Lu Mingfei, why are you slaying dragons if you're not involved!

Chapter 186 After Marriage (Part 2)

"Gift?"

Lu Mingfei pondered for a moment, "This wording, it shouldn't have come from you, Teacher Zhang, right?"

“That’s right, those are the exact words Gattuso’s people said when they contacted me.”

"really!"

Lu Mingfei nodded.

"That makes sense then. A gift should refer to the voluntary giving of money or valuables to someone without expecting anything in return. They deliberately chose this time to test us, which clearly shows they were unwilling and had ulterior motives. How can this be called a gift? Their Chinese is obviously not up to par!"

"..."

Zhang Shanfeng remained silent for a full two seconds before letting out a soft sigh.

"I thought your focus would be on their condescending attitude when they used that word."

As it turns out, you really can't use the thought process of a normal person to guess what someone who has mastered the art of spouting nonsense is focused on.

"But you're absolutely right. This kind of behavior is like a prostitute trying to maintain a virtuous image. They deliberately chose this time to come, so their goal is probably the 'Crown Prince' and the things in Xiang Yu's tomb."

Zhang Shanfeng asked, "So, what is your opinion?"

"Although it seems like they came for me, it actually has nothing to do with me, right?"

Lu Mingfei asked back, somewhat puzzled.

“If what they call a ‘gift’ is actually my great-grandfather’s heirloom, which rightfully belongs to our family, I will naturally take it back in the future. At most, I’ll give them a small storage fee. But what does a title or a school board member matter?”

"That's exactly the problem, it's very important, and not just ordinary important."

Zhang Shanfeng said.

"The Board of Trustees of Kassel College is essentially equivalent to the Elders' Council of the Secret Party, serving as the highest authority within the party. All seats represent the interests and will of core families or forces within the hybrid world, granting them supreme decision-making and oversight power over all actions taken by Kassel College..."

"Similar to... the five permanent members of the UN Security Council?"

Lu Mingfei suddenly blurted out those words.

"……Correct."

Zhang Shanfeng was taken aback. "That's one way to understand it."

"As I understand it, the seats of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council have no real significance. What gives the five permanent members 'power' is not the seat itself, but the 'strength' of the five permanent members."

Lu Mingfei was not blinded by the power and status of the so-called school board member; he remained perfectly clear-headed.

"I don't have the corresponding 'power' yet. Even if I pass the test and gain the position of school board member... it would still be a case of being unworthy of the title, wouldn't it?"

“I’m glad you understand this clearly; it saves me a lot of trouble explaining.”

Zhang Shanfeng laughed.

“You’re absolutely right. Given the current situation, even if you pass the test and become a school board member, it will mostly be an honorary position.”

“But you still asked me, which means… even just the position of ‘honorary board member’ can bring considerable benefits. And are these benefits so great that you think it’s worth agreeing to let the Gattuso family’s exchange team come over at this time?” Lu Mingfei speculated.

"That's right!"

Zhang Shanfeng explained.

"One advantage of becoming a school board member is that, regardless of whether you have real power or not, you are the core management team. No one else can give you any orders unless you are willing to do so."

Ever since he learned how outstanding Lu Mingfei was, and how "inhuman" the Secret Party could be when they were being unreasonable, Zhang Shanfeng's initial thought was that Lu Mingfei must not be allowed to join the Secret Party, so he specifically asked Angers for a guarantee.

But at the same time, he also knew that a mere guarantee was not reliable.

The Western concept of "gentlemen upholding the spirit of contracts" is a complete joke. They only talk about it when the situation is in their favor, and when it's not, they'll break it without a second thought.

Not to mention that old rogue Angers! When he's really shameless, he's a complete scoundrel. He looks like a gentleman now because being a gentleman solves all problems.

But now, Zhang Shanfeng's thoughts have changed again.

The position of the school board members is different; this is the core management team.

If the school board members cannot have basic power, the other school board members will also be affected. At that time, everyone will naturally feel insecure. It's a very simple mentality: if he can be treated like this, why can't I?

Once this precedent is set, it will shake the very foundations of the school board and the Presbyterian Council! The cost is too high, so it won't be so easily torn apart.

Of course, there is still the possibility of it being torn apart, as long as the interests are large enough.

Therefore, he values ​​another point more.

"Another, and most importantly, is that you will eventually grow and become stronger."

Zhang Shanfeng spoke slowly.

