73 Graduation.
Shi Lang did not know when he reached home. The kiss from earlier had left him in a daze. He just remember that he send Amelia to the car from her house that was standing downstairs and then he took a cab and came back home. On the way, Amelia called him to ask if he reached safely and that was it.
The boy felt he could fly on the clouds after the call from the girl he loved. With the sweet aftertaste, the boy fell asleep. The next morning he woke up with a smile on his face and went out for a run. His speed was faster than usual today but he did not care.
His parents had already taken a day off to attend his graduation ceremony. This day was very important as it will mark the official beginning of Shi Lang’s career and they wanted to see their child standing ahead of his class. Although they knew that he has become stronger but the extent of his strength was not clear to them.
Shi Lang came back home humming a soft tune from the song he sang last night and went straight to the shower. Luna spoke to her husband in a low voice, “Look at him. Tell him not to be too make a fool out of himself outside. There will be a lot of people out there today.”
She was worried that this love-sick person will make a fool out of himself by being in a daze during the ceremony. The man did not say anything but shook his head. LUna glared at him and with a sigh, Shi John said, “Can you have a little faith in your son?”
The lady found no way around this question and became quiet. Shi Lang came out of the shower, put on his crisp white shirt, black trouser, and marron tie. Then he walked out of the room holding his blazer. His slightly long locks seemed to have been carefully back brushed. He came to the dining table looking all dapper.
The family of three ate their meal in silence. When they were about to leave, Shi John asked, “Lang, I gave you ten thousand credits yesterday, were they enough?”
The boy smiled and said, “They were too much. We did not use any of the money. Only paid for the cab rides and zoo tickets. I transferred them back to you just a few minutes ago. Do not worry.”
Luna frowned and said, “You were supposed to buy my daughter-in-law a gift. Yet you did not, no wonder your handsome face is useless.”
Shi Lang had his forehead covered in lines and said, “You can call your sister and ask her if my gift was good or not. I will go ahead, you guys come at your pace.”
He flunked his jacket over his shoulder, with the collar hooked by his finger, and left the house with a defiant vibe. Luna said, “This kid gave me attitude?”
Shi John chuckled and said, “Who asked you to undermine him for your daughter-in-law. Do not be partial in the future.” and he went inside his room to put on a suit as well.
The graduation ceremony will start with a delay, before that the students will be given some time to say their goodbyes to their classmates and faculty members. After all, who knew when they will return to the place.
Shi Lang got out of the house and walked to the nearby train station. This was his usual method of commuting to school. He got on the train and watched the familiar scenery flashing by out of the window. Soon the train came to the station and Shi Lang got down.
He walked at a calm pace and spotted a lot of classmates and juniors pouring in the school gates. Some people knew him and some did not. The boy nodded to those he knew in greeting and kept walking towards his class. On the way, he saw a few of the battle class students gathered in front and said hello to them.
He looked around and found that Amelia was not here yet. He sighed in depression for a second and was about to go back when he heard a soft voice in his ears, “Why do you sigh?”
The voice belonged to Amelia, he smiled and said, “I came to look for you.” and turned around to see a girl dressed in a royal blue blazer and a matching tie. A pleated black skirt with a white shirt and high black socks.
Shi Lang said, “How come I never noticed you looked so beautiful in uniform.”
Amelia smiled and said, “I do not wear the uniform, I wear training gear. I wore it today only.”
The boy nodded and teased, “I forgot you are one of the battle geeks.”
Amelia kicked his shin lightly and said, “Tech nerd.”
The boy winced and the girl smirked. However, when she was counting it as her victory, Shi Lang sneakily pecked her lips and ran away with a limp. Amelia stood there watching him receding back in a daze. Matthew whistled and said, “Looks like the princess has been captured.”
Amelia woke up and glared at him, making the boy become docile immediately. She did have a faint blush on her face, but the mild warmth on her lips made her feel very warm. She went inside her class thinking about the events of last night.
…
Shi Lang reached the class and found that the students were all talking with each other and the headteacher was not present at the moment. He walked in and said hello to everyone. Jane said, “Lang, after the graduation ceremony, we all plan to go and hang out. You are coming.”
The boy was aware of her temperament and said, “Okay, well say, how about we ask the battle class as well to tag along?”
Lucas came and placed his arm around his shoulder and said, “You can bring sister-in-law. However, the rest of the battle group, it might not be a good idea.”
Shi Lang did not think much and said, “You do not need to think too much. I can just ask them if they come that is fine if they do not that is fine too. Also, we are all contributing. This will apply to them as well.”
The people heard his words and nodded. Suddenly they heard a crisp clicking sound from the corridor and immediately scurried to their seats. Rosa Blue was wearing her military uniform today. A black military coat with two stars on her lapels. With a name badge over her right chest position and a few medals on the left chest position. She wore matching black trousers and military shoes.
She said, “After today, you will have to face a lot of things and deal with them on your own. Like you had me in the school, there will be senior officers in the camps. You all qualified for the military tech department and I am proud of you all. However, do not let this go to your head…”
She gave them an emotional speech and the students all listened to it in silence. Some of the girls already had tears sliding down their cheeks. Shi Lang was the only one who did not show any emotion on his face. Rosa Blues said, “Lang, you are the most outstanding student I have taught. Thank you for all your hard work and for following my whimsical instructions.”
She was emotional today, this was her class, and she had taught them all for three years, in these three years she has always been a strict teacher, who punished them harshly and never cared about their sufferings. Shi Lang was the victim of her lashes most of the time.
The boy stood up from his chair and said, “You shame me, head teacher. If not for your instructions, I would have never been able to stand where I am today. I could not have beaten these guys to the later ranks if not for your guidance. I am grateful to you. Thank you.”
With that said, he took a bow to the teacher. Every classmate stood up and bowed to Rosa Blues as they said, “Thank you for your guidance, Head teacher.”
The atmosphere became completely emotional and the students could not help but cry, as they realized that today was the last day of school. They will all be moving on to different postings in the future. Shi Lang patted the back of his friends in order to calm them down. After half an hour, Rosa Blues said, “Let us go, the graduation ceremony is about to begin. The principal will be mad if we made him wait.”
The students restored their images and they walked out of the class in a neat queue. The graduation ceremony was going to be held on the ground of the school. Soon, they reached the place and found the battle class already standing in neat formation.