As a spotlight focused on Chen Wenwen, the people Zhao Menghua had planted in the crowd immediately began cheering. Surrounded by the others, she made her way to him.
"I like... you too." Chen Wenwen's voice sent the crowd into an uproar.
Everyone gathered around to cheer for the newly formed couple. A successful confession at graduation, witnessed by everyone-even years later, at class reunions, it would still be a story they could all relish.
Amid the laughter and cheers, Chen Wenwen blushed all the way down to her neck and held Zhao Menghua's hand. Zhao Menghua, meanwhile, looked at Lu Mingfei with a triumphant smile.
Lu Mingfei met his gaze and suddenly understood.
So everyone had long known about that boy's feelings for the girl. Today, they had been targeting the loser who had spent three years nursing a secret crush.
What a nuisance.
Should I get up and leave now?
Suddenly, Su Xiaoqiang burst into tears, covered her face, and ran toward the door.
Lu Mingfei followed her with his eyes until she reached the entrance, then suddenly noticed Nono standing in the corner beside the door, watching him all along.
At that moment, someone in the crowd also noticed Zhao Menghua's provocative gaze. The noise died down, and more furtive glances turned toward Lu Mingfei.
Lu Mingfei suddenly became the screening room's new center of attention.
"In that case, I'll let off a little steam." Lu Mingfei stood up, walked slowly down the aisle to the stage, and stepped onto it. The crowd cleared a path without being asked.
He stopped in front of Zhao Menghua and met his eyes.
Chen Wenwen tried to speak beside Zhao Menghua, but he forcefully pulled her behind him.
Zhao Menghua was used to being in the spotlight, and a tense confrontation like this only stirred his competitive spirit. Yet when he met Lu Mingfei's dark brown eyes, he still felt a flicker of uncertainty, followed by anger.
Just some guy with connections. Does he really think he's something now?
"Lu..." He spoke first.
Lu Mingfei cut him off with a punch. It was a heavy, powerful blow that distorted Zhao Menghua's face and sent him reeling backward uncontrollably, dragging Chen Wenwen down to the floor with him. Under the spotlight, everyone saw every detail clearly, even the saliva spraying from the corner of Zhao Menghua's mouth.
No one had time to stop him. Lu Mingfei's punch was too fast and too sudden.
As Lu Mingfei had walked down the aisle, he had been considering what to do. Getting serious with these defenseless young people would be bullying, and could easily get someone killed. But threatening people was not his strong suit.
He could only hold back and throw a punch with the strength of an ordinary eighteen-year-old boy.
The room was silent for a second, then erupted into panic and noise.
Some girls screamed, while others went to help Chen Wenwen and the unconscious Zhao Menghua off the floor. The boys shouted, and some even came up to shove and grab Lu Mingfei, clamoring to get justice for Zhao Menghua. Far away, Su Xiaoqiang had returned to the doorway, tears still on her face and her expression blank. Beside her, Nono wore a look that said, Huh? Just one punch? He actually didn't kill them all?
Lu Mingfei finally grew irritated with all the pushing and shoving. He swept his gaze around, and every agitated boy went pale, lowered his head, and backed away to clear a path.
He had briefly activated his Golden Eyes. Now he only wanted to leave.
When he reached the door, Nono shrugged and volunteered an explanation. "That Zhao Menghua was out to humiliate you today. I came in case you killed someone."
"I didn't see you step in to stop me." Lu Mingfei straightened his rumpled clothes a little and walked beside Nono toward Wanda Cinema's main entrance.
"I was afraid you'd take me out too. Keeping things under control was my duty. Whether I could actually manage it wasn't up to me." Nono spread her hands. "Besides, that guy really was asking for a beating."
A dark blue Porsche Panamera was parked outside. Nono pressed her key lightly, and its lights came on.
Lu Mingfei took the passenger seat while Nono opened the driver's door. The electronic dashboard lit up section by section, and the steering wheel slowly lowered. Neither of them spoke.
Another lone figure stood outside Wanda Cinema: Su Xiaoqiang, trying to hail a taxi.
Lu Mingfei lowered the window and waved to her. Su Xiaoqiang jogged over, glanced first at Nono in the driver's seat, then said quietly to Lu Mingfei, "Thank you."
Lu Mingfei looked at the girl with the reddened eyes. She had wiped away her tears, but still looked haggard.
"You're welcome." He offered no explanation.
They had nothing more to say. After a few polite words and a goodbye, Nono stepped on the accelerator. The dark blue sports car rumbled softly and merged into the traffic on the asphalt road.
The route to the Regent Hotel included a stretch of elevated highway. It was outside rush hour, and traffic was sparse. Nono gradually accelerated, overtaking one car after another.
