Dragons begin with courage

Not long after Chu Zihang's avatar went dark, the long-dormant icon of the literary society's QQ group suddenly started flashing rapidly, with an untimely activity.

Lu Mingfei clicked on it. It was Chen Wenwen.

Like a pebble thrown into stagnant water, the previously dull and submerged avatars, like a startled school of fish, rose to the surface, vying to surround their "muse" and exhaling bubbles. The atmosphere was instantly ignited, filled with banter, quoting, and expressing meaningless sentiments unique to youth, completely unlike a group of prisoners struggling to breathe under the weight of the college entrance examination.

"Let's have one last get-together before graduation?" Chen Wenwen suggested, her tone as gentle and slightly literary as ever.

The group chat was immediately flooded with "Great! Great!", "Support the president!", and "Absolutely!". Lu Mingfei also joined in, sending a nodding emoji. In the literary society, Chen Wenwen's suggestions were practically imperial edicts. Even Zhao Menghua jokingly called Chen Wenwen the Liu Bei of the literary society, saying she had an absolute attraction for men—his words carrying his usual subtle intimacy and sense of control.

Chen Wenwen seemed to have been prepared, as she sent a picture to the group chat—a photo of a promotional flyer.

"How about we rent a small theater to watch a movie? It'll be quiet and feel more special." She continued typing, "I just saw this: high school graduates can rent the whole theater for 10% off with their student IDs. It's a great deal."

The flyer clearly displays the words "Graduation Season Special", "10% Off", and "Private Lounge".

A small theater in the cinema? A private screening?!

Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat, as if gripped by an invisible hand. A surge of scalding heat, mixed with absurd hope, unexpectedly rushed to his head. Dark, enclosed space, with only the flickering light of the screen... It sounded like a stage tailor-made for him by fate (or some lousy screenwriter) for his long-planned yet terribly timid confession!

As if to confirm his wishful thinking, Chen Wenwen chose the film: WALL-E.

Lu Mingfei stared at the name, holding his breath. He knew that story all too well: Wall-E, a dirty, old-model robot who had been scavenging through ruins for seven hundred years, clumsily and persistently loved EVE, a high-tech girl as white as snow from the stars. He had read it countless times, and every time he reached the ending, when Wall-E was crushed into scrap metal and EVE carried him, breaking the sound barrier to find parts, his nose would sting, and he would secretly wipe his eyes, avoiding his cousin's gaze.

Look, even a ragpicker who picks up trash deserves love and can wait for his princess! Isn't this the most straightforward encouragement and hint? Lu Mingfei felt his blood getting slightly hot.

"Lu Mingfei, come with me to buy tickets after school tomorrow, okay? Everyone will give you the money first." Chen Wenwen tagged him.

The group chat erupted in agreement. Lu Mingfei's main duties as a "director" were simply collecting money and running errands, something everyone was already used to. He readily agreed, his fingers trembling slightly with inexplicable excitement.

At that moment, he felt a faint light shining through the closed door.

At the same time, in the penthouse suite of the Regent Hotel.

The cold light from the screen illuminated two strikingly different yet equally beautiful faces. The screen displayed the live chat history of the Shilan Middle School Literature Club's QQ group, word for word.

"Ah, youth..." Mai Shude, wrapped in a silk robe, leaned lazily against the sofa, swirling the amber liquid in her wine glass. She looked at the jumping, youthful, hormone-fueled words on the screen, a slight smile playing on her lips, as if watching a stage play that had nothing to do with her.

*Crunch.* Su Enxi crunched a potato chip, the sound crisp, but her expression remained unchanged, her eyes still fixed on the ID "Lu Mingfei" on the screen. "I don't understand this kid. Wasn't Kassel's offer clear enough? Why all the fuss?" She pouted, crumpled up a flyer identical to the one Chen Wenwen was holding, and tossed it into the corner trash can. "Buying that movie theater just to 'coincidentally' let her see this flyer adds another unplanned expense; it's not cost-effective."

They had assumed the task assigned by their boss was a done deal. A full scholarship, an offer from the mysterious academy—what was there to hesitate about for an ordinary, unlucky kid like them? But Lu Mingfei's simple "I need to think about it" nearly made these two seasoned "professionals" drop their jaws in disbelief. Being scolded by their boss for failing the mission was a minor matter; they didn't even dare to imagine the consequences if certain deeper "arrangements" were disrupted as a result.

"I hope there won't be any more unexpected problems?" Su Enxi's tone rarely carried a hint of uncertainty. "What if... I mean, what if this silly boy actually confesses and it works out? Two repressed and artistic kids, secretly in love with each other for three years but neither daring to speak up, finally confessing their feelings in the movie theater... that would be hilarious."

Hearing Su Enxi's lack of dating experience, Jiude Mai took a couple of sips of red wine and laughed, "Typical romantic fantasies. The success rate of confessions isn't fifty percent, it's zero or one hundred percent." She pulled up another analysis record, her tone as calm as if she were presenting financial data, "The chat logs from the past three years show that Chen Wenwen's replies to Lu Mingfei's messages are on average delayed by three hours, and she never offers an explanation; she has never initiated a topic; there is zero overlap in their social media activity; the only interactions are all related to the literary club's 'official business,' so Lu Mingfei's role is clear—free labor, a tool, and a dumping ground for emotional venting."

She paused, then pointed to another set of data: "Looking back at the interactions with Zhao Menghua: timely replies, frequent use of emojis, topics involving personal life, and frequent and natural offline interactions. Conclusion: Target A (Chen Wenwen) has no romantic interest in Target B (Lu Mingfei), but has a high probability of having an ambiguous relationship with Target C (Zhao Menghua)."

Mai Shude swirled her glass and chuckled, "That's why the boss arranged the next step. Find a few 'actors' to stage a few romantic scenes around Zhao Menghua, and then give him some inspiration for a 'movie confession'... With that kid's show-off and stubborn personality, we don't need to push him; he'll jump up and become the 'protagonist' himself." A cold glint flashed in her eyes. "Lu Mingfei went to the audition with him and was 'suspected' of being accepted. For Zhao Menghua, who calls himself 'Little Chu Zihang,' that's a real provocation. He won't let go of this opportunity to outshine and trample Lu Mingfei under his feet."

Su Enxi sighed, imagining the small screening room that was about to be meticulously decorated yet incredibly cruel. "A public execution tailor-made for him... Lu Mingfei isn't going there to confess his feelings; he's going there to be a backdrop and a stepping stone."

"Isn't this a bit too harsh, boss?" Su Enxi couldn't help but ask. "What if the blow is too much, and this kid completely retreats into his shell, refusing to even go to Kassel?"

"No way." Mai Shude downed the remaining wine in her glass in one gulp, her tone resolute. "The boss said the final step is to leave it to that 'female bodhisattva.' She's best at taking in stray cats and dogs, and she knows exactly how to 'guide' lost lambs. Lu Mingfei's path, perhaps even earlier than the day he was born, was already paved. Kassel College, he absolutely must go."