Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 228: Men’s Flower Arrangement (11)

Dragon Raja 3

“Yes, there is,” Lu Mingfei recalled Fujiwara Kansuke’s warning that he couldn’t lie in front of the manager, and he also wanted to seem a bit more mature.

“Do you like older women or younger girls?” the manager asked with a slight twinkle in his eye. “Let me guess… you like older women, don’t you, Sakura-kun?”

Lu Mingfei couldn’t help but marvel at Whale’s insight. He’d nailed it! Fujiwara Kansuke hadn’t lied. Thinking back, both Chen Wenwen and Nono were more mature than him. Chen Wenwen had been the literature club president, always looking out for him, and later Nono had been his senior, also looking out for him. He barely knew any younger girls. Zero looked like a middle schooler but when she put on her dance shoes and suddenly grew tall, even Nono’s mature aura was overshadowed—she was more of a queen.

“Have you confessed to any of them?” the manager asked again.

“Not… not yet.”

“Why haven’t you confessed? Maybe she’s waiting for you to make the first move. You can’t expect girls to guess your feelings, right? After all, girls are inherently fearful creatures, especially before they’ve matured,” the manager said with deep understanding. “A girl’s first boyfriend should be a brave warrior, someone who takes her out into the world. But for most girls, their first boyfriend ends up being a tragedy because men are often fools when they’re young.”

“How many beautiful women have loved fools, and how many fools have not cherished them?” This line burst out uncontrollably from Lu Mingfei’s mouth.

“Very poetic, very poetic, Sakura-kun. Life truly is a journey filled with regret,” the manager said, turning to gaze into Lu Mingfei’s eyes. “Now listen carefully to my question, Sakura-kun. What is a love without regrets?”

“A love without…” Lu Mingfei began instinctively. This question seemed easier than the ones Caesar and Chu Zihang had gotten, like a political test where you’re asked, “What is your understanding of a four-having youth?” It was the kind of question where the teacher throws you a softball to boost the class average—you could just ramble and fill up the word count.

“Sakura-kun, Fujiwara Kansuke should have told you by now—there are no standard answers with me. You must answer from your heart. What is a love without regrets? What is regret? What is love? Think carefully before you speak,” the manager said slowly. “You only get one chance.”

The easy, casual atmosphere suddenly changed. Even Caesar and Chu Zihang tensed up. It was clear now that Lu Mingfei wasn’t getting special treatment—in fact, he was facing the hardest challenge of all. The manager had casually dug up his romantic history and then lobbed a trap-laden question. A guy who’d never even been in love wouldn’t understand regret, let alone love. The manager was truly a master, striking right at Lu Mingfei’s weakest point with one move.

Lu Mingfei broke into a sweat. “Only one chance”—wasn’t that a blatant threat? If he gave the wrong answer, he’d surely be kicked out.

He wracked his brain, recalling all the love stories he knew. Zhao Menghua and Chen Wenwen? That didn’t seem like love without regrets—more like a deep friendship, with Liu Miaomiao getting hurt in between.

Caesar and Nono? That was more of a clash between two lunatics, and even Caesar probably wasn’t sure how much Nono loved him.

How did his parents get together? Damn, he didn’t know! His parents had already been together by the time he was born.

Chu Zihang and Xia Mi… forget it. Thinking about it just brought tears to his eyes.

So what exactly was a love without regrets? It didn’t have to be perfect, and it didn’t have to have a happy ending. Maybe it was the kind of thing where, years later, you look up in a crowd and see her standing alone like a rock in the sea. In that moment, your heart aches and you’re overwhelmed, with tears streaming down before you even have time to feel hate or sorrow. It’s simply love, without regrets.

The hall fell silent, and Lu Mingfei felt like steam was rising from his forehead. It was as if he was gathering all his strength for an earth-shattering strike at the manager!

“Please don’t say something stupid,” Caesar and Chu Zihang both thought. They knew Lu Mingfei’s habits too well—under pressure, he was likely to turn into a cold joke generator.

“A love without regrets is… when you give it your all, not overthinking it, without fear, and without hesitation…” Lu Mingfei spoke slowly, struggling with every word. It was clear he was racking his brain, but after saying that, he couldn’t squeeze out another word, as if all his energy had been drained. He deflated like a punctured balloon.

Caesar and Chu Zihang both thought, It’s over. The answer was not only weak but also incoherent, lacking any clear focus. The manager sighed and shook his head.

“I-I-I… can I be a waiter instead? I can serve while I practice my flower path,” Lu Mingfei stammered.

“Sakura-kun, your concept of a love without regrets is one that doesn’t fear, doesn’t retreat, doesn’t count the cost, and doesn’t seek any reward,” the manager said thoughtfully. “Is that right? What a wonderful answer! Shelley once said, ‘Love is like a light that shines on two people, and the brilliance never diminishes.’ And Byron said, ‘The joy and pain of love appear alternately.’ Poets use different words to speak the same truth—love is neither 100% happiness nor a mere transaction. In a love without regrets, there are no winners. Everyone loses before they even enter love, yet you still won’t regret it. Because that’s what love is! Love is like a light that shines on two people, and it’s that light that gives your life meaning!”

The manager was so excited that he stood up and began pacing around the hall, speaking with the passion of a Greek philosopher. “All those who are afraid, who retreat, who calculate the cost, who seek reward—they are nothing but demons disguised as desire. And in the presence of someone like Sakura-kun, who possesses such great love, they will be reduced to ashes!”

Caesar and Chu Zihang listened in bewilderment. Lu Mingfei had squeezed out no more than thirty words, yet the manager had somehow turned it into a grand oration, citing philosophers and poets, weaving it into a powerful speech that resounded through the hall.

Lu Mingfei was overjoyed. He hadn’t expected his thirty or so words to hold such profound wisdom. Perhaps this was the essence of “art comes from nature, and the genius stumbles upon it.” He thought maybe his decision to join the literature club in high school had been the right one after all.

The manager clapped his hands, and the hall doors opened. Attendants pushed in a champagne cart, and led by Fujiwara Kansuke, the handsome men of Takamagahara filed in. The crystal chandelier in the center of the hall lit up, illuminating the fish swimming in the ring-shaped aquarium.

“Gentlemen! Congratulations! You have all passed my interview. From today onwards, you are part of the Takamagahara family! Use your flower path to guide women to the blossoming paradise!” The manager raised a glass of champagne from the cart. “Of course, Little Sakura still has to collect eight hundred flower tickets, but for our talented young man, what’s that? Who wouldn’t like such smart, sensitive, beautiful, and charming young men like you? Let’s raise our glasses and toast to Takamagahara’s bright future!”

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