Dragon Raja; Chapter 9: Cassell’s Gate (7)

Dragon Raja

“Go ahead, see you the day after tomorrow.” That was the message Chen Wenwen had left for him.

He waited for nearly nineteen hours and only saw those five words. Yet, his depressed mood suddenly evaporated, and he hopped onto his bed, whistling, swaying his hips, and radiating joy, forgetting about losing to Nono.

When Lu Mingze walked into the shared bedroom he had with Lu Mingfei, he looked his cousin up and down and impatiently said, “Mom and Dad called Professor Guderian and he asked us to go to the Regal Hotel for an interview the day after tomorrow. Get ready.”

The next evening.

“Hey, Lao Tang, do you know what questions are usually asked in American university interviews?” Lu Mingfei typed in QQ.

“Why? Did you get an interview opportunity?” Lao Tang’s panda avatar jumped excitedly.

Lao Tang (Old Tang) was the only person Lu Mingfei could think of who could help him. He lived in New York, was of Chinese descent, and was probably surnamed Tang, but he wasn’t very old. It was said that Lao Tang had grown up in the United States, so his spoken Chinese wasn’t very fluent, but he could type online. Lao Tang had a slight self-inflated view of himself but otherwise had no other faults. His life goal was to become an “Indiana Jones”.

“Yeah, the interview is tomorrow morning, but I’ve searched online for a long time and don’t know what to expect,” Lu Mingfei answered honestly.

“Well… the interview questions differ from school to school. For example, the questions for New York University and Harvard University are completely different.”

“Are you more familiar with Harvard or New York?”

“Didn’t I tell you I graduated high school and went straight to work?” Lao Tang posted a frustrated panda face on the screen.

“Using the phrase ‘went into society’ really shows your progress in Chinese!”

“Alright, alright, let’s do a video call. I’ll help you with your pronunciation,” Lao Tang said.

Lu Mingfei glanced at Lu Mingze, who was sleeping on the bed beside him, hesitating for a moment. “Just keep your voice down; my cousin is asleep.”

“No problem.”

After a couple of “beep-beeps,” the video call connected. A guy with drooping eyebrows and a cheerful expression waved at him, his voice booming like thunder, “Hey! Bro!”

Lu Mingfei was so startled he almost lunged at the speakers.

“Quiet! Quiet!” Lu Mingfei waved at Lao Tang while unplugging the speakers and plugging in the headphones.

“What’s the big deal?” Lao Tang mumbled. “I rent a place near the light rail line, so it’s noisy. Where are you? Why are you being so cautious?”

“I’m staying at my uncle and aunt’s house,” Lu Mingfei replied softly.

“Oh, oh.” Lao Tang nodded, lowering his voice and speaking in a rather off-key Chinese. “So, bro, once your application is successful, you can move out on your own? You should have said that earlier. I’ll take care of your interview!!”

“You’re really nice, Lao Tang.” Lu Mingfei gave him a thumbs up.

“As the top player in the channel, if I don’t show some consideration for the second place, wouldn’t that make my big brother status meaningless?” Lao Tang laughed.

For a moment, Lu Mingfei felt a bit moved, gaining more confidence about tomorrow’s interview. He had spent the whole day wandering around, and in the afternoon, as usual, he watched the sunset on the rooftop, completely at a loss. No one could tell him what an American university interview was like; the other interviewees were probably at home, having their pronunciation corrected word by word by their tutors or parents, right? But Lu Mingfei couldn’t find anyone to help him. He had stumbled upon Lao Tang’s QQ avatar bouncing after scrolling online for a long time, so he decided to give it a shot. He wasn’t even that familiar with Lao Tang.

It turned out that in a corner he never expected, there was someone who could help him, taking on a mysteriously protective big brother attitude towards him as a little brother.

Brotherhood—that’s what it is!

“Speaking of which, I’m also an orphan,” Lao Tang continued with a sigh. “You know, it’s tough to get by here in America, especially for people like us who are orphans. Luckily, I can receive social welfare…”

“Hey, hey, hey! Who’s an orphan? My parents are just out of the house!” Lu Mingfei spat at him.

“Oh, oh, Sao Rui Sao Rui, I misunderstood,” Lao Tang kept apologizing in the window.

“Please, big brother, can you stop using your awkward Chinese! What’s ‘sao rui’? It’s ‘sorry,’ okay? Aren’t we supposed to be practicing accents now?” Lu Mingfei was at a loss for words with his antics.

“Uh-huh, right, right. Once we finish practicing, we still have to play a few rounds, so hurry! Let’s start now!” Lao Tang cleared his throat. “The most common opening question in interviews is, ‘Why do you want to apply to our school? Why did you apply to this college? Please show me some reasons.’”

“But I didn’t apply…”

“Come on! Stop wasting time and practice with me! I have to be responsible for your life! The great faculty is the key reason, and your college has a very good research atmosphere…”

“The great faculty is the key reason, and your college has a very good research atmosphere…” Lu Mingfei followed Lao Tang, pronouncing each word carefully.

The night grew deeper; the small southern town fell silent, with streetlights illuminating the empty streets. Most of the building lights were off, leaving only a few windows lit by those who were still awake. In one of the windows, a young man repeatedly practiced certain phrases with somewhat unclear pronunciation, cramming for the last minute, while a guy thousands of miles away ate yogurt, shouting “No, No, No!” at each of his pronunciation mistakes.

Lu Mingze rolled his eyes, glancing at Lu Mingfei with impatience, snorted, stuffed his ears with his hands, and turned over.

The next morning at the Regal Hotel.

This was the most luxurious hotel in the city, a global chain with five stars. Lu Mingfei knew of this hotel because his uncle loved to sit in the lobby, drinking tea and chatting with friends, always having the waitstaff refill his cup until the strong tea turned into plain water, keeping costs low while enjoying the superior service of the world’s top hotel.

Lu Mingfei had never entered the glass doors of this hotel before, and now he stared with tired, red eyes, looking around.

Series Navigation

<< Dragon Raja; Chapter 8 Cassell’s Gate (6)Dragon Raja; Chapter 10: Cassell’s Gate (8) >>