"There's something I never said before. I was actually accepted by Cassell College."
Lu Mingfei's voice was calm.
Chen Wenwen looked up at him. For reasons she couldn't explain, the silhouette of the cowardly boy she knew suddenly felt taller. The version of him she thought she'd seen through so easily-
Vanished like a popped bubble.
Only then did Chen Wenwen realize she had never truly understood Lu Mingfei. Beneath that loser-like exterior was a pride that stood almost alone.
It felt as if they no longer belonged to the same world.
For a brief moment, she even thought she saw a flicker of golden light in his eyes. Majestic. Noble.
"But no matter what," Lu Mingfei continued, "three years of feelings have to be said out loud. Otherwise, it's just... pathetic."
He pulled out a plastic bag.
Opened it.
Reached in and grabbed a handful of dandelions.
He'd picked them one by one by the river. Now they were wilted and limp. When he clenched his hand, the white fluff scattered, leaving only bare stems.
Yet no one laughed.
In the hands of some people, even withered dandelions could look like the most precious roses in the world.
At this moment, Lu Mingfei was one of those people.
"I like you, Chen Wenwen," he said softly. "I've liked you for three years."
He extended the dandelions toward her.
White fluff drifted through every corner of the screening room. On the massive screen behind them, the most moving scene from WALL·E was playing, its sound echoing gently, stirring emotions.
Lu Mingfei didn't wait for her answer.
He said one last sentence.
Then he turned and left.
Clean. Decisive. Without hesitation.
Morin and NoNo followed.
Men in suits and sunglasses began evacuating in orderly lines. The theater quickly returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
Only the floating dandelion fluff-
And one missing boy-
Proved it wasn't a hallucination.
Chen Wenwen finally understood.
When Lu Mingfei spoke his last words, the movie's audio drowned out his voice completely. But somehow, she understood him perfectly.
Against the cool backdrop, standing straighter than ever, carrying an aura like a king just awakened from slumber, the boy whispered:
"But now, I don't like you anymore."
Light.
Like blowing away a dandelion.
And with it, those fragile three years scattered.
From then on, they walked separate paths.
...
"What... did I just do?"
Lu Mingfei, who had just left with the composure of a king, was now slumped in the back seat of a black Mercedes, clutching his head.
Dazed.
NoNo had wanted to keep driving the Ferrari, but this time they needed room for three people.
"Did you forget?" NoNo said, sighing as she handed him an expensive-looking camcorder. "Your senior recorded everything. You were super cool."
She shook her head. "Morin was right. I really didn't expect a loser like you to pull this off."
Lu Mingfei stared blankly at the screen.
The boy on camera stood straight-backed, expression indifferent, looking like some noble born into privilege.
Holy crap.
That was him?
"I... actually looked that cool?" He stared in disbelief. "I really do look handsome!"
"Senior?" he asked suddenly, catching the title she'd used.
"You think that whole setup was free?" Morin said flatly. "So congratulations. You're joining Cassell College."
"How much..." Lu Mingfei swallowed. "How much did it cost?"
"Not much," Morin replied casually. "A few hundred thousand."
Like he'd bought breakfast.
"If you join Cassell College, it counts as the academy's preliminary investment. If you don't-"
"You pay it back yourself."
"Hiss!"
Lu Mingfei instantly forgot about kings and heartbreak.
"How do I enroll?"
To hell with dignity.
To hell with unrequited love.
Right now, he was a hero defeated by money.
NoNo slammed the brakes and stopped the car. She shoved a phone into his hand.
"Here. Speak into this."
"Huh? Say what?"
Before he could react, a cold mechanical voice sounded.
"Verification complete. Options enabled. Lu Mingfei. Date of birth: February 14, 1992. Gender: Male. ID: a.d.0013. Rank: S."
"Added to Cassell College roster. Database access enabled. Account created. Course schedule generated."
"I am Norma, Secretary of Cassell College. It is my pleasure to serve you."
"Your passport, visa, and flight tickets will arrive within three weeks."
"Welcome, Lu Mingfei."
"Wait, wait-does that mean I agreed?" Lu Mingfei panicked. "Don't I need to confirm or something?"
It felt like being tricked onto a pirate ship.
The kind where someone proposes, you say "Ah," and suddenly you're dragged into a mobile marriage office.
"At this point," NoNo said coldly, "do you really think you can get off this pirate-cough-academy?"
She took back the phone.
"Insider info. Before Professor Guderian left, he told me that if necessary, I should kidnap you and drag you in."
You were definitely about to say pirate ship, Lu Mingfei complained internally.
"Anyway," NoNo waved her hand, "you'll report with Morin later. My mission's done. I'm heading back to school."
She paused.
"Oh, right. There are currently no S-ranks among the students. If you enroll, you'll be the only one."
