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

Chapter 273 Go and seduce Lu Mingfei

The river had receded far, revealing vast expanses of greyish-white mudflats and dark reefs. Where the river had once been submerged, a deep brown waterline now stood clearly, like a belt wrapped around the mountainside. Evergreen trees still stood densely on the mountainsides on both sides of the river, appearing from a distance as if draped in a dark blue velvet coat.

The winter climate in Baidi City is mostly humid, with an average humidity of over 85%. However, due to the influence of strong cold air from the north moving south, it has become quite dry, and the wind is as sharp as a knife.

The river was devoid of its usual bustling activity; only a lone boat, whose passengers and crew had undergone countless layers of checks, sailed on.

"We're about to pass through the Qutang Gorge. Can you feel anything?" The girl poked at the spring rolls on her plate, her gaze sweeping out the porthole.

"The boat is rocking a bit," Lu Mingfei said honestly.

Nono turned around and glanced at Lu Mingfei. "You're really consistent."

"But the boat is really rocking a bit."

Lu Mingfei stated that this wasn't another episode of his rambling nonsense; "This should be the first time I've ever been on a boat as far as I can remember. Is this normal?"

"Of course it's normal. Although the dry season should generally cause the water flow to slow down due to the significant reduction in water volume, this is the entrance to the Qutang Gorge, where the river channel is naturally narrow. The gorge topography will cause the water flow to accelerate, resulting in obvious eddies and turbulence."

Nono lowered her eyes, seemingly performing a rather serious dissection on the spring roll on the plate. "Because of water level and terrain limitations, we can't travel on ships with large displacements, so we're more significantly affected by these hydrological conditions, but..."

"But what?"

"Ordinary people would hardly notice this level of shaking. If you can, it means you have improved your perception."

Nono looked up at him, her eyes, which could "profile" him, were as black as ink in the center. Her tone was firm, "You've changed, and you've become stronger."

Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat. In front of Nuonuo, he always felt that his disguise was somewhat "unable to hide".

If it were anyone else saying that, he could reply with something like, "Even an ordinary hybrid could do that much perception, right?" But Nono... she seemed to be able to really see what state he was in before.

But we can't just admit it like that, otherwise how are we supposed to explain it next?
So the only option was to change the subject.

"You've changed too, senior sister."

Lu Mingfei avoided Nuonuo's seemingly insightful gaze and lowered his eyes to the plate. "I always thought you were as carefree as the legends say, but I never expected you to get angry."

The poor spring roll on the plate was in a terrible state, with only its fragmented body remaining, barely enough to identify where the scraps came from. Nono's anger was exceptionally clear in her [Emotional Perception], like lightning and thunder, a raging storm, yet on the surface she remained as calm and indifferent as ever, seemingly uninterested in anything.

"It shouldn't be because of the task later, right? Normally, I should feel nervous."

He looked up again and retorted, "What other thing is it?"

The boy's pupils were equally black, and for the first time in her life, Nono felt as if her thoughts were laid bare. Usually, she was the one who brought this feeling to others. That gaze was like a mirror, capable of removing all pretense.

She saw herself from hours before in it.

……

"Um……"

Susie was awakened by the noise in the room and subconsciously reached for her phone to check the time.

My pupils, which had adapted to the darkness, suddenly contracted upon exposure to light, and a light mist filled my eyes, blurring my vision for a while before it cleared.

"Why are you up so early?" She turned to look at Nono, who was getting up from the other bed.

"Something came up," Nono sighed, "I got drafted."

"What's wrong?" Susie perked up.

A short while later, the two walked out of the hotel elevator side by side.

"That's the Three Gorges!"

Susie's eyes seemed to be shining as she lowered her voice, "Why don't you seem excited at all about participating in a mission of this level?"

"Why don't you think about why I'm the one involved?" Nono retorted.

"Um... because you're an A-level?" Susie came up with a reason.

"Aren't you the same? And you can use Word of Power. Although I don't know exactly what it is, it must be very powerful to be classified as a secret, right?" Nono said calmly.

"That makes sense."

Susie had just made up an excuse; her brain was in a low-energy state after waking up, and she was too lazy to think seriously. "So what is it really because of?"

"Because of some disgusting things."

Susie stared blankly at her best friend. She had never seen Nono like this before. In the past, Nono was always indifferent to everything and occasionally acted crazy, as if there was no one or nothing in this world that was worth her attention. Even mentioning Caesar made no difference... It seemed that the only person she really treated specially was Lu Mingfei. When they first met and she was profiling, Susie didn't know what Nono had seen. Afterwards, when Susie asked her, Nono wouldn't say.

At this moment, Nono showed a side of herself that she had never seen before, a clear and undisguised disgust in both her eyes and tone of voice.

After a moment of stunned silence, Susie realized that Nono was looking out of the hotel when she said that.

She followed Nono's gaze and looked outside.

