Top Warzone Analyst Chapter 122

Jiang Linxia read something in Cheng Feng’s gaze that he couldn’t quite believe. His hands trembled slightly, and he immediately felt that his friend’s imagination was a little too rosy.

Straightening his face, assuming a serious expression, and putting on a stern tone, he declared loudly, “Unless someone who has difficulty walking reaches out to me for help, and out of an adult’s sense of social responsibility I agree to their pitiful request – otherwise, there is no way I would ever do something so strange!”

Then, sounding more threatening than confident, he lectured, “Don’t try to learn everything, kid. Just because others have something doesn’t mean you have to have it too. Do you know what something called ‘fate’ is? Just enjoy what you already have.”

He raised his hand, intending to pat Cheng Feng on the back.

Cheng Feng looked at him with disdain, stood up, and walked away.

Jiang Linxia let out an exaggerated whimper.

He had accompanied his daughter on a hike in the scorching heat. But he felt like he was about to lose this daughter who was way past her teenage years.

So, adults – don’t just go around acting like someone’s father.

Jiang Linxia still wanted to salvage the situation. Just then, Xiang Yunjian came out of the mall. He wasn’t carrying anything, so he must have already mailed whatever he bought.

Cheng Feng went and stood behind him, calling out, “Dad.”

Xiang Yunjian was texting someone and replied reflexively, “Hmm?”

Cheng Feng immediately leaped onto his back, leaving him no chance to refuse.

Staggering from the impact, Xiang Yunjian instinctively reached back to steady the person behind him. With Cheng Feng’s arm around his neck, he turned his head slightly to glance at her, but said nothing.

Cheng Feng lowered her gaze, looking over Xiang Yunjian’s shoulder, and caught sight of his optical computer.

He was on a video call. On the other end, Chu Xuan seemed to be working.

Cheng Feng quickly jumped down.

Hearing the noise, Chu Xuan looked up and asked suspiciously, “What’s going on?”

Xiang Yunjian smiled and said, “Cheng Feng called me ‘Dad’ and asked me to carry her on my back.”

Cheng Feng felt a bit embarrassed and decided to go back to Jiang Linxia for refuge, even though the latter had already collapsed to the ground laughing with schadenfreude – looking utterly unreliable.

Before Cheng Feng could take two steps, Xiang Yunjian grabbed her by the back of her collar and hoisted her in front of him. Then he locked his elbow around her neck and shoulder, using his wrist to prop up her chin, making sure Chu Xuan could see her face clearly.

Xiang Yunjian said with amusement, “Right, sweetheart?”

Chu Xuan frowned and said, “What’s wrong with you guys? Why do you want girls to call you ‘dad’?” No wonder they were all single. She really couldn’t understand it.

Xiang Yunjian said, “She volunteered.”

“I did not,” Cheng Feng said. “Jiang Linxia forced me to!”

Jiang Linxia shouted from a distance, “I did not!”

Chu Xuan said, “Don’t hold her down. Look at Cheng Feng sweating buckets.”

Xiang Yunjian was about to say that Cheng Feng still had to go hiking and that this girl wasn’t afraid of the heat at all, but Cheng Feng had already taken advantage of his loosened grip to break free and chase after Jiang Linxia.

“In this sweltering heat,” Chu Xuan said, feeling like she was sweating just watching them. She remarked, “Young people really have energy to burn.”

Xiang Yunjian glanced into the distance and said, “I’ll hang up now. Get back to work.”

…

For Jiang Linxia, the only somewhat fortunate thing about today was that Laomenzi Mountain – which relied on growing lotus flowers at its peak to attract tourists – wasn’t very high. The three of them walked and ran, taking about an hour to reach the summit.

There weren’t many tourists in the scenic area – which was hardly surprising – as they made their way up the path. Lush green trees and dense bamboo groves lined the route. From the pavilion at the peak, looking into the distance, they could see a stretch of emerald-green lake. The scenery was serene and pristine – it would probably be quite pleasant to visit in spring or autumn.

At the scenic area on the mountain top, there was a restaurant. Cheng Feng redeemed three lotus pods and three carp with their tickets. After she made her selection, the ordering robot directly handed everything over to the kitchen for preparation. The whole process only involved Cheng Feng taking a few cursory glances for show.

The tickets weren’t expensive – 60 came with free fish and lotus pods – but the meal cost them over six hundred, leading Jiang Linxia to exclaim that their marketing planner was a genius.

Too bad this kind of strategy could only attract simpletons like Cheng Feng.

Jiang Linxia and Xiang Yunjian stayed in the private room enjoying the air conditioning, while Cheng Feng had a great time playing outside. She ran around for a while, came back drenched in sweat, and even got a freshly picked lotus flower from a staff member.

The three of them waited until dusk when the weather had cooled down before leaving.

Cheng Feng had sweated too much during the day and was running on empty. Halfway down, she couldn’t help starting to doze off.

Seeing her hanging her head low and looking completely listless, Xiang Yunjian took the initiative and said, “Alright, I will carry you.”

Cheng Feng, still yawning with her mouth wide open, was immediately moved by the gesture.

Jiang Linxia took off his hat, clapped from the side, and praised, “That’s Xiang Yunjian for you. Noble and righteous – may good people live long and peaceful lives.”

Cheng Feng immediately echoed the blessing. “May good people live long and peaceful lives.”

Jiang Linxia then added, “Three MVP gold trophies!”

Cheng Feng shut her mouth, crawled onto Xiang Yunjian’s back, and wrapped her arms around him. Then she heard Xiang Yunjian sneer, “Stop teaching her this kind of weird stuff. Next time, remember to use a phrase that’s less hypocritical.”

