Chapter 34 Part 2 一 The time has come for the face-slapping moments of the Mecha Conference.
Bai Luxi then walked steadily inside with his hands in his pockets. His stride was sharp, and he exuded a bit of a roguish air. It was hard to imagine that such a man had children.
A nearby bodyguard whispered, “Mr. Bai, are we being too ostentatious?”
Bai Luxi glanced at them, “Ostentatious? You haven’t seen me in my younger days.”
He raised his voice as he walked into the hall, “Since so many people are waiting to see us make a fool of ourselves, shouldn’t we give them a show to meet their expectations?”
His voice preceded him. Many people in the hall turned to look at the entrance.
Dressed in suits and exuding courtesy, the attendees were all prominent figures.
An elderly man squinted and saw Bai Luxi’s figure, smiling as well.
“Young people these days really don’t know their limits.”
“Well, he’s from an established mecha family. Even if they’re in decline, their reputation remains.” A young man’s eyes flashed with malice, half-hidden by his eyelids.
Bai Luxi naturally knew that everyone here coveted his family’s assets.
He smiled contemptuously and sat at a central table, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back, his left arm draped over the chair.
He casually picked up an apple from the table and took a bite, projecting an air of confidence that made others wary.
At this moment, a middle-aged man walked over from a distance, and people made way for him, indicating his high status.
“Mr. Bai is just different from other people. He hasn’t learned much about technology, but he has a knack for getting into trouble.”
The middle-aged man sat in front of Bai Luxi, peeling an orange slowly.
Bai Luxi squinted at the man, smiling, “What? Peeling it for me?”
“In your dreams.”
“Tsk.”
The atmosphere became tense. The middle-aged man continued peeling the orange and spoke lightly once he finished.
“I wonder where Ruogu is? I remember he was a clever child when he was younger. Why didn’t he come along?”
Bai Luxi’s expression changed, and before he could speak, a young man beside him chimed in.
“Dad, did you forget? Ruogu likes being an actor. He might be famous now.”
Bai Luxi was just about to mock them, but who would have thought that the father and son would sing along in harmony1.
The man slammed the table, “What nonsense are you talking about?! Why become an actor instead of making proper mechas? How can you face the Bai family and our ancestors?!”
“Dad…”
“You’re absolutely talking nonsense! I’ve watched Ruogu grow up. How could he be what you say?”
The hall buzzed with murmurs and pointing fingers.
There were many named Bai Ruogu across the galaxy, including a few famous ones in the entertainment industry. Even though Bai Ruogu had trended online before, people in the mecha industry usually didn’t use Everyday.
Even if they had heard of live-streaming, they wouldn’t immediately connect the dots.
Bai Luxi’s eye twitched with frustration, but years of experience had tempered his temper.
His palm made a cracking sound as he squeezed it, rubbing his temples in exasperation.
That brat, joining the entertainment industry and causing trouble at critical moments. Oh well, good thing I have a thick skin and can handle it.
Just then, the sound of boots echoed through the hall, accompanied by a strong smell of tobacco.
A rough, tired voice came from the entrance, “What are you all doing here, gathered like this?”
When the crowd heard this voice, they were startled and quickly dispersed.
A tall, rugged-looking man walked in, wearing a military uniform with unbuttoned buttons, swaggering as he moved.
Someone saw him and lowered their tone, “Marshal.”
The Marshal responded with a grunt, noticed Bai Luxi surrounded in the middle, raised his eyelids, and his footsteps became heavier.
“What were you discussing just now? Go on!” He had a cigar hanging from his mouth, exuding a roguish aura. He took off his military coat and threw it onto the table, perfectly covering the apple Bai Luxi had bitten into.
Bai Luxi:…
The others didn’t know what to say, but the middle-aged man chuckled.
“Nothing much, we were just talking about Ruogu from the Luxi family. This kid, for no reason, went into the entertainment industry and became an actor. It’s really…”
The Marshal walked up to the table, propped his leg on it, extinguished his cigar, and glanced at the middle-aged man.
“Well, you sure like to meddle. Even his own father doesn’t say anything, but here you are, acting like you can manage other people’s business better than the Chief of Staff.”
