Lan Ya quickly covered her shoulder, her other hand fumbling with the tear.
Her expression was flustered, and she hadn't registered what Gu Ya was saying.
Lu Hua hurried over, asking softly, "Are you alright? Were you scared?"
Lan Ya panted, nodding and smiling, "Thanks to Zhan Yan. You guys are busy, I'll go change."
With that, Lan Ya quickly ran towards the pedestrian elevator at the entrance of the scrap yard.
Gu Ya chased after her without a second thought.
Lan Ya rushed into the elevator, and as the doors began to close, Gu Ya grabbed the edge of the car and pulled them open.
His gaze was sharp as he looked at Lan Ya.
Startled by Gu Ya, Lan Ya, still shaken, looked at him with a pale face.
"Zhan... Zhan Yan, what do you want?" Lan Ya asked, her tone suggesting she thought Gu Ya intended to harm her.
Gu Ya pushed Lan Ya aside, turned his back, and pulled open the tear in Lan Ya's shirt.
Her bare shoulder was revealed.
There was indeed a star-shaped birthmark there!
Upon closer inspection, its location, size, and irregular edges were identical to Dou Mei's!
Gu Ya glared at Lan Ya and shouted fiercely, "Dou Mei!"
"Indecent assault—!!!"
...
Fifteen minutes later, Gu Ya sat in the office of the academy's disciplinary committee.
Three male teachers stood before him, glaring sternly.
Lu Hua and Lan Ya stood behind them, Lan Ya keeping her head down, afraid to meet Gu Ya's gaze.
"Student Zhan Yan, explain your motives!" one of the male teachers demanded.
Another male teacher added, "Why did you grope Teacher Lan Ya? Explain yourself!"
"Public assault in a public place! How dare you! If you don't explain, the academy can't protect you! Your record will be marked with disgrace, and you will carry that shame to your grave!"
"No military zone will accept someone with a criminal record! No matter how excellent your abilities, a flawed character is useless!"
"You won't even find a job in the future!"
The teachers lectured Gu Ya one after another.
Gu Ya remained unmoved, his eyes cold as he looked at Lan Ya.
"Not talking? Fine, let's call the Public Security Bureau!"
Gu Ya calmly shouted, "If the Public Security Bureau is called, I can say it was to examine Teacher Lan Ya's injuries."
A male teacher asked angrily, "Then what were your motives? Why did you shout Dou Mei's name in the elevator! Why did you strip Teacher Lan Ya's clothes!"
Gu Ya calmly looked at the speaker and said, "Everyone knows I had a brief relationship with Dou Mei. Dou Mei had a birthmark that was identical to Teacher Lan Ya's."
"I saw the birthmark on Lan Ya's shoulder just now, and I thought..." Gu Ya looked at Lan Ya and said, "Lan Ya is Dou Mei."
Lan Ya glared at Gu Ya, her eyes filled with anger and disbelief.
Gu Ya thought for a moment and then said, "After looking closely, I realized I was mistaken. Dou Mei's birthmark was on her left side, while Teacher Lan Ya's is on her right."
As he spoke, Gu Ya stood up. "If I wanted to do anything to Teacher Lan Ya, I wouldn't do it in a public place, and certainly not under the elevator's surveillance."
"It's up to you how you report this and what punishment you decide. That's your business." Gu Ya then turned towards the door.
"Hey, stop! Who told you you could leave!" a male teacher grabbed Gu Ya roughly.
Gu Ya shook off the teacher's hand and walked steadily out of the office, saying as he went, "My motive is simple. Dou Mei's death affected me greatly, and I missed her so much that I mistook Teacher Lan Ya for Dou Mei."
He spoke this lie with immense reluctance, but the kiss he shared with Dou Mei under the teaching building was concrete evidence.
Gu Ya used this act to disguise his motives.
While it was a fabrication, it was plausible.
Even if the Public Security Bureau was called, Gu Ya would have insisted on these facts.
Furthermore, in the elevator, after seeing Lan Ya's birthmark, Gu Ya had done nothing else before exiting and waiting to be apprehended.
Besides, Gu Ya thought calmly, even if the Public Security Bureau arrested him and marked his record indelibly, he could still alter his own files.
If Gu Ya truly intended to commit a crime, the Public Security Bureau would be far too busy.
...
The next day, Lan Ya went to class as usual, but she no longer called out Zhan Yan's name.
In the following days, the academy used Gu Ya's incident as a lesson in political and ideological education, issuing a campus-wide criticism and reprimand.
Gu Ya also spent half an hour "handwriting" a thirty-thousand-word self-criticism, which he submitted.
If one were to ask how he managed to "handwrite" thirty thousand words in half an hour, it would depend on what mysterious technological equipment he could procure from the system's mall.
After that, rumors began to circulate about Gu Ya's romantic entanglements.
The common folk rumored that Gu Ya possessed a mysterious ability to charm women, having captivated both Dou Mei and Fang Fei. Gu Ya allegedly attempted to use the same tactic on Lan Ya, but she saw through him, foiling his plans.
