vncnus Chapter 6 First Meeting with Nono
Chapter 6 First Meeting with Nono
Future World - Inside the Light Curtain
[Three days later, in a small coastal town in China]
On a July afternoon, the sun was so scorching it could melt you.
Lu Mingfei squatted under the old locust tree at the entrance of the residential area, clutching the admission letter, which was now slightly damp with sweat. He wore a faded T-shirt and jeans, and a pair of worn-out canvas shoes. He blended into the old neighborhood—ordinary, unremarkable, and even somewhat down-on-his-luck.
He had been waiting here for two hours.
The letter said the comrade would arrive within three days, but it didn't specify the date, time, or who would be arriving. Lu Mingfei had been waiting since yesterday and was squatting here early this morning, afraid of missing him.
Sweat streamed down his forehead and into his eyes, stinging them and making him blink. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat, his gaze sweeping across the empty street—at this time of day, most people were at home enjoying their afternoon naps with the air conditioning on, and the streets were almost deserted.
"What if he doesn't come?" The thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly suppressed it.
No, it will come. Lu Mingze said the time has come.
"Brother, be patient. She's almost there." The voice in my mind rang out just in time.
"Her?" Lu Mingfei was taken aback. "The commissioner is a woman?"
"You'll like it." Lu Mingze's tone carried a mischievous smile.
Lu Mingfei frowned but didn't ask any further questions. Lu Mingze was always like this, only saying half of what he meant and leaving the rest for the other person to guess.
About half an hour later, just as Lu Mingfei felt he was about to faint from the heat, the low roar of an engine came from the end of the street.
That wasn't the sound of an ordinary car; it was... the roar of some kind of wild beast.
Lu Mingfei looked up.
Under the sunlight, a red streak of lightning sped from the end of the street. It was a red sports car, sleek and aggressive, gleaming with a breathtaking sheen even in the blazing sun. Lu Mingfei didn't know much about cars, but he knew this was definitely not something an ordinary family could afford.
The sports car came to a stop with a beautiful drift at the entrance of the residential area, the tires screeching as they rubbed against the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The car door swung upwards, like an eagle spreading its wings.
A foot clad in a black ankle boot stepped out, landing on the scorching concrete. Then came long legs, a red skirt, and then the person emerged from the car.
Lu Mingfei was stunned.
Standing in front of him was a red-haired girl.
She was probably around twenty years old, tall and slender, with long red hair tied into a neat ponytail at the back of her head, a few stray strands clinging to her sweaty forehead. She wore a simple red sleeveless dress, the hem of which only reached mid-thigh, revealing her straight and slender legs. She wore sunglasses that covered most of her face, only revealing the tip of her pert nose and her lips, which were lightly painted with lip gloss.
Even though he couldn't see her in full, Lu Mingfei could sense that she was a very, very beautiful girl.
It's so beautiful it's unreal.
So beautiful...he's from a completely different world.
The girl took off her sunglasses, revealing a pair of deep black eyes. Her gaze swept around the entrance of the residential area, finally settling on Lu Mingfei, who was squatting under a tree.
She tilted her head, a half-smile playing on her lips.
"Lu Mingfei?" Her voice was clear and melodious, with a certain languid magnetism.
Lu Mingfei instinctively stood up, but because he had been squatting for too long, his legs went numb and he almost fell. He hurriedly grabbed the tree trunk for support, his face flushing red.
"Yes, it's me," he stammered.
The girl looked him up and down for a few seconds, then nodded: "Chen Motong, second year at Kassel College, your admissions officer."
She walked over and extended her hand: "Just call me Nuonuo."
Lu Mingfei looked at the outstretched hand—long, slender fingers with neatly trimmed nails and a light coat of clear nail polish. He hesitated for a moment before wiping his own hand on his pants and then carefully taking it in his grasp.
Nono's hands were very cold, as cool as jade in such hot weather.
Instantly separate.
"Let's go." Nono turned and walked towards the sports car. "I'll take you to buy some decent clothes, then we'll have dinner, and then we'll fly to Chicago tonight."
Lu Mingfei was taken aback: "So fast? I... I haven't packed my bags yet, and I haven't told my uncle and aunt..."
"No need to bring luggage, Kassel provides everything." Nono opened the car door, looked back at him, and said, "As for your uncle and aunt, Professor Schneider has already visited them and is explaining the situation."
Professor Schneider? Lu Mingfei recalled the signature on the letter—Principal Hilbert Jean Angers. It seemed that Nono wasn't the only one who came to pick him up this time.
"Get in the car." Nono got into the driver's seat and gestured with her chin towards him.
Lu Mingfei hesitated for a moment, then walked to the passenger seat, opened the door, and got in.
The air conditioning inside the car was blasting, a stark contrast to the heat outside. The seats were genuine leather, soft and comfortable to the touch, and the car was filled with a faint fragrance—not perfume, but more like the fresh scent of some kind of herbs and plants.
Nono fastened her seatbelt and glanced at him: "Seatbelt."
Lu Mingfei hurriedly pulled over and buckled his seatbelt.
The engine roared again, and the sports car shot forward like an arrow. The powerful acceleration pressed Lu Mingfei firmly into his seat; he instinctively gripped the armrest, his face pale.
Nono glanced at him and laughed: "Afraid of going too fast?"
"Yes, a little," Lu Mingfei honestly admitted.
"You'll get used to it," Nono said, but slowed down a little.
The car drove out of the old residential area and headed towards the city center. Looking at the familiar street scenes rushing past the window, Lu Mingfei suddenly felt a sense of unreality.
