First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 95

Chapter 95: Meeting

The boys chatted back and forth, but what they were most interested in was inevitably the topic of women.

Aside from Fang Jianchen having fallen into Xia Yanfeng's trap before, the others merely sighed without much hostility.

Lian Sheng asked, "I'd really like to meet the legendary Liliana. Do you think I can see her?"

Everyone turned to look at her. The atmosphere suddenly grew quiet.

Fang Jianchen: "What do you think? Does she have nothing better to do?"

Roommate C adjusted her sitting posture and said, "Before Liliana, I think you should consider Xia Yanfeng first."

"In any case, I don't recommend fighting her in a large battlefield. If you do, I hope you find some reliable teammates," Fang Jianchen said. "The other side is just for entertainment—they won't take it seriously."

Lian Sheng asked, "Then if I invited you, would you join?"

Fang Jianchen shook his head: "No way. Looking for trouble? I can't afford to mess with brain-dead fans."

Lian Sheng: "Your chance for fame is right here."

Fang Jianchen: "As long as I'm not in the same match as you, I can perform normally. Then I can make a name for myself."

Lian Sheng then turned to Zhao Zhuoluo: "Your esteemed mother and my humble mother..."

Zhao Zhuoluo nodded: "Yes, they're colleagues. But they are them, and we are us."

Lian Sheng: "As for myself and you..."

Zhao Zhuoluo immediately responded: "Casual acquaintances."

Fang Jianchen slammed the table: "Long-standing grudges!"

"You're so shallow," Lian Sheng said, shaking her head at Fang Jianchen. "The enemy of my enemy..."

Cheng Ze interjected: "We can't afford to be her enemy. Seriously."

Competing against such a famous figure would only bring trouble no matter how they played it. Winning wouldn't feel good because her fans would say, "She's just a girl," or "She's just an amateur." But if they lost, they'd be trampled into the dirt, unable to lift their heads.

Planting spies? So what? All's fair in war—it's a legitimate tactic. If they had the guts, they could plant spies too.

They couldn't stoop to such shamelessness, so they conceded defeat.

Lian Sheng sighed.

Zhou Shirui said, "Senior, I can help you fight."

The crowd erupted: "Ooooh—!"

"Isn't that a given?" Lian Sheng said. "You're part of the studio too."

Zhou Shirui: "Senior, I just don't want you to seem so alone."

Lian Sheng smiled: "Thank you."

The Alliance still followed the lunar calendar for holidays, especially in their Third District. This year, the Lunar New Year came unusually early, so Alliance University's winter break was also scheduled earlier. There were only two weeks left before their vacation.

Lian Sheng didn't want to drag this work into the holidays. She had already made plans with Bright Bulb and the others for intensive training and studying.

But nearing the end of the semester, aside from filming, there were still classes. Her roommates repeatedly reminded her that skipping class in these final days was absolutely forbidden. After all, professors might randomly drop hints about exam content—this was a matter of life and death for their grades. Moreover, the opportunity to hear a professor summarize the entire course was invaluable. Who knew what insights she might gain?

Lian Sheng attended, took notes, skimmed through them, and memorized everything.

Her comrades working on the promotional video were deeply concerned about her academic performance. They somehow dug up past exam papers that were never publicly released and made her memorize them.

Fortunately, Lian Sheng filmed quickly and memorized even faster, so the end of the semester passed relatively smoothly. However, progress on the promotional video was less than ideal.

The school had high standards and kept proposing adjustments—to the script, to the background—forcing them to make constant changes. The drafts were rejected multiple times, requiring endless revisions.

For Lian Sheng, it was just a matter of performing a routine that took a few minutes. But for the modelers, it was a nightmare. Days and nights of hard work might only amount to a few seconds of screen time.

Watching her fellow Command Department B-track students endure this torment, walking around like zombies, Lian Sheng gained a new perspective on the world.

This world wasn't so kind to technical workers either.

The video was divided into two parts: her solo demonstration and a sparring demonstration.

Only after the first part was finally approved did they begin filming the second half.

Zhao Zhuoluo and the others were to be her opponents in the video, so they had been training intensely during this time.

But they had little experience with short weapons, especially unfamiliar ones like whips, hooks, and rakes, which were not only strange to them but also difficult to handle. Since these weapons could be dangerous and the training grounds were crowded, they had been practicing alone in the training room to avoid accidents.

During the actual filming, Lian Sheng watched them running around wildly with their weapons.

News of the shoot had spread, and the training grounds were packed with spectators eager to cheer them on.

Lian Sheng had them clear a large circle, maintaining a safe distance. After all, these guys were still beginners—dropping a weapon was no joke.

After half an hour of practice, a commotion broke out at the edge of the crowd.

Everyone stopped and turned to look. The crowd parted, and a woman in a long dress walked through, waving.

A school official led the way beside her, followed by her assistant and manager.

Seeing a celebrity—whether they were fans or not—people naturally wanted to get a closer look. The crowd's attention immediately locked onto her, and excited shouts erupted:

"Xia Yanfeng! Goddess!"

"That outfit looks amazing on her!"

"Wow! She's even prettier in person!"

"Why is she at our school? Is there an event? She's so beautiful!"

"Ah! Didn't she challenge Lian Sheng?"

"Wasn't that next month?"

"This soon?"

The voices gradually died down. This wasn't something to discuss in front of the two of them.

