The final confirmed attendees for Lian Han's private party were Pei Sumei, Jiang Chenrui, An He, Ruan Zhenyue, Ye Ying, Zong Jingyuan, Han Yuqi, and Ling Ze.
The last one was with Pei Sumei at the time, and they squeezed in.
As for Ning Jue—of course, he couldn't come. Leaving aside whether Lian Han wanted to see him, his status alone meant he'd have to leave after just one meeting.
"Boss, you're something else. You took a month off when school started, and then ran away again after less than a week. And this fake class advisor actually approved it? How can you stay in this top class?" Ruan Zhenyue asked.
"Why do you have to bring up something so sensitive? Our Xiaohan is so amazing, how could she possibly be kicked out? But I heard that a new student transferred to your class. Do you think you, the perennial bottom-ranked student, will be able to stay in the top class?" Anhe retorted.
Ruan Zhenyue chuckled, "It's not like I haven't been kicked out before, what am I afraid of?"
An He curled his lip. Among the scions of wealthy families, he was the most shameless, completely unconcerned about which class he was in or whether it would bring shame to his family. However, this was largely due to his family's doting on him, after all, he was the only son of the Ruan family.
“But today is not the time to talk about such unpleasant things. Come on, boss, let me toast you. You’re finally back. I’m no longer all alone.” Ruan Zhenyue raised his glass to Lian Han.
Lian Han also raised her glass; she was drinking juice, which An He had poured for her—as a 16-year-old girl, she enjoyed the same treatment as Pei Sumei: alcohol was prohibited.
"Speaking of which, what did the goddess do on this leave? She's been gone for more than ten days. Am I the only one who's curious?" Zong Jingyuan couldn't help but ask.
Speaking of this, Ling Ze couldn't help but complain, "Weren't they all tricked into doing hard labor? There's not a single good one among the alien races."
His words immediately piqued everyone's interest. "What kind of manual labor? Tell us about it!"
“Of course it is—” Noticing Lian Han’s chilling gaze, Ling Ze finally realized that this was a military mission and quickly changed his tune, “You all know that the other prince of the Ice Clan has a strange attitude towards my sister. This time, she was just fooled by him.”
“It’s not exactly a scam,” Lian Han said at the right moment. “He has something that can help Xiao You advance, so it’s a kind of exchange.”
"Your S-rank pet?" Zong Jingyuan exclaimed, "It can still advance to the next rank?"
Lian Han, who had previously deliberately downgraded Xingyou's level by one, retorted, "Why not? There are 3S-level alien beasts, after all."
"You mean, it can keep advancing to its limit?"
Lian Han nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
After a long silence, Anhe complained, "The problem is that even in the wasteland of the Imperial Capital Star, there are only two 3S-level alien beasts. The entire Federation's planets combined have no more than a dozen known alien beasts of that level, okay?"
"Did you get the goods?" Ling Ze asked hurriedly, snapping out of his daze.
“He’ll give it to me when he gets back to the capital,” Lian Han replied.
"Are you sure this isn't a lie?" After all, it's something that can help beasts advance in rank.
"The middleman was General Ning."
"Then there's no problem." Ling Ze smiled, "My little sister is amazing!"
Jiang Chenrui, whose presence was barely noticeable, glanced at the person grinning foolishly and suddenly realized something: he was his sister's brother, which meant—no, they should each recognize their own. This guy was even worse than his "brother" in sheep's clothing.
"Xiaohan, are you able to focus on your studies now that you're back?" Anhe asked.
"I promise. I'm still suited to studying. Just the tasks my tutor assigns are giving me a headache."
"No rush. Instructor Cui Zhi allows you to invite others to help, as long as you are still in charge. Besides, there are still three years left. The main challenge is in a month. If you dare to leave the elite class, I'll show you the consequences of wasting your studies."
An He spoke gently, but Lian Han detected a threat in his voice and quickly assured him, "No, no. I love learning, I won't fall behind."
"So passionate about it that he took a month and a half off less than two months after the start of the semester?"
Lian Han: ...How is she supposed to respond to that?
Fortunately, Anhe didn't dwell on the matter and changed the subject after delivering the threat. That night, they talked a lot, about Lian Han and their own things. Even Ling Ze and Han Yuqi, who had always been at odds, restrained themselves in front of the girls and spent the party quietly.
The next day, Lian Han still sent a message to Ning Jue, reminding him of Jiang Chenxi's problem and emphasizing that he had not lied.
After that, she resumed her regular classes with Yozakura and the others, and spent her free time researching and developing her own mecha, returning to her busy life.
Although this kind of life is tiring, it is very fulfilling, especially the joy that Lian Han felt after everyone worked together to overcome difficulties—it was a completely different experience from drawing cards by rote.
Although it went against her original intention, she probably really fell in love with armor making.
Beyond design and production, Han also enjoys teaming up with his partner Ruan Zhenyue to challenge for a spot in the academy's mecha pilot rankings.
Although this fat guy always ranked at the bottom of the third-grade elite class, he was surprisingly agile, which made Lian Han seriously suspect that he was hiding his true strength. To consistently rank last without leaving the elite class required real ability, but Lian Han didn't hold it against him because they had a pleasant working relationship.
After experiencing those events, Anhe became more mature and composed. Her armor-making skills were even slightly superior to Lianhan's, and she had many suitors. After all, Lianhan's public identity was basically that of an orphan, while Anhe had the Lance family as her backing.
Zong Jingyuan and Han Yuqi, this pair of mecha pilots who somehow ended up together, bickered every day but eventually developed feelings for each other and became lovers, although their arguments did not decrease as a result.
Yozakura remains the quiet and introverted Yozakura, but it's clear that her mecha pilot partner, Li Ke, is protecting her exceptionally well.
Jiang Chenrui was indeed much more obedient after the two reconciled, and Lian Han didn't notice anything unusual about the cards she had placed on him. As for Jiang Chenrui's repeated mentions of wanting to partner with her, Lian Han chose to be selectively blind and deaf, ignoring them completely.
Besides, there's the Ling family—although Lian Han was stubborn, she had to admit that what she thought was a cold war was just her imagination. Her father and brother, feeling sorry for her past, weren't angry about it at all, let alone distant from her. Ever since they noticed her softening attitude, they'd been coming over almost daily with some excuse, with Ling Ze showing up the most. And most of the time, he was with his girlfriend, that girl named Garcia. Honestly, Lian Han really didn't like being fed dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection).
It's just dating, right? If it weren't for her age, Lian Han would definitely have let Ling Ze know the taste of cold, hard dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection).
And just as she was studying for a few months, Lian Han's first Federal New Year on the Imperial Capital arrived—the previous New Year, she was still in the Northern Territory...
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