Chapter 93: The Classic Look of a Guilty Conscience

Amid the shower of pink balloon fragments, Xie Jianxun’s view was equally obscured.

His heart skipped a beat. He panicked and waved away the balloon debris, only for his wrist to be suddenly gripped tightly!

Xie Jianxun was about to struggle when a very familiar voice came from behind, panting as it complained, “You guys run way too fast!”

He immediately recognized the person and turned his head in surprise, whispering, “Xun Jia!”

“…Don’t call out. That guy’s going to find you.”

Xun Jia muttered, reached out to mess up Xie Jianxun’s hair, then took off his jacket and draped it over him.

In an instant, they had completely changed their appearances—no one would recognize them now.

The two slunk forward stealthily, heads down and shoulders hunched.

With his hair covering his eyes and the jacket draped over him, Xie Jianxun was hurriedly dragged along behind Xun Jia. “How did you know I was here?”

Xun Jia pointed upward. Xie Jianxun followed his finger and looked up, spotting a skybridge on the second-floor hall that offered a clear view of the entire crowd on the first floor.

He relaxed a little, but the next second, his peripheral vision caught sight of the suspicious tall guy with the small round hat, and his heart raced again.

“Let’s go.”

Xun Jia yanked him forward. Xie Jianxun turned a corner without understanding and entered a glasses store.

Three minutes later, they emerged, each with a pair of oversized sunglasses perched on their noses.

The things were so large they covered half their faces. Xie Jianxun passed a shop window and glanced at his reflection in the glass.

Not to mention anything else—this was the prime choice for someone with a guilty conscience.

Xie Jianxun: “…”

He began to hesitate whether to take them off or keep them on.

Just as the tall small-round-hat guy was about to notice them, Xun Jia pulled Xie Jianxun along and walked forward calmly, circling past the legs of a bright yellow Security Mecha, deliberately leaving behind two backs that were neither too tall nor too short.

Xie Jianxun whispered, “Did he look over?”

Xun Jia quickly glanced at the reflection in a nearby glass window and looked away before the guy noticed. “Probably not… Come on, let’s hide for a bit first.”

Almost every shop ahead had long lines, except for one with a slight opening.

Xie Jianxun didn’t have time to see what kind of shop it was before Xun Jia dragged him inside, just in time to avoid the round-hat guy’s suspicious gaze.

There were lots of diners, and the place buzzed with energy. A strange aroma filled the air—something like a herbal plant? Xie Jianxun had never tasted it before. It was a bit pungent but also quite fragrant.

The front desk server approached. “How many in your party, sirs…?”

Her gaze lingered on the oversized sunglasses on Xie Jianxun and Xun Jia’s faces, as if trying to figure out if they were suspicious characters.

Xun Jia quickly removed his sunglasses and said guiltily, “Two.”

Xie Jianxun hurriedly took his off too and gave her a friendly smile—the enthusiastic grin of a Little Adventurer, combined with his handsome face, instantly dispelled her suspicions.

She turned and led them to a table.

While the server went to fetch the menu, Xun Jia nudged Xie Jianxun and teased, “Xunxun, you’re so damn good-looking. See? She was totally stunned.”

Xie Jianxun shifted uncomfortably. “No way, you’re good-looking too.”

Their seats weren’t far from the window, so they stealthily adjusted their positions to observe the ‘spy’ outside.

The server brought the menu. Xie Jianxun finally looked down and realized it was an alien cuisine ramen shop, with Tengjiao Ramen as the signature dish, served with a bright green side vegetable.

Xun Jia didn’t even look down and ordered casually—after all, they hadn’t come to eat.

“Two bowls of Tengjiao Ramen.”

With that, he turned back around, focusing intently on the view outside the window.

“Got it.” The server took the menu, set down chopsticks and small side plates, along with a golden bean appetizer.

Xie Jianxun picked up two Seasoning Golden Beans and crunched them between his teeth. They were crispy, and after chewing, his mouth was filled with the beans’ fragrance.

He glanced outside. The ‘spy’ had lost his target and looked a bit at a loss. He figured the guy had ducked into one of the crowded restaurants and was trying to barge in without a number to search.

Then he got chased out by the starving diners in line.

Not bad—they’d dodged that one.

