Zhang Jian and Xiao Lin were still reeling from the eerie shock of the door opening on its own, but Ji Ting's expression had already turned icy. Even the fingers hanging at his sides had unconsciously clenched into fists.
That cold, slick sensation of being watched, with nowhere to hide, pierced his heart again, as though someone wearing surgical gloves had reached straight into his skull and begun probing.
[This feeling... is absolutely awful.]
Qin Zaiye heard the revulsion in his thoughts. He had assumed this Academician Ji, who would remain unfazed even if a mountain collapsed before him, was a block of ice that could never be cracked. Apparently, even he could be pushed to the point of losing control.
He stepped forward, walking straight toward Ji Ting with a soldier's distinctive stride. Yet he had barely taken two steps-
Like two impenetrable barriers, Zhang Jian and Xiao Lin instantly stood shoulder to shoulder in front of Ji Ting, radiating undisguised hostility and vigilance.
Qin Zaiye stopped. Looking at the two men bracing themselves as though facing a formidable enemy, he found it both ridiculous and ironic.
"Take a good look at where you are. This is my doorstep, and he"-his gaze passed over Zhang Jian's shoulder and fixed on Ji Ting's face-"came to see me of his own accord."
Zhang Jian was about to argue when Ji Ting spoke, his voice utterly devoid of warmth. "Qin Zaiye, get in the car."
Qin Zaiye heard him, but his tall frame remained motionless. Perhaps State Security's defensive stance had angered him, or perhaps Ji Ting's cold command, as though addressing a subordinate, had struck a nerve. A powerful resistance welled up inside him. Suddenly, he no longer wanted to cooperate.
Ji Ting tilted his head slightly, as cool as though