Dragon Raja; Chapter 14: Cassell’s Gate (12)

Dragon Raja

“Mr. Lu Mingfei? Green tea or black tea?” A well-dressed waiter approached the table, addressing Lu Mingfei, who was sandwiched between his uncle and aunt.

“What are the prices?” His uncle displayed the demeanor of someone who frequented upscale venues.

“For guests in the presidential suite, everything is free. Professor Guderian has reserved the presidential suite,” the waiter replied.

“American schools are really wealthy!” His aunt immediately felt a sense of respect for Cassell College.

With a “ding,” the elevator doors opened directly, and a burly elderly man with gray hair walked toward the table by the window, with Ye Sheng on his left and Aki on his right. The handsome man and beautiful woman made quite an imposing pair. Without saying a word, he grabbed Lu Mingfei’s hand firmly. “Hello! Lu Mingfei!”

“Hello… Professor Guderian?” Lu Mingfei felt a bit awkward in the face of such enthusiastic warmth. “Your Chinese is excellent.”

Professor Guderian’s eyes lit up as he excitedly scratched his head. “Is it that good? I learned from watching the CCTV news broadcast! Our college has a comprehensive Chinese program; everyone knows China will become the most prosperous place in the world!” He looked at Lu Mingfei with a gleaming gaze, a welcoming expression on his face. “Join us! You won’t need English; all the students at our college speak Chinese.”

Lu Mingfei blinked. What does this mean? Speak Chinese? No need to speak English? In his otherwise unremarkable life, the only thing that stood out was his TOEFL score, and if that was ignored, what was Cassell College interested in him for? The expression on Professor Guderian’s face was almost one of overwhelming joy.

“Hello, Professor Guderian, I’m Lu Mingfei’s uncle.” His uncle, eager to join the conversation, squeezed in between Professor Guderian and Lu Mingfei.

Because he couldn’t remember the name “Guderian,” he cleverly simplified it to “Professor Gu.”

“Lu and his uncle don’t look alike at all!” Professor Guderian shook hands with his uncle.

Now it was his uncle’s turn to feel awkward. Despite Professor Guderian’s grand presence as a resident of the presidential suite, he seemed a bit out of touch. Ye Sheng tugged at Professor Guderian’s sleeve from behind, and the three of them sat across the table from each other.

“Let’s have breakfast.” Professor Guderian said, crossing his left hand over his right. His gaze remained fixed on Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei felt as though the way Professor Guderian looked at him was akin to a gourmet staring at a roasted chicken, filled with anticipation. The expensive breakfast included salmon rolls and freshly squeezed lemon juice, and the silver cutlery was quite impressive. This immediately dispelled his uncle’s earlier displeasure; after all, it wasn’t embarrassing that Lu Mingfei didn’t look like him. The host and guests enjoyed their meal.

Professor Guderian praised Lu Mingfei for performing exceptionally well in the interview, and his uncle happily remarked that one could tell Cassell College was an elite American institution, unmatched by Chinese universities.

Ye Sheng was well-prepared, pulling out a copy of the legitimate university license registered with the U.S. Department of Education for his aunt to admire. He also took out an album, introducing each photo, saying, “This is the library of Cassell College; this is the sports complex; this is the music hall.” The style of the college in the photos was elegant, resembling a fully renovated castle.

One photo showed Ye Sheng windsurfing, with countless sails racing in the background. Ye Sheng explained that this was the college’s annual windsurfing competition, and Cassell College had surpassed the University of Chicago for three consecutive years.

His aunt was also impressed, exclaiming that it was indeed a stroke of luck for their family’s Mingfei to attend such a school.

Lu Mingfei felt a strange sensation. It felt like a marriage arrangement; he was like a daughter being married off while staying at home and making money off the dowry, with the suitor eager and the girl’s family willing to go along with it.

He gathered his courage and asked, “Professor Guderian… what does your college see in me?”

“Comprehensive qualities! A lot of potential!” Professor Guderian said earnestly, “We admire you so much that we not only want to accept you but also grant you a scholarship. I’ve decided to allocate $36,000 a year in scholarship funds from my own budget, enough for you to complete four years of college!”

Both his uncle and aunt gasped simultaneously.

“Professor Gu… this… it’s not some kind of additional condition, right? Like having to pay back money later or something… We need to clarify this first.” Lu Mingfei’s uncle felt something was off.

“No need! Absolutely no need! The scholarship is a reward for your nephew because he is excellent!” Professor Guderian stated firmly.

“That sounds insincere,” Lu Mingfei’s uncle shook his head.

“Of course, there are other reasons as well. Lu Mingfei’s parents happen to be our distinguished alumni and have made donations to the college. Under equal conditions, we prioritize the children of alumni for admission.”

Lu Mingfei suddenly lifted his head, feeling like a little rabbit bouncing in his heart. He had forgotten how long it had been since he had heard from his parents. Each time his mother wrote, it was just to tell him to take care of himself and study hard, a monotonous message. Sometimes, Lu Mingfei felt those letters were merely perfunctory, as if his parents didn’t really care about him anymore.

“They care about you a lot,” Professor Guderian said. “Although I’ve never met them, I’ve heard they’ve been busy with important projects, traveling around the world these years. I have a photo of them here, oh, and a letter from your mother addressed to the college regarding you.”

He pulled a photo from his pocket and placed it in front of Lu Mingfei. The photo showed a summer garden, with the distant silhouette of Cassell College bathed in the sunset. In the foreground were numerous lush vines, rich in color and transparency, with a man and a woman walking hand in hand among them. The man wore a loose-fitting white shirt and baggy pants, with wooden sandals on his feet, while the woman wore a pure white cotton dress.

Lu Mingfei reached out his finger and gently touched the faces of the two people in the picture. That beautiful couple was his parents, but they seemed so far away, in a corner of the world he could never reach. His nose felt a bit sour as he looked at the man and woman gazing at each other with warm smiles, clearly enjoying their own world, likely having forgotten about the child they had together.

His aunt made a pointed comment, “They both look quite romantic for their age!”

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