Dragon Clan: Lu Mingfei Returns from Japan

Chapter 722 A New Sanctuary
Lunch consisted of steak and pan-fried foie gras in red wine, with an appetizer of onion soup in puff pastry, accompanied by Dom Pérignon champagne. Dessert followed by coffee panna cotta with hot cream and rich chocolate. Unsurprisingly, it was a pretty white meal that didn't suit Lu Mingfei's taste.

But I heard that this Miss Elizabeth Laurent was British. Thinking of the two famous British dishes, Stargazing and Fish and Chips, this exquisite French meal suddenly seemed much more appealing.

The servants cleared the plates from the table. Lunch was over, but the conversation hadn't yet gotten to the main topic. Elizabeth hadn't brought it up herself, so Lu Mingfei could only wait patiently.

A table away, Elizabeth, now dressed in a blue gown, looked apologetic. She had taken a shower after exercising.

“Although I know you may prefer Chinese food, I came in a bit of a rush this time, and the chefs I brought only know how to cook French and Italian cuisine. Please forgive me if it doesn’t suit your taste,” Elizabeth said.

"No, no, it actually tastes pretty good," Lu Mingfei said.

"I hope you like it."

Elizabeth smiled gently and waved to the air. The servants standing by, waiting to be served, immediately bowed to them and then retreated to the door.

She stood up from the table, looking down at him: "Want to go upstairs to the observation deck and get some fresh air? It's not too hot today, and the breeze from the grass will be very pleasant."

Lu Mingfei paused for a moment, immediately understanding that the school board chairwoman was finally getting to the point. Her invitation to go upstairs to the observation deck was simply to find a quiet place where their conversation wouldn't be disturbed. Their upcoming discussion couldn't be overheard by outsiders, not even her personal servants.

The red oak staircase creaked with age. Elizabeth, wearing white high heels, led the way, her blue gown swaying and revealing the graceful curve of her calves.

The two entered a room on the second floor, and Elizabeth closed the door to the scenic balcony.

"Didn't we say we were coming to the observation deck to enjoy the breeze?" Lu Mingfei teased unconsciously.

Elizabeth shrugged, walked to the bookshelf, took a record from the densely packed stacks, put it in the record player on the table, and played it. Soothing jazz filled the room. Then she sat gracefully in the gothic armchair, smiling, and said:

"You're a smart person, you shouldn't be asking me this kind of question. Didn't you lock the door behind you when you came in?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll have ulterior motives if you're alone with someone you've just met?" Lu Mingfei sat down on the sofa opposite Elizabeth.

"To be honest, I'm not afraid."

Elizabeth shook her head with a half-smile: "First of all, I believe you're not that kind of person. Secondly, for someone like you, an 'S' level person, pretty girls should be something easily obtained, just like your six girlfriends. I am indeed very beautiful, but at the same time, my identity is also dangerous. Someone who knows how to weigh the pros and cons wouldn't do anything to me."

Seeing Lu Mingfei suddenly pause, Elizabeth blinked and said, "Are you surprised because you know you have six girlfriends?"

Lu Mingfei did not deny it.

He was genuinely startled. Although he hadn't really tried to hide it... he still thought that his multiple girlfriends hadn't been definitively exposed to outsiders.

The school board member in front of him had only met him for the first time today, yet she already knew that he had several girlfriends... This meant that she had already investigated his background before this meeting.

"Actually, having many girlfriends is not a big deal. In the circle I grew up in, it is very common for a person to have multiple partners. I have an uncle who has had three wives, nine long-term lovers, and countless short-term lovers."

Elizabeth said, spreading her hands with a hint of helplessness: "That's why, although it's difficult for mixed-race people with excellent bloodlines to have offspring, he still had a bunch of illegitimate children. After my parents passed away, he took his six sons and sued me, trying every means to take a large sum of money from me. It's a real headache."

