“Happy new year!” At Eastern State, Chinese New Year songs broadcasted through the speakers of every mall. Shoppers bustled around each other, carrying bags big and small. It would be New Year’s Eve tomorrow, and everyone was out to prepare for the celebration. Food and decoration were the main item on sale. For the past year, Eastern State had survived through a lot. At first, there was the dangerous flu, then came the fear of the legionella pneumonia and finally there was the shadow of the Mutated Scale Disease. Finally, they could put the horrendous year behind them. Everyone looked forward to a better new year.
At that moment, Chen Jiahwa accompanied his mother to go new year shopping. In his Phecda University uniform, he stood out easily. Under heavy national promotion, things like Phecda and Phecda University slowly became part of the public life. The public knew more about them and their job to protect the public from dark forces. To normalize Phecda members was to increase the public’s confidence and lower their fear towards Phecda. That way they would be more open to seeking help from Phecda. Therefore, Chen Jiahwa’s get-up was not only approved, but encouraged by his school.
Many people turned to steal glances at him, especially girls from his age group. At the end of the day, Chen Jiahwa was only a 18 years old young man, feeling the scrutiny of the fairer sex on him, he walked straighter and his head held taller. The hardship that he experienced during the past semester was all worth it.
They entered a candy and dry goods store. The boss was his mother’s old school friend. As they walked in, the boss and his wife immediately rushed forth to greet them, “Jiahwa, it’s been so long!””How is Phecda University?””Are you on holiday?” The other customers in the shop all turned over. A group of young girls practically had stars in their eyes.
“Yes, I’m on holiday,” Chen Jiahwa answered. His mother added in a worrying yet gloating sigh, “Aiz, what is so good about this Phecda University? I already told him not to enroll in it but he refused to listen to me! He only gets one week of new year holiday! What kind of school treats its students like that?!”
“Mom!” Chen Jiahwa hissed with embarrassment. He already warned his mother from saying such things but no one was able to stop a parent from showing off their children. It made Chen Jiahwa’s face blush, especially when he noticed the group of girls was still looking his way.
“You should be so proud of Jiahwa!” The boss praised, “Now who does not know of Phecda? Only the best of the best will be selected to join this university!”
“That’s true, but…” Mother Chen sighed but this time, there was real concern in it. “Just look at the news, there was a new batch of sacrifice recently. Even Gu Jun was heavily injured. He was comatose for months. This job is too dangerous.” Gu Jun was not as famous as, let’s say, Taylor Swift but most people who followed the national news knew of his name.
“That’s true.” The boss concurred. His wife added, “In any case, they’ll be our hope in the future! By the way, Jiahwa, are you friends with Gu Jun?”
“How is that possible?” Chen Jiahwa chuckled. Not many people knew about the delineation between Phecda and Phecda University, they assumed that joining Phecda University equal to being a part of Phecda. The truth could not have been further from that. Chen Jiahwa explained, “We are just normal students. Gu Jun is among the most elite group of Special Mobile Force members.” The existence of the Special Mobile Force had been revealed to the public as well. The eyes of the girls glowed brighter when Gu Jun’s name was mentioned but when they heard Chen Jiahwa did not know him personally, the light dimmed.
Chen Jiahwa did not mind that because he was Gu Jun’s fan too. “But I have met Gu Jun during the university’s opening ceremony. He came for a speech. Then, when we visited Phecda’s Eastern State Division, we saw his statue in front of the Medical Building.” To Chen Jiahwa, that did not amount to much but in the ears of the customers and the boss, it was mighty impressive. Some of them just found out through Chen Jiahwa that there was a statue of Gu Jun at the Eastern State Division. That bit of insider information lifted their impression of Chen Jiahwa.
“Jiahwa, then would you have the chance to join the Special Mobile Force in the future?” The boss asked. If Jiahwa did, then perhaps he could use that as a promotional resource for his shop.
“There is a chance.” Chen Jiahwa nodded and his voice involuntarily raised, “I did perform quite well in school.” He was not bluffing. His result in both medicine and other courses was out of the charts. With his talent, he was selected to join a special class when the new semester started. This special class was big news, for it would be led by Phecda’s legendary character, and Gu Jun’s mentor, Elder Tong. Only 50 students were selected from Phecda University. They would join other recruits to undergo a two-month long training.
“This training class will determine your future.” His teacher announced sternly, “You are all now pieces of white paper and that is your advantage. You can take on any colors you wish and for that you are highly flexible. But at the same time, that is your weakness for you have not experienced anything. How to approach this opportunity, how to maximize your gain from this class, and how to pursue a future in Phecda, that will depend on how you perform.” Because of that, the seven-day holiday felt like a lifetime for Chen Jiahwa. “When you return home for your holiday, do not put on any high horses.” His teacher’s other lesson rang in his mind. “You will be looked up to but not because of who you are but what your uniform represents. The public do not see you but people like Gu Jun and Xue Ba. So conduct yourself accordingly.”
The caution snapped Chen Jiahwa out of his reverie. He quickly straightened himself. He distanced himself away from his mother and the boss and his wife. Indeed, his uniform was eye-catching not because of the person wearing it but because they were also worn by people like Xue Ba and Gu Jun.
Right at that moment, the group of girls came over. They asked with giggles, “Brother, can we take a picture with you?”
Chen Jiahwa could not help his heart from racing. Before he joined Phecda University, no girls had actively approached him before. He was flustered but he tried his best to not show it. “I’m sorry but our school rules forbid us from doing that.” They were allowed to wear the uniform in public but they had to watch their mannerism. In today’s day and age, the smallest misdemeanor would be captured and posted online for dissection.
“Oh.” The girls were disappointed. It was not often one would chance a Phecda member. There were only so many of them in the city. How could they let this opportunity slip by? Another girl asked for his signature while her friend requested to add him as Facebook friend, both requests were denied.
Eventually, one of the girls came up with a brilliant idea. They moved away to take a selfie with the young man from Phecda as the background. Say cheese!