Jiang Linxia let out a derisive snort. Talk about a superficial father-daughter bond – it couldn’t even withstand the test of MVP gold trophies.

The path down the mountain was a bit bumpy. Cheng Feng pressed her cheek against Xiang Yunjian’s shoulder, intending to get down after a while, but his back gave her a great sense of security. The next time she was called awake, they were already in the car.

“You still remember which dorm room is yours, right?” Jiang Linxia stuffed the lotus flower back into her hand and gestured for her to get off at this stop. Then he waved at her, not forgetting to dangle a carrot in front of her: “Go on. Next time… in autumn, I’ll take you out to play again!”

This was the least sincere carrot Cheng Feng had ever seen.

…

She had only been free for a few days when new students began arriving on campus one after another, and UFU was about to officially start the new semester.

Cheng Feng had originally planned to help with freshman orientation, but before she could even submit her application, Mr. Kong sternly rejected the idea.

Mr. Kong’s judgment was quite problematic – he always inexplicably thought Cheng Feng was going to pull off some major stunt, though the person in question believed this was a huge slander against her. There was absolutely nothing she could do to cause trouble during orientation!

However, since the league matches required reviewing too much material, and Jiang Linxia kept inviting her to play in competitions, Cheng Feng didn’t insist too much.

After the freshman opening ceremony, Mr. Kong sent Cheng Feng a private message.

Mr. Kong: Starting today, you’re an upperclassman. [Thumbs up]

Ye Guicheng: Yes.

Mr. Kong: Excited?

Cheng Feng typed a line, then deleted it.

She had wanted to say that she had actually been the boss of others for a long time already and wasn’t really looking forward to being a senior. Anyway, most people were just kids in her eyes.

In the end, she gave a very considerate reply.

Ye Guicheng: Happy.

Mr. Kong: I am happy too! You’ve finally grown up! [Applause]

Mr. Kong: At tomorrow’s league opening ceremony, there will be a segment where a student representative gives a speech. Everyone has unanimously decided to recommend you. Write a draft in advance and go up there to speak.

Ye Guicheng: Huh?

Mr. Kong: Around five hundred characters is fine. Just read straight from the script. If you’re unsure, you can show it to me. Ask Xiang Yunjian and the others – they have experience.

So Cheng Feng jumped into the group chat to ask the others.

Ye Guicheng: How do I write a speech as the student representative?

What’s Good About Summer: Look it up online. The league has been around for so many seasons, there are plenty of templates. Enough for you to work with.

Ye Guicheng: Oh.

A Little More Reckless: Just make sure you get the name of the university right when you thank them. Mess that up and you’ll be mocked for life.

Ye Guicheng: Do I really seem like that kind of person?!

What’s Good About Summer: [Owl nodding]

Cheng Feng had an epiphany. She pulled up a few articles online, studied them in depth, and finished her task.

The league’s opening ceremony was usually held in the morning.

The students gathered on the sports field, with the event co-hosted by various universities using full-projection technology.

Students from non-infantry departments could also come to watch, and Shen Dan had tagged along with Cheng Feng, mingling in with the crowd from her manual operation class.

The special guest invited to this year’s opening ceremony was Ji Ban. Given the recent surge of interest in manual operation mechas, Ji Ban was clearly very excited.

He recorded his segment in the office. When he got to his final line – “I look forward to seeing the manual operation mecha bring a new face to the competition this year, and I believe you all will illuminate a new path for those who come after you” – he braced his hands on the desk and nearly stood up. The manual operation students were also thrilled.

Right after his short address came Cheng Feng’s speech as the student representative.

With the wave of excitement stirred up by Ji Ban still ongoing, Cheng Feng kept a low profile, went up to recite her script, and quietly returned to the group. When she got back, she noticed Shen Dan’s expression was a bit odd.

Her optical computer buzzed. She took it out and saw a message from Shen Dan.

Love and Peace: Who told you to write it like this?

Ye Guicheng: Mr. Kong.

Ye Guicheng: And Jiang Linxia and the others.

Love and Peace: …

Love and Peace: You copied well, but next time remember to go further back. We generally recommend a cycle of at least ten years. It’s best to add a little bit of your own original content at the beginning or end of the speech, so future generations have something to build on sustainably.

Love and Peace: People still vaguely remember last year’s speech. A few of your lines overlapped with Xiang Yunjian’s.

Love and Peace: But that’s not the key issue. There’s a line in there – “the enlightenment of Liying…”

Love and Peace: My dear roommate, Liying is actually a very famous youth boys’ training camp.

Ye Guicheng: …

Cheng Feng looked over at Mr. Kong on the side of the formation. She cautiously shuffled over and whispered in his ear, “Sir, what did you think of my speech just now?”

Mr. Kong was tilting his head fiddling with his optical computer. He answered quickly, “Very good – poised, concise and powerful, calm demeanor, clear delivery. I am proud of you.”

He turned his screen around to show Cheng Feng, asking enthusiastically, “Which one do you think looks best?”

On the screen were several photos Mr. Kong had just taken of himself in forced perspective with Cheng Feng.

Cheng Feng flipped through them and noticed that when she kept a serious expression, the shadows of her eyelashes pressed down heavily over her eyes, giving her a sharp, piercing look.

She said with satisfaction, “The third one. But I think they all look pretty good.”

Mr. Kong said happily, “I think so too!”

Then he posted all the photos into the faculty group chat, waved at Cheng Feng, and walked off beaming.

Cheng Feng let out a breath.

No big deal.

As long as Mr. Kong didn’t notice.