Although Elizabeth spoke lightly, just thinking about it, Lu Mingfei knew that Elizabeth's process of snatching the family property from his uncle was not easy, so he could only comfort her: "You've had it pretty tough too."

"Isn't that right? That's why I often think, 'I wish there was someone I could rely on.'"

As Elizabeth spoke, her beautiful blue eyes fell on Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei: "..."

Wait a minute? Miss School Board Member, why are you looking at me like that? I can't rely on anyone! My shoulders aren't even enough for all my girlfriends to share...!
Lu Mingfei coughed lightly, half-changing the subject and half-seriously asking, "How did you know that even Senior Sister Aki is my girlfriend? I'm not surprised that you could find out that Miaomiao and the others are my girlfriends. But my relationship with Senior Sister Aki should have been kept very secret. We've only ever gone on dates together in my hometown... Or did you start investigating me a long time ago?"

Elizabeth said, "The Laurent family is in the financial business. The financial industry is all about information asymmetry, and thanks to the Laurent family's years of experience in this industry, their intelligence network has always been quite good. You might not believe it, but I can proudly say that the Laurent family might be able to find some information that even Norma might not be able to find. Although she controls the entire internet... there are some things that won't appear on the internet."

"for example?"

“For example, this conversation we’re having right now is known only to you and me. The entire room has been isolated from signals. Norma knows that I had afternoon tea with you today, and she might even know that we had a conversation, but she won’t know the content of our conversation.”

"A room without even a cell phone signal... Should I thank Miss Laurent for your trust in me?"

"Just call me Lisa, that's what my friends call me. If you'd like, I'd also like to call you Mingfei."

Elizabeth smiled slightly: "And even if you really want to do something to me, it doesn't matter... just please be gentle, I'm quite afraid of pain."

"???"

Lu Mingfei froze for a moment, almost thinking he had misheard something. Only when he saw the soft, pitiful light in Elizabeth's beautiful eyes did he realize he probably hadn't misheard...

What's going on? Did he misinterpret Elizabeth's meaning... or are foreign girls just that open-minded in this regard?
As if she could read Lu Mingfei's mind, Elizabeth added softly, "Don't worry, Mingfei... this is my first time."

Why did he bring up Mingfei? I haven't even agreed to your request yet, Miss School Board member! And what's with this "first time" nonsense?! It doesn't matter whether it's true or not... Why does it seem like he's really up to something?

Lu Mingfei felt he was a little lost in the sudden turn of events of the girl in front of him.

“Miss Laurent…” “Call me Lisa.”

"...Alright, Miss Lisa, can we get down to business now? It's not very funny to keep making these kinds of jokes."

“Mingfei, you might think I’m just joking, but what I just said was serious.”

Elizabeth's smile faded, a thin layer of ice seemingly covering her beautiful face. Her eyelids lowered slightly as she said, "Actually, the reason I asked you to meet me today is the same as the reason you came to see me. We both want to cooperate."

"Do you know what my purpose is?"

"You want me to cast a vote for your little girlfriend... Ms. Uesugi Erii, when she runs for the 'Nibelungen Project', is that right?"

"..."

Lu Mingfei silently acquiesced. It seemed that the school board member in front of him wasn't exaggerating; her intelligence network was indeed impressive, having uncovered even something like this.

“It was easy to guess. Angers recently drafted a proposal to make Erii Uesugi one of the candidates for the Nibelungen Project. Another board member, Frost Gattuso, just voted against the proposal.”

Elizabeth said, "I don't want to delve into why you and Angers both want Uesugi Erii to be a candidate for the 'Nibelungen Project.' But I can promise you I'll cast my vote for her."

"What are the conditions?" Lu Mingfei raised an eyebrow slightly.

“You are indeed a smart person,” Elizabeth smiled.

"I just know there's no such thing as a free lunch," Lu Mingfei answered truthfully. Just like every cheat code Lu Mingze gave him, there was a price tag on the back. The most expensive cheat code cost a quarter of his life. He was already used to doing business with the little devil.

