Lu Mingfei: What? They're all real!

She said, "You don't actually believe what I told him, do you? I went to their school to investigate, and I'm a psychology expert. I'm 95 percent sure that girl doesn't like your precious student. His confession will definitely fail, and he'll be heartbroken. Then it won't be us begging him; he'll be begging us."

“What about the five percent chance of something going wrong?” Guderian displayed the meticulousness typical of Germans.

"Then I'll just have to set him up myself. Anyway, I'm a bad girl, so it's only natural for me to do bad things." She shrugged nonchalantly and made a face. "In any case, my plan will succeed. Don't forget, I'm good at profiling. There's nothing I can't figure out."

"I hope you succeed." Guderian sighed deeply, walked up to Chen Motong, patted the girl's shoulder heavily, and sighed repeatedly.

He said sincerely, "And I also sincerely hope that you will not fail. The principal takes this matter very seriously. If the principal finds out that you messed everything up... I can only wish you good luck, and also good luck to the student council behind you. Nono, I am not stupid. I know you have your own plans, but no plan can be above the interests of the college."

"No way~ I promise he'll be really embarrassed then. If he's not embarrassed enough, I'll make him embarrassed! Professor, you'll definitely gain a devoted student."

Chen Motong waved his hand, his confidence practically overflowing from his chest.

Hiding in the corner, Ye Sheng knew nothing about matters of the heart and secretly inquired about them from Aki beside him.

Aki quietly shook her head at Ye Sheng. She actually felt that Chen Motong's plan was not very reliable, and she also felt that the red-haired shrine maiden's information database might be a bit outdated. Maybe Chen Wenwen from a few days ago wouldn't like Lu Mingfei, but who could guarantee that the situation wouldn't change drastically in a few days... This matter might not develop as expected...

But she wasn't going to say anything to remind her. She knew very well—or rather, every student in Kassel knew very well what kind of person the "Red-Haired Witch" really was—no matter what others said, they couldn't change this rebellious girl's mind in the slightest.

Xia Mi still didn't leave; she huddled in the corner.

"I'm so poor I can't afford to eat" was the only thing she didn't lie about today; she had originally planned to mooch a meal before leaving.

But luck was on her side, and she overheard such important information.

She tried her best to make herself inconspicuous, inwardly exclaiming how lucky she was to have received such explosive news... She felt that if she could extend an angelic hand during this "darkest hour" that was designed to happen, gaining that despicable guy's trust would become much easier!

Xia Mi revealed a sinister smile, along with fangs that gleamed in the darkness.

Chapter 30 Lu Mingze

"idiot!"

Lu Mingfei cursed at the visa officer in front of him, then muttered like Ah Q, "What a poor place Tokyo is! If I didn't need to go to see someone, I wouldn't even want to go!"

He rushed home to pack his things and even spent several hundred dollars on a taxi to get to the big city next door—the only place with a consulate that could process visas. But he was rejected because he was "suspected of having immigration intentions."

Even he knew that people shouldn't say "I'm going to find my wife" when applying for a visa, but he really didn't want to lie about this.

This is indeed a standard statement with an "immigrant bias".

So his visa was rejected.

This was truly bad news. The feeling of being able to "go to heaven and earth and do anything" had gradually faded, and Lu Mingfei could no longer maintain his carefree attitude. He had no idea what to do now. He hoped that someone could lend a helping hand. If he didn't even have a visa, then his plan to find someone would be completely ruined.

Although funding is also a major challenge...

There are indeed many, many problems.

He scratched his hair, leaned against the corner of the wall outside the gate in frustration, and watched as people came and went, all getting satisfactory results, which made him feel increasingly uncomfortable.

"Oh my god!"

Lu Mingfei wished he could make a wish upon a shooting star, but then he began to doubt whether his wish would actually work. He complained that he had no power at all. He was fine playing around with the children, but when faced with a real problem, he would show his true colors.

So, do you want to make a deal?

Suddenly, a cold voice rang in Lu Mingfei's ears, and everything fell silent in an instant. Even the heat wave in the air stopped undulating, and the expressions on the faces of passersby froze. Whether they were laughing or sad, they were frozen in the previous moment.

A little girl running in the distance with an ice cream cone lost her grip. She stared in horror at the ice cream about to fall to the ground, tears welling up in her eyes. The frozen cream hung suspended in mid-air, just a step away from the ground.

