Dragon Raja 4; Chapter 88: Young Schoolmates (4)

Dragon Raja 4

The last time they had seen each other was in Beijing, when Lu Mingfei and Finger had gone to the Christmas Mass at the Dongsi Church to mooch off the free Communion. That day, Chen Wenwen had been part of the choir, while Zhao Menghua, who had recently converted, was her “Gospel Brother.” Their eyes had met across the candlelight, and Lu Mingfei and Finger had just stood there, watching. Zhao Menghua had already forgotten that Lu Mingfei had saved him from Nibelungen, and Chen Wenwen had fully returned to her ex-boyfriend. Whether it was due to lingering sadness over Xia Mi or his own self-pity, Lu Mingfei had felt very downcast that day. Finger had patted him on the shoulder, saying, “Brother, let it go. A girl like that is not worth your trouble! She serves God, and you walk with the devil!” Lu Mingfei had been startled, staring at Finger in shock, wondering how he could know about the little devil. Finger, as if reading his thoughts, had patted his own chest. “Right here! Your good brother! The lustful ghost Finger! Nice to meet you!”

Finally, Chen Wenwen broke the silence. “Senior Lu, you’re here for the anniversary celebration too?” Her voice was just as soft and delicate as before.

“Senior Lu?” Lu Mingfei was confused. He thought the title sounded impressive, but they had been in the same grade, even in the same class. How could he be her senior?

Chen Wenwen looked down, her cheeks turning a deep red, the flush extending all the way down her neck.

Lu Mingfei remembered that she used to blush when she was shy, but why would she blush at seeing him? If anything, their reunion should be filled with animosity.

“You’re here for the anniversary too? Is Zhao Menghua not with you?” Lu Mingfei asked, though what he was really thinking was: Zhao Menghua! Where are you? Come get your girlfriend!

And right on cue, Zhao Menghua appeared from around a corner, freezing when he saw Lu Mingfei. “Senior Lu? You’re here too? Did you two plan this?”

Lu Mingfei silently screamed in his heart, “Brother, stop! I swear, I fled back to school in a panic, and I didn’t arrange anything with your girlfriend!”

“Hey, isn’t that… Lu Mingfei?! It’s Lu Mingfei!” someone shouted in surprise.

“Watch your tone! Call him ‘Senior Brother’!” another person elbowed the first speaker. “He was your senior back then, and even after graduating, he’s still your senior!”

The ones speaking were a pair of tall twins, both dressed in tailored suits with slim ties, exuding a bit of that stylish, K-pop pretty boy vibe.

Lu Mingfei couldn’t recall ever meeting such a pair of twins. He knew many twins, but they were usually not human.

“Senior Brother Lu, don’t you remember us? I’m Xu Yanyan, and this is my younger brother, Xu Miaomiao,” one of the handsome young men quickly introduced himself. “We were all part of the Literature Club back in the day.”

Lu Mingfei finally remembered. Weren’t these the chubby twin boys from the Literature Club? He hadn’t seen them in years—could they have successfully slimmed down? Or… a wave of unease washed over him.

“I remember now, I remember,” Lu Mingfei said, “But we were all classmates. Why do you guys call me ‘Senior Brother’?”

“We’ve always called you Senior Brother Lu,” Xu Yanyan said, confused. “You were like an idol to us—everyone’s senior! Except for Xiaotian, she insisted on calling you ‘Brother Mingfei.’”

Lu Mingfei did recall Xiaotian. She was the most beautiful girl in their grade, her real name was Su Xiaoqian. Her family owned a mine, and she had an Audi A8 chauffeur her to and from school. She had so much pocket money that she often treated her classmates to Pizza Hut or bubble tea. She had a group of girls who looked up to her like a big sister. In Su Xiaoqian’s eyes, every boy at Shilan Middle School was trash, except for Chu Zihang and Zhao Menghua. Why would she call him “Brother Mingfei” so sweetly?

“Senior Brother Lu, are you here for the anniversary celebration too?” Chen Wenwen said, her voice so soft it was barely audible. Her face turned an even deeper shade of red, the blush spreading all the way to her legs.

Lu Mingfei quickly glanced at Zhao Menghua, trying to convey “Bro, don’t misunderstand! You’re a big shot here, and I understand the unspoken rule of not touching the boss’s girlfriend…” Though even as he thought this, he realized it sounded a bit weak. “I mean, I’ve always had the desire but never the guts to mess with your girl…” But Zhao Menghua merely sighed and looked toward the playground with an air of indifference, as if saying, “You two talk, I’ll be the gentleman and stay silent.”