"As you said, you can only have the corresponding 'rights' if you have 'power'."

But in the process of gaining 'power,' the enemy won't stand idly by. After all, the pie is only so big; if you become stronger, you'll have to take a slice—who would be willing to do that?

But if you become a school board member, at least on the surface, you'll be considered one of the Secret Party's "insiders." After all, the Secret Party is the most powerful force in the world of hybrids, so people from other factions have to think twice before acting.

Even if the other factions within the Secret Service are unhappy to see you grow stronger, they still have their pride. They can't openly suppress you; at most, they can use some underhanded tactics against you.

Of course, none of this matters, because we will always be your strong support.

The most important point is that, in the long run, growing stronger and becoming a powerful school board member means that you can build factions within the secret society and gain your own power.

A strong person needs their own team; going it alone is unrealistic. There are many talented people in the Secret Party, and Chu Zihang has joined too. His Lionheart Society, which he's currently president, seems quite good…”

Lu Mingfei understood.

Teacher Zhang Shanfeng finally revealed his true meaning: if he becomes a school board member, it means he has a "ticket" to the Elders' Council. If he becomes strong enough, he can forcefully seize a piece of territory within the Secret Party!
This is definitely worth taking the gamble on.

Currently, the mixed-race forces in China and the Secret Party are in a cooperative relationship, but they may turn against each other at any time due to certain issues.

At that time, Lu Mingfei, who already possessed the strength and secured a seat on the board of directors, would be a sharp dagger stuck in his throat!

The Gattuso family clearly understood this as well. Their decision was a calculated move, presenting an irresistible benefit and betting on whether Zhang Shanfeng would dare to accept it.

Zhang Shanfeng's meaning was simple: he dared to accept the offer and wanted to accept it!

He believed that Lu Mingfei could do it, and he also believed that Lu Mingfei would not change his mind and join the Secret Party, which would result in "losing both Mingfei and the army".

But this concerns Lu Mingfei, so his opinion is the most important.

As for Lu Mingfei's choice?

"After your analysis, teacher, it seems that..."

He chuckled softly.

"It's not a multiple-choice question."

Lu Mingfei couldn't refuse the kind of thing that comes from someone's heartfelt trust.

Only when a bent spine straightens again, and a collapsed chest rises once more, will he be able to shoulder responsibility.

Trust is proof that none of this is an illusion, but a fact.

This proves that he is no longer the person he used to be!

As for the possibility of being electrocuted for breaking the schedule? Lu Mingfei wasn't worried about that at all, because if he guessed correctly...

Semi-transparent characters appeared before my eyes—

[Unexpected situation detected, verifying...] [Verification complete. The behavior aligns with the goal of 'becoming the strongest and most awesome man in the world,' deemed necessary, temporary schedule being developed...]

[Temporary schedule has been released]

Time: Unlimited
Objective 1: Pass the Gattuso family's "test" to obtain a title and a position on the school board.

Objective 2: To establish or control an organization of their own within the Secret Service. This requires absolute control over the organization.

Objective 3: Develop the organization until the leader possesses actual power within the Board of Trustees.

Note: You will receive a reward for each completed goal. If a temporary schedule conflictes with your regular schedule, the temporary schedule will take priority.
Reward: To be determined

Unsurprisingly.

When Zhang Shanfeng said that "strong people need to have their own team," Lu Mingfei knew that this matter was inevitable.

He's going to become the most powerful and awesome man in the world!
However, when it comes to organizations... should one build one from scratch, or take ownership of one?

The latter seems more convenient, doesn't it?
Teacher Zhang's Lionheart Society is quite good. It has an existing organizational structure and is even the predecessor of the core organization of the Secret Party... The main thing is that Chu Zihang is the president!

Lu Mingfei needs to be the person in charge, but he can't handle actually managing things. If it were the Lionheart Society, he could be a hidden, offline president without any worries.
"Hahaha, good!"

Zhang Shanfeng burst into laughter, his laughter full of heroic spirit.

“Then let’s take this! But I’m going to see if I can squeeze more out of them. Since they dare to use such an open scheme, it means they’re very confident. They won’t give up easily in this situation. I’ll help you get some more benefits.”

"Okay, teacher, you take the lion's share, we'll split it 50/50!"

"Look at what you're saying. Do you think I, as a teacher, would take your things? They're all yours! I just want to see those guys lose everything... Alright, that's all for now."

