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

Chapter 21 Silence is the California Sunshine Tonight
Is there something wrong with my voice?

Liu Miaomiao asked in confusion.

"And also, what's with all this talk about 'yin' and 'sheep'..."

"No, it's nothing, just pretend I imagined it."

Lu Mingfei waved his hand with a long face.

How could it be okay!

Lu Mingfei had originally hoped that he could escape his misery once the month-long schedule was completed.

Of course, you don't need to throw away such a magical schedule.

Then he can make a new schedule, just "appropriately" adding some relaxing and entertaining elements, such as literary society activities!
Lu Mingfei felt that he still liked Chen Wenwen, but he had no choice but to comply under the "tyranny" of the schedule... It was the kind of situation where someone is captured by an enemy, temporarily submits on the surface, but is still resisting in their heart.

but now……

To become the most awesome and strongest man in the world?

Lu Mingfei suddenly felt that his future was bleak.

God knows what criteria this schedule uses to determine "the most awesome and strongest man in the world." All he knows is that this goal must be measured in "years"!

At this intensity, measured in "years"... wouldn't you die? You'd either be exhausted to death or electrocuted, and there's a real chance you wouldn't be able to finish it before you die!

Lu Mingfei's heart was filled with despair.

"Your goal..."

Liu Miaomiao smiled and said, "That's quite ambitious."

Lu Mingfei was taken aback upon hearing this.

The [emotion perception] was triggered by their interaction just now.

He could clearly sense the emotions Liu Miaomiao conveyed when she said those words—surprise, emotion, and... sincerity.
There was absolutely no doubt about it.

But how is this possible!

Actually, even Lu Mingfei himself didn't believe it when he said that.

He was never an ambitious person with lofty aspirations or the "are kings and nobles born with special privileges?" mentality.

Before he had a schedule, he was just a lazy bum who did whatever he wanted.

For him, the future should be about going to an obscure university, having a relationship there, finding a 996 job and renting an apartment, and maybe even marrying a girl he doesn't know yet.

As for "the strongest and most awesome man in the world"? It was just a casual, nonsensical statement. Little did he expect to fall into the scheme of the schedule and now he's forced to put it into practice!

Even with the aid of a "supernatural" schedule, Lu Mingfei's confidence in his success didn't increase much.

But now... he has gained "trust" from Liu Miaomiao?
"You believe it?"

Lu Mingfei, somewhat incredulous, sought confirmation again.

"Believe it, why don't you believe it?"

Liu Miaomiao asked back in a soft voice, her tone still sincere, without the slightest hint of joking.

Liu Miaomiao believed Lu Mingfei's words for a very simple reason—he could reject Chen Wenwen in public! What else wouldn't he do?

Such a frank confirmation caught Lu Mingfei completely off guard.

"Do you think I have a chance?" he couldn't help but ask again.

“Everything is possible!”

Today, Liu Miaomiao wore a very elegant horse-face skirt, which had a kind of artist's style. As she spoke, she took light steps, slightly bouncy, and her eyes seemed to sparkle.

"Besides, success and failure are things for the future. At least for now, you're trying!"

They finally walked out of the music store. The night sky was unusually cloudless, the stars were hidden among the city's neon lights, and the bright moonlight shone down, draping the young man and woman on the red carpet in a silver veil.

Lu Mingfei stared blankly at Liu Miaomiao, feeling his heart inexplicably race.

At first, his impression of Liu Miaomiao was that of a "little brat," then he came to acknowledge her as a beautiful young woman, and now...

She's actually a master of inspirational quotes!

But Lu Mingfei had to admit that he was indeed somewhat influenced by this inspirational message.

If it's just simple inspirational quotes, it naturally won't have this effect, and it won't work if it comes from a pretty young woman.

Lu Mingfei has consumed too much motivational rhetoric. If it were that easy to be effective, he would have already shed his loser status.

However, if we add an element of emotional perception, everything will undergo a qualitative change.