Outside the hotel's glass revolving doors, a Hongqi Shengshi HQ3 had come to a smooth stop sometime earlier, and the rear window was slowly rolling down, revealing a middle-aged man with a stern face like that of a Qin Dynasty warrior terracotta warrior.

Perhaps this car, which costs no more than 800,000 yuan, is not considered luxurious in terms of price, but the most important thing about Hongqi is not luxury, but the status it represents.

Susie didn't come from any mixed-race family with a long lineage. From childhood to adulthood, she always thought of herself as an ordinary girl, until the admissions officer from the Kassel College found her and told her a very long story about dragons and their descendants.

At that time, she had not yet received a rating about her bloodline. She took a train to Kassel College with elites from all over the world. The new world was spinning around her like a kaleidoscope, while she was just an ordinary girl with black hair, black eyes, a ponytail, and glasses, and she seemed so out of place.

She still remembers how tightly she gripped the hem of her skirt, almost wringing water out of it.

At that moment, a boy with similar black hair and black eyes sat down opposite him. After a long silence, he asked, "Have you filled out your school registration form? Do you want to copy mine?"

The boy's name was Chu Zihang.

At the end of August that year, before the height of summer had ended, the forests of Illinois displayed countless shades of green. Looking out the car window, it resembled a flowing abstract painting. The boy and girl from China sat at opposite ends of this painting, like strangers who had met by chance in a museum.

Although after getting to know Chu Zihang, she knew that it was probably just this cold-faced but warm-hearted young man's concern for his fellow townsman... He would probably have lent a helping hand to any other townsman, or even someone who wasn't from his hometown.

But what does that matter?

It takes a long time to love someone, but only a moment to like someone.

In short, after that, Susie became Chu Zihang's inseparable "assistant". When Chu Zihang wanted to become the president of the Lionheart Society, she worked hard to become the vice president. When Chu Zihang might develop abroad in the future, she also prepared to study abroad. Now that Chu Zihang seems to be preparing to stay in China, she turned her attention to China... For this reason, she also collected a lot of information on mixed-race forces in China.

Therefore, she easily recognized the middle-aged man's identity—the head of the Chen family, one of the "Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families" in China, whose mixed-race family power was similar to that of the Sui and Tang dynasties.

Susie then looked at Nono.

Nono never talks about her home. This year, during her first winter break from university, she didn't plan to go home. At first, she said she would stay in her dorm and let herself grow fur slowly. Later, she suddenly had a whim and packed her bags to travel the world. If Susie hadn't rushed over after hearing that Chu Zihang had an accident in China, she probably would have been dragged along by Nono.

In Susie's eyes, Nuonuo was like a runaway princess, and preferably the kind who would never have to go back... So now she vaguely guessed that her thoughts were probably a bit wrong, and that the "like" should be removed, she really was the Chen family's princess!

Moreover, judging from what she said just now, this task should have been arranged for her by the family using their resources. Such an important matter and high expectations placed on her should probably be called the eldest daughter of the Chen family.

However, there must be some problems. At the very least, Nono herself doesn't seem to like this identity... or perhaps she even hates it?
Those who can become best friends naturally have certain similarities in personality. After realizing this, Susie did not try to persuade Nuonuo with any of the idea that "family is family after all." She was well aware of the principle that one should not advise others to be kind if one has not experienced their suffering.

"Do you want me to help?" she asked in a low voice, her tone revealing a hint of eagerness.

"Hmm?" Nono was taken aback, and actually thought about it seriously for a moment before finally shaking her head slightly. "Not for now. I'm also a little interested in this mission."

"……it is good."

Susie hesitated, already knowing that the other operative for this mission was Lu Mingfei, and subconsciously wanted to ask Nuonuo whether she was interested in Lu Mingfei or the mission itself.

"Then I'll go back..."

"Go back for what?"

Nono interrupted her decisively.

“Although there are only two action specialists, there’s no restriction on who can accompany them. Chu Zihang is definitely going, so why aren’t you going now? You’re always clinging to me at school, so why are you being so dramatic now? Are you worried about not getting approved?”

"I didn't!" Susie stamped her foot. "I'll call in a bit!"

"Go for it, girl! I believe in you!" Nuonuo waved with a smile and walked out of the revolving door with a flourish.

A biting wind swept over her, and the sudden drop in temperature was like a knife slicing away the smile on the girl's face, covering it with a thin layer of ice.

The car doors opened and closed, and the windows slid up, as if transporting you to another world.

"nausea?"

The middle-aged man asked casually, "If that girl knew about the deal you made with me, who would she find disgusting?"

"Spit it out if you have something to say." Nuonuo said succinctly.

"How far have things progressed between you and Caesar Gattuso?"

"What do you mean?" Nono frowned.

"The deal, do I need to remind you again? Go to Kassel College, become Cesare Gattuso's girlfriend, and then marry him. You'll get the answer you've always wanted to know."

The middle-aged man revealed a shocking secret in an extremely calm tone.

