"Don't make it so tense. It's just a logical deduction based on some information, and your reactions helped me eliminate a few possibilities." Morin waved his hand. "So-are you researching the Dragon Race? Or are you, and even I, part of the Dragon Race?"
"This... you deduced that too?" Ye Sheng opened his mouth, finding it hard to even speak properly.
"You could say that," Morin nodded.
Ye Sheng looked at Aki Shisuzu again. Whether people with feelings shared some unspoken understanding, it was unclear, but the two of them turned to look at NoNo at the same time.
"Why are you looking at me?" NoNo nearly jumped up. "I obviously didn't leak anything beforehand! Norma knows!"
"No, we're just a little curious," Ye Sheng said, not knowing what to write in his notebook. "Has he already... awakened?"
"The deduction is based on the Speech Spirit: Heavenly Calculation, which has computing power comparable to a supercomputer," NoNo finally relaxed, stuffing the last bit of fried dough stick into her mouth. "So deducing a massive amount of information from a few words and expressions is completely possible."
"What's a Speech Spirit? Is it like my ability? Does everyone have different abilities? What about yours? Is there anyone with the same one as me?" Morin fired off a string of questions, clearly interested.
Ye Sheng felt a wave of dejection.
At this rate, was there even a point to the orientation?
This guy had almost figured everything out by himself.
-
Outside the conference room, the atmosphere was equally strange.
Lu Mingfei found a seat and sat down. By sheer coincidence, it was right next to Chen Wenwen.
In an instant, all the resentment Morin had attracted on his behalf was thrown to the back of his mind. Lu Mingfei sneaked a glance at Chen Wenwen.
Even the usually casual Chen Wenwen had clearly put thought into her outfit today. A deep blue skirt suit, white lace-trimmed socks, flat black leather shoes, and a white neckerchief. A mother-of-pearl hair clip pinned her hair, making her look like a noble academy student straight out of a British drama.
So pretty...
The thought surfaced unconsciously. Then Lu Mingfei suddenly realized something.
When Morin mentioned "runners-up" earlier, he hadn't excluded Chen Wenwen.
Meaning... was she also among those who wouldn't make it?
And if Morin was telling the truth-if Lu Mingfei himself wasn't a runner-up and could actually be admitted...
Setting aside the fact that the odds were lower than winning the lottery-if it really happened, wouldn't that mean being separated from Chen Wenwen?
At this moment, Lu Mingfei already believed about eighty percent of what Morin had said.
Mainly because the red-haired hottie really existed.
Before today, he'd thought Morin was just joking with him. But since that part was real, didn't that mean the rest might be too?
So... what should he choose?
The question surfaced on its own.
"Lu Mingfei."
The familiar voice snapped his thoughts cleanly in half. He turned his full attention to the person beside him.
It was Chen Wenwen.
She covered her mouth slightly and spoke in a low voice. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, sure!" Lu Mingfei lit up, all worries instantly forgotten.
"What Morin said earlier... was it true?" Chen Wenwen asked softly. After speaking, she lowered her gaze, looking somewhat dispirited. "Are we all just runners-up?"
"Of course it's-ah," Lu Mingfei almost answered without thinking. But the next second, faced with Chen Wenwen's fragile, dejected look, his tone softened. The eighty percent confidence he had in Morin vanished instantly. "Don't listen to him. He just likes talking nonsense to mess with people. You're so outstanding-there's definitely a chance~"
"I don't really have confidence," Chen Wenwen sighed lightly, glancing toward Zhao Menghua and Su Xiaoqiang. "My spoken English isn't as good as theirs..."
"You'll definitely be fine. Trust me!" Lu Mingfei said without hesitation.
At the same time, he was already subconsciously thinking about whether he could ask Morin to help pull some strings later.
...
"Hiss..."
Inside the soundproof conference room, Morin clutched his chest, looking like he couldn't breathe.
"High-level tea artistry. Truly high-level tea artistry," NoNo said, sipping her soy milk and shaking her head.
The outside waiting area was filled with hidden monitors and recording devices. Every word and movement was under observation. Which meant Morin and the others had just watched a flawless performance of so-called "top-tier tea artistry."
Perfect execution. Zero tea involved.
"Believe it or not, I bet he's already thinking about coming to me to pull strings," Morin said helplessly.
"Probably," NoNo nodded. "With that loser's personality, being played like a puppet is his natural fate. Ten thousand years wouldn't be enough for him to turn things around."
She had already built a clear profile of Lu Mingfei from his files alone. Compared to profiling Morin, it was like tightening a screw versus building an aircraft carrier.
"A girl like that, with that level of tea artistry, must have been the center of attention in her class back in school," Aki Shisuzu added.
Only Ye Sheng was confused.
He pulled out Chen Wenwen's file and skimmed through it from beginning to end before finally asking, unable to hold back, "What are you talking about? The file says Chen Wenwen once took a tea ceremony class... but where did she show any tea ceremony skills?"
The three of them looked at Ye Sheng at the same time.
Morin spoke first, smiling as he glanced at Aki Shisuzu. "Looks like Lady Aki doesn't need to worry. Brother Ye Sheng is the natural nemesis of such creatures."
"...?" Aki Shisuzu's face flushed slightly. What does that have to do with me?
"What do you mean?" Ye Sheng was still completely lost.
"He's saying you're a 'straight man,'" NoNo said, rolling her eyes as she finished her oversized breakfast and tossed the trash into the bin. "Alright, next interview!"
"Wait!" Ye Sheng protested. "Never mind the 'straight man' thing-we still have to properly record the interview questions. There are still two left!"