"Uh..." Lu Mingfei asked weakly, "Does S mean... worst?"
"Have some confidence," NoNo said impatiently. "Before you, there were only two S-ranks in the entire academy-the Principal and Vice-Principal."
"In other words, you're top dog among students."
Lu Mingfei's heart shook.
"Could this be a mistake?" He turned desperately to Morin. "Big brother, what rank are you?"
From the moment Morin kicked open that door, Lu Mingfei had decided it.
Big brother. For life.
This man had spent a fortune backing him up. Lu Mingfei knew Morin didn't have money like that. In his mind, Morin had clearly sacrificed himself to some rich woman for his sake.
He was moved to tears.
At that moment, Lu Mingfei also realized something else.
There was a lion inside him.
Every time he lost control, it woke up.
Without Morin, he might never have known.
So Morin's rank had to be higher.
Maybe SSS.
Super S.
"That stuff always exists in games, right?" Lu Mingfei thought.
"Oh," Morin said calmly. "I'm tentatively A-rank. Lower than you."
"What?" Lu Mingfei froze. Then he caught the key word. "Tentatively?"
"Once you enter, there's a re-evaluation exam," NoNo explained. "Relax. Since the academy was founded, rankings have always matched exam results."
"Can I ask what the lowest rank is?" Lu Mingfei asked carefully.
His ambition felt like it was being splashed with cold water.
Exams had never been his thing.
Was he about to break a record the moment he stepped in?
He had no idea what any of this really meant.
Behind the scenes, the supercomputer Norma was already transmitting vast amounts of data across the globe. The name "Lu Mingfei" appeared on countless screens.
Permissions unlocked.
Restrictions lifted.
Hidden websites. Secret locations.
All opened simultaneously.
The great war had begun its prelude.
...
"Big brother," Lu Mingfei asked weakly, slumped in his seat, "did you hear any insider info?"
He was holding a train ticket. Beside him were two massive bundles of luggage-clothes, quilts, even a pressure cooker his aunt had forced on him.
That thing had caused chaos at security.
Morin, by contrast, carried only a brandless backpack.
Simple white shirt. Jeans.
He looked like a rich young master traveling light.
Several girls had already asked for his number along the way.
Some people just looked expensive.
"About the enrollment exam," Lu Mingfei panted. "What's the ranking even for?"
"You still don't know Cassell College's true nature?" Morin asked.
"True nature?" Lu Mingfei froze. "Big brother, that sounds dangerous. It's not a terrorist group, is it?"
"From a certain perspective," Morin said after thinking, "yes."
"...Is it too late to go back?"
"There's no return ticket," Morin replied. "If you can afford one, I don't mind."
"I really boarded a pirate ship!" Lu Mingfei clutched his chest. "But the train isn't even here yet!"
"Have you read Harry Potter?" Morin said. "Platforms ordinary people can't see."
"So this CC1000 Express..." Lu Mingfei's eyes widened. "Boss, you're not joking?"
"Which part?"
"...Any part?"
"Everything I said is true."
Lu Mingfei froze.
The noise of the station faded away.
Only that sentence remained.
Everything... was true?
Damn it.
He thought Morin was joking at first!
"Boss, let's run!" Lu Mingfei begged, tears and snot included. "Let's find the embassy! We're young and healthy-we don't need to live risking our lives!"
"Did you forget what I told you?" Morin said.
"What?"
"We're different from ordinary people."
He placed a hand on Lu Mingfei's shoulder.
"Look at my eyes."
Lu Mingfei looked up instinctively.
Golden pupils burned.
Ancient. Overwhelming.
Something deep inside Lu Mingfei surged-rage, and longing, mixed together.
"Look at yours."
Morin snapped a photo and handed over his phone.
Lu Mingfei stared.
In the picture, his own pupils glowed gold.
"I... that's just colored contacts, right?"
Morin smiled.
Lu Mingfei looked again.
Morin's eyes were black.
"...What are we?" Lu Mingfei asked quietly. "Aliens?"
"Dragons," Morin replied. "Different kinds. I'm Eastern. You're Western."
"What the hell?" Lu Mingfei panicked. "Dragons have categories? Where are dragons in this world? I don't even have wings!"
"Not yet," Morin laughed. "When you grow them, lend me one. One for braising, one for grilling."
"Why don't you gnaw your own?" Lu Mingfei rolled his eyes, finally relaxing.
He decided Morin was joking again.
Golden pupils? Definitely an illusion.
"I'm Eastern," Morin added seriously. "I don't have wings."
As they argued nonsense-
A voice sounded behind them.
"One dollar... just one dollar..."
"Money? No. My life?" Lu Mingfei replied automatically, then corrected himself. "No money!"
"Chinese?" The man switched instantly to fluent Mandarin. "Master, please give me money for a Coke. I'm not a beggar-my wallet was stolen!"