Chapter 26: Reluctant to Let Go

Chapter 26: Refusal to Give Up

"The authority was granted by you earlier. Do you want me to revise it now, Master?"

"No need."

Luo Le didn't wish for Huo Lanjing to be aware of the mess at home.

If Black Court were to amend the request, it would inevitably require Huo Lanjing's consent. When that happened, he would surely inquire about the reason behind it.

It seems that I have no choice but to witness this side of things today.

True to expectation, upon reaching the first-floor living room, Luo Le found the three detestable individuals seated on the couch.

He behaved like an esteemed patriarch, being served by other robots.

Luo Le clenched his fists tightly.

"Ahh, Little Le, you're back. Come sit down quickly, your father has something to discuss."

Luo Le sneered mockingly, "Don't call me that, it's disgusting."

Wang Yiyi's expression darkened, and she remained silent.

Luo Zhining, witnessing his mother's distress, shouted at Luo Le, "Luo Le, how dare you speak to Mom like that? Who has provoked you now?"

Since childhood, Luo Le had always taken advantage of his status as the legitimate son of the Luo family, constantly targeting him and ridiculing both him and his mother.

"Luo Zhining, how do you address your elder brother?"

Luo Zhining looked at Luo Lu with dissatisfaction, a pained expression on his face. "Dad."

Wang Yiyi promptly tugged at Luo Zhining, gesturing for him to be quiet.

Luo Le strode over to the solitary sofa, crossed his right leg over his left, and propped his head up with one hand.

Luo Lu greeted him with a smile, "Le Le, did you see the message Dad sent?"

Luo Le yawned nonchalantly, "No, I didn't."

"Well, it's actually... The company has developed a new product, but we haven't obtained the operating license yet. As a result, we can't mass-produce it..."

Luo Le let out a cold snort. This family only thought of him during times like these.

"Luo Lu, what do you take me for? A wishing well turtle? If you can't get the license, go run those errands and use your thick skin to schmooze with the officials. Why are you coming to me? I'm just a student, I can't help you."

Upon hearing this, Luo Lu's face turned ashen. He dropped the pretense. "Luo Le, have I been too lenient with you? I'm your father, how dare you speak to me like that? How can you say you can't help? Just talk to General Huo and ask for his assistance. Wouldn't that solve the problem?"

Luo Le laughed out of frustration. Luo Lu always managed to stoop to new lows.

"In the years since I got married, how many times have you used my name to get Huo Lanjing to resolve your issues? Luo Lu, I married Huo Lanjing, not sold myself to him, right? Don't forget, when I got married, you didn't give me anything. It was thanks to the things Mom left behind that I wasn't completely embarrassed. The Huo family's tolerance is their grace, not your right. Do you have any sense in your head, constantly seeking attention from me?"

Luo Lu fumbled for a retort but could only sputter angrily, "Don't lecture me on this. Just tell me if you're going or not."

Luo Le straightened his back, his tone unwavering. "I'm not going."

Looking at Luo Le, who had a cold expression reminiscent of his ex-wife, Luo Lu sneered.

"Have you forgotten about your mother's situation, Luo Le? I didn't want to make things ugly, but it seems you insist on pushing it, don't you?"

Concerning Mother...

Luo Le's expression froze, and his hands on the armrest of the sofa tightened.

How could he forget?

"Think about it yourself. Also, there's a banquet on Saturday at seven in the evening. You must attend. Heh, let's go."

After the trio's figures had completely vanished through the door, Luo Le slowly rose from his seat, as if weighed down by a ton of bricks.

He then let out a deep breath. "Lock the door."

"Yes."

A small, round figure darted forward to secure the lock.

Only after the door shut did Luo Le withdraw his gaze and head upstairs.

It was almost time. The moment was drawing near.

After freshening up, Luo Le gazed at his wrist, studying it for a while before setting it down. He repeated this several times. In the end, he still initiated a video call. The call rang for a long time with no answer. Just as he was about to redial, it finally connected. On the light screen, Huo Lanjing was clad in black, with a cluttered background behind him. Luo Le asked, "You... where are you?" Huo Lanjing didn't respond. Instead, he stared intently at Luo Le, his expression unreadable. Luo Le felt a sense of déjà vu. This scene resembled the period when Huo Lanjing had left the Empire. Back then, he dared to make video calls only after meal times, knowing those were some of Huo Lanjing's few idle moments. However, Huo Lanjing seldom answered, and even when he did, he showed little interest in conversing. Luo Le would only get a few words out before Huo Lanjing would give him a cold glance or stare blankly, then promptly end the call.

"Visited the hospital?"

Luo Le's eyes widened at the question, as this didn't sound like something Huo Lanjing would typically say to him.

Was he showing concern? Well, it seemed his conscience wasn't entirely gone.

Huo Lanjing observed Luo Le's foolish grin, not knowing what amused him, and inadvertently emphasized his voice, "Luo Le."

Luo Le snapped back to reality, clearing his throat lightly. "Yes, I did. The doctor said there's nothing wrong."

Upon receiving the response, Huo Lanjing acknowledged with a soft 'hum.' But then, the holographic screen suddenly went dark.

Looking at the screen before him, Luo Le suddenly remembered their unfinished business and quickly tried calling again.

This time, the call was answered promptly. "Is there something else?"

Only the upper half of Huo Lanjing's body was visible, up to his neck.

