Lu Mingfei: What? They're all real!

"No need." Ling closed the book, shook her head solemnly, and then explained, "Because I'm going too."

Xia Mi suddenly remembered Ling's almost perfect speech earlier and exclaimed inwardly that she had made a mistake. She had given this young lady a chance to perform.

Xia Mi is now in a somewhat passive position. She glances at Ling, who is "following her husband's lead," and then secretly looks at Lu Mingfei, who is "unwavering" on the other side. She finally realizes that she only has one path to take now...

"Alright, then I won't try to persuade you anymore." Xia Mi released the pen she had snatched from Lu Mingfei and handed it back to him. Then she pointed to the map in front of Lu Mingfei and said, "Let's add Harajuku too."

"Is there anything special about Harajuku? I only know that there are a lot of shops selling JK uniforms and cute girl skirts here." Lu Mingfei stroked his chin and thought. "But if you think about it that way, it is indeed a possible place for them to hang out."

"No, it's because I want to go there for a stroll," Xia Mi said.

"what?"

"Don't be so surprised, of course I'm going too." The girl snorted. "Do you think I'm the type to just sit by and watch you go off to a place where you don't know anyone? I can't bear to leave you there."

She felt that sometimes she couldn't be too subtle; at least what she said had to be better than zero.

She glanced at someone's face and secretly rejoiced at the look of surprise on his face.

“You…” Lu Mingfei hesitated.

"What?" Xia Mi raised her face, forcefully resisting the shyness that kept welling up inside her.

Tell me, tell me how touched you are by Xia Mi-sama's feelings for you!

The girl's lips curled up in a smile.

“I feel like you… are a typical tsundere,” Lu Mingfei said, “and the golden retriever kind.”

"W-what?" The girl's face showed surprise, and a slight blush appeared. "Tsundere?"

“I know what tsundere is. It’s a personality that’s cold and sarcastic on the surface, constantly rejecting others, but actually cares a lot and is secretly shy and soft-hearted.” Zero added, as if it were an encyclopedia. “And blonde girls are especially typical of it.”

"I don't need your explanation! You're an old auntie who's never even watched anime!" Xia Mi turned around and scolded.

She had to admit that she did indeed have some of that potential—like she was now, only able to use excitement to mask her inner shame and indignation.

"Auntie...?" Ling was surprisingly interested in this question. She blinked, then looked lost and absentmindedly at Lu Mingfei.

"No, no, she meant you're too serious and your personality is a bit too mature." Lu Mingfei quickly waved his hand to explain, "She didn't mean anything else, at least I don't think she meant anything else."

"So you mean something else when you say I'm tsundere, right..." Xia Mi's voice turned resentful again. "What do you mean? I heard that tsundere is now associated with dislike. You actually mean you dislike me, right?"

Lu Mingfei was stunned for a full three seconds, then he suddenly felt... he should just run away, taking these two with him might cause a lot of trouble...

Pole!

A sound came from the doorway.

"Junior brother, I've come to collect my reward." Fingel enthusiastically pushed open the door to the activity room, like a bounty hunter carrying a severed head.

But as soon as he stepped into the activity room, he sensed the terrifying atmosphere. Two ghostly, resentful gazes were briefly shifted from Lu Mingfei and fixed directly on him.

Fingel made his judgment in just one second. He broke out in a cold sweat and twitched as if time had reversed as he rolled out of the door.

Lu Mingfei is indeed a remarkable person, he remarked for the umpteenth time.

Chapter 118 Everyone Has Secrets

"Why didn't you be braver and at least call me out!" Lu Mingfei stood under the shade of a tree, torturing Fingel, who had deserted before the battle.

"Stop joking, I'm not an idiot."

Fingel looked smug, pondering the title he needed to earn sponsorship fees for the day. He had to admit that his dear junior was a real money tree, bringing in more wealth in just one semester than in the previous few years combined.

He waved his hand, still shaken, and said, "Those two junior sisters are like two mother dragons. I would never do anything to offend them. But speaking of which, junior brother, you should be more self-controlled. If you're always dancing on a tightrope, you'll crash sooner or later."

