Everyone present, including Li Guozhong, Elder Wang, Elder Hua, and Wang Yixue, felt as though a huge stone were weighing on their hearts.
They could barely breathe.
Their hearts felt unbearably clogged!
Crystal-clear tears even welled up in Wang Yixue's eyes.
"I'll transfer the remaining 1.5 million to Xu Fan right now."
"No!"
Li Guozhong slapped the table.
"Add a zero!"
"Come to me for reimbursement."
"We can't let this young researcher's heart grow cold."
"We can't let a man of merit shed both blood and tears!!"
Wang Yixue wiped away her tears, picked up her phone, and began verifying the transfer.
After a series of steps, the transfer was complete.
Far away in his rented room downtown, Xu Fan saw the text notification that the money had arrived and was so startled that he dropped his phone into the washbasin.
Fortunately, his phone had IP1000 water resistance, or he would have had to buy a new one.
Just then, Wang Yixue also sent him a Weixin message.
Human LV Princess: "Did you receive the money?"
"You added an extra zero again!" -The Handsome Guy Who Loves Reading
Human LV Princess: "It wasn't extra. You deserve it!"
"Thank you. I'm humbled!" -The Handsome Guy Who Loves Reading
Human LV Princess: "Are you free tomorrow morning? I'd like to meet up."
"No." -The Handsome Guy Who Loves Reading
Human LV Princess: "Dejected (emoji)"
Xu Fan lay on his bed and stretched.
He marveled that she really was rich. A casual tip from her was enough for an ordinary person to live on for a lifetime.
Tomorrow morning, he still had to complete the blind-date assignment his mother had given him. How would he have time to meet this little rich lady?
Zhonghai Military Research Base.
The reception hall.
"Well? Has the money been transferred?"
Li Guozhong sounded a little apprehensive as he asked.
Wang Yixue nodded.
"It's been transferred, but... I tried asking him to meet up, and he turned me down."
Li Guozhong nodded, looking as though he had expected this.
"He wants to retire after accomplishing his feat and quietly cut off contact with you!"
Elder Wang and Elder Hua nodded in agreement.
Wang Yixue's nose immediately stung, and tears came rolling out again.
"What's wrong with him? We only just met, and he's already trying to run away!"
"Yixue, crying whenever something happens isn't your style!" Li Guozhong sighed, sounding rather pointed.
After making his remark, he even gave Elder Wang and Elder Hua a meaningful look.
Elder Wang understood instantly and chimed in.
"Back in the day, whenever our little Yixue wanted to find someone, she'd simply go straight to them."
"Exactly! When has our Yixue ever let someone turn her down?" Elder Hua joined in.
Hearing this, Wang Yixue clenched her fair, delicate fists.
A trace of determination flashed between her brows.
They're right!
You think we won't meet just because you said so? I'm going to find you anyway.
Hmph!
Don't think I have no way of finding you.
I'll contact my best friend in a bit. She's the student council president at Zhonghai National Defense University. She'll definitely be able to track you down.
You want to escape the palm of my hand? Not a chance!
Seeing Wang Yixue's expression, Li Guozhong, Elder Wang, and the others exchanged glances.
Wang Yixue happened to look over and noticed this.
Wang Yixue frowned.
"Grandpa, Grandpa Hua, Uncle Li, why do you look like your wicked scheme just succeeded?"
"Do we? Haha... Surely not?"
Elder Wang chuckled twice, his eyes narrowing.
Then he stopped paying attention to Wang Yixue.
He huddled with Elder Hua and Li Guozhong, their heads lowered as they whispered.
"So what if he's a young genius? As the saying goes, even heroes can't get past the beauty's gate!"
"We'll keep a close eye on Yixue. I refuse to believe he can really get away!"
"Once we make contact, we'll satisfy every request he has."
"Give him every concession we should, and even the ones we shouldn't!"
"He can turn them down, but we can't fail to offer them!!"
