The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 15

E Mingjun didn’t bother thinking about it too much. He turned around and gave Jiang Momo a look, signaling her to follow.

“Good thing I ran into you. This school’s huge. I didn’t even know which way to go!” Jiang Momo walked next to him, keeping a light-brain’s worth of distance. “I heard there are twenty-three cafeterias here and they’re all super tasty! Which one are we going to? Is it far?”

E Mingjun glanced at her and said calmly, “Let’s eat off campus.”

“Off campus?” Jiang Momo stopped in her tracks. “No way, I still have to wait for my results. There’s another test coming up.”

She had noticed on the way that there was nowhere nearby to eat. If they went off campus, it’d be pretty far.

“There’s a test today?” E Mingjun paused noticeably.

His clear amber eyes narrowed as he studied Jiang Momo’s face, confirming she wasn’t lying. He murmured, “Why didn’t I think of that path before…?”

“What path?” Jiang Momo didn’t get it and asked instinctively.

“Nothing. Let’s go to Cafeteria No. 3. It’s nearby and the food’s decent.” E Mingjun changed direction.

Jiang Momo followed right away, full of curiosity. “How come you were hanging out with Jiang Yuan and the others?”

“Jiang Yuan? I don’t know him.” E Mingjun said, “That Ling Wenlin kid is my student.”

He’d actually only looked in their direction because someone had called out ‘Jiang Yingying. He remembered Jiang Momo mentioning she was her family.

Then Ling Wenlin had latched onto him. Technically, Ling Wenlin was his student but they’d never interacted. He usually avoided him.

“So he’s the one you tutored!” Jiang Momo looked at E Mingjun with sparkling eyes. “You must get paid a lot!”

E Mingjun nodded. “Fifteen thousand an hour.”

Not many rich suckers like that were left on the Capital Star.

“Wow~” Jiang Momo marveled.

E Mingjun couldn’t pick up any deeper meaning in her tone and didn’t say more.

He wasn’t good at small talk.

“I don’t really get the Capital Star’s currency.” Jiang Momo scratched her head and asked a little sheepishly, “So what kind of living standard does 3,000 star coins get you?”

E Mingjun paused and replied simply, “The current minimum wage here is 4,752 star coins per month.”

Jiang Momo: “…Oh.”

When he put it that way, three thousand sounded decent.

As they were chatting, an excited voice was heard approaching, “Master! I finally found you!”

Yan Chang squeezed in between Jiang Momo and E Mingjun, looking thrilled. He hooked his left arm around E Mingjun’s neck and slung his right around Jiang Momo’s arm, eyes shining as he looked up at E Mingjun. “Tutor E! I thought I was seeing things but it’s really you! What a coincidence. You know Master?”

Jiang Momo looked up at the guy’s signature short wavy red hair and blurted out, “Twenty thousand!”

She remembered now! It was the guy who was quarreling at the Mecha Maintenance Center because his mecha broke! She had replaced just four panels and he’d paid her 20,000 star coins!

E Mingjun calmly pried Yan Chang’s arm off Jiang Momo, then removed the other arm from his own shoulder, stepped behind them and slipped in between the two.

“Master! You really remember me! I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself last time. My name is Yan Chang.” Yan Chang leaned forward, eagerly introducing himself to Jiang Momo, his round, dog-like eyes sparkling as if they were glowing. “Can we add each other as friends? I have something important that I need your help with!”

Jiang Momo raised her empty right wrist and tilted her head to gesture. “My light brain was taken and I won’t get it back until after the exam.”

“Then, when you get your light brain back, can you add me?” Yan Chang insisted, looking like he was going to cling to her no matter what.

E Mingjun couldn’t help it anymore and directly asked, “Do you have something urgent?”

“I told you before, Tutor E! I need a repair technician for my mecha competition.” Yan Chang raised his head suddenly, his hair sticking up on top, looking at E Mingjun. Then, with a small sound, he muttered, “It’s so tiring talking to you, I have to look up.”

Jiang Momo, feeling the same way, secretly nodded and then looked at Yan Chang who was about her height, patting his shoulder in a comforting manner. “It’s okay, we’ll grow.”

“It’s not important,” Yan Chang grabbed Jiang Momo’s arm without boundaries and said directly, “What’s important is, Master, you have to come with me to the competition!”

Jiang Momo asked, “You probably don’t need a repair technician, do you?”

“Yes, I do!” Yan Chang replied, “I’m in the youth group and there are hardly any mecha repair technicians under 25 who are any good! They’re all terrible!”

“Please, the competition is only three days, it’ll be quick!” Yan Chang clasped his hands together and followed Jiang Momo with a hopeful look on his face.

“Let’s see. I’m not sure when the exam will end,” Jiang Momo said, a little troubled. “If I can go, how much would I be paid?”

Yan Chang said, “A hundred thousand.”

“!”

Jiang Momo was surprised, “How much?!”

“Is that too little? I’m not sure about the market price, the previous people I found weren’t professional,” Yan Chang thought for a moment. “How about… two hundred thousand?”

Jiang Momo straightened up, “When exactly does it start?”

“Five days from now,” Yan Chang said, knowing he had a chance, quickly answered.

Just then, they arrived at the entrance of the cafeteria. Yan Chang quickly rushed ahead, opening the door with enthusiasm, and gesturing for them to enter.

