Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 346: Family Dinner (7)

Dragon Raja 3

Lu Mingfei thought, Auntie, are you here to embarrass me on purpose? If you want me dead, keep praising me like this. Even if I die, I won’t let you off the hook! Could you please direct your gaze 45 degrees to the left? That’s where your future son-in-law is sitting! I’m just here as a passerby!

“Yes, very elite indeed,” Aunt said coldly, taking advantage of Director Chen’s wife looking away to shoot an icy glare at Lu Mingfei, then another at Erii.

Erii slowly ate her caviar with a shell spoon, her long lashes lowering to cover her crimson eyes. She was the most silent person at the table, yet she seemed like the host of the banquet. Everyone would steal glances at her, only to quickly look away. Her posture was regal, with a straight back and delicate movements. The way she held her utensils and sipped from her wine glass made it clear she was no stranger to French dining.

Lu Mingfei had expected that this country girl would be wide-eyed with awe upon entering Chateau Joel Robuchon, like when she had seen Disney’s Snow White Castle. He thought she’d be overjoyed, and then he could guide her on how to use the various utensils, explaining the dishes and suggesting that there’s more to the world beyond her beloved five-treasure fried rice. This would smoothly lead into proposing a trip to the U.S. But to his surprise, she was completely familiar with French dining, as if this restaurant were her own palace dining hall.

She sat there like a princess at the head of a long, ten-meter table, though in reality, they were sitting at a round table.

Lu Mingfei recalled something Lu Mingze had once told him—the “Power Position Theory.” Erii’s presence seemed to alter the entire atmosphere of the floor. Wherever she sat became the “seat of power.”

For Aunt, this was a terrible feeling. She felt like not only was her nephew overshadowing her, but now even his girlfriend was outshining her, further diminishing Jiajia’s presence. Worse yet, she herself was being suppressed.

“Your classmate doesn’t talk much, does she?” Aunt asked coldly.

“She’s naturally like that. She was born…” Lu Mingfei began to babble.

At that moment, Erii took out a small notebook and wrote something down, showing it to Lu Mingfei. Everyone could see the message: “Is this what an ordinary family dinner looks like?”

Aunt’s anger was about to reach its peak. Lu Mingfei inwardly cried, Princess, did I not take good care of you the past few days? Is this your revenge? ‘Ordinary family’—you’re rubbing salt in Aunt’s wounds! Japanese people really are ruthless!

Through her sniper scope, Mai observed each person at the table, carefully watching their expressions. She was perched atop the old building opposite Chateau Joel Robuchon, cloaked in a raincoat, holding her AS50 heavy sniper rifle.

There was no need to fire right now. She was simply using her scope as a binocular to enjoy this bizarre family dinner orchestrated by her boss. Everyone at the table had their own hidden agenda. Mai couldn’t figure out what her boss hoped to achieve with this arrangement—it certainly didn’t seem like this dinner would help Erii fall in love with Lu Mingfei.

She pulled out a voice recorder from her pocket and quietly noted, “It’s the evening of day five of Tokyo Love Story. They’re having a family dinner at Chateau Joel Robuchon, and the atmosphere is incredibly awkward. I see no opportunities for love to blossom.”

Lu Mingfei had barely managed to get out of trouble by explaining to Aunt that “ordinary” in Japanese didn’t mean the same thing as it did in Chinese. Then he quickly shifted the conversation to singing the praises of Lu Mingze.

In his telling, Lu Mingze was practically a model citizen, a shining example of a good student at Shilan Middle School, who respected his teachers, cared for his classmates, and always checked both sides of the street before crossing. He was the type to wait for an old lady to cross the road just so he could help her, always eager to assist others. He excelled in both academics and sports, and everyone in the class saw him as a reliable big brother figure. Girls would blush when they spoke to him. If there was any flaw, it was that he was a bit rigid and inflexible.

Lu Mingfei knew how to embellish and how to be crafty. He understood that merely praising Lu Mingze wouldn’t be enough; Director Chen’s family might think he was just trying too hard. But by adding that Lu Mingze was a bit rigid and inflexible, it made his compliments seem more credible. Besides, to a future mother-in-law, being rigid wasn’t really a flaw—it might even be considered a virtue. Under his manipulation, the conversation finally turned back to Lu Mingze and Jiajia. Director Chen’s wife nodded approvingly, remarking how unexpectedly popular Lu Mingze was. Lu Mingfei thought, Of course he’s popular—what I’m actually describing is Chu Zihang, Shilan’s golden boy. Everyone worships him like an idol and would probably kneel to kiss his shoes if they could.

Aunt, seeing how perceptive and considerate Lu Mingfei was, couldn’t help but feel a bit pleased, which slightly lessened her dislike toward him. She then took on the demeanor of an elder, asking him about his life in the U.S., as if the fact that they hadn’t spoken for an entire year wasn’t even an issue.

Erii’s inability to speak gave Aunt some sense of balance. After all, she thought, this must be a disabled child. Otherwise, with her looks, her attire indicating a wealthy family background, and her impeccable manners that showed she had been raised to be a proper high-society lady, why would someone like her ever take an interest in Lu Mingfei?

Even so, Jiajia sitting beside Erii still felt like she was being overshadowed by Erii’s radiance. Aunt couldn’t help but wonder how Lu Mingfei was doing so well lately. He had connected with a Japanese rich girl and could afford to dine at such an expensive restaurant. His claim of working to support his studies must be a cover—was he planning to marry into wealth in Japan? Or perhaps Giovanni had once again found a way to help her son connect with a wealthy girl? Aunt had always felt a step behind Giovanni in everything, even in finding a wife for her son. This thought left her feeling rather frustrated.

“Your classmate’s family must be quite wealthy, right?” Aunt asked Lu Mingfei, her tone laced with a hint of sarcasm.

Lu Mingfei understood the underlying meaning right away, sensing Aunt’s hostility toward Erii. Clearly, Aunt thought Erii was too high-class and aloof, and yet was being close with him—like a fine cabbage being eaten by a pig.

“Yes, yes. I’m just working part-time at her house. It’s like a social internship,” Lu Mingfei responded without thinking, lying easily since he knew Erii wouldn’t expose him.

“Oh, so she needs someone to take care of her because of her condition?” Aunt seemed slightly more at ease now, thinking that Erii indeed didn’t seem like a normal girl—there was a lack of liveliness in her eyes.

Just as Lu Mingfei was about to continue his fabrications, he felt a slight poke on his leg from Erii under the table.

A small notebook was silently placed in front of him with a note: “Shouldn’t we take care of everyone properly tonight?”

Lu Mingfei wrote back “Yes” and showed it to Erii. She nodded and then wrote, “I will behave.”

Lu Mingfei felt a little stirred. Was she aware that Aunt didn’t like her? But this wasn’t her fault. If she were just a wealthy, proud young lady, Aunt might only think she was stuck-up and say that’s normal for girls from rich families. But it was only because she was sitting beside him that Aunt found her so unpleasant. Erii had already been so well-behaved—she didn’t need to try harder. She was like a lotus flower blooming next to a cesspool…