Scene One: The Gates of Castle

3.Meeting

The next morning, at the Regent Hotel.

This was the most luxurious hotel in the small city, a global chain and a five-star establishment. Lu Mingfei's uncle liked to sit in the lobby here, sipping tea and chatting with friends. He would keep asking the waiter to refill his cup until the strong tea turned into plain water. In this way, it didn't cost much, yet he could have the sense of superiority of enjoying the world's top-notch service. Uncle made the call to Professor Goodrian on behalf of Lu Mingfei. The professor was very delighted and said that he had already arrived and checked in at the Regent Hotel. Uncle immediately expressed his sincerity, saying that he was an old customer of the Regent and was very familiar with it. Then, very naturally, they arranged to have breakfast together.

It was rare for the whole family to come out together. Uncle, with his potbelly and legs crossed, was sitting in the lobby bar, teaching Lu Mingze the truth that "only by enduring hardships can one become a superior person," while also complimenting the good service of the Regent. He said that they served black chocolate with the tea, and this black chocolate was a wonderful thing, rich in dopamine, which made people feel happy. This was the elegance of a top-class hotel. Auntie, on the other hand, kept complaining that uncle was a wasteful man, spending money in such a place. If he wanted to eat black chocolate, he could find an acquaintance in a chocolate factory and buy a pound for only twenty yuan.

"Mr. Lu Mingfei?" A well-dressed waiter walked up to the table.

Lu Mingfei had never been called "Mr." before, so he quickly stood up.

"Our guest, Professor Goodrian, has arranged breakfast on the VIP revolving bar on the ninth floor. He asked me to inform you."

"I'm also a regular customer. Why didn't I know there was such a VIP revolving bar?" Uncle was a bit puzzled.

"Well, the VIP revolving bar is not open to the public. It's only available for free to guests staying in business suites and presidential suites. Professor Goodrian has booked a presidential suite."

"A presidential suite?" Uncle was taken aback.

"American schools are really wealthy!" Auntie instantly forgot that she had originally come to verify the authenticity of this school and see if that letter was a scam. In front of the presidential suite, she suddenly showed great respect for Cassel Academy.

The VIP elevator sent the whole family of four directly to the top floor. The moment the elevator doors opened, a burly old man with silver hair greeted them. After scanning them briefly, he accurately grabbed Lu Mingfei's hand and said, "Hello! Lu Mingfei!"

"Hello... Professor Goodrian, your Chinese is really good." Lu Mingfei immediately started to feel nervous.

In this VIP revolving bar, with only their group of people present, the tablecloth was snow-white and the tableware was shiny. Looking out, one could see the most beautiful lake view in the city. He was being treated as an important figure, but he simply couldn't adapt to this elevated status. He was increasingly worried that he was about to be deceived and sold.

Professor Goodrian was obviously a very carefree person. He didn't pay any attention to Lu Mingfei's nervous look and grabbed his own hair happily, saying, "Do I? Is it that good? Our academy has been tilting the foreign language education curriculum towards Chinese these two years. Everyone knows that China will become one of the most prosperous places in the world!"

Looking at Lu Mingfei, he showed a face full of trying to win him over and said, "So if you become our student, you can be exempted from foreign language courses!"

"But I have to learn English, don't I..." Lu Mingfei grinned, "And my TOEFL score is just average."

"No, there's no need," Professor Goodrian said very sincerely, "We have been implementing the 'Chinese Campus Project' for seven years. Now, in the campus, everyone speaks Chinese, from professors to librarians, including the cleaning ladies! So we didn't even consider your English score!"

Damn it, Lu Mingfei thought. If they didn't even consider that barely passing TOEFL score, what exactly did they value him for? A high school transcript with an average score of less than 80 in each subject? A dry personal statement? A life with no highlights... Facing such an applicant, how could this professor look so happy?

"Hello, Professor Goodrian. I'm Lu Mingfei's uncle." Uncle couldn't stand not getting involved and squeezed himself between Professor Goodrian and Lu Mingfei. Since he couldn't remember the name Goodrian, he cleverly simplified it to "Professor Gu."

"You two father and son really don't look alike!" Professor Goodrian seemed a bit out of touch. Uncle's face was a bit embarrassed. This made Auntie, who was about to push Uncle away, change her mind.

"Breakfast is ready. Let's eat together." Professor Goodrian warmly invited them, with his gaze always on Lu Mingfei.

The expensive breakfast included a salmon roll and freshly squeezed lemonade. This exclusive VIP revolving bar was so imposing. All of this immediately dispelled uncle's annoyance. Anyway, it wasn't really something to be ashamed of that Lu Mingfei didn't look like him. Professor Goodrian said that Cassel Academy thought Lu Mingfei had quite comprehensive abilities and great potential. Uncle, while eating the salmon roll, was also happy to say that he could tell at a glance that Cassel Academy was an American aristocratic school, and that this grandeur was really incomparable to Chinese universities.