Xie Jianxun let out a breath and sneaked a peek at Xun Jia, who happened to look away too. With a sense of relief after the ordeal, he said, “Alright, alright, he’s gone. He shouldn’t find us now… Why are you looking at me like that?”

Xie Jianxun probed, “Have you tried tengjiao before? I think it’s a spice unique to the East Territory.”

Xun Jia frowned and met his eyes. “No, I haven’t. Does it taste bad?”

Xie Jianxun hesitated. “Well, not really bad, but it has a unique flavor. Some people aren’t used to it.”

Xun Jia waved it off with a laugh. “Let’s try it. What if I like it? By the way, I feel like I forgot something… Hiss, what was it?”

Xie Jianxun blanked too. They propped their elbows on the table and racked their brains but couldn’t remember.

“Whatever, we’ll figure it out later.”

Xun Jia slowly leaned over the table, cupped his hands around his mouth, and whispered, “That guy—isn’t he the one trying to grab you?”

Xie Jianxun’s heart tightened. He stammered, “That guy’s, he’s…” He hadn’t come up with an excuse yet!

Unexpectedly, Xun Jia filled in all the logic for him. “One of your colleagues, right?”

Xie Jianxun choked. “Uh, yeah, yeah…”

The teen kicked up one leg and counted on his fingers. “Look at how mysteriously he’s dressed—like he’s doing shady fake-ID stuff. He walks all sneaky, and a tall guy like that shrinking his head… Plus, he grabs you the second he sees you. He’s gotta have a grudge against you. Who else but a colleague?”

It made perfect sense—Xie Jianxun believed it himself!

He nodded frantically. “Right! He’s from my line of work. He can’t stand how much better I do than them, so he wants to grab me and force out my… my trade secrets!”

Xun Jia sighed and pinched his arm. “You’re so skinny. You need to eat more. Then you’ll have muscles to punch back.”

Xie Jianxun eyed him. “You look pretty skinny too.”

Xun Jia raised a brow. The teen thought for a moment, rolled up his sleeve—his arm wasn’t thick, but it clearly had some defined muscle.

Xie Jianxun: “…” Stunned.

Xun Jia spread his hands, as if to say ‘See?’, then glanced meaningfully at Xie Jianxun’s soft belly and arms—all that tender flesh from being spoiled.

Xie Jianxun fell silent for a moment, deciding that if he got the chance, he’d hit the gym and build some muscle to show him.

A shadow fell over the table. Both of them jolted and slowly turned their heads.

It wasn’t the spy showing up, nor the server bringing their cooked Tengjiao Ramen. It was an unexpected friend of Xie Jianxun’s.

“Gu Xuning?”

He leaned out and saw the curly-haired guy at another table peeking over with a grin, waving at them. “You guys eating too?”

Xie Jianxun turned back to Xun Jia. “Friends I met before. Silver University students.”

Xun Jia looked impressed. “Scholars, huh.”

The young guy pointed at the curly-hair. “He Jiankan spotted you. Our table’s big and has space—want to join us?”

Xie Jianxun and Xun Jia’s first reaction was to glance back and check if the ‘spy’ had entered.

No one. They both relaxed.

Turning back, they met Gu Xuning’s puzzled gaze.

Xie Jianxun: “…Sure, where are you sitting?”

Soon, the server placed their two bowls of ramen on Gu Xuning’s table and poured them tea before leaving.

Steam rose vigorously from the piping-hot ramen, drifting straight toward Xie Jianxun’s eyelashes.

He blew it away and tore open the disposable chopstick wrapper.

The curly-hair was chatty today, happily introducing the shop’s specialties. “Their noodles have this great chewiness—they’re hand-pulled right here. If you want to watch, check out the observation window over there.”

Xie Jianxun curiously looked back and indeed saw a crowd gathered at the kitchen observation window, with flour vaguely flying behind the glass.

Gu Xuning agreed. “I like this ramen too.”

Xun Jia curiously lifted a strand of noodle. It was evenly chewy from top to bottom, glistening softly in the broth.

He exclaimed in surprise, “Hand-pulled noodles? It really feels different from mecha-pulled ones.”

He rubbed his chopsticks together, casually picking up a bundle. Nearby was a bright green vegetable that looked juicy.

