Chapter 34: Junior, surely you wouldn't want...
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“So those four foreigners were sent by you?” Lu Mingfei turned his head and bit into a large mouthful of popcorn, his lips glistening with grease.
“The mantis stalks the cicada while the oriole lurks behind. Zhao Menghua wanted to use me for his amusement, and you wanted to use Zhao Menghua to control me. You both see me as a dish on the table. Aren’t you afraid I’ll evolve into a Void Mantis and casually point you all toward the execution platform?”
“Rather than worrying about that, shouldn’t you be afraid they’ll retaliate?” Nono ignored his sarcasm and warned him grimly. “The influence Zhao Menghua and the others wield in this city is beyond your imagination. If they truly joined forces against you, forget taking the college entrance examination—even living in peace would become a luxury.”
“First of all, this whole mess was ultimately caused by you and that Cassell College behind you. Don’t even think about washing your hands of it.”
Lu Mingfei took a sip of cola and let out a satisfied sigh.
“Secondly, spend less time reading gangster novels. Reality is certainly dark in many places, but for now that darkness hasn’t reached me. Besides, even if they really intend to do something, a barefoot man has nothing to fear from one wearing shoes. They’re the ones who should be nervous.”
In his previous life, he had possessed everything and was naturally bound hand and foot. But now he had nothing. Even the only two people he was ostensibly attached to—his parents—were, for all practical purposes, little more than names.
Apart from morality and the law, what else could restrain him?
A madman suddenly sharpens his blade in the night; the Imperial Star trembles while Mars runs high. The powerful fear men like him most.
If Cassell College wanted to place a golden circlet on his head and send him westward on a pilgrimage, it had better be prepared for him to smash its dog’s head with a single blow.
Watching Lu Mingfei’s utterly unconcerned expression, Nono felt more and more that he was an onion. Peel away one layer, and there was another beneath it.
After leaving the theater, he seemed to have shed yet another disguise. There was now an unmistakably antisocial, lawless edge to his words.
Still, throughout Chinese history, countless men had cried, “Are kings and generals born to greatness?” As an S-rank, if Lu Mingfei lacked even a trace of wild, domineering, spectacular bravado, then even if he truly went to the academy, people would only look down on him.
Cassell was, in the end, an academy where strength reigned supreme.
“Your skills are quite good. Who taught you?” Since the fact that she had sent people to follow him had already been exposed, she no longer bothered to deny it and got straight to the point. “According to the information we collected, you’ve never undergone any training… Well, apart from calisthenics and military boxing. And you weren’t very good at either of those.”
“Unlimited combat, known in the martial world as Mad Dog Fist. You can find it online.” Lu Mingfei spoke with pointed meaning.
“That sounds impressive. Should I carry a rabies vaccine with me whenever I talk to you?”
Nono had a fiercely competitive nature. If someone came at her with twice his force, she returned ten times as much. She would never allow herself to lose in sheer presence.
To deal with Lu Mingfei’s foul mouth, she had spent quite some time browsing online forums over the past two days.
But as it turned out, evil might gain a foot, yet righteousness always gained a yard. With one casual sentence, Lu Mingfei delivered the killing blow.
“In your case, it’s already too late for a vaccine. I suggest sending you straight to the crematorium for high-temperature disinfection. They might still be able to salvage a few kidney stones for the autopsy.”
“You!” Nono gritted her teeth and decided not to vie with him over this bit of verbal sparring.
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“That girl just now isn’t particularly close to you, is she? Why did you stand up for her—and even turn against the girl you like?”
“You know nothing about male friendship. Besides, I’ve developed a recent dislike of dandelions.”
“What kind of reason is that?”
Nono was somewhat bewildered. She could only assume he was talking nonsense, but she did not press further. Otherwise, she would be the one looking like a rabid dog chasing after its prey.
“Forget it. Come with me. I’ll treat you to a grand meal.”
“A grand meal? You’re not planning to get me drunk and then make me press my fingerprints onto an enrollment agreement, are you?” Lu Mingfei looked deeply suspicious.
He had never hesitated to judge a gentleman by the standards of a petty villain. And the woman in front of him might well be a wasp whose sting lay hidden in its tail.
“Don’t misunderstand. The professor and Aki have already left, and I should be heading back to school for classes as well. Before I go, I merely wanted to make one last routine attempt to persuade you.”
Nono opened the car door and waited for Lu Mingfei’s answer.
