The sultry heat of summer had not yet completely faded, and the air still carried an annoying warmth. The trees along the street seemed to be celebrating the arrival of autumn, dropping a leaf from time to time, though the autumn breeze was by no means cool. Right outside Shilan Middle School, the place was packed with people, and all kinds of luxury cars lined the curbs.
"Not bad for an aristocratic school; quite impressive," Uncle said, lifting the high-imitation Montblanc in his hand to show it off.
Uncle often said that a man's mobile phone, watch, and lighter were symbols of his status and taste. Every time they went out to a restaurant, Lu Mingfei would watch Uncle casually place his lighter and phone down on the table just so, in order to display his refined taste.
Because it was the first day of the new semester, many parents were driving their children to school, causing a serious traffic jam right outside the school gates. To prevent safety hazards, traffic police were out maintaining order.A young girl dressed in a striking red shrine maiden outfit stepped down from the car. She was tall and slender, with flawless white skin and soft, smooth hair that cascaded down to her waist. Raising her chin slightly to reveal a swan-like neck, she held a paper parasol with graceful poise, looking every bit like the young lady of some prestigious family.
"Whoa, she's gorgeous," someone in the crowd blurted out. Following the gaze, a pure and lovely girl in a shrine maiden costume was alighting from the bus. Her steps were light, and her shock of red hair contrasted sharply with her serene temperament—yet this very contrast felt entirely natural, adding a touch of peculiar, endearing charm.
Dressed so uniquely, the adorable girl immediately drew a crowd of onlookers. Lu Mingze looked at his cousin for help; surely Lu Mingfei couldn't have no recollection of such a lovely girl.
Lu Mingfei searched his memory and confirmed he had never seen her before. "She must be a freshman. School starts on September first, so she's probably a new high school sophomore."He greatly admired this girl's courage for daring to dress like that on the very first day of school, complete with dyed hair—that silky texture could not possibly be a wig. But beauty comes at a price; the disciplinary teachers would soon find her and teach her a lesson in humility.
"Disgraceful! What do students take the school for these days? What is this called... cos-something-cos," Aunt said, glaring at the young woman.
"Mom, it's Cosplay," Lu Mingze said, somewhat speechless. To be honest, he thought this older sister looked genuinely amazing, and the shrine maiden outfit suited her perfectly.
"Whatever you call it, coming to school dressed like that is just wrong." Aunt seemed thoroughly displeased by such attire.
As if hearing something, the young woman glanced toward the BMW.
The car window was open, and Lu Mingfei looked up, locking eyes with her straight away. A pair of lively, expressive eyes seemed to hold a tranquil, crystal-clear lake; her brows curved gently, and her eyes were a deep rose-red. With a gentle blink, they seemed to speak. The girl turned and walked toward the school gate, her lips moving slightly as if she were saying something. She was too far away; Lu Mingfei squinted, trying to read her lips.
"Get out of the car, what are you daydreaming for?" Aunt's voice snapped Lu Mingfei back to reality.
"Mingfei is reaching that age, you know, it's totally normal," Uncle teased.
Lu Mingfei arrived quite early; the classroom was still empty. He put down his school bag, pulled back the curtains, opened the window, and looked down at the bustling crowd of people below.
"Mingfei's here pretty early." The one greeting him was Zhao Menghua.
"Oh, happy new year of school," Lu Mingfei replied with a trace of polite formality.Zhao Menghua had always looked down on him and rarely greeted him so proactively. Both of them had been invited by Chen Wenwen to join the Literature Club, but they were worlds apart in both family background and personality. Zhao Menghua came from a wealthy family, got great grades, was good at sports, spent money lavishly, and was gentle, cultured, and very popular with girls. Lu Mingfei, on the other hand, was just a poor loser with average grades and even more average athletic ability. The only girls he was somewhat close to were those two: Chen Wenwen, the president of the Literature Club, and Su Xiaoqiang, who had been looking for chances to tear him down ever since a grudge started back in their first year of high school. As for why that grudge began, the girl who had stepped on Lu Mingfei's foot on the first day of freshman year was none other than Su Xiaoqiang. Having been proud for fifteen years, she never expected to be defeated by a literary girl right at the start of high school, especially with a clueless idiot standing nearby who loved running his mouth.
