The two of them waited for a taxi outside the electronics city, with the nearest taxi still 20 minutes away.
"It must be the lunchtime traffic jam," Gu Ya said, immediately regretting not bringing his mecha-motorcycle.
On the holographic screen above the electronics city, a news video of the Black Star invasion from a few days prior began to play. Gu Ya and Ye Ying exchanged a knowing smile, no words needed.
Just then, Ling Ling sent a communication.
"Huh? Sister Ling Ling, what's up?" Gu Ya answered the communication, instinctively stepping aside.
Ling Ling's tone was a bit anxious. "Gu Ya, it's about the post-technology update for the mecha-motorcycles. It's rather urgent, could you come over?"
"Sister Ling Ling, we agreed to entrust it to you completely," Gu Ya said, surprised.
"If you give up the post-technology update rights, you won't receive the full share after product iteration, incurring quite a loss," Ling Ling's tone turned cold, and even more urgent.
Gu Ya knew Ling Ling was trying to help him, but he really couldn't leave at the moment.
"Sister Ling Ling, I... I'm on a date," Gu Ya said softly, looking at Ye Ying.
Ye Ying was currently surrounded by three tall young men in floral shirts. Behind them, parked was a mecha-motorcycle Gu Ya had created.
Ling Ling was silent for two seconds, then said with a smile, "Where are you? I'll come find you."
"Trade Zone 16," Gu Ya said, keeping his eyes on the men.
"I'll be there in five minutes."
Gu Ya hung up and walked towards Ye Ying. The young men were still surrounding her.
One of them leered at Ye Ying and said, "Beautiful, want to exchange contact info? We brothers can take you out for a ride on our big bikes."
Another leaned closer to Ye Ying, grinning lewdly.
The last one, a man covered in pockmarks, sidled up behind Ye Ying and said with a smirk, "We'll make sure you're satisfied, hehe." As he spoke, he reached out as if to make an indecent advance.
Gu Ya grabbed the pockmarked man's hand tightly, shoving it away, and said with a dark expression, "She's my girlfriend. What do you want?"
As he spoke, Gu Ya shielded Ye Ying behind him.
The faces of the men instantly darkened, and they closed in. The pockmarked man looked down at Gu Ya menacingly and said, "Shorty, do you know who we are?"
Gu Ya sneered, "Heh, just a bunch of idle, unemployed deadbeats."
The men immediately became furious, crowding even closer, clearly preparing to attack Gu Ya.
Just then, the holographic news on the electronics city screen showed footage of Wu Chuyang, Gu Ya, and Ye Ying conversing amicably, with a caption: Shocking! These Two Young Mecha Pilots Shot Down 15 Enemy Machines!
Gu Ya smiled faintly and gestured towards the news footage.
The three men looked up simultaneously, then turned to Gu Ya and Ye Ying. They were instantly stunned, frozen like specimens, their eyes wide open, unmoving.
At that moment, three hovercars flew from the sky, stopping around them.
Ling Ling descended from the car with full aura, like a queen, followed by over a dozen burly men in black suits, all bearing the "Hecheng Society" emblem on their chests.
They surrounded the group, and the suit-clad strongmen immediately apprehended the three young men.
Ling Ling's commanding presence was evident as she said, "You three scum, take a good look. This young man is a distinguished guest of our Hecheng Society, the creator of the mecha-motorcycles."
The three young men were astonished again, looking at each other. After two seconds, they all knelt on the ground, kowtowing to Gu Ya profusely.
"Grandpa, we truly had eyes but failed to see Mount Tai!"
"We were blind. If we knew you were from the Hecheng Society, we wouldn't have dared to provoke you even if beaten to death!"
"Please spare us!"
Ling Ling smiled at Gu Ya and asked, "What do you think?"
Gu Ya looked down at the three men, his gaze turning fierce. He raised his foot and kicked them hard in the face several times.
Finally, he stomped on the pockmarked man's hand and twisted his heel, the "crack" of dislocated bones audible.
The men didn't dare to breathe, clutching their faces and hands, they scrambled towards their motorcycles and rode away.
Ling Ling smiled and asked, "Satisfied?"
Gu Ya shook his head and said, "I still wanted to beat them a few more times."
"Alright, calm down. Let's sort out our business quickly. You have more important things to do!" Ling Ling said, smiling at Ye Ying.
Gu Ya and Ye Ying got into Ling Ling's car, and they discussed the contract details further.
