CH 8

After resting in the dormitory until 2 PM, Jian Ning went to the classroom for the Planting Theory class. During the break, Jian Ning noticed that the surrounding classmates were all excitedly discussing something.

"Ning, do you know? Tomorrow is the opening day of Gaia Military Academy," Terry said, brimming with excitement.

"Gaia Military Academy's opening day... What does it have to do with us?" Jian Ning asked, puzzled, not quite understanding why they would be so excited about another school's opening day.

Terry's eyes gleamed. "Marshal Zong Ye will be giving a speech!"

When mentioning the Marshal, Terry couldn't stop talking. "Marshal Zong Ye is the youngest and most outstanding general in the history of the Empire. He led his warships and conquered an entire galaxy for the Empire, and even defeated the Zerg Clan's invasion several times. It is said that his psychic power has surpassed S-rank, and he's the only one in the entire Empire. Most importantly, Marshal Zong Ye is handsome and still single. Despite rumors of his cold demeanor, it doesn't stop him from becoming an idol for young boys and girls throughout the Empire. However, the Marshal rarely appears in public; the last time was a year ago. Now, we finally have the opportunity to see him in person during this speech!"

"Ning, let's go to Gaia Military Academy tomorrow," Terry said eagerly.

Gaia Military Academy only accepts male students with B-rank or above, and the males who graduate from Gaia Military Academy directly join the military as officers. Their family members are mostly female planting instructors who graduated from Saint Academy. Therefore, the two academies have a good relationship, and since they are close to each other, the students often visit each other, and there's even a dedicated school bus running between the two academies.

The next morning, after finishing their morning classes, the academy knew that the students' hearts were all at Gaia Military Academy, so they decided to give them a half-day off. After lunch, Terry took Jian Ning out and they boarded the school bus.

Jian Ning was worried about leaving Tuan Tuan alone in the dormitory, but carrying him on his chest would be too conspicuous. So, he put Tuan Tuan in a bag and carefully hung it in front of his chest. Worried that Tuan Tuan might feel stuffy, he also placed his favorite golden ball inside the bag before heading out.

The school gate was filled with people queuing up to take the school bus to Gaia Military Academy. Jian Ning and Terry queued for about ten minutes before it was their turn. The school bus quickly filled up and headed towards Gaia Military Academy.

At the entrance of Gaia Military Academy, it was already bustling with excitement. Jian Ning and Terry got off the bus, showed their student bracelets to the guard robot, and followed the crowd inside. The speech was held in the gymnasium, and the seats below were already filled with military academy students. Terry pulled Jian Ning along and managed to grab two seats on the side of the stands.

At 2 o'clock sharp, the speech began, and the people around were all eagerly watching the stage. Jian Ning discreetly unzipped the bag on his chest, reached inside to comfort Tuan Tuan, and at the same time, curiously watched the stage, wanting to catch a glimpse of the highly admired Marshal.

"This is Marshal Zong Ye, right?" he turned to ask Terry.

"No, this is Marshal Zong Ye's younger brother, Zong Ming, who serves as an academician at the Science Academy. The Marshal had something come up, so he sent him to give the speech instead," Terry said, disappointed for not seeing their idol.

Upon hearing the lively voices around, Tuan Tuan started to squirm inside the bag, seemingly wanting to come out. Terry noticed and said, "Let's go back. We shouldn't keep Tuan Tuan confined for too long."

He had come here for the Marshal, and since he hadn't seen him, it was better to head back early to avoid waiting in line for the bus later.

Jian Ning nodded and comfortingly touched Tuan Tuan before walking out with Terry. As they were about to reach the door, Jian Ning couldn't help but look back at the man giving the speech.

Why did this person resemble Tuan Tuan's father a bit?

In the office of St. Scion Academy's principal, Zong Ye looked through the documents in front of him and asked, "Are these all the records of the students admitted this time?"

The principal nodded beside him and said, "Yes, Marshal, all the records are here."

Zong Ye frowned as the data showed that these students came alone, without any accompanying offspring. However, the signal from Feiyu did indeed appear within St. Scion Academy, along with the voice of that young man. He believed that the guardian of that offspring must be a student from Saint Academy.