He slurped down the noodles, bit through all the embedded spices—and suddenly froze.

Xie Jianxun rubbed his own chopsticks too, finding the motion oddly traditionally humorous.

Seeing Xun Jia motionless, he tilted his head in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

The teen lifted his face, eyes already red and teary. “I… bit into a bunch of… it’s so spicy…”

The curly-hair burst out laughing. “Hey, out-of-towners, don’t push it! Eat the veggies on the side—they’re for cutting the spice.”

Xie Jianxun and Gu Xuning laughed too. The Little Adventurer lowered his head and carefully picked up a noodle, slurping a small mouthful.

The tengjiao flavor was strong, with a distinctive aroma.

If he hadn’t taken such a small bite, he’d probably have fallen victim like Xun Jia.

Over there, Xun Jia was already tearing up from the stimulation, fumbling everywhere for tissues and mumbling incoherently, “Damn… Next time, no big bites!”

The spy, clad in a pitch-black coat, seriously searched a boutique store full of pink bows and dolls, found nothing, and slipped out under the clerk’s baffled gaze.

He spoke into his Light Brain. “Target completely vanished. Requesting surveillance, requesting surveillance.”

Meanwhile, in the ramen shop, laughter filled the air as everyone slurped their noodles happily.

The curly-hair casually added, “Actually, we wanted to ask for a little help.”

Xie Jianxun asked curiously, “What is it?”

The curly-hair draped an arm over Gu Xuning’s shoulder, gesturing at his team leader with his eyes. “Our Captain Gu here designed a Semi-Automatic Combat Mecha with Professor Idis. Needs some testers.”

That explained it. Xie Jianxun nodded.

Xun Jia looked up from his bowl. He’d gradually gotten used to the flavor and even found it decent.

He asked puzzledly, “Aren’t you Silver University students? Why not ask classmates?”

Gu Xuning explained, “Have you seen the Mecha League? The ones in the matches are Semi-Automatic Combat Mechas—powerful in battle, but they require precise mechanic control. Takes years of training to build up the hand speed they need.”

The curly-hair chimed in, “So he’s designing Combat Mechas for regular people—lowers the difficulty so ordinary folks can fight Mineral Beasts during fieldwork.”

Xie Jianxun: “Mineral Beasts?”

Curly-hair: “Creatures from the White Whistle Wilderness. They eat ore, tough as hell—only Combat Mechas can take them down.”

Xie Jianxun thought for a moment. “So you’re looking for total noobs with no training, like us?”

Curly-hair nodded eagerly. “You get it quick! Coming or not?”

Not a big deal. They agreed—if they had time in the next few days, they’d swing by Silver University’s training grounds to test it.

Curly-hair jumped up to pay. “My treat!”

They parted ways at the ramen shop door. Xie Jianxun was still wearing Xun Jia’s jacket and sunglasses, walking past the round-hat guy without a glance, heading to the top floor for an air taxi back to the hotel.

Wait—how had they gotten here again?

Xun Jia stopped too, remembering. “Aren’t we missing something between us…?”

Just then, his Light Brain rang. It was Seles, sounding puzzled and anxious. “My friend doesn’t have your comms. He said you guys just bolted… It’s been forty minutes. You done yet? Need me to call the cops?”

Xie Jianxun and Xun Jia said in unison, “No need!”

They’d totally forgotten about him!

Back at the hotel, their friend nagged, “Alright, alright, all accounted for. Little ones are home. Next time, tell me sooner if something comes up. What if you got hurt? A few minutes wait is fine for me—the coffee shop upstairs has a pretty girl…”

Seles elbowed him. “Hitting on girls again?”

The friend corrected, “Friendly chatting.”

This guy had a big heart—no grudges, still worried they’d gotten hurt.

Xie Jianxun and Xun Jia apologized sincerely, waved goodbye, and watched him leave happily, probably off to his next nightlife adventure.

“He’s actually a pretty good guy.”

Xun Jia turned back, musing.

Seles boasted, “Of course, all the friends I, Seles, make are good ones.”

At that point, the young man suddenly fell silent for a moment and glanced at them.

Xie Jianxun keenly noticed that glance. He stood up, poured water for everyone, then held his own warm cup as he asked, “How’s that production line at home? Did you work it out?”

