Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 338: Monster Combination (3)

Dragon Raja 3

At this time, Lu Mingze should have been studying at Austin University in the U.S. Last year, Lu Mingze received an acceptance letter from Austin University, a matter of pride for Aunt for months. But the damned American visa officer refused to give him a visa, claiming that Lu Mingze appeared to have immigration intentions. Now, it was too late to apply to universities in China, and while everyone else had already started school in September, Lu Mingze was still hiding at home playing video games. Aunt had cursed the entire family of the visa officer in colorful language, but to no avail. The only option left was to consult a study abroad agency. They said the acceptance letter wouldn’t be invalidated just because he didn’t report that year, and it would still be valid next year. However, getting a visa after being rejected once would be difficult, so it was best to send Lu Mingze on a trip to some Western country first. Having international travel records would improve his chances of getting a U.S. visa.

And that’s how the idea of a cherry blossom trip to Japan came about. After considering all options, Japan was still the most convenient and affordable.

Besides, Jia Jia’s family was accompanying them. Jia Jia’s full name was Chen Jiawei, a year younger than Lu Mingze, and she also attended Shilan Middle School. She had also received an acceptance letter from a U.S. university. Aunt thought Jia Jia was a good girl, decent in both appearance and character, and from a respectable family. Jia Jia’s father was the director of the Human Resources Department at Uncle’s company, a person of real power. When the two families met at school, Aunt held onto Jia Jia’s hand the entire time, afraid the girl would sprout wings and fly away. Aunt kept praising Jia Jia and dropping hints, saying that if her son Mingze could find a girlfriend like Jia Jia, she would be at ease. She worried that once he went to Austin University, he might never meet another high-quality Chinese girl, which troubled her deeply.

Jia Jia’s father slapped his thigh and said, “Exactly! Our Jia Jia is also going to study in the U.S. I’m worried she won’t find a suitable Chinese boyfriend there and will bring home a foreigner. Our family worked hard to raise this precious girl, and I don’t want some foreign pig to take her!”

Jia Jia’s mother, sharp in observation, understood what Aunt was hinting at. Although Uncle’s position was lower than Jia Jia’s father’s, both children were going to study in the U.S., and if they could start a relationship, they could look out for each other. Jia Jia’s mother was open-minded and knew that once her daughter went abroad, she would be like a bird soaring into the sky. Strictly forbidding her from dating would be useless. It was better to set her up with someone now, and from what she saw, Lu Mingze didn’t seem like the type to mistreat Jia Jia.

Thus, the two families had been in frequent contact over the past few months. Lu Mingze and Jia Jia were even taken to see newly released movies by their parents, sitting in the middle to “foster feelings” while the parents sat on either side to provide “protection.”

Lu Mingze, however, wasn’t very interested in Jia Jia. Though she was decent-looking, she wasn’t alluring, unlike the school belle Su Xiaoqian, who was stunning wherever she stood, making people want to kneel and shout, “Hail the queen!” And Jia Jia, pampered since childhood, spoke softly and cautiously, lacking the melancholy and sentimentality of “Sunset’s Mark,” a girl he had once been infatuated with on QQ. Uncle, of course, was very satisfied with Jia Jia but felt his own career advancement relied too much on his son’s connections, which hurt his masculine pride. So, he often spoke up for Lu Mingze, saying young people should be free to choose their own partners and that arranged marriages were outdated. Aunt, on the other hand, was furious. “What’s wrong with Jia Jia that you two don’t appreciate her? If we could marry into the Chen family, it would be a huge step up for us! Think it over, both of you! If you’re so capable, why don’t you become a powerful director? If you were, we’d have plenty of families lining up to marry into ours!” Only then did Uncle back down.

