CHAPTER 14 : THE LOYAL TRAIROR
The "arrest"
Meng wasn't captured. He was extracted. The prom takedown—cuffs, shouting, phones raised—was staged. The van bypassed the precinct and entered an unmarked building. Inside, a Handler placed a thin, unbranded file on the table.
Handler: "Identity compromised. Utility intact. Proceed to Phase B."
Meng: "I don't waste second chances."
The people from the investigation team weren't actually those people.
They were Meng's superiors .Though his identity had been exposed , he was a very valuable pawn... in their elusive game ... he was the mastermind of Dragonfly Breach .
Jiayi's realization
Since the recent events , Jiayi had been pondering on the fact that ... what did Meng do to get captured by the investigation team . She always believed that Meng was righteous until that day when she accidentally overheard the conversation between .Meng and his superiors.. then she realized he didn't like her at all. Moreover she was also being used as a pawn.
Jiayi: "I liked him. I would've done anything. He wasn't honest."
And well she wanted to take her vengeance.. sweetly .
Mo Chen's family was expelled from all university affiliations; the fund was terminated, naming rights rescinded, donor accounts closed. It appeared in the board minutes. No press release was issued.
He was filled with built. Though his whole family was involved but .. its a great shame for a student .
Beijing International Law College
They were still students at the college; graduation had not occurred. Lily was on the clinic roster three days a week; Akira had applied for the bridge course and was on campus for assessments. Emma was on document review for Brennan Keene's summer intake; Jiayi was rotating through compliance with university counsel.
College lobby.
Lily: "Valeria, Zhi Zhi—this is Akira. He applied for the bridge course."
Valeria: "You look like you've rewritten your personal statement three times."
Akira: "Four."
Zhi Zhi: "Welcome to the queue."
Alistair passed with a file, slowed when he saw Akira beside Lily. His expression tightened. He still carried feelings for Lily, and the sight of them together irritated him in a way he couldn't fully conceal.
Alistair: "Bridge course."
Lily: "Yes."
Alistair: "The market rewards clarity. Emma—send your memorandum to my inbox, not the department alias."
He glanced once more at Akira, then at Lily, and moved on. Akira slid Lily's folder back and aligned it with the table's edge.
Akira: "Are you all right?"
Lily: "I'm fine. Let's finish these."
Rain sounded against the awning. The building emptied. Lily locked her screen.
Lily: "Alone. Now."
Akira nodded. They took the back stairwell to the moot court—dark, chairs stacked, the faint odor of dry-erase markers. She did not sit.
Lily: "Why are you back?"
Akira: "The calendar aligned. The bridge course opened, and I applied. It is efficient."
Lily: "That's the reason?"
Akira: "That is the reason."
Lily: "You thought I cheated. That's why you left."
Akira: "I did not analyze it. I saw you with a man, his arm around you, you were laughing. I left."
Lily: "So you ended it over a single image in your mind."
Akira: "I ended it because I do not compete. I do not pursue, I do not explain, I do not renegotiate the past."
Lily: "Did you cheat?"
Akira: "No."
Lily: "Does it matter?"
Akira: "It does not. I made a decision and I do not revisit decisions."
Lily: "You're different."
Akira: "I am consistent. I am here to work. If our schedules overlap, we will coordinate. If not, I will route around you."
Lily: "Coordination is a substantial word for two students who cannot file without a supervisor's signature."
Akira: "Supervised practice is still practice. Be at intake by nine. Do not be late."
Lily: "Understood."
They left together under the awning, side by side, exchanging brief, practical remarks about deadlines and the nine o'clock intake. Graduation had not yet occurred; the sign-in sheet would be waiting in the morning.
There was intense tension between Akira and Lily . It seems that past wounds perhaps never healed even after 3 whole years.