Dragon Clan: Lu Mingfei Returns from Japan

Chapter 677 Precautions for the First Meeting
It's not just clothes that are the same; people are naturally the same.

The person in the photo is Zhao Menghua himself, and the other person is the class monitor. This photo was taken by a junior high school student practicing physical fitness tests next to them yesterday afternoon when the two were chatting during PE class.

Actually, none of these photos show Zhao Menghua and the class monitor from the front; they are all photos taken from different angles.

What's absurd is that these misaligned shots are all quite coincidental. The two people's bodies are turned to the side and their heads overlap. Combined with the bright sunlight in the afternoon and the low-quality, blurry pixels, it makes people involuntarily think of Ang Lee's Oscar-winning masterpiece, "Brokeback Mountain".

The reason this photo appeared on the school forum was, of course, Xia Mi's doing. She had painstakingly selected it from a pile of photos last night.

Because of writing short gossip articles about these photos, she missed the time to do her homework and could only catch up at school this morning.

This gossip quickly reached Lu Mingfei's ears.

Recalling Xia Mi's words yesterday about helping him teach Zhao Menghua a lesson using the same method she used against him, Lu Mingfei naturally realized that the rumors circulating between Zhao Menghua and the class monitor were probably started by his junior sister.

"But my junior sister is really ruthless."

As Lu Mingfei scrolled through the photos on his phone, he couldn't help but gasp in amazement, wondering how Xia Mi had managed to take them.
Although anyone with a discerning eye could see upon closer inspection that the ambiguous gestures between Zhao Menghua and the class monitor were due to a visual illusion.

But middle school students are often prone to stirring up trouble. If anyone in the class starts spreading rumors, whether true or false, they'll all join in the commotion. Bad news travels fast, and if this rumor spreads throughout the school, Zhao Menghua will probably lose his chance to find a partner for quite some time.

However, Lu Mingfei felt that the lesson was quite appropriate. Zhao Menghua liked to secretly spread rumors about others behind their backs, but in the end, he himself became embroiled in scandals that he couldn't clear his name from.

He heard that Lin Huihui had personally "blessed" Zhao Menghua and the class monitor. For Zhao Menghua, who had been pursuing the near-school beauty, this was probably a cruel lesson indeed.

When he told Aki about this during a long phone call that night, Aki couldn't help but laugh on the other end of the line.

"Although I feel that this is a bit excessive... on second thought, what Junior Sister Xia Mi did is right. This Junior Brother Zhao should be taught a lesson."

Aki said, "By the way, I received a message from Norma today that the admission letters from the academy have passed through customs. They should arrive this week, so remember to check them when you receive them. There will probably also be a small gift package sent along with the admission letters."

Lu Mingfei recalled that when he last received his admission offer from Kassel College, the package that came with the letter contained a Nokia N96.

"A small gift? Is it a cell phone?"

"Huh? Junior brother, how did you know?"

A surprised voice came through the phone. Although she and Lu Mingfei had officially become a couple, Aki would sometimes unconsciously call Lu Mingfei "junior brother".

Lu Mingfei didn't correct him, after all, the two were originally senior and junior brothers. Besides, hearing his girlfriend call him junior brother, the feeling of this older sister-younger brother relationship was quite subtle.

"But I remember, Mingfei, your phone is a matching model with Junior Sister Su and Junior Sister Liu, right?"

Aki said with a smile, "The academy is usually quite generous, and the phones they give away are usually quite expensive. But it seems like you won't be able to use them, Mingfei."

Lu Mingfei thought to himself that it was indeed no longer needed. If it were when he was switching between Miaomiao and Xiaotiannv, having two phones would have been convenient for time and space management. Now that the harem was harmonious and respectful to each other, it was naturally useless.

not to mention……

Lu Mingfei inexplicably thought of that elusive little devil. He figured that once he officially joined Kassel College, Lu Mingze would probably give him another cell phone.

