The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 61

They were already dealt with?

Jiang Momo looked up at the deep shadow in E Mingjun’s eyes, wondering what exactly those ‘legal methods’ had been.

Just as she was about to ask, Wu Yue burst out of the courtyard with Wu Chun right behind him.

“Why’d you two run off so far?” Wu Yue squeezed between them, glancing around. Seeing Jiang Momo looking normal again, and ignoring E Mingjun’s gloomy face, she immediately linked arms with her and began dragging her toward the spaceship.

“Come on, come on. Wu Chun says the passenger ship he booked is about to take off. We’ve got to hurry and get him to the terminal.”

Jiang Momo was puzzled. “Didn’t Ling Yelin say he’d take him straight to his destination?”

Ling Yelin was always a man of his word. Why the sudden change?

“I came here specifically to go to the Hundred Flowers Planet but Uncle Wu Chun doesn’t want to go. He’d rather take a regular passenger ship. So Boss Ling found him a team of bodyguards,” Wu Yue explained. “They’re already waiting at the terminal.”

Jiang Momo nodded and followed Wu Yue toward the ship with E Mingjun trailing behind.

He asked Wu Chun, “Those people didn’t show up today?”

Wu Chun shook his head. “They’re not always around.”

“That’s a shame. If they were, we might’ve helped you out and charged you the friend rate,” Wu Yue said, glancing back at E Mingjun.

The latter said nothing.

Wu Chun jumped in fright. “Thanks, thanks! No need to bother yourselves!”

He knew it! These people weren’t the good guys!!!

The four boarded the ship.

Ling Yelin and Yan Chang were already inside, sitting on opposite ends like the north and south poles. It was like a galaxy stretched between them. When the others entered, Yan Chang immediately looked up and stared.

Jiang Momo walked toward him with E Mingjun, Wu Yue, and Wu Chun behind her.

Ling Yelin raised his wine glass and looked up, unsurprised. He stood and moved to sit at the far edge.

***

The Hundred Flowers Planet wasn’t far from their current location. After dropping Wu Chun off at the passenger terminal, it took only three hours to get there.

“That’s why you need an expensive ship. There’s not even an artificial wormhole at the Border Star System. Without the spatial jump tech, we’d be old by the time we arrived,” Wu Yue said, winking at Ling Yelin.

Ling Yelin got it instantly and refused. “The Hundred Flowers Planet wasn’t my destination. Don’t even think about extra fees.”

Jiang Momo looked up. Before them stood an incredibly luxurious building, resplendent in gold and not very tall, maybe twenty stories. It looked like an ornate palace. Through the main gate, they could see that the lobby was encrusted with gems of all kinds.

“Is this a tourist spot?” she asked Wu Yue.

Ling Yelin shook his head. “Of course not. This is a hotel. It’s not that expensive. A night in the presidential suite is only two hundred thousand.”

Jiang Momo was stunned by the price.

She scratched her head in disbelief. Only two hundred thousand a night?! Honestly, she thought it’d be cheaper to just find a patch of ground to sleep on.

Ling Yelin noticed the little red mark left on her forehead after she dropped her hand. The corners of his mouth curved upward involuntarily and his lake-green eyes sparkled.

“This hotel belongs to the Ling Group. You don’t have to pay.”

Wu Yue looked at the charming glint in Ling Yelin’s eyes and leaned in to whisper to E Mingjun, “Boss Ling is turning on the charm again. Fellow townsman, aren’t you going to do something?”

That guy flirted with everyone all day but never took responsibility. He’s never even had a proper girlfriend. With someone as pure as Jiang Momo, Wu Yue was worried she’d get hurt if she really fell for Ling Yelin.

E Mingjun’s hand clenched into a fist at his side, eyes lowered.

If it were before, he would’ve already stepped between Jiang Momo and Ling Yelin. But now, watching the golden-haired, noble-looking Ling Yelin bend slightly toward Jiang Momo who didn’t move away, he suddenly felt a pang of bitterness.

On what grounds could he stand in front of her anyway? To protect her? But deep down, could he really say he didn’t have selfish reasons?