Luo Le realized he had interrupted, so he paused for a moment before briefly explaining the matter at hand.

There was a brief silence from Huo Lanjing before he spoke again, but his tone had lost its earlier familiarity. "I see. Go find Huo Fei."

"Okay..."

Luo Le sensed that Huo Lanjing was upset and wanted to explain, but he couldn't. He pinched the palm of his hand and whispered, "Thank you."

After waiting for so long, Huo Lanjing's response didn't sit well with him. This time, without waiting for Luo Le to say anything more, he hung up the call in silence.

The sound of the disconnect tugged at Luo Le's heart. He sprawled his hands on the pillow beside him, gazing at the ceiling above.

His thoughts drifted back to their wedding day.

Throughout the entire ceremony, Huo Lanjing was nowhere to be seen; Luo Le was the only one accompanying the Huo family as they made their rounds toasting guests.

Although the guests put on a facade of harmony, behind closed doors, in the restrooms, they ridiculed him. They said that the Luo family was desperate, that the Huo family didn't truly accept him, and that with Luo Le's spoilt demeanor, Huo Lanjing didn't genuinely like him. They predicted that within half a year, he would be kicked out of the Huo household.

Perhaps those people never imagined that their marriage would last this long.

With this thought, Luo Le smiled. Despite Huo Lanjing's frequent absence and the fact that the Huo family didn't really welcome him, these years of marriage to Huo Lanjing had been the most comfortable period in his life over the past decade. However, Luo Le was well aware that Huo Lanjing would eventually divorce him, it was just a matter of time. Luo Le shook his head, turned over, and closed his eyes. Why bother thinking about such troubling matters?

The next morning, in the first mecha bay. Luo Le locked himself in a small room. Although the C-class mecha's outer shell was corroded, with some repairs, a new chip, and power unit, it should be decent enough. Moreover, this was the first time Luo Le had come across a mecha that didn't require any secondary processing for him to enter the cockpit. He intended to study it thoroughly.

As he was lost in thought, he heard his mentor's voice calling him.

Luo Le retrieved the chip from his hand and rose to exit the room.

Just as he reached the door, he noticed a man standing behind his mentor, towering over him by half a head.

Is this his mentor's new student? But didn't his mentor say they weren't taking on any more apprentices?

As Luo Le stood firm, his mentor patted his shoulder, gesturing for him to face the man. "Allow me to introduce you. This is my last disciple, Luo Le. And this year's intern is..."

"Nice to meet you, Senior. I'm Qin Runzhi, a freshman this year. I've heard so much about your mentor's prized disciple, and indeed, you look the part," Qin Runzhi interrupted, stepping forward to shake Luo Le's hand.

Luo Le looked at the seemingly harmless smiling man and frowned, gently pulling his hand back.

He glanced past Qin Runzhi and handed the document to his mentor. "I've recalculated these indices after removing some elements."

Upon hearing this, the mentor pushed up his glasses and examined the paper closely. Qin Runzhi joined in, studying it alongside his mentor.

As he observed, he kept praising Luo Le, but the latter remained unswayed and didn't utter a single word.

"Alright, it looks decent. I'll study it carefully back home. As your senior, take good care of your junior. I'll be off now."

Luo Le nodded and waited for his mentor to leave before turning back to head home.

Qin Runzhi hurriedly caught up. "Senior, do you need me to do anything?"

Luo Le pointed at the items on the stage. "Arrange these properly."

"Sure thing, Senior. What are you going to do? Can I watch?"

Luo Le glanced down at the hand resting on his shoulder with disdain, pushing it away. Then, he looked at Qin Runzhi. "Your name is Qin Runzhi, right?"

Qin Runzhi nodded. "Yes, Senior. You can also call me Runzhi."

Luo Le exhaled deeply. "In the next three months, we might meet frequently. To avoid conflicts and trouble for our mentor, I have a few points to clarify. First, I don't appreciate physical contact, so please be mindful in the future. Second, unless it's about mecha research, don't seek me out. That's all from me. Now, you may share anything you want me to pay attention to."

Qin Runzhi blinked several times, then nodded seriously. "Understood. I don't have anything to say."

Luo Le inserted his hands into the pockets of his white lab coat and stepped into the room. Before he had taken a few steps, his mentor's voice echoed at the doorway.

"Little Le, come here for a moment."

Luo Le acknowledged with a soft "hum," then entered the office alongside his mentor.

"What's up?"

The mentor pointed at the folder on the desk, sliding it towards Luo Le, gesturing for him to take a look.

Luo Le picked it up and flipped through its contents. It wasn't until he reached a score report that he understood what it was.

"This..."

"Little Le, congratulations. You've always wanted to join the First Military Line, haven't you? You've passed the assessment with flying colors in every aspect."

Luo Le lifted his head from the file, "I..."

Noticing Luo Le's expression, the mentor seemed to recall something and asked, "What's the matter? Don't tell me you're having second thoughts. I've already submitted your recommendation form; it's probably approved by now."

Luo Le quickly shook his head. "I'll go, but can I not go as your direct disciple?"

The mentor pondered for a moment before responding, "It's possible, but why?"

Luo Le casually fabricated an excuse, and his mentor didn't press the matter further.

The deployment to the military will take place in half a month, and this time, it's as part of the Marching Mech Division.

This was the result of his year of hard work, earning his qualification to join the military. He was not willing to let it go easily.