Lu Mingfei quietly watched the smug, defeated man in front of him. He really didn't want to explain himself every time.

"Alright, let's get serious. My time is very precious, and I have to go sell some treasures later." Fingel brought the topic back. "But before that, I think you should be honest and hand over the bounty to your senior brother first."

"Bounty?" Lu Mingfei said, "Too late! You didn't get there before the principal. The principal and I have already said almost everything. You're too late."

"Too late?" Fingel sneered.

He would always jump from the ground to the tree, then fall down, grab Lu Mingfei's hand, and cry that it was not too late for him to complain that the principal had stolen his information. He would beg his junior brother to compensate his senior brother for his hard work. In short, he would always try to get some money, even if it was by cheating.

But now, the word "glory" is practically written all over his face.

“Don’t confuse me with the principal’s intelligence-gathering abilities. Do you know who I am?” Fingel said. “I am the famous Fingel Frings, the head of the Kassel Press Office. There is no secret in the world that can escape my sight.”

“Where is the famous one…” Lu Mingfei shrugged weakly, returning the waving greetings from the girls passing by. It wasn’t until Fingel forcibly pulled him back that he refocused his attention on their conversation.

He emphasized, "Let me tell you a secret, this is the result Norma obtained after stopping work for a week. You don't think you're better than artificial intelligence, do you?"

"Norma is nothing!" Fingel said with disdain. "You can't even imagine what my senior brother's methods are!"

"Good, good, good, Senior Brother Fingel is the best."

Lu Mingfei clapped perfunctorily, then turned to leave. He didn't want to speak ill of Fingel today, after all, he had just used the excuse of "Finger needed to see me" to leave the tense atmosphere between the two girls...

"Have you bought the tickets to Tokyo?" Fingel asked casually, without stopping him.

Lu Mingfei suddenly stopped in his tracks. Although he didn't spread the news around like it was a top secret, he only told Zero and Xia Mi. How did Fingel know?

He turned back and looked at Fingel, who had a smug look on his face.

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Fingel smiled mischievously. "Why is President Lu back again?"

"How did you know? You really planted a bug in the principal's office?" Lu Mingfei asked incredulously.

“Junior brother, there are many things in this world you don’t know. Don’t underestimate people.” Fingel smiled smugly, then held out a hand. “So, what about the bounty?”

"You go first."

"Pay first! Credit card payment is accepted, dear." Fingel had a shrewd, businessman-like look on his face.

"Pay with the fee for my portrait rights," Lu Mingfei bargained.

"There's no such thing as copyright!" Fingel retorted. "We don't have this concept of copyright in Kassel. Pay me or not? If you don't, I'm leaving!"

"Here you go." Lu Mingfei cursed the despicable businessman in his heart. This guy even carries a POS machine with him!

He swiped his student card, which was also a Citibank Black Card, and then glared angrily at Fingel, waiting for the guy to say something.

"Thank you, dear guest~" Fingel confirmed receipt of payment, blew a kiss, ignored Lu Mingfei's almost vomiting expression, and began to speak.

He said, "I think the principal probably told you about her in Tokyo, how chaotic the place is, and how the academy can't interfere... I won't say anything like that. I'll just give you a more accurate location: Shinjuku, it must be Shinjuku. Regarding that girl, she was actually photographed four times, and every time she appeared in Shinjuku Ward. The Japanese branch's office is also in Shinjuku Ward, that's all."

Fingel's words were brief, but as is true for most of human history, the briefer the words, the more powerful they are. Lu Mingfei was right about his uncle; people only ramble on when they have no results. Fingel pinpointed the location to a district, or even more precisely, so he didn't need to ramble on. He didn't even need to worry that his benefactor would be dissatisfied with the information.

Lu Mingfei remained silent.

After a long while, he finally moved his face and made some expressions. For the first time, he used the title "senior brother" to address Fingel.

"Senior brother..." he said, "Is this information reliable?"

“I swear on my family’s honor that it is the real deal.” Fingel raised his finger to the sky; this was the sixteenth time he had sworn on his family’s honor.

