The Service Droid walked over kindly. "Miss, there are chairs here, much more comfortable than leaning on a pillar. Would you care to sit over there?"

Ziye shot it a sidelong glance, then her peripheral vision caught a familiar silhouette waiting inside a small maglev pod. She blurted out instinctively, "Professor Blane!"

The person in the maglev pod turned around; it was Bradley Carter. The infrared scan was complete, allowing entry now. He saw Ziye clinging pitifully to the pillar, looking as though she had run into trouble, so he decisively turned the pod and pulled up beside her. Only when the pod turned did Ziye notice a young man on the other side, previously hidden by Blane.

Calling him a "man" felt a bit excessive.

He appeared to be just over twenty, dressed in a silk, ruffled shirt, the top two buttons left undone, exposing elegant collarbones. His frame was exceptionally slender, giving him the immediate appearance of some ancient aristocracy. Most crucially, his eyes were as beautiful as ice crystals.

He alighted from the pod and stood there, causing even the service droid to bow and scrape in deference.

What a beautiful older brother! Ziye thought, still clutching the pillar as she watched him. When he offered a faint smile, she suddenly felt as if he were observing her, instantly recognizing how silly her posture was. She quickly straightened up, offering a strained laugh. "Hi, hello. Professor Blane, I’m sorry, I didn't know you had company."

For some reason, Blane seemed flustered. He immediately spoke, "Not at all, not at all. I am not your professor."

Ziye felt as if she had been struck by lightning. If she had known Blane would say that upon seeing her, she would have died before showing up.

Stunned, she asked, "Professor Blane, even you don't want me anymore?" How could Professor Blane, who had been so kind during the interview, suddenly go back on his word? She hadn't done anything hateful! Feeling lost, she pleaded, "Professor, please don't be like this. Let's talk this through properly. Didn't you personally say I was accepted?"

The handsome young man paid no mind to her latter sentences, merely studying her thoughtfully, latching onto one word: "Even?" His voice was light and clear, just like his appearance.

Ziye slumped. "Xiao Douya and I visited many professors, but none would take me. Professor Blane, if you reject me too, then I won't have anyone to teach me."

The handsome brother chuckled faintly. "Those old fossils couldn't teach you well."

Ziye rushed to defend herself. "I am very eager to learn, very easy to teach!" She turned to the handsome brother, earnestly requesting, "Please speak to Professor Blane for me, ask him not to go back on his word halfway through."

The handsome brother’s expression was utterly unruffled. "No need to worry. Students not taken by a mentor after the interview process will be automatically assigned by the system at the start of the semester."

Ziye breathed a sigh of relief, but feeling inexplicably abandoned, she felt a pang of unwillingness. "Was there something I did badly? Why the sudden reversal?"

The handsome brother curled the corner of his lips. "Do you truly feel you did anything poorly?"

Ziye thought for a moment and shook her head. "No."

The handsome brother fell silent, merely smiling with profound meaning.

Ziye couldn't decipher his intention, glancing between the handsome brother and Blane.

Blane had been watching their interaction, standing there half-helplessly and half-embarrassed. He apologized. "Did you look carefully at the acceptance letter? Mr. Tang Wen is your actual mentor."

Huh? It really is Tang Wen?

Ziye couldn't hide the astonishment in her eyes. "I thought the writing on it was a mistake..."

Blane secretly glanced at the handsome brother beside him. Seeing that he didn't seem overly concerned, Blane finally let out a breath of relief. "It is correct. That piece of amber was an acceptance letter previously given by a mentor to Mr. Tang Wen. Since he had no use for it, he gifted it to you upon accepting you as a student."

Oh, so that’s how it was. Ziye recalled the price of the amber Xiao Douya had registered, and hearing his explanation, she calmed down somewhat. Then, a fresh thought tightened her chest. "He won't go back on his word now, will he?"

Seeing her anxious expression, the handsome brother couldn't help but smile indulgently. "He won't."

Ziye glanced at him and retorted, "How can you possibly know?"

He replied faintly, "Because I am Tang Wen."

Ziye started violently, her mouth forming a perfect 'O' shape as she stared at him blankly.

Blane almost laughed at Ziye's dazed look, but since the person involved was so composed, he didn't dare be too unrestrained. He cleared his throat twice. "Hello, Student Ziye. I am Mr. Tang Wen's assistant, Bradley Carter. This is my employer, Mr. Tang Wen."

Ziye was somewhat bewildered. Tang Wen was her mentor, meaning the handsome brother right in front of her was her mentor, and Blane was merely Tang Wen's assistant.

This turn of events was far beyond her expectations!

The moment she first saw Blane, she had thought that being a professor, Blane looked far too young. After all, to become a professor, especially at Lings University, required immense credentials.

Usually, someone graduating with a doctorate would be at least twenty-six or twenty-seven. After a Ph.D., it took several years as a teaching or research assistant before one could become an Associate or Full Professor. Lings University required post-doctoral work for its professors; these qualifications were measured in years. The average age of a professor at the entire university was fifty, with the youngest being twenty-eight. Mecha disciplines emphasized experience accumulation, so professors in the Mecha College were generally older than those in other departments.