Every Christmas before, he would receive a package right on time. Inside was the latest iPhone of the year. It was a gift from Lu Mingze, and it even had a built-in clock-like app. It was a marker of his life.

Every time he uses up a quarter of his life, the clock ticks back a quarter of the way.

However, Lu Mingfei still doesn't know what will happen if he uses up all his life points.

According to Lu Mingze, after all lives have been exchanged, his life will completely belong to Lu Mingze. In common understanding, this means that a person dies the moment their life is used up.
He always called Lu Mingze a little devil, and he always believed that Lu Mingze was a little devil, because he did the same things that devils in Western mythology do, using benefits to lure greedy and ignorant people to exchange their lives for him.

But looking back now, it seems that Lu Mingze never actually said that he would die after his life count was exhausted.

It wasn't until Aki's voice came through the microphone, "Hello? Mingfei, are you still there?" that Lu Mingfei snapped out of his reverie.

Lately, he seems to be like this all the time, always lost in thought, his mind wandering to all sorts of things. He thinks of Lu Mingze, of Old Tang, and of that mysterious organization called the Holy Palace Medical Association that he'd heard about from Yuan Zhinu.

Was it because the day he was to report to Kassel College was getting closer, causing him to become increasingly anxious? That's why he couldn't help but think about so many things from the past.

It's already late May, and the semester at Shilan High School is about to end. Soon, Lu Mingfei will be bidding farewell to his carefree high school life. After the final exams, he and his girlfriends will be heading to the capital.

Is this what they mean by "the closer you get to home, the more timid you become"? Lu Mingfei didn't know if this was true or not.

He smiled and replied to Aki, "I'm still here. What? Senior sister, are you afraid I'll run away...?"

"……snort."

A few seconds later, a soft, sweet hum came from the other end of the phone. Since getting together with Lu Mingfei, Aki, who appeared mature and composed to outsiders, had increasingly revealed this girlish side of herself in front of Lu Mingfei.

However, Aki quickly regained her composure: "But now that your acceptance letters are almost here, I can leave with peace of mind."

"Leaving? Aki, are you leaving soon?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"Yes. Didn't I tell you that before, Mingfei?"

Aki said in a half-joking tone, "Professor Guderian and I were temporarily assigned to this mission, just because Professor Guderian is the professor closest to you, Mingfei. After this mission, we'll be going back to Siberia to continue our social practice, investigating a Gypsy tribe there. Siberia is quite desolate; sometimes you can't even get a cell phone signal. I'm afraid we'll be in a long-distance relationship for a while. The next time we meet, I guess you and Junior Sister Su will have already reported to the preparatory class, right?"

Although Aki said "they'll probably have to be in a long-distance relationship for a while" in a half-joking tone, Lu Mingfei could of course hear a hint of reluctance in Aki's voice.

The initial period after confirming a relationship is often the honeymoon phase, when you want to be with your loved one every day. But Aki is about to leave this city for the desolate Siberia. Once there, even a daily phone call with Lu Mingfei might be a luxury.

Lu Mingfei replied jokingly, "At that time, she probably won't be Senior Sister Aki anymore, but Teacher Aki." And the original sibling-like relationship... will naturally become a teacher-student relationship.

"Hmm, 'senior sister' sounds better. Calling me 'teacher' just feels a bit..."

"strangeness?"

“Hmm.” Aki nodded and said, thinking to herself that it was not only a little strange, but also made her look a little old.

"What about the senior teacher?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"Even stranger!" Aki replied immediately. Senior Sister/Teacher? What kind of address is that?! It sounds a little odd…

"Is it strange?" Lu Mingfei didn't think it was anything special. After all, Aki was both his senior and his teacher. Just like he was Xia Mi's senior and her boyfriend. Every time his junior sister called him "senior brother husband," he felt quite pleased.

For some reason, Lu Mingfei didn't know why, but the image of Aki wearing black high heels, black stockings, a teacher's uniform, and holding a small pointer made him feel a little restless, and suddenly he felt a little excited?

By the way, does Aki usually wear glasses?

