Chapter 24: He Doesn’t Like Women?
Editor: AtlasStudios
It had been a week since the incident and Skyfire Planet had returned to a state of calm. Interstellar news had reported nothing further about the bride snatching. Everything was back to normal.
Lan Jue returned to his normal life, operating his jewelry store.
Recently business had been slow, with few customers to speak of. Luckily for the shop, it didn’t needs very many to stay afloat.
Ding ding ding. The bell above the door chimed as a man in a leisure suit found his way inside.
Xiuxiu smiled and gave a slight curtsey to the man in greeting, welcoming him inside. Ke’er had already dutifully prepared a cup of warm water which she held in both hands.
“What do you need? Speak – no discounts.” Lan Jue lazily leaned against the back of his chair as he spoke to the newcomer.
The Gourmet took the glass offered by Ke’er and sat beside Lan Jue. He grumbled, “So stingy. You never paid for the whiskey you drank at the winey, either.”
“Oh, really? I don’t recall,” Lan Jue responded his eyes large.
“Nobles never keep their word,” the Gourmet responded disdainfully.
Lan Jue scowled. “What do you want.”
The Gourmet responded by lifting his brows. “Do I need a reason to come see you?”
Lan Jue laughed. “With your cool demeanor? You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t have a reason. You sit in your little shop all day refusing to leave.”
The Gourmet sighed. “Well, I guess you aren’t too fond of me.”
Lan Jue drummed his fingers, grinning at him. “No one likes a debt collector.”
He huffed. “You don’t owe me money. I just came to let you know I have a whole bluefin tuna coming in in a few days. I wanted to see if anyone was interested in a bite.”
“A whole one?” Lan Jue’s voice raised an octave, his eyes lighting up.
Of course he knew finding a whole bluefin tuna was exceedingly rare. It certainly wasn’t a natural product of Skyfire, it must have come from someone’s fish farm.
The Gourmet stood. “Fine, I’m leaving. After they catch it it’ll be three days before it arrives, and another two after before it can be eaten. We’ll meet in five days. At the winery, it’s large and we’ll put the space to good use.”
“Good, good.”
The Gourmet made his way outside, lead by Xiuxiu. As he did he said over his shoulder, “It’s a big fish. Bring a friend.”
“Boss, bring me!” Ke’er looked peeved, laying atop the counter before Lan Jue with her lower stuck out.
“Ke’er,” Xiuxiu said in rebuke.
Ke’er stuck out her tongue, shuffling towards her. “We wont’ make the boss lose face, what’s wrong with going with him?”
Xiuxiu took her arm, speaking in quiet tones. “He hasn’t been in a good mood, lately.”
Beep beep beep! Lan Jue dropped his head to look at his interstellar communicator. An unfamiliar number flashed on it’s screen.
He answered.
“Thirty-Seven Huayin Street, Luo Yun teahouse.” A pleasing but indifferent voice came wafting through the communicator.
At first he listened apathetically, but his features could not help but shift once he realized who the voice belonged to. “I’ll be there soon.”
As he spoke he rose quickly and exited the shop.
Watching his back as he hurried away, Ke’er gave him a suspicious look. “The boss doesn’t seem quite right.”
Xiuxiu, on the other hand, looked anxious. “He’s seemed like his normal self the last few days, but I can feel he’s been pretty depressed. Something must have happened.”
“With the boss’ abilities what sort of thing could make him so unhappy,” Ke’er wondered aloud. “You should ask him Xiuxiu. He likes you best.”
Xiuxiu’s face grew red. “Stop talking nonsense.”
Ke’er snickered, speaking quietly. “Don’t tell me you don’t like him. Every time you look at him I see it in your face. You got eyes for that goofy guy and no one else.”
Xiuxiu laughed bitterly. “You give him too little credit. If you can see it, so can he. He ignores it on purpose.”
Ke’er blinked in confusion. “Why? You’re so pretty and sweet!”
