Chapter Ninety-Five: The Boundary Between Love and Friendship

Seeing her break into a cold sweat, he asked with concern, "What is the matter?"

She supported her forehead, her fingers trembling slightly. "It is too terrifying. These people—how can such terrifying people even exist?"

"Terrifying? Is the Palace Emperor terrifying?" Ji asked with a mocking laugh. "The truly terrifying one is not the Palace Emperor; it is Dai Yuhang."

Kaiming looked up at him, dazed. He said coldly, "I have spent so many years by Dai Yuhang's side, and every day feels like I am rediscovering him. Someone whose own confidants cannot fathom his thoughts—would you call that terrifying or not?"

Kaiming was somewhat stunned and muttered, "Ji, you are the Commander of the Imperial Guards, a high-ranking official after all. Why must you follow Dai Yuhang like a dog?"

Her words were incredibly harsh. Ji frowned slightly, but seeing her expression was sincere rather than mocking, he could only smile bitterly. "This matter is very complicated. You would not want to know."

Kaiming said "oh" and truly did not press further.

"Kaiming, you must be careful," Ji's voice came softly beside her. "It is not just the Great Music or the Palace Emperor; now even the Dai Manor is keeping an eye on you. You must be extremely cautious in your actions from now on to avoid giving them any leverage."

"Why?" She propped her chin on her hand, her elbows resting on her knees. "I have no martial arts skills, so I cannot kill for them. I have no strategic wit, so I cannot offer them ideas. Why won't these people let me be?"

Ji sighed. "From the very beginning, you have been standing at a highly sensitive center, affecting the overall plans of both sides. It is precisely because you do not belong to either side that they are interested in you."

Kaiming stared blankly ahead and whispered, "Then, I shall simply pledge my allegiance to one side!"

"Eh?" Ji was stunned.

"As long as I join one side, this life of being watched will end, won't it?" A faint smile curled the corners of her lips, both helpless and mocking.

Ji said coldly, "Your thinking is too naive. Pledging allegiance is merely the beginning of the real slaughter. It would be best for you to stay far away from the center of the vortex. That is my advice to you."

"Then what should I do?" She shifted her gaze toward him, instinctively clutching his sleeve. "Aside from giving me advice, can you teach me how to act?"

Ji twitched his lips. "The path must be chosen by yourself, Kaiming."

She froze for a moment, then laughed. "I am truly a fool to be asking the Commander of the Imperial Guards for advice. Who doesn't know that you are a dog of the Dai Manor?"

"Kaiming!" This time, Ji was truly angry. He reached out and gripped her hand as she tried to pull it away. Meeting her slightly surprised gaze, he said in a low voice, "If it were possible—if it were only possible—I would truly want to abandon everything here, disregard it all, and take you far away, away from all these rights and wrongs..."

He spoke these words rapidly and urgently, sounding almost like a confession. Kaiming was momentarily bewildered.

"But I cannot, I cannot! This damned identity of mine..."

Identity? Kaiming was even more confused. Was Ji’s identity not just the Chief Inspector of the Imperial Guards? Or perhaps a secret assassin for the Dai Manor? Although the identity of an assassin was indeed "damned," the way he spoke suggested there was a deeper secret. Could there be another identity?

She was startled by her own bold thought and could not help but let her imagination run wild. Could Ji be a spy from another country, lurking in the Central Palace for some special purpose?

While her mind wandered, she did not realize how long he had been holding her hand. Ji's gaze was more intense than ever, filled with undisguised possessiveness as he stared at her.

His skin was delicate, ripples of light shimmering in his phoenix eyes. His nose was high and straight, his lips a deep red, and the hair falling over his chest swayed. Combined with his military armor and his hesitant expression, he looked like a unique portrait of beauty.

Possessiveness—yes, in his eyes, she saw pure, unadulterated possessiveness. She was not moved by the beautiful sight before her; instead, she sighed inwardly. No matter how sincere his expression seemed, this look had betrayed him, a gaze that made her want to shrink away in fear.

Not daring to let her eyes linger on his face, she glanced to the side. Upon seeing what was behind him, she froze. Zhen Xiaoqiao was standing a few paces away, holding a paper bag, looking at her with cold eyes.

Kaiming felt a slight tremor, not knowing how long she had been there, how much she had seen, or how much she had heard.

"I knew you and the Commander were close, but is it already to this extent?" Her voice carried a hint of mockery, yet she maintained the reserve of a young lady and would not step closer.

Kaiming awkwardly pulled her hand back. Ji glanced behind him and smiled faintly. "It seems there is more than just Miss Xiaoqiao who has arrived."

Kaiming was terrified to discover that behind Xiaoqiao, there was indeed another person.

The weak sunlight stretched a human shadow long and thin, casting it onto the stone steps, where it appeared twisted and distorted. Hearing Ji's words, the figure stepped to the side, revealing himself.

An indifferent face, tightly pressed lips, and bright, large eyes filled with icy rays—the target of these rays was the Commander of the Imperial Guards, who was still seated on the steps. The young man wore a short tunic and boots, his collar half-open. He was soaked with sweat from the heat, and his thin clothes clung to his body, outlining his strong muscles even more clearly.

