"Grandpa… just wait a bit longer. I don't know where the gift is right now."
Wang Yixue's expression was uneasy, her brows knitted with anxiety.
Head down, she jabbed frantically at her phone.
Sending message after message.
"Master Xu, where are you?"
The custom Mecha I ordered hasn't been delivered!"
I trusted you—how could you cheat me?"
Please call me back the moment you see this!"
…"
Beside her, Wang Tianhao saw his beloved granddaughter's face and frowned.
He asked softly, "Yixue, did that Master Xu con you?"
"Mm…" Wang Yixue's eyes reddened with urgency.
"Sister Yixue, where's your gift? Stop hiding it—show everyone!"
Wang Ning ran over, hugged Yixue's arm, gave it two swings, and urged again.
"I…"
Tears brimmed in Wang Yixue's eyes; her chin trembled.
She looked utterly wronged, on the verge of tears.
How could she admit she'd been swindled?
Total social death incoming!!
Only now did Wang Ning confirm Yixue really hadn't brought a gift; inwardly she was elated.
Ever since they were kids, Wang Yixue's grades, music, art, Olympiad—everything had dazzled.
Today she'd finally lost—to her!
Wang Ning fought back a laugh and, feigning concern, said,
"Sister Yixue, did you lose it? Don't worry—my 10-cm Exo-Armor model can count as our joint gift! Grandpa loves it!"
"No, it's not lost."
Wang Ning's words made Yixue feel even worse.
She'd originally prepared a 50-cm Mecha model; Grandpa would surely have liked it too!
Now she had no choice but to confess she'd been duped.
"I did prepare a gift, but…"
Her phone gave a soft "ding," cutting her off.
Immediately a call came in.
The number: Xu Fan!
Seriously?
Scammers are this bold nowadays?
Fuming, Wang Yixue answered.
A flustered voice burst through:
"Great Beauty Wang, when did I ever cheat you? I delivered the goods last night—parked it on the open ground outside the villa."
A 500-cm-tall Mecha—something that huge. Are you blind or just pretending? I'm speechless!"
Twenty-plus calls in one morning—unbelievable!"
Wang Yixue froze, mind blank.
She'd meant to explode at him—how had the tables turned?
And 500 cm—what was that about?
She hurriedly switched to the chat log.
Only then did she spot her typo two nights ago—an extra zero.
The 50-cm Mecha had become 500 cm!
So the giant shape under the red tarp outside was her order??
Hiss—
Wang Yixue sucked in a cold breath.
"Xu… Master Xu, calm down, I…"
Realizing this, her gloom vanished; she even sounded polite.
"What 'I'!"
"No refunds!"
"And you'd better transfer the balance, or I'll… I'll spam you with calls, hire a lawyer, sue—no letting you off!"
Yixue's words were cut short; the man on the line was clearly frantic.
"No, no, Master Xu, I won't default. I'll send the rest once I'm free."
"Good! The Mecha's wake-up and telemetry app is on its way—check your messages!"
Click—click—click…
Hearing the disconnect, Wang Yixue stood dazed.
She'd misjudged Master Xu.
Still, a 5-m Mecha finished in under two days—could it even be decent?
Whatever, at least it existed; she kept expectations low.
The call hadn't been on speaker, but everyone had caught the gist.
Wang Ning glanced outside, thinking something that big had to be crude scrap-iron welded into a rough shape.
She'd seen plenty of such junk models.
They couldn't compare with her delicate 10-cm model imported from the Yankees.
Eyes flashing, she smiled and said,
"Sister Yixue, sounds like your gift is great too. Before the banquet starts, let's take a look!"
"Grandpa, want a preview?" Wang Yixue felt deflated.
She'd rather embarrass herself in front of family than a hall of a hundred guests.
"Oh, come on, it'll only take a minute!" Wang Ning egged them on.
"All right, let's go see."
Old Man Wang laughed, led the chatting crowd toward the open ground outside the villa.
Wang Yixue trailed at the back, stomach churning.
She could already picture everyone's faces when they saw the ugly model.
Standing beneath the tarp-shrouded giant, she wanted to crawl into a hole.
This was going to be humiliating!
Old Man Wang, Old Man Hua, relatives, guests ringed the shape, guessing what the cloth might hide.
"Sister Yixue, what are you waiting for? Pull off the cover!"
Wang Ning, eager to watch Yixue make a fool of herself, urged.
"Little Yixue, whatever you give, Grandpa will love—go on!" Realizing his granddaughter's worry, Old Man Wang reassured her.
"Beauty Yixue, show us already!" the guests chimed in.
Taking a deep breath, Wang Yixue steeled herself.
Here goes nothing!
She grabbed a corner of the red tarp and yanked hard.
The cloth slid away.
A crimson Mecha, ice-cold glint on its plates, towered before them, blotting out the sky.
Its sky-spanning aura bore down with overwhelming pressure.
Countless people stopped breathing.
Razor-sharp angles, domineeringly cool silhouette.
Metallic red eyes glowed; an oversized Rail-Cannon rested on its shoulder.
In that instant.
Everyone's eyeballs exploded.
A wild shock shot from their soles straight to their skulls.
It felt like their scalps were blasted clean off.
Wang Ning, waiting for a joke, shuddered violently, pupils spasming.
Disbelief flooded her gaze.
With a thud she collapsed to the floor.
Mind shattered, soul gone