Chapter 58

58 Vice

Hela brought along her forbearance as she stood there watching them with laser-sharp eyes. “What are you two doing?” she asked but their reactions weren’t anything like people caught cheating.

“I got punished by my grandfather to copy some script with a calligraphy brush and Shannon over here is teaching me how to do it,” said Zi Han with a big smile when he saw the nice-looking characters appearing on the paper under Shannon’s guidance.

Everything his mother had taught him he had worked extremely hard to master it thus he didn’t want to fail. Failure wasn’t a word in his dictionary. This was why he went to such an extreme length to figure it out. He wasn’t a person afraid to seek help from others thus he wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest.

He felt nothing when the girl’s hand was over his but to others, this scene was a little intimate more especially to Hela. She wanted to say something but when she realised how serious Zi Han was about learning she could only clench her fist to restrain herself.

She wasn’t the only one clenching her fist. In a place, no one could see Yi Chen was subconsciously clamping his fist with his chest feeling especially heavy like a boulder had been dropped on it.

Time and time again he tried to concentrate on the mech parts displayed on the screen on his desk but the voices behind him seemed more amplified. His jaw clenched as he grasped the stylus pen in his hand tightly his thoughts unknown.

Hela only released a breath when Shannon’s hand left Zi Han’s but she wasn’t at ease. She wasn’t into this type of art. Her expertise lay in drawing cute chibi which she did for fun. Compared to the great artist Shannon her drawing wasn’t as impressive but for some reason, she tapped her light brain and a floating screen of her chibi appeared attracting Zi Han’s attention.

The surprise on his face gave her a sense of satisfaction but she felt a little ashamed afterwards. She was a little impulsive just now. “Aiyo, vice class president that chibi isn’t as cute as the one you drew of me in preschool. Why not show him that one?” said Li Ran with his chin resting on the backrest of his chair. His smile was as sly as a fox’s with his two tiger teeth showing.

“You shut up,” she said through gritted teeth her smile as stiff as a poker.

.....

Li Ran shuffled back to look in front while mumbling something inaudible. He was extremely annoyed which meant he didn’t notice his good brother next to him was also in a terrible mood.

Like two cats drenched in water they sat quietly ignoring the foolishness happening behind them. A grey cloud was looming over them reflecting their true feelings.

Seeing this adorable chibi Zi Han suddenly had a thought so he asked, “Can vice draw a chibi of me? I want one of me wearing a yellow puffer jacket.” He wanted to send it to his mother so she could use it as her avatar on Starnet. He hoped it would cheer his mom up.

Hela’s body froze hearing this. ‘Vice? Vice?... AAAAAAAAHHHHH,’ she screamed internally hearing this nickname. Inwardly she was a hot mess but outwardly she maintained her composure like nothing happened.

“Cool, cool..... cool. Tw-two days. I will have it done in two days,” she stammered before walking away her feet tripping over each other once or twice.

“Ha, vice..... that sounds cheesy as fuck,” muttered Li Ran mopping like a puppy. Yi Chen glanced backwards the heaviness on his chest intensifying.

He couldn’t understand why Zi Han wouldn’t ask for his help. He was the only one who knew Zi Han before enrolling into the academy so why would he ask someone he fought with for help?

Why not ask him instead? He really wanted to get along with him and maybe be friends but based on Zi Han’s attitude he wanted nothing to do with him.

Yi Chen should have gotten the hint but after school he found himself walking over to Zi Han’s desk and asking directly, “What text are you copying?”

Zi Han, “.....”

‘Did this fucker break his brain or something?’ he thought as he stared at Yi Chen with a raised brow.

“Why do you want to know Class president Chen.....,” he said before getting up from his seat and looking straight into Yi Chen’s eyes, “I think it’s a little out of your jurisdiction.”

Yi Chen’s breath hitched as he gave Zi Han’s face a once over. He suddenly realized their closeness so he took a step back and pressed his lips into a thin line. He was right. This was outside his duties as class president and he had just been impulsive right now.

Zi Han chuckled as he gently slapped Yi Chen’s shoulder only for Yi Chen’s body to subconsciously move to the side dodging his hand. Zi Han withdrew his hand a little surprised but he wasn’t angry. He just smiled and said, “It’s the ancient text on Confucianism. I have to copy the entire thing with a calligraphy brush. Awesome, right?”

“Brother Han, didn’t you say your grandfather is waiting for you. Come let’s go,” said Shorty who was hoping to see Zi Xingxi despite Zi Han telling him several times that she won’t be there.

“Don’t call me brother. I don’t have a brother like you,” whispered Zi Han reprimanding Shorty but when he glanced at Yi Chen he had on a stiff smile.

“Brother Han is as fierce as my goddess,” replied Shorty with a weird smile on his face that gave Zi Han the creeps. Nope, this guy should never meet his mother.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“You do realise my mother is a fugitive, right?” whispered Zi Han pushing his chair back in while completely disregarding Yi Chen who was still standing there. As the pair walked away Yi Chen suddenly shouted after him,

“Which one?”

Zi Han turned around and walked backwards his brow furrowed before replying, “Analects.” He then spun back after two steps wondering why Yi Chen was interested in this but he didn’t dwell on that thought for long because Shorty wouldn’t stop yammering on.

***

The feeling of a boulder pressing on his chest didn’t ease up despite having left school for hours. Whenever he thought of today’s events the feeling would only get worse. The best way to describe it was like having endless chest pains that wouldn’t go away.