novelraw Chapter 55 "A Chance Encounter" with the Eldest Brother and Sister-in-Law
Chapter 55 "A Chance Encounter" with the Eldest Brother and Sister-in-Law
Wen Shumu turned around and saw two Alphas walking over, one after the other.
He wasn't face-blind; even though the two weren't wearing team uniforms, he recognized them at a glance as Yan Zezheng and Hemaier from the ARES team.
Yan Zezheng's signature red hair is indeed easy to recognize.
On the way over, Yan Zezheng raised his hand and patted Hermeyer on the back, causing the brown-haired Alpha to freeze.
Upon arriving, Hemeyer awkwardly changed his address: "Good evening, Your Excellency Marshal."
Ling Suyu glanced at him and nodded in response.
Yan Zezheng also greeted him, then turned to Wen Shumu: "Young Master Wen, hello, I am Yan Zezheng, the captain of the ARES team."
"My name is Hemeyer." Hemeyer quickly introduced himself, his gaze shifting between the marshal and his wife, then a slight smile appeared on his lips. "We both admire Marshal Ling very much and often watch your programs. The wife and the marshal have such a good relationship."
This was the first time someone had praised their good relationship to their face, and Wen Shumu couldn't help but smile: "Hello, I also watched your match, you were really amazing."
"Thank you, I also think we did a pretty good job." Hermeyer was quite frank, his smile growing even brighter. "It's fate that we met, so why not seize the day, madam? Shall we add each other as friends on the terminal?"
As he spoke, he winked at Wen Shumu.
Wen Shumu hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Ling Suyu without immediately agreeing.
Ling Suyu's gaze darkened slightly as he asked, "No training tonight?"
"The round of 32 to the round of 16 is next week. The team's builder wanted to come and see if there were any usable parts, so the two of us came along."
Yan Zezheng's expression was calm and composed as he explained, but his eyes revealed a hint of helplessness.
It can't be that Hermeyer saw the news and learned that his older brother and sister-in-law were going to the auction, so he insisted on coming over to "bump into" them.
Hemeyer stared at Wen Shumu with his affectionate dog eyes, his terminal raised as if he were ready to add him as a friend at any moment.
Seeing that Ling Suyu didn't react in any obvious way to stop him, Wen Shumu didn't want to leave someone who was treating him so warmly hanging, so he raised his hand and pointed his terminal at Hemaier's terminal, adding him as a friend.
Before he could put his hand down, another hand wearing a terminal suddenly reached out from next to Hemeyer.
Wen Shumu looked up and saw that it was Yan Zezheng.
He unwittingly became friends with two top-tier mecha team members.
[Ahhhh, I've always dreamed of having Yan Zezheng and Hemaier's friend slots!!]
[I'm so envious of Mumu!]
[They were the ones who added me first.]
[Yan Zezheng goes without saying, and while Hemaier seems funny, he's actually quite distant. I really didn't expect them to add each other as friends.]
Why did they only add Mumu and not Marshal?
[That must be because they have a close friend of the Marshal. Just search StarNet and you'll see; they're the Marshal's direct junior classmates.]
[The Marshal led them in delivering many brilliant plays during the annual finals, which are now being used as instructional videos.]
Before they had exchanged more than a few words, a clear "Ah—" rang out.
The Jiang brothers walked the red carpet for ages, and now they've finally caught up.
Looking at the two pro players from the ARES team, Jiang Hong's eyes began to sparkle.
He rushed over, taking three steps at a time, and pulled out a pen and paper from his pocket, stammering, "H-you guys, I'm a big fan of yours, could you sign my autograph?"
Earlier backstage, he wandered around trying to find the ARES team, but he couldn't find them and was disappointed for a long time.
[Has Hongbao forgotten that she's a celebrity too, hahaha!]
He genuinely likes the ARES team; he even posted on Weibo to support them before.
I watch celebrities I admire follow celebrities in the mecha world.
The people upstairs are confusing me.
Hermeyer was the first to react. He took the pen, smiled, signed his name, and then handed the pen to Yan Zezheng.
