Lu Mingfei, who had read Dragon Clan before slaying the dragon

"Ms. Sakurai is quite amazing." Chu Zihang rarely agreed with Caesar.

"Chisei, I actually have a question for you," Uesugi Kotsuya suddenly said. "If you didn't know the truth that Chisei wasn't a 'ghost,' or if Chisei really was a 'ghost,' would you still kill him by stabbing him through the heart without hesitation if you met him again?"

Gen Chisheng fell into a long silence again. Uesugi Yue's question pulled him back to that rainy night, the torrential downpour, the long knife that pierced his chest, the lonely and dilapidated dry well, the face as pale as a ghost... Gen Chisheng wanted to say no, because he felt Gen Chinu's gaze, which was full of a younger brother's hope for his older brother, and a hidden fear... Fear of hearing that sad answer, fear that his brother would abandon him in that lonely and desperate abyss like he did ten years ago.

But Gen Chisheng didn't want to deceive the other party. If his brother was really a "ghost", Gen Chisheng couldn't say that he would never kill him. He had been a law enforcer for so long and knew that once a "ghost" got out of control, it would be no different from a bloodthirsty and dangerous beast. If it were in the past, Gen Chisheng felt that he would eventually choose to kill his own brother for the sake of justice... But what Gen Chisheng didn't want to admit but had to admit was that Sakurai Kogure's words just now made the "justice" in his heart waver.

"If the girl is really a 'ghost', I will be very sad. I don't want to kill my brother, but I can't change the fact that he is a very evil 'ghost'. Once the bloodline gets out of control, the girl will no longer be a girl. Perhaps killing him is the only thing I can do for him. This is the decision as a brother..." Minamoto Chisei looked at the lonely girl beside him, then looked at Sakurai Kogure, and finally he sighed deeply, "This is what I used to think."

"Now I'm a little confused. What exactly is the responsibility of the head of the family? What is the justice of the family? How can I cure the family's illness..." Yuan Zhisheng, who had always been strong, revealed his helplessness for the first time. "Father, please help me solve this problem."

Chapter 435 Family is More Important Than Everything

"Chisheng, have you understood the true meaning of the word 'justice'?" Uesugi Yue asked. "In your opinion, who should define justice?"

Yuan Zhisheng was stunned for a moment, then slowly said, "In my opinion, justice should be defined by the will of all members of the family. Whatever can make the family rise and prosper is justice. This is the will that the patriarch should uphold... Ever since I took over as patriarch, I've constantly told myself this, but I don't know what went wrong."

"Chisheng, I can't arbitrarily tell you what's right and what's wrong, because I was in office for only eleven years, and from beginning to end, I failed to be a qualified head of family." Uesugi Yue shook his head self-deprecatingly. "In fact, after fleeing the family for over sixty years, looking back at this huge and complex family, I've gradually developed many feelings. Perhaps it's because of the saying that a bystander sees more clearly. Although I can't tell you what the right path is, I can tell you a part of our family's history that has never been mentioned."

"Yes, I'm listening." Yuan Zhisheng sat upright.

"Justice for a family isn't something absolute. Chisheng, you said it should be defined by all members of the family, but in such a large family, it's impossible for everyone to agree." Uesugi Yue shook his head. "Justice is relative and can only be based on the majority's perspective. If a family wants to uphold justice, it must sacrifice a small number of its members, like 'ghosts' like Sakurai Kogure and her brother. But wouldn't such justice be too unfair to those displaced 'ghosts'... In this contradictory justice, the fierce ghost group came into being."

"I'm sure everyone in your family has told you, Zhisheng, that the presence of fierce ghosts is dangerous and sinful, and that it's all determined by bloodline... But is it really all determined by bloodline?" Uesugi Yue slowly shook his head after raising this question. "No, it's actually determined by self-interest."

"Benefits?" Yuan Zhisheng was a little confused.

"Yes, profit." Uesugi Yue nodded. "The justice implemented by the family has always been in accordance with the family's interests, but profit is a terrible thing, like the devil's drug. It can drive people to cannibalism, making originally virtuous and obedient people eat their loved ones, and even make two mortal enemies who should have been at war with each other stop fighting and form an alliance."

"In an era of ease and comfort, the family faced internal troubles, not external ones. Those with unstable bloodlines were naturally labeled 'ghosts' by the family and placed under strict surveillance. The most dangerous were completely eliminated," Uesugi Yue said. "But Chisheng, do you know anything? During the era of constant external threats, the family did collaborate with the fierce ghosts, and even proactively sought them out."

