Frequent Appointments (Part 2)

There was a campus mall nearby, and the snacks and cold drinks in its leisure area had quite a reputation. School had already let out, but it was still club activity time, so there were relatively few people around. At least it was nowhere near as crowded as the Precision Electronics Interest Club.

Ronan was still suffering through withdrawal. He avoided stimulating foods like cold drinks whenever he could. Still, he understood that Chen Xiaolin had not invited him to sit and talk merely to enjoy some food.

Sure enough, the service robot had barely set down the snack platter when Chen Xiaolin said to Xue Lei, "This time, when Advisor Li calls you over, never mind anything else—if it concerns the club, just brush it off casually. Don't make any substantive promises or commitments. Don't agree to anything."

Xue Lei looked completely bewildered. "What does that mean?"

Ronan knew Chen Xiaolin was saying it for his benefit too. But it was not a good time to say much, so he merely looked up and listened carefully.

It was easier for Chen Xiaolin to explain certain things to Xue Lei. "Of course I'm worried you'll get taken advantage of. School clubs are far too complicated—there's a three-way game between the school, teachers, and students. If you don't understand the situation, it's easy to get burned."

She knew those words alone would not convince him, so she simply appealed to his emotions instead. "Anyway, I wouldn't harm you, right?"

Xue Lei could only nod.

Chen Xiaolin turned to Ronan again. "Junior, in all things, you need to know yourself and know your enemy. Plan before you act. Don't you agree?"

Ronan could only smile as well.

Chen Xiaolin continued, "Junior, you've been here for nearly a month. You should know that Zhi Xing Institute is essentially an experimental school. It claims to combine Eastern and Western approaches, so both its atmosphere and methods differ quite a bit from the schools you attended before. Many people who come here feel more or less uncomfortable adapting, which is why everyone needs to help and coordinate with one another... Actually, I suggest you join the Mutual Aid Society."

"The Mutual Aid Society?"

"It's a mutual aid organization established by the Student Union specifically for students like you and Xue Lei, who enrolled midway through the year. Its purpose is to help everyone adapt to Zhi Xing Institute's environment and atmosphere as quickly as possible. There are many upperclassmen there who can share their experience and help solve problems..."

"Uh, is that so?" Ronan felt somewhat awkward. He did not really want to get involved in this sort of thing.

But Chen Xiaolin remained very enthusiastic. "Leaving everything else aside, tonight is the annual Mutual Aid Buffet. Many senior students will be attending. Some of them have been at the institute for more than seven years and are close to graduation, so they have plenty of relevant experience. If you have nothing to do, chatting with them can expand your connections. If you do have problems, chatting may unexpectedly solve a lot of them... Junior, you really shouldn't miss this opportunity."

Ronan shook his head inwardly. He had been running himself ragged for two straight days and only wanted to go home and rest. How could he possibly be in the mood for this kind of event?

Just as he was considering how to refuse, his wristband vibrated slightly. The Precision Electronics Interest Club had sent an early reminder that his appointment number was coming up. Ronan breathed a sigh of relief and raised his wrist. "Senior, it's my turn. How about we discuss the specifics of the event later..."

"You can think it over, Junior. The buffet starts at seven tonight, at Shuiyi Bluestone Hotel. I'll send you an email later with all the details."

Chen Xiaolin was quite skilled at dealing with people. Seeing that Ronan was not particularly interested, she did not press the matter further. Smiling, she exchanged contact information with him and let him leave.

Xue Lei called after him, "Don't forget—we're going to Old Immortal Mingde's place together later."

Putting the Mutual Aid Society out of his mind, Ronan hurried back to the Precision Electronics Interest Club. Before long, his number was called. Following a small floating guide orb, he arrived at the repair area, which was much quieter than the lobby.

Behind the repair counter, several young students were gathered around a middle-aged technician, discussing some issue. When Ronan came in, someone checked the appointment form he had filled out earlier. "Imitation Paper Soft Screen damaged by external force... Repairs will be expensive, and it might not be possible to restore it completely. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to have the manufacturer replace it?"

Ronan sat before the counter and said quietly, "It's a DIY device."

At those words, more than half the people turned around. The person still reading the appointment form smiled. "Being able to do something with an Imitation Paper Soft Screen is pretty impressive. Why not repair it yourself? This screen is already five years old—it's the perfect chance to upgrade to a new one."

Ronan hesitated before speaking. "The person who made it is gone."

"Oh... that's a real shame."

At that moment, the middle-aged technician also looked up. He seemed like a very amiable person. Smiling, he said, "Then bring it over and let's take a look. If you have any good ideas, we can bounce them around."

"Thank you, sir."

Ronan nodded in thanks, removed the Imitation Paper Soft Screen from his laptop, and handed it over the repair counter.

The middle-aged technician took one glance, and his eyes lit up. "A Jellyfish board? This won't be easy to work on. There's no room for many external modules. Has the inside been heavily modified?"

"Take it apart, take it apart. Engineer Zhai, you should do it yourself."

The students all chimed in noisily. Engineer Zhai did not decline. After all, with such a highly integrated electronic device as an Imitation Paper Soft Screen, a bunch of students who had not even graduated yet could hardly be trusted to handle it steadily.

Disassembling an Imitation Paper Soft Screen only around 0.2 millimeters thick was absolutely a job requiring meticulous patience, and Engineer Zhai's calm temperament suited it perfectly. As he dismantled it, he casually explained the key points and difficulties of the process to the students. His explanations were clear and simple enough that even Ronan, who knew nothing about it, gradually gained some basic understanding.

However, as the disassembly progressed, Engineer Zhai gradually fell silent, and his expression grew worse and worse. He was not the only one—some of the students also sensed that something was wrong and began whispering among themselves.

Engineer Zhai was indeed patient. He spent a full half hour dismantling the entire Imitation Paper Soft Screen into two pieces, fully exposing its internal structure, before finally stopping. The testing equipment on the workbench automatically engaged and scanned the components.

As the instruments displayed various readings, the buzzing discussion grew louder. Finally, the student who had first taken the order could not help saying to Ronan, "Hey, buddy, you're not here to deliberately cause trouble, are you?"

Ronan was stunned, completely unable to understand what he meant.

"This Jellyfish screen of yours hasn't been heavily modified—it hasn't been modified at all... Well, okay, it has an added battery module, but there's no processor, no storage module, no signal transceiver module, no sensors—damn it, none of them are there. Do you normally use this board as a mirror?"

"That's impossible!"

No matter how little Ronan knew about electronics, he understood that without a processor, storage module, or soft screen, it was nothing but a decoration—not even usable as a mirror.

Of course it was impossible. He had used it perfectly well just yesterday. All kinds of software applications had run without issue, and he had even drawn two sketches on it. How could it possibly be a mere decoration?

The problem was, would this group of students, along with a Technical Expert like Engineer Zhai, have any reason to lie to him? Besides, the results on the testing equipment were perfectly clear, with no possibility of falsification.

Under the unfriendly stares of more than a dozen pairs of eyes, Ronan was truly at a loss.

"Move aside."

Engineer Zhai, who had not said a word until then, suddenly gestured for the students blocking the counter to make way. Once the space before the workbench was cleared, he controlled the mechanical arm and carefully worked on the back of the opened Jellyfish screen.

A few seconds later, a long thread as fine as spider silk was slowly drawn out from the winding circuitry, swaying faintly in the breaths of those around it.