MPWATMBC Chapter 121

On his first day back at work, Ryan barely moved away from the light screen. Writing reports, researching data, checking figures… the drafts, revisions, and final version—it was supposed to be a workload meant for half a month, yet he compressed it all into a single day! This was because Colonel William Helm’s had insisted, “The report has to be done today. Otherwise, the entire Mecha Engineering Department’s year-end performance bonus will be docked.”

Ryan sighed inwardly. If he told anyone what he did on his first day, who would believe it?

“Young people really are something, the future belongs to your generation,” Colonel Helms said as he reviewed the files Ryan had written. It was, as usual, outstanding—fast, high-quality, and beautifully written. Every time there was a meeting, Helms felt especially proud holding up the documents Ryan had prepared, it was like shining a light on himself.

A big hand clapped Ryan on the shoulder, and Helms smiled with satisfaction. “When I first heard that you and the General were together, I knew you wouldn’t just be an ordinary person. I could see the determination in your eyes. Sure enough, after you went to Capital Star, you made such a splash, I was following your progress, and couldn’t be more pleased!”

Colonel Helms sighed in admiration. “You’re even more impressive than I imagined.”

Ryan, who had been preparing to leave, holding his cap in hand, felt a bit exhausted. He had written reports all day, the workload heavy, the deadline tight, and the demands high. His nerves had been strained the whole time, but now, at last, he could relax. He didn’t want to hear any more praise from Helms. With all the compliments, it was clear that when more reports came up, they’d lock him in the office again. And when that time came, he’d have no hesitation.

Upon meeting Ryan’s gaze, Colonel William Helms chuckled awkwardly and scratched his nose. “Writing work is still very important, you don’t know how I’ve managed without you during your time off. No one in the team could help me. My heart… sigh, it’s hard to describe. Luckily, you’re back.”

Ryan nodded expressionlessly. “Mm.” Things would be easier for the Colonel from now on.

Colonel Helms laughed heartily. “Alright, I won’t keep you from clocking out. I’ve already notified everyone to gather at the square tomorrow morning. I’ll announce that you’re now the General’s exclusive mecha engineer.”

Ryan nodded again. “Thank you.”

Colonel Helms waved him off. “It’s nothing, nothing.” He quickly ushered Ryan out of the office. If they kept talking, Helms felt Ryan might very well delete the completed files from the light screen.

After sending Ryan off, Helms turned and entered his office, muttering to himself, “Young people, still can’t stay calm. Heh, poor guy, but he solved the problem that’s been bothering me for so long in just one day.”

As Ryan exited the office and headed downstairs, he took a deep breath of fresh air, letting go of the tension in his chest. He felt much better now. The dizziness and the heavy feeling in his head were gradually fading away. He shook his head helplessly. He never expected that his first day back would be spent writing reports, but then again, this was entirely in line with Colonel Helms style.

“Ryan.”

It was the voice of Captain Su Ming. Ryan turned around and saw him striding towards him, smiling and calling out, “Ryan!”

“Long time no see.” Su Ming had spotted someone standing below the office building from a distance. The more he looked, the more he thought it resembled Ryan, so he decided to walk over and confirm. He gave Ryan’s shoulder a light pat and pretended to be angry, saying, “So you’re the one with all the skills. You actually became the Executive Director of the Empire’s Mecha Research Institute. That’s an achievement many could only dream of, and you just gave it up!”

“Sorry,” Ryan said with a smile.

Su Ming slung his arm around Ryan’s shoulder as they walked. Half-jokingly, he added, “Apology accepted. I was hoping that with your position so high, you’d be able to promote us.”

Ryan responded, “Unfortunately, I’ve stepped down.”

“Yeah, that’s a bit of a pity,” Su Ming said, using his index finger and thumb to demonstrate a very small distance, almost negligible. “But it’s better that you’re back. I’d like to suggest to Colonel Helms that we have you teach us a class, maybe one or two sessions a month, just like I mentioned before when I contacted you.”

Ryan was willing to guide more people on the path of mecha manufacturing and engineering because the Golden Crusade Legion was Auston’s brainchild—something he was willing to fight for his whole life. The higher the quality of the personnel in the military, the stronger the overall strength of the army, which would slightly alleviate the pressure on Auston’s shoulders. He said, “I think your suggestion from before was good. You can bring it up to Colonel Helms, but I’d suggest a few changes.”