He had no objection to accepting a free ride and a free meal. Besides, even if he refused, this little witch would probably come up with some other trick to force him to comply.
Rather than drag innocent bystanders into it, he might as well go along and see what new stunt she had prepared. He could regard it as the appearance fee for another performance.
“Drive slowly. Don’t spill my popcorn.”
“I’m more worried that you’ll dirty my car! And since I’m treating you to a grand meal, why are you still eating this junk food?”
“Show some respect. This is the friendship fee for the Little Celestial Maiden!”
The red Ferrari threaded its way through the traffic. Its speed dropped before it reached the Regent Hotel, and then the engine sputtered and died completely.
“You had time to arrange a movie and a grand meal for me, but not enough time to fill the tank. Typical of you.”
“None of your business!” Nono glared at the gleeful nuisance, then turned and strode toward the hotel in ten-centimeter stilettos.
The doorman took the car keys and fell silent as he stared at the fuel-less Ferrari.
…
It was still the familiar VIP restaurant and bar on the ninth floor, with the same window-side table. This time, however, only Lu Mingfei and Nono took their seats.
“You really like fried rice?” Nono asked curiously when Lu Mingfei ordered another plate of mixed fried rice from the waiter.
“It’s all right. But compared with eating it, I prefer making it myself. I’ll let you in on a secret: mine tastes far better than what the hotel chef makes.”
A rare trace of pride appeared on the boy’s face.
“But the information we have says you can’t even make scrambled eggs with tomatoes.”
“That only proves your intelligence work is inadequate. What exactly does your school do, anyway? Is it West Point or some kind of spy academy? A female college student can command four Arnold Schwarzeneggers, and you’re constantly throwing around grand terms like ‘intelligence.’ It’s hard not to be suspicious.”
At first, he had assumed that Cassell Trust’s reincarnation was a business school devoted to cultivating talent in finance and trade.
Or perhaps it was, as its official website claimed, an institution advancing archaeology and history alongside mechanics and materials science.
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But now it seemed that was not the case.
He only hoped his good buddy would not be led astray at Cassell, and would return after graduation to serve his country properly.
Otherwise, he was going to have a very difficult time.
“Not exactly. Our academy has a supercomputer, and she gathered much of the information we have about you.”
“Norma Lawrence? The academy secretary?” Lu Mingfei immediately understood.
He had known it. The Americans loved invading personal privacy and monitoring information.
Fortunately, he had remained cautious and restrained himself from trying to hack his way in to find out more.
“Yes. If you join us, she will also become one of your greatest sources of support.”
Nono elegantly wielded her knife and fork, methodically dismantling the salmon on her plate. Yet her gaze remained fixed on Lu Mingfei, sharp as a blade, as though she meant to slice through his defenses layer by layer.
“The WCG StarCraft China Championship requires contestants to be at least eighteen, and the final registration deadline falls before your eighteenth birthday. But if you agree, Norma can immediately secure you a place in the competition. Cassell College will take care of everything that follows.”
Those words struck directly at Lu Mingfei’s weak spot. In his previous life, Uncle Chu had helped alter his date of birth so that he could compete in a manner no one could find fault with.
It was not that no one had tried to slip through the rules. But before the finals, every one of them had been discovered and disqualified without exception.
Lu Mingfei naturally did not want to be disqualified. Yet before the Pride of Heaven Group acquired his old club, it had been nothing more than a second-rate outfit, utterly incapable of providing him with the necessary support.
By the day of the finals, he would certainly be an adult. But if someone chose to interfere…
Put it this way: in esports, the competitors themselves were the only people who remained pure. Everyone else could resort to any means necessary for victory and profit.
And by the time Lu Mingfei was reborn, even the competitors had begun to sink into the same mire.
Nono knew she had struck the concern weighing on him and pressed her advantage.
“Cassell College has no objection to students developing their own talents. In fact, provided their studies are not affected, we actively encourage it. You are extremely important to us. I can even tell you plainly that admitting you was not Professor Guderian’s decision. It was the principal’s.”
“To a certain extent, the academy will show you the greatest possible degree of leniency. You can win championships while attending university!”
When she finished, it was unclear whether she believed she had finally grasped Lu Mingfei’s true thoughts or simply wanted to apply a little more pressure. Either way, she uttered something astonishing.
“Junior, you wouldn’t want your mother to be unable to hold her head up in front of the other parents, would you?”
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