Only then did he realize that Morin hadn't technically finished his interview yet.
But somewhere along the way, the four of them had started feeling like a single group. Morin had blended in so naturally, even commenting on Chen Wenwen and Lu Mingfei together with them.
It was just that terms like "tea artistry" and "straight man" still completely baffled Ye Sheng.
Even so, that didn't stop him from feeling awe toward Heavenly Calculation.
Thinking back to how he'd been overwhelmed by three questions when he entered the school, compared to Morin overwhelming him with a single answer...
Comparisons really were infuriating.
"So, second question," Ye Sheng said, pen poised. "Do you believe in superpowers?"
"I do. I have one."
"...Third question," Ye Sheng continued without missing a beat. "Do you believe the foundation of human existence is idealistic-spiritual and soulful-or materialistic-physical and fleshy?"
"Materialistic," Morin answered. "Spirit and soul are just matter in a form we don't yet understand. Superpowers are the same."
Ye Sheng recorded the answer word for word.
"Alright, then..." He hesitated briefly. "You know what can be said and what can't, right?"
"Of course." Morin nodded and stood up. "I'll head out then?"
"Wait." NoNo stood as well. "I need to tell you something."
"Don't call the next person yet," Ye Sheng said quickly.
NoNo gave an OK gesture and followed Morin out. The door closed, leaving Ye Sheng and Aki Shisuzu alone.
After holding it in for a while, Ye Sheng finally asked, "So... what exactly does 'tea artistry' mean?"
...
The conference room door opened, drawing everyone's attention.
Morin and NoNo walked out one after the other.
Hearts sank across the room. Zhao Menghua felt it the most.
In truth, after seeing how long they'd been inside, most people already suspected Morin was telling the truth. But without confirmation, hope always lingered.
"An interviewer will notify you shortly," Morin said briefly. He walked up to Lu Mingfei, dropped a casual "Good luck. Do your best," and left without giving him a chance to respond.
NoNo didn't spare anyone a glance.
Only after the two of them had left the executive floor did the waiting hall regain its breathless silence.
Under that aura, everyone felt crushed.
The gentle, sunny boy had finally shown his hidden side. Only now did they realize how distant he really was.
"What's he acting smug for..." Zhao Menghua muttered.
"If you're so capable, you can act smug too," Su Xiaoqiang shot back, rolling her eyes. "Why don't you go in for dozens of minutes and come out without getting kicked out?"
"Little Goddess, nicely said!" Lu Mingfei cheered internally.
He'd wanted to retort too, but habit-and Zhao Menghua's entourage-kept him seated.
It wasn't surprising that Su Xiaoqiang stood up to Zhao Menghua. Ever since Morin arrived, her target had shifted. Compared to someone already being compared to-or even surpassing-Chu Zihang, Zhao Menghua felt insignificant.
"Why are you defending him like that?" Zhao Menghua snapped. "He didn't even look out for you."
"At least he rejected me clearly," Su Xiaoqiang scoffed. "Unlike someone who strings girls along just to satisfy his vanity."
Zhao Menghua nearly exploded.
So he rejected you, and you still help him insult me?
And it was obvious who that "someone" referred to.
If not for the upcoming interview, Zhao Menghua might have completely lost it.
"Tch. Hypocrite," Su Xiaoqiang said coldly, standing up. "I was blind before. Good thing I woke up in time. I'm leaving. You runners-up can keep each other company."
She walked out without hesitation.
"Little Goddess, beautifully done!" Lu Mingfei shouted in his heart, while remaining perfectly still on the outside.
With Su Xiaoqiang gone, the waiting hall fell into dead silence.
Zhao Menghua's heavy breathing was painfully clear. Three consecutive slaps to the face-each one impossible to retaliate against.
The last one hurt the most.
He'd known Su Xiaoqiang liked him. He pretended not to notice, partly because of Chen Wenwen, partly to maintain his vanity.
But now it was all exposed.
And the girl he'd tried to string along no longer looked at him, instead choosing to defend Morin-who had rejected her outright.
Which meant one thing.
Morin was simply above him.
He knew it.
And it enraged him all the more.
...
"Where's the goods?" Morin asked seriously.
"What?" NoNo blinked, completely losing the thread.
That tone-why did it sound like an underground deal?
"Oh, so we're not trading illegally," Morin realized. He took off his jacket and draped it over his arm. To be honest, today's "couple's outfit" was pure coincidence. He wasn't into that kind of thing. "So? What's up?"
"About Lu-" NoNo started, only to be interrupted by footsteps.
They turned and saw Su Xiaoqiang approaching.
She was called the Little Goddess for a reason. Her coal-boss father's wealth, designer brands, elite upbringing-it all showed in her posture and eyes.
For three years, she'd lost to Chen Wenwen. Even so, she'd remained proud.
But under their gaze, each step she took seemed to drain that pride.
Probably because she knew that in front of these two, she had nothing-except a wealthy father. And maybe not even that, considering the silver, diamond-encrusted Omega watch on NoNo's wrist.
If her guess was right, it was worth hundreds of thousands.
"Morin..." Su Xiaoqiang gathered her courage. "Is this your girlfriend?"
"No!" they answered in unison.
The decisiveness of the rejection made Su Xiaoqiang freeze.
She'd already prepared herself to see a perfect pairing and cut her feelings cleanly. One glance was enough to know she couldn't compare to this girl-especially with the two of them standing together in what looked like matching outfits.
But now...
"What are you objecting for?!" NoNo snapped at Morin. "It's fine if I object, but what are you objecting to?!"