Professor Goodrian was well-prepared. He took out a copy of the legally registered university license in the United States Department of Education for Auntie, who still looked a bit doubtful, to admire. He also took out an album to show Lu Mingze, introducing this as the library of Cassel Academy, this as the sports hall of Cassel Academy, and this as the concert hall of Cassel Academy. It looked like this academy had a classical architectural style and luxurious facilities, like a medieval castle that had been completely renovated at a great expense. In one of the photos, there was a windsurfboard with the Cassel Academy emblem sailing on the crests of the green waves of Lake Michigan. Professor Goodrian introduced that this was the academy's annual fixed windsurfing race, and they had beaten the University of Chicago for three consecutive years. By implication, the University of Chicago, though a first-class famous American university, was really nothing special.

After Uncle praised the girls watching the windsurfing race for their good figures, he started talking at length about Lu Mingfei's education. He thought that Lu Mingfei could have diverse abilities and potential, which had a lot to do with the loose education method he had adopted for Lu Mingfei since he was young. Professor Goodrian nodded frequently. Uncle was very happy to be recognized. Suddenly, he remembered an old book called "Liu Yiting, the Harvard Girl" and couldn't help but pat his thigh and say that he could also write a book called "Lu Mingfei, the Cassel Boy," which could sell millions of copies in China, making him famous and rich. So he carefully asked how much less influential Cassel Academy was compared to Harvard in the United States. After a moment of silence, Professor Goodrian patted his chest and said that this exquisite aristocratic school, Cassel Academy, actually had similar influence among the upper class in society as Harvard. Uncle could rest assured.

Lu Mingfei, with his eyes cast down, listened to these two people getting along very well. He couldn't help but feel a strange feeling. This wasn't an interview but rather like giving away a daughter in marriage. He, Lu Mingfei, was like a daughter who stayed at home and was actually making money by being given away in marriage. The man on the other side was very eager, and the girl's family was also happy to go along with it.

When Uncle ran out of words, Lu Mingfei finally mustered up the courage to ask the question he had always wanted to ask, "Professor Goodrian... What exactly do you think is better about me?"

Professor Goodrian was silent for a moment and said, "Everything is good! When we recruit students, we look at comprehensive qualities and don't really care much about transcripts."

"But," Lu Mingfei pressed on, "Cassel Academy also offers scholarships. The conditions are really great... It's really hard to believe."

Professor Goodrian scratched his gray eyebrows and had to seriously respond to this question. "Besides grades, there are some other reasons. Your parents are exactly honorary alumni of our academy and have donated to our important research projects. We will give priority to admitting the children of alumni, even honorary alumni."

The whole family of four was stunned. Lu Mingfei felt like there was a rabbit waking up inside him, thumping wildly. He had forgotten how long it had been since he had received any accurate news about his parents. Every time his mother wrote to him, it was just the same old things like taking care of herself and studying hard. She never mentioned what they were actually doing abroad.

"So I can see them?" Lu Mingfei asked eagerly.

Professor Goodrian shook his head. "Actually, I haven't seen them either. I heard that they have been busy with a very important research project all these years, so they have been constantly going in and out of the jungles in South America. But I have a photo of them, as well as a letter your mother wrote to the academy about this matter."

He turned the photo on the last page of the album, which had originally faced inwards, so that it was facing Lu Mingfei. It was a summer garden. In the distance, one could vaguely see the classical and luxurious library of Cassel Academy. Up close, there were countless creeping walls, exuding a deep and transparent greenery. A man and a woman were hand in hand walking among the creeping walls. The man was wearing a loose white shirt and a pair of wide-leg pants, with a pair of wooden clogs on his feet. The woman was wearing a pure white cotton dress and a bit like Chen Wenwen's appearance when she first reported. Lu Mingfei reached out his finger and gently touched the faces of the two people in the picture. They were his parents. He could still vaguely remember their faces. Lu Mingfei had a strange feeling. That man and woman were really far away from him, far away in a corner of the world he could never reach. Suddenly, he felt a bit sad. The man and woman were looking at each other's faces, with a warm smile on their faces. Obviously, they were in their own world and seemed to have forgotten that they had jointly given birth to a child.

Uncle and Auntie both nodded, and Auntie also made a concise comment, "They are both quite old, but still quite romantic!"

The letter was very short and was printed out, probably an email of sorts:

"Dear Dean Angier:

It has been a long time since we last contacted. I hope your health is as good as before.

We probably won't see each other for a long time. The recent research is intense, and we can't leave. So please keep that bottle of red wine from Château Latour for us when we return to taste it.

