Lu Mingfei doesn't want to be a superhero

……

The parent-teacher meeting ended without any major incidents.

Lu Mingfei did not return to the classroom like the other students. It is unknown what Angers said to the dean of students, but the dean generously granted Lu Mingfei a day off.

In a coffee shop outside the school.

Because its main customer base is students, the café is particularly quiet during class time.

Lu Mingfei, Chu Zihang, and Angers sat together.

I'm still working hard on the following chapters, so you can wait until morning to read them, sob sob~

Chapter 42 The Real World, Dragons and Hybrids (35)

In a coffee shop next to Shilan Middle School.

Lu Mingfei and Chu Zihang sat together, while Angers sat opposite them.

If we follow Tony's teachings to Lu Mingfei, this can be considered a negotiation technique.

At the negotiating table, having a relatively neutral person sitting on your side will subconsciously make you regard them as a friend, even if you know rationally that they are not, you will still have a slight bias towards them in subtle ways.

In this situation, if this seemingly neutral person has actually already defected to the enemy, then he can take advantage of our subconscious affinity and trust in him during negotiations to influence our performance.

Despite being taught this by Tony, Lu Mingfei still subconsciously trusted Chu Zihang when sitting with him.

He quickly realized his mistake and reminded himself to be rational and calm. He hoped that Senior Brother Chu was not a bad person, but he couldn't let his emotions get the better of him at this time.

This time, he was just overthinking it. Chu Zihang was sitting next to him simply because Angers was bigger and took up more space, while Lu Mingfei's place was relatively more spacious.

"How about it, Mingfei? I've prepared a grand affair especially for you. Isn't it impressive?" Angers said, beaming.

This was a "big move" he specially arranged to boost Lu Mingfei's favorability. It's said that every teenager has similar fantasies, which are cringeworthy and embarrassing, but also very enjoyable.

Lu Mingfei covered his face with one hand, his disgust practically spilling out between his fingers: "What kind of grand scene is this? I'm so embarrassed!"

"Huh?" Angers was stunned. "I thought you young people liked this kind of scene, so I prepared it specially."

“I’m not a little kid in junior high anymore,” Lu Mingfei said.

A few months ago, Lu Mingfei thought he would have been secretly pleased, but now he was no longer that nobody craving attention, especially since Tony had once given him an even bigger spectacle—Tony used a helicopter back then.

So the grand spectacle Angers arranged for him left Lu Mingfei feeling awkward throughout the entire parent-teacher conference. He was lucky his toes didn't tear through his shoes, let alone feel secretly pleased.

"I see..." Angers felt a little regretful.

“Principal Angers, why would you want to help me make a big show of it?” Lu Mingfei asked.

“It’s my great-uncle,” Angers corrected.

"I never admitted it, Principal, don't try to take advantage of me!" Lu Mingfei shouted indignantly on the surface, but in his heart he had already equated "Angers" with "old rogue".

“By seniority, you’re the one who’s benefiting,” Angers said. “Besides, didn’t you accept my red envelope?”

Lu Mingfei then realized that when he first received the red envelope, he thought Angers was just an ordinary foreign tourist and assumed it was a misunderstanding caused by cultural differences.

I never expected he did it on purpose!

"You didn't say anything when you gave me the red envelope..." Lu Mingfei retorted.

“Or you can give me back the red envelope,” Angers said.

"Uncle!" Lu Mingfei promptly changed his address.

It's just a matter of saying a few words, it won't hurt you. What's that compared to a hefty red envelope?

“Yes, good grand-nephew!” Angers pulled out another large red envelope.

“Uncle!” Lu Mingfei accepted it immediately.

Hmm, it's even heavier than last time!

However, the next moment, Lu Mingfei realized a problem—if Angers was not lying, then he should be his great-great-grandfather, that is, four generations older than him.

If I call him "uncle," then I've doubled his status. By that logic, wouldn't he be a generation older than my parents now?

Lu Mingfei felt he had discovered a tremendous bug.

“Alright, the red envelopes have been given, now it’s time to get down to business,” Angers cleared his throat. “Mingfei, your parents are honorary alumni of our school. Although they only studied there briefly, their excellence is undeniable. You are their son, and I believe your potential and talent surpass theirs…”

"Uncle, I have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."

Lu Mingfei stood up decisively, bowed, and then turned to run away.

"Snapped--"

Angers slammed his hand on the table, startling Lu Mingfei. He wondered if Angers was trying to be polite first, but now that he hadn't appreciated the courtesy, he was going to take action.

But then Angers pushed his hand, which was slamming on the table, toward Lu Mingfei, and then lifted it up, revealing a car key that had been covered underneath.

