The next morning, Mu Chen woke up with a tight feeling in his chest.
Not fear.
Expectation.
Ye Fan had said: train with me.
That meant eyes, pressure, and the kind of test that didn't stop when you passed. It only changed shape.
Mu Chen dressed, clipped on his badge, and walked to the training hall.
The lights were already on. Cold, white, clean. The glass room above the floor was dark, but Mu Chen knew someone could be inside anyway.
Zhou Xiao and Lin Lan were there. Two other team members too, quiet and focused. Nobody talked much.
Ye Fan arrived exactly on time.
He didn't greet anyone. He walked straight to the center mat and looked at Mu Chen like Mu Chen was the only reason he was there.
"Lieutenant Mu," Ye Fan said.
Mu Chen stood straight. "Major."
Ye Fan's voice was flat. "You're officially a C-class guide."
"Yes."
"And you claim you can observe."
"Yes."
Ye Fan pointed to the far wall. "Run."
Mu Chen blinked. "Run?"
"Ten laps," Ye Fan said. "Then we test your reaction speed."
Mu Chen nodded. "Yes, Major."
He started running.
The track around the hall was marked by simple lines. He kept a steady pace. Not too fast. Not too slow. Normal.
After the second lap, his breathing warmed. After the fourth, sweat gathered at his neck. After the sixth, his legs felt heavy.
Mu Chen kept going anyway.
At the orphanage, you ran because you had to. Because someone stronger was chasing you. Because you needed to get to food first. Because nobody cared if you got tired.
Here, he ran because Ye Fan wanted to see what he looked like under strain.
When Mu Chen finished the tenth lap, Ye Fan didn't tell him to rest.
Ye Fan tossed a training knife onto the mat.
It hit with a dull sound.
"Pick it up," Ye Fan said.
Mu Chen picked it up.
Ye Fan stepped forward. "Show me basic defense."
Mu Chen lifted the knife in a standard grip. "I'm not trained for knives."
Ye Fan's eyes stayed cold. "Yes, you are. Or you're lying again."
Mu Chen paused.
He chose the safer answer. "I know basics."
"Good," Ye Fan said. "Attack me."
Mu Chen didn't move.
Ye Fan's gaze sharpened. "Now."
Mu Chen attacked.
Not to kill. Not to win. Just to show movement.
He moved in with a simple strike. Ye Fan dodged without effort, like Mu Chen was slow.
Mu Chen followed with a second strike. Ye Fan caught his wrist, twisted, and took the knife away.
Mu Chen let it happen.
Ye Fan held the knife and looked at Mu Chen. "Again."
Mu Chen attacked again.
This time, Mu Chen changed the angle. He moved faster.
Ye Fan dodged again, but his eyes narrowed slightly, like he had to pay attention now.
Mu Chen pressed, just enough to look like he was trying.
Ye Fan disarmed him again.
"Again," Ye Fan said.
Mu Chen attacked.
Ye Fan blocked. Mu Chen switched hands. Ye Fan's mouth tightened.
Ye Fan struck Mu Chen's shoulder with the back of his hand. Not hard. A warning.
Mu Chen stepped back, steady.
Ye Fan moved closer. His voice dropped so only Mu Chen could hear. "Stop pretending you're weak."
Mu Chen's face stayed calm. "I'm not pretending."
Ye Fan's eyes were sharp. "Yes, you are."
Mu Chen didn't answer.
Ye Fan stepped back and spoke louder. "Zhou Xiao. Lin Lan. Watch."
Zhou Xiao looked uncomfortable. Lin Lan's face stayed blank, but her eyes were alert.
Ye Fan threw the training knife to Mu Chen again.
"Disarm me," Ye Fan said.
Mu Chen caught the knife. His fingers tightened.
This was dangerous.
Ye Fan was A-class. Mu Chen was "C-class." The gap was too big for Mu Chen to look skilled.
So Mu Chen did the only thing he could.
He made mistakes on purpose.
He stumbled once. He let Ye Fan push him back. He let Ye Fan take the knife away again and again.
But each time, Mu Chen learned Ye Fan's pattern.
Ye Fan's timing.
Ye Fan's habits.
Ye Fan was fast, but he was also predictable in one way: he used control as a shield. He never let himself get messy.
Mu Chen waited until Ye Fan did the same move for the fifth time.
Then Mu Chen moved.
He stepped in close, let Ye Fan grab his wrist, and rolled with it. He turned his shoulder and slipped inside Ye Fan's guard.
For half a second, Mu Chen's body was too close to Ye Fan's.
Ye Fan froze.
Not because Mu Chen had surprised him physically.
Because Ye Fan felt something else.
A quiet calm, like a door shutting on noise.
Mu Chen's power had brushed Ye Fan by accident.
A tiny leak.
Mu Chen felt it and locked it down instantly.
But Ye Fan had already sensed it.
Ye Fan's eyes snapped to Mu Chen's face.
Mu Chen stepped back quickly and lowered the knife. "Sorry."
Ye Fan's voice came out harsh. "Don't."
Mu Chen kept his expression neutral. "Don't what?"
Ye Fan's jaw clenched. "Don't do that again."
Mu Chen swallowed. "I didn't—"
Ye Fan cut him off. "I said don't."
The hall went quiet.
Zhou Xiao stopped breathing for a moment.
Lin Lan's fingers paused on her tablet.
Ye Fan stared at Mu Chen like Mu Chen had just stepped on a mine that only Ye Fan could see.
Mu Chen lowered his gaze slightly. "Yes, Major."
Ye Fan turned away sharply. He walked to the other side of the mat and stayed there for a few seconds, like he needed distance to breathe.
Then Ye Fan faced the group again, voice cold and controlled.
"Training ends," Ye Fan said. "Report and leave."
Zhou Xiao blinked. "Major, we still have—"
"Now," Ye Fan snapped.
Nobody argued.
The team dispersed fast.
Mu Chen walked out of the hall with his hands calm at his sides.
Inside, his thoughts were tight.
That tiny leak had been a mistake.
A real mistake.
Because Ye Fan had felt it.
Not like a normal guide touch.
Like something deeper.
Like being underwater and suddenly hearing silence for the first time.
Mu Chen kept walking under the cold lights.
And behind him, he could feel it.
Ye Fan wasn't only watching anymore.
Ye Fan was starting to want.