Xiuxiu shook her head. “I don’t know either, but.. do you remember? When the boss had first opened the store he was awfully depressed every day. Like he’d had his heart broken.”
“Hey, do you think he’s… you know?” Ke’er said cryptically, her voice softer still.
“What,” Xiuxiu responded, confused.
“You know, us two beautiful girls, strutting in front of him day in and day out, but no reaction. Only way to explain it, he doesn’t like women!”
“Ah?” Xiuxiu looked at her dumbly, the color draining from her face.
ζ
“Atchoo!” Lan Jue rubbed his nose and muttered to himself. “Who’s talking trash about me.”1
ζ
Huayin Street was located in the Western section of Skyfire City, a significant distance from Skyfire Avenue in the city’s downtown district.
Lan Jue sat upon one of the public lev-buses, unaware of his scrunched brows.
His tolerance exceeded that of the average person, and even then it took three years to free himself from the pain he’d experienced. It had been a week since his actions at the wedding, and his mood had gradually returned to normal. But that call, the voice on the other end of his communicator, brought back that night in his memory.
The sorry had already been pressed down, hidden away, but the trouble from that night was far from resolved.
But once he’d heard that voice, his heart beat grew rapid.
He couldn’t help it. Not because she and he had been as close as a man and woman could, but because of what that voice resembled.
And so, almost unconsciously, he lept from the bus disregarding all of his normal grace and poise.
The Luo Yun teahouse wasn’t large, but quite fine. It bore a classical Chinese style construction from the former era, located on a building with letters written over it.
He was met at the door by a woman in a cream qipao. She lead him inside to a tasteful private room.2
As he entered, he stopped in his tracks. The cream-clad woman behind him had already left and shut the door.
The room was small, only capable of seating two.
She wore the same dress as the night she left, long and white. Her long hair was brushed in to a pony tail, revealing the fair skin of her forehead. She didn’t look up, instead staring quietly at the boccaro before her.
The enameled teapot wasn’t large, the top set with a raised relief of plum blossoms. The surface was a deep red, and stood out.
The slightly golden, deep red tea water was poured out and the faint scent of it filled the silent room. The brief sound and smell only added to the quietude.
Lan Jue just stood, staring at the elegant women seated before him. Though he could only see those long eye lashes, he felt his heart sink. Just like the first time he’d met her.
Chapter 25: Bodyguard?
Editor: AtlasStudios
It was as if time had stopped; white skirt, black hair, slender fingers, plum blossom teapot, the faint scent of tea. If you were to just see the contours, it was as perfect as a painting.
The tea was poured into two matching cups, red as the teapot. Just enough tea for one mouthful.
“Are you just going to stand there?” Zhou Qianlin lifted her head, looking at the frozen man before her.
White trousers, pale green shirt, short black hair, sender build. But his most arresting feature were those eyes, full of reminiscence.
“Oh.” Lan Jue was shaken from his haze and approached, sitting in the rattan chair set before her.
Zhou Qianlin motioned towards his drink, lifting her own cup. As the scent wafted towards her, she lifted it to her mouth and took a sip.
Lan Jue lifted the cup to his nose, then took a sip. “Jin jun mei, Lapsang Souchong black tea.” He’d always liked the nice things of this world, the ceremonial tea traditions from Former Era China with centuries-old history and culture. It was full of countless principles and traditions, so naturally he’d enjoy it. Contrary to most tea lovers who preferred green tea, he always enjoyed the black.
Green tea was for the scent, black was for warmth.
A small sip, and the aroma washed over him, like his body was transparent. For a moment his worries melted away.
“Good tea,” Lan Jue said praisingly.
Zhou Qianlin poured them both another cup. The small containers could only hold a very small amount. One sip, and more must be poured.
He took another drink, and placing the cup on the able before him, looked at the person adjacent.
Bright azure eyes, calm and impassive, quivering eyelashes.
“Let’s try this again. I am Lan Jue, proprietor of Zeus’ Jewelry Store on Skyfire Avenue.” He reached a hand towards Zhou Qianlin to shake.