Watching Jia Jia and Lu Mingze whisper to each other, Aunt’s heart was filled with sweet satisfaction. My son has finally made me proud! She had always carried a grudge, and that grudge was named Lu Mingfei. In fact, at first, she didn’t have much ill will toward Lu Mingfei. Although there was one more mouth to feed, the overseas child support more than covered the expenses, leaving some extra. Although Lu Mingfei wasn’t likable, Aunt had no reason to be openly hostile toward a kid. What she resented was Lu Mingfei’s mother, Giovanni. The Lu family only had two daughters-in-law, and while Giovanni gave off the impression of being a socially elite, elegant, and classy woman, Aunt felt like a simple housewife. That feeling always left her bitter. Seeing that Lu Mingfei was a failure, Aunt felt like she had gained the upper hand. What does it mean to have the last laugh? It means my son surpassing Giovanni’s son, and then I’ll have the last laugh! That’s why she dreamed day and night for Lu Mingze to succeed.

Everything was going smoothly until that crazy old man, Guderian, appeared. This old nutcase, claiming to be from some elite private college, came all the way to China to interview Lu Mingfei. But was it really an interview? Guderian acted like a sycophant, practically ready to kneel and worship Lu Mingfei at first sight, praising him as electricity, as light, as the one and only legend, a superhero sent by heaven to save humanity. He even begged Lu Mingfei to attend their college with a full scholarship. After six years of being down and out, Lu Mingfei suddenly turned the tables, not only recovering lost ground but also completely overshadowing Lu Mingze.

As for Aunt’s feelings, to borrow a famous line from a well-known manga: “That day, Aunt finally remembered the terror once dominated by Giovanni, and the shame of being confined to the stove as a housewife.”

Since then, Lu Mingfei’s success had spiraled out of control. At graduation, wealthy girls driving Ferraris would pick him up; at class reunions, the school heartthrob in his Porsche would give him a ride. When treating others to dinner, it would be at the top restaurants in the city. If Aunt asked him to chop a carrot, he would summon the college janitors to help. Aunt clearly saw the malice of Giovanna in Lu Mingfei. Finally, one day, she reached her limit and had a falling-out with him. For nearly a year, Aunt hadn’t called Lu Mingfei, and when he called, she wouldn’t answer. She refused to pick up any calls from foreign numbers and strictly forbade Uncle from answering them either. In the quiet of the night, Aunt imagined that Lu Mingfei’s family had probably already reunited in America, living in a spotless mansion, driving luxury cars, checking the time on expensive watches, and Giovanna, dressed in designer clothes bought in New York, fluttering like a butterfly. Reflecting on her own life, Aunt would soak half her pillow with tears, burning with a desire to howl at the sky.

It wasn’t until Jia Jia appeared in front of her that Aunt regained her hope in life. Even Giovanna couldn’t possibly find such a virtuous daughter-in-law, could she? That’s why Aunt relentlessly pursued Jia Jia and, finally, a month ago, launched a decisive strike. Using the pretext of helping Lu Mingze sort out his visa issues, she invited Director Chen’s family to join them for a trip to Japan to enjoy the cherry blossom season. As Aunt put it, this was the final push—her son marrying Jia Jia would be a bit of a reach, but breaking the ice under the cherry blossom trees would likely make Jia Jia’s parents reluctant to refuse.

What was supposed to be a pleasant trip had turned into something else, thanks to Tokyo’s heaviest rainstorm in a century. The cherry blossom trees across the city were being torn apart by the fierce winds. Every day, everyone was soaked, more like refugees than vacationers.

However, Uncle and Lu Mingze didn’t mind. To them, stormy Tokyo was still beautiful, with pink petals floating on the river’s surface every day, forming a brilliant wave of cherry blossoms. Jia Jia’s parents didn’t mind either, as Aunt was footing the bill for the entire trip.

Uncle and Lu Mingze were napping on the bed, while Aunt stood with her legs apart at the window of their room in the Westin Hotel, staring at the rain. Tokyo was submerged in the downpour. In that moment, Aunt’s figure and mood resembled that of a general standing under a rain of enemy arrows. She was determined—the final push still needed to be made! The last layer of ice had to be broken! Jia Jia had to be secured! With the resilience of a housewife who had fought many battles, Aunt silently swore to herself.