In Lu Mingfei's mind, the reputation of the Frings family was no different from that of a stray dog ​​on the roadside. Fingel had used this thing to swear that he had tricked him into taking the autographed photos that were on sale these past two days. At that time, Fingel's lie was that "the academy needs to collect information to help you register for the sailing competition."

But now Lu Mingfei inexplicably believes the man in front of him. This guy is too clear, and he even knows exactly what the principal said... There is a secret behind this.

"How did you know?" Lu Mingfei couldn't help but ask.

“This is my livelihood, how can I tell you?” Fingel scoffed.

“Even Norma couldn’t do this…” Lu Mingfei didn’t understand. “Senior brother… do you… have a secret?”

“Everyone has secrets, junior brother.” Fingel just grinned, showing his big teeth.

But a strange bitterness welled up on his face, which Lu Mingfei noticed. Behind this man's smile lay blood and tears.

"Is there any other information you can share?" Lu Mingfei asked.

“That’s all, and you can’t afford it anymore.” Fingel waved his hand. “You don’t know what your senior brother paid for this intelligence. Any more? Even 100,000 US dollars wouldn’t be enough! If you want to know anything more, your senior brother will have to use promises to set the price.”

"What kind of promise could it be?" Lu Mingfei didn't think Fingel was joking, so he asked seriously.

Fingel suddenly froze. He stared at the boy who was half a head shorter than him, his lips trembling inexplicably. He breathed carefully, as if afraid that someone would notice his abnormality. In this state, the man struggled for a long time. He looked into Lu Mingfei's eyes until the moment when he had to say something. Then he took a deep breath, as if he was about to exhale something.

But these words were interrupted by Lu Mingfei's phone ringing.

Chapter 119 You wouldn't have any improper thoughts about me, would you?

"Excuse me, I need to take this call." Lu Mingfei quickly turned around.

Fingel exhaled silently, expelling all the air from his lungs, then took a deep breath, as if relieved that he hadn't blurted out anything in a moment of impulsiveness... He looked at Lu Mingfei, who had turned away, and for the umpteenth time in the past few days, he had recalled Lu Mingfei's battle in the Three Gorges, and he fell into quiet contemplation.

Lu Mingfei didn't have time to see who was calling before he hurriedly pressed his ear to the receiver.

"Hey?"

"Mingfei...it's me." The girl on the other end of the phone called out his name, and her tenderness could be heard even through the signal. She wanted to act more lively, just like before, but now she always carried a hint of shyness and gentleness.

It's Su Xiaoqiang.

Lu Mingfei responded with a series of "ohs." Talking to an old friend was always a delightful experience, and his voice became lively. "Is there something you need? What a coincidence, I was just thinking of coming to see you in a couple of days."

He wanted to ask about airfare and visa matters. He had been rejected for a visa once before, and even though he now had a US visa, the difficulty of getting a Japanese visa had increased dramatically... Moreover, Norma had handled all the procedures for coming to the United States. He didn't have to worry about anything from airfare to visa. He had thought he could go to Tokyo smoothly with the support of the academy, but now he could only rely on himself.

Lu Mingfei had previously heard Su Xiaoqiang mention that her passport had been replaced twice because it ran out of visa pages. At the time, Lu Mingfei was shocked; he had never known that such a thing could be used up... But now, thinking back, it meant that the little fairy had been traveling overseas for many years and must have had a lot of experience in getting visas, which was very important to Lu Mingfei!

Although he really didn't want to provoke her in a cheap way, he had no other choice. Zero wasn't very good at this kind of thing either. Although she cared a lot, she couldn't help at all. As for Xia Mi... Lu Mingfei couldn't say that she was better than him in this area. Lu Mingfei had even led her through the boarding process when she arrived.

"W-what?!" The girl on the other end of the phone seemed completely unprepared to hear such a blunt statement, and even her voice rose an octave.

"Is it inconvenient?" Lu Mingfei asked.

The girl responded repeatedly, nodding like a chick... Lu Mingfei pressed his ear to the receiver and couldn't help but think that those people who stand up when making phone calls really did stand there for a reason. Although they couldn't see the other person's face, their demeanor and expression made it seem as if they were right in front of them.