Because all verbal deception will vanish under the influence of genuine emotional feedback!
She genuinely believed and genuinely thought that Lu Mingfei could do it, rather than taking Lu Mingfei's words as a joke.

"Is there something dirty on my face?" Liu Miaomiao tilted her head.

"Uh...no, yes, I have dark circles under my eyes!"

Lu Mingfei snapped out of his daze, blurting out some nonsense, wondering to himself what was wrong with him.

As a valiant subordinate of Chen Wenwen, secretly changing "little girl" to "little beauty" in my heart was already overstepping the bounds, but now I feel... it's practically tantamount to betraying the cause!
Lu Mingfei, Lu Mingfei, are you really such a person with such a weak will?

"Oh? Dark circles under the eyes? Oh my god, I knew I didn't sleep well last night. These past few days I've been shuttling between school and piano lessons, and when I get home I still have homework to do and sheet music to memorize. I haven't had a single free moment..."

Liu Miaomiao hurriedly touched her face, then took out a small mirror from her schoolbag and looked at herself from side to side. She seemed to have actually found dark circles under her eyes on her otherwise flawless face, and she pouted.

"I'm done chatting! I want to go home, finish my homework quickly, and get some rest!"

She hopped down the steps in a few quick leaps and walked toward the black BMW with angel-eye headlights waiting there. Her driver was standing respectfully to the side, opening the car door for her.

Liu Miaomiao didn't rush to get in the car. She paused, then suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask, "Lu Mingfei, are you going home too? I can give you a ride!"

"No need, no need. My home isn't in the same direction as yours. You should go home and get some rest!"

Lu Mingfei waved his hand somewhat guiltily, walked down the steps, and pointed to the Mercedes-Benz following closely behind the black BMW, "Besides, my friend arranged for me to be picked up."

"Wow……"

Liu Miaomiao was surprised. She had noticed the Mercedes-Benz and the waiting driver, Uncle Chen, earlier, but she thought it was there to pick up Aunt Shanshan.

However, this makes sense now that the only illogical thing is clear. No wonder Lu Mingfei could learn piano from Aunt Shanshan and use that kind of address. Did he meet a very rich friend?

"Okay, see you tomorrow!" Liu Miaomiao snapped out of her daze, didn't ask any further questions, waved, and got into the car.

"See you tomorrow!"

Lu Mingfei waved his hand, hurriedly declined Uncle Chen's offer to open the car door for him, and insisted on opening the door himself to get into the car.

The vehicle slowly started moving, and Lu Mingfei slumped in his seat, letting out a long sigh of relief.

This was a rare break for him—even though playing the piano wasn't as physically tiring as exercising, three hours of playing still took a toll on his mental energy, eyesight, and finger coordination.

"Thank you, Uncle Chen, for picking me up!"

Lu Mingfei thanked him listlessly. The thought of having to study later, and that he might have to do this for the next few years or even decades, made it hard for him to cheer up.

"It should, it should!"

Uncle Chen chuckled and said, "Young Master Lu, did you run into someone you know?"

"Yeah, we're classmates, what a coincidence."

Lu Mingfei muttered, "Our city isn't exactly small, how come there are such coincidences? I ran into Su Xiaoqiang at the gym yesterday, and I ran into Liu Miaomiao at my piano lesson today..."

“There might be even more coincidences,” Uncle Chen suddenly said.

"what?"

Lu Mingfei was taken aback. "What could be more coincidental?"

"Let me keep you in suspense for now."

Uncle Chen smiled slightly and glanced at the dashboard. "You'll know soon enough, um... in about twenty minutes."

"it is good."

Lu Mingfei scratched his head, a strange sense of anticipation rising in his heart.

So, twenty minutes later.

Driveway in a sunny California neighborhood.

It's still that BMW and that Mercedes.

They came to a slow stop, one after the other.

The girl and the boy got off the bus one after the other, exchanged a glance subconsciously, and then both froze in surprise.