The whole world came to a standstill.

"What is that?!"

Lu Mingfei was startled, but then realized he was overreacting. He looked away, and then a look of surprise appeared on his face.

Want to make a deal?

The short boy mechanically repeated his words, only to be grabbed by the neck by Lu Mingfei who rushed over.

"Little brother! Little brother, little brother, little brother, little brother!"

Lu Mingfei, like a fanatical brother-obsessed man, cried out the word "brother" as if wailing.

Now it was the short boy's turn to be startled, but what appeared more of a blank expression on his face was a stunned look. He stared blankly ahead, like ashes that had been burned out. After a long while, he finally turned his eyes, pursed his lips, as if he was about to cry.

The expression flashed across the boy's face for a moment, then turned into an impeccable smile. He turned around and put his arm around Lu Mingfei's arm, and the two of them pressed tightly together.

"Wait a minute, why haven't you grown up at all?"

Lu Mingfei wanted to say something polite and sentimental like, "You've grown so much," but he found that the boy looked exactly the same as he remembered, without any change.

"Because I'll never grow up again, brother." The boy had a faint sadness in his voice as he and Lu Mingfei hid in the shadows and looked up at the sun.

Lu Mingfei was also affected by this sadness, and wave after wave of emotions surged up in his heart. He felt that he had experienced a lot in an instant, but unfortunately, it was only a part of his memories that he could not distinguish. He could not remember any specific events, only that the emotions were well transmitted between the two of them, and he could only sigh along with them.

But he didn't find the boy's appearance abrupt; he felt that his younger brother naturally belonged by his side, as if they had never been separated.

“Oh no, brother, you know me.” The boy spoke again. “How can you know me? You shouldn’t know me. This is not a good thing.”

"Look at what you're saying! You're my brother, how could I not know you? We're so close!" Lu Mingfei exclaimed. "If I'm not close to you, am I supposed to be closer to Lu Mingze?"

"Yes, we're very close!"

The boy readily agreed and snuggled closer to Lu Mingfei. He seemed to really enjoy Lu Mingfei's embrace, as if this were his home.

However, he then sighed helplessly.

“But brother, my name is also Lu Mingze,” the boy said. “I also wanted to be called Lu Mingze, but Mr. Fatty beat me to it, and I hate him.”

"That's alright. From now on, you'll be the real Lu Mingze, one of a kind. Fatty and all that, it doesn't matter." Lu Mingfei waved his hand, making a magnanimous decision with the air of someone taking his younger brother to steal melons from the field.

"Hehe~" The boy chuckled, showing his teeth, just like Lu Mingfei's silly little brother, but then he became serious again. He asked, "So, brother, do you want to make a deal?"

"Why do you keep talking about transactions? What's so good about transactions?" Lu Mingfei grumbled.

He was genuinely happy to see his younger brother from his "memory," but he hated the word "transaction." In his mind, this was a devil who tempted souls with transactions all day long, and it couldn't possibly be anything good.

“Brother, you crave power,” Lu Mingze said. “Power can only be gained through trade. You’ve already thought of me, but haven’t you thought of the eternal truth of this world?”

"I don't think that's a transaction at all, it's clearly a sacrifice!" Lu Mingfei pouted. "What would I sacrifice? My soul? Or yours? I would never do such a thing."

"So clever~" Lu Mingze smiled sincerely, "It seems you really have remembered a lot, even your attitude towards refusing me is the same. For thousands of years, you've been confused about other things, but you've never agreed to me on this matter. Brother, I'm so happy, you haven't changed at all..."

He looked really happy.

Then he asked, "But brother, if you don't have the power, how will you find the girl you want to find?"

He was indeed a little devil; his sincere smile was like Mephisto emerging from hell, and he winked slyly at Lu Mingfei.

The little devil is targeting Lu Mingfei's weak spot.

“No money, no visa, and no destination, brother, finding someone like this is much harder than finding a needle in a haystack.” He clicked his tongue and scolded, “And do you really believe that Jormungandr is telling the truth? She’s not a good person, she’s full of bad intentions. You should have skinned her alive when you met her.”

At this point, his hatred and anger suddenly became uncontrollable. Lu Mingfei had no doubt that if Jormungandr were here, he might have been bitten to death on the spot by Lu Mingze.

