Dragon Clan: Lu Mingfei Returns from Japan

Chapter 650 Chance Encounter
"Aki, aren't you going to meet with Junior Brother Lu?" Selma asked.

The old street near the school is lined with food stalls, stretching along both sides of the road. The illuminated signs, lit up after the lights are turned on, are reminiscent of the neon lights in old Hong Kong movies. Night is about to fall again in this city.

The night is tranquil, yet the city comes alive even more at night—this is the unique night market culture of China. The city is only just awakening after nightfall.

Selma walked along the sidewalk with her hands behind her back, looking around. The Latina girl seemed curious about everything, which naturally attracted curious glances from those around her. They looked at the girl's deep features and healthy wheat-colored skin, guessing which country she came from.

"Why?" Aki, who was walking with Selma, was taken aback.

"what why?"

"Why do I absolutely have to meet with Junior Brother Lu?"

"I didn't say you absolutely had to meet Junior Brother Lu."

Selma blinked: "I was just asking Aki if you wanted to catch up with Junior Brother Lu. Normally, when a female senior from university visits the hometown of a junior she's on good terms with, she should meet him and maybe even get him a meal, right?"

Selma paused, then walked around behind Aki, placed her hands on Aki's shoulders, and whispered in Aki's ear, "Or is it that you, Aki, are afraid to meet Junior Brother Lu for some special reason?"

"..."

Aki's eyes flashed, and she looked away, saying, "What special reason? I just felt it wasn't necessary. We came here to carry out a mission, not for tourism or anything. We shouldn't do anything else before the mission is over."

"Oh." Selma nodded. "So, after we complete our mission, Aki, you'll go catch up with Junior Brother Lu?"

“…We’ll see,” Aki said, pursing her lips.

Seeing Aki's somewhat nonchalant expression, Selma paused for a moment, and his jovial face silently disappeared.

As a friend, Selma probably shouldn't have been pushing Aki towards Lu Mingfei anymore.

After all, the seemingly honest and simple junior brother Lu is actually no good person! He's a total scumbag junior brother who dated several girlfriends! This is exactly the kind of junior brother you should be wary of!
If Lu Mingfei only had a girlfriend, Selma would definitely encourage Aki to compete for her. After all, Aki's qualities are not bad, in fact, quite good; she's very popular even in a place like Kassel College where pretty girls abound.

But Lu Mingfei has several girlfriends, and if Selma were to help Aki and Lu Mingfei get together at this point, she would feel like she was pushing her friend into a fire.

However, Aki's attitude towards Lu Mingfei is somewhat mysterious, ambiguous, and vague.

Latin girls have passion and exuberance in their blood. Selma can easily fall in love with a boy, and she can also easily let go of that boy.

Like a fire in the summer desert, it's easy to start but also easy to extinguish. Latin girls have always been like this, daring to love and hate.

But Aki clearly didn't have the same carefree attitude as the Latina girl. Falling in love with someone wasn't easy for her, and letting go was even harder.

Selma felt that Aki actually still liked Junior Brother Lu very much.

Since their trip to Japan ended and they returned to Kassel College, Aki has been somewhat tight-lipped about Lu Shidi's affairs, and she deliberately avoids the topic when Professor Mans occasionally mentions it.

Selma felt that this was a sign that Aki still liked Lu Mingfei.

The reason they remained silent was probably because of disappointment... Disappointment that Junior Brother Lu had a girlfriend; disappointment that Lu Mingfei actually had several girlfriends and was a scumbag who cheated on several women.

Of course, these are all just Selma's speculations.

She didn't know what Aki was really thinking, which is why she would often jokingly bring up Lu Mingfei in front of Aki, trying to test her thoughts.

Selma, of course, did not know that Aki's silence and deliberate avoidance regarding Lu Mingfei's matter was not due to disappointment, but rather because... she was shy.

Anyone would feel shy in that situation, right? Just thinking about how I impulsively confessed to my junior brother, who was several years younger than me, and even took the initiative to kiss him...

Just thinking about this kind of thing in the middle of the night would probably keep you tossing and turning in bed with a pillow, unable to fall asleep.

And then there's the tension.

Until yesterday afternoon, she was still on the shores of Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia. She, Selma, and Ye Sheng were still accompanying Professor Guderian on a survey with a group of Gypsies.

"Gypsies" is the Russian name; they are more commonly known as Roma. It is said that Roma settlements in history witnessed the Tunguska event, which is one of the topics of Professor Guderian's research.

She was writing a research paper titled "An Analysis of the Social Structure of the Gypsies" when Professor Guderian suddenly told them that they were going to Lu Mingfei's hometown in China to carry out a mission. She was completely stunned. It took her a while to react.