As he spoke, it seemed to hit a sore spot for him, who angrily slammed his hand on the table, causing the people nearby to flinch.
“That bastard cut my military budget. If he’s got the guts, he should duel me!”
The people quickly distanced themselves. The Marshal and the Chief of Staff had longstanding grudges, and mentioning them was like lighting a fuse.
The Marshal exhaled a puff of smoke, recalling what the others had said earlier. He pointed to the screen in front of them and said, “Since we’re talking about Bai Ruogu in the entertainment industry, and since the meeting hasn’t started yet, let’s watch one of his works. Someone gave me Ruogu’s live stream link a couple of days ago. I haven’t looked at it yet, so let’s use my smart brain to show everyone.”
The people around hurried to prepare.
The middle-aged man didn’t want to stay either and moved to a nearby table.
Many were eager for some drama, waiting to see Bai Luxi’s embarrassment. The middle-aged man was also intrigued, staring intently at the screen.
As everyone’s attention was focused in front, the Marshal secretly leaned over and whispered to Bai Luxi, “Xi’er, don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get your dignity back today! None of them will be able to get away, at worst we’ll have someone put them in a sack when we go back.”
Bai Luxi elbowed the Marshal in the abdomen, also whispering, “Get lost! If you make me lose face today, we’re through!”
“Don’t, we’ve been friends for so many years.”
“Hmph.”
The live stream opened amid the crowd’s chatter, showing that it was clearly nighttime over there.
Under the moonlight, they could see a delicate, thin young man connecting wires between two white blocks.
“Wow, I didn’t expect Ruogu to be so good-looking! He’s getting more and more refined.”
“Tsk, but can he even lift the equipment? That’s a major weakness for a mecha maker.”
The field was filled with white blocks as far as the eye could see, with only a few wires unconnected. Bai Ruogu was connecting them one by one.
Finally, someone noticed something was off.
“What is he doing? This doesn’t seem like a performance.”
“The title says it’s a wilderness survival show.”
“Wait, these blocks look like they’re for projection buildings. Is this kid building something?”
“I heard Bai Ruogu has some talent, but who would have thought he’d become an actor. Is he now trying to use technology to get attention?”
“Wait, how many blocks are there? How many buildings is he going to make?”
The middle-aged man frowned, “Such a show-off. Although it’s basic for the mecha field, whether he can do it well is another matter. He better not end up with an ant-sized structure and claim it’s from a mecha family.”
Everyone had heard of Bai Ruogu but didn’t believe he could create anything impressive.
During the live stream, there were occasional comments floating by, all praising the big shot.
Countless people scoff at it. Have they ever seen real technology? A child’s toy really fooled these people.
They chatted and laughed as Bai Ruogu finally connected the last wire in the video.
“We’re about to see the finished product. Wonder how it turned out.”
“Who knows? It might not even be as high as a table.”
Just as they were ready to mock, Bai Ruogu turned on the power.
Instantly, the sound of electricity flowed, and the entire screen lit up with a dazzling white light, making everyone squint.
Through the glare, someone saw the blue light extend skyward, infinitely high.
The white blocks connected, forming majestic buildings on the flat ground.
The structures varied in height, detailed and natural, with a tall clock tower connecting to the ground via a wide sky bridge.
Layer upon layer of high-rise buildings were intricately detailed, arranged neatly, with every window and pane of glass clearly visible.
Magnificent, splendid…
Stretching for miles, it was a city of skyscrapers, grand and imposing.
He, Bai Ruogu, had created a city.
The barrage has gone completely crazy, with ‘666’ flooding the entire screen, directly blocking the view of everyone in the hall.
The middle-aged man’s orange fell from his hand, his expression blank.
The whole hall fell silent. Just then, Bai Luxi burst into loud laughter, almost running out of breath.
“Quick, Quick, Quick! which live stream is this? I want to give a reward!” With that, he snatched the marshal’s control and directly sent a gift of 50 million yuan.
Marshal: ???
- 一唱一和 (Yī chàng yī hè) is a Chinese idiom, which means one sings first and the other follows. It was originally used to describe two people having a mutual emotional connection; now it is also used to describe two people cooperating with each other and echoing each other. ↩︎
Marshal: ??? My money