"Convenient, convenient! What's inconvenient about it?" Su Xiaoqiang said. "I was worried that now that you're successful, you've forgotten about your old classmate. Last time I called you, you said you were back in China. Humph, you must be having a secret rendezvous with some girl, right?"

She carried a deep sense of melancholy.

“I’m not lying, I really am back in China. I’ll show you my immigration records later.” Lu Mingfei leaned against the tree, completely forgetting about the paparazzi who was right next to him.

He started a long phone call: "I was in the Three Gorges area back then. Do you remember Ye Sheng? They had a scientific expedition project, and I went along to get credits. But the supervisor in charge was a real jerk. He came back and praised me a lot, saying I did a great job. Then he told me that I had to be in his class every morning at 8 a.m. I was really speechless!"

He also carried a deep sense of resentment, and he truly felt that Samson should have eaten Mans back then!

"Hmph, so your academic life is quite fulfilling." The girl on the other end of the phone seemed to adjust her posture; she probably sat down. Although her tone sounded cheerful, her voice became lower. She said, "Then why don't you just not wait a couple of days? Now's perfect. I have exams these two days, and I've been in my room the whole time..."

She suddenly took a deep breath, a sound that wouldn't normally be noticeable, but now, due to the electrical signal and the loudspeaker, it became extremely clear.

Then she said, "Why don't you come to my room? I'll treat you to tea."

The invitation itself wasn't a big deal, but her overly shy manner made it hard not to overthink. Lu Mingfei even recalled some extremely bizarre content he'd seen on Nico Nico Douga in Japan before, featuring stories about "fainting after drinking red tea"...

But Lu Mingfei was too embarrassed to ask directly, "Little Fairy, do you have any improper thoughts about me?" The girl's invitation was perfectly normal; she was just inviting a friend to her home. It was just that her tone was a little strange. Maybe she just had a stomachache that had just subsided.

"Can't I?" the girl on the other end asked anxiously and cautiously.

“It’s possible… but there probably won’t be a chance today. We’re far from the city, so we’d have to leave a day early.” Lu Mingfei began to calculate.

It was quite a coincidence that Lao Tang had been contacting him these past two days, saying he wanted to hand over the "dirty money" to him. This was extremely important to Lu Mingfei, as he had to settle the expenses before setting off. The college had only said it would reimburse the airfare, but resolutely refused to reimburse the food and lodging. Money was a very important issue for this trip.

"Going out will solve several problems," Lu Mingfei nodded and said, "Then I'll contact you tomorrow."

"Really?" The girl was overjoyed, then realized she had been a bit out of line and coughed deliberately. "I mean... well, in that case, I'll have to prepare in advance, since this is considered visiting, right? It definitely is..."

She seemed completely panicked and even started talking to herself.

Then, as if afraid that Lu Mingfei would change his mind, she said "Then it's settled" twice, and then said "Call me when you're almost at Hyde Park" three times. This place is in downtown Chicago and is also the location of the University of Chicago.

The girl gave him several instructions before finally hanging up the phone. She seemed to have planned to chat for a long time, but something that made her even more delighted ended the call... Her tone was so lively that even after she hung up, Lu Mingfei could still feel her warm and joyful voice echoing in his ears.

"Tsk, tsk tsk~" A forgotten man clicked his tongue.

Lu Mingfei suddenly noticed this, as if struck by lightning. He turned around abruptly and was met with Fingel's face, which was making a strange expression.

“That’s great, so there were other girls hiding here. I’ve failed in my duty,” Fingel said. “In your idiom, what would you call this? Keeping a mistress in a golden house, right?”

"You should fail your Chinese class. The guy who graded you and let you pass must have taken your money!" Lu Mingfei shouted angrily.

“That’s true, I spent three hundred dollars, it really hurt,” Fingel readily admitted, without the slightest shame.

He simply looked at Lu Mingfei with amusement, waiting for an answer.

"I was wrong, I was wrong..." Lu Mingfei knew how ruthless the paparazzi in Kassel was, so he clasped his hands together in a pleading manner, "Please don't say anything nonsense, especially don't make up headlines, that girl is innocent..."

Fingel didn't speak, he just smiled.

"You haven't even thought of a title yet, have you?" Lu Mingfei asked, his expression pained.