Even after hanging up the phone, Zhang Shanfeng's smile remained.

"Youthful spirit."

He sighed.

"She's showing her true colors, I love that!"

……

After hanging up the phone, Lu Mingfei looked to the side, his expression suddenly becoming somewhat strange.

Is it really necessary to install so much?

“A single eavesdropping device or surveillance camera cannot cover the entire house.”

Zero was organizing the miniature devices that Mai Shude had installed and that she had now disassembled one by one. They were all different sizes and types, and there were so many of them that they were “spectacular” at first glance.

When Ye Sheng called, Lu Mingfei wasn't in the bathroom at all; he was watching Zero disassemble these things one by one, completely absorbed in the process. But of course, he couldn't tell anyone else, so he told a small lie.

As for his phone, it was indeed on silent mode. And the reason he was able to receive Chu Zihang's call was because he had set up an emergency contact…

I can't believe this was guessed. Is it really that easy to guess?

"All right……"

Lu Mingfei scratched his head and lowered his voice, "When will you install surveillance cameras next?"

"Wait until she feels I have completely gained your trust," Zero replied calmly.

All surveillance cameras have been removed, and now their conversations are completely private.

The trust that should have been lost due to the surveillance incident has already returned because of that inexplicable familiarity.

Lu Mingfei could only confirm that it was absolutely true that he and Zero had once had a very close relationship, but as for the specifics of that relationship and why it had turned out this way, he had no idea.

This matter seemed to be of such great importance that Zero could not tell him proactively and could only wait for him to gradually discover it on his own.

Lu Mingfei wasn't in a hurry. He believed that as long as he gradually grew stronger, the truth would eventually come out.

Now, Zero has secretly switched sides completely to his side, and she will secretly tell him any information that can be said.

The word "rebellion" is in quotation marks because Zero's attitude toward Su Enxi, whom he had met once before, and the party he was monitoring, was somewhat strange.

According to her, Lu Mingfei needed to be wary of them, but not hostile.

It's like a superposition state between being completely friendly and hostile, which is very complex.

"To gain complete trust?" Lu Mingfei asked instinctively.

"Specific forms of expression include, but are not limited to, sexual activity with a formal girlfriend, legal spouse, or marital sex..."

"Okay, stop, that's enough!"

Lu Mingfei's face flushed red, and he felt a surge of heat rush to his head, though it was unclear which head it was.

"There's no need to go into so much detail. I'm still a pure-hearted minor!"

"It's almost noon, I'll go cook."

Zero remained noncommittal, simply getting up and leaving on his own, casually tossing out a remark before departing.

"Your treasured items are at the bottom of the moving boxes; I'll put them in your bedside table for you."

Lu Mingfei was taken aback, and after realizing what was happening, his face turned even redder.

Thinking back carefully, he did have some "treasures" while staying at his aunt's house, such as comic books, novels, and movies stored on a USB drive... But wasn't it because he had experienced so much in the past ten days that he had completely forgotten about them?

He never expected that the people his senior brother had asked to help him move would actually find and bring all these things with them! They might have even looked through them, appraised them, and commented, "As expected of Young Master Chu's friends, their interests are so wide-ranging and of such high quality?"
Then those things were kept at the bottom of the box. Lu Mingfei was too lazy to tidy them up and never knew about them until Ling moved in and helped him clean up, when they reappeared... and he quietly put them in the bedside table for him.

"A gentleman is judged by deeds, not by heart."

Lu Mingfei muttered to himself, "I'm still innocent!"

……

"Didn't they say the plane had already landed?"

Susie's gaze swept back and forth across the crowd.

"Why hasn't the person come out yet?"

"It has landed, but getting the plane to the jet bridge, the ground crew engaging the wheel chocks, and switching the power all take time, and you know security is stricter now..."

As Ye Sheng was explaining, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

"That's strange. I'm not in a hurry, so why are you? Besides, you even applied to come pick someone up..."

It's understandable that he's anxious, after all, the action team at Kassel College includes Shudeyaji. As the saying goes, "absence makes the heart grow fonder," so it's understandable.

But Susie, doesn't she like Chu Zihang?

"I...don't you know that Nuonuo and I are best friends?"

Susie had a quick idea.

"I haven't seen her in so long, so I'm really eager!"

"If that's really the reason, I think I'd be very happy."

Someone sighed behind her.

"The ship of friendship can capsize so easily."

(End of this chapter)