Zhou Qianlin regarded him coolly, her eyes serene but distant.
Lan Jue awkwardly retracted his hand. In fact he’d barely managed to keep himself from asking how she was. Clearly that wouldn’t have been appropriate.
“I didn’t ask you here for a fresh start. We should talk about our situation.” Her voice was as pleasant as ever, but there was a distinct chill to it. Perhaps her cold nature was the reason she had chosen black tea, he thought to himself.
“Fine.” Lan Jue nodded.
Zhou Qianlin fumed. He acted like nothing had happened! Honestly…
“Unless I’m remembering incorrectly, you promised me a favor,” she said.
“Indeed. And you’ve thought of one?” Lan Jue stared at her. Zeus had made that promise, surely her request wouldn’t be an ordinary one.
Zhou Qianlin nodded. “I have.”
Lan Jue was anxious to resolve this. His face was calm, but it didn’t mean he’d forgotten. In fact he had never known this level of guilt.
“I’m a student,” Zhou Qianlin began, opening the lid of the teapot. She poured in more hot water and continued. “National Eastern University, National Scholar, Junior.”
National Scholar? Amid the beating of his heart he remembered the video they had sent, the first time he’d seen her. She had been moving between classes.
He’d heard of the National Eastern University, a top school in the nation. It was a mecha-piloting university. Everything they taught was related to mecha. However only the mecha branch was famous for combat, so the whole school wasn’t named a military university.
Considering the background of the Eastern Alliance, the NEU was the single best institution of higher learning. A four year bachelor’s degree and you could find any related job immediately after graduation. With this sort of education background you were guaranteed social progress, and a stepping stone to success in the military. Of the bachelors, the particularly talented were selected to continue their studies. They were the National Scholars.
National scholars, too, studied in a four year program, but they were the elite of the four alliances. They were assured an important position in their field, moreover it was very possible they would see further advancement in a very short time.
In the Eastern Alliance there were only a handful of institutions who trained National Scholars, thus every year less than a thousand such graduates were produced. As a result, National Scholars were highly prized. It was the same in the other two alliances as well.
“I didn’t know you were a National Scholar.” Lan Jue smiled.
“I haven’t graduated yet,” Zhou Qianlin replied, “You can’t call me that.”
Lan Jue said, “If I’m not mistaken, the NEU is a mecha-piloting university. As you’re a graduate student, did you want me to train you in regards to mechs? This I can do, though it wont be easy.”
It was the first thought that crossed his mind, though she may not know of his identity. However she had seen his capabilities the day he’d captured her, she looked like a smart girl.
But what she said next left him stunned.
“I don’t need a mecha teacher,” Zhou Qianlin replied dismissively. “You think I’d want a teacher who was rude and boorish to me?”
“Rude.. boorish?” Lan Jue felt the hair on the back of his neck rankle. No one had ever called him that before.
“We’re nobility, how could I possibly be boorish?” Lan Jue’s breath came uneven.
“Aren’t you,” Zhou Qianlin snapped back. “You don’t even know what a hospital is, and you aren’t boorish? If you aren’t, what else could I call you…?”
Lan Jue looked like he’d been slapped, his agitation beaten out of him. He frowned and leaned against the back of his chair. He said nothing else – there was never else for him to say – there was nothing he could do to erase his sin.
“What do you want,” he asked. He just wanted to leave, quickly. The woman across from him made him feel impotent. He didn’t feel like Zeus – he felt like minced meat on a cutting board.
“It’ll be some time until I graduate. Two years. Because of what happened a week ago, the Western Alliance is likely to seek reprisal against the Eastern Alliance. Especially my family. I’m worried about my safety. You’re rash and infuriating, but you’d do well as a bodyguard. Until I graduate, I’ll need you to protect me at school.”
“Bodyguard?” His voice raised an octave. He’d absolutely never expected her to ask for something like this. He’d thought Zhou Qianlin would disregard his offer, but now he felt like there were ten thousand alpacas stampeding through his head.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
0 Power
stone 
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