“Where?” Su Ming loosened his grip on Ryan, pulling up the note app on his personal terminal, waiting for Ryan’s instructions.

Ryan replied, “I suggest canceling the open classes for the whole team. I prefer a specialized class teaching method, where the people in the class share their knowledge and improve together.”

Su Ming furrowed his brow, “But others might have objections.”

“Then, the members of that class can go on to teach others. In the process of teaching, they reinforce their learning and establish their authority among the team. Isn’t that great?” Ryan believed that the excellence of one person couldn’t compare to the excellence of a group. He had always believed in teamwork—helping each other achieve greatness rather than adding more glory to himself. He had already achieved enough; any additional recognition would just be gilding the lily, which he found meaningless.

Su Ming looked at Ryan and gradually understood his point. Ryan was giving others the opportunity to build authority and establish credibility. “Ryan, I’ll never match your brilliance and open-mindedness. But I’ll definitely bring this up with Colonel Helms, and I’m sure he’ll adopt your suggestion.”

“You still keep calling him ‘Colonel’ every time,” Ryan said with a teasing smile.

Su Ming scratched his head in slight embarrassment. “That’s how we address him at work. At work, it’s ‘Colonel,’ but at home, it’s ‘Dad.’ I need to keep it clear in my mind.” He had successfully pursued Lilith, and during Ryan’s break, they got married. Recently, Lilith had become pregnant and was resting at home. Su Ming was about to become a father soon.

Ryan, upon hearing that Su Ming was going to be a father, smiled and congratulated him. “Congratulations!”

“Same to you, same to you,” Su Ming responded.

Ryan raised an eyebrow. “What are you saying? Lilith’s pregnancy has nothing to do with me.”

Su Ming chuckled sheepishly. “Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue. Your son is so adorable. I’m so jealous!”

“You’ll have your own little one soon, no need to be jealous. Haha, you can check out my son for now. Feel free to come over to my place anytime!” Ryan decided that once he got home, he’d talk to Auston and set a date to invite friends over for a meal. It would be a formal introduction to his family. “Wait for my invite. I’ll introduce you to my son, Tuantuan.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Su Ming said, his eyes lighting up with anticipation.

The two of them parted ways at the entrance and got into their respective vehicles, heading in different directions. Ryan went straight back to the family district, where Auston would have finished work earlier. After work, Auston would pick up Tuantuan and take him home. Walking along the lake-side path toward their house, Ryan noticed people he didn’t recognize greeting him or offering smiles. Thanks to Tuantuan riding Da Fu around yesterday, almost everyone now recognized Ryan Smith by name and face.

When he reached the front door and opened it, Ryan heard Tuantuan’s little voice complaining. But it wasn’t to Auston—it was to Ryan’s parents. Tuantuan was upset about something; his grandfather and grandmother were still adjusting to their grandson being away from home. They had a daily habit of full-sphere calls to keep in touch, and Tuantuan always made sure to indulge them, running straight into their arms and calling out loudly.

“Grandma, kindergarten isn’t fun.”

“The other kids can’t talk, they’re not as cute as Tutu Jia.” Tutu Jia was a character from one of Tuantuan’s favorite cartoons.

“They drool, cry, have runny noses, and still need to be fed.”

“The games are so slow, I finish, and they still don’t know how to play. Ugh, so frustrating.”

“Besides being cute, the other kids have nothing good about them. I only kind of like them.”

Ryan: “…” Oh no, this clever little one is already starting to complain about his peers.

Tuantuan’s complaints kept coming.

“I don’t like lemon-flavored candy, but Yuli Jia still keeps giving it to me. Why are girls so troublesome?”

“Tom always tries to shove pudding at me, I already have plenty.”

“Duo Bao is so shy, always asking me to kiss her.”

“Bell can’t even tie her shoelaces, she’s undone them seven or eight times, and every time she asks me to fix them.”

“Hai Lan’er sings very well, but I only want to listen once.”

“By the way, I told everyone the cookies Daddy made are really tasty, and I promised to bring them tomorrow.”