Given Nono's personality, she would never agree to such a thing, but while she could go against her family in most other matters, she couldn't refuse this one.

Just as an emperor must bear the weight of the crown, everyone has a reason to persevere. Often, that reason is called fate, but in reality, it's about whether you're willing to let go.

Nono was unwilling to let go, and for that unspeakable reason, for that thing she absolutely had to know, she had no other choice but to do it this way.

"So, where exactly are you at in executing this transaction?"

The middle-aged man spoke calmly, as if reading a report, "I know you haven't been Cesare Gattuso's girlfriend for very long. I'm asking specifically how far things have progressed—have you kissed, have you slept together..."

This is definitely not a question a father would ask his daughter; it's more like a shop owner's assessment of a product, evaluating its wear and tear and its current value.

"Fuck you."

Nono laughed in exasperation, a rare and somewhat ferocious smile. Her quick wit allowed her to instantly understand why the middle-aged man had asked that question. "Because of Lu Mingfei, right?"

"very good."

The middle-aged man seemed to have gotten an answer from Nuonuo's seemingly unrelated words. He nodded with satisfaction, "You're very smart. Your necessary reserve gives you another option."

"Don't use that 'I'm so proud of my daughter' tone and expression. It just makes me feel even more disgusted by you.'" Nono regained her composure.

"The reason for making this deal was that we felt that Caesar Gattuso, as the future head of the Gattuso family, had a limitless future and was very outstanding. If there was this marriage, both the Chen family and the Gattuso family could benefit."

The middle-aged man didn't care what Nuonuo was saying; he just kept talking to himself, "But now, Lu Mingfei is very outstanding, or rather, he is obviously much more outstanding."

The Gattuso family is indeed powerful, but the problem is that they are too powerful to be completely controlled by us. Lu Mingfei is different; he is an individual with a legitimate lineage, and his great-grandfather was once one of the leaders of the Secret Society... With the talent he has shown so far, he can build a force that rivals or even surpasses the Gattuso family on his own.

Faced with greater interests, the deal between the Chen family and the Gattuso family is insignificant. Therefore, I suggest you choose Lu Mingfei. After all… your feelings towards him are clearly more special, aren't they?”

The middle-aged man suddenly laughed. "I can understand you. A man you can't see through is always more interesting than a Cesare Gattuso who can be manipulated at will."

A long silence fell over the car.

"You seem to think you're very clever, that you have everything under control," Nono said coldly, looking at him.

"Appreciate further details."

"I did agree to the deal with you."

Nono's face showed a sneer, "Every time I think about it, I feel disgusted with myself. Do you know how I comforted myself later? Because Caesar is actually not bad. I don't hate him. If you don't hate him, you can try to like him. And this liking can be genuine. So in the end, I was able to get the answer I wanted to know, and it wasn't like I deceived his feelings."

"Self-deception can sometimes be a good strategy."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly. "People are indeed very complex. They are good at deceiving others, but they can be even more ruthless when deceiving themselves."

"But just the day before yesterday, someone said the following."

Nono looked out the window, as if the clouds outside the airplane window that day were right in front of her.

"There are some things you've kept in your heart for many years, things you don't consciously try to remember, but once they appear in your mind, you always rack your brains to think about them, right or wrong, better results... But what you really want is not to get a right or wrong answer or to create a result, you are just regretting, feeling sorry, and feeling sorry for those things that you know have become the past and can never be changed."

The middle-aged man fell silent, a rare occurrence for him. He had a bad feeling, as if an unexpected change was about to occur in a well-written script, a change he didn't want to see.

He said he had experienced too many such things, and even once thought it was fate's arrangement, but just when he was about to accept his fate, the opportunity came.

He was determined to seize this opportunity, no matter the difficulties and exhaustion, all for just four words.

Nono said softly.

"No more regrets."

“…Great inspirational quote…” the middle-aged man tried to speak.

"You guessed right, the person who said this is Lu Mingfei, the one you suddenly came to me to say 'go seduce him'."

Nono continued talking to herself, and the two seemed to be on completely different wavelengths, yet they could both understand what each other was trying to say.

"I agreed to the deal at the beginning, and I feel disgusted with myself for it. I'm deceiving myself, but some things can't be changed. The thought that I'll feel uncomfortable when I think about this a long, long time from now makes me regret it a little."

Now you're giving me another chance, which is a great choice, because it finally makes me realize that you're just a businessman, and businessmen have no morals; you only obey the greater good.

If I agree the second time, will there be a third time? Who can guarantee that another 'super Lu Mingfei' won't appear next? What if I've already slept with Lu Mingfei by then? Will you have to arrange for me to have hymenoplasty? How badly would I be ruined then?

Nono calmly raised her middle finger.

"So, I'm quitting."

……

"Because of you," Nono said softly, coming back to her senses.

Lu Mingfei: "???"

(End of this chapter)