Ian Song was speechless. Just how stubborn could this traffic cop be? She reached out and grabbed his shoulder, clearly intent on dragging him away by force.
“Let him go!” Maggie Ma stepped forward, blocking Stella Shi’s path with a hand, her eyes full of anger.
“Ma’am, please step aside, or I’ll have to cite you for obstructing police business!” Stella Shi said coolly. But to Maggie Ma, the words were infuriating.
“Officer, can’t you cut me some slack?” Ian Song said with a wry smile. If he’d known this cop was so relentless, he wouldn’t have bothered speeding.
“The law is the law—no exceptions!” Stella Shi sneered. As she spoke, she tightened her grip, trying to haul Ian away, but found he was rooted to the spot, completely immovable.
Stella was taken aback. She might be a woman, but she was also a martial arts expert—her strength was no joke. Even a burly man would lose his balance if she yanked him like this, let alone a pretty boy like Ian.
She added a bit more force.
Still, Ian didn’t budge. Stella glanced up and saw him looking at her with a half-smile, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
Annoyed, Stella’s temper flared. She activated her inner strength, channeling it into her arms.
But weirdly enough, she still couldn’t move Ian an inch.
“How is this possible?” Stella was stunned. With her inner strength, her grip should be nearly a thousand pounds.
“Officer, you might as well give up! You’re not going to move me. How about you come inside with me, and after the competition, we’ll head to the traffic division?” Ian said with a smile.
Maggie Ma and Zhen Yun could see what was happening—Stella Shi couldn’t move Ian at all. It made sense; he was the boy hero who’d killed over a dozen terrorists, so he clearly had martial skills. How could a mere traffic cop possibly handle him?
“I refuse to believe this!”
Fired up by Ian’s words, Stella Shi—never one to admit defeat—grabbed his left shoulder with both hands and pulled with all her strength.
But Ian was like a statue made of iron—no matter how much inner strength Stella poured in, she couldn’t move him at all.
Seeing Stella get nowhere, Maggie Ma felt as refreshed as if she’d just gulped down ice water on a scorching day. She sneered, “Officer, just give it up. Our Ian here took down over a dozen terrorists barehanded—your little frame’s no match for him!”
Stella froze, then stared at Ian in excitement. “You’re the boy hero from the hijacking?”
“Don’t you watch the news?” Maggie Ma continued, still mocking.
But Stella seemed not to hear, still staring at Ian. “Are you really that guy?”
Ian smiled and nodded.
With Ian’s confirmation, Stella’s excitement grew even stronger, and there was now a trace of admiration in her eyes. “Can you give me your autograph?”
"Huh?"
Ian, Maggie, and Zhen Yun were all stunned. The shift in attitude was just too sudden.
Luckily, Ian quickly recovered and said, "Well... if Officer wants an autograph, that’s no problem, but you’ll have to let go of me first!"
"Sorry about that."
Stella quickly let go of Ian and pulled out a stack of traffic tickets and a ballpoint pen, handing them to him. She looked at him curiously; others might not know the details of the hijacking, but she did, thanks to her brother Ethan Shi, a member of the War-Emblem Directorate.
Her brother happened to be the team leader investigating the hijacking.
Because of that, Stella knew some inside information: there were thirteen hijackers, four of whom were martial artists—three Innate First Layer, one Innate Third Layer. Three were killed by Ian, including the Innate Third Layer.
Even though Ian killed them separately, it was enough to prove he was at least Innate Third Layer.
And he was only seventeen—a true prodigy!
That’s why the War-Emblem Directorate was already investigating him in secret, planning to recruit him when the time was right.
Stella’s biggest dream was to join the War-Emblem Directorate.
Unfortunately, the minimum strength required to join was Innate First Layer, but Stella was only Postnatal Full Completion.
A seventeen-year-old Innate Third Layer—and Stella worshipped the strong most of all. She’d always wanted to meet Ian.
Ian took the paper and pen, only to realize she’d handed him a traffic ticket. He was speechless. "Where do I sign?"
"Uh... just sign on the back." Stella realized it too, and looked a bit embarrassed.
"Done!"
Ian handed the signed ticket back to Stella. "Officer, can I go now? After the competition, I’ll report to the traffic division, okay?"
"What competition?" Stella asked curiously.
"Piano competition!" Ian replied.
"You play piano too?" Stella was surprised.
"Ian is the youngest Piano Master in the whole Yanhuang Republic. Of course he plays piano!" Maggie Ma snapped, still annoyed about earlier.
"Can I go in and listen?"
"Of course you can!"
...
As Ian and the others entered the backstage area, the reporters—who’d been waiting impatiently—immediately perked up, grabbing their cameras and microphones and swarming over.
"Ian Song, why did you arrive so late? Is it because you’re acting like a diva now that you’re famous?" one male reporter asked.
"Of course not. I had business in Jiangzhou yesterday, and I rushed back as fast as I could," Ian replied with a smile. He’d been interviewed before, so even though this reporter was annoying, he kept his cool.
Ian’s answer clearly didn’t satisfy the reporter, who pressed on: "I’ve heard your piano skills are already at master level. Don’t you think entering a contest like this is unfair to the other contestants?"
The reporter was obviously trying to provoke Ian, but Ian knew it and kept his temper in check. If he got angry, he’d just fall into the trap.
So he answered loudly, "I think I still have a lot of room for improvement as a pianist. I’m here to gain more stage experience. Besides, the other contestants are excellent too. For example, Shelly Song’s piece ‘Kite and Wind’ was great, and Evan Xia’s performance was also outstanding!"
The male reporter wanted to keep grilling Ian, but with so many reporters waiting, he couldn’t monopolize the interview. As soon as Ian finished, a female reporter quickly asked, "Ian, what was your first reaction when you realized there were terrorists on the plane?"
"Of course I was worried—and a little scared, too."
"Why did you decide to act in that situation?"
Ian had answered these questions in previous interviews, so he gave the standard official reply.
The interview lasted nearly an hour, and the piano finals had already started. The organizers deliberately scheduled Ian’s performance last.
Finally, it was Ian’s turn to take the stage.
As soon as he stepped onto the stage, the audience erupted in thunderous applause and cheers, like a tidal wave.