“Except for being a little silly, they’re not bad.”

Ryan raised an eyebrow. Looks like he’s been given some homework.

Ryan and Auston exchanged silent glances, both speechless. Tuantuan’s kindergarten life was turning out to be far more eventful than they had imagined.

After the holo-call with his grandparents ended, Tuantuan was called over by his papa and daddy to sit on the couch.

Ryan asked him, “You don’t like kindergarten, so we won’t go tomorrow. Daddy and Papa will take you to Uncle Blair for an IQ test and have educational experts create a proper learning plan for you. We didn’t think things through today, we didn’t consider your feelings before sending you to kindergarten.”

Tuantuan squeezed his little cushion and softly replied, “It’s not that bad, kindergarten isn’t too terrible.”

Ryan teased him, “So, you still want to go tomorrow?”

Tuantuan furrowed his little brows and said, “I promised the other kids I’d bring cookies tomorrow.” In other words, he had no choice but to go, since he had already made the promise.

Ryan reached over and gently poked his son’s forehead, “You’ve given me homework now.”

Tuantuan covered the spot where he was poked, and said cutely, “I’ll help! Once I learn, I’ll do it by myself. Papa~”

“Papa doesn’t know how. You’ll have to ask Daddy for help.” Auston shrugged and gave Tuantuan a look full of admiration and support.

Tuantuan puffed up his cheeks and coquettishly pounced into Daddy’s arms, “Daddy~”

Ryan looked down at Tuantuan, his voice gentle, “You really want to help, huh?”

Tuantuan nodded eagerly like a little chick pecking for food, “Mm-hmm, I promise.”

Ryan and Auston exchanged a glance, a hint of worry in their eyes. They were torn—when the child wasn’t smart enough, they worried; when he was too smart, they worried, too. They were learning how to be parents, but in the process, they feared they might not do things right and end up causing irreversible harm to their child’s growth… Being good parents really was so difficult.

In order to prevent their parenting methods from harming their child’s development, Ryan and Auston consulted many education experts. On the first weekend after returning to work, they also took their child to Blair’s place for an intelligence test. At two years old, Tuantuan already had the language ability, judgment ability, learning ability, and cognitive abilities of a six- or seven-year-old child. His IQ was very high and needed to be correctly guided, as any delay would result in lifelong regret. After sending the intelligence test report to the education experts, they would give professional educational advice to Ryan and Auston for reference in a week.

Of course, they had not yet done the test, and Tuantuan also said that he liked going to kindergarten. His exact words were: “Although the little friends are not smart, I don’t dislike them because they are still very cute.”

Since he liked it, tomorrow they would take the little cookies to school. Tuantuan had to keep his promise. He made the cookies with his dad, and with dough in his hands, his little face quickly became covered in flour, making him look like a cat. He giggled and worked very seriously on making the cookies. After the cookies made by Tuantuan came out of the oven, he happily picked one up and offered it to his dad. Only after seeing his dad finish it did he feel satisfied asking him to comment on the cookie as he ate.

Ryan had great confidence in his baking skills, so Tuantuan was in charge of using the molds to shape the cookies. Ryan said, “It’s delicious, and the shape is also very pretty.”

Tuantuan smiled as he held his face in his hands. “I want to give them to Grandpa and Grandma.”

“Alright, let’s continue making them. Once we’re done, let them cool, pack them up, and send them to Grandpa and Grandma.”

Tuantuan nodded enthusiastically. “Mhm.” He worked even harder, saying, “I have so many people to give the cookies to.” “I want to send them to Grandpa and Grandma at the big mansion.”

If the couple who managed the Dalton old house in Capital Star heard this, they would definitely be very touched.

“I want to give them to the little friends on the plantation star.”

“I want to give them to…”

Ryan said, “Wait, there are only this many cookies, we can’t give them to so many people.”

Tuantuan said, “Well, we need to learn how to make choices.”

Tuantuan really is very smart.

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Hello guys, I am really sorry for delaying. My wedding preparations kept me busy and I couldn’t find time to update. Thanks for your patience. We are nearing the end of the story. If you like any other Chinese bl novels that need to be translated, feel free to recommend me. Thanks for reading!! Love you all!!!