My child, Lu Mingfei, is already 18 years old. He is a smart boy. Perhaps his grades are not that good, but we both believe that he will achieve something in academics. So if possible, please help Lu Mingfei with his enrollment at Cassel Academy.

I can't tell him in person, so please convey my message on my behalf. Say that daddy and mommy love him.

Yours sincerely,

Joanvi"

Professor Goodrian put the letter back in the envelope. While handing it to Lu Mingfei, he did something unexpected. He said with an incredibly affectionate tone and not quite standard pronunciation, "Mingfei, daddy and mommy love you."

This stiff conveyance made Lu Mingze laugh out loud for a moment. Auntie and uncle also couldn't keep a straight face. Joanvi's words in the letter were so affectionate that they brought tears to one's eyes. But when spoken by the tall and burly man Professor Goodrian, there was indeed a comical sense of displacement. Lu Mingfei and Professor Goodrian also laughed, and the atmosphere at the dining table became harmonious.

"Now you're relieved, right? We are not scammers!" Professor Goodrian said, smiling as he scratched the back of his head.

"I'll go to the restroom," Lu Mingfei said.

Lu Mingfei walked into the restroom, closed the door, and leaned against it, tears silently flowing down. In fact, he didn't think anything was funny. It was so moving. So many years later, his mother still remembered to say she loved him. This gave Lu Mingfei, this thing, a reason to exist in this world. Even if it was a tall and burly professor repeating it, it didn't make a difference. "I love you" was something that had to be said. It was different from writing it on paper. Especially for Lu Mingfei, this kid who lacked love. Crying, he felt even sadder. Anyway, there was only their group in this VIP revolving bar, and no one would come in to disturb. The restroom was even more luxurious than a standard room in other hotels. Lu Mingfei leaned against the door and sat down, tears flowing profusely.

Suddenly, a pair of purple slow-jogging shoes appeared in front of him.

Lu Mingfei was startled and looked up sharply, and saw a girl standing in front of him. From bottom to top, she was wearing a pair of slow-jogging shoes, a pair of tight jeans, a white crop top, and over it a short blue-striped shirt, with a baseball cap on her head.

Lu Mingfei was taken aback for a moment, feeling that there was something wrong with this scene, but he couldn't say what was wrong. In front of him was just a tall and radiant girl, looking at him askance, with the pure silver four-leaf clover pendant on her earlobe swaying, and the embedded broken diamonds shining blindingly.

"This is the ladies' restroom." The girl slowly pointed out the problem to him.

Lu Mingfei slumped his head and returned to the breakfast table. The pretty tall girl followed him coldly, with a pair of slightly seductive eyes like sharp knives.

"Oh, let me introduce. This is Chen Motou, a student at Cassel Academy and a Chinese-American. She came to China as my companion," Professor Goodrian said, "Nuono, these are the family of our new student, Lu Mingfei. Why did you come so late?"

"Nuono?" Lu Mingfei was taken aback when he heard this name.

"I ate at a street stall last night and wasn't feeling well. I've been in the restroom all the time," said the girl named Chen Motou as she took off her baseball cap, letting down her long hair, and sat down naturally next to Professor Goodrian.

"Why didn't you call me to eat the street stall food?" Professor Goodrian's response was regretful.

"Professor, your weight-loss course hasn't ended yet. You can only eat two meals a day," Chen Motou paid no attention to this old guy's desire for food and glanced at the last salmon roll in his plate, "You'd better eat more. After this, there's only one more meal left."

Professor Goodrian was like a child being scolded by a strict mother. He scratched his head and heaved a sigh, then started eating his last salmon roll.

Lu Mingfei was very grateful that Chen Motou didn't expose the embarrassing incident of him entering the wrong restroom. However, after this girl appeared at the dining table, the harmonious atmosphere immediately dissipated. This girl was like a haughty princess with sharp words. Even when she looked directly at you, it seemed that she wasn't actually looking at you. Those beautiful pupils actually focused on something behind you. At this moment, she was sitting at the window, spreading butter on a piece of bread. Her long hair diffused out a very deep red color in the sunlight, like wine.

This was the first time Lu Mingfei had met such a beautiful girl. She wasn't like Su Xiaoqiang, who cared a great deal about how envious others were of her, nor was she like Chen Wenwen, who was weak and just buried her head in thought, avoiding others' looks. Chen Motou didn't care about others' glances at all, with an air of self-assurance, clearly making uncle feel pressured. Uncle secretly looked at Chen Motou's wrist, not caring about the slender lines of that slender wrist. Lu Mingfei knew what he was looking at. He was looking at that silver Omega watch studded with diamonds on Chen Motou's wrist.