More and more people gathered around, and some of the older alumni and parents pointed at Lu Mingfei, chatting excitedly.

“Wow! Is that the famous Lu Mingfei? He looks so sharp in that suit and coat!”

“Look at his aura—definitely a student from a prestigious American school! That ‘Qaddafi college’ sounds pretty impressive!”

“What Qaddafi college? It’s not Saddam college either—it’s Cassell College!” a middle-aged man corrected with a booming voice.

“He’s about the same age as my daughter. I wonder if he has a girlfriend?” an older woman commented as she eyed Lu Mingfei up and down.

“I heard he’s as good at basketball as someone on the national team. It’s amazing how some people are just so outstanding!”

Lu Mingfei thought, I don’t know a thing about basketball! You can compliment my looks, but don’t start giving me skills I don’t have.

Suddenly, something clicked in his mind, and he sprinted toward the school gate. On the side of the gate was the big red achievement board, which was posted twice a year—once during the anniversary celebration and once after the national college entrance exam. The college entrance exam board only showed the rankings of current graduates, while the anniversary board listed all recent graduates who had been accepted to prestigious schools.

At the top of the board was his name: “Lu Mingfei, Model Student of the City, accepted into Cassell Private college in the United States with a full scholarship.”

There was even an extra note: “Represented Shilan Middle School in the city’s youth basketball team and won the national championship runner-up.”

Lu Mingfei had never been on the city’s youth basketball team, nor had he ever been named a model student, at least not in his memory. He clearly remembered that when Chu Zihang received that award, a deputy director from the education bureau had personally come to the school. Over two thousand students had stood on the playground, and the deputy director had handed the certificate to Chu Zihang in person. But now, with Chu Zihang gone, in this world without Chu Zihang, Lu Mingfei had become the shining star of Shilan Middle School. No wonder Zhao Menghua had remained silent—of course, Chen Wenwen would have admired Lu Mingfei at some point. How could she not? It was like having a girlfriend who admired Jay Chou—he was like the sun in the sky, so naturally, she had admired him. There was no shame in admitting it.

As his memories crumbled further, more inconsistencies appeared. It wasn’t just the school gate and the facilities that had been renovated—it was like every person in the school had been updated, including himself, transformed into this glittering “Brother Mingfei.”

“Is Mingfei back? Why didn’t you let us know so we could send a car to pick you up?” A voice called from behind, and someone suddenly hugged him.

Lu Mingfei turned around, only to see the old principal, flanked by teachers, excitedly emerging from the office building to surround him.

Each of them took turns shaking his hand, exclaiming how handsome he had become over the years. They all agreed that the suit made him almost unrecognizable as the same person from before.

Quickly composing himself, Lu Mingfei handled their greetings, relieved that the teachers were still the same, just a few years older. Their attitudes toward him, however, had completely changed.

The principal warmly invited Lu Mingfei to the large conference hall for tea. The principal sat with Lu Mingfei at the head of the table in two ornate redwood armchairs, while the teachers sat on sofas lining both sides of the room.

The principal enthusiastically talked about how much Shilan Middle School had developed in the past few years, boasting about adopting a new educational model from New Zealand and even expanding enrollment to international students.

Feigning amazement, Lu Mingfei replied, “Wow, my alma mater has become so impressive! I’m truly proud of Shilan’s success, and even more proud to be a part of its progress!”

The principal beamed and added, “You’ve been like a dragon for our school, Mingfei! With you, Shilan Middle School is truly soaring to new heights!”

Lu Mingfei internally winced, thinking, That’s supposed to be a secret! How do you know about that, Principal? But outwardly, he humbly said, “Whatever small accomplishments I’ve made, I owe to the principal and teachers here.”

The principal laughed heartily and asked, “Mingfei, of course, you’re the dragon! But don’t you want to know who the tiger is?”

Lu Mingfei’s eyes lit up. Could it be Chu Zihang? But the principal answered with a chuckle, “It’s your cousin, Lu Mingze! Though he’s not as accomplished as you, he also got into an American university with a scholarship. He’s another rising star of Shilan Middle School!”

Lu Mingfei thought, If Lu Mingze is considered a rising star, is that based on his looks or his grades? If my cousin is a rising star, the girls at school must be in serious danger!

The principal then led Lu Mingfei to a photo wall, proudly introducing several distinguished alumni—one was now a deputy party secretary of a province, another had just become a member of the Chinese college of Sciences.

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