Ling Ling eventually persuaded Gu Ya to retain the technology update rights.
The group stopped outside a restaurant. Ling Ling winked at Gu Ya as he got out of the car, saying, "Have fun! Just say if you need anything."
Watching the hovercar drive away, Ye Ying hesitated and asked softly, "Who was that woman?"
Gu Ya replied nonchalantly, "A friend."
After lunch, Gu Ya took Ye Ying home.
They stopped at the entrance of the residential complex. Gu Ya wanted to say something, but remembering that school was starting tomorrow and they would see each other often, he didn't know what to say.
Ye Ying sighed, seemingly having made a big decision, and asked softly, "You said today that I was your girlfriend... perhaps, I'm afraid..."
Gu Ya hadn't expected that a lie to help Ye Ying out of a predicament would be remembered so clearly. As he was about to formulate his words.
Ye Ying softly said, "I'm sorry..."
This single sentence instantly tugged at Gu Ya's heart. I'm sorry? What did she mean, was she rejecting him?
Gu Ya immediately thought that Ye Ying might not be interested in him. Could it be that she had feelings for Instructor Wu? After all, they lived together!
Gu Ya paused, his mind in a daze, "If you have someone you like, I..."
"No, you misunderstood," Ye Ying shook her head gently and said, "I have a secret that I haven't told anyone."
Ye Ying was about to give him a reason to give up!
Ye Ying lowered her head, not daring to look at Gu Ya, and sighed softly, "Actually, I have a heart condition. I carry the fate of two people."
Gu Ya frowned in confusion. What did the fate of two people mean?
"Let's find a place to sit," Ye Ying said softly, her head bowed.
She usually spoke in a soft, gentle voice, and Gu Ya was accustomed to it.
They slowly walked into the complex and sat side by side on a bench.
Though they were not far apart, Gu Ya felt a huge wall standing between them.
Ye Ying gazed at the distant grass and said softly, "When I was ten years old, a sister from my village saved me. She was ten years older than me, and her name was Ana Yi."
Ye Ying gathered her courage and continued, "I remember that evening, we were picking seashells by the sea. Five Black Star operatives, or perhaps bandits, captured us."
Ye Ying's breathing became rapid, her voice trembling, as if recounting something extremely terrifying. "After they tormented my sister, they came for me."
"I was terrified, I had no strength to escape."
"It was Sister Ana Yi who struggled to her feet, picked up a knife from the ground, and protected me. They fired their guns, and the gunshots attracted villagers. I was saved, but my sister died in my arms. Before she died, she told me: Avenge me."
Gu Ya listened quietly to Ye Ying's narration, unable to find any words of comfort.
Ye Ying continued, "After I escaped from the 'Saint Coco' organization, I hid in a village in the jungle."
"In the village, there was a sister named Susan Lei, who was a mechanic. She took me in and treated me like family."
Suddenly, her tone sharpened, and her eyes filled with hatred. "I had just returned to the village after completing a bounty mission, and I personally witnessed the 'Saint Coco' mechas flying away."
"I ran into the village, and in that small square, all the villagers were..."
"Susan Lei, with her last breath, held my hand and told me: Avenge me!"
Gu Ya sighed, Ye Ying's words made him feel miserable.
He gently placed his hand on Ye Ying's shoulder and comforted her softly, "It's all in the past."
Ye Ying nodded and continued, "Ever since the two sisters died, I can always feel them by my side."
Gu Ya was startled by Ye Ying's serious tone and subconsciously glanced behind him.
"Later..." Ye Ying sighed and said, "I often dream of a girl in a white dress standing in front of me, watching me quietly. From then on, I felt like I was sick."
Ye Ying looked up and gave Gu Ya an apologetic smile. "You might not understand, but sometimes I feel like I'm possessed by Ana Yi and Susan Lei. I unconsciously speak in their tone, act with their thoughts, especially when I'm in combat, this feeling is particularly strong, and I can't control it."
"Possessed?" Gu Ya repeated, lowering his head in thought. This characteristic of Ye Ying reminded him of a well-known psychological disorder.
Gu Ya sighed and said, "I understand. You most likely have dissociative identity disorder. But you still have clear consciousness, so I guess it's not very serious."
Ye Ying asked softly, "Is that so... can it be cured?"
Gu Ya smiled gently at Ye Ying and affirmed, "Yes!"
Ye Ying looked at Gu Ya, her once dim eyes brightening.