A moment later, they exclaimed in surprise almost simultaneously.

"Lu Mingfei???"

"Liu Miaomiao???" Lu Mingfei understood. He wondered what exactly was so clever about what Uncle Chen meant by "there's something even more coincidental".

He finally understood why the name "California Sunshine" sounded familiar to him.

Because this is where Liu Miaomiao's house is located!

"Your...friend lives here?"

"I asked Liu Miaomiao."

“No, my friend’s house is here, he’s letting me stay here temporarily…” Lu Mingfei took a deep breath and looked at Uncle Chen.

"California Sunshine, 2 First Street".

Uncle Chen, who had expected this, smiled and pointed to the detached villa on the left, which already had its lights on.

"Young Master Lu, this is it, no problem."

While he was waiting to pick up Lu Mingfei, Liu Miaomiao's driver was also waiting. Since they were both in the same profession, they naturally started chatting.

As a retired military officer, Uncle Chen had mastered some "chatting skills." After extracting information, he remained silent, only marveling at how incredibly coincidental things could happen in this world.

There's only one problem—he originally thought there was something going on between Lu Mingfei and Su Xiaoqiang, but now it seems Lu Mingfei and Liu Miaomiao get along quite well, and both girls are beautiful…

Is this kid trying to have his cake and eat it too?
But what does this have to do with him, a mere driver? Let's just sit back and watch the drama unfold!

“Then Liu Miaomiao, you…” Lu Mingfei’s neck stiffened as he turned back to look at Liu Miaomiao.

"Number 1, Street 1." Liu Miaomiao pointed to the right.

Yes! Door! Yes! Household!
Silence is the California sunshine tonight.

"Then...goodbye?"

Lu Mingfei was sweating profusely and just wanted to run away.

"Bye...goodbye."

The pretty young woman, Liu Miaomiao, nodded blankly.

……

"This villa has been renovated but has never been lived in. It has been sitting here vacant, but we have been hiring people to clean it regularly. All kinds of daily utensils have also been maintained, so it is ready to use."

Uncle Chen led Lu Mingfei through the handover process.

"The first floor has a kitchen, living room, and studio; the second and third floors each have master and secondary bedrooms; the fourth floor has a storage room and a balcony where clothes can be dried..."

"Young Master Lu, you can choose any room you like. These two boxes contain your personal belongings, all packed up. Oh, and this is a keychain, with labels for identification..."

"Water, electricity, and gas are all connected, and the bills will be paid automatically. The money in the account should be enough for a year, so there's no need to worry about it in the short term..."

Lu Mingfei was somewhat dazzled by what he saw, and kept exclaiming "Wow!" the whole way.

The villa's interior design is a minimalist European modern low-luxury style, which is quite "high-end" for Lu Mingfei, a level he could hardly even dream of.

In fact, even a single unfinished villa was beyond his imagination, let alone a fully furnished luxury villa!
"and this."

Uncle Chen brought over an unopened packaging box.

"A cell phone?" Lu Mingfei was taken aback.

"Young Master said that having this will make it easier to contact you in the future."

Uncle Chen explained, "The SIM card is ready, just insert it and you can use it."

"Senior brother is so considerate..."

Lu Mingfei couldn't help but sigh.

In fact, this can no longer be called thoughtfulness; it should be called meticulous care.

Is this the true value of being considered "one of our own" by our senior? That's way too high!

After giving his instructions, Uncle Chen took his leave without delay.

Lu Mingfei didn't linger or rest to prolong his time, because it was time to wash up, followed immediately by self-study.

He casually chose the second bedroom on the second floor as his future living room.

Each room in this villa has its own bathroom and is very spacious.

The secondary bedroom is only a few square meters smaller than the master bedroom, with no major differences. Both have floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies, and the glass is double-glazed for sound insulation.

Lu Mingfei was more comfortable living in a smaller room. A room that was too big would inevitably feel empty... This feeling was something Lu Mingfei, who was used to living at his aunt's house, couldn't quite get used to.