"Do you mind if I eat your share?" Chen Motou finished her silver codfish and wiped her mouth with a napkin, then looked up at Lu Mingfei. The silver codfish on Lu Mingfei's plate hadn't been touched.

Lu Mingfei had no choice but to nod. He didn't know how to refuse Chen Motou, nor did he think the lemon juice-braised silver codfish was that delicious.

"Nuono, behave a little. We're not in the academy's cafeteria," Professor Goodrian said, lingering over his salmon roll.

"He doesn't have an appetite," Chen Motou glanced at Lu Mingfei, "Look at him, as if he's absent-minded. He probably can't even tell the difference between the men's and ladies' restrooms."

Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat. Chen Motou revealed a teasing smile that only Lu Mingfei could understand, and took away Lu Mingfei's entire breakfast plate.

"Really? Do you have something still bothering you, Mingfei?" Professor Goodrian hurriedly stared into Lu Mingfei's eyes and said, "The opportunity to enter Cassel Academy is very rare. I suggest you don't give it up!"

"I still need to think about it," Lu Mingfei lowered his head.

Uncle, Auntie, and Lu Mingze all showed the expression of "Is this guy nuts?"

Professor Goodrian's materials brought by Auntie had been gone over with a fine-tooth comb. The above were stamped with the seal of the US Department of Education. Uncle saw several American political figures that often appeared on TV in the photos. They were chatting with the student and teacher in the school uniform of Cassel Academy, with the "World Tree" school emblem on their chests. And the scholarship plan presented by Professor Goodrian had signatures from the US Health Research Institute NIH and Citibank. NIH would transfer the scholarship to Citibank, and Citibank guaranteed to issue a monthly cash check to the scholarship recipient "Mingfei Lu." In addition, there were certificates from Professor Goodrian himself as a tenured professor at Harvard University and his appointment as a trustee of the American Paleontological Society. Even Lu Mingze thought that Lu Mingfei really had a great set of parents. Although they hadn't shown their faces for seven or eight years, at the critical moment of their son's life, they immediately pulled off such a big show. Facing such an excellent opportunity, Lu Mingfei's attitude was "I still need to think about it."

Professor Goodrian's expression was a bit gloomy. "Is it that Cassel Academy's offer isn't good enough?"

"No," Lu Mingfei waved his hand, "I..."

"It's the first love girl." Chen Motou mumbled as she chewed the silver codfish.

The table suddenly went quiet. Lu Mingfei was so embarrassed that he wanted to drill under the table. Lu Mingze's ears obviously perked up, and uncle and Auntie also cast a skeptical glance. Only Chen Motou's sound of chewing silver codfish was especially clear. She revealed her white teeth and cast a beautiful but unkind smile at Lu Mingfei.

"Just kidding," Chen Motou pushed her empty plate forward, "we're not familiar yet. It's just our first meeting today, right?"

Everyone sighed with relief as if a heavy stone had been lifted. Only Professor Goodrian looked around blankly, not knowing why the atmosphere had suddenly tightened like a tightened string and then suddenly loosened.

"Our Mingfei can't date. Right, Mingfei?" Auntie gave Lu Mingfei a reassuring look. Lu Mingfey didn't secretly look for a girlfriend, which made her feel that her leading position in the family hadn't been shaken. And she also thought that no one should be so blind as to fancy Lu Mingfei. It should be Lu Mingze who found a girlfriend.

"Who would want me?" Lu Mingfei grinned while chewing on an asparagus. In this way, his mouth was always moving, so he didn't have to pretend what expression to wear.

"Students should focus on their studies," Auntie happily said.

"You're upgrading to a Level 3 base," Chen Motou suddenly said.

Lu Mingfei's face suddenly had an indescribable expression.

After sending Lu Mingfei's family up to the exclusive elevator for going downstairs, Professor Goodrian frowned and consulted Chen Motou, "Do you think they didn't believe us? But the documents are okay. The file approving the establishment of a private university by the Ministry of Education, photos, business licenses, and my professor appointment letter are all real. What else could be the problem?"

"The biggest problem is that you're raising money to recruit students, but you still have to bring so many certificates to prove yourself. You even invited the parents to have breakfast in the VIP lounge of a five-star hotel, with an eager look on your face," Chen Motou said bluntly.

"But Lu Mingfei is an 'S'-level student on the recruitment list. If we let an 'S'-level student slip away, the board of directors will be very unhappy!"

"It's okay. Use reverse psychology," Chen Motou shrugged, "That guy will definitely be ours!"

"How do you know? I think he's hesitant. His family doesn't seem to have a problem," Professor Goodrian scratched his head, "What's he hesitating about?"

"It's the first love girl," Chen Motou said.

"When they've left, don't joke anymore."

"I'm serious," Chen Motou stuck out her tongue, "I'm still hungry."