Speaking of this, Seles looked depressed. “I pushed for ages, but they still wouldn’t give the production line to my brother. Even my brother said I shouldn’t hang out with shady people all day and should help with the family business instead…”

He abruptly stopped talking and carefully glanced at his friends. Fortunately, no one paid it any mind.

Xun Jia asked in confusion, “For such a big corporation—a proper wealthy family, no less—they’re not fighting over it? They’re even pushing it back and forth?”

Seles sighed. “My family has a pretty good atmosphere. They’ve mentioned before letting my brother handle the main company while I manage some subsidiaries… But what if I just want to eat, drink, and be a idle layabout?”

Xie Jianxun said, “Have Auntie have another one.”

Xun Jia: “Pfft!”

Seles: “…It’d be better if my brother had one! Bah, he should hurry up and find a wife. He’s so old and doesn’t even have a wife yet. Can’t count on him at all.”

Xie Jianxun held his cup and drank seriously. Everyone else unconsciously followed suit, and the three of them gulped it down together, letting out satisfied sighs after their hearty drink.

“And then?”

The young man said reluctantly, “No ‘and then.’ That’s just how it went. They said my brother would help me out, told me not to worry too much, to study more, and that if I didn’t take it, they’d cut off my funding.”

His eyes went blank as he sprawled on the sofa with his legs spread wide, embodying the perfect image of someone alive but “not wanting to go to work.”

The young men instantly got it: no more pocket money.

Xun Jia encouraged him. “No pocket money… no funding? Then create your own funding.”

Seles muttered, “I don’t have the brains for starting a business.”

Just then, the living room’s internal phone rang. Seles was closest and answered it on speaker: “Hello?”

A polite voice from the hotel front desk came through. “Is this Mr. Xie?”

It was Xie Jianxun’s room number, so he quickly raised his voice and switched places with Seles as he sat down. “I’m here. What’s up?”

“A gentleman left a gift at the front desk, specifically for Mr. Xie Jianxun… It’s been checked and is safe. Shall we send it up now?”

Hm? Who would send him a gift?

Xie Jianxun didn’t reply right away. He exchanged looks with his friends. Xun Jia shrugged to show he didn’t know either, and Seles shook his head, indicating Xie Jianxun should decide.

After thinking for a moment, he confirmed, “Yes, please bring it up now.”

The front desk soon rang the doorbell. After politely handing it over, they closed the door and left.

The three crowded around to look. Xie Jianxun saw it was something he’d never seen before.

It looked like a button? The color and sheen were somewhat similar to a Light Brain.

There was also a letter pinned underneath, though he didn’t know who wrote it.

But Xun Jia had seen this thing before—even if only once—and he immediately recalled it, exclaiming in surprise, “Isn’t this that…”

Seles picked up the thread, clearly recognizing it too. “Mecha Space Button!”

“What what?” Xie Jianxun was completely baffled and sat obediently, waiting for them to explain.

Xun Jia said, “Last time Emory took us to tour the warehouse, the most important thing inside was this! A Brain Domain Mech that can be controlled with the brain! He sent this?!”

Xie Jianxun picked up the letter, opened the paper, and read the contents aloud: “…A belated meeting gift. I hope Mr. Xie won’t mind… For Miss Nevi’s birthday banquet afterward, you and your family are invited to attend.”

After reading the letter, the three exchanged glances.

After a brief pause, Xun Jia looked puzzled. “He doesn’t suspect anything?”

“And he’s being so eager to send us stuff. What’s he after?”

“No idea.”

“Should we… send him a message and ask?”

All eyes turned to Xie Jianxun again. He glanced at the Mecha Button on the table, pondered for a moment, and said uncertainly, “Nah. Sending a message first would make us seem guilty and weak. It wouldn’t help our image. Let’s just leave it here for now.”

Xun Jia decided on the spot. “Then pretend it never happened.”

Xie Jianxun shrugged. “We definitely can’t keep the thing anyway. We’ll have to find an excuse to return it later.”

The Space Button lay quietly on the table, its surface gleaming with a silver-gray metallic sheen under the lights.

It had once lain like this under harsh white lights, gazed upon by its previous owner.

But the gaze was so different. Now it was calm, whereas before, it had been laced with a heavy gloom and barely restrained burning anger.