77 You fought with your girlfriend

In a dim-lit lounge, a lone figure sat in the corner with a floor lamp lighting the side of his face. Yi Chen was sitting in a relaxed posture with his fingers resting on his forehead giving off a tranquil atmosphere.

As peaceful and calm as he was he wasn’t sleeping. In fact, he was trying to comfort himself after being blocked by Zi Han. He kept telling himself that once Zi Han sees the copied script and his grandfather’s map he would be taken out of the blacklist.

“You aren’t asleep yet?” asked a deep hoarse voice that could only belong to the Marshal.

Yi Chen had long sensed his father’s presence he just kept his eyes closed. He slowly lifted his fingers revealing a pair of hazy eyes.

“Yes, did you have dinner yet?” he asked while straightening his body from its sluggish posture.

Marshal Yi walked over and took a seat opposite him while saying, “*Sigh..... I did. Just a little exhausted. These random attacks are starting to make people panic.”

Yi Chen got up and walked to the locked cabinet in the dining room. He poured out roughly two shots of whiskey in a crystal glass before walking back and placing it in his father’s hand.

“Did you find a pattern already?” asked Yi Chen taking a seat next to his father.

Marshal Yi lightly rotated the glass in between his fingers with the brown liquid glimmering under the dim yellow light from the floor lamp

.....

“Sort of. I contracted the work to the Bloodgarde... We must be on high alert because they just reported that the next attack might be in Capital Star. Tomorrow I will get your siblings protective mechs. I have also asked all schools to make sure their students have one just in case,” explained the Marshal before taking a sip.

As the spicy and smoky spirit warmed his throat Yi Chen said, “That’s a relief. Did mum’s protective mech get an upgrade?”

“Mn,” replied the Marshal thinking protective mechs were the best decision the federation had ever made. If it weren’t for them most military personnel wouldn’t fight to their fullest capacity because they would be worried about their families especially in unexpected warzones. It’s just that he didn’t think they would need to use them this early.

“Did you drink?” he suddenly asked facing his son with slight bewilderment. He knew Yi Chen needed an outlet to vent but he didn’t think he would actually go out drinking. It had to be that something was bothering him but what could bother him so much that he had to go drinking?

“I went to find Yi Feng. We had dinner and some drinks,” he explained while rubbing his eyes.

Yi Chen for the most part was hard to read especially when he wore that blank expression but Marshal Yi was his father after all. He could read Yi Chen’s mind with the subtlest of movements. He can hide his feelings all he wants but the Marshal could spot it if something is wrong.

“You fought with your girlfriend?” asked the Marshal before taking another sip with a slight quirk on his lips.

Yi Chen, “???”

“What are you talking about? I don’t have a girlfriend?” said Yi Chen wondering how on earth his father would come to that conclusion. “Oh god, is that why you were saying all those things that day?”

“So you are telling me that you don’t have a girlfriend?” asked Marshal Yi watching him intently as though probing for something.

Yi Chen, who had been wrongfully accused stared at his father with a ‘you must be fuckin kidding me’ kind of expression while replying, “Why on earth would you think that?” If this got into Zi Han’s ears wouldn’t that ruin his chances immediately?

“Your mother..... she..... never mind,” said Marshal Yi questioning his wife’s love meter. It seemed it was broken or something.

“I wanted to talk to you about something. It’s about Zi Feiji’s map,” said Yi Chen as his father took the last sip of his whiskey. But less than a second later he spat it out and almost choked to death. Since when did his son meddle in his affairs? If anything he would remain a bystander and would never refute his words.

For example, the last time they went together to pay Zi Feiji a visit his son said nothing. He just stood there like a statue watching everything happening around him without a word.

Yi Chen took out a few pieces of tissue from the dispenser and gave them to his father. He didn’t think the man would have this much of a reaction after saying that. After wiping dry his lips and hand the Marshal restored his domineering attitude and asked in a serious tone, “Reason?” His tone was as serious as that of a superior about to reprimand his subordinate for insubordination.

“Because of that map he has punished his grandson to wear the female uniform of the academy,” he explained seriously his voice less stern than usual.

That’s because he hadn’t truly sobered up yet. The only reason he was lying flat on the ground passed out was because he had padded his stomach with lots of food. That by the way was a very smart decision.

“So? When did you start meddling in other people’s business?” asked the Marshal curious to know how his son was going to justify himself.

Yi Chen would never divulge the real reason why he cared. He could only come up with some believable BS that can fool his father. “It’s affecting the learning environment in class one which will ultimately influence the final results. I would have to pick a team from class one in the end but if their performance is affected by this they won’t qualify to join my platoon.”

It was a well-known fact that the first three candidates to come out on top at the end of the pre-training would get to pick a team that would go through military training together and form a tactical unit that would be sent on assignments in the future.

Naturally most wanted to be selected for Yi Chen’s team because he was destined to be the future Marshal. But if their performance wasn’t up to standard then they would miss the opportunity of a lifetime. Marshal Yi was well aware of this and understood what Yi Chen was trying to say.historical