He just hoped it would change “Mr. Xie”‘s view of him.
Sure enough, “Mr. Xie” showed interest in the new mecha. “Different from market ones? How so?”
Emory said mysteriously, “Huge differences. Come see for yourself.”
Xie Jianxun’s instincts told him this was the perfect chance to ditch the group.
He tugged Xun Jia’s sleeve (nearly yanking him off balance; Xun Jia shot him a resentful glare), then said cheerfully, “Cousin, I see someone I know—gonna say hi.”
Xun Jia nearly begged him not to go—how was he supposed to survive?—but swallowed it with a throat tickle. He watched helplessly as Xie Jianxun flitted away like a bird toward the hall’s other side, while ahead, Emory urged desperately:
“Mr. Xie, the warehouse is out back. Let’s go.”
“Mr. Xie.”
“Mr. Xie?”
Xun Jia thought, Tonight, I’ll haunt Xie Jianxun at his bedside in the dead of night.
…Ditching him at the critical moment, leaving him to clean up this Emory mess helplessly!
“Mr. Xie?”
Stop calling, damn it. Xun Jia turned, lifted his chin. “Lead the way.”
Xie Jianxun wove through the crowd; his youthful face blended seamlessly with the students. His target was clear—he beelined straight, soon spotting the familiar back, then called out, “Gu Xuning!”
The young man was debriefing with his teammates and turned at the voice, surprised to see him.
“Xie Jianxun? Long time no see!” He laughed. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Xie Jianxun said cheerfully, “I just watched your match. You played very well.”
Gu Xuning asked, “Thanks. What brings you here?”
Xie Jianxun stated his intention. “I heard that Professor Idis is currently on campus. I’d like to meet him. Could you take me to him?”
If it involved hands-on repairs for a mecha, it would take a toll on the mechanic’s condition, so it was perfectly normal for Idis to rest and adjust before taking on his project.
However, if it was just a preliminary discussion to assess the situation and draft a plan, it wouldn’t drain his condition as much.
Gu Xuning had thought of this too. He nodded and began packing his things. “Yeah, the professor is on campus right now. Wait a moment, and I’ll take you to his office.”
“It’s just… um…”
As if remembering something, Gu Xuning hesitated.
Xie Jianxun grew curious. Had something happened?
Gu Xuning said worriedly, “The professor isn’t in great spirits right now, and his condition… isn’t good. If he says anything harsh to you, Young Master Xie, just let it go in one ear and out the other. Don’t take it to heart.”
Xie Jianxun understood immediately.
This genius repairman probably had a fiery temper, and Gu Xuning was giving him a heads-up.
Xie Jianxun considered his own good temper and knew he wouldn’t get upset over something like that.
He smiled. “Don’t worry, I get it.”
Gu Xuning emphasized, “Also, the professor is in a special condition right now. No matter what state you see him in, don’t show any unusual reaction. He still prefers to be treated like a normal person.”
Xie Jianxun recalled the tournament day when Idis had sat in a wheelchair, coldly ascending from the audience seats, his legs like delicate, useless decorations on display.
He mustn’t touch the man’s sore spot.
Xie Jianxun nodded solemnly. “I’ll definitely speak to Mr. Idis normally.”
With all the warnings given, Gu Xuning breathed a sigh of relief. He waved goodbye to his teammates and led Xie Jianxun out of the Central Hall toward another building.
“This is the office building for the Mechanical College professors—the whole building is theirs. Um, the first floor has a water bar, and there are coffee shops outside with little snacks for sale and such.”
They took the elevator, and Gu Xuning pressed the button for the sixth floor.
“The professor is usually pretty easygoing. As long as you don’t go too far, the worst he’ll do is treat it like you farted in front of him.”
The young man watched the elevator rise, lightening the mood with a joke. “Don’t be too nervous. We’re all normal people—just have a normal conversation.”
Xie Jianxun’s slightly tense heart eased. “That’s good to hear.”
The elevator reached the sixth floor and opened to a long corridor.
Gu Xuning spotted the restroom sign first and hesitated for a moment. “I need to use the bathroom first. Go to the end of the corridor—the professor’s office is at the very end. I’ll be right there.”
Xie Jianxun watched him enter the restroom and strolled leisurely ahead.
Rooms of various purposes lined both sides of the corridor: document storage rooms for files, warehouses for rare parts, reception rooms for guests. But every one bore a nameplate with Idis’s name.
