Hu Manduo

By the time Zhou Yi stopped, the once-complete mech had become a large pile of parts before her eyes.

Zhou Yi had disassembled every connection point, no matter how small, wherever it could be taken apart.

In the process of dismantling, Zhou Yi had figured out most of the problems she hadn't understood before. Seeking truth through practice, the old saying was indeed true.

As for how to reassemble the parts before her, that was a problem for tomorrow.

Zhou Yi shook her arms, stretched, and slowly stood up.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting there; her body had become completely stiff and was aching terribly.

After stretching thoroughly, she thought about classes officially starting tomorrow, so she reluctantly said goodbye to the pile of parts.

Completely focused, Zhou Yi had forgotten about time. She glanced at her Star Brain and realized it was already late at night.

She received a message from Aunt Lan on her Star Brain.

"It's too late, I'm off work. Lock the door when you leave at night from now on. I've left a key for you on my desk, keep it safe. Good luck."

Perhaps seeing that she hadn't come out for a long time and not wanting to disturb her, Aunt Lan had left after finishing her work.

She left a key for Zhou Yi, so she could leave whenever she wanted, which was much more convenient.

"Thank you, Aunt Lan."

Zhou Yi was genuinely grateful.

After locking the main door and putting away the key, Zhou Yi returned to her dormitory.

Huadun was dark at night, with no lights anywhere. Fortunately, Zhou Yi's enhanced senses gave her night vision capabilities, otherwise, she might have tripped and fallen somewhere.

Upon reaching her dorm, she changed her clothes, took out a tube of nutrient solution, and gulped it down.

She hadn't eaten anything since noon.

After finishing the tube of nutrient solution, Zhou Yi looked at her thin arms and, after a moment's thought, took out another tube of nutrient solution to drink.

Before, to save money, she had only drunk two tubes of nutrient solution a day, which was why she was so thin.

This wouldn't do; she decided she would drink four tubes every day from now on, and at least gain fifteen pounds!

Even though nutrient solution was a liquid, it contained a lot of energy. A normal adult consumed three tubes a day, so drinking four tubes would indeed help her gain weight.

Although nutrient solution came in various flavors to make it more palatable, it wasn't exactly delicious. Most people wouldn't drink extra, so there weren't any overweight people on the lower-level Star Blocks.

People like Zhou Yi, who wanted to gain weight, were indeed a minority.

The course schedules had already been sent to the group chat by the counselor. Mech Infantry and Mech Masters had different classes.

There was only one class for Mech Masters. Due to the large number of Mech Infantry students, they were divided into five classes, with each class having just over fifty students.

Each class had a different course schedule. Zhou Yi was assigned to Class Three.

There were four classes a day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, with a relaxed schedule.

Zhou Yi set her alarm on her Star Brain, lay down on the bed, and closed her eyes.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yi didn't feel full even after drinking two tubes of nutrient solution.

Lying in bed, she thought to herself, they say sleeping after eating a full meal helps you gain weight, and it's probably true, right?

When she opened her eyes again, it was already broad daylight. She checked the time and realized she had woken up five minutes earlier than her alarm.

After a simple wash and changing her clothes, Zhou Yi headed to the classroom.

On the way, she saw a familiar face, the girl who had greeted her that day.

"Good morning, Zhou Yi. Which class are you in?"

"Morning. Class Three."

Zhou Yi remembered the girl's name was Lu Xiaoxiao.

"That's great! Then we're in the same class!"

Lu Xiaoxiao happily linked her arm with Zhou Yi's and pulled her forward, as if they had known each other for many years.

It was the first time Zhou Yi had met someone so forward. Her first reaction to being pulled by the arm was to stiffen.

Her personality wasn't introverted; in fact, she was quite polite, but she had very few friends. The only person who could be considered a friend was her childhood friend, Qin An.

However, feeling that Lu Xiaoxiao didn't seem to have any ill intentions, Zhou Yi just went with it.

Class Three's classroom was at the very end of the corridor. The classroom was large, more than enough to accommodate over fifty people.

Zhou Yi found a seat in the back row, and Lu Xiaoxiao found a seat next to her.

They had arrived a little early, and the teacher hadn't arrived yet, but the students, excited about the first day of school, had already arrived in large numbers.

The textbooks hadn't been distributed yet, and Zhou Yi was feeling a bit bored. She propped her chin on her hand, her gaze fixed on the doorway.

Soon, a sturdy figure, somewhat familiar, appeared in Zhou Yi's line of sight.

"Is that him?"

The little chubby guy who entered was someone Zhou Yi had seen before – the one standing in front of her with his back straight at yesterday's opening ceremony.

Zhou Yi wasn't surprised to be assigned to Mech Infantry, but it was quite a coincidence that he ended up in the same class.

After the chubby guy came in, he looked around, his shoulders hunched slightly.

He was a little late, and now there were only seats left in the first and last rows.

After thinking for a moment, the chubby guy found a seat in the very corner of the first row, sitting down lightly as if afraid of being noticed by others.

"Yo, have you no self-awareness? You're so fat, and you still dare to sit in the front row?"

"Geez, it looks like a mountain is blocking my view. I can't see anything."

Sometimes, the malice of teenagers comes out inexplicably, becoming vicious simply because of their physique.

Their voices weren't quiet at all; they could be heard clearly even from the last row.

"They're so annoying. They're bullying a classmate just after enrolling."

Lu Xiaoxiao complained to Zhou Yi from the side, clearly already considering Zhou Yi a friend.

"They are quite annoying."

The teacher hadn't arrived yet, and Zhou Yi's gaze drifted over to that side.

She wasn't someone who liked to meddle in other people's business, and besides, she currently had no standing to interfere in strangers' affairs.

But for some reason, she felt a bit curious about this chubby guy.

She had a feeling that the chubby guy had an aura about him that didn't quite fit in here.

It was as if he wasn't from a D-class Star Block.

The mocking laughter from behind grew louder, and the chubby guy's back hunched lower and lower, his head almost buried in his chest.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and dejectedly scurried to the last row.

There were only two seats left in the last row, one next to Lu Xiaoxiao and one next to Zhou Yi.

The chubby guy stood in the middle, hesitating again. In the end, he walked towards Zhou Yi's side.

"Can... can I sit here?"

His voice was very soft, as if he was afraid Zhou Yi would refuse.

"Of course," Zhou Yi replied.

"Thank you, thank you!"

As if overwhelmed by the kindness, the chubby guy straightened his back a little, gently pulled out the chair, and sat down quietly.

"Hello, my name is Zhou Yi. What's yours?"

"I, I'm Hu Manduo."