Dragons begin with courage

A clear, slightly nonchalant female voice suddenly rang out, interrupting his overwhelming grief.

Lu Mingfei looked up in astonishment. Through his tear-blurred vision, the first thing he saw was a pair of stylish running shoes with a purple and black color scheme and subtle patterns.

His gaze followed the shoes upwards: long, straight legs encased in skinny jeans, a simple white tank top, covered by a blue and white striped short-sleeved shirt, and on top of that, a baseball cap worn backwards.

A tall, strikingly beautiful girl leaned against the sink opposite him, arms crossed, tilting her head slightly as she sized him up. A sterling silver four-leaf clover pendant on her earlobe swayed gently with her movements, its inlaid diamonds reflecting the cold light of the overhead lamp, making one's eyes dizzy.

What's most striking is her long, wine-red hair, as red as a dark flame, cascading freely over her shoulders.

Her gaze shifted from Lu Mingfei's wet face to the clear logo of the little figure in a dress on the door of the cubicle behind him. The corners of her rosy lips slowly curved into a half-smile, playful arc.

"Comrade," her voice was soft but clear, like ice hitting a glass, "you went into the women's restroom."

Lu Mingfei's face flushed instantly. He scrambled to his feet, burying his head almost in his chest, stammering, "I'm...I'm sorry! I...I misjudged! I'm sorry!"

He dared not look at the girl again. Like a frightened rabbit, he opened the door and stumbled out, his back view showing panic.

Seeing him flee in panic, Nuonuo (Chen Motong) clicked her tongue softly, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly, and a clear look of confusion flashed in her eyes.

"This... is it really the same person who plays StarCraft?"

Games are a mirror of the inner self. She chose to use StarCraft to test him because she could glimpse a person's thought patterns, decision-making habits, and even their underlying personality through their gameplay. The "Lu Mingfei" who awakens like a ferocious beast in the late game, with his ruthless and precise style and all-or-nothing confidence, contrasts sharply with the timid and ordinary boy before her, secretly crying in the bathroom and even confusing the men's and women's restrooms…

The gap is too big.

So much so that she couldn't help but wonder if her almost instinctive ability to "profile" had failed for the first time in this boy named Lu Mingfei.

"Oh, Nono? I thought you'd slipped out for a stroll again." Seeing the red-haired girl head straight for the dining table, Professor Guderian stood up with a smile and introduced her, "This is Chen Motong, a second-year student, and also the student in charge of admissions this year. Mingfei, this is your future senior."

"No...No?" Lu Mingfei suddenly looked up, the embarrassment from before not yet completely gone, and then he was rooted to the spot by this name. Nono? The one who had humiliated him in StarCraft so badly that he had to use a mouse, and who had even given him a mocking laughing emoji at the end... "Nono"?

His heart pounded, and he stole a glance at the girl who had already sat down and was picking up her water glass. Fortunately, she simply took an elegant sip, seemingly making no mention of the embarrassing scene in the restroom earlier. Lu Mingfei secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but a thin layer of sweat broke out on his back.

Professor Guderian chuckled and continued, "Mingfei, write down Nono's contact information. You can ask her for help with the visa, itinerary, and other trivial matters for your trip to the United States. She will arrange everything perfectly."

Upon hearing this, Lu Mingfei silently lowered his head, staring at the pattern on the tablecloth, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible: "I...I need to think about it some more."

"Think about it?!" His uncle, aunt, and Lu Mingze turned their heads almost simultaneously, staring at him as if he were crazy. A gold brick falling from the sky, studded with diamonds—instead of rushing to catch it, he actually needs to "think about it"? Has this kid's brain been squeezed by a door?

Professor Guderian was even more anxious than they were, leaning forward and speaking earnestly: "Whatever your conditions or requests, just tell us! The academy will do its best to meet them!"

"No conditions," Lu Mingfei shook his head, his fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of his clothes. "I just... haven't decided yet."

"Can't bear to part with your little girlfriend, huh?" Nono suddenly spoke up, deftly twirling her silver fork to snatch the untouched salmon roll from Lu Mingfei's plate. She put it in her mouth, chewing as she mumbled, her eyes bright, "I guess... she's a classmate?"

Before his uncle could react, Professor Guderian was already wringing his hands anxiously: "Mingfei, listen to your professor, young man, your studies are the most important! Your future is the most important!"

Lu Mingfei chewed on a cold asparagus spear, emitting that familiar, listless aura: "No girlfriend... who would want me? I just... need some time to think about it."

An awkward silence fell over the table. Everyone except Nono, who continued to eat her salmon rolls slowly and deliberately, was stunned by Lu Mingfei's unexpected "hesitation." With the prize practically in his mouth, how could he possibly back down?

In the dead of night, only a desk lamp illuminated the bedroom. Lu Mingfei sat in front of his laptop, the cold light from the screen illuminating his expressionless face. Running simultaneously were two programs: a StarCraft client running in idle mode and a logged-in QQ account.

His uncle and aunt nagged him all day, the gist of which was that he was "ungrateful" and "acting arrogant even though he got lucky." No matter how Professor Guderian tried to persuade him, he kept repeating, "I'll think about it some more."

"Think about it! What's there to think about? You really expect Harvard and Yale to snatch you away?" The aunt finally snorted out a breath mixed with jealousy and disdain, and slammed the door shut.

Nono was right. It really was because of Chen Wenwen.

Lu Mingfei opened the dormant literary society QQ group. All the profile pictures were grayed out; no one was talking. Chen Wenwen wasn't there; the group was like a puppet with its strings cut, lifeless. His only reason for joining was Chen Wenwen's eyes, which held a faint smile, and her gentle question, "Lu Mingfei, do you also like reading? Want to join the literary society?"

Throughout Shilan High School, only he and Zhao Menghua were personally invited by Chen Wenwen to join the literary society. This insignificant "specialness" was a rare bright spot in his gloomy youth, which he secretly treasured and repeatedly savored.

If she really leaves and goes to that faraway and unfamiliar America, will Chen Wenwen... feel even a little sad? Will she, on some afternoon, when she opens the pages of a book, suddenly feel a little unaccustomed to the absence of that quiet shadow that always stayed in the corner?

He let himself indulge in his humble fantasies, as if these illusory ties could help him fight against that glittering yet unsettling future.

Just then, the QQ notification icon in the lower right corner of the computer screen started flashing rapidly.

The big-faced cat avatar – "Nono" – has been released.

Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat, and his finger subconsciously moved to the mouse, ready to open the chat box and ask clearly—are you really that "Nono"?

However, just as his cursor was about to touch that avatar—

Another window popped up without warning.

A variable has emerged.

A new message notification suddenly popped up below the contact who had been silent for too long, using the system's default gray avatar and labeled "Senior Brother".

Chu Zihang: "Are you there?"

Two simple words, and a question mark.

The gears of fate always begin to loosen the moment the first tiny action occurs.