Jiang Momo, seeing Ling Yelin suddenly so close, instinctively thought he was going to attack her. She clenched her fists, only to realize there was no aggression in his eyes. Confused, she relaxed her hands.

Ling Yelin, unaware of what had almost happened, continued his flirtation. In a low voice, he said, “This planet is also under my name. It’s included in the exchange terms I offered you earlier. Do you want it?”

Jiang Momo rubbed her ear, tingling from his breathy voice, and took half a step back. “No.”

She admitted the planet was beautiful. The moment she stepped off the spaceship, she saw it was full of colorful flowers. But she didn’t care much for pretty things. She preferred the cold, solid, reliable stuff that gave her a sense of security, like mechas and exoskeletons.

She glanced back at E Mingjun who stood behind them with a cold face. Noticing his previously calm expression had started to waver again, she took another step back and patted him on the shoulder. “If you don’t like it here, we can go back to the Capital Star.”

Each planet had different magnetic fields and gravity, and people who were emotionally sensitive could react strongly. E Mingjun’s reaction wasn’t normal. Whether it was caused by the planet or something else, she’d need the right reference point to figure it out.

It would take over two days to get back by public spaceship but if they left now, they could still make it back for Monday classes.

E Mingjun pulled himself out of his thoughts. His gaze fell on Jiang Momo’s hand on his shoulder. Feeling the warmth radiating from her touch, the tips of his ears turned a little red.

“I’m fine. Since we’re here, let’s stay and enjoy the day.”

Girls usually liked flowers. The planet was way better for relaxing than the Capital Star. On the Capital Star, even though Jiang Momo smiled a lot, he could tell she was under pressure and rarely genuinely happy. But just now, when she was leaning on the window, her eyes were sparkling.

Maybe even she didn’t know it but she actually liked those flowers.

“Exactly, we’re already here!” Wu Yue clung to Jiang Momo’s arm. “The flower pancakes and floral rice wine here are amazing! I’ll take you to try them later!”

Wu Yue dragged Jiang Momo inside.

After checking in, Wu Yue parked her spaceship at the hotel’s docking bay. Then they rented a low-altitude sightseeing aircraft and started exploring.

The aircraft could only hover two meters above the ground and it offered a closer, clearer view compared to a spaceship.

There were no barriers around the aircraft and it had three rows of seats, separated by railings. Jiang Momo and Wu Yue sat in the first row, Yan Chang and E Mingjun in the second, while Ling Yelin was left alone in the third row.

On the desolate planet where Jiang Momo used to live, there was barely any vegetation. Even if something grew, it was usually trampled by the alien beasts. It was only after she drove the alien beasts to the far side of the planet that a few sparse flowers started to appear.

Looking at the vibrant colors now, she clearly felt a surge of joy in her heart. She suddenly understood that she didn’t dislike those things. She had just never had them, so she pretended not to care.

For a moment, she thought of the Jiang family. She thought of Jiang Xian.

Jiang Momo turned to look at Ling Yelin, sitting alone in the back.

Ling Yelin gave her a signature smile. “What’s wrong? Do you want to come sit here?”

Jiang Momo propped one hand on the rail and leaped over.

Sitting beside him, she spoke in a low voice only the two of them could hear, “When can my household registration be transferred?”

“What? Are you having second thoughts?” Ling Yelin asked, equally quiet.

Jiang Momo shook her head. “No. I’m just afraid the longer it drags on, the more problems there’ll be.”

The policy changes Yan Chang was pushing clearly targeted the Jiang family. She was afraid they’d lash out and drag her down with them.

Ling Yelin chuckled and checked the time. “It could be done as early as next week. Trust me to handle it.”

Jiang Momo let out a breath of relief and turned around, only to meet the intense gazes of the three people in front.

Yan Chang’s look was filled with fatherly disappointment.

“Stay away from her!” Yan Chang snapped at Ling Yelin.

Ling Yelin crossed his arms and leaned back leisurely. “Don’t be so possessive. Momo has her own thoughts. She doesn’t need your permission to do what she wants.”