After hurriedly grabbing a change of clothes and completing his "washing up" routine, Lu Mingfei sat down at his desk in the room, turned on the lamp, and began studying, waking up to a warning that he would never be late: "It's time for your self-study session."

It was late at night, and he quickly entered a state of "flow," forgetting everything else.

He forgot to untie and then pull back the curtains that were drawn on both sides of the French windows.

Staying at my aunt's house, I didn't need to worry about these things; the small windows were enough to block most of the view. But now, in front of the large floor-to-ceiling windows of this villa...

Those who live in villa areas know that there are streetlights, but the brightness is usually deliberately controlled and is very dim, only enough for pedestrians to barely see the road, in order to reduce light pollution and not affect residents' sleep.

It's dark outside, but bright inside, with a wide and spacious view, offering an unobstructed view!
So, when Liu Miaomiao came into the room after taking a shower, wearing her pajamas and with her hair down—

She then saw Lu Mingfei sitting at his desk, focused on "studying," a dozen meters away by the window.

Liu Miaomiao was startled.

Unexpectedly, not only were their doors facing each other, but their windows were also facing each other—both were secondary bedrooms on the second floor!
In other words, they are detached villas, and the two are quite far apart. If they were the old-style residential buildings next to each other, you could probably reach out and touch them.

"Is he...studying?"

Liu Miaomiao thought for a moment and then lowered the curtains to block the view.

She started doing her homework, and after finishing it, she had to memorize the sheet music... but for some reason, she felt a little restless tonight.

It's normal to be distracted and pay attention when an acquaintance suddenly moves into the apartment across the hall, even if the relationship isn't particularly close.

Right?

So, after about ten minutes, the thick blackout curtains were slightly pried open.

A very obedient eye peeked through the crack at the other side.

Lu Mingfei remained at his desk, his posture unchanged. If it weren't for the pen constantly moving in his hand, one would almost suspect he was a sculpture.

"So serious?"

Liu Miaomiao blinked, a sense of curiosity inevitably rising in her heart.

She wanted to see if Lu Mingfei ever lost focus!
Although Lu Mingfei's changes were so drastic that they could be described as "earth-shattering", surely he wouldn't be able to concentrate at all during self-study?

So the observation intervals gradually shortened, from ten minutes to ten minutes at first, then five minutes, then two minutes...

Later, before the ripples from the previous disturbance had completely subsided, the thick blackout curtains were stirred up again.

Finally, Liu Miaomiao simply drew back the curtains, sat down in a chair, and looked at Lu Mingfei with the sheet music in her hand... She refused to believe it!

Time passed by minute by minute.

Finally, Lu Mingfei made a move.

"Yeah! I knew it!"

Liu Miaomiao almost jumped for joy.

Lu Mingfei, who had just stood up, was taken aback. He saw Liu Miaomiao looking at him through the window... Was she looking at him or at the sheet music on her lap?

It should be sheet music, how could it be looking at itself!

The moment their eyes met in the night sky, Liu Miaomiao finally realized what was happening. She quickly pulled the curtains shut, jumped onto the bed, and buried her head in the covers.

"What am I doing?!"

Lu Mingfei blinked, not thinking anything of it. He could only say that things were already this coincidental, so adding the coincidence of being across the window wouldn't be a problem.

[Warning, it's time for [sleep]...]

Sleepiness washed over him, so he turned off the light, got into bed, and fell asleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes.

Another ten minutes passed.

The blackout curtains were carefully pried open a crack once again.

She blinked her very obedient eyes, made sure the lights were off on the other side, and then lay back down on the bed with a mix of emotions she didn't know why.

After a long while, she sighed softly.

"I'm really going to have dark circles under my eyes tomorrow."

Two updates in one! I'm adjusting my schedule today, and I'll try updating during the day tomorrow! Please vote with your monthly tickets!
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(End of this chapter)