The only thing Lu Mingfei could really show off was his English. He had taken the TOEFL alongside the school's English fanatic, which was the main reason his Aunt felt confident about sending him abroad.
"What's so great about this? School started way too fast, and now we can only go out and play on weekends." Zhao Menghua set his backpack down on the seat next to Lu Mingfei. "Oh right, did you happen to see that girl dressed in cosplay outside just now?"
"Yeah, I saw her," Lu Mingfei said. With so many people crowding around the school gate, how could he possibly have missed her?
"She's gorgeous, isn't she? I heard she's a new transfer student and she's ending up right in our class." Zhao Menghua's expression looked rather smug.
"You really did your homework, didn't you?" Lu Mingfei sighed. True to being the "second Chu Zihang," his sources were always well-informed.
"Still, no matter how pretty she is, she's got nothing to do with me." Zhao Menghua paused and cast a pitying look at Lu Mingfei. "Because Chen Wenwen and I are already together. Remember to start calling her sister-in-law from now on."
Lu Mingfei felt as though he had been struck by lightning. How could this be? Zhao Menghua and Chen Wenwen were together. He had known that Zhao Menghua liked Chen Wenwen, and just as clearly, Zhao Menghua knew that he liked her too. Zhao Menghua's motive here was as obvious as Sima Zhao's intent—everyone knew it: it was a declaration of ownership, a warning for Lu Mingfei to stay away from Chen Wenwen.
Since the guy had put it that way, Lu Mingfei naturally knew when to be tactful: "Congratulations."
He had always believed he stood a chance, but he never imagined his hopes would be shattered so easily. He had liked Chen Wenwen for two years, even dreaming of going to the same university as her, only to be hit with such devastating news on the very first day of their senior year. He had no idea what to do; he just felt as though a piece of his heart was missing, though it didn't seem to hurt all that much.
"When did this happen?" His voice carried a trace of an imperceptible tremor.
"Oh, right at the beginning of summer vacation. I asked her out and confessed," Zhao Menghua said, a hint of amusement playing in his eyes.
"Must be nice, everyone's getting into relationships and leaving me as the only lone wolf." Lu Mingfei sighed.
"It's not all that great. She's pretty clingy and has to report back to me about everything. It gets kind of annoying."
Even though he said that, Lu Mingfei could still hear the showing off in his tone.
"That's exactly why I don't look for a girlfriend," Lu Mingfei said, giving himself a graceful way out.
"That's where you're wrong. A girlfriend can go out and play with you on weekends, accompany you shopping and playing video games, and whenever you're lonely, you can think of her. You can hold her and kiss her too—those are things you can never experience by yourself," Zhao Menghua said with immense satisfaction.
"Zhao Menghua, what are you even saying!" Chen Wenwen walked into the classroom with a slight blush on her cheeks. Although she sounded like she was objecting, her words effectively confirmed everything Zhao Menghua had just claimed.
"I was just chatting casually with Lu Mingfei," Zhao Menghua said, reaching out to pat Chen Wenwen's head.
"Yeah, President Chen, we were just casually chatting."
"Right, let's organize a club activity after school this afternoon to discuss recruiting new members," Chen Wenwen said as she sat down at her desk. Zhao Menghua pulled over a chair and sat right beside her.
"Got it." To avoid the awkwardness, Lu Mingfei walked out of the classroom and stood alone in the hallway, letting the early autumn breeze blow over him.
So she actually liked Zhao Menghua. That was wonderful. Zhao Menghua had great grades, was good at sports, and came from a wealthy family—he certainly wouldn't mistreat Chen Wenwen. A goddess belonged with a campus prince; how could she ever have crossed paths with a loser like him?
Lu Mingfei touched his chest. Was this what heartbreak felt like? It didn't have that soul-crushing agony he had imagined. Of course, it wouldn't make sense for the school belle to end up with a loser anyway.