The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 20

After submitting the mecha, Jiang Momo didn’t go straight downstairs. Instead, she searched the teaching building, trying to get her light brain back.

The exam was supposed to last 72 hours. She came out a day and a half early, which meant the next exam wouldn’t start for at least another day and a half. Without her light brain, she couldn’t even go anywhere.

But after searching for over ten minutes, every floor and even the one where the exam had just taken place, there wasn’t a soul in sight. Even her assistant manufacturing robot had disappeared the moment she submitted her mecha.

Helpless, Jiang Momo had no choice but to head to the elevator to go down.

She was at the elevator near the exam location. After waiting a few seconds, the elevator didn’t budge.

Frowning, Jiang Momo took a few steps toward the door to see what was going on.

Just as she approached, the door opened. Peng Ji was standing at the entrance, about to step in.

Sensing someone inside the elevator, he instinctively looked up and locked eyes with Jiang Momo, who was staring at him seriously.

Jiang Momo didn’t want to deal with him. She stepped back a few paces to keep her distance.

Peng Ji casually walked in.

Did this guy not even feel awkward?

Jiang Momo glanced at him briefly, then quickly looked away.

Maybe because he hadn’t rested at all in the past 36 hours, the shadows under his eyes added a weirdly attractive, worn-out look.

She thought about the bite mark he left and her wrist throbbed faintly. She took another step back.

Peng Ji stood in the farthest corner from her, calculating the distance between them with a quick glance, then subtly relaxed.

He looked at her wrist and his thoughts drifted back to the exam room that day.

Yes, he had done that on purpose. When she handed him the two sacks that day, he’d been overwhelmed by emotion and burst into tears. But he quickly calmed down.

He realized that Jiang Momo’s gaze was too gentle and their distance felt strangely close. That wasn’t a good sign. It went far beyond what he’d planned for their interaction. So he had to act. It was the best solution. It let him pass the exam and push her away at the same time. If there was one thing he was good at, it was making people disappointed in him.

No one would treat him well unconditionally. Whatever kindness they gave, they’d want tenfold in return. Peng Ji had learned that long ago.

An idol should stay on a pedestal, admired from afar. Get too close and all you’ll see is rot.

Now, it was time to fix things.

Sensing the tense silence around them, Peng Ji took the initiative, “Big Boss, did you just finish your build too? I’m really sorry for earlier…”

“I didn’t finish. Time wasn’t enough,” Jiang Momo said on purpose, growing increasingly pissed off watching his shifty eyes darting around again.

He practically had all his schemes written on his face and she hadn’t guarded against it at all. That was just stupid.

“Huh?” Peng Ji clearly froze, blinking in disbelief.

According to Federation protocol, mechas had to be learned grade by grade. You couldn’t move to the next stage without passing the exam. He had assumed that for someone like Jiang Momo, building a D-grade mecha would be effortless and the time wouldn’t matter, so he’d dared to pull what he did.

His face paled and his heart started pounding. He might’ve screwed up big time.

If that were true, wouldn’t that make him completely unforgivable in Jiang Momo’s eyes?

And it wasn’t something a simple apology could fix.

Feeling Peng Ji goes silent beside her, Jiang Momo scoffed.

The next second… Thump.

“Hey, what are you doing?!” Jiang Momo jumped to the side, dodging Peng Ji’s hand that was reaching for the hem of her dress.

Peng Ji was kneeling on the floor, still holding the pose like he was about to grab her skirt. Slowly, he withdrew his hand and looked up with red-rimmed eyes like a frightened little animal.

Jiang Momo: “???”

Wait. Who’s the one that’s supposed to be shocked here?!

“I’m sorry, Big Boss. I never imagined this would happen. I thought what I did wouldn’t affect the result that much. I was prepared for you to hate me afterward but I didn’t think it’d turn out like this,” he looked up with eyes full of tears on his beautiful face, pleading with practiced ease.

“My family’s poor. My dad died early. My mom raised me alone and now she’s not doing well. My little sister is still young, we really need money. I’ve failed this exam several times. If I don’t pass this time, I’ll have to go back to the second-tier planet…”

Jiang Momo was so overwhelmed by secondhand embarrassment her brain went blank. She leaned against the wall, staring fixedly at the door, praying it would open already. “I get it. Just stay out of my way from now on,” she said, turning her head aside.

“Big Boss, I’m really sorry, I—” Peng Ji tried again.

The door opened.

Jiang Momo let out a sigh of relief, immediately straightening up to leave.

The elevator doors fully opened and Yan Chang was standing there.

He had a light jacket draped over one arm, peering curiously inside. The moment he saw what was happening, he froze like a statue.

Inside the elevator, a boy he’d never seen before knelt at Jiang Momo’s feet, thin shoulders hunched, face tear-streaked, looking up at her with a mix of emotion. Jiang Momo, on the other hand, looked unusually stern, fists clenched so tightly the veins stood out on her neck and arms, fierce and terrifying.

Yan Chang stepped back half a pace. “Am I interrupting something?”

An awkward atmosphere exploded into the air.

Jiang Momo clenched her fists even tighter.

What is this situation?! She was dying from secondhand embarrassment!

She quickly glanced at Yan Chang’s face, only to see his gaze darting between the two of them, eyes gleaming with gossip.

Jiang Momo immediately took a few steps out, grabbed Yan Chang’s arm, and dragged him away from the scene.

Peng Ji sat there on the floor. He hadn’t missed the look on Jiang Momo’s face when she glanced at Yan Chang, a look of relief and softness.