Ji curled his lips in a faint smile and said calmly, "Commander Chang Geng, do you have something you wish to say to..."

Chang Geng lifted his chin, showing an expression of disdain, and said in a hoarse voice, "No!"

A fleeting, indistinct gaze swept across Kaiming's face. When she received his look, she suddenly sensed a fierceness in his eyes that made her heart tighten.

"Commander Kaiming, it is training time. Go manage your team!" Having dropped this, Chang Geng turned and walked away without looking back.

Kaiming did not have time to reply before he had already strode off. Ji shook his head and smiled. "The young man is full of hot blood; I do not know which nerve of his went wrong to make him take a liking to you."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Kaiming was deeply embarrassed. What did he mean, which nerve went wrong? Ji's eyes were truly too sharp; he had seen through Chang Geng’s feelings at a glance.

Ji beckoned to Xiaoqiao, who walked over with an expression of watching a show.

"When you like someone, you cannot hide it," Ji said, looking at Xiaoqiao but speaking to Kaiming. "It is just that his way of showing it is too immature."

He laughed softly. Kaiming’s heart skipped a beat, and she explained unnaturally, "That is not the case. We have already made it very clear; we are just friends..."

"If one side cannot let go, what is the use of making it clear?" Ji sighed unexpectedly. "Like me—I know all the logic, and I have thought it through thoroughly, but I am not the master of my own fate. What is the use of that?"

Kaiming’s heart raced even faster. She wanted to verify one thing but was afraid of the result. Staring at his profile, she lowered her voice nervously. "Commander, do you mean to say that you, that is, toward me..."

As she reached the end of her sentence, Xiaoqiao arrived and sat down gracefully beside Ji. Kaiming poked her head out to look at her, then at Ji, her eyes filled with panic.

Ji took the paper bag from Xiaoqiao and smiled. "Thank you for your trouble, Miss Xiaoqiao. We have just finished our talk."

Xiaoqiao gave a heavy huff and flicked her sleeves. "Indeed. The two of you were having such an intimate talk about 'official business'." She emphasized the words "official business."

Kaiming suddenly became shy. Having been caught in the act by Xiaoqiao and having just asked such a bizarre question, her heart was fluttering like a trapped deer, and her face flushed red without her realizing it. Fortunately, Xiaoqiao was holding her head high in arrogance and did not notice her strange behavior.

When Ji turned his head, he saw her bright red face.

He chuckled inwardly, pointed at her face, and handed her the paper bag.

Kaiming’s face grew even redder at his gesture. She covered her face with one hand and took the bag with the other, stumbling in her confusion. The moment she took it, Ji leaned in close and whispered into her ear, "Do you still not understand even now?"

Kaiming was stunned, as if struck by lightning.

Xiaoqiao suddenly stood up, flicked her long sleeves, and said loudly, "How boring! I never thought I would come here for nothing, only to deliver breakfast to a woman like you. Ji, let's go!"

Without a glance at them, she turned and walked away.

Ji looked at her flushed face once more, smiled, and followed Xiaoqiao down the steps.

Only Kaiming was left behind, dazed as she watched their backs disappear step by step beyond the threshold of the camp.

Disturbed by the interruption from Xiaoqiao and the others that morning, Kaiming felt restless for a long time. She had no heart for training and carelessly left it to Chunhua to handle, while she retreated to think. She hated her own mouth—why did she have to ask such a question for no reason? Things that were already obscured were now laid bare; how would she face Ji in the future?

And then there was Chang Geng. Ji’s words kept echoing in her mind: if one side cannot let go, what is the use of making it clear?

These words touched a chord in her, but the line between affection and friendship had never been very clear. One step forward could turn it into romantic love, while a step back could maintain a peaceful friendship.

She sighed loudly. Even if it caused Chang Geng pain or distress, she had to maintain this friendship. Besides, someone as cheerful as him would surely be fine after a few days of gloom.

"Kaiming! Commander Kaiming!" As she leaned against the parallel bars, lost in thought, Chunhua suddenly called her, walking toward her with a grin.

Seeing Chunhua’s expression, it could not be anything good. Kaiming was too lazy to even reply: "What bad deed are you up to now?"

"It is a good deed!" Chunhua winked at those behind her, and their "duo-party" surrounded them.

"Kaiming, haven't you always wanted to find an opportunity to play a trick on Commander Chang Geng?" Chunhua blinked hard. "Now the chance has arrived."

Chang Geng? Kaiming’s heart skipped a beat. Talk about hitting what you were thinking about; she had just been thinking of him, and now Chunhua mentioned him. After what happened this morning, how could she dare to see him?

"Eh, forget it, forget it! Let's talk about this another time!" She waved her hand, wanting to walk away.

Chunhua grabbed her collar and glared. "We finally caught such a good opportunity; are you just going to waste it like this?"

"Then tell me, what exactly do you want to do?" she asked helplessly.

Chunhua laughed craftily: "Do you know where Commander Chang Geng is right now?"