The mission instructions arrived suddenly. They hurriedly got into their car and rushed to the airport, only to learn the details of their mission from Norma's email en route. They took the next available flight and arrived in the city the previous night.

This is my second time visiting this city, but my feelings are completely different from the first time.

Although Aki knew that her reunion with Lu Mingfei was inevitable, because Lu Mingfei would be going to the preparatory class in the capital after graduating from high school, and her application to be an intern teacher in the preparatory class had been approved.

But that was several months later, and this sudden mission disrupted the original plan.

She wasn't mentally prepared to meet Lu Mingfei again. She was nervous. She didn't know if Lu Mingfei had thought of a reply, or how he would reply.

The reason why she was a little reluctant to meet with Lu Mingfei was because Aki didn't want Lu Mingfei to feel that she was urging him to reply or something.

Perhaps the deeper reason is that she was afraid of hearing answers she didn't want to hear from Lu Mingfei.

How could Selma possibly fathom Aki's girlish thoughts?

Even if you gave her ten wild ideas, she couldn't imagine that Aki, who was always shy and reserved when it came to relationships, had actually confessed to Lu Mingfei... especially knowing that Lu Mingfei already had multiple girlfriends.

The night market was bustling with activity. Whenever Selma visited a new place, she loved to stroll through the local market, because it was often where the vibrant, everyday life was most palpable. She cherished this simple warmth that belonged to ordinary people.

However, the current atmosphere clearly didn't inspire her to stroll through the night market. She watched Aki's retreating figure, wondering if her earlier joke had upset Aki.

Should I apologize to Aki? But wouldn't a sudden apology be too abrupt? And what if Aki isn't actually angry with me?

"..."

"It all comes down to Junior Brother Lu!" Selma thought angrily to himself.

Why flirt if you're not going to marry him? What a scumbag!

Um... it seems like we can't let him marry Aki either.

They arrived at the crossroads of the night market food street. Looking at the vibrant array of unfamiliar international snacks lining the streets, Selma decided to initiate a conversation, breaking the ice with food!

"Aki, have you ever tried this sweet tofu pudding? It looks pretty good..."

She had barely opened her mouth when Aki, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned around, took her hand with a complicated expression, and turned in a certain direction: "Selma, let's go over there and have a look. There seem to be a lot of snacks over there."

"what……"

Before Selma could react to what was happening, Akira pulled her back, causing her to stumble. She instinctively looked up in the direction Akira had just turned. There she saw a familiar figure, surrounded by two pretty young girls. The three of them were standing in front of a stall, probably buying some snacks, chatting and laughing.

Selma's eyebrows suddenly furrowed, and she immediately understood why Aki had left in such a hurry.

It's true what they say, the scumbag junior brother Lu is here...

Just then, the scumbag suddenly looked up and glanced in their direction. Selma pursed her lips, leaving Lu Mingfei with only a cold profile.

"..."

Watching the figure disappear into the crossroads ahead, Lu Mingfei's smiling face suddenly showed a moment of stunned silence.

Was that person just now... Senior Sister Selma? He blinked, somewhat dazed, and wondered.

The night market they are in now is not far from Chen Wenwen's and her uncle and aunt's house; it's about a 20-minute walk from Shilan Middle School.

Sometimes when his uncle and aunt aren't home, Lu Mingfei, unsure of what to eat, comes back here to buy something to settle down for dinner.

The original plan for this afternoon was for them to take a taxi directly back to Liu Miaomiao's house after school.

However, Chen Wenwen suddenly mentioned that she wanted to go back to get a change of clothes. Because she often stayed overnight at Su Xiaoqiang's house, she had left a spare set of clothes at Xiaotiannv's house.

However, tonight is the first time I'm staying overnight at Liu Miaomiao's house, so it would be best to go back and prepare a change of clothes.

Therefore, Lu Mingfei and Liu Miaomiao accompanied her home first.

After picking up their clothes, it got dark. Liu Miaomiao discussed whether they should find a place nearby to have dinner before going home. Chen Wenwen and Lu Mingfei both thought of the nearby night market.

The night market was filled with the smell of smoke and fire, which was a bit pungent.

It seemed to be Liu Miaomiao's first time eating at a street stall. Looking at the dazzling array of snacks, her pretty face showed both curiosity and serious concern about their hygiene...

But thinking back, Lu Mingfei had fed me fried dough sticks from that shop near the school gate before, and I was fine afterward; in fact, they were quite delicious. The food stalls here shouldn't be a problem either.

However, the piano prodigy, visiting a night market for the first time, suffered from decision paralysis and couldn't decide what to eat. So Chen Wenwen recommended a grilled cold noodle stall she frequented to Liu Miaomiao.

