Chapter 28: Don’t Worry About Me
Qin Luzhi’s intentions were too obvious. Mo Ting and Meng Yuan didn’t understand why Shen Bumian, who had been so aggressive early on, had withdrawn from the fight and was watching from the sidelines.
However, they could tell that Qin Luzhi was distracted, protecting Shen Bumian. This was an opportunity.
Mo Ting and Meng Yuan didn’t hesitate, they had already said they wouldn’t hold back.
They wouldn’t go easy just because their opponent was an omega, and Shen Bumian’s strength didn’t require them to go easy at all.
The two exchanged glances. Mo Ting flashed to Qin Luzhi’s right to attack, while Meng Yuan moved to outflank from the left.
Qin Luzhi raised his mechanical arm to counter, but Meng Yuan changed direction at the last second.
He attacked a nearby corner, aiming for Shen Bumian.
Shen Bumian, who had been resting with his eyes closed, felt an attack coming his way, but he didn’t move.
In a flash, Qin Luzhi piloted Jiangzhi, teleporting in front of Meng Yuan to block the blow, almost simultaneously launching an attack on Meng Yuan.
Meng Yuan hadn’t expected Qin Luzhi to rush over so quickly, even while being restrained by Mo Ting.
His defenses were insufficient, and he was hit squarely, falling weakly to the ground.
Qin Luzhi glanced back. Shen Bumian was fine. Then he launched an assault on Mo Ting, and the two fought fiercely.
After taking Meng Yuan’s blow, Jiangzhi’s body had sustained some damage, but Mo Ting was clearly in worse shape.
Qin Luzhi quickly gained the upper hand. Ten minutes later, the first challenge match ended, with Qin Luzhi and Shen Bumian winning.
Qin Luzhi wasn’t too concerned about the minor damage to Jiangzhi, he walked straight to Shen Bumian.
Shen Bumian had already recovered. On the other side, Mo Ting helped Meng Yuan up. Meng Yuan looked at his battle-damaged mech, his heart bleeding.
“Wuwuwu, another huge repair bill, my heart aches.”
Meng Yuan pretended to clutch his chest, leaning weakly on Mo Ting. Mo Ting stared at the crown of his head and said softly, “I’ll fix it for you.”
Meng Yuan’s heart didn’t ache anymore, he nearly jumped three meters high. “Really, Mo Ting? Ahhh, good brother, I love you to death!”
Mo Ting nodded seriously and immediately stored Meng Yuan’s mech in his ability space, planning to send it for repairs that very night.
Shen Bumian watched their interaction, and his heart stirred. “Qin Luzhi, can I keep your mech for a few days?”
“Hmm? Oh, oh, sure.”
Qin Luzhi awkwardly looked away, he had been lost in thought staring at Shen Bumian’s profile.
He hadn’t heard what they were saying and simply nodded when Shen Bumian made his request.
Then he took Jiangzhi out again and gave it to Shen Bumian. Shen Bumian didn’t store the mech in an ability space but in a spatial ring.
The ginkgo-shaped ruby glowed with a dark red light. After putting it away, Shen Bumian rubbed the ring a couple of times, feeling the distinct edges.
After the four left the challenge area, the audience’s cheers rose layer upon layer.
Qin Luzhi noticed that after this battle, Shen Bumian’s popularity had increased even more.
Little did he know that Shen Bumian was thinking the same thing, Qin Luzhi had so many supporters, and he’d heard several shouts of “Qin Luzhi is so handsome!”
After getting Mo Ting’s assurance, Meng Yuan went to find Shen Bumian. “Shen Bumian, I didn’t expect you to be so amazing! Quick, let’s add each other’s communication!”
Shen Bumian picked up his optical brain and showed Meng Yuan his contact number. Meng Yuan immediately added him.
He even enthusiastically asked Shen Bumian if he wanted to join the Mech Club, saying they really needed someone like him.
If he joined, they wouldn’t have to worry about recruiting new members this year.
Mo Ting had the same idea. They had always wanted to recruit Qin Luzhi into the club, but Qin Luzhi said he wasn’t interested.
Meng Yuan felt that Qin Luzhi, owning Jiangzhi but leaving it idle, was a complete waste of talent. Such an S-class mech should be used in more competitions!
Now, if Shen Bumian agreed, they felt Qin Luzhi would have no reason to refuse again.
Moreover, Shen Bumian had unlimited potential, he might very well be another mech prodigy.
Shen Bumian accepted Meng Yuan’s friend request. The next second, Meng Yuan pushed Mo Ting’s request over as well.
