For some reason, Lu Mingfei felt like he was a notch below Chu Zihang. In fact, Chu Zihang’s full department name was “Department of Alchemical Mechanics,” which specialized in studying alchemical devices, while Lu Mingfei’s full department name was “Department of Dragon Genealogy,” studying dragon families and digging into the dark history behind them. But none of this was suitable for explaining to the innocent-looking junior, as those mysteries would only be unveiled during the freshman orientation.
“What were you doing up there?” Chu Zihang asked.
“Taking down this banner. I have to stay at a hotel for a week, but I have no money left. I still need to save up to buy a lens for my camera, and this thing isn’t much use anyway, so I could use it to pitch a tent at the park for the week.” Xia Mi plopped herself down on the white cloth, folding it up efficiently. She quickly rolled it into a big bundle and slung it over her shoulder. “I’m heading off, see you guys at the college.”
“Can you pitch a tent in the park?” Chu Zihang asked.
“I’ll tell them I’m protesting on behalf of my brothers at the Chicago Railway Union!” Xia Mi pumped her fist earnestly—a passionate girl, aflame with a sense of justice. “If my railway brothers don’t go back to work, I’ll share in their hardships!”
“That’s awesome. Can I join you?” Lu Mingfei found her so creative, he was thrilled.
Chu Zihang hesitated for a moment. “You don’t have a social security card yet, so it might be troublesome if the police question you. If you don’t mind, you could stay with us. We’re going to…”
“Get a room?” Xia Mi turned abruptly, staring at Chu Zihang.
Chu Zihang was taken aback by her fierce gaze, and he instinctively took a step back. He also realized that his invitation was inappropriate. Even though they were classmates, they weren’t well-acquainted, and two guys inviting a girl—especially a Chinese girl—to stay with them might be a situation her parents would strongly object to.
“Oh, a rich guy! I’m so happy! Please take care of me!” The next second, Xia Mi playfully leaned against Chu Zihang’s chest.
Chu Zihang stood silently, starting to wonder if he had encountered a female version of Finger or Lu Mingfei. Then again, there wasn’t much of a difference between the two.
“Come on, let’s go get a room! I’m starving!” Lu Mingfei picked up Xia Mi’s luggage. Compared to the other students who had come to America, Xia Mi had very little luggage—just a standard suitcase and a tote bag.
“Wait, wait, let me get another cup of Coke,” Xia Mi said.
“You can buy one once we get to the hotel,” Chu Zihang replied.
“Buy? Buy? Buy?” Xia Mi made a funny face. “I never said I was going to pay for it.”
She pulled out a used paper cup from her bag, ran up to the closed Subway restaurant’s door, stood on her tiptoes, and slipped her body halfway through the metal railing. Her hand was just long enough to reach the soda machine’s lever, and with the pleasant sound of flowing liquid, she managed to pour herself a cup of Coke. It seemed that the store staff had forgotten to unplug the machine before closing.
Xia Mi sipped her Coke with a proud smile. “I didn’t get here two hours early for nothing. I’ve already scouted this place out!”
“Wow, unlimited free Coke?!” Lu Mingfei was overjoyed. “Let me get a cup too.”
“You guys can’t squeeze through here. I’ll get it for you.” Xia Mi reached into her bag and pulled out two more cups.
It really was a wonderful morning. Sunlight poured through the skylight onto Xia Mi as the slender, graceful girl stood on one leg like a ballerina, reaching out to steal two cups of Coke for them. Lu Mingfei watched her leg stretch into the sunlight, every line youthful and smooth, every inch of skin soft and delicate. For the first time, he understood what the ancients meant by “perfect balance of flesh and bone.” Watching this scene was simply appreciating beauty—it didn’t stir him, nor did it make his heart race. He just wished the cups were bigger so she could pour for a little longer, and he almost wanted to take out his phone and capture the moment.
It was like the first time the boys snuck into the dance college to watch the pretty girls practice through the glass—it was a kind of bliss.
A cute little thief like her was truly one of the most endearing creatures in the world!
“Drinking the Coke I stole means you owe me a favor now, so you have to help me out in the future,” Xia Mi said as the three of them walked out with their luggage.
“Of course! Your senior’s got your back!” Lu Mingfei said, patting his chest while sipping his Coke.
Only a fool wouldn’t want to help out a junior like her. This was the legendary, magical creature called a “junior girl”! She was electric, radiant—a goddess here to save the seniors from their miserable existence! In every story about juniors, they always admired the knowledgeable and experienced seniors who knew all the tricks of surviving on campus. Generation after generation, seniors came to America, picking up their juniors from the airport in beat-up cars, helping them find a place to live, generously taking them to the store, and showing them the sights while pointing out the decadence of capitalism—all before confessing their feelings, while the junior still hadn’t realized what a loser he was. Generations of seniors did this, each time cutting into the juniors’ share, leaving the juniors to silently wait for the day they became seniors and a new batch of juniors arrived from the sky.
Juniors were like leeks—there was always another new crop to harvest!
“You’re such a nice senior,” Xia Mi smiled sweetly, her expression so charming that flowers seemed to bloom around her. Then she suddenly adopted a low tone, like some wise older sister giving advice: “But Xia Mi, be careful not to get wooed. Stay vigilant—beware of fire, theft, and seniors!”
In the Hyatt Regency Chicago hotel room, Lu Mingfei lay lazily on the couch, watching TV.
This famous hotel sat on the banks of the Chicago River, offering a view of white cruise ships slowly passing by, with an enthusiastic, plump Black tour guide passionately recounting the golden years of the city’s history to a group of tourists.
“Senior, isn’t this inappropriate? I fully support you covering the room cost for a junior,” Lu Mingfei said, “but two guys and one girl sharing a room—won’t the Disciplinary Committee come after us?”
“The Disciplinary Committee doesn’t care about this sort of thing. Professor Manstein is probably too busy planning for this year’s Day of Liberty,” Chu Zihang said calmly. “I also think it’s a bit improper, but she said that if I paid for a room just for her, the favor would be too big, so she’d rather camp in the park.”
He stood against the wall, flipping through an annotated copy of The Emerald Tablet, an ancient alchemical text and the reference book for “Alchemy and Chemistry III.” The Emerald Tablet was an ancient book from around 1900 BCE, inscribed on emerald slabs and discovered in a hidden chamber beneath a pyramid. It was considered one of the origin texts of alchemy, written by the deity Hermes Trismegistus according to Egyptian mythology. It contained only thirteen sentences, yet encompassed all of alchemy’s truths.
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