Just as Chen Wenwen and Liu Miaomiao had chosen the ingredients they wanted to add, Lu Mingfei took out his wallet from his pocket, ready to pay.

I don't know why, but suddenly a thought struck me, and I turned my head and glanced at the intersection on the right.

The night market was dimly lit, and the other person left in a hurry. He didn't get a clear look, only vaguely recognizing her profile as Selma. The vibrant features of the Latina girl were quite striking among the Chinese.

Considering that Kassel College is visiting Shilan Middle School for an exchange program today, it doesn't seem impossible that Selma would appear in the night market near her uncle and aunt's house.

The executive department often sends students on recruitment missions, and it's possible that she was assigned to this mission.

But the moment he saw Selma, the face of another girl flashed into his mind.

If Selma had participated in this mission, perhaps Aki-senpai would have too…

"Why are you suddenly spacing out?" Liu Miaomiao tugged at his sleeve and asked. How could he suddenly space out while just taking out his wallet? The shop owner is waiting for him to pay.

Curious, she looked in the direction Lu Mingfei had just been looking, but only saw a bustling crowd of pedestrians.

Startled by Liu Miaomiao's question, Lu Mingfei snapped out of his reverie and pulled out his wallet while explaining, "It's nothing, nothing. I thought I saw my aunt just now, but after staring at her closely for a while, I realized I must have been mistaken. How much is it, ma'am?"

"No need, I've already paid."

Chen Wenwen put away her wallet, took the box of grilled cold noodles from the proprietress, and sweetly said, "Thank you, proprietress."

"Didn't we agree that I would pay?" Lu Mingfei put his wallet back.

"It's okay, it doesn't matter who pays, right? Besides, it's what I wanted to eat anyway," Chen Wenwen said with a smile, forking a slice of grilled cold noodles from the box and handing it to Lu Mingfei: "Want to try a bite?"

Lu Mingfei, of course, didn't stand on ceremony. After all, he and Chen Wenwen had already gotten to know each other well many times. They weren't exactly an old married couple, but rather a young couple. He readily accepted Chen Wenwen's offer of food.

The owner of the grilled cold noodles stall asked with a smile, "Wenwen, is this your boyfriend?"

Since it was a snack stall she frequented, the owner naturally recognized Chen Wenwen. She had practically watched her grow from a cute little girl into the beautiful and clever young woman she is today.

Chen Wenwen hadn't expected the landlady to suddenly ask her this question. She glanced furtively at Lu Mingfei, her pretty face slightly flushed, and nodded crisply, "Mm."

"He's very handsome, and you and Wenwen are quite a good match. Were you junior high school classmates?"

"...They were high school classmates."

"High school classmates. When did you two start dating? Did you start dating as soon as you entered high school?"

"Hmm, more or less..."

Chen Wenwen wasn't as thick-skinned as Lu Mingfei. After being asked a few questions, she became a little embarrassed and quickly took Lu Mingfei's hand while waving goodbye to the landlady.

After walking quite a distance, Liu Miaomiao finally suppressed her smile and said to Chen Wenwen, "Wenwen is so good to her boyfriend. She clearly said she was recommending me to try it, but she fed the first bite to someone else first."

"Ah? I'm sorry, Miaomiao..." Chen Wenwen blushed, somewhat belatedly realizing what was happening.

After starting to date Lu Mingfei, she gradually developed this habit of feeding him the first bite of food. Just now, it was the same; it happened subconsciously…

"Should I go back and buy another one?" Chen Wenwen asked.

"Just kidding, Wenwen, why are you taking it so seriously? Your face is already very red. If we go back now, I'm afraid your face will turn as red as a little apple."

Liu Miaomiao stuck out her tongue and said, "Besides, if we're going to go, it shouldn't be you going to buy it; someone else should go..."

Lu Mingfei knew, of course, that "someone" was referring to him. Although he knew that Liu Miaomiao wasn't really jealous, and was just being arrogant for a moment, he still knew that dealing with an arrogant girl required some discipline.

"I'll go buy it."

Lu Mingfei said, "Miaomiao, you stay here and don't move. I'll go buy another serving of grilled cold noodles."

Liu Miaomiao paused for a moment, feeling that what Lu Mingfei said sounded strange, yet somewhat familiar. It wasn't until Lu Mingfei had run far away that she remembered where she had heard those words before.

"You, you're not mine..."

Liu Miaomiao bit her lip, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She thought to herself that Ming Fei had really become more and more outrageous lately, daring to make such jokes... How come she hadn't noticed how cunning and wicked this guy was back then?
……

(End of this chapter)