After Yan Zezheng finished signing, Jiang Xun followed over unhurriedly, took the pen that Yan Zezheng had just used, and glanced at the two signatures side by side on the paper.
He deftly twirled the pen, signing his name between the two signatures, and handed it to Jiang Hong.
Jiang Hong and the other guests beside her: "..."
Jiang Hong looked down at the name "Jiang Xun" sandwiched between the signatures of two top professional players on the paper, his face flushed with anger. When he looked up again and saw Jiang Xun's back as if nothing had happened, he couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "Brother, I don't want your autograph!!!"
Jiang Xun didn't stop walking; he raised his hand and entered the private room.
Jiang Hong's eyes widened. He wasn't mistaken; his brother had put his headphones back on!
……
The auction was about to begin. After signing autographs for Jiang Hong again, Yan Zezheng was about to say goodbye when Jiang Hong, who had just calmed down, grabbed him and warmly invited them to come to the private room to watch the auction.
No fan would not want to spend more time with their idols.
Before Yan Zezheng could speak, Hemaier readily agreed. He had been looking for an opportunity to talk to his older brother more, and this was a chance that had come to him.
Just as Adolphus and his apprentice, who were already seated in the private room, had taken a sip of tea, a group of people suddenly filed in through the door.
Shi Yi's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw the person who came in, and he almost blurted out "Holy shit!"
What are Yan Zezheng and Hemaier doing here too?!
They and Adolphus were clearly not meeting for the first time, and they all greeted each other familiarly.
"Professor, I apologize for bothering you," Hermeyer said with a smile.
Adolphus shook his head, glanced at Shi Yi who was frantically giving him meaningful glances, and said quietly, "It's alright, just take a picture with my little apprentice before you leave."
Shi Yi clenched his fists and silently said "yes".
Master is so good!
Wen Shumu didn't pay much attention to their conversation. He took a few steps forward, leaned against the railing, and looked out.
The high-ceilinged, circular, golden hall was surrounded by three luxurious private rooms. In the center of the hall was a red circular platform, which was probably where the auction items would be placed later.
Even if Wen Shumu had never attended an auction before, he roughly knew that this auction was one of the best in the entire interstellar space.
After everyone was seated, the lights in the room suddenly went out.
A spotlight shone on the round platform.
The auctioneer appeared, dressed formally, with a slightly stiff expression, but his smile was still quite appropriate.
After the opening remarks, the auction officially began.
"The first item is a Q-series level 7 part from the Federation, with a starting bid of 100,000 credits."
The projector in the private room lights up, showcasing the appearance and performance of this component from all angles.
Upon hearing the price, Wen Shumu couldn't help but click his tongue in astonishment: "So expensive!"
Wen Wei, sitting to his left, whispered, "This is just the starting price, and I heard it's not even that expensive. Many level-eight parts can fetch over a million."
Sure enough, the final lot sold for several times more.
"...Love's Star Journey" broadened my horizons.
[An average person's annual salary is only around 100,000 to 200,000 credits, barely enough to reach the starting bid.]
That's why playing with mechs is said to be expensive.
The next few lots were all grade seven, and Adolphus lost interest.
He was so bored he was picking at his fingers.
Turning his head, Adolphus saw his excited apprentice, Shi Yi, and a sly glint flashed in his eyes. He said, "Come on, let me ask you, do you remember what type of part your senior brother Chu said he needed?"
Shi Yi was engrossed in watching the auction when his master suddenly asked him a question. His gaze instantly became somewhat blank, and it took him a long time to squeeze out a sentence: "Level 8 T-series parts."
Adolphus rolled his eyes: "I knew you wouldn't remember."
This child is quick-witted, skillful, and very creative, but his basic skills are not solid; he can't remember things and doesn't like to take notes.
Shi Yi said aggrievedly, "Master, this is too sudden. Senior Brother Chu spoke quickly, and the part numbers are long. Who can remember them all at once?"
Adolphus sneered and pointed a finger at the air: "Do you remember?"
All eyes then fell on Wen Shumu.
Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Wen Shumu had no choice but to answer Adolphus's question.
His expression showed slight hesitation, but his tone was very certain: "Level 8 T-538278."