Such a blunt rejection made NoNo feel as if she were so ugly that people were afraid to get involved with her.
"I shouldn't object?" Morin looked indifferent.
"That won't do either!" NoNo rejected it decisively.
"Then what do you want me to do?" Morin chose to lie flat and let her decide.
"You two... you two carry on, I'm leaving!" Su Xiaoqiang finally couldn't take it. She turned and ran, crystal droplets scattering as she moved. They clearly weren't sweat-the thick glass kept the scorching summer air outside.
"Look at you, you made someone cry." NoNo spoke like she was enjoying the show.
"You're not innocent either." Morin shook his head, but he didn't chase after Su Xiaoqiang to explain or comfort her. He leaned against the window. "If you've got something to say, just say it."
"Not going after her?" NoNo teased. "What about maintaining that sunny, warm persona of yours?"
"First, I am sunny. It's not fake." Morin shook his head. "Second, for someone with zero chance of an outcome, I won't do anything that gives her hope. Otherwise, it's bad for everyone. What's the difference between that and Chen Wenwen?"
"You saw it a long time ago, didn't you?" NoNo leaned against the other side of the window, looking out. "Then why not tell him?"
"For some things, does it help when someone else tells you?" Morin said calmly. "Lu Mingfei is a loser-at least on the surface. So when someone lends him a hand, he remembers it forever. Especially when it's someone at the 'class beauty' level. To someone like him, that's worth remembering for a lifetime."
He paused briefly.
"To be blunt, if Chen Wenwen crooks her finger, he'll run over and work like a dog without complaint. As long as there's a bit of hope, he won't give up. Everyone in school knows he likes her, yet he can still convince himself he's hiding it well. Chen Wenwen knows too. Why do you think she doesn't say anything?"
"Stringing him along?" NoNo lowered her gaze. Su Xiaoqiang had already reached the ground floor below.
"Pretty much." Morin watched her leave. "Optimistically, she knows he likes her but he hasn't confessed, so she can't reject him outright. Pessimistically, she's skilled at tea artistry and wants to keep a very useful tool. Personally, I lean toward the second."
"When feelings start wrong, they get very troublesome. He's liked her for almost three years. I've only been here a month or two. Telling him won't wake him up. It'll only make him misunderstand other things. Not worth it."
"So you haven't even dated, yet you talk like a relationship expert." NoNo grew more irritated as she listened. "Isn't this all armchair theory?"
She had seen all of Morin's records. Digging deeper only led her to personally profile him-and she'd ended up cornered by a freshman.
She'd basically dug a pit and jumped into it herself.
"Maybe I just haven't met 'the one' yet." Morin shrugged. "That doesn't stop me from thinking about it."
"That's just daydreaming."
"So what did you actually want to talk about?" Morin smoothly changed the topic.
"There are two major student organizations at Cassell College," NoNo's tone turned formal. "The Student Union, and the Lionheart Society. I'm officially inviting you to join the Student Union-after you enroll."
"What do you get?" Morin raised a brow. "And what do I get?"
"Hear that?" NoNo didn't answer. She handed him her phone. A call was already connected. "Ask him yourself."
"..."
Morin glanced at the contact name.
NoNo: "!"
"Hm. Quite the mental image." Morin grinned and put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hello. I'm Caesar. Caesar Gattuso, current President of the Student Union."
"I'm Morin. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll be a freshman this year."
"You are very strong."
"No argument there."
"I invite you to join the Student Union." Caesar's voice was steady. "After I step down, you will become the next president."
"That sounds like you're passing down an imperial throne." Morin couldn't help mocking him. Spending time with Lu Mingfei had rubbed off on him. Trash talk was... liberating.
"I didn't mean it that way." Caesar replied seriously. "But if it were the throne of a small country, I might manage."
"Sss... Brother Caesar, have you heard of an ability called 'money-power'?" Morin inhaled sharply.
"A superpower? A Speech Spirit?" Caesar sounded surprised.
"No, no. I mean actual money-power. The kind Bruce Wayne has. What you just said perfectly demonstrates pay-to-win."
"I usually spend US dollars..." Caesar paused. He felt he couldn't quite follow. Was this the terror of Heavenly Calculation-where conversations themselves became incomprehensible?
"Let's get back to business." Morin's tone leveled. "I'm not joining."