"What would have happened if I'd used strength beyond that of an ordinary person and killed Zhao Menghua?" Lu Mingfei asked.
"I'd have been the first to run. Then the Executive Department would take over. Fortunately, their two best young agents are in this city right now. You wouldn't escape justice." Nono looked utterly unconcerned.
"So you really aren't an ordinary school. By your best young agents, do you mean Ye Sheng and Aki Shutoku?" Lu Mingfei looked at Nono.
"That's right. They're A-Rank, like me." There was no pride on Nono's face as she changed the subject. "If you're having second thoughts, you still have a chance. As long as you withdraw voluntarily, the college will send someone to brainwash you and erase your memories. Then you can go chase that girl called Su Xiaoqiang. Her family's pretty rich."
"Sounds good," Lu Mingfei remarked. "But it's not for me."
"What is for you? Chen Wenwen?"
"You were just worrying about me killing someone. Why do you suddenly think I'd date either of those girls?" Lu Mingfei asked with a frown. He felt that Nono kept steering everything back to his female classmates from high school. She had done the same on the day of his interview, speaking in riddles about regrets and opportunities.
"Tsk." Nono clicked her tongue. "You're really no fun, junior."
They remained silent for a long time. Only when they were nearly at the hotel did Nono speak again. "I don't know what happened to you, whether it was an awakening or something else. Anyway, according to our records, you went from a loser to a cold-faced elite overnight. The college considers that extremely dangerous, but for some reason, everyone overlooked it this time." She slowed the sports car and headed toward a parking space near the hotel. "Dragon blood corrodes Hybrids, making them as savage and bloodthirsty as dragons. Basically, they become a different person. A lot like you."
"So you've been testing me all along?" Lu Mingfei absorbed the information she had given him.
"I'm not interested in doing that. I was just helping someone out, and I was a little curious." Nono parked and hurriedly raised both hands to proclaim her innocence.
Lu Mingfei opened the door, then suddenly turned back toward Nono, his expression utterly serious. "Thank you for telling me all this, senior. But I can promise you that I am Lu Mingfei, and nothing will ever change that. If, one day, something really does try to corrupt me into something I'm not... I'll end both it and myself before that happens."
With that, Lu Mingfei left without looking back and headed toward the hotel.
Nono stared blankly at his retreating figure. After a long while, she finally muttered a sentence.
"Holy shit. Another edgelord..."
Chapter 10: Farewell (Part Two)
Not long after dark, Lu Mingfei's uncle and aunt arrived at the Regent Hotel.
After discussing it, they had decided that if Lu Mingfei had not imagined this admissions team, then it was probably a pyramid scheme or a brainwashing cult. They therefore had not dared bring Lu Mingze.
With trepidation, they followed a waiter to the VIP dining lounge. Only then did their feeling that "bad people sure have money" begin to dissipate.
Their host was already seated at the head of the table: a burly, white-haired elderly man dressed like a refined scholar. To his left sat a man and a woman in elegant dark green uniforms; to his right were Lu Mingfei and a pretty red-haired girl. All five people, each exuding an air of distinction, turned their eyes toward the couple at once. For a moment, his aunt could not get out any of the rebukes she had prepared.
Lu Mingfei stood first and introduced his uncle and aunt to the people beside him. Then he introduced Professor Guderian and his three seniors, Ye Sheng, Aki Shutoku, and Nono, to his uncle and aunt.
After a few pleasantries, everyone took their seats. Exquisite dishes arrived in silver serving ware, while Ye Sheng showed Lu Mingfei's uncle and aunt a copy of the university's official license and an album of campus buildings. The atmosphere at the table soon grew lively. Their last doubts dispelled, his uncle and aunt casually let slip in their conversation with Professor Guderian that the Lu family had another fine young man in his second year of high school, whose grades were even better than Lu Mingfei's.
This continued until Guderian produced a photograph of Lu Mingfei's parents and a letter.
Lu Mingfei had already read that letter when he first met Guderian. The professor's spoken rendition of its final line, "Mingfei, Mom and Dad love you," had left him unsure whether to laugh or cry.
The photograph and letter, along with the fact that Lu Mingfei's parents were honorary alumni of Cassell College, explained why the college had accepted a loser with less-than-stellar grades.
Every doubt was resolved, and the hotel chef's superb cooking brought the dinner to a satisfying close. After returning home, Lu Mingfei began packing.
Norma had booked Lu Mingfei a flight for the following evening.
The next evening, at the airport terminal.
His uncle, aunt, Lu Mingfei, and Lu Mingze each carried bags of various sizes as they queued to check the luggage. Their two large suitcases, backpack, and woven bag stood out even among all the departing travelers.