Once Jiang Momo got her noble status, he wanted to see what tricks Yan Chang could pull to keep her under control.

“Master, I’m switching seats with you!” Yan Chang climbed over the seat and squeezed into the back row.

Jiang Momo had been planning to return anyway. Seeing that, she immediately climbed back over the front rail.

E Mingjun, who had just wiped down the seat Yan Chang had stepped on, scooted aside when he saw Jiang Momo coming and pointed to the clean seat. “Sit here.”

Jiang Momo did as told.

Wu Yue looked at the now-empty seat beside her. “?”

So now I’m the one being isolated?!

***

The rest of the trip went smoothly after Wu Yue and Yan Chang swapped seats.

The trip lasted two days. They managed to try out nearly all the attractions, albeit briefly.

Before then, Jiang Momo had never thought the Federation had so many amusement facilities. When they boarded the spaceship to leave, she actually felt a rare twinge of reluctance.

“Do you want to exchange for this planet?” Ling Yelin seized the moment when he saw her expression.

Jiang Momo shook her head. “No.”

It was a great planet but she clearly couldn’t come often.

She sprawled on Wu Yue’s spaceship’s long sofa, staring up at the ceiling. The ceiling was made from a special material and its distinct patterns reminded her of her students back on the Capital Star. Curious about their progress, she messaged Shi Qin before the spaceship lifted off.

Shi Qin replied instantly.

[Shi Qin]: We’re currently practicing mecha part manufacturing at the Mecha Arena’s material warehouse. Once you’re back, you’ll see all our hard work!

[Shi Qin]: We were going to promote your work more but Professor Ge Qing told us to keep things low-key, so we haven’t posted anything on the forum recently.

[Shi Qin]: By the way, Professor Ge Qing came to see the mecha you’ve been working on. He asked me to tell you to speed things up or there won’t be enough time.

[Jiang Momo]: Got it.

After replying, Jiang Momo felt something wasn’t right.

Her progress on the mecha had been a bit slow but not to the point where someone could tell with just a glance, right?

Was Professor Ge Qing trying to hint at something?

She thought about it too seriously and ended up falling asleep.

When she woke up again, the other four were standing around her, looking down.

Jiang Momo sat up abruptly. “What’s going on?”

Yan Chang jumped in. “We were just about to wake you! That green tea just got out!”

“And?” Jiang Momo rubbed her forehead.

“He’s live-streaming an apology to you. Do you want to watch?” Yan Chang scoffed. “It’s trending number one on the hot search.”

“Is he really apologizing?” Jiang Momo asked.

Wu Yue replied, “Yeah, pretty sincerely too. I just snuck a look. He started from the first time you met. Right now he’s talking about the part where you were etching the energy pathways together.”

Jiang Momo opened her light brain. The apology stream from Peng Ji popped up immediately.

She clicked in, confirmed that Little Eight wasn’t active on the interface, and safely shared the screen.

Soon, a projection appeared in the center of the spaceship.

A scruffy, dark-skinned man with stubble sat upright in a chair. He looked weathered and had deep eye sockets.

Head bowed, he spoke in a low voice, “I remember she taught me how to etch energy pathways. My speed doubled in no time. She was a good teacher but I was not a good student. I even started to look down on her for failing to finish a D-grade mecha because of my own betrayal.

“Yes, I tricked her. I made her miss the top fifty in the third round. To escape the guilt I felt toward her, I convinced myself she was just a lousy person, so I kept suppressing her.

“I thought deeply over those seven days inside. I didn’t hate her. I didn’t dislike her. I was just painfully envious of her. I’m a person of poor character, afraid of being burned by someone noble. At first, I even thought of fighting on her behalf…”

“He’s making this apology sound like poetry.” Yan Chang curled his lips.

“Did you ask for this too?” Jiang Momo asked Yan Chang.

Yan Chang shrugged. “Not that. I just asked him to withdraw from the mecha manufacturing industry. Anyway, this is probably the last time we’ll see him.”

Jiang Momo nodded and her gaze happened to fall on Wu Yue.

Wu Yue was propping up her chin with one hand, looking thoughtful.