Then the photographer raised the camera for a second shot.
Just then Jian Ci appeared. He stepped between them like a blade sliding into a sheath, his aura sharp and unmistakably territorial. His smile was tight, his eyes unreadable.
Rowland blinked, "Jian Ci, I just wanted a picture with me and Yu Xi."
"You already took one," Jian Ci said, voice light but firm. "I also want to take a picture with Little Xi."
Rowland sighed, clearly annoyed. "You could have waited."
Jian Ci didn't move as he said, "I didn't feel like waiting."
Before Rowland could argue further, a group of cadets called out, asking for a full team photo. The moment passed, swept up in the chaos of shifting poses and shouted names.
They took several pictures some serious, some laughing, some with arms thrown around each other's shoulders.
And in nearly every one, Jian Ci was looking at Yu Xi, not the camera.