Shen Bumian added him without hesitation. Listening to his invitation, Shen Bumian thought for a moment.
“I’ll consider joining the club.”
“Mm-hmm, well, we’re off then. We still need to repair the mech.”
The challenge matches were still ongoing. After the four said goodbye, Qin Luzhi noticed that no one else was challenging them.
Not only was he surprised, but Mu Yi and He Jing were also preparing to go on stage, and before starting, they didn’t forget to tease,
“Sister-in-law is amazing! She scared everyone else away from challenging Boss.”
Shen Bumian and Qin Luzhi’s cooperation was obvious, they could coordinate almost every move.
They kept pace with each other’s rhythm. What’s more, having defeated the Mech Club’s golden duo, at least no one wanted to come up and compete against them with mechs anymore.
Qin Luzhi didn’t mind. No challenges were fine, a mech battle consumed a lot of mental energy.
It gave Shen Bumian ample time to recover, and he was happy to relax.
The two sat in the audience, not speaking, just watching the matches on stage. Shen Bumian occasionally cheered for Qin Luzhi’s friends whom he recognized.
After dozens of matches, a new challenge for Qin Luzhi appeared on the big screen.
Qin Luzhi looked at the rapidly rising number of two-on-two challenges, frowned, and glanced at Shen Bumian.
He thought he might just decline this challenge.
Shen Bumian seemed to sense his intention, and his voice grew a little colder. “Qin Luzhi, since I agreed to team up with you, don’t worry about me. You can choose not to fight if you don’t want to, and we can lose on the field.”
“But you can’t decline the challenge because you’re worried about me. That puts a burden on me. I can tell you clearly now: don’t worry about me. If you want to fight, then fight.”
Qin Luzhi was relieved that Shen Bumian didn’t seem angry. He then apologized, “I’m sorry.”
Qin Luzhi rarely apologized throughout his life. He seldom made mistakes, or perhaps, what he did was always perceived as correct by others. Even as a prodigy, he had flaws in certain areas, he wasn’t perfect, especially concerning emotions, which he didn’t quite understand.
This unburdened apology, however, surprised Shen Bumian, who then sighed. He thought to himself, why argue with Qin Luzhi? Qin Luzhi had already changed a lot by considering his physical condition.
“Hmm, it’s fine. So, are you going to accept the challenge?” Shen Bumian had regained his usual smile, as if the cold expression from moments ago wasn’t his.
“Yes.” Qin Luzhi’s lifelong principle was never to back down. Since he participated in the challenge match, he wouldn’t refuse others’ challenges.
Shen Bumian remained calm, he knew Qin Luzhi would make this choice. “Okay, then we accept.”
“Alright. Try to stay behind me, I’ll protect you.” Qin Luzhi remembered something and added, “I’m not saying you’re weak. I know you’re very strong. I’m just saying this because I promised to protect you last time.”
Shen Bumian lightly said, “Oh, your contractual awareness is quite strong then.”
Qin Luzhi mentally replayed the sentence, feeling that something was off, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. It felt like something was missing.
When He Jing and his friends came down, they saw Qin Luzhi and Shen Bumian waiting to enter. They immediately ran over. “Boss, are you crazy? Two Alphas? You’re taking sister-in-law into this?”
Qin Luzhi looked at Shen Bumian, wanting to explain that Shen Bumian also wanted to participate. Instead, he saw Shen Bumian with downcast eyes, saying softly, “I’m fine. I’m just playing a match with him.”
“Just a match? Just! Oh my god, is that how you treat sister-in-law? What if she gets hurt later? Break up with him, sister-in-law, don’t team up with him anymore!”
Shen Bumian still shook his head and entered first. Qin Luzhi, ignoring the “scumbag Alpha” glares from his friends, calmly stated, “Just an A-class. Shen Bumian is a 3S-class Omega.”
There was a hint of pride in his words.
Upon hearing this, He Jing’s jaw dropped further. “Scumbag Alpha.”
The “scumbag Alpha” himself walked behind Shen Bumian and said indifferently, “Shen Bumian, you’ve ruined my reputation.”
Shen Bumian paused, then calmly stepped onto the field, simply saying, “We’re even now.”
Qin Luzhi knew Shen Bumian was referring to his anger in the audience earlier. Thinking of this, Qin Luzhi chuckled softly.
The corners of his mouth turned up, a fleeting smile that was still caught by people in the audience, immediately leading to screams from all directions.
T/N:
Its my first work so if there are any mistakes please feel free to point them out in comments. I’ll try my best to correct.
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