"Why?" Caesar frowned. The rejection was absolute. If Morin had left room, he would have added more weight. Heavenly Calculation was unprecedented at Cassell. A humanoid supercomputer was invaluable.
But Morin had overturned the scales entirely.
"If I need a reason," Morin said calmly, "it's because having someone weaker than me as my boss makes me unhappy. I prefer being the boss."
"I understand." Caesar replied. "I look forward to your arrival."
"I also look forward to Cassell College." Morin smiled. "See you."
"See you."
The call ended.
Morin handed the phone back, smiling in a way that clearly failed to hide his amusement. "Big Chest Bro?"
"It's unethical to snoop on other people's privacy!" NoNo hurriedly changed the contact name.
"You handed it to me yourself."
"I told you to take the call, not look at the name!"
"Alright, my bad." Morin shifted topics. "So if I enroll, what happens next?"
"Wait a few hours. Professor Guderian is in charge. Only he can approve it." NoNo sighed after fixing the contact name. "He's probably on the plane. If he arrives tonight, it'll be done tomorrow. Your high school procedures will be handled."
"Then should we... go check?" Morin glanced at the clock. "Based on the questions, it should be almost done. It's 11:53."
NoNo looked at her phone. "Don't tell me you memorized the time."
"Error within 0.3 seconds. Calibrate once a day."
"I thought people like us were freakish enough. Didn't expect an even bigger one."
"I don't know if that's an insult or praise." Morin waved it off. "By the way, how big are Brother Caesar's pecs exactly?"
NoNo: "..."
"Surely not bigger than yours-"
"Get out!" NoNo finally lashed out with a kick.
She'd wanted to do that for a while.
After enrollment, it'd be harder. And with Morin's Speech Spirit likely Rank A, once trained, she probably wouldn't beat him. Better vent now, while he was still a high-IQ white rabbit.
Morin instinctively caught her sweeping leg and pushed upward. NoNo hadn't used much force, so even with normal human strength, he redirected it easily-and pushed.
He realized too late and tried to pull back.
NoNo's eyes widened. Losing balance, she didn't notice. Instinct kicked in. She grabbed his arms, jumped with her left leg, and hooked it behind him.
If completed, her legs would wrap around his neck in a perfect snake-like choke.
(Think Black Widow in Iron Man 2.)
But it didn't happen.
Morin turned and pinned her against the wall as both pulled back force.
The result was awkward.
NoNo's legs were draped over his shoulders. Her hands clutched his arms. She was pinned against the wall.
If they were a couple, it'd be normal.
They weren't.
Morin had no intention of flirting. Caesar was a decent guy. He couldn't reveal his strength, couldn't let himself be strangled, and couldn't just drop her either.
Then the door to the waiting hall opened.
Lu Mingfei saw everything.
"Stunned" didn't cover it. His thoughts were probably just:
WTF WTF WTF WTF.
Silence lasted two or three seconds.
Morin let go. NoNo jumped down.
They walked over expressionlessly.
"She said she was light," Morin explained seriously. "I didn't believe her, so we were just playing a game."
"You'd be better off not explaining." NoNo rubbed her forehead, then glared at Lu Mingfei. "You know what you should say."
"...Happy New Year, Big Bro and Big Sister?" Lu Mingfei ventured.
"It's 'I didn't see anything'!"
"Oh-oh-I didn't see anything!" He panicked, sneaking a glance at Morin.
"Don't worry about why." Morin looked miserable. "Just ignore it."
His persona was ruined.
"Why do you look so wronged?" NoNo snapped. "I'm the one who suffered here!"
"Yes, yes, my fault. I'll reflect." Morin nodded sincerely, then changed topics. "Why are you out? First interview?"
"No. Last." Lu Mingfei scratched his head. "I wanted to ask... what you said earlier. About everyone else being runners-up."
"I guessed." Morin replied seriously. "Whether you qualify depends on your abilities and qualities. Cassell College would never allow 'pulling strings.'"
But you've already hooked up with the interviewer... Lu Mingfei thought.
"You can ask a professional." Morin glanced at NoNo and tossed the question to her.
"...Phew." NoNo calmed herself. "He's right. We only recruit students with special aptitudes. Pulling strings doesn't exist."
Cassell College wasn't ordinary.
It was for slaying dragons.
Bringing an ordinary person in would be delivering a snack.
"Then... what part of me qualifies?" Lu Mingfei asked quietly.
He couldn't think of a single thing.
Surely it wasn't StarCraft.