ABFMV Chapter 24 Part 2

Seven Nights stepped out of the cockpit and leapt down from his mech. The crowd roared, the teachers praised him—but none of it mattered, because—

He spotted Xu Linlang in the stands.

The girl, dressed in a delicate little dress, was bouncing with joy, cheering his name alongside her classmates.

Was she…happy for him?

He’d met countless people and gone through countless experiences in his life.

He’d seen people who hated him, feared him, used him—but rarely anyone who was genuinely happy for his success.

Looking at Xu Linlang’s smile, was it really possible to feel this happy?

Then he would only grow stronger, so that her joy could last.

…

Xu Linlang, standing in the crowd, had no idea what was going on in Seven Nights’ mind. But for the first time, she understood why fangirls went crazy for their idols.

She’d only wandered over here after her exam out of boredom.

She hadn’t expected to catch Seven Nights’ mech battle against Yao Mo. It was her first time watching a real match up close—not a game, but the real deal—and it had her thrilled.

And when Seven Nights cleanly defeated Yao Mo in a single decisive strike, she practically exploded with excitement.

A sudden wave of pride welled up in her chest. See? That’s my boy. I’ve always known how amazing he is. You all didn’t—but now you’re stunned, aren’t you?

Good job, kiddo!

Wait, was it really okay to call a future villain “kiddo”?

Whatever. She was too hyped to care—she just wanted to keep cheering for Seven Nights.

Not far away, Jin Huan noticed her lively red silhouette and fell into silence.

Unfortunately, someone nearby just had to bring it up:

“Hey, look—that’s Xu Linlang, right? Why’s she so happy?”

“She’s close with Seven Nights. Didn’t you hear? She even fought with Yao Mo today over him. They say Seven Nights once saved her during a trial, too.”

“You don’t think…she’s moved on to him, do you?”

“Could be. He’s handsome, powerful, and he’s literally saved her life. Falling for him makes sense.”

“So she’s over Lu Xiao now?”

“If I were her, I’d be over him too. The way he rejected her in public was brutal. Must’ve hurt like hell.”

Jin Huan kicked the chair in front of him. The girl sitting there turned around with an annoyed glare. “Can you not? Have a little respect—don’t kick my—”

Her voice died mid-sentence when she saw Jin Huan and Lu Xiao behind her. She stiffly turned back around, not daring to say another word.

After a long pause, Jin Huan muttered to Lu Xiao, “Well, looks like you can relax. Seems like Xu Linlang’s found someone else to bother.”

Lu Xiao frowned slightly. “Was my way of rejecting her really that hurtful?”

Jin Huan stared at him. “Of course it was. You thought you were just stating facts, but saying it out loud like that—it was an insult.”

Lu Xiao went quiet for a while. “What I said back then was only what I thought was true… Call Xu Linlang to the student council sometime. I’d like to see her.”

Jin Huan nearly choked. “Seriously? She’s already moved on, and you want to hit her with another blow?”

Lu Xiao shook his head. “I just want to apologize to her in person.”

Jin Huan: “…”

There’s a saying: The child’s already dead, and now you bring milk.

He couldn’t think of a better way to describe Lu Xiao right now.

Xu Linlang had already moved on, and now he wanted to apologize?

What good would that do?

Still, he couldn’t say that to Lu Xiao’s face. So Jin Huan forced a smile and nodded.

Inside the Mech Engineering Department office, several professors had gathered together for a rare meeting.

“How many new students applied to Mech Engineering this year?”

“Looks like five.”

“Only five? Every year’s worse than the last. Fewer and fewer promising students.”

“I heard Marshal Xu’s daughter applied to the department.”

The room fell quiet. Then Master Jiang Yan, the most respected among them, gave a cold snort. “The Marshal’s household had better not try to meddle here.”

The empire’s only S-class mech had been designed by Jiang Yan for Marshal Xu. In the mech world, his status was like the Marshal’s in court.

But Jiang Yan was single-minded about research, with no interest in politics or intrigue. His temper was legendarily unyielding—even the emperor himself couldn’t interfere with his work.

One professor opened the admissions box and began examining the students’ assembly projects one by one. With each item, his expression grew more disappointed.

Finally, he pulled out the last one and let out a surprised, “Huh.”

“This one’s…interesting.”

The other professors turned toward him. He wasn’t the type to exaggerate. “What do you mean?”

Holding the part in his hand, the professor studied it closely. “The assembly order here is completely different from the instructions. And yet, it’s put together better than all the others that followed the steps.”