What is she doing here? Did she see him fighting like some kind of wild beast? Does she think he's too violent? Is she scared of him?
His mind raced with what she might be thinking, and sheer panic set in. He felt absolutely hopeless.
But to his surprise, Nian Yan's eyes lit up like he was her only lifeline. She threw her hand up and called out his name.
Instantly, every single pair of eyes snapped toward the young male in the ring. Shock, envy, pure burning jealousy. Even though he had just won the academy's Grand Melee tournament, that victory meant absolutely nothing compared to being called out by a gorgeous little female in front of everyone.
The men who knew him were completely baffled. What on earth did a sweet little female see in him? Xia Jili was notoriously unpopular. He was a complete loner, always keeping to himself. He was broke and constantly covered in cuts and bruises. Even if he was insanely strong, there was no way a female would ever look twice at a guy like him.
Ignoring the hundreds of glaring eyes, he shoved his way through the crowd and walked straight up to Nian Yan. As he got close, he looked down at her and asked, his voice low and incredibly gentle, "Where did you want to go? I can show you around the campus if you'd like."
Nian Yan was desperate for him to get her out of this terrifying situation, so she nodded frantically.
But suddenly another male stepped right in front of her. He was some minor noble who clearly had bad blood with Xia Jili.
"My lady," he purred with a smirk. "The name is Chu Shu."
And as he spoke, he actually had the nerve to lean in dangerously close to her, taking it upon himself to greet Nian Yan with a kiss on the cheek. Using such an intimate greeting on a female he barely knew was straight-up harassment.
Nian Yan frowned and immediately jerked away. Just as it seemed she wouldn't be able to dodge, in a split second a cold glint flashed as the little cat suddenly bared her sharp claws. Xia Jili struck at the exact same moment, locking his hands around Chu Shu's throat and slamming him to the ground.
Thank goodness he acted so fast. The military cadets watching couldn't help but break into a cold sweat, because that white cat was ferocious enough to go straight for the jugular. She was so unbelievably fast that none of them felt confident they could have dodged that strike.
Of course, right now Chu Shu wasn't doing much better. He scrambled on his hands and knees, barely managing to get back on his feet. He gritted his teeth in fury. Even though Xia Jili had technically just saved his life, he didn't feel an ounce of gratitude. With all their old grudges and this new humiliation piling up, he glared venomously at Xia Jili, suddenly letting out a cold, mocking sneer.
"Look at you, guarding her like that. You look just like a pathetic dog. But then again, I guess it makes perfect sense. Only a lowly broke loser like you would act like a servant for a powerless commoner female."
As Xia Jili's mortal enemy, Chu Shu obviously knew all about the juicy gossip of his public meltdown, which was exactly how Nian Yan had caught his attention in the first place.
With that said, he shifted his predatory gaze to Nian Yan. "Why don't you ditch him and keep me company instead? I can give you so much more. Being with a bottom-feeder male like him, what could he possibly give you—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, a small stone struck him dead on, making him stumble and cry out in pain. He whipped his head around, only to see a group of senior professors glaring at him with absolute fury.
Meanwhile, Lu Zan quickly strode over to Nian Yan and dropped to one knee. Filled with remorse, he apologized for getting there so late.
When Chu Shu saw this, he couldn't help but start trembling violently. He had completely forgotten Lu Zan was also one of Nian Yan's males. He might have the guts to provoke Xia Jili, but he would absolutely never dare to mess with Lu Zan.
Lu Zan was notorious for being completely ruthless. The most shocking and violent incident in the history of the Imperial Military Academy was his doing. Even though he was just a medical student, he had single-handedly beaten several noble heirs so badly they had to be rushed to the emergency room. And because his strikes were perfectly calculated so that he wouldn't actually kill them, he avoided criminal charges entirely, walking away with nothing more than a slap on the wrist.
The senior professors accompanying Lu Zan clearly remembered their star pupil's brutal past as well. They hurriedly held him back, terrified he was going to attack right then and there.
Professor Lee kept a stern face, declaring that a student like that would absolutely face strict disciplinary action. He then gave Lu Zan the rest of the day off, telling him to go home and take good care of his little female. They really didn't want her leaving with a bad impression of the Imperial Military Academy because of today's mess.
A few of the senior professors even took the initiative to line up and add Nian Yan as a contact. It was completely obvious just how much they valued her.
Meanwhile, Chu Shu cowered pathetically off to the side, trying to make himself as invisible as possible. He turned his head and shot a look of pure hatred at Xia Jili. But he was genuinely terrified by the dark, murderous expression on the other man's face. The way Xia Jili was looking at him, it was like he was staring at a corpse.
On her way home, Nian Yan received a message from Xia Jili. It was just two words.
I'm sorry.
She could feel how terrible his mood was, even through the screen. Nian Yan replied, "You didn't do anything wrong. Why are you apologizing? If anything, I should be thanking you for protecting me. It's just a shame we didn't get to tour the campus today."
Those two short replies, Xia Jili read them over and over, dozens of times. But he never replied.
Because they were never going to see each other again.
He stared coldly toward the royal palace. That was where all the high and mighty nobles lived. The Chu family was among them. He was going to fight fire with fire, meeting evil with evil. But once he walked down this path, his hands would be dirty. He wouldn't deserve to be near Nian Yan ever again. But at least he'd have the power to protect her.
For the next few days, every message Nian Yan sent to Xia Jili was met with absolute silence. Not a single reply.
Then, out of nowhere, the notoriously arrogant Chu Shu was beaten so badly he ended up in the hospital. The best part? He had no idea who had actually done it.