Amon drove Lu Mingfei back to the dorm. After a hot shower, the exhaustion from morning training seemed to dissipate with the steam. Lu Mingfei walked out of the bathroom, toweling his wet hair. Though his body still ached, there was a trace of clarity in his eyes.
Only then did Finn sit up from his bed with a yawn. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he saw Lu Mingfei, who looked worn out yet bright-eyed, and immediately let out an exaggerated howl:
"Didn't we agree to be deadweights together? Junior Brother, you actually worked hard behind my back!"
"How can you see the view from the mountaintop without climbing?"
Lu Mingfei straightened his back, rare determination in his voice:
"I'm going to become a genuine S-Class. Starting today, I'm saying a complete farewell to that useless Lu Mingfei from the past. You'll see a brand-new me."
Freshly inspired by the dawn and those words, Lu Mingfei now radiated soaring fighting spirit from head to toe.
"Oh, come on. Did Senior Brother He feed you another bowl of motivational soup?" Finn sidled over with a cheeky grin. "How many times has this been now? Let me guess—will this enthusiasm last a week?"
As a roommate who lived with him day in and day out, he knew Lu Mingfei's three-minute enthusiasm all too well.
Lu Mingfei shot him a sidelong glance. "Just wait and see..."
Yet the moment the words left his mouth, his righteous expression collapsed, and his straightened back slumped as if all his strength had been drained away.
He let out a long sigh, his voice carrying the helpless resignation of someone accepting his fate:
"It's not like I have a choice about working hard. You have no idea—before dawn, Teacher Little Red squats on the windowsill watching me. If