“You behind-the-scenes villain! Can it be deleted? Before Caesar sees it?” Lu Mingfei begged with a long face. “Please!”
“Although it’s possible Caesar hasn’t seen it yet… his juniors definitely already screenshotted it for him. Deleting it now would just make it more suspicious.” Finger tried to comfort him. “Public figures shouldn’t fear scandals—it’s like an alpha monkey asserting dominance over a group of female monkeys!”
“What kind of analogy is that?”
“There’s a similarity between monkeys’ social relationships and humans’,” Finger said, raising his eyebrows.
“Stop!” Lu Mingfei quickly waved his hand. “Let’s not talk about anything else right now! Listen to me! The problem is, Chu Zihang invited me to join the Lionheart Society. He even said I’d be the next president after him. If I don’t join, then… Never mind, and Kiran—Kiran said I should join the Freshman Union and become its president. Do I have to swear allegiance to some faction to survive here? Can I survive without pledging loyalty? Which faction is easier to join?”
Finger rolled his eyes and looked at the ceiling, as if this were an enormous problem that required deep contemplation.
He got up and paced for a few steps before saying, “From a strategic standpoint, you went too far during the map deciphering event. Scoring the highest in 3E exam history and being awarded the Principal’s Scholarship made you too prominent. If this were the medieval era, a young and talented dragon slayer like you would’ve already been knighted. That’s why all the factions are trying to recruit you. The Freshman Union’s offer is to respect you as their boss—understandable, since the freshmen don’t want to be caught in between the Lionheart Society and the Student Union. Both want to recruit newcomers, and if Freshman Union members are split, they’ll end up as rivals. Kiran is quite capable of organizing things, but she doesn’t have the flair or leadership charisma that you do.”
“Chu Zihang’s offer is more tempting—he wants to groom you as his successor. The Lionheart Society has always held a higher status in the school than the Student Union. The president of the Lionheart Society is almost always the most gifted young person around. They say that Principal Manecke was the first president of the Lionheart Society, which is why everyone thinks the Principal is partial to the Society. Becoming the president of the Lionheart Society would be a great start to your hero’s journey!”
“Ugh! Hero’s journey? Have you lost your mind? I’m just trying to figure out how to survive in this college.” Lu Mingfei rolled his eyes. “If no one else knows, you should at least know how I passed the 3E exam, right? And that map thing… it’s hard to explain. Anyway, it wasn’t my own skill—it’s all fake! Just because you have two wooden toy guns on your waist doesn’t mean you can become a bandit king! I just want to know whose coattails I should hold onto.”
“You really have the face of someone ready to surrender. Come on, are you Liu Shan? You’re about to make a name for yourself! People are inviting you to be the leader, not a lackey. Anyway, among the three major factions, the only one that hasn’t invited you is the Student Union led by Caesar. Meanwhile, you’re secretly interested in his girlfriend…”
“Hey! It’s not ‘interested,’ it’s ‘admiring the elegance of Senior Sister’!” Lu Mingfei quickly corrected.
“Though Caesar is a bold campus politician, and as the Chinese say, ‘a true hero,’ he still values his things. A hero may go out of his way, but even a hero doesn’t like sharing his prized possession. If you want to make it through, your only real option is to grab onto Chu Zihang’s big leg for support—after all, you’re classmates.” Finger ignored him completely.
Lu Mingfei scratched his head hard. This decision would determine whether he could get by smoothly in the future, and it was a tough one.
The laptop beeped, indicating a new email. Lu Mingfei opened it and was stunned.
“Ricardo: Tomorrow evening, there will be a banquet and social dance at Amber Hall at 18:00. Come if you have time—Caesar said he wants to talk to you.
Remember to wear formal attire. Note: School uniforms don’t count. You can rent a suit from the college theater.
Nono.”
Finger leaned over and glanced at the screen, also stunned for a while. “Liu Shan… Sima Zhao is inviting you to dance… Now all three factions are eyeing you like a piece of fat meat.”
Lu Mingfei looked up. “Senior Brother, now… to which nation should I surrender?”
As night fell, Amber Hall lit up. Through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, the lights were dazzling. It was a villa-style building with a Gothic spire, a roof of deep red tiles, and walls covered in granite from India. The Student Union officers, dressed in black tuxedos with white handkerchiefs or deep red roses in their pockets, stood in the corridor to welcome guests.
“Oh my god! Caesar’s house is big enough for a hundred of us to live in!” Lu Mingfei whispered in admiration from the bushes some distance away. “Capitalist society really is just people eating people.”
“Actually, Caesar doesn’t always live here. He rented this place for Student Union activities. He used to win the rights to Norton Hall every year without having to pay rent… but now Norton Hall belongs to you.” Finger was dressed in a black formal suit. He was a tall guy, but his soul was a bit shifty. Dressed like this, with broad shoulders and strong arms, grayish brows, gray eyes, and his usually messy hair tied in a small ponytail at the back of his head, revealing a handsome forehead, he stood behind Lu Mingfei like a bodyguard.
“So why don’t we move into Norton Hall?” Lu Mingfei suddenly remembered.
“You’d need to spend tens of thousands of dollars to renovate the furniture, plus the expensive heating fees and property taxes… If you’re willing to pay that, I’d be happy to move in. Heck, if you ask me to join you, I’d be glad to—”
“Get lost!”
“Then I’ll go now, but you say hi to Caesar for me.” Finger turned to leave.
“Senior Brother, you’re so righteous—please come with me no matter what,” Lu Mingfei pleaded, pulling him back with a mournful expression.
“Tch! You told me to get lost?” Finger rolled his eyes. “Look closely—this isn’t going to be easy. The guy spent a lot of money! All his people are dressed in Armani or Zegna suits, wearing Montblanc or Vacheron Constantin watches. The line of cars parked outside—all Aston Martins or Jaguars…” Finger shook his school uniform, which was obviously too small and tight. “Compared to our two rented outfits… I think Caesar is planning to show off his wealth. He might slap a stack of cash on your face and say, ‘Either follow me to the ends of the earth, or start licking my shoes now!’”
“Hopefully, his feet don’t stink…”
“No sense of dignity!” Finger covered his face. “Hey, something’s happening!”