"correct."

Lu Mingfei suddenly remembered a question... Of course, it wasn't about whether Aki wore glasses or not, but about the specific time Aki left the city.

When exactly are you leaving?

Aki, her head tilted and phone tucked between her legs, was sitting cross-legged on the bed. She turned around, grabbed her laptop from the table, placed it on her lap, and opened it: "Mingfei, wait a moment, I'm checking my schedule on the laptop... Wait, where did my eyes go again?"

...He wears glasses!

Lu Mingfei received some good news unintentionally.

"Aki, do you still wear glasses?" Lu Mingfei asked casually.

"Well... they're just regular blue light blocking glasses, without any prescription. I bought a pair to help with eye strain because I often have to look at my laptop screen."

Aki found her glasses by the bedside, put them on, and replied, "Although the Execution Department doesn't mandate it, the Execution Specialists selected for deep-sea operations are generally those with excellent eyesight. Because underwater visibility is already low, if you're nearsighted, you won't be able to see anything. Buying these blue light blocking glasses is also to better protect my eyesight."

“That’s true,” Lu Mingfei replied.

"Let me take a look..."

Aki flipped through the itinerary: "Professor Guderian bought us tickets for this Sunday."

Lu Mingfei asked, "So, Aki, you'll be staying here for a few more days?"

"Yeah. But Mingfei, you don't need to come with me. You have to take care of your junior sisters too. Last weekend you already had your whole day taken up, and then someone accidentally took photos of you on a date. In the end, Junior Sister Chen had to take the blame for me. I was already pretty embarrassed."

"What I actually wanted to ask was, if you're free on Saturday, would you like to meet up with us...?"

It's not "Should we meet?" but "Should we meet with you?" The simple difference in word order completely changes the meaning.

"Should we meet?" means to meet with Lu Mingfei; while "Should we meet with us?" means...

Aki paused for a moment, then suddenly felt a little nervous for some reason, her voice even becoming softer: "...You mean with Junior Sister Su and the others?"

Lu Mingfei hummed in agreement.

She had met Liu Miaomiao, Chen Wenwen, and Xia Mi, and she was already quite familiar with Su Xiaoqiang, needless to say.

However, her and Lu Mingfei's current status is no longer that of simple senior and junior siblings, and their relationship with Su Xiaoqiang and the others is naturally different.

The reason Aki originally wanted to hide her relationship with Lu Mingfei was because she wasn't mentally prepared to "meet her older sister." She wanted to spend more time getting used to it and building up to it.

However, after Zhao Menghua took photos of her and Lu Mingfei being intimate in the movie theater and posted them on the Shilan Middle School forum, the fact that she and Lu Mingfei were already together could no longer be kept a secret from the other girls. Trying to hide it any longer would just be burying their heads in the sand.

Now that the relationship has been exposed, and according to Lu Mingfei, Su Shimei and the others don't seem to have any aversion to it... then it seems only natural for everyone to have a proper meeting before leaving?

"Aki?" Lu Mingfei's soft voice came through the receiver.

Aki bit her lip, knowing full well that this was inevitable. Even if they didn't meet this time, wouldn't she still run into Junior Sister Su and Junior Sister Liu after entering the preparatory class?

But it happened so soon... She wasn't prepared at all...

If we were to actually meet, what kind of expression should I use when facing Junior Sister Su and the others?

After waiting for a while, Aki still hadn't replied to Lu Mingfei's call. If it weren't for the slightly nervous breathing he could hear from the receiver, Lu Mingfei would have thought Aki had already hung up.

It seems Aki isn't mentally prepared yet...

Lu Mingfei was thinking of bringing Aki to meet Miaomiao and the others this weekend, which was probably a bit too fast. Just as he was about to smile and tell Aki that it was okay if they weren't ready to meet yet, Aki's voice finally came through the microphone again.

"...If it's our first meeting..."

The girl's voice was soft and slightly nervous: "Are there any things I should be careful about?"

……

(End of this chapter)