Refusing a Toast

Cheng Xiaoyu had just hung up the phone and had not even had time to breathe a sigh of relief when someone entered the lounge.

A tall, handsome Superior Human.

His hair was meticulously combed, and he was fairly good-looking. One of the students from the room earlier followed behind him.

"Look who I brought."

The student called out excitedly to Cheng Xiaoyu.

That student was also a Superior Human, and one of Cheng Xiaoyu's simps.

After Teacher Sun said there was nothing he could do, the student's eyes shifted. He ran out and called over his older brother.

His brother was a second-year student who had come to watch his classmates' match today.

When he heard about this, he was naturally delighted.

He was not going to become a simp himself, but if he could help Cheng Xiaoyu, he might even turn Cheng Xiaoyu into his own simp.

Wouldn't it be great to have another little brother this rich?

So he hurried over with his younger brother.

"Senior Lin."

"Hello, Senior."

Many people recognized this senior and immediately greeted him. Cheng Xiaoyu hurriedly greeted him as well.

Senior Lin wore a smile and looked very mature. In the tone of an elder, he asked Cheng Xiaoyu,

"What? Something wrong with the mecha?"

Cheng Xiaoyu nodded awkwardly. He had just called Fu Junlin over, and if Fu Junlin had a solution, he did not want to owe anyone else a favor.

He could see exactly what was in these people's eyes. It made him sick.

"Yeah, bro. Today's fight is especially important to Xiaoyu. Hurry up and help him fix it. Even Teacher Sun said there was nothing he could do. Just treat a dead horse like it's alive and give it a try!"

Second Lin, who had brought Senior Lin in, chimed in from the side.

With one sentence, he put Senior Lin in a position where he could not refuse to help, and Cheng Xiaoyu in a position where he had no choice but to accept the help.

"Fine. I had things to do, but I'll take a look first."

Senior Lin pretended to be troubled. He checked his watch before walking over to inspect the mecha.

Cheng Xiaoyu had no way to stop him and could only let Senior Lin approach the mecha.

Senior Lin looked it over a few times, then rather roughly reached inside, grabbed the internal structure, and yanked and shook it. Cheng Xiaoyu frowned at the sight.

Only then did Senior Lin shake his head and say,

"Take it apart first. We can't see anything like this. Let's dismantle it and take a look. Maybe it'll be fixed in ten or twenty minutes."

As he spoke, he began searching for the seams in the mecha, preparing to dismantle it.

Cheng Xiaoyu froze.

"My second match starts in less than ten minutes. This..."

After taking it apart, it might still take another ten or twenty minutes to fix. The second match would begin in less than ten minutes. Did that not mean he would have to forfeit it? And if the schedule was delayed and it still was not fixed by the third match?

Just dismantling and reassembling it could not be done in a short time.

"Then just don't compete in the second match. You should be able to make the third!"

Senior Lin said with a slight frown.

"That won't do."

Cheng Xiaoyu blurted out.

"Hm?"

Senior Lin immediately turned back, frowning at him in displeasure. His gaze was filled with extreme impatience, as though blaming him for contradicting him.

"My friend will be here soon. He said he has a way. Senior Lin, you can just stay to the side and help keep an eye on things."

Cheng Xiaoyu tried his best to be polite, but his words were already anything but polite.

He truly did not expect much from Senior Lin.

Let alone a second-year student—even third-year seniors had been taught by the same teachers. Teacher Sun had already said there was nothing he could do. What could a second-year senior possibly accomplish?

Compared to him, Cheng Xiaoyu would rather trust Fu Junlin, who had spotted the problem with his mecha through its exterior two days ago.

Senior Lin and the surrounding students were stunned.

Was this guy sick? He was refusing Senior Lin's help to wait for Fu Junlin?

Saying Senior Lin could stay on the side and keep an eye on things was already putting it nicely. The implication was clearly that he should just stand there and watch.

"Brother Yu, are you stupid? What could Fu Junlin possibly do? He only said that because he wanted to curry favor with you. Don't you get it?"

"Exactly! Senior Lin means well. Don't let Fu Junlin's one sentence delay something important!"

The students immediately began talking over one another to persuade him.

"Fu Junlin? That kid who put on a show in the Arena Zone? Isn't he a War Banner Master? He only switched to mecha in the second half of the year as a freshman."

Senior Lin asked in confusion. Fu Junlin was not exactly a major figure, but he was at least an amusing bit of gossip after meals.

Many people at Flying Cloud Vine School knew the name.

Second Lin had only learned after going out that Cheng Xiaoyu had actually called Fu Junlin over.

He immediately said in dissatisfaction,

"Xiaoyu, what do you mean by this? I even called my brother over, and you insist on waiting for Fu Junlin!?"

Cheng Xiaoyu took a deep breath in anger and glanced at Second Lin, inwardly cursing his bad luck.

You think I don't know what you're plotting?

Besides, your brother does not care about my match at all. If he dismantles the mecha now, then even if he cannot fix it and I lose the next two matches, I'll still owe you brothers a favor. You can say you at least took it apart and tried your best. What good would that do me?

Senior Lin merely chuckled and raised a hand to stop Second Lin.

"It's fine. Let's wait. I also want to see what he can do better than me."

Still smiling, he sat down. At this point, he had apparently forgotten his earlier act of being pressed for time after checking his watch.

As they spoke, Fu Junlin ran in from outside, drenched in sweat. He had rushed straight here from the gym and had not even caught his breath.

The moment Cheng Xiaoyu saw Fu Junlin, he hurried over to greet him.

"Brother Fu, you're here."

"How many minutes until the next match starts?"

Fu Junlin asked, bracing himself against the doorframe as he caught his breath.

"Seven minutes."

Cheng Xiaoyu checked his watch and answered anxiously.

"Don't panic. That's more than enough time!"

Fu Junlin gave him a reassuring gesture, and Cheng Xiaoyu immediately relaxed.

Having made that promise, Fu Junlin did not waste words and headed straight for the mecha.

He did not even need to examine it closely. He had already seen two days ago how it was damaged and how badly.

At the moment, the armor plates at the waist and left chest were all open. With just a slight bend at the waist, the internal structure could be seen.

As Fu Junlin casually glanced inside, Second Lin let out a cold snort.

"Ridiculous."

The two words were extremely rude, yet somehow did not sound out of place at that moment.

Fu Junlin turned his head and only then noticed that there was also a second-year senior here.

"Fu Junlin, can you stop pretending all the time? What do you know about mechas?"

One student said with disgust.

The others also muttered in agreement, voicing their dissatisfaction one after another.

Fu Junlin glanced at Cheng Xiaoyu. Cheng Xiaoyu gave him a helpless look, and Fu Junlin shrugged. He had no intention of responding and prepared to start the repairs directly.

At that moment, the second-year senior spoke.