After checking the luggage, Lu Mingfei carried a small laptop bag containing an eye mask, a little pillow, snacks, and drinks. He and his uncle's family stopped at the security checkpoint.
"What kind of school doesn't even give you a summer vacation? It's only this early in the year, and they're already making students report." At the moment of parting, his uncle sighed.
"My circumstances are special. I'm a special-admission student, so I have to arrive before the normal start of term," Lu Mingfei explained with an invented excuse. His ticket had been purchased by Norma, who called herself the college secretary, and she had set the date as well. As for the reason, it was not hard to guess, given what Nono had told him about dangerous "Hybrids."
Under this world's rules, letting an "S-Rank" who had awakened on his own and remained outside the college's control roam freely must have been unsettling.
"Well, I'll be going, then," Lu Mingfei said.
He suddenly took two steps back, his expression serious, and bowed to his uncle and aunt. "Uncle, Aunt, thank you for looking after Lu Mingfei these past six years. Goodbye."
His uncle smiled and patted Lu Mingfei on the shoulder. "You've finally grown up. Go on, then. Study hard when you get to the United States."
Lu Mingfei nodded, shouldered his bag, and followed the crowd into the security line.
And so, with a detached and distant state of mind, Lu Mingfei bid farewell to everything the boy had once longed for.
His uncle merely smiled with relief, while Lu Mingze seemed a little impatient. His aunt was unused to this suddenly polite and sensible Lu Mingfei and remained silent.
They did not know that such a solemn farewell from the Elden Lord meant they would almost certainly never meet again.
At Chicago's train station, Lu Mingfei followed the flow of people into a waiting hall decorated like a church.
According to the itinerary Norma had given him, his United Airlines flight would land at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, after which he would go to Chicago's train station and take a train to Cassell College.
With Lu Mingfei's current strength, carrying all the luggage his aunt had prepared was easy. She had brought all the meticulous care of a professional homemaker to his packing, even considering that the food at an American school might not suit his palate and giving him a pressure cooker. That way, he could at least survive on steamed rice.
Ticket in hand, he first checked the timetable for train CC1000, only to discover that it was not listed. Sensing something amiss, he asked the station staff one by one. The conclusion was that nobody knew of this train, but his ticket was indeed genuine.
It was most likely not a regularly scheduled service. For now, he could only wait for its unknown departure time or for Cassell College to come pick him up. Universities in China generally sent students to the nearest train or subway station to welcome newcomers, demonstrating their friendliness and concern while also keeping fresh-faced high school graduates from being swindled by the unscrupulous taxi drivers who spawned at stations everywhere each enrollment season.
Unable to find a seat, Lu Mingfei settled in a corner against the wall and sat on the large woven bag. Inside was a quilt filled with twelve-hole fiber, now serving as a sofa.
People came and went. Whenever a train arrived, a group peeled away from the crowd and lined up to enter the platform.
He waited a long time, but there was still no announcement for CC1000. Instead, a faint, pitiful voice gradually approached. "One dollar, just one dollar..."
Chapter 11: The Train
Lu Mingfei looked at the tall, burly beggar. He wore a plaid shirt and flared trousers, with unshaven stubble and a pleading expression. He smiled at every passerby, then repeated his request for money.
The young man suddenly noticed Lu Mingfei watching him, and his eyes lit up. "Good sir, spare a little money for food? I'm not a beggar. I just lost my wallet. I'm a university student." He switched to fluent Chinese.
Lu Mingfei's gaze followed his movements as he pulled a thick textbook from his shoulder bag.
"Fingel von Frings. University student." The young man pointed to the cover of the book in his hands.
Lu Mingfei recognized the style of its title: English mixed with Latin. The written agreements from Cassell College had contained the same sort of thing.
Smiling, he took out a ten-dollar bill and a two-dollar bill and handed them to Fingel. "I believe you. I'm a university student too, here from China to study abroad. Please buy me a sandwich-and-Coke combo. Thanks."
Each combo cost six dollars. Fingel immediately understood the young man's intention and eagerly accepted the money. "As you command! Your humble servant is on the job."
He soon returned carrying two combos and sat on the half of the woven bag Lu Mingfei had cleared for him, taking huge bites of his sandwich and gulps of Coke.
"Brother, which university is lucky enough to have a hero like you? When I'm free, I'll come hang out and take you sightseeing around Chicago on Greyhound!" Once he had finished eating, Fingel began treating Lu Mingfei like a brother.
Lu Mingfei paused. Someone in a gaming channel had said the same thing not long ago. His name seemed to be Old Tang. He had repeatedly invited Lu Mingfei to play games, only to be turned down. When he pressed for a reason, Lu Mingfei told him he was preparing to study in the United States, and the man had made the same promise.
Do Americans really like traveling on Greyhound that much...?