Hua sighed helplessly.
She clearly said she would not get married.
So why stay so alert toward a yellow-haired guy who does not even exist?
Hua patiently explained, "I didn't get any other class… only social dance was left."
To let the guardian completely relax, she specially recorded a video while practicing with her partner and brought it for him to see.
Zero only watched for a while, then put down the jade terminal.
In the video, the two looked so determined it was like they could go to the front line to cut down monsters.
When they looked at each other, Hua's eyes were full of killing intent, like if the other person stepped wrong once, she could crush him instantly.
Zero fell silent.
Should he go against his conscience and praise his successor? Or give an objective evaluation?
After thinking carefully again and again, Zero spoke sincerely, "Your dancing… looks quite hardworking."
Hua said "Oh," took back the jade terminal, and asked, "Next month is the graduation ceremony, also the academy's unified coming-of-age ceremony. Will you come?"
Zero looked confused and asked, "Coming-of-age ceremony? You're only eighteen."
Hua thought, although the guardian was unreliable, he remembered her age and birthday clearly.
She explained, "When I pass the social dance exam next month and get the credits, I can graduate early."
Zero fell silent again.
'Hua, you are really pushing yourself hard for credits!'
'Those who know say you are dancing, those who don't might think you are doing some rehab exercise…'
'Will your elective teacher really let you pass?'
Zero opened his mouth, but finally threw away his conscience and did not speak the truth.
He encouraged his successor, "Alright, I promise. What is your coming-of-age ceremony like now?"
Hua seemed to recall and replied, "Morning is wearing traditional clothes to attend the coming-of-age ceremony. Afternoon is the graduation ceremony and dance party."
In ancient times, girls had the hairpin ceremony at fifteen, boys had the crown ceremony at twenty.
Today, customs changed with time.
The legal marriage age on the Xianzhou is twenty, and when students finish studies, they are about twenty too.
So the academy holds a coming-of-age ceremony when students are about to graduate.
Hua was not yet twenty. She finished enough credits and graduated early, so she graduated together with senior students.
Zero sharply caught the words "dance party."
Since it was a dance party, formal evening wear must be needed.
He pulled back his thoughts and smiled, "I will prepare three gifts for you."
Hua remembered the person in front of her's past record and instantly became alert. "What gifts?"
Zero did not want to say more and brushed it off, "You'll know then. Alright, go finish your homework."
He sent away Hua who kept looking back every few steps, then turned to find Guanliang.
Guanliang had always handled communication with academy teachers, so he naturally knew the graduation ceremony time and process.
He stepped forward, seeming to guess what Zero was thinking, handed over the jade terminal, and said, "You usually think going out is troublesome, fine. But this time it's her coming-of-age ceremony."
"Come, help pick Hua's evening dress."
Zero stared at Guanliang for a while, then looked back down at the jade terminal photos.
Guanliang secretly breathed out in relief.
When he first learned Hua would attend the dance party, alarm bells rang in his head and he started guessing his superior's thoughts.
After thinking, he guessed with the Marshal's control tendencies, he would care a lot about Hua's outfit and dance partner.
So he asked Hua in advance and let her choose more than ten dresses.
Luckily, the Marshal did not suspect anything.
Guanliang leaned over, pretending to choose evening dresses together with his superior.
Zero looked expressionless at the jade terminal.
"Either showing legs or shoulders. What are these designers thinking? Why can't they design some normal clothes?"
Guanliang complained in his heart, 'Marshal, where did this old antique mindset come from? Our ages are about the same, right?!'
He persuaded, "Evening dresses are like this."
Zero frowned slightly, "Hua definitely doesn't like such revealing styles. Pick again."
Guanliang, "…Those dozen dresses were picked by Hua herself."
Zero first fell silent, then sighed, "Really can't understand young people's taste nowadays."
Guanliang pointed to a strap dress of moderate length and said, "This one is good. The skirt isn't too long, easy to walk."
Zero, "..."
His thoughts began to wander.
If Hua wore this… wouldn't it make it easier for the yellow-haired guy to invite her to dance?
After thinking again and again, Zero finally chose among strapless and thin-strap styles a dress with more fabric, less convenient for dancing.
He pointed at an off-shoulder satin mermaid gown and said in a commanding tone, "Set this trailing dress."