She never imagined Tang Wen would be even younger—definitely under twenty-five!

If Blane hadn't said so earnestly, she would never have connected the handsome brother before her with Tang Wen, the Chief Visiting Professor of Lings University.

She had assumed Tang Wen would be at least forty or fifty years old.

If Blane’s expression hadn't been so serious, Ziye would have thought he was joking. Knowing this, she really should have searched for Tang Wen’s profile online first; she had embarrassed herself terribly!

She stammered, "Oh, okay. Hello, Mr. Blane. Hello, Mr. Tang Wen."

Tang Wen offered a faint smile. "You're browsing the market too? Shall we walk together?"

"No, no need!" Ziye shook her head hastily and fled as if shot from a cannon.

Blane watched her retreating figure and teased, "Mr. Tang Wen, this is the first time I’ve seen a student run away scared of you. I am deeply gratified."

Tang Wen cast him a light glance. "Professor Blane, hmm?"

Blane quickly bowed his head. "I wouldn't dare."

Tang Wen was in a good mood and unusually offered a bit more. "She is younger than I imagined."

Blane thought he was displeased and rushed to defend Ziye. "She is very excellent."

Tang Wen paused, then suddenly asked, "Have you ever felt that her style is very similar to someone?"

Blane froze for a moment, then his understanding dawned. "You mean...?"

Tang Wen nodded. "When we get back, purchase all of her mecha blueprints."

Ziye hadn't run far; spotting a restroom, she bolted inside instinctively. Once her emotions had mostly settled, she couldn't help but feel regret.

Why did I run so fast? I didn't do anything wrong!

Leaving such a poor first impression on her mentor—it was all ruined. She still had four years of university ahead! Ziye miserably poked Xiao Douya. "What should I do?"

Xiao Douya, completely oblivious to her deep despair, happily flapped its wings. "This is a good thing! Weren't you worried about being abandoned by your mentor before? Now look, the main person has acknowledged you!"

Ziye grabbed it and poked it repeatedly.

Being acknowledged is one thing; leaving a bad impression is another—they aren't comparable at all. Pouting, she complained, "What if he dislikes me later?"

Xiao Douya pretended to ponder, shaking its head. "Think about it: if a grumpy old man taught you, he’d surely be rigid and by-the-book, how depressing. That handsome brother just now is clearly not that type. You have plenty of room to develop. Even if he ignores you, can't you just learn on your own?"

Ziye supposed that was true.

Leaving the restroom, Tang Wen and Blane were already gone. She sighed, then rallied her spirits to continue browsing the market. Here, mechas were displayed everywhere, like clothing and accessories, available for retail, wholesale, or custom order.

"Xiao Dou, what do you think of that mecha?" Ziye pointed toward the imposing displayed mecha towering in front of a massive building. Hearing no reply after a moment, she turned to look; Xiao Douya was busy searching for Tang Wen's data.

Moments later, it presented the information to her. "Huh? Tang Wen never attended university."

Ziye glanced over in surprise. The photo pulled up was indeed identical to the handsome brother she had just seen. There were several ultra-high-definition images: one of him lecturing at Lings University on The Influence of Warp Engines on Structure, and several candid shots, all showing him looking exactly as he did just now.

The person in the photos always held the same expression: calm, detached, indifferent.

Only those eyes, beautiful as ice crystals no matter the angle.

His resume was practically a blank slate. Apart from his date of birth, his educational background consisted of only one sentence: Self-taught prodigy. His achievements were simply described: Tang Wen debuted at eighteen, appointed Design Director of the Sounai Group under the Interstellar Federation. At the time, people were unconvinced, but he spent only seven days designing the 'Doomsday Model,' successfully commanding respect.

Subsequently, he rolled out the 'Dawn Model,' the 'Morning Glow Model'…

Ziye mused, "'Doomsday Model,' that was also a heavy-firepower vessel, right?"

Xiao Douya chirped happily, "Exactly. I wouldn't have guessed such a calm exterior could produce such a fierce mecha. That machine clearly fights by rushing in with a dagger against longswords."

"Let's try out the Doomsday Model next time." His later works were all combat armor, classified weapons belonging to the Sounai Group, unavailable at the pilot training base, so they had to let it go for now.

After reviewing his profile, Ziye felt she understood him less rather than more. For someone who never attended university and had a blank resume to be parachuted in as the Design Director for Sounai Group, one of the two major interstellar powers, seemed too absurd!

Unless his father was the ruler of the Interstellar Federation.

This was an era where one’s lineage mattered.

However, Ziye would not harbor ill intentions toward a gentleman. Tang Wen was most famous not for being the Design Director of the Sounai Group, nor for the mechas he designed, but for the numerous innovative theories he published since his debut, which had stirred a wave of reform across the mecha domain.

Tang Wen possessed capability in spades. RS