Yesterday he was still reading "Dragon Genealogy: A First Look" in that stuffy little room, and today he was picked up by a red-haired beauty in a sports car and taken to a place called Kassel.
What is this? A Cinderella story? But he's not a princess either.
"What are you thinking about?" Nono suddenly asked.
Lu Mingfei snapped out of his reverie and turned to look at her. Nuonuo was focused on driving, her profile silhouetted perfectly in the sunlight; her eyelashes were long, her nose was high, and her lips…
He abruptly looked away, his face turning red again.
"N-nothing," he said softly.
Nono chuckled softly and didn't press the matter further.
The car drove into the busiest commercial district in the city center and stopped in the underground parking lot of a shopping mall that looked very upscale.
"Get out of the car." Nono unbuckled her seatbelt.
Lu Mingfei followed her into the elevator. There were only the two of them inside, and their reflections were mirrored on the wall—one radiant, the other disheveled, the contrast glaringly stark.
Lu Mingfei lowered his head and stared at the tips of his shoes.
The elevator reached the first floor and the doors opened. Nuonuo stepped out first, and Lu Mingfei silently followed.
The mall was air-conditioned and brightly lit, the floor gleaming. Fashionably dressed men and women strolled around, the air thick with the scent of luxury perfumes. Lu Mingfei felt like a groundhog who had wandered into another world, utterly uncomfortable.
Nono seemed to know the area well, heading straight for a men's clothing store. The sign at the entrance was entirely in English, which Lu Mingfei didn't recognize, but he could tell from the decor that it wasn't cheap.
"Welcome." The shop assistant greeted them with a smile, his gaze lingering on Nuonuo for a second before sweeping over Lu Mingfei, a hint of barely perceptible contempt flashing in his eyes.
Nono seemed not to notice and said directly, "Get him a few sets of clothes, from underwear to outerwear, both casual and formal. Size..." She turned to look at Lu Mingfei, "About 175cm, on the thin side, get this size."
"Okay, please wait a moment." The shop assistant turned to get the clothes.
Lu Mingfei tugged at Nuonuo's sleeve and whispered, "Um... this place must be very expensive, right? I..."
"The college will reimburse you," Nono interrupted him. "Kassel provides a clothing allowance for freshmen, so you don't need to worry about money."
"But……"
"No buts." Nono looked at him seriously. "Lu Mingfei, you're going to Kassel College. The people there... are different from the people here. You have to look like that, not for vanity, but to... avoid unnecessary trouble."
Lu Mingfei fell silent. He understood what Nuonuo meant—in a place teeming with elites, if you looked too shabby, you would be looked down upon and bullied.
He recalled his high school days. Because his parents were often away, because he always wore old clothes, because his grades were average, because he didn't have any special talents... he was ostracized, ridiculed, and treated like he was invisible.
He'd had enough of that feeling.
"I understand," he said softly.
Nono looked at him for a few seconds, then suddenly reached out and ruffled his hair: "Don't overthink it, I'll protect you."
Her movements were natural, and her tone was casual, but Lu Mingfei was stunned.
elder sister?
He looked up and met Nuonuo's eyes. There was no sympathy or pity in those dark eyes, only something very pure—the kind of casualness one would have when seeing a stray cat and taking it home to raise.
But it was this casualness that made Lu Mingfei's heart skip a beat.
The shop assistant returned with several outfits, and Nuonuo told Lu Mingfei to go to the fitting room to try them on. Lu Mingfei carried the clothes into the fitting room, closed the door, leaned against the door, and let out a long sigh.
The fitting room was quiet, with only the sound of his own heartbeat.
He looked down at the clothes in his arms—the fabric was soft, the cut exquisite, and the price tag made him gasp. The price of this one T-shirt was enough to buy him a year's worth of clothes.
"Brother, what are you so nervous about?" Lu Mingze's voice rang out.
"I didn't," Lu Mingfei retorted instinctively.
[You're afraid. Afraid that you're not good enough for these things, not good enough for that girl, not good enough for Kassel.] Lu Mingze hit the nail on the head.
Lu Mingfei remained silent.
Yes, he was afraid. Afraid that it was all a dream, afraid that he would wake up still in that stuffy little room; afraid that even if he went to Kassel, he would still be that loser Lu Mingfei, and nothing would change; afraid... that the red-haired girl's gaze towards him would eventually turn into the same contempt or pity as everyone else's.
"Brother, you have to believe one thing." Lu Mingze's voice was unusually serious. "You're not an ordinary person. You never have been."
"Then who am I?" Lu Mingfei asked.
You'll find out later. Now, change your clothes. Don't keep Nono waiting too long.
Lu Mingfei gritted his teeth and began to change his clothes.
When he came out of the fitting room, Nono was sitting on the sofa flipping through a magazine. Hearing the sound, she looked up, her eyes lighting up.
"Not bad." She stood up and circled Lu Mingfei. "Clothes make the man, that's definitely true."
Lu Mingfei felt embarrassed by her words and looked down at his new look—a white shirt, khaki casual pants, and light brown leather shoes. The person in the mirror looked...well more energetic, even a little handsome.
"This one's fine, we'll try others later." Nono tossed the magazine back onto the sofa.
Over the next hour, Lu Mingfei tried on five or six outfits. Nuonuo dressed him up in various styles, like playing a dress-up game, and finally picked out three casual outfits and one formal suit.
"That's enough, swipe your card." Nono handed the clothes she had chosen to the shop assistant and gave her a black credit card.
Lu Mingfei watched as the clerk respectfully took the card, and cautiously asked, "Um... how much is it?"
"None of your business," Nono said. "Let's go eat, I'm hungry."