Alliance University students were generally well-behaved. No one swarmed her, though they watched eagerly.

Lian Sheng and the others stopped. The teacher led Xia Yanfeng to the center of the circle.

Xia Yanfeng glanced around, indifferent to the noise, and smiled. "I'm very interested in ancient martial arts. I heard you were filming a short video, so I came to take a look."

Her makeup was light, her long hair cascading over her shoulders. With delicate features, she was indeed a beautiful woman. A fresh fragrance lingered around her.

Lian Sheng didn't like her. Just seeing her reminded Lian Sheng of her fans, and thinking of her fans made her blood boil.

Lian Sheng was wrapping her hands with tape and didn't respond. The Command Department boys handling the filming glanced up excitedly when they saw her, then realized they no longer had the energy to fangirl and slumped back down.

Lu Mingyuan irritably pressed a button and propped his chin on his hand.

He wanted to finish! He wanted to rest! He wanted to film! Was this ever going to end?!

The teacher guiding Xia Yanfeng stepped forward. "Let me introduce you two. This is Lian Sheng, and this is Xia Yanfeng. I assume you already know each other?"

Xia Yanfeng extended her hand. "Hello."

Lian Sheng nodded slightly and raised her taped hands to indicate she couldn't shake.

Xia Yanfeng said, "I didn't expect a master of ancient martial arts to look so refined."

Lian Sheng: "You also look quite delicate."

Xia Yanfeng: "Of course I can't compare to you military students. I'm just an amateur, so please go easy on me."

Lian Sheng said flatly, "Oh, your personality is a bit different from what I imagined."

Xia Yanfeng: "How so?"

Lian Sheng: "You're more self-aware than I thought."

The teacher coughed loudly.

Xia Yanfeng chuckled, unbothered.

The teacher said, "The school has invited Ms. Xia to be the ambassador for our project. She's very interested in ancient martial arts, so she wanted to see it in person. This is a rare opportunity. Where's your team leader? Let's have a proper discussion."

He turned to Xia Yanfeng. "Though this is a student project, they're all outstanding. I'm sure they won't disappoint you."

Xia Yanfeng nodded.

Fang Jianchen nearly shouted but was muffled by Cheng Ze, who shoved him to the ground.

The surrounding students gasped when they heard.

Xia Yanfeng had challenged Lian Sheng, and now she was endorsing Lian Sheng's short film. If Lian Sheng lost...

When you thought about it, this move was quite something.

Xia Yanfeng's manager was discussing with their team leader, reviewing the footage. Zhao Zhuoluo stood nearby, swinging his sword idly.

Xia Yanfeng trotted over. "So impressive! Have you trained for long?"

Zhao Zhuoluo glanced at her, then at Fang Jianchen, who was glaring daggers at him, and said nothing.

Xia Yanfeng asked again, "Is ancient martial arts hard to learn? Can I learn it? How long would it take to be as good as you?"

Fang Jianchen made a throat-slitting gesture, narrowing his eyes threateningly.

Zhao Zhuoluo: "..."

Xia Yanfeng: "Why are you looking at your classmate instead of me? Did you hear me? Are you also a student at the Military Academy?"

Fang Jianchen bared his teeth angrily, flipping them off before Cheng Ze wrestled him to the ground again.

Xia Yanfeng noticed and frowned. "Is he... doing that at me or...?"

Zhao Zhuoluo shook his head, silently walking away with his sword.

"Sorry," Lian Sheng suddenly appeared behind her. "If there's any woman in this world who could truly make them submit, one might be named Liliana. The other would definitely be named Lian Sheng."

Xia Yanfeng: "..."

Lian Sheng followed Zhao Zhuoluo, walking beside him. "With a beauty right in front of you, why run? It's not like she scammed you. Are you afraid she'll covet your body?"

"..." Zhao Zhuoluo said, "Because I still want to make it back to the dorm alive. And why do you hate her so much?"

Lian Sheng shrugged: "I thought she must have been prepared for this when she challenged me and then agreed to endorse my video."

Zhao Zhuoluo: "It's because her fans insulted you."

Lian Sheng gasped: "Am I that shallow?"

Zhao Zhuoluo snorted.

Lian Sheng: "I'm just a little vindictive."

Xia Yanfeng watched them, baffled. When had she ever been ignored like this? This was their first meeting, and she hadn't shown any hostility.

Xia Yanfeng glanced down at her dress. Was her outfit inappropriate?

Still confused, she heard someone call out: "Goddess, can I take a photo with you?"

"Goddess, can I get an autograph?"

"Goddess, how long are you staying? Are you filming here today?"

"Xia Xia, I love you!"

Xia Yanfeng lifted her head, forcing a smile as she walked toward them.

Liliana held her optical computer, distractedly scrolling while her eyes kept drifting to the view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

They were on a high floor, and from this vantage point, tiny black dots—vehicles—zipped past below.

The city had changed so quickly. After two years away, it was almost unrecognizable. It felt familiar yet strangely foreign.

"I understand," Liliana took a deep breath, tossed the optical computer onto the table, and said, "Tell Alliance University's representatives that if their student wins in the end, I'll endorse their short film. Stop worrying about these trivial matters and focus on preparing for the upcoming competition."

The man in front of her bowed slightly. "No, Colonel Liliana. We invited you back this time for another matter entirely."

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