For this, two male classmates earnestly sought Gu Ya's advice and were promptly berated and kicked out of the dormitory.
Time passed quickly, and a week went by.
Gu Ya's notoriety had also subsided.
After careful consideration, and having consulted Fang Fei, the academy decided to send Gu Ya and Fang Fei out on a mission.
However, there was one condition: Fang Fei had to report their situation every six hours.
Being able to go on a mission alone with a female classmate was the dream of many male students, and coupled with Gu Ya's enigmatic charm, everyone worried for Fang Fei.
But Fang Fei remained unfazed.
After more than a month of interaction, Fang Fei had come to understand Gu Ya. Even if a stunning beauty were placed before him, he wouldn't be swayed.
Gu Ya's schedule was filled with classes, training, and repairing mechs; he had no time for romantic pursuits.
He was too self-disciplined, almost inhumanly so.
Fang Fei actually felt a little intimidated by Gu Ya. Who wouldn't fear someone with such strong self-discipline?
The day they departed was overcast and drizzly.
The fine rain seemed like a vast curtain, enshrouding Xian Xia City.
Gu Ya prepared the food and water and then climbed into his mech.
Amber sent him a signal, indicating readiness for takeoff.
Both mechs started simultaneously, passing through the opening in the academy's massive transparent protective shield, merging into the aerial mech traffic lanes, their thrusters blazing, flying towards the outskirts of Xian Xia City.
"Confirm mission," Gu Ya said calmly, raising his wristband.
Fang Fei also raised her wristband.
"Transport a batch of strategic supplies to the Sixth Army's encampment in the Kuang Hai Zhi Feng combat zone. The journey is 3587 kilometers."
"We will pass through Xi Yu City, where we will rest for four hours to check the mech's status, then proceed directly to our destination."
"The total travel time to the destination is 33 hours. To protect the supplies, our speed must not exceed 110 kilometers per hour."
Gu Ya recited this coldly, and Fang Fei echoed it. The two then steadily piloted their mechs eastward.
"We should arrive around 1 AM the day after tomorrow," Fang Fei said.
Gu Ya nodded. "I hope the journey is smooth. See you in Xi Yu City."
In the academy's strength rankings, Gu Ya was at the bottom, partly due to the incident. Therefore, Gu Ya was assigned to transport the goods while Fang Fei provided reconnaissance.
If Gu Ya attempted any mischief towards Fang Fei, she could immediately report it and counter him.
This would result in Gu Ya being charged with both losing the cargo and assaulting a female.
The academy was truly ruthless, killing two birds with one stone, completely restricting Gu Ya's capabilities.
Gu Ya's assembled mech, carrying dozens of tons of cargo, did struggle to fly.
Moreover, the requirement for smooth flight throughout the journey placed high demands on the pilot. Gu Ya had to constantly make micro-adjustments to the control stick, maintaining intense concentration, making it a demanding task.
Fang Fei, on the other hand, had it much easier. She set her mech to auto-pilot and raised the auto-targeting program to the highest level. All mechs appearing on the radar would be automatically scanned and identified.
She only needed to recline comfortably in the pilot's seat and daydream.
The scenery outside was merely the juncture of earthy yellow and sky blue; looking at it for too long could induce drowsiness.
Gu Ya yawned, blinked his dry eyes, and continued to maintain vigilance.
Time passed quickly, and the journey was smooth.
Six hours later, both mechs landed simultaneously at the cargo transfer station outside Xi Yu City.
As it was a confidential mission involving military supplies, there were personnel specifically assigned to receive them.
After handing over the mechs to the mechanics there, the two entered a small fast-food restaurant next to the transfer station.
Xi Yu City was the westernmost city in the Kuang Hai Zhi Feng combat zone, and the first city east of Xian Xia City.
It bore the heavy responsibility of protecting Xian Xia City.
It could be considered Xian Xia's second administrative and military city.
Since they hadn't entered the city, Gu Ya couldn't experience its local customs and traditions.
The small fast-food restaurant wasn't crowded, which suited Fang Fei's dislike of bustle.
After a simple meal, they each closed their eyes to rest.
After a while, Fang Fei softly asked, "Gu Ya, did you... did you really do that to Teacher Lan Ya?"
"Impossible," Gu Ya replied indifferently, his eyes closed.
"Then Teacher Dou Mei..."
Gu Ya fell silent. He pondered whether he should tell Fang Fei the truth. After a moment of thought, Gu Ya spoke against his better judgment, "Ah, yes... Dou Mei and I were indeed lovers for two days."
"Can you tell me how you did it? You just enrolled and... and captured Teacher Dou Mei's heart," Fang Fei asked softly.
Gu Ya opened his eyes and looked at Fang Fei. She was lowering her eyelids, looking lazily at Gu Ya.
Gu Ya grinned mischievously and said, "I have a mysterious ability to charm women~"
Fang Fei maintained her lazy expression and said faintly, "Then you..."
...
"Can you charm me?"