"It can't be fake, right? Would pretty girls lie?" Lu Mingfei muttered in rebuttal. Being with his younger brother, he slowly became like that cowardly and pathetic child again.

"The prettier the woman, the more likely she is to lie!" Lu Mingze said indignantly, then changed his tone and began to promote himself, "But brother, I'm not a girl, I won't lie to you, so want to make a deal? I guarantee I can help you locate the person, and I'll even include airfare and visa services, it's a great deal!"

He blinked, waiting expectantly for a reply.

“No.” Lu Mingfei refused decisively. “Didn’t you already say that I wouldn’t agree to this? And the fact that you said that proves she definitely exists. As long as I know she exists, that’s enough. I will find her. I will someday.”

Lu Mingze suddenly seemed very lost. Long ears suddenly grew on his head, like a pony, a kitten, or any creature with long ears, and they went behind his head. He looked extremely frustrated.

He remained silent for a long time, prompting Lu Mingfei to look down at him.

"what--"

Lu Mingze suddenly grinned, showing his big teeth, as if all his previous actions were just to deliberately scare Lu Mingfei. He chuckled, dusted himself off, stood up, and basked in the sunlight that was shining on him.

“This time it’s different, brother. Things have changed. You have a weakness now; you’re chasing after love! You always fall for red-haired girls.” The little devil smiled sinisterly. “You’re about to be trapped by love again; you’re going to repeat the same mistakes. Love is such a harmful thing. When you cry out for power, you’ll come to me, or rather…”

The little devil paused, then suddenly squatted down again. He reached out and stroked Lu Mingfei's face. It was actually a somewhat ambiguous gesture, but the devil's face only showed sorrow, as if he were pitying a broken and wounded soul.

He said, "Or, brother, I'm just a middleman. When you truly remember everything, when you decide to take back what's yours, nothing can stop you. At that time—"

The little devil rose from the ground again, this time his figure suddenly became taller, wrapped in a robe like black mist, his height approaching 2.5 meters, he no longer looked like a little boy who had not yet completed his development.

He floated in the air, lifting a long tricorn hat from the void, its hem adorned with a bright red feather, resembling the demon from hell that Lu Mingfei had recently encountered while controlling Nero in Devil May Cry—Mephisto, one of the most infamous demons in human history.

"Then you may lock me up, then I will gladly rest in peace, then let the death knell toll, then your torment will end!" the little devil said generously.

This is a quote from Faust, spoken by Faust before signing the pact with Mephistopheles. It concerns the soul, but now the positions are reversed, with the devil now being the one who has to surrender his soul.

"The hands fall, the clock stops, and my time comes to an end," the little devil said, exhaling softly as he uttered the last word.

“I would never do that.” Lu Mingfei was a real mood killer. He slumped against the wall, completely unresponsive to his brother’s impassioned words, shaking his head in a ridiculous manner. “I would never let my brother become a bargaining chip.”

"Brother is so nice." The little boy squinted his eyes, his face beaming with happiness.

But this happiness is fleeting, like the spirit known as "mono no aware" (the pathos of things).

“But it’s not up to you, brother. Our luck has been terrible, and now you’re going to suffer the pain of love. Misfortune will surely find you.” Lu Mingze slowly walked out of the shadows, swaying as he sighed, “Love… love is such a bitter thing, brother. I knew you wouldn’t agree to me so easily, but if things continue like this, you’ll come to me sooner or later.”

He slowly landed on the ground, turning back into a short child. Standing next to the girl who was about to lose her beloved ice cream cone in the distance, he even appeared a few inches shorter.

"Really, how much suffering will my dear brother have to endure in love?" he muttered to himself, slowly extending his hand towards the girl.

Lu Mingfei instinctively felt that the little devil might show some kindness, but it was still a devil after all. He saw Lu Mingze nudge the girl's shoulder, causing the girl, who still had a slim hope of receiving the ice cream cone, to shift her position slightly—

"After all, tragedy is the underlying tone of this world. When you want to rely on me, brother, just ask me. I've always been waiting for you, always..." Lu Mingze said in a deep voice, and then disappeared completely into the world in the blink of an eye.

In an instant, all the noise returned, the flow of people resumed, and the heat wave in the air hit Lu Mingfei's face. He blinked, confirming that his petite younger brother was no longer there.