Maybe he really was wrong. Maybe Jiang Momo had genuinely wanted to be friends with him. Maybe she really was just a good person, not looking for anything in return.

But… could such people truly exist in the Federation?

Jiang Momo ran quite a distance before stopping to catch her breath, making sure Peng Ji hadn’t followed. She leaned one hand on a nearby tree with Peng Ji’s tear-covered face looping endlessly in her head.

“What the hell kind of guy is that?”

He made it look like she was the bully!

“That guy? Is he your ex? Pretty good-looking. I thought you were into someone like E Mingjun,” Yan Chang’s teasing voice came from behind.

Jiang Momo was just about to turn around when she felt a warmth on her shoulders. It was Yan Chang draping his jacket over her.

“You waited until now without leaving?” With the warmth spreading through her body, Jiang Momo felt like her brain was functioning properly again. She tried to turn around with a calm expression.

Dear god, it was four in the morning! Did he actually stand there for 36 hours straight?!

“Of course! I was worried you’d come out in the middle of the night and be scared alone, so I waited.” Yan Chang handed her a light brain and said jokingly, “You didn’t deny it, so I guess it’s true, right?”

Jiang Momo rolled her eyes at him. “Guess what? That guy has nothing to do with me. We only met during the exam.” She recounted everything that had happened over the past few days to Yan Chang, without leaving anything out.

“Damn, I never thought I’d see one alive in my lifetime.” Yan Chang was amazed.

“See what alive?” Jiang Momo asked.

“A green tea type! He must’ve realized he had a good-looking face, so he cleaned himself up to seduce you! He probably bit you just to get your attention! And then things got out of hand!” Yan Chang said with conviction. “He was trying to manipulate your feelings!” |2|

“Huh?” Jiang Momo was stunned. “That’s a bit too far-fetched, isn’t it?”

“Wait, what did you say his name was?” Yan Chang suddenly froze. “Wasn’t he that scruffy bearded guy we saw before? Did he get plastic surgery just to go after you?! Has the tech improved so much that there’s no recovery time now?”

Jiang Momo glanced at him. “He probably didn’t get surgery. His facial bone structure and muscle lines are too harmonious.”

“Okay, let’s not talk about that anymore. Here’s your light brain, I got it back for you. I also found out your next exam is in three days. Do you have a place to stay? I have an empty apartment near campus, you can stay there for now.”

“Thanks but no need. I can stay at a hotel.” Jiang Momo tied the light brain onto her wrist and powered it on.

The familiar light screen appeared in front of her but her Siamese cat was nowhere in sight.

Jiang Momo’s heart skipped a beat and she sharply inhaled.

Where’s her Little Eight?

Her eyes blinked rapidly as she felt her hand start to tremble.

“This doesn’t seem like my light brain,” Jiang Momo said, staring at Yan Chang through the semi-transparent light screen.

Yan Chang was just about to nod and insist it was hers but then he saw how her lips were losing color under the light and fell silent.

Getting no reply, Jiang Momo’s fingers trembled as she tapped into the balance page.

The balance was correct.

Her rationality collapsed.

“Wait, what—Why are you crying?” Yan Chang was panicked, quickly pulling out tissues to hand to her.

Jiang Momo didn’t take them. She lowered her head, eyes unfocused, pitch black and empty. “My Little Eight is gone,” she said steadily, with no trace of emotion.

Regret washed over her. She should’ve rebuilt a shell for Little Eight a long time ago.

“The AI assistant? Just re-download it,” Yan Chang said, patting her on the shoulder. “Jeez, you look like it’s the end of the world or something.”

“It is the end of the world.” Jiang Momo yanked the light brain off her wrist. The strap snapped with a loud pop.

The next second, she slammed the whole device against the wall until the shell shattered. Jiang Momo picked out the core chip from the debris and carefully examined the serial number.

She and Little Eight had taken apart the light brain on the very first night after she bought it, so she knew the chip had a unique serial number.

Now looking at the completely different number on this chip, Jiang Momo let out a long breath.

“This isn’t my light brain! The academy switched it! I’m going to get an explanation from them.” She turned and started walking.

Yan Chang finally came to his senses, grabbed her arm, and got dragged several meters with his feet barely touching the ground.

He had frozen the moment she smashed the light brain. That model was supposed to be the most durable on the market. People even used it to crack nuts! But Jiang Momo crushed it like nothing.

He had never seen that side of her before, so fierce that he even suspected she could slap an alien beast to death.

“That light brain is mine! It has nothing to do with the academy!” Yan Chang yelled in a panic.

Jiang Momo stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him in disbelief. “What do you mean?”

“The academy only issues light brains after exams are completely over. Most people prepare a spare. I saw you didn’t have one, so I bought a new one and registered it to you.” Yan Chang looked a bit embarrassed. “I just thought you might refuse my help. Tutor E said you’re quite proud.”

Jiang Momo was stunned. Now it was her turn to feel awkward. She quickly sobered up, looked at the shattered device on the ground, then at the chip reflecting in her palm under the light, and forced a sheepish smile.

“I got too emotional just now. Sorry. I’ll pay you back.”

Yan Chang brightened up instantly, smugly pulled another light brain out of his pocket, grabbed her hand, and slapped it onto her palm.

“Don’t worry about money. See? I’m smart, aren’t I? I knew those basic models weren’t sturdy at all. Here! Surprise! Latest model! Come on, praise me!”

Jiang Momo looked down. In her palm lay a delicate, silver-pink bracelet-like light brain.