Volume 1 Hello, Lu Mingfei Chapter 45 New World (I)
Lu Mingfei came to the Regent Hotel again, it was the same familiar conference room, and the same waitress greeted her. The only difference was that this time she and Ling sat at the long table in the conference room. The seniors from Kassel and Professor Guderian stood in a row opposite her. Behind them was an easel covered with canvas. This thing didn't exist during the previous interview.
"According to convention, freshmen at Kassel College will receive an orientation before entering the school," said Professor Guderian. "This should have been done on the train to the college, but this time your seniors are here, so as the Chinese say, we need to call someone to calm the situation. Plus, I have some things to do, so I'll do it earlier."
"To...maintain the situation?" Lu Mingfei was a little confused. Why did it sound as if the admissions counseling was a gang fight, and someone had to be the last one to appear?
"It's not like there haven't been cases in the past where freshmen got too emotional during orientation. That student swung a glass bottle just a few centimeters away from my forehead." Professor Guderian looked at Lu Mingfei and then at Ling. "You're all girls, but that doesn't rule out the potential for violence. After all, not everyone has such a strong tolerance. You can choose to have a cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or liquor, as long as you can handle it."
“Drinking during entrance counseling?” Lu Mingfei thought to herself, what kind of aristocratic school is this? Is learning to drink one of the compulsory courses in Kassel?
"What the professor means is that you need a drink to calm yourself down so that you don't scream in the middle of the meal," said Nono.
Lu Mingfei shrank her neck. Everyone in the Kassel seat opposite her was very serious, even Nuonuo was no longer smiling. This meant that the next thing must be very important. She was inexplicably afraid.
"Here is a confidentiality agreement for you to sign." Guderian pushed two folders over.
It was a strange document that mixed Latin and English. The language basis of European countries and most South American countries is Latin. Nowadays, not many people use Latin frequently, but if you are familiar with English and then see Latin, you will find that many words in it are derived from Latin.
With Lu Mingfei's good TOEFL level, she could find some frightening descriptions in some words that she couldn't understand but could infer the meaning of, such as possible remains, incomplete corpses, death and disability treatment, and confidentiality agreements and the consequences of their violation. She didn't have to pay any money, but she had to undergo a complete brainwashing, which might cause her to lose some unnecessary memories, and the school would not be responsible for this.
A classic unfