Chapter 23: Youth Has No Price Tag, but Insurance Does

Lu Mingfei’s answers this time could only be described as standard; the three interviewers did not find much room for further thought. After all, the "literary girl" before him had rambled on incessantly, spending fifteen minutes on UFOs and nearly giving them a lecture on political philosophy starting from Plato. Had Nono not made a swift decision to tell her she had failed the interview and to get out, Lu Mingfei would likely have spent another half hour playing on his phone outside.

"Alright, thank you for your support of Cassel College." Ye Sheng and Sake Toki Aki closed their notebooks and nodded at Lu Mingfei. "Once the results are out, we will notify you within forty-eight hours."

The implication was clear: if there was no notification within forty-eight hours, it meant the interview was a failure, and he could go back to preparing for the college entrance examinations.

Ye Sheng stood up to show him out, but Lu Mingfei was in no hurry to leave. The Cassel interview was over, and now it was his turn.

"May I ask, do you know Chu Zihang?"

He no longer cared about whether he passed the Cassel College interview. His purpose in coming here was, first, to scout for information on Chu Zihang; second, to not waste Old Tang’s efforts; and finally, to learn about his parents' current situation from Professor Guderian. However, the development of events had been absurd—the college was acting strangely, and Guderian had played the diva and failed to show up—so he could only try to salvage his first objective.

The sudden question caused Ye Sheng’s movement of escorting him out to pause. Clearly, he had not expected Lu Mingfei to turn the tables. Perhaps because they had prepared for this yesterday, knowing that Lu Mingfei held a deep obsession regarding Chu Zihang, he was not overly surprised.

"Chu Zihang is a freshman who enrolled in Cassel College last year. His grades are excellent." This was information Lu Mingfei already had, and telling him this was harmless.

"Can you give me his contact information?" Lu Mingfei asked. "I have some things I’d like to ask him."

Shilan High School was quite strict about student privacy; students could rant on the school forums, but they were not allowed to post their own or others' personal information. Beyond that, Chu Zihang’s fan club couldn't find his contact details or QQ number either; it was as if he had severed all ties to his past after graduating high school. Lu Mingfei did not want to wait until summer break, so he decided to ask the Cassel interviewers for a favor.

Of course, he held no expectations; private elite high schools valued privacy, and private elite universities were no different. As expected, Ye Sheng shook his head. "I’m sorry, without his personal permission, we cannot disclose his contact information to you."

With that, he stepped toward the door. "Please, I’ll show you out."

"Farewell." Nodding to the two women, Lu Mingfei turned and left, his pace steady and unhurried, showing no sign of the embarrassment of being rejected.

"That guy—we’re interviewers, not black-market brokers, yet he comes to us digging for intelligence."

Nono rested her chin on one hand, tilting her head to observe Sake Toki Aki, who was organizing the interview records. Her gaze lingered on that sweet profile, and she suddenly remarked, "Aki, has anyone ever told you that your profile looks a lot like Akina Nakamori?"

"Thank you, no." Sake Toki Aki saw through her junior’s little scheme at a glance. "Since you’re here, don’t run around. If you go out to find Lu Mingfei now, it will cause misunderstandings among the other interviewees."

Her attempt to be helpful having failed, Nono twirled a lock of her dark red hair around her finger. "Anyway, our only target is Lu Mingfei; the others are just going through the motions, so why be so serious?"

Sake Toki Aki replied as a matter of course, "It concerns the college’s reputation. We must be impeccable."

"With these three interview questions, does the college even have a reputation left to speak of?" Nono muttered in silence. She didn't need to think twice to know how these students would tear Cassel College apart after the interviews were over. But since this was a task assigned by Professor Guderian, she couldn't just walk away, so she had to continue playing house with these high schoolers.

...

The interviews continued, but it no longer concerned Lu Mingfei; he still had the whole day off. Yet, after walking out of the Regent Hotel, he didn't know where to go. He could go back to his uncle’s house, but there was no need; none of his friends were online at the internet cafe at this hour, and the people at the esports club were likely still asleep. After weighing his options, the only place he could kill time was school.

Going back to school after taking a leave of absence was too pathetic, so he decided to head to the internet cafe to check what exactly had happened back then.

"I’ve already logged in, how much longer are you?"

On the way to the cafe, Lu Mingfei didn't tell Old Tang how absurd the interview was, or that the prep questions he had prepared hadn't been of any use. These infuriating things were for him to know; there was no need to let Old Tang be frustrated as well.

"Done with the interview so fast? How did it go?"

Lu Mingfei had been chatting with Old Tang while waiting earlier. He had checked his watch; the whole process hadn't taken more than five minutes.

"It’s all thanks to the questions you prepared. The whole interview was like an open-book exam; I answered everything fluently." Lu Mingfei spun a yarn so convincing he almost believed it himself.

"Is it really that exaggerated, bro?" Old Tang was pleased, feeling he had contributed to a future college student's dream of studying abroad.

"Let me put it this way: everyone else walked out looking bitter and dejected, but I came out with my head held high."

"So, what are the odds of passing?"

"Thirty percent."

Old Tang: "..."

"Why only thirty percent?"

"They’re a fancy private school. I’m penniless and have no connections. I’m afraid I’d lower the college's overall 'value' (physically speaking)."

"I see." Old Tang sent a panda-sighing emoji and sighed with emotion. "It’s really hard to get by in the U.S. The wealth gap is too large, especially for people like us whose parents have passed away. At least I can still collect social relief, but if you come to study abroad, you’ll probably have to find a part-time job."

*Sorry, brother, my parents are still alive.* Lu Mingfei wanted to explain, but decided against it; it would feel like he was swapping parents with him.

He bought snacks and drinks at a convenience store and asked again, "I’m online now, where are you?"

"You play first; I’ve still got two hours left at work."

Five minutes later, Lu Mingfei logged in with a temporary card. He didn't rush to hop into a game, instead opening his browser to search for local tour groups planning to travel to Sichuan next month. Old Tang considered himself a loner, but he actually had a younger brother, and their ancestral home was in the Sichuan region. Lu Mingfei planned to take a trip there after the college entrance exams to help the brothers reunite. As for when he would reunite with his parents, whom he hadn't seen in over sixteen years, that remained to be seen.

Guderian hadn't shown his face, and he hadn't had a chance to probe for information. In the eyes of the Cassel College group, he shouldn't be aware that his parents had any connection to them, so he couldn't just pick up the phone and demand Guderian hand over his mom and dad.

"The 'Sunset Red' Tour, a team-building trip for the village chief’s intelligence department—pass!"

"Challenging the 318 National Road? My youth is priceless, but my health and travel insurance are not."

After looking through several options, he couldn't find a suitable one. Lu Mingfei finally decided it would be better to go alone. He would have to leave the group upon arrival anyway.

As he thought this, he caught a glimpse of a recommendation in the sidebar: a piece of news about a Sino-American film crew shooting at Baidi City.

"What a coincidence, it’s exactly where Old Tang is from."