"What?" Yuan Zhisheng was stunned.

The family took the initiative to seek cooperation with the ghosts... He had never heard of such history.

"Shortly after I succeeded the position of patriarch, World War II was about to break out. The family was a strong advocate of war, but we had been at peace for too long, and the family's power was no longer as strong as it had been during the war," Uesugi Yue explained. "After unanimous agreement among the family elders and the heads of the various families, the family decided to initiate Plan 'D'."

"Plan 'D'?" Gen Chisheng asked. "What is that?"

"The 'D' in Plan D stands for 'DEVIL,' which refers to Satan in the Old Testament, meaning the devil," said Uesugi Yue. "Plan D represents a pact with the devil. It's essentially the family secretly lowering the standards for classifying oni. In peacetime, the family's vetting system for oni was quite strict. Any bloodline with even the slightest hidden danger could be subject to life imprisonment, a punishment practically devoid of human rights. However, after Plan D's re-screening, nearly all of those originally judged to have dangerous bloodlines were reclassified as safe. Consequently, for a long time, no oni were born in the family. Even bloodlines with a high risk of losing control were secretly retained within the family through Plan D, as a reserve for the impending war."

"Does this mean that in order to combat the threat from external forces, the family will not hesitate to mobilize all available forces?" Yuan Zhisheng asked, "Even if they are members of the family who pose a potential threat and should be considered dangerous bloodlines by the family?"

"Yes, that's what I mean." Uesugi Yue nodded, then shook his head and said, "But this is not enough."

"During my father's generation, the family had already declined significantly from its heyday. Actually, my father was a completely incompetent patriarch. His life was obsessed with only two things: Go and my mother. He left the family in a state of chaos," Uesugi Yue said. "When I took over, the family was already deeply divided and in disarray. Coupled with my own exhaustion, this long-accumulated weakness was difficult to reverse with just Plan 'D'. As war approached, the family was unable to gather the expected strength. At this rate, we'd have a hard time deterring the European and North American hybrids on the battlefield."

"So the family sought help from the fierce ghosts at that time, hoping to borrow their power to gain an advantage on the battlefield?" Yuan Zhisheng frowned slightly.

"Indeed, the clan signed a peace agreement with the then-leader of the Oni Clan. The clan and the Oni Clan pledged a non-aggression agreement for fifty years," Uesugi Yue explained. "During this fifty-year period, the clan tacitly permitted the growth and proliferation of the Oni Clan. They only arrested those 'oni' that had become out of control and showed signs of transforming into dragons, and refrained from interfering with other members of the Oni Clan. In return, during World War II, the Oni Clan was required to obey the clan's orders and unconditionally provide the clan with any troops they could control and use until the war was over."

"Fifty years?" Yuan Zhisheng was stunned. "So, according to the agreement, the non-aggression period between the family and the Ghost Clan lasted until ten years ago? But from what I know, the relationship between the family and the Ghost Clan was already extremely hostile ten years ago, and the war had been going on for a long time before that. It seems like it hasn't stopped for a long time."

"This is the history the family never wants to mention, because the family unilaterally tore up the agreement they had reached with the Demonic Clan," Uesugi Yue said in a deep voice. "World War II was actually a world-class war between mixed-bloods for resource division. Japan lost the war, and the Emperor declared unconditional surrender. As the main proponent of the war, the family bore the brunt of the consequences, but the family was unwilling to admit defeat. The family believed that Japanese mixed-bloods possessed nobler bloodlines than those in Europe and North America. Because we are descendants of the White Emperor, we possess unparalleled 'imperial' power. We are bound to be able to defeat European mixed-bloods on the battlefield of mixed-bloods. However, the Demonic Clan at that time began to consider retreating... This is where the disagreement between the family and the Demonic Clan arose."

"The European half-blood representative who arrived in Japan with the US military aboard the battleship 'Iowa' was your principal, the man named Ange." Uesugi Yue glanced at Lu Mingfei and the others, then turned back to Yuan Zhisheng and said, "The Demonic Clan at the time was terrified by the title of the strongest dragon slayer. The Demonic Clan leader advised the clan not to oppose Ange, but the clan stubbornly believed that Ange was called the strongest dragon slayer because he had never been to Japan and hadn't experienced the 'Emperor' of the Eight Snake Clan."

"You all know what happened next. As the 'Emperor', I was defeated by Ange. It was a crushing defeat, and along with it, the dignity of my family was lost. Ange established a Japanese branch among the eight families of Sheqi and signed several unequal agreements with my family." Uesugi Yue smiled bitterly. "But the Oni Clan never rebelled against Ange. They were very smart and had already carefully protected themselves from this losing war. However, my family considered the Oni Clan's actions to be betrayal. They unilaterally tore up the pre-war agreement with the Oni Clan and launched a retaliatory attack on them."

Gennochi was stunned. He listened carefully to what Uesugi Yue said. The agreement between the Oni Clan and the family was to last until the end of the war. The Oni Clan clearly did not violate the agreement at all. It was only the family that broke the contract... This behavior was simply destroying the bridge after crossing it.

"Of course, the family knew the Oni Clan was not at fault, but the defeat in the war, the oppression from Ange... the family had to find an outlet to bear all these losses, otherwise, people would panic and the Sheqi Eight Clan would fall apart from within." Uesugi Yue whispered, "This is family justice, and the Oni Clan at that time became the victims of this justice."

"Chisheng, can you imagine the family's expression at that time? The family knew it was wrong, they knew that wiping out the Demonic Clan was a violation of the agreement, but they insisted on doing so, claiming it was for the greater good of the family." Uesugi Yue said, "Going to war with the Demonic Clan naturally required the decision of me, the head of the family. Even though I'm only the head in name, I'm also the family's one and only 'Emperor'. The elders told me that they had to go to war with the Demonic Clan because they were afraid their dangerous bloodline would be exposed to Ange. Therefore, all the 'ghosts' had to be eliminated, including the hidden dangers within the family. Those clansmen with dangerous bloodlines who were freed in the 'D' plan were also wiped out... They insisted that this was justice, because if they didn't, more people in the family might die. In times of crisis, the only thing that allows the family to continue is justice."

"The family actually chose this approach." Yuan Zhisheng's hands clenched into fists, shaking uncontrollably with anger. "What kind of 'family justice' is this? If this can be called justice, then this kind of justice really makes me sick!"

"Yes, this is also one of the reasons why I left the family. I really can't stand the faces of those old guys. They keep saying 'for the sake of the family's justice' and 'for the rise of the family'...but they are the only ones who need to rise? They are willing to sacrifice anything for the sake of rise." Uesugi Yue said indignantly, "So when those old guys were instigating me to assassinate the leader of the ghosts, I threw down the responsibility on the spot and said it was impossible. Don't even think about it. You borrowed their power and promised them not to fight. Now that you've used it, you turn your back on them? Isn't this just turning your back on them? Did they kill your parents or kidnap your wife? If so, you can redress your grievances and seek revenge. Anyway, they have no grudges against me. I can't do such a wicked thing as giving birth to a child without an asshole."

When Uesugi Yue said the last sentence, Caesar and Chu Zihang beside him couldn't help but look at each other.

"If we had an argument, would you be able to win?" Caesar whispered in Chu Zihang's ear. He glanced at Shang Shuyue, a little scared. "If we can't win the argument, let's try not to argue with the elephant tortoise's father in the future, right?"

"Master Yue's fighting ability is quite strong." Chu Zihang nodded in agreement and added, "He's on par with Finger."

"Actually, whether it's Kogure or you, Chisheng, I want to tell you that justice isn't absolute. It's selective and open to interpretation. Different perspectives lead to different kinds of justice." Uesugi Yue looked at Minamoto Chisheng. "Just like Kogure's father, who sacrificed his own family for the greater good, he abandoned his fatherly identity and chose the family's principle of justice that prioritized profit over all else. Just like you, Chisheng, who have been a law enforcer for so many years and believe that the purpose of ghosts is to be killed, that's your justice as a law enforcer. But as an older brother, protecting your younger brother is what you should do. That's your justice as a brother."

"Which kind of justice should you choose, Chisheng? It depends on what you are willing to give up." Uesugi Yue looked into Minamoto Chisheng's eyes. "Will you give up the responsibility of being a law enforcer entrusted by your family, or will you give up your brother who has been with you for so long?"

"But in my opinion, family responsibilities aren't that important, because anyone else can take on the responsibilities of the family head." Uesugi Yue looked at Minamoto no Chisei and Minamoto no Chijo, then at Eri. "But family is irreplaceable, because your family only has you... At least that's what I think. Chisei and you are more important than anything else."

Yuan Zhisheng was completely stunned. Ever since the day when he was ten years old and someone came to the mountains and told him that his true identity was the eldest son of the Yuan family, people had been constantly instilling those dogmatic ideas into Yuan Zhisheng.

Family responsibility is more important than anything else. How to be a qualified parent to lead the family to prosperity? Only by holding the sword tightly and fighting bravely can the family gain peace... Yuan Zhisheng became a big man who was influential in the world, but with it came deep fatigue.

He was very tired, but he had no one to talk to, because he was the highly anticipated Amaterasu, the head of the family that everyone looked up to...but he was really tired.

This was the first time someone told him that family responsibilities were not that important. He was no longer Amaterasu or the head of the family, but a family member. Someone placed the meaning of his existence above everything else...that person was his father.

"I understand." Gen Chisheng took his brother's hand and bowed to Uesugi Koshi. "Thank you for teaching me all this...teaching me the true meaning of being a head of household, and teaching me how to be a brother."

This small chapter ends, and the next chapter begins a new section.

PS: Also, brother, group one is full. If you want to join, please check out group two. The group number is below the introduction. Thank you!

Chapter 436 Aunt's Family

Heavy rain hit Tokyo again tonight.

Japanese tourists are very unlucky this year. Because of the cold weather this year, the cherry blossom season is several weeks longer than in previous years. The newly opened pink cherry blossoms are stacked against the old ones. It is easy to see the whole city of cherry blossoms in Tokyo. It is obviously a brilliant cherry blossom season that only comes once in ten years, but it happened to encounter heavy rainfall that is extremely rare in a hundred years. The cherry blossoms all over Tokyo withered in the strong wind. There are extremely tough branches on the cherry trees, but they are also weighed down by the torrential rain.

Occasionally, you can see groups of tourists dragging large and small bags walking through the streets in the storm. This must be because the storm has caused the airport to be closed and all flights to be cancelled, and the accumulated tourists are crowded in this city. Even if Tokyo's tourism industry is very developed, hotels and inns are easily full. The cheap and discounted hotels have long been snapped up, and only the most luxurious suites in star-rated hotels are left.

However, staying in a hotel temporarily during this rainy tourist season is definitely several times more expensive than booking in advance online. The price of one night's stay may be equivalent to the budget of the entire trip. More people are willing to wander the streets and try their luck in finding a hotel with an affordable and comfortable suite. Few people are willing to be taken advantage of and ripped off by these unscrupulous merchants who raise prices arbitrarily.

"Do we have to stay in such an expensive hotel?" Aunt looked at the price list at the hotel front desk and clenched the bank card tightly in her hand.

Even small items like bath balls and toilet seats on the price list are extremely expensive, more than ten times the price during promotions in domestic supermarkets. The room fee of tens of thousands of yen is simply a sky-high price for a housewife like my aunt... This is not like sleeping on a bed, this is clearly sleeping on money. When you turn over or stretch your waist, gold coins roll down!

"Then where are we going to stay? It's so windy and rainy, we can't sleep on the street or under a bridge, can we? I heard that sleeping outdoors at night in Japan is illegal. We can't possibly take Mingze to sleep in the police station, can we?" said the uncle. "The New Otani Hotel is quite nice, spacious and has a garden wing. It's a long-established four-star hotel. I heard that the nearby Chiyoda Ward is Tokyo's wealthy area, with more luxury cars than people on the street!"

My aunt thought to herself, this prodigal son, who doesn't know this hotel is great? It's so luxurious, anyone with eyes can see it, right? A hotel is great, but it's expensive! How could something that cost so much be bad? A four-star hotel, that one star costs more than a beauty salon. I didn't even bother getting a few high-end beauty treatments, but I spent it all just for one night's sleep! There are so many luxury cars on the road, but are they yours? Can you drive one away? If you could, she wouldn't mind staying in this hotel for a week straight!

"Isn't that youth hostel we just passed by quite nice?" Auntie mentioned it casually, trying not to reveal her subtle thoughts. "I see they have some rooms available, and the price isn't that high. With so many of us, renting out the whole room would be a good deal, right? Rooms in big hotels aren't always comfortable. I don't like sleeping on beds that soft. My back hurts after sleeping on a mattress that soft for too long."

"The mattresses star-rated hotels use have lumbar support and anti-strain features. I've stayed there before and I know how comfortable they are!" Uncle said carelessly, seemingly oblivious to Aunt's hidden meaning. Then he whispered in Aunt's ear, "If it were just our family out for a trip, we'd just have to stay in a youth hostel. But Jia Jia and her family are here too. We can't expect them to do the same, can we?"

My uncle's words caught my aunt off guard, and she was completely speechless.

Yes, if it were just their family, they wouldn’t care about star-rated hotels or face, but this time, it’s not just their family that’s traveling with them, there’s also Jia Jia’s family.

Jia Jia's name is Chen Jiawei. She and Lu Mingze are both alumni of Shilan Middle School. She is one year younger than Lu Mingze and will also go to a university in the United States to study next year.

Auntie met Jiajia when she came back from buying groceries one day and saw her uncle chatting with Jiajia's father on the roadside. Jiajia's father was driving a new Audi A6L sedan and Jiajia was sitting in the car. Auntie went forward with vegetables and asked, and only then did she know that Jiajia was an alumnus of the same school as her son Lu Mingze, and that Jiajia's father was the director of the personnel department in her uncle's unit, which was several levels higher than her uncle's position and was a person with real power.

The aunt immediately became interested and began to carefully examine the girl sitting in the car. She looked pretty good, with a quiet personality, and a family background to support her. The girl's image suddenly became dazzling... Isn't this Jia Jia more than enough for their Lu Mingze? She is simply the perfect match for their Lu Mingze!

It must be because I didn’t bargain when buying vegetables today, and I was blessed by the god of the vegetable market, so he gave me a daughter-in-law... The more my aunt looked at Jia Jia, the more she liked her.

So the two families visited each other more and more frequently. At first, the aunt would always find some "accidental" opportunities to get in touch with Jiajia's family. For example, during the parent-teacher meeting, the aunt would take Lu Mingze to visit Jiajia's mother in the classroom under the pretext of discussing educational methods between parents. In fact, she wanted to create more opportunities for Lu Mingze and Jiajia to get to know each other. For example, on the parent-child day organized by the school, the aunt would always bring a small gift for Jiajia, as if declaring Jiajia's sovereignty and telling everyone that this was the daughter-in-law appointed by their old Lu family.

Director Chen and my uncle got along very well. After a few drinks, the two old men started to call each other brothers. They talked about luxury watches, cars, international affairs... In short, they talked about everything men talked about. Both men were equally high-spirited and heroic at the table. If you didn't know them, you would think they were the reincarnations of Zhang Wuji and Linghu Chong, and they became sworn brothers at the table.

Jia Jia's mother and aunt did not get along as well as Director Chen and her uncle.

Come to think of it, how many simple women can become the wife of a director? At least her thoughts are not comparable to those of a housewife like me. However, my aunt was not discouraged. In order to win this daughter-in-law sent by God, my aunt spent a lot of money.

She applied for two annual passes to a high-end beauty salon and bought two sets of skincare products. She also upgraded her usual Aupres skincare products by two levels and replaced them with expensive La Mer. This was so that when she gave them to Jia Jia's mother, she could show off her Chen family's generosity in front of the director's wife. In fact, she was telling her, "I can be so generous to a relative like you who has no future at all. How can I let your daughter suffer any grievances if she marries into our Lao Lu family in the future?"

Jiajia's mother had seen countless people, so how could she not see through her aunt's inner thoughts? Fortunately, she didn't reject her aunt's behavior, nor did she harbor any ill feelings towards her aunt's family. In fact, many people had tried to establish a relationship with her family through Jiajia. Among these people, her aunt's family was by no means outstanding. Her uncle was just an ordinary investigator in the unit, and her aunt looked like a housewife. But what satisfied Jiajia's mother was that compared with other families, her aunt's family was at least not cunning. If they really started to scheme, it was not certain who would suffer.

Besides, Jia Jia is indeed at the age where she should be in love, and Jia Jia's mother is not a rigid and inflexible parent. She did not allow Jia Jia to be in love when she was in school because she was still young and had been well protected since she was a child. She had never seen the world and was easily deceived by boys in society. But Jia Jia's mother also knows that too much is as bad as too little. This kind of overly thorough protection may cause her daughter to rebel. When she goes abroad, those foreign boys will only be more precocious and more badass. If they lead Jia Jia astray and she doesn't want to come back, she will have nowhere to cry.

So it would be better to find a companion for her before going to the United States. The main reason is that Lu Mingze looks honest and certainly doesn't have the courage to bully Jiajia. By then, Jiajia will surely have many things in the United States that she is unwilling to tell her parents. It would be quite reassuring to let Lu Mingze act as an undercover spy and report on Jiajia's situation regularly.

So when her aunt suggested taking advantage of the opportunity to apply for visas for the two children and taking a trip together to prepare them for their new university life, Jiajia's mother readily agreed after a brief consideration. After all, her aunt had already covered all the travel expenses, so their family didn't have to pay anything. Moreover, traveling together was the best way to promote the relationship between two people. A trip could also reveal many specific things that were difficult to ask about normally, such as Lu Mingze's family conditions, his uncle and aunt's ways of dealing with people, and whether Lu Mingze's feelings for Jiajia were genuine...

"Then let's open two standard rooms, one for Director Chen and his friends, and one for us. The weather outside is bad, and the rooms are so tight right now, so it's better not to occupy all the rooms for other tourists." My aunt finally let go of the bank card she was holding tightly in her hand, as if she was letting go of the golden pigeon she had raised since childhood.

"Okay, it just so happens that our hotel only has two standard rooms left tonight. Wait a moment, I will arrange check-in for you as soon as possible." The hotel receptionist took the bank card from my aunt's hand and showed her signature sweet smile.

But in my aunt's eyes, that smile was as hateful as a demon sucking human flesh and blood.

After entering the room, Lu Mingze sat down on the bed next to the bathroom. His huge butt and strong waist sank into the soft mattress. He picked up the remote control and turned on the TV. He picked up a drink he had never seen on the table, unscrewed the bottle cap and drank it down in one gulp. It was so comfortable.

"Mingze, what you took was a drink, not the free mineral water given by the hotel. Drinks are charged!" Auntie was so anxious that she almost jumped up and down, as if Lu Mingze had unscrewed a can of poison gas. "This kind of unknown brand drink is the most expensive. Let me tell you, these big hotels just like to put things in the room that you have never seen and don't know the price. If you accidentally eat, drink or use it, they will charge you several times more and you have no place to complain!"

"Oh, oh, when we come out to play, having fun is the most important thing, right? We've already spent a lot of money, why bother so much about such a small amount." The uncle stroked the silk curtains of the hotel. The feel was no worse than the luxurious imported curtains in the new house of their unit leader!

"What do you know! What do you know!" Auntie immediately exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "We've already seriously exceeded our budget by renting these two rooms today! Do you know how many face masks I could buy with the extra money? Do you know how many chicken wings I could pickle? How do you think we manage to make ends meet? Isn't that all I saved by doing so meticulously? What do you two grown men know? You know nothing!"

Although my uncle was a little dissatisfied in his heart, he didn't dare to argue with my aunt openly. He told himself that there was no need for a grown man to compete with a woman with long hair and short knowledge. So my uncle just muttered quietly: "Isn't it because Mingfei doesn't live in our house anymore?"

"What did you say?" Auntie's voice rose eight octaves. "You're a grown man, and you're so shy about speaking? Speak louder and let me hear you!"

"I mean, Mingfei doesn't live with us anymore, right? But the annual child support hasn't stopped, and Mingfei still sends money and gifts home all the time." The uncle also raised his voice, "Isn't this trip we took thanks to Mingfei and his parents?"

"How dare you mention Mingfei?" Auntie was furious. "He disappeared two weeks ago. He didn't answer my calls, and he didn't reply to Mingze's emails. I wanted to ask him about Mingze University, but I couldn't find him."

"This kid was a bit well-behaved in high school, but he's become wilder since entering college. He's always complaining about school assignments. At first, he didn't answer the phone for three or five days, and then there was no news for ten days or half a month. How can this be tolerated? If he gets lost one day, how are we going to explain to his parents?" Aunt muttered, "Oh, I forgot, his whole family is like this. Mingfei must have inherited his parents' restless genes. Those two are really something, they don't even mention visiting the child when they have time."

"Hey, you can't say that. When children grow up, they always have their own world to explore. I think Mingfei is very motivated. In high school, he went to the library and went to the kendo hall to practice swordsmanship and so on. He was very hardworking. His friend named Chu Zihang is also very good. This child has goals and ambitions. He will definitely become an elite of our Lao Lu family in the future!" The uncle looked at the aunt and teased, "I didn't expect you to care about that child so much."

"After all, he's been eating at our house for so many years. Although he was rather dull and unlikable when he was young, he suddenly became smart when he entered high school. He can talk and help the family. He sends part of his scholarship home and buys us gifts during festivals. He's a very grateful child and can set a good example for Mingze." Auntie looked at Lu Mingze, "But Mingze, don't learn from your brother about always disappearing... By the way, Mingze, did you talk much with Jiajia today?"

It's not the aunt's personality that has changed, it's Lu Mingfei who has changed. The aunt's impression of Lu Mingfei has changed, similar to the butterfly effect, so the plot will definitely change later.

Chapter 437 Sakura's First Night Show

"Yeah, I talked a few more than usual." Lu Mingze nodded.

Although he was responding to his aunt, his eyes were focused on the TV screen and his tone was perfunctory.

Because Lu Mingze knew that if he didn't say so, his mother would start nagging again. His mother's mouth was more powerful than the anchor of the news broadcast. This was a recognized fact in the family. Lu Mingze didn't want to spend his time on a trip amidst endless nagging. Anyway, as long as he said a few perfunctory words to his mother, she would be very happy. His cousin named Lu Mingfei always used some nice words to make his mother happy. When his mother was happy, she would talk less. This was the experience Lu Mingze learned from his cousin two years ago.

"Oh my, please say a few more words!" Sure enough, my aunt clapped her hands with joy and even wanted to dance.

Lu Mingze's answer instantly dispelled the gloom that his aunt had just felt about spending a huge amount of savings to book a room. If this trend continues, Lu Mingze and Jiajia's relationship will develop better and better. Maybe they can finalize their relationship before the two children go abroad... No, maybe he can win Jiajia over during this trip to Japan!

When you go abroad, you are two families, and when you return home, you become one family! Isn’t that wonderful?

Thinking of this, Auntie suddenly felt that the rent money was well spent! Her son was really promising! Even if her nephew Lu Mingfei was outstanding and hardworking, and his family was all elite, so what? He had been studying at university for two years and still had no progress and no prospects.

His own son was different. He might even have a girlfriend like Jia Jia before he went to college. No matter how outstanding the people Lu Mingfei met in those circles abroad were, could they be as virtuous as Jia Jia? And her family was also a director? That was impossible, right?

So, the Lu family's legacy will eventually fall on his son, while Qiao Wenni's son is wholeheartedly developing towards becoming a social elite. Everyone has their own division of labor, which is pretty good!

In fact, Auntie has almost no opinion about Lu Mingfei now. Now that the child has grown up, she can't hate him even if she wants to. However, no matter how sensible Lu Mingfei is, he is still someone else's child. Seeing other people's children being so outstanding, parents will inevitably have a competitive heart... The most important thing is that Lu Mingfei's mother, Qiao Weini, has always been a knot in Auntie's heart.

There are only two daughters-in-law in Lao Lu's family, one is my aunt and the other is Qiao Weini. But Qiao Weini gives my aunt a feeling of being too arrogant. It's not arrogance, but that woman seems to be born with an arrogant look, and she looks radiant all the time. She has a good family background, and is engaged in the elite career of archaeology. The husband she married is also very promising, and she also gave birth to a promising son... In comparison, everything about my aunt seems so mediocre. She is just an ordinary housewife who cares about food and clothing, and has nothing to do with the social elite. Compared with other young faces, she looks like a yellow-faced woman, and her husband can only brag and is not as promising as other husbands. She is so ordinary that... a little sad.

Auntie knew that people were different, but she just couldn't swallow this. Until Jia Jia appeared, Lu Mingfei was still single. Auntie finally felt that the clouds had finally cleared and the sun was shining, and all her previous forbearance was about to pay off.

It's just one final push away, just one opportunity... In her aunt's eyes, Jia Jia is like a duck at her aunt's fingertips, there is absolutely no reason to let her fly away... No matter what the price, even if it's several times the price of today's room, she must get this girl!

"Mingze, there are only you and Jiajia two children playing together this time. It's good for you to have each other's company. Try to talk to each other more every day!" Auntie advised Lu Mingze earnestly.

Talking a few more words means the success rate will be a little higher. Although my family and Jiajia's family are indeed a little bit mismatched, and Mingze and Jiajia are indeed a little bit of a high-class match, but as the saying goes, one should be grateful to the one who has benefited from it. My family has already spent so much money on Jiajia's family. If the relationship between the two children develops naturally, and they finalize the important event of the two children under the romantic cherry trees in Japan, I believe Jiajia's parents will have no reason to object.