As Xie Jianxun walked, he could easily imagine how much the school valued this specially appointed professor—they had allocated an entire floor of the building to him.
Suddenly, from the water room just two steps away, a short, familiar figure emerged.
Xie Jianxun nearly collided with him and quickly stepped back. “Sorry, I didn’t see… huh?”
The little boy looked up, stunned to see him right there.
Xie Jianxun felt delighted. He hadn’t expected such fate with this child—this was their third encounter!
He crouched down and grinned. “So you’re Mr. Idis’s kid. No wonder you’re wandering around Silver University.”
The little boy: “…”
Xie Jianxun mused, “Looks like I’ll have to remind Mr. Idis to keep a better eye on his child, or he’ll lose him and that’d be trouble.”
The little boy: “…………”
Before Xie Jianxun could say a third sentence, the little boy planted himself in front of him and firmly spread his arms, clearly demanding to be picked up.
With the exact same posture, Xie Jianxun awkwardly lifted him. The little boy wrapped his arms around Xie Jianxun’s neck and peered over his shoulder, spotting Gu Xuning emerging from the restroom, staring at them in shock.
The little boy: “…………..”
Xie Jianxun heard footsteps. Still holding the boy, he turned and saw Gu Xuning. “This must be Mr. Idis’s kid, right? I’ve seen him several times before—he’s always getting lost. You should remind Mr. Idis to watch his child more closely.”
The young man faced the first awkward dilemma of his life.
He truly didn’t know whether to reveal the truth and burst the bubble or keep going along with the lie that yes, this was Mr. Idis’s child.
Then, he saw the little boy shake his head at him from side to side.
Xie Jianxun thought the boy was sleepy and shaking his head, so he kept holding him as he walked toward the office. “Alright, time to return you to Mr. Idis.”
Gu Xuning: “…”
He got it. At a time like this, he couldn’t open his mouth.
Xie Jianxun knocked on the door of the last office. It was empty inside.
Gu Xuning stood behind him, stammering, “Uh, the professor must have stepped out for something.”
…He felt so helpless, Gu Xuning thought silently.
Xie Jianxun looked at the empty office, disappointed. He still hadn’t managed to meet him this time.
Gu Xuning glanced at the little boy now obediently sitting in a chair. He assumed the professor didn’t want Xie Jianxun to see his special condition, so he’d hidden his identity.
He had no choice but to comfort him. “When the professor has time, I’ll definitely ask for you. Otherwise, why don’t you tell me first? What project do you want to do? What do you need repaired?”
Xie Jianxun sighed. That would have to do.
He didn’t hide anything and said directly, “I want to repair the body of a Mechanical Puppet. The damage level is probably already over… over sixty percent.”
The little boy’s gaze turned serious, though he still said nothing.
Gu Xuning was startled. He warned, “For a Mechanical Puppet, that’s quite a high damage level.”
Xie Jianxun said dejectedly, “I know, but he’s a very important person to me. I can’t give up on him.”
“I see,” Gu Xuning poured him a cup of tea. “I’ll relay everything to the professor exactly as you said.”
Xie Jianxun waited a bit longer in the office. He finished his tea and even played pat-a-cake with the little boy, but Idis still didn’t return.
Gu Xuning said he had class soon, so Xie Jianxun bid farewell to the two of them and went back to find Xun Jia and the others.
Once Xie Jianxun’s figure vanished from sight, Gu Xuning followed behind the little boy into the Integrated Mechanics Building, entered the lecture hall, and climbed onto the podium.
He also took a seat in the first row, opening his book and notes.
The room filled with the rustle of turning pages, but no one spoke—they all knew the demon on the podium who handed out massive problem sets stood there.
The little boy flipped open his book, glanced at the content, and frowned slightly.
When he spoke, his chest vibrated, but what emerged from his throat was a low, elegant baritone. “At the end of last class, I assigned homework… Number 14, come up.”
The named male student rose shakily, electronic pen in hand, on the verge of tears. “…P-Professor Idis, I-I-I haven’t solved it yet.”
The little boy looked at him expressionlessly.
“First, you could ask the teacher. Second, you could ask your classmates.”
“Of course, I believe Mr. Ges isn’t stupid. He just lacks familiarity with the formulas.”
He withdrew his gaze calmly, lowered his head to flip through the book. “Copy all the formulas involved in this problem fifty times. Hand them in to my office by next Monday.”
