Ye Fan's cool words reverberated across the training field.
His words were honest and brutal.
What made them hurt worse was the fact that they were the cold, hard truth.
Li Zi-Yang wasn't a threat to Ye Fan at all. In fact, he didn't even deserve the right to be called his rival.
Having said that, Ye Fan turned away, approached Ma Ming-Bo and admitted him into the Green Dragon Force too.
The two of them might not be the strongest amongst the group, but they had shown true mettle.
In the world of martial arts, having the right spirit was more important than being gifted.
No amount of talent was going to help if they didn't have the fighting spirit. They wouldn't get far.
Out of the thirteen of them, Ye Fan ended up picking four.
They were the ones who had stepped forward, challenged Ye Fan to a fight and ended up having their ribs broken by the latter.
Ye Fan left the last vacancy unfilled. He would rather leave it vacant now than have it occupied by someone unworthy.
Ye Fan didn't return to Qingyang and stayed the night at the barracks instead. He began to put together a training plan for the members of Green Dragon Force.
He did not expect Ye Yu-Yan to seek him out that night.
"Is something the matter?" His voice sounded cold and distant, as if he would very much prefer to be doing something else than talking to her.
That had been the tone that Ye Yu-Yan had taken with Ye Fan many years ago.
No one could have expected fate to play such a horrible joke on them. The same scene was playing out once again between them, but their roles were reversed this time.
Ye Fan didn't hate Ye Yu-Yan though.
He simply didn't care about or for her.
She was just a young girl. She didn't warrant Ye Fan's hate at all.
He viewed Ye Yu-Yan the same way he viewed Li Zi-Yang. They were like complete strangers to him.
"Fan..." Ye Yu-Yan said at first, then corrected herself immediately. "Instructor Chu, I would like to join the Green Dragon Force."
Her voice was soft and her head lowered as she spoke. One could hear the fear and guilt in her words.
She knew that she had no right to ask anything of Ye Fan, but she didn't want to let this opportunity slip her by.
The Green Dragon Force was the best special troops team groomed and trained by the Chinese military. They enjoyed the best resources and their members were destined for great things.
Ye Yu-Yan undoubtedly wanted to be a part of the unit.
Ye Fan didn't look up. Instead, he sat behind his desk and continued writing as he replied Ye Yu-Yan calmly. "I know. Every soldier in the Jiangdong military wants to be part of the Green Dragon Force."
"But..." For a moment, Ye Yu-Yan appeared conflicted before she finally bit her lips and spoke again, "...but Commander Wu Yang and the other high-ranking officers forbid female soldiers from taking part in the audition. Instructor Chu, I want to get into the unit based on my own merit and abilities, but the officers wouldn't even give me a chance."
"I hope that Instructor Chu can give me a chance to compete with them at the same level. That's all I ask."
Ye Yu-Yan's beautiful eyes shone brightly as she stared at Ye Fan with a pleading and hopeful look.
Unfortunately, Ye Fan didn't spare her a single glance. His head remained lowered as he continued writing.
"You should speak to Commander Wu Yang then. He's the one who made the call. I'm not the one you should be looking for. Alright, I still have matters to attend to.
You can leave now."
Ye Fan waved his hand curtly to send her on her way. He didn't seem to want to waste another second of his time on Ye Yu-Yan.
The Ye family and Ye Fan had parted ways a long time ago. They had nothing to do with each other now.
In the past, Ye Fan might have tried to help her out because she was family.
After all, Dragon God Body was the most powerful defensive martial art.
Even if you were to unleash only a bare fraction of its power, you would find yourself almost unmatched amongst the average martial arts fighter.
"The training plan is almost done. Now, what about the fifth member of the Green Dragon Force? Who should I pick?"
Ye Fan was caught in a predicament.
No names came to mind. He couldn't think of any suitable candidate and his dilemma remained unresolved even after he returned to Qingyang that night.
"Lin Fan, what do you think you're doing? Watch yourself!"
Meanwhile, it was still noon. It was breaktime at the Jiangdong military barracks and Ye Yu-Yan found herself alone.
She had returned from her shower. She wore a loose long dress and her fringe was still slightly damp.
The strongheaded young woman looked surprisingly alluring and feminine as she emerged freshly showered.
Naturally, she drew some unwanted attention.
"Yu-Yan, I like you. Won't you agree to be my girlfriend? Just say yes, and I'll get my father to get you a place in the Green
Dragon Force," whispered Lin Fan almost feverishly.
"I'm going to say this one more time. Get out of my way," Ye Yu-Yan snarled as she shoved down the waves of disgust and anger that bubbled inside her. Her fingers had tightened into fists.
The knowledge of Lin Fan's status and influence was the only thing that was stopping Ye Yu-Yan from throwing her fists at him.
The young man didn't seem to know when to stop. In fact, he got bolder and more handsy, and eventually tried to wrap his arm around Ye Yu-Yan's waist.
"You asked for it!" Ye Yu-Yan wasn't someone you could push around. In a fit of fury, she unleashed the military boxing moves that she had learned from Lu Tian-He.
A shriek of pain rang out. Ye Yu-Yan flipped Lin Fan onto the ground, twisted his knee and broke his arm.
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