It wasn’t mealtime, so only about ten students were scattered around the cafeteria. When Jiang Momo and the others entered, all the students subconsciously turned to look at them.

“Why are they all looking at us?” Jiang Momo asked, glancing around.

E Mingjun glanced at Yan Chang who was smiling brightly and replied, “Maybe because this door is an automatic sensor door.”

“This doesn’t matter, don’t worry about those formalities, what matters is my sincerity.” Yan Chang pushed past E Mingjun, moved next to Jiang Momo, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped down the chairs and tables that were spotless, indicating for Jiang Momo to sit. “What do you want to eat?”

“You can’t order here,” E Mingjun explained to Jiang Momo. “The chef here is quite eccentric.”

“I know, this chef is good friends with my older brother. I’ll go talk to him,” Yan Chang said.

“Your older brother?” Jiang Momo reflexively asked.

“Yeah, my older brother is amazing, he has connections everywhere. Wait for me, I’ll be back in a minute,” Yan Chang said confidently, patting his chest before heading to the kitchen.

“Have you met his older brother?” Jiang Momo asked as she took the tea the robot brought and placed it in front of E Mingjun.

“No, I teach my students at their private training facilities, I’ve never met their family,” E Mingjun replied. After seeing Jiang Momo still staring at him, he thought for a moment and added, “His family is very wealthy. My hourly teaching fee is thirty thousand.”

Thirty thousand!!!

Jiang Momo was shocked.

“What are you two talking about? Why does Master have that expression?” Yan Chang quickly returned from talking to the chef, sitting next to E Mingjun and placing a glass of orange juice in front of Jiang Momo.

“It’s nothing,” Jiang Momo wiped her face. “By the way, what exactly does the repair technician do during the competition?”

“Just repairs but most of the time, you won’t have to do much,” Yan Chang said.

He had noticed that Jiang Momo’s repair techniques were unusual, so after going back, he had someone look into it and found that the technique she used was typically something an A-grade mecha manufacturer would use, so he quickly started searching for Jiang Momo’s whereabouts.

The competition was just an excuse to get closer to her. His real goal was to establish a long-term connection.

There were very few mecha manufacturers who could make A-grade mechas in the Federation and most of them had already been recruited by the military, so it’s hard to find someone who is non-associated and self-taught.

“The rules for the mecha competition are just wheel battles. The mecha is out when it’s destroyed and points are awarded for each victory. As long as the mecha can be piloted again within 24 hours, it can continue to earn points,” Yan Chang explained the rules to Jiang Momo.

“This competition rule sounds pretty basic,” Jiang Momo said as she slurped some orange juice. “But after a mecha is destroyed, it’s hard to fix it within 24 hours, right?”

“Yes, but the competition requires a repair technician for the group, though it’s rarely needed. Small issues don’t need fixing and big issues can’t be fixed,” Yan Chang said directly. “But I believe in you, Master. You’re different from the others!”

“I’ll do my best,” Jiang Momo felt pressured and thought to herself that she needed to practice repairing scrap mechas before the competition.

Just as she was thinking about it, a delicious smell reached her nose. She turned her head and saw a line of robots carrying trays walking over, smoothly placing them on the table when they passed.

Soon, the table was full of plates and since the table was small, a rack was added to make it two layers.

“Eat, I’m not sure if it’s enough,” Yan Chang said, filling a large bowl of rice for Jiang Momo.

The bowl was big and filled to the brim and he placed it in front of her with a smile.

“It’s enough, it’s enough! These dishes are all my favorites! So good!” Jiang Momo’s attention was completely drawn to the plates on the table, her face full of happiness as she picked up a piece of meat and put it in her mouth.

She hadn’t been on the Capital Star for long, so she didn’t know many types of food but luckily, she had already tried all the dishes on the table and they were all things she liked!

“Really? We have similar tastes,” Yan Chang happily served E Mingjun a bowl of rice too.

The attention around them was more obvious now.

There were whispers here and there.

Taking advantage of the fact that Jiang Momo and E Mingjun weren’t paying attention, Yan Chang quickly glanced around.

Jiang Momo, happily eating, suddenly noticed the silence around her. She looked up and saw that the whole cafeteria had emptied except for the three of them. She didn’t mind and continued to focus on her food.

“This is the best meal I’ve had since coming to the Capital Star. Thank you, Yan Chang,” Jiang Momo said, putting down her chopsticks after finishing her meal, her face full of gratitude.

It was also the first time she’d eaten enough since she arrived at the Capital Star.

Yan Chang looked at the empty panels on the table, slightly dazed. “As long as you’re full,” he said.

He was mentally prepared for Jiang Momo’s huge appetite but seeing it up close still left him shocked.

“Now, there hasn’t been an announcement about the exam. Should we go for a walk and digest?” Yan Chang quickly regained his energy, smiling brightly as he invited her.

E Mingjun glanced at Yan Chang, then said to Jiang Momo, “Shall we go to the training ground? You said you wanted to try piloting a mecha.”

“Master, you want to learn to pilot a mecha? You came to the right person! Tutor E teaches really well! I’m his student. Do you have a mecha? I can lend you mine!” Yan Chang said, already pulling out the mecha storage button from his pocket.

E Mingjun stopped him. “I have one, use mine.”