That night, Wang Yixue filled out an enlistment application.
Li Guozhong signed his approval on the spot.
She officially became a member of the Southern Military Region.
He also gave Wang Yixue her first assignment.
It was to visit Xu Fan, the inventor and creator of the mecha, and convey their regards.
Meanwhile.
News of a mecha taking flight at Cloud Summit Manor during the day had already dominated the rankings across major news outlets.
All sorts of stories and rumors flew everywhere.
Top news story ①: #Suspected mecha takes flight in eastern Zhonghai [Hot]
No. 1 on Douyin's trending list: Mysterious black technology from a research base exposed #Mecha #Gundam
No. 1 on Xialang Weibo's trending list: #Witness successfully escapes alien mecha invasion of Earth [Hot]
No. 2 on Xialang Weibo's trending list: #What should you do if you encounter an alien mecha? [Hot]
Fox News: #Shocking! Curvaceous 39-year-old married woman discovers a massive object soaring into the sky!! ←
Countless news stories about the mecha blanketed the internet, sparking heated discussion across the web.
Someone had even recorded a video.
They posted it on Manshou Short Video, attracting a huge wave of followers.
However.
Before even an hour had passed.
Under the influence of some mysterious force, every video vanished inexplicably.
They were either taken down, or the accounts were outright banned.
All news about the mecha disappeared without a trace in an instant.
People who wanted to type "mecha" into a search box even had to break the Chinese character for "mech" into separate components.
Such was the power of this mysterious force.
While netizens were bewildered and suspicious.
On Douyin's livestreaming platform.
Mother Central's livestream had barely begun when its popularity suddenly shot to first place.
Countless viewers poured in.
On camera.
An elderly man with graying temples, dressed in military uniform, leaned rather casually against a khaki sofa.
"Hello, everyone online. I'm the military expert, Bureau Chief."
"I'm sure everyone has been wondering."
"Whether those videos online of a mecha taking flight are real."
"Here, I solemnly inform you all."
"After examination by the relevant departments, the videos have been confirmed to be special-effects composites!"
"Please don't believe rumors or spread them!"
The Bureau Chief spoke earnestly.
The bullet comments, however, were flying.
"All right, Bureau Chief. Your Strategic Deception Bureau sure mobilized fast!"
"Like hell I believe you. I was right there."
"I was there and saw it with my own eyes +1"
"I was there and saw it with my own eyes +1"
"..."
"Holy shit, you guys are ruthless. You're driving the Bureau Chief crazy, hahaha..."
"We'll pretend we believe you."
After finishing his explanation, the Bureau Chief ended the stream at the speed of light.
He had glanced at the bullet comments. There was no way to keep talking.
This crop of netizens wasn't easy to fool.
He picked up his phone and made a call.
"Hello, Elder Wang? It's taken care of. You owe me a proper drinking session this time!"
"No problem, Bureau Chief. Where are you? Let me tell you, this time our Xia Nation..."
Happiness Residential Complex.
Xu Fan, the instigator of the sensation, acted as though nothing had happened.
After dinner, he washed up and went to bed early.
He still had to get up early tomorrow for his blind date that morning.
As for the 15 million he had just received, he hadn't yet figured out how to explain it.
Blurting it out might frighten his mother.
He would have to think of a good excuse tomorrow.
After he fell asleep, faint notification chimes kept ringing in his ears.
[Ding-Congratulations, host. Shock Points +1] [Ding-Congratulations, host. Shock Points +3] [Ding-Congratulations, host...]
The next day.
After a quick wash, Xu Fan went out for his blind date as his mother had requested.
The woman had said to meet at nine sharp in the customer lounge at Champs-Élysées No. 2.
He had only just stepped out of the taxi.
Xu Fan casually glanced inside Champs-Élysées No. 2 and frowned.
Through the floor-to-ceiling display windows, he could see luxury handbags and clothing that exuded the scent of money.
He was baffled. "Why is it a shopping center?"