It seemed that the offspring had been secretly brought into the academy.

The principal looked at Zong Ye's expression and asked anxiously, "Marshal, is there a problem?"

"Nothing," Zong Ye closed the documents and stood up, saying, "Take me to the student dormitory building."

The news of Feiyu's disappearance was known only to his trusted confidants. Even though he was a Marshal, he had many enemies within the Empire. There were some things he couldn't let others know.

The principal quickly led Zong Ye to the student dormitory building. Zong Ye looked up at the building and took out a sapphire necklace from his pocket, pressing the center sapphire.

This was Feiyu's external activator; as long as Feiyu was within a hundred-meter radius, he could wake Feiyu up.

After pressing it, however, the communicator on his wrist didn't detect any signal fluctuations from Feiyu.

Feiyu wasn't inside the building? Zong Ye was surprised and looked around. He then turned to the principal and asked, "Are all the students not inside?"

The principal smiled and said, "Today is the opening day of Gaia Military Academy, and I heard that you were going to give a speech, so the students have all gone to watch. After all, you're their idol."

Zong Ye: ... I overlooked that fact. But the guardian of that offspring is also his fan?

"Thank you, Principal," he put away the necklace and was about to leave with his adjutant to go to Gaia Military Academy.

Just as he turned around, he heard hurried footsteps from behind the dormitory building. A gentle voice called out, "Marshal."

Zong Ye paused and looked at the young man who came running out from the building, with soft golden hair and fair skin—it was Shelly, General Telande's youngest son.

Shelly was wearing pajamas, and his face was flushed from a high fever. He ran up to Zong Ye and looked up, his face filled with hope, "Marshal, did you come to see me?"

Jian Ning and Terry got off the bus at the academy's entrance and headed towards the dormitory. As they approached the dormitory, they noticed that the path was blocked by the academy's guard robots, and many students were gathered there, looking towards the dormitory door and whispering among themselves.

"What's going on?" Jian Ning also looked towards the dormitory door and noticed two men in military uniforms standing next to the principal, their faces not visible from behind. There was also a very handsome young man speaking to one of the men in uniform.

Terry curiously asked, "Isn't that Shelly? Who is he talking to?"

"Shelly?" Jian Ning looked at the very handsome young man, puzzled, and asked Terry, "Do you know him?"

"Of course, he is General Telande's most beloved youngest son, known as the Empire's number one beauty. Not only is he good-looking and comes from a prominent family, but his psychic power also reaches A-rank. He has been a fan of Marshal Zong Ye since he was young, and it's said that Emperor Simon intends to match them," Terry explained.

As Terry finished speaking, the man standing opposite Shelly revealed a cold and stern profile. Terry tightly grabbed Jian Ning's arm, looking excitedly at him, "Ah, it's Marshal Zong Ye!"

Jian Ning shifted his gaze from Shelly to the man's face in front of him, and he was stunned by the familiar face.

The surrounding students also exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh my, it's Marshal Zong Ye. Wasn't he supposed to be giving a speech at Gaia Military Academy? Why is he here?"

"I heard that Shelly is sick. Could the Marshal have come specifically to see him?"

"I don't think so. The Marshal doesn't seem like such a gentle person."

"If he's not here for Shelly, then why did the Marshal secretly come to our academy and stand at the dormitory door?"

The students were buzzing with discussions. Just then, Zong Ye's adjutant said something to him, and he lowered his head to speak to Shelly before turning around and boarding the aircraft, leaving.

Shelly watched the aircraft leave, biting his lip, his face even redder. The students continued to speculate.

"Wow, what did the Marshal say to Shelly? He made Shelly blush."

"He must have told him to take a good rest, and Shelly is blushing out of shyness."

"I envy Shelly so much. It's just a little cold, and the Marshal came personally to see him."

As the discussions among the students grew louder, Shelly lowered his gaze and turned to go upstairs.

The principal stood awkwardly by the side, wiping his sweat. He felt that Shelly's face turned red from anger. Only he heard what Zong Ye said just now, only one cold word, "No."