Redemption - Chapter 3 - An Unexpected Guest

Perhaps it aligns perfectly with the old saying in Country Z: “A tiger father begets no dog son.” Jia Ying inherited many admirable qualities from her father. From a young age, she was always diligent and actively participated in various sports. Her father’s death might have cast a deep psychological shadow over her, motivating her to focus on self-protection. Driven by this desire, she achieved a first-degree black belt in both karate and judo. Beyond that, she displayed an astonishing talent for shooting, becoming a member of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) of Country Z at a young age. She often frequented shooting ranges to practice. Over time, all these endeavors lent her an unintentional air of danger, which kept most boys at a respectful distance.

Jia Ying consistently excelled academically, eventually becoming the school’s student council president. Zong Rui, though not performing poorly himself, fell slightly short in comparison, earning only a position as a council member. That said, when it came to intelligence, Jia Ying could be considered average at best, while Zong Rui was undeniably a genius.

This isn’t meant as favoritism toward Zong Rui. He possessed exceptional logical reasoning skills and an extraordinary memory. He also enjoyed physical activities, dabbling in karate, judo, taekwondo, boxing, and more. However, unlike Jia Ying’s mastery, Zong Rui never reached the same level of proficiency. Instead, he would barely scratch the surface of one discipline before moving on to explore another, leaving him without a single sport he could claim true expertise in. Ironically, this became an unexpected advantage, as he developed a unique fighting style that fused elements from various martial arts.

As Zong Rui pedaled his bike toward school, he reminisced about the past. Sitting behind him, Jia Ying gently brushed petals from her glossy black hair. She spoke softly, “The day after tomorrow’s the exams again. How’s your preparation coming along?”

Shrugging as he gripped the handlebars, Zong Rui replied, “Not a clue. I’m probably going to bomb this one again. Ugh, I really hate exams!”

Jia Ying chided him, “You can’t keep being like this. No matter how much you hate exams, they’ll come as scheduled. There’s no escaping it.”

Zong Rui joked, “If only something like an act of God happened right about now-a flood, a fire-then exams would be gone for good.”

Jia Ying gave him a playful elbow to the back and scolded, “How can you even think like that? That’s so awful!”

Zong Rui chuckled softly. “Just kidding, don’t take it seriously. On such a bright and beautiful day, how could anything bad possibly happen?”

Before the words had fully left his mouth, Zong Rui squeezed the brakes and brought the bicycle to a smooth halt in front of the school gate. Jia Ying hopped lightly off the bike’s rear seat and began walking toward the school building. However, after only a few steps, she suddenly stopped, as if something had just crossed her mind.

Curious, Zong Rui asked, “What’s wrong? Did you forget something?”

Jia Ying bit her lip and hesitated for a moment before saying softly, “Since this morning, I’ve had this really bad feeling… like something’s about to happen…”

Pushing the bike forward as he walked, Zong Rui casually responded without looking back, “Come on, it’s such a nice season. What could possibly happen? You’re overthinking things.”

Jia Ying listened, biting her lip again, and nodded slightly. Just as she was about to walk ahead, she heard Zong Rui’s nonchalant voice behind her:

“But, you know, even if something truly terrible happened, I wouldn’t let anything hurt you. Not even a little.”

Her body stiffened slightly, and the step she had just been about to take froze in place. A moment later, a faint blush crept across her face, and a barely noticeable smile tugged at the corner of her lips. In a voice so soft that only she could hear, she murmured, “Then, it’s a promise…”

The two of them walked into the school together, a sight that immediately caught the attention of many passing students. Jia Ying was universally acknowledged as the school’s top student-both academically and in appearance-and was nearly a household name on campus. Meanwhile, Zong Rui, while not as flawless, could be considered a reasonably attractive young man. Add to that his unique fighting skills-a blend of various martial arts-which had earned him some recognition, and it wasn’t hard to understand why he had his own share of admirers, especially among the underclassmen girls. Seeing these two “idol-level” figures walking together naturally drew quite a few spectators, even though such a scene was a daily occurrence.

Being used to this kind of attention, neither Jia Ying nor Zong Rui paid much mind to the lingering glances. They continued walking, treating the stares of their starry-eyed admirers as little more than background noise. However, a sudden chorus of gasps-feminine squeals mixed with stunned intakes of breath-emanated from the crowd. Jia Ying and Zong Rui exchanged puzzled glances before turning to look behind them. Instantly, both of them let out soft exclamations of surprise.

Standing behind them was a young man who could only be described as breathtakingly handsome. He looked to be around eighteen years old and wore a pristine, immaculately tailored white British-style suit. The suit positively gleamed, complemented by a black tie with golden edging, held in place by a glimmering tie clip set with what appeared to be a pale blue gemstone. The sight was stunning. And yet, the young man’s striking outfit was perfectly matched by his appearance.

His glossy black hair was neatly combed and swayed slightly in the gentle breeze, effortlessly holding its shape. His oval-shaped face was pale and flawless, exuding a refined and delicate beauty-a type favored by many girls. At that moment, he lazily raised a hand and ran his fingers through his hair. The gesture, seemingly casual, revealed a dazzling India-sourced diamond set on a ring worn on his finger. In the dim glow of the late afternoon, the gemstone sparkled like an evening star, drawing every eye in his direction. The young man’s movements were fluid and graceful, reminiscent of an aristocrat from old Britain.

And yet, the more poised and elegant his demeanor, the more an inexplicable sense of fear seeped into the air. There was something unnerving about his handsomeness-something cold, menacing, even deadly. Why?

One thing was clear: the young man’s presence was no coincidence. He was walking directly toward Jia Ying and Zong Rui.

Zong Rui’s chest tightened, his instincts instantly on high alert. As far as he could remember, he’d never had any dealings with someone of such an apparent status. What could this person possibly want with him?