The girl, heartbroken at losing her ice cream cone, cried out in anguish, wiping away her tears with one hand. For a child, this was a profound tragedy; unable to pick up the melted cream from the ground, she could only weep in sorrow.

As for Lu Mingfei, he felt that if a tragedy were to happen to him, it would plunge the whole world into suffering.

He lowered his head and leaned his back against the wall.

"As your loving younger brother, I'd like to give you some advice. I think you shouldn't think about going to Tokyo right now. She might not even be there, and you won't get anywhere with her. Going to America with those guys would be more suitable for you."

The little devil appeared beside him again, whispering in his ear with a cunning glint in his lowered eyes.

"And also, brother, love is really tough. Don't suffer too much at once, or you won't be able to handle it." As he said this, he unceremoniously pulled his phone out of Lu Mingfei's pocket.

The Nokia N96 that Lu Mingfei shamelessly hacked kept beeping, displaying newly received text messages—

[How's your decision? Would you like your senior to teach you a few more tricks?]

When he looked up again, Lu Mingze had truly disappeared. Only the girl's cries echoed in the hot air in the distance. She tried to hide her sadness with sobs, and her voice became intermittent, like a premonition coming from the depths of time and space.

Chapter 31 Using cheat codes will kill your whole family.

[Should we cut a plate of these?]

Old Tang sent a message, calling for Lu Mingfei to come online.

Old Tang was Lu Mingfei's good friend in the StarCraft channel; they were so close that they added each other on QQ and always played together. Old Tang was actually a noob, and Lu Mingfei could easily beat him with one hand. However, in order not to lose this one of the few friends who would always play with him, he always chose to use the red dot control, always managing to "narrowly lose" to Old Tang at just the right moment.

Lu Mingfei hadn't logged into StarCraft for a long time, and as soon as he logged on today, he was bombarded with messages in the channel.

If he hadn't heard the little devil Lu Mingze persuade him to give up going to Tokyo alone, he would definitely have continued to work hard. But now he was a little hesitant. Between Jormungandr and his dear brother, he felt that... his brother might be more reliable.

Although it's a devil who's single-mindedly focused on tempting people, it's not exactly reliable...

However, Lu Mingfei did calm down a bit as a result. Money, visas, and precise location issues were all looming in front of him, and he really needed someone who could help him solve these problems.

After that, Guderian sent many more messages on his phone, including the bombshell news that the principal had issued scholarships in advance, with $30,000 for anyone who enrolled. This was something that really appealed to Lu Mingfei, but other aspects... he still had to consider.

Let's cut a plate of it then.

Lu Mingfei replied to Lao Tang's message and chased Lu Mingze, who was snorting like a little pig, out of the room.

He now understood why he felt a surge of anger whenever he saw the chubby Lu Mingze—it turned out his own younger brother also wanted that name—so Lu Mingfei, whose status had skyrocketed, was now considering getting rid of the chubby boy's name.

Lu Mingfei is someone who makes no attempt to hide his double standards.

"Mom! Lu Mingfei is bullying me!" Lu Mingze shouted loudly, but he didn't dare to delay and hurried towards the door. Even his complaint sounded like a spoiled child.

The family's social standing has undergone a dramatic change. Lu Mingfei has become a Brahmin, surpassing his aunt who is a Kshatriya and his uncle who is a Vaishya, while Lu Mingze has fallen to a class just one step away from becoming a Dalit, replacing Lu Mingfei's original position.

"Nonsense! Mingfei definitely has something important to do. Just listen to your brother, and he'll write you a letter of recommendation later."

Auntie has a springy personality; now that Lu Mingfei is assertive, she softens up. After hearing Guderian's harassing phone call boasting that "Lu Mingfei is a once-in-a-century genius," she completely gave up on targeting her nephew. Now, she can be seen smiling and bragging about her genius to other middle-aged women downstairs in the neighborhood.

The chubby boy made a thumping sound and burst out of the door like a ball of flesh, leaving the room to Lu Mingfei, who then gave him a good show and utterly annihilated Old Tang.

"Bro, how come you're suddenly so good?" Old Tang messaged, clearly unconvinced. "You didn't cheat, did you? Let me tell you, cheating means your whole family dies!"

Lu Mingfei glanced at the chubby boy humming incessantly with his aunt outside the door, and then thought of his parents, who were far away and shrouded in mystery, and thought to himself, whatever, it really doesn't matter if I use cheat codes.