Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 172 Personal Mentor Xiaobai
The instructor's lecture interrupted the casual conversation, rattling off a series of rules, precautions, and prohibitions.

In summary, it means "My rules are the rules".

Zhai Da wasn't against this management style. After all, it's military training; do you expect me to treat you like royalty and give you a massage?
After the instructions were given, the whole class was taken to the future military training location, the playground.

This is not a trivial statement. There are too many classes, and they are not all in one area, but distributed throughout the entire campus. For the students, being selected to train on the playground is considered the worst possible outcome.

It's sheltered from the wind and rain, with very little shade, and it's far from the canteen—it's not good at all.

Because there was a mobilization meeting in the afternoon, time was so tight that there wasn't even time for self-introductions. The first class of Materials Engineering started by standing at attention, which was quite boring.

Occasionally, during their free time, the boys would chat secretly, even if they couldn't remember each other's names. Most freshmen would only be able to remember all their classmates' names after a month.

Zhai Da stood ramrod straight in the queue, mainly listening, and managed to gather some information. Among the boys, the one with the round head on the left was called Qiu Zixuan, and the skinny guy on the right was called Ge Shang. The others were not yet clear.

The seven girls are named Wu Mengmeng, Xia Qiu, Wang Yuanyuan, Jiang Jingxuan, Pei Bei, Li Xiaonai, and Qi Ting.

It's not that he only cares about women, it's that all the guys talk about is a few girls, it never ends.

It can be described as three parts indifference, three parts sincere thirst for knowledge, four parts mutual wariness, and the remaining ninety points are all youthful restlessness with nowhere to vent.

Especially the skinny Ge Shang, the people of Tianjin are really talkative, and he's the one who starts most of the conversations.

"Let me tell you, there are only seven girls in our class, but they are all of good quality, especially Jiang Jingxuan. There's no one better in the entire college. Once military training is over, they'll be gone in no time."

Qiu Zixuan said, "Jiang Jingxuan is alright, but I think Li Xiaonai is prettier."

“The name Li Xiaonai is unlucky! Look at that girl’s profile, it looks like a ‘narrow strip of sky’, or as they say in Tianjin dialect, ‘gan’er la’. I suggest we be careful, especially for the skinny guys. If they end up together, they’ll be like a couple playing clappers in the middle of the night.”

"Pfft!"

Several boys in the same row couldn't help but laugh, and Zhai Da almost couldn't hold it in either.

You're a spineless bastard yourself, yet you have the nerve to criticize others.

Ge Shang's mouth is truly like it's been coated with poison, yet it's wrapped in a "humorous accent," giving people the illusion that he's not very aggressive.

He especially loved making people laugh, seemingly finding it very rewarding. Seeing others laugh, Ge Shang became even more enthusiastic, secretly nudging Zhai Da:

"Bro, when you came over, those girls were totally smitten. Go ahead and lead the way, let us have a taste of the soup, the social event is all up to you!"

Zhai Da kept a straight face; he didn't want to be called out for a solo practice session. He said through gritted teeth, "I don't recommend you find girls from your class."

"why?"

"So that we won't have trouble meeting again in the future."

This time, only Ge Shang laughed, the kind of laugh that makes you burst out laughing. The others didn't understand, so they were directly called out by the instructor.

"What are you laughing at? Tell us so we can all laugh too!"

Ge Shang could only cover his mouth and beg for mercy, admitting his guilt and accepting punishment.

Just then, a figure walked towards them from the edge of the lawn. After exchanging a few words with the instructor, the instructor nodded and shouted, "Zhai Da! Step forward!"

Zhai Da: "Here!"

"Your advisor is looking for you, go ahead."

After Zhai Da left, the students in the Materials Engineering class finally realized what had happened.

"Holy crap?! What's his name? He's Zhai Da?"

"That top scorer in the college entrance exam? I heard he's also a writer?! He's from our class? Which dorm has been keeping him hidden for so long?"

"He seemed to have just said that he was setting up a tent."