Zero paused, then added, "Also, order a bouquet for me."
Guanliang nodded.
From this, the Marshal would not attend the morning ceremony, only the afternoon graduation ceremony and dance party.
Guanliang had a guess but still asked his superior.
Zero answered without thinking, "Afternoon."
Guanliang accepted the order and returned to his desk. 'The Marshal is clearly going there for the yellow-haired guy!'
These years, maybe because he built a closer father-daughter relationship with Hua than with subordinates, his mental condition gradually stabilized.
Sometimes Guanliang even had an illusion that he could hold on a bit longer for Hua.
He remembered the tarot card suggestion.
The Marshal still needed to go out, relax, and unwind.
But if his superior left the Xianzhou, would he get hurt? Would he learn the special nature of his flesh?
Guanliang did not dare gamble.
Even if the companion Akivili was the most humane Aeon, he still did not dare gamble.
If the Marshal learned the truth… forget Hua, even an Aeon could not stop him.
His superior would only head toward death as the prophecy said.
Just in case… better add some weapons.
Coincidentally, the Astral Express would resupply on an affiliated Xianzhou planet. They could secretly contact Akivili and make some small modifications to the Astral Express.
The first thing Guanliang thought of was the weapons that could destroy star systems.
Unfortunately, time was too short.
Even if Marty led the top Xianzhou experts to dismantle it, they could not modify the Astral Express quickly.
So they had to settle for the next best thing, a star-destroying weapon instead.
After thinking, Guanliang contacted Akivili. After some discussion, the Aeon finally agreed.
Akivili teased Guanliang.
[My best friend told me before, his chief strategist has too much personality, really gives him headaches]
[Didn't expect you care about your best friend quite a lot]
Guanliang, "..."
He endured humiliation and once again acted as the Marshal's fan in front of the Aeon, directly saying he was too worried about his superior's safety.
Akivili was very understanding and said he would keep the secret for Guanliang.
Guanliang felt uncomfortable inside and sat there recovering for quite a while.
He opened Marty's chat window and told him the Marshal planned to travel with the Aeon away from the Xianzhou.
Guanliang was already used to this.
Pretending to be the Marshal's fan was nothing, not like he hadn't done it before.
He sighed repeatedly to Marty, every sentence full of worry for the Marshal's safety.
Last time Marty completely exposed Guanliang's matter, so he knew he was in the wrong. Plus this matter was serious, he immediately agreed.
Guanliang believed the subordinate most favored by his superior would seriously modify the Astral Express.
After sending the message, just as he was about to relax, Zhuming General Chanzhen contacted him again.
Chanzhen directly asked if the Crown Princess had time, saying she wanted to ask her to use "Feather Dust" to delete memories.
Guanliang felt mixed emotions.
Chanzhen had followed his superior since he served as general. She could not endure anymore.
Luckily, she had anchors in this world she could not let go. She lived for the Marshal.
But when his superior died… what then?
Guanliang and Chanzhen had special constitutions and could not die.
At that time, probably neither living nor dying would be possible.
Chanzhen did not go to the Marshal first but came to Guanliang…
She was afraid the superior would feel sad.
Unfortunately, "Feather Dust" was not in Hua's hands.
If it were, why would he struggle so much pretending to be the Marshal's fan? If things were exposed, just delete the superior's memory.
Guanliang typed on the jade terminal.
[You need to find the Marshal]
Chanzhen did not reply.
The next day, Guanliang casually brought up "Feather Dust."
Zero paused, smiling but not smiling, "What is it?"
Guanliang lowered his head to organize documents, using that to avoid eye contact.
He knew hiding things from his superior was not easy.
Guanliang tried hard to control his tone and said, "I heard from Hua you'll prepare three gifts for her. She's really uneasy, asked me to sound you out."
Zero smiled, "All prepared."
Guanliang pretended dissatisfaction, "At least give some clear info. Don't suddenly have a dozen guards call her 'young lady' then. Hua will really get angry."
Zero finally gave a little ground.
"Relax, no one will call her young lady. I prepared two very ordinary gifts, and one she should already have. As for 'Feather Dust'… I'll give it to her later."
Guanliang showed nothing on his face but felt puzzled inside.
'Why later, not now?'
He suddenly recalled one of his earlier guesses.
What the Marshal was guarding against… was them deleting his memory.