The car key appears to be made of some kind of leather, with a ring of small diamonds and sapphires inlaid on the outermost edge.

"What is this?" Lu Mingfei looked at Angers.

“The keys to that Rolls-Royce Phantom outside.” Angers took a sip of coffee.

Lu Mingfei obediently sat back down in his seat.

Keep that key safe while you're at it.

“I believe your potential and talent are unparalleled, and we need a genius like you,” Angers continued. “Of course, it may sound arrogant to say this, but a genius like you will certainly need a vast stage to showcase your talent, and we will do our best to create such a stage for you.”

"So, Principal, what exactly do you guys do?" Lu Mingfei's question this time was genuine; he was truly curious about what strange and wonderful things were in his world.

“This isn’t the place to talk. Come find me at the Regent Hotel tomorrow; I’m staying there now,” Angers said.

Lu Mingfei hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

As he had previously planned, he should avoid contact with these people until he could discuss it with Tony.

But judging from Angers' attitude today, these people seem to value him more than he imagined. If he continues to hide like this, he might push them too far and create unnecessary complications.

Well... let's make contact for now, at least to keep them calm, and ideally keep the situation stable until he can go to Tony.

……

Lu Mingfei left the coffee shop first, while Angers and Chu Zihang remained.

“Principal,” Chu Zihang suddenly spoke up, “you gave the car to Lu Mingfei?”

“It’s just a car. Our genius deserves a vehicle befitting his status.” Angers spoke with an air of wealth and arrogance.

Anyway, he got all his money from the school board, so he can just swindle some more.

Chu Zihang was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Then how do we get back?"

Angers: ...

Oh right, after the big event, he thought the extras from the school's administrative department were too eye-catching, so he sent them home first.

Chu Zihang and Angers looked at each other and remained silent for a long time.

"Let's take a taxi," Angers said.

"it is good."

……

The following day, at the Regent Hotel.

Lu Mingfei told the receptionist he was looking for Angers, and then a pretty waitress led him to the presidential suite.

"Tuk tuk tuk..."

The waiter knocked on the door for Lu Mingfei, and after a moment, the door opened, and Chu Zihang stood behind it.

After thanking the waiter, Lu Mingfei followed Chu Zihang into the suite's living room, where he saw Angers standing in front of a table, adjusting a spherical instrument about the size of a basketball.

"What is this?" Lu Mingfei asked curiously.

"Alright!" Angers clapped his hands. "Chu Zihang, close the curtains."

Chu Zihang drew the curtains, plunging the entire living room into darkness.

"What's going on?" Lu Mingfei asked, puzzled.

He then heard a crisp sound, like the sound of a switch being turned on.

The next second, the spherical instrument on the table suddenly lit up, and then a sand table model seemed to suddenly appear on the table, showing a vast primeval forest in 3D.

It was a mountain range with lush vegetation, and a river cascaded down from the mountaintop. Many tall but strangely shaped creatures walked on the ground, and groups of humans fought against these monsters. There seemed to be some primitive settlement buildings around.

"Is this a holographic projection?" Lu Mingfei recognized the technology, but he couldn't understand what was being projected. "What is this? Is it the Classic of Mountains and Seas?"

A high-pitched roar rose from nowhere, belonging to no animal Lu Mingfei knew, yet it was more awe-inspiring and majestic than any animal.

The next second, he knew where the roar was coming from.

A colossal shadow rose from the mountaintop, leaping up with wings spread like dark clouds obscuring the sun. It flew down the mountain, spewing out dazzling flames. Wherever it passed, rivers dried up, forests burned, and fighting humans and beasts perished in the inferno. The buildings of settlements were reduced to charred ruins.

Lu Mingfei stared at the enormous creature.

"This is...a dragon?"

The spherical instrument went out, and the table returned to darkness.

"Wow--"

Angers had somehow appeared at the window and suddenly pulled back the curtains, letting in the bright sunlight.

“This is what I wanted you to see.” Angers stood against the light by the window, turning to look at Lu Mingfei. Every hair on his beard was bathed in sunlight, like Prometheus in mythology who sent fire to mankind.

"Why did you stop showing it?" Lu Mingfei asked. "This film is too short, it's like an advertisement."

Angers, his face full of black lines in the sunlight, said: "That's all, that's all I made."

"What a pity." Lu Mingfei thought to himself that only the first half of a great movie had been filmed.

"Didn't you have any thoughts after reading it?" Angers asked.

"It's well-made, with excellent art direction and expressive voice acting; it's a fantastic work," Lu Mingfei commented. "It's just too short."

Angers was getting a little frantic: "I meant the dragon! The dragon inside!"