"Well, writers are different. Maybe he's looking for inspiration."

We've been training together for almost two hours. We were just joking around a moment ago. Turns out he's the legendary big shot!
The news that Harbin Institute of Technology admitted two top scorers this year spread throughout various freshman groups during the summer vacation; they had heard of them even before meeting them.

"Quiet down! Did I tell you to speak?"

Leaving aside the fact that the Materials Engineering Class was in an uproar, which led to the instructor ordering the entire class to run laps, Zhai Da went to the edge of the playground and met this so-called "instructor".

She was wearing a knitted shirt and black women's trousers. Although the clothes were old-fashioned, her skin condition suggested she was not very old.

With striking features and an excellent figure, it's easy to identify her as a member of the "D" group, given the notebook she's holding in front of her. However, to be honest, her fashion sense is a bit abstract; it's unclear whether it's intentional or unintentional.

The knitted shirt feels like a relic of the last era, with a large pleat on the chest, like an old turtledove.

The counselor coughed lightly: "Hello, Zhai, I'm your counselor, Jiang Xiaobai."

Zhai Da was somewhat dazed, thinking he had misheard: "What did you call me?"

"Jiang Xiaobai, what's wrong?"

Jiang Xiaobai wondered, "Is my name so strange?"

"Uh, excuse me, I have a high school classmate with a very similar name. Please continue."

It seems that the small square-bottled white liquor isn't available yet. Perhaps the advisor thinks his name is quite ordinary.
Things will probably be different in a few years.
Just like for everyone whose name contains the character "坤", 2018 was a challenging year.

Counselor Jiang Xiaobai observed Zhai Da. She was also quite unsure about this "special job" and did not want this top student to underestimate her because she was too young.

Previously, Principal Wang Chunguo had promised to assign a dedicated advisor to Zhai Da and Lu Wei to coordinate all matters related to the school, such as cross-major course selection, separate examinations, and applications for various school resources.

The tasks assigned by the principal had to be completed, but finding the right person was difficult. Two people wouldn't constitute a "full-time" job, but assigning them to ordinary "counselors" wouldn't reflect the principal's instructions, and it wouldn't allow for cross-disciplinary coordination. So, in the end, a young person was chosen from among the Youth League teachers, and the job duties were slightly modified.

Before we arrived, Jiang Xiaobai's leaders repeatedly emphasized: We must take this seriously, solve everything that can be solved, and even if we can't solve it, we must bite the bullet and try to solve it. Not only academic needs, but also our living needs must be met as much as possible.

Who knows when the principal will inquire about the two top scorers? If the feedback is bad, everyone in the department will be criticized.

Jiang Xiaobai, a new member of the Youth League Committee, said she felt a lot of pressure.

So I deliberately wore my most old-fashioned clothes, hoping to set the tone.
Grandma's clothes.

Jiang Xiaobai took a deep breath and was about to speak when a button on his knitted shirt popped off and hit Zhai Da in the chest.

Zhai Da's eyelids twitched.

Jiang Xiaobai's little brain was spinning wildly, and after much deliberation, he finally decided to pretend that nothing had happened.

As long as I'm not embarrassed, I can pretend that the embarrassing incident never happened!

"Student Zhai, because your and Lu's training program is quite special and is also an experiment by the school, many operations cannot be handled by the campus system, so I will coordinate it. I have already entered your course selections, and this is your exclusive timetable. Please pass it on to Lu."

Zhai Da took a file folder, nodded, and asked, "Uh, thanks. Do you still need those buttons?"

Jiang Xiaobai calmly took the button, his expression unchanged, and smiled, "Anyway, if you have any problems at school, you can ask me first, and I can handle it."

She emphasized the word "first," fearing that if the top student was in a bad mood, he might go directly to the principal's office, which would be a huge problem for her.

Zhai Da considered for a moment and said, "By the way, I do have a request."

"You said."

"I've been studying metalworking all summer and practicing regularly to improve my skills. I'd like to ask if I can borrow the school's equipment?"