“I might be getting married soon. Maybe,” Elizabeth said suddenly. “It’s that school board member I just told you about, Frost Gattuso’s nephew. A spoiled brat my age, and not even his best nephew. Frost Gattuso has already started making a fuss about it in his circle.”

Lu Mingfei was taken aback, wondering why Elizabeth had suddenly brought this up.

However, Lisa just mentioned that the person she might marry is the same age as her. He heard from the Night's Watch that Elizabeth is 19, three years older than him… which means that Caesar can be ruled out as the person Elizabeth is to marry. Caesar is only two years older than him.

"What do you think? If you don't like it, why don't you just reject it directly?"

“Many times, people are actually not in control of their own lives. There are seven members on the board of directors of Kassel College. The Gattuso family is on the board, as is the Laurent family, including the Göttingen family, the Valentine family... but there are also differences between the members on the board.”

Elizabeth shook her head: "The Laurent family was once on par with the Gattuso family, but after my parents died in a plane crash, the Laurent family was instantly plunged into internal strife. My uncles and elders tried every means to oust me from my position as head of the family, while the family group was paralyzed by those with ulterior motives. If it weren't for Angers' support when I needed help the most... the Laurent family would probably have been completely devoured by now, wouldn't it?"

Lu Mingfei's heart stirred slightly.

Although Elizabeth is a member of the college's board of trustees and a wealthy oligarch whose account saw transactions exceeding 100 million euros during the time they spoke, she is actually just a nineteen-year-old girl, orphaned, and surrounded by relatives who are still eyeing her with predatory intent.

Her life may seem glamorous and colorful, but Lu Mingfei knows how hard it is to manage a group worth tens of billions... not to mention that she also has to take time out to deal with her wolfish relatives while managing the group.

Such a burden was indeed quite heavy on her shoulders.

A brief silence fell over the two of them. After about half a minute, Elizabeth finally spoke again with a smile:
"Therefore, if the Laurent family wants to continue to exist smoothly in the future, it is essential to find a reliable backer."

"Is this why you've been hesitating?"

"The Gattuso family is a reliable backer, but marrying into their family is not the best strategy. I'm just a girl. My relatives are eyeing my family fortune, and aren't the Gattuso family the same? The only difference is that one is a ferocious wolf, and the other is a gentle tiger. But directly refusing them, including casting that vote for you at the board meeting, would indirectly offend the Gattuso family. Dragging it out isn't a solution... but it's the only one."

Lu Mingfei recalled what Angers had said: Charlotte and Louis would vote for Erii, but they would also find it difficult to refuse to vote for the Gattuso family. They probably faced the same pressure as Elizabeth.

"Didn't you just say that the principal gave you support? Isn't the principal a reliable backer?" Lu Mingfei said, as if he had suddenly remembered something.

Elizabeth began, “Angers is certainly a reliable backer. He wields considerable influence among hybrids, and he has many high-ranking old friends… but he has one problem.”

"What's the problem?" Lu Mingfei asked.

“He’s too old.” Elizabeth sighed softly. “He’s over a hundred years old, no longer young. He’s lived for three centuries. Ordinary people would have died long ago at his age, and even among mixed-race people, he’s considered quite old. As long as he’s here, the Laurent family won’t suffer any hardship… but he will leave us one day.”

Hearing this, Lu Mingfei suddenly understood why Elizabeth, despite receiving so much help from Angers, couldn't directly agree to Angers' request to cast that school board vote for Erii.

Angers' protection is unlikely to last.

Although this statement is somewhat heavy, it is an undeniable fact.
If the Laurent and Gattuso families become enemies, and Angers leaves them, will the Laurent family, having lost Angers' protection, face retaliation from the Gattuso family?

No one can guarantee it.

At this moment, Elizabeth suddenly looked up at Lu Mingfei: "So at this time, I need to find a new protector for the Laurent family. The Gattuso family is a last resort. The most reliable protector in my heart... is you, Mingfei."

……

(End of this chapter)