to the arena.

Seeing this cold and indifferent “don’t bother me” attitude, Ji Yan still showed no sign of anger. Instead, he leaned in closer and said, “Second Brother, do we really have to be this distant?

“First you, then Big Brother… have I done something wrong lately?” He lowered his posture significantly; the grievance and innocence in his tone were even more pronounced than Shaikh’s.

Ji Xuan sometimes wondered how Ji Yan managed to get along with Shaikh in the original plot. When these two people with the same “routine” are facing off, are they comparing who could play the innocent and harmless role better?

“If he’s ignoring you, you should ask him,” Ji Xuan said. “As for me, I’m simply too lazy to respond. I don’t know what you’re looking for me for, and I have nothing to say to you. That’s all.”

“Alright then.” Ji Yan let out a regretful sigh. “Then I won’t disturb you watching the match, Second Brother.”

With that, he didn’t linger and turned to leave.

As Ji Yan’s figure disappeared into the passage, Ji Xuan cast an inconspicuous glance with his peripheral vision before refocusing on the field.

He wasn’t sure if he was being sensitive, but he felt the Ji Yan he just saw was slightly different from before. The previous Ji Yan felt livelier, like a boy who was ambitious and trying hard to hide it because he hadn’t yet obtained what he wanted. Now, there was a touch of disinterest about him.

At that moment, Shen Que was the first on the field to complete the assembly. His cold profile remained unchanged as he cast a glance toward the spectator stands. Failing to get the eye contact he wanted, he could only move his gaze back to the exoskeleton in front of him.

Under his modification, the basic exoskeleton presented a completely new form, distinct from the original, and was currently passing the gravity simulation test.

Closing in right behind him in completion was an Alpha from Eagle Military Academy.

It was a pity Pei Yingye and Ji Xuan hadn’t paid attention in that downtown bar last time; otherwise, they would have noticed this Alpha was the same one who had been sitting next to Leon.

The referees began releasing scores one by one. The point difference between the two was only a fraction of a decimal, but when integrated with the results of the other three teammates in the group, Mars’ overall score for the second half far exceeded the rest.

In particular, Ji Xuan’s shooting and Pei Yingye’s combat could basically be considered in a league of their own.

With the scores from both halves combined, Mars Military Academy secured a 3.4-point lead over Eagle, becoming the final winner. Ten minutes later, Lionheart Military Academy and Valkyrie Academy also secured the remaining two slots, becoming the top four of this Military Academy League.

As a little-known military academy, Valkyrie Academy was usually eliminated in the first round of the military academy league in previous years, so it was quite surprising that they were able to advance to the finals this time. The participating team members were also interviewed by various reporters.

Mars Military Academy, on the other hand, was already a fan favorite and was inherently famous, so Shen Que was surrounded by a crowd before he could even leave the arena.

Fortunately, there was another conspicuous person, Shaikh, accompanying him during the interview.

As a result, all the viewers watching the live stream saw the normally unmoved Chief of Mars Military Academy gradually darken in expression under his teammate’s sarcastic and snide remarks. Except for when Shaikh praised Ji Xuan’s eyes-closed shooting of moving targets, at which his expression relaxed slightly, at all other times, he looked as if he wanted nothing more than to grind his teeth and take the other person down with him.

[The internal relationships at Mars are truly strange. Just how incompatible are they?]

[Maybe this is the struggle between high-grade Alphas. I heard the higher the grade, the greater the mutual repulsion. After all, they are all potential competitors.]

[But why do they coexist peacefully when talking about Ji Xuan?]

[Wait, didn’t people say Shen Que doesn’t like Ji Xuan? I have a bold theory…]

[So why are only these two being interviewed? What about the other two participating in the relay?]

[Drinking juice across the way.]

Ji Xuan and Pei Yingye were indeed standing directly across from the two surrounded men, boredly sipping juice provided by the staff. Following this, there would be the confirmation of the finals roster and a pep talk, so they couldn’t head back early; they could only wait here for the interviews to conclude.

Why didn’t they participate? Because both tacitly understood they didn’t want to be surrounded by cameras like monkeys in a zoo, so they had handed off the honorable task.

On the other side, Peniel, the contestant from Valkyrie Academy who had achieved impressive results in the preliminaries, had also finished his interview. He was weaving through the crowd toward a distant rest area to sit down.

Ji Xuan glanced over subconsciously, and his eyebrows suddenly shot up in curiosity.

For no other reason than the person sitting across from Peniel happened to be Ji Yan, who had come earlier to deliver Ji Zhongcheng’s message.

Seeing Peniel sit down, no expression of surprise appeared on Ji Yan’s face. He simply listened quietly as the other spoke a few sentences, then grabbed his things from the table and stood up.