"Oh." Facing his aunt's expectations, Lu Mingze still replied perfunctorily.

Lu Mingze himself was not very interested in Jiajia and did not spend much time on her. Just like his aunt said, it was because he and Jiajia were the only two children traveling together. If he did not talk to Jiajia, there would be no one else to talk to. Lu Mingze originally thought that there would be more topics to talk about among people of the same age.

Today, Lu Mingze and Jiajia talked about the topic of maid cafes, which is a topic that is difficult to avoid when coming to Japan. After all, maid shops are the holy places that a typical fat otaku like Lu Mingze has always longed for. But Jiajia actually said that maid shops are not places that only perverts and some weird guys go to... This made Lu Mingze's already limited good impression of Jiajia take a sharp turn for the worse, and he was so angry that he didn't say a few words to Jiajia along the way.

It is true that Jia Jia's appearance is acceptable and gives people the quiet feeling of a girl next door, but Lu Mingze doesn't like the type of girl next door at all... In his heart, he yearns for a goddess-like figure who can conquer him and make him worship her.

For example, Su Xiaoqiang, the school belle of Shilan Middle School, was once the dream lover of the young Lu Mingze, and also the dream lover of many boys in Shilan Middle School. Whenever Su Xiaoqiang called her cousin Lu Mingfei, Lu Mingze would rush to answer the phone just to say a few more words to Su Xiaoqiang and leave an impression on the goddess.

Or maybe it was Lu Mingze's online crush—"The Mark of the Sunset"—of course, Lu Mingze gave himself the nickname, but that "girl," whose melancholy and sentimentality permeated every line of her writing, was the one who truly allowed Lu Mingze to taste the sweetness and bitterness of love for the first time. Even now, Lu Mingze still has endless aftertastes for her...

Unfortunately, two years ago, "The Mark of Sunset" told him that she was going to a village in South Africa to teach and teach the children there to read the Analects and recognize Chinese characters. Their fate ended there. Since then, Lu Mingze has never seen "The Mark of Sunset" online again. Lu Mingze felt sad for this regrettable relationship and felt that she was really a loving and ambitious girl!

And then there was that cousin's senior sister, "Nono," who had come to visit him. She was truly a witch! With her striking long red hair, a silver four-leaf clover pendant, jelly-red lips, and long, sleek legs, she practically captivated Lu Mingze at first sight. Even now, Lu Mingze still remembers her voice and appearance... It was a shame she already had a boyfriend, a mafia boss in Italy. Even with all his lust, Lu Mingze didn't dare to entertain any evil thoughts. He was afraid of being blinded by an eagle.

"I think there's no need to be so anxious, right?" The uncle lying on the bed suddenly spoke up, speaking for Lu Mingze. "Let the children deal with each other's affairs on their own. Isn't it good to let nature take its course? Young people nowadays advocate for freedom of love. It's like we're having an arranged marriage. Isn't that inappropriate? If we're too focused on purpose, won't it have the opposite effect?"

In fact, the uncle is quite optimistic about Jia Jia. He and Director Chen get along well, and it would be nice for them to become in-laws. However, people in the unit will inevitably gossip about him, saying that Lao Lu wants to climb up the big tree of Director Chen, and that Lao Lu wants to rely on his son's path to get promoted... The uncle's self-esteem is like the blazing sun and he certainly can't stand such gossip. A man should rely on his own ability to fight for everything, whether it is love or career, so the uncle firmly stands on Lu Mingze's side and speaks.

"I'm saying, did your head get hit by the door today? Or did it get soaked in water from being in the rain for too long?" Auntie glared at Uncle with a frown, practically tapping his forehead with her finger. "Is it that Director Chen isn't worthy of being your in-law? Or is there something about Jia Jia that doesn't deserve Ming Ze? He drives an Audi A6! It's a luxury car! It can't compare to our little BMW! Marrying him would mean we're marrying up, okay? If you're that capable, you could become a powerful director. If you become a director, would you still need me to worry about this every day? Or if you're capable of making money, you could buy an Audi A6 and drive it to Ming Ze's parent-teacher meeting. Believe it or not, there will be many female parents who want to marry you, hoping to become your in-law."

My uncle suddenly fell speechless and lowered his head in shame, like a frustrated and defeated general.