Lu Mingfei could only nod. What a rare moment it was for such a proud princess to look him in the eye and talk to him… all for a salmon roll.
“Nono, show a bit of courtesy and take care of the new classmate,” Professor Guderian said.
“He doesn’t have an appetite,” Chen Motong glanced at Lu Mingfei. “Just look at him; he’s distracted. He already mixed up the men’s and women’s restrooms.”
Lu Mingfei’s heart sank at her words, and Chen Motong stuck out her tongue, picking up Lu Mingfei’s entire breakfast plate.
“Oh? Really? Mingfei, is there anything you’re worried about?” Professor Guderian fixed his gaze on Lu Mingfei. “The admission opportunity at Cassell College is very rare! You must cherish it!”
“I… I still need to think about it,” Lu Mingfei lowered his head.
His uncle, aunt, and Lu Mingze were all taken aback, doubting whether Lu Mingfei had lost his mind. How could he hesitate when an opportunity fell from the sky? It was something people could only dream of, and he should be eagerly accepting it.
Professor Guderian was anxious. “If there are any conditions we can meet, you can bring them up!”
“No,” Lu Mingfei shook his head. “I…”
“It’s about his first love,” Chen Motong said, twisting her fork and poking at Lu Mingfei’s salmon roll. “Let me think… she’s got long hair… very gentle… quiet… about 1.65 meters tall… a girl from his class. Hmm, that’s about it.”
She looked out the window, chewing her food as if no one else was there.
Lu Mingfei shivered. Lu Mingze’s ears perked up immediately, and his uncle and aunt cast suspicious glances at him. The table fell into sudden silence, with only the sound of Chen Motong chewing on the salmon roll clearly audible.
“Nono, stop it,” Aki said.
“I’m just joking,” Chen Motong pushed her empty plate forward, revealing her bright white teeth, and shot Lu Mingfei a pretty yet mischievous smile. “We’re not familiar; we just met today, right? Even if he had a first love, I wouldn’t know who she is.”
Everyone let out a collective breath, and Professor Guderian seemed relieved.
“Our Mingfei isn’t dating anyone, right, Mingfei?” His aunt felt reassured, as Lu Mingfei hadn’t secretly sought a girlfriend. This made her feel that her leadership status at home had not been shaken. Moreover, she also felt that no one should be so blind as to fall for Lu Mingfei; all the girls in his school were refined young ladies, so how could he be their match?
“Who would want me?” Lu Mingfei said, munching on a piece of asparagus. This way, his mouth was always moving, so he wouldn’t have to pretend to show any expressions.
“Students should prioritize their studies,” his uncle said.
“You’re upgrading your main base to level three,” Chen Motong suddenly said.
Lu Mingfei’s heart skipped a beat, and the asparagus fell onto his plate.
In the dead of night, Lu Mingfei sat in front of his notebook, simultaneously running two programs: QQ and StarCraft.
He had been bombarded by his uncle and aunt all day, scolding him for being so ungrateful. Despite Professor Guderian’s assurances, Lu Mingfei kept insisting he needed to think about it.
“What is there to think about? Do you want to go to Harvard?” His aunt scoffed dismissively, letting out a sigh through her nose.
Chen Motong was right, he did it because of Chen Wenwen.
Lu Mingfei had read a sci-fi novel titled “The Blood-Stained Totem,” which told of a giant robot fighting on an alien planet who secretly used a military network to chat on QQ with a little girl on Earth. The giant robot, named “Godzilla,” battled against the insectoid race under a lead-gray sky while exchanging warm words with the little girl.
One day, Godzilla told the little girl on QQ, “I’m going to die; my battery fluid is all gone, I’m running out of power.”
The little girl replied, “You’re so funny; do you really think you’re a giant robot? If you don’t want to talk anymore, then don’t; we’ll see each other tomorrow.”
Godzilla said, “Talking to you feels great.”
Then he was forced to disconnect. On a distant planet, an irritable little dog jumped onto the remains of the giant robot and ripped apart its circuits with its claws.
Lu Mingfei felt like that giant robot, while Chen Wenwen was that little girl. Sometimes, Chen Wenwen would share her very secret thoughts with Lu Mingfei, and he would feel happy, responding with all kinds of cute emojis to show he was listening attentively. But Chen Wenwen would never understand why Lu Mingfei did that, nor would she know that he spent hours on QQ waiting for her. If one day the circuits of this giant robot were to sever, would Chen Wenwen feel sad?
Lost in thought, Lu Mingfei felt a wave of sadness wash over him, like battery fluid flowing through his chest, and the circuits in his body crackling with a tragic sensation.
In the literature club group chat, it was eerily quiet. Chen Wenwen wasn’t around, so no one would discuss literature. Everyone discussing the beauty of literature mainly referenced the beauty of the Muse—sitting in the sunlight in a white cotton dress with her long hair cascading down. That was the essence of literary beauty.
In the StarCraft channel, Lao Tang was teaching a group of people his strategies. Ever since he defeated Lu Mingfei, he had proclaimed himself the top player in the channel.
The big-faced cat avatar blinked, and “Nono” came online. Lu Mingfei hesitated for a moment. “Is that you?”
“Yeah, Chen Motong,” Nono replied lazily. “I’m just here to play a couple of games.”
“How did you know my ID?”
“Human flesh search, duh. You actually use an ID like ‘Mingming,’ which sounds like a girl’s, and then there’s ‘The Marks of the Setting Sun’… are you a cross-dresser?”
“Can you really find that out? Keep it a secret; that’s just me messing with my little brother.”