He hadn't forgotten his long-term plans; his magician's props weren't finished yet.

Moreover, the special effect "Establishing Heart" in Grandpa's Notebook has been unlocked, giving him the possibility of creating "equipment." This breakup art must not be missed.

In theory, he could rent a space and set up his own "workshop" according to Xu Xuejun's setup, but individual resources are limited. What kind of equipment does a school like Harbin Institute of Technology have? How can a small workshop compare?
We should make full use of school resources.

Jiang Xiaobai asked doubtfully, "The school arranges metalworking internships?"

"I know, but that's next semester, right? I want to get it done as soon as possible. I need a little extra support, you know what I mean."

Do I really have to talk about privileges?
Jiang Xiaobai pondered for a moment, thinking to himself that being a "personal tutor" was indeed not easy; the first requirement was not within the usual procedures.
If it were a regular student, they would simply read the message and not reply.

She didn't even know which places to contact for coordination.
So he took another deep breath.
Another button flew off, this time hitting Zhai Da's belt buckle.

"Ding".

The arc drawn by the button is roughly equivalent to the extent of Jiang Xiaobai's breakdown.

Grandma! What year is this dress from?! It's all ruined!

Zhai Da reached out and grabbed the button, placing it in Jiang Xiaobai's palm: "How about this arrangement? I'll ask for half a day off during military training, and you can take me around to visit places like the metalworking practice site, or similar workshops and laboratories. Then we can discuss 'how' we'll borrow it."

He can pretend not to be embarrassed as long as the other person isn't. Speaking of which, this outfit is quite amazing; even with two buttons popping out, it doesn't give anything away. Are they just decorative buttons?

Jiang Xiaobai nodded calmly and said, "Then I'll prepare first, maybe tomorrow or the day after."

"It's all right."

Jiang Xiaobai, with a blank expression, fled the playground as if her life depended on it.

It’s such a shame that I left it at grandma’s house!

Zhai Da watched the other person's back, a little worried that his movements were too exaggerated, and that he was popping his buttons like a Peashooter the whole way.
Looking back, I saw the students from the Materials Engineering Class 1 running laps. I wondered, weren't they supposed to be standing at attention? Why are they running?

When he approached the instructor, the instructor glanced at him and said, "Rest in the shade for a while, then rejoin the team later."

After learning from Jiang Xiaobai that this person was the "top scholar," the instructor became more cautious.

Whether the military training is lenient or rigorous is entirely up to him.

Zhai Da was confused; he had originally planned to run a couple of laps to make up for lost morning exercise.

Retreating to the only shady spot at the edge of the playground, below the podium, was where students from each class were resting. However, unlike Zhai Da, most of them were genuinely weak: exhausted, unable to hold on, suffering from heatstroke, or anemic.
There were a dozen or so people.

One of the figures caught Zhai Da's attention.

Although he was wearing camouflage, a completely different look from yesterday, Zhai Da wouldn't mistake him for someone with his distinctive long hair.

Lu Tao, who had given him a piece of equipment upon meeting him, was sitting cross-legged in the corner reading a book.

What surprised Zhai Da even more was that this person had another "special item" in his possession.
"Congratulations, host. A special white item has been discovered: [Lu Tao's Architectural Notes]: Although it is still very immature and more like a sketchbook, it contains many of the host's wonderful ideas."

Current status: Not obtained, not unblocked.

"Equipment Effect 1: Carrying this item can slightly increase architectural design and drawing abilities, and provides double the bonus when studying the contents of the notebook itself."

"Equipment Effect 2: Focus on the notebook itself, there is a very small chance that it will temporarily resonate with the notebook owner's talent and gain an improvement (no effect on the original owner)."

"Note: Only those with talent who create with care are qualified to have their notes become 'special items'."

Zhai Da's eyes lit up. One person has two special items! Okay, now there's only one left.

Most importantly, this is someone whose "talent" has been recognized by the system!
(End of this chapter)