Although Ji Xuan had heard that Ji Yan was popular, Peniel did not look like the type of person he would usually befriend.

Before Ji Xuan could make sense of it, his attention was drawn back by a staff member who approached him.

Shen Que and Shaikh’s interview had ended; they could now go to confirm the roster for the finals.

—

The finals required each team to have no fewer than 15 contestants. After the roster was confirmed, there was a collective introduction segment. Eagle Military Academy’s efficiency was unexpectedly high; in such a short time, they had actually put together a highlight reel of each contestant’s performance during the preliminaries. Every time the system announced a contestant’s name, the giant light screen would play that contestant’s preliminary video.

This setup made it easy for the audience on-site and in the live stream to identify the contestants, but it made quite a few thin-skinned individuals want to curl up and die on the spot. When it got to Ji Xuan, the lens on the screen scanned the dark, smoke-trailing muzzle of his gun with a lingering gaze, then moved to his well-defined hand gripping the weapon and the smooth lines of his wrist. It zoomed in all the way until it reached his relaxed, slightly parted lips, his exquisite high-bridged nose, and his tightly closed eyes. A scene that had lasted only a second or two in the actual match was edited into ten seconds, as if determined to show every pore on his face in exhaustive detail.

To some extent, Eagle Military Academy was quite impartial; at least the contestants from other academies received roughly the same treatment as their own. The quality of the videos was nearly identical, and practically every time one was played, it elicited a wave of gasps from the surrounding spectators.

Meanwhile, perhaps having learned from previous years, the students of Mars Military Academy were not idle either. A group of students, led by those from the Arts department, had created introductions for this year’s Mars contestants on the StarNet after receiving school permission. Aside from basic information, it included a mashup of their performances in several annual assessments.

Ji Xuan’s video, in particular, had a very different vibe.

It was unclear where that genius’s inspiration had come from. One second, the video might show the coolness of Ji Xuan kicking over a challenger; the next second, it would immediately cut to the moment he was pressed against a railing, casting a light backward glance at Pei Yingye. Before that could linger, it became the scene of a combat knife gliding across Shaikh’s body, finally freezing at the moment the sharp blade ruthlessly slashed the carotid artery. In short, the viewing experience was like a roller coaster: one moment you were giggling with a heart full of blossoms, and the next you wanted to cover yourself from head to toe, feeling a phantom pain.

However, the view count for this video continued to grow at a frantic pace, even surpassing the official collection of star contestant introductions released by Eagle.

Lest it be forgotten, this video naturally included that candid shot of the dance at the dance party from the Mars Academy forum. Even Pei Yingye received a message of concern from his own father.

It was just a bit difficult to look at.

Pei Yingye replied to Pei Yun with a [Please shut up.jpg] emoji. He tilted his head toward Ji Xuan, who was walking toward an aircraft, and asked, “Are you really going?”

Ji Xuan nodded.

Pei Yingye pursed his lips and said, “Fine, I guess I’ll just be lonely and miserable tonight.”

Ji Xuan ignored his feigned vulnerability and aggrieved complaint. He raised a hand to pat Pei Yingye’s face and said, “You can also go celebrate with Lai Zhou and the others.”

Pei Yingye flatly refused. After acting unhappy for a few seconds, he still said, “Come back early.”

Ji Xuan was noncommittal as he turned and walked toward the aircraft parked at the hotel entrance.

Little did he know that both his interaction with Pei Yingye just now and that photo circulating on the StarNet had been sent directly to Ji Zhongcheng, turning his face ashen with rage.

The butler who came to pick him up didn’t take him directly to the restaurant. Instead, he was first sent to a high-end custom clothing store.

Ji Xuan was led directly to a VIP room. A team of stylists who had been waiting there surrounded him silently and efficiently. A set of finely tailored white suits was carefully brought out.

However, the dimensions of the suit were likely tailored according to the “Ji Xuan” of the past, so they weren’t a good fit for the current Ji Xuan. The team was forced to make quick adjustments to another, more casual, dark-colored suit. When Ji Xuan finished changing and walked out in this dark suit, even the worldly stylists had a flash of amazement in their eyes. The dark color complemented his cold, pale skin and tall, sharp frame. It lost some of the nobility a white suit might bring but gained a touch of casual, roguish charm.

The old butler frowned, wanting to say something, but there were no other remedies left, so he had to let it go.

Makeup, styling… by the time Ji Xuan officially appeared at the restaurant, his entire being seemed to have been transformed into an exquisitely packaged product.

Ji Xuan was led to a seat and sat down, his gaze sweeping over the empty spots at the table.

One, two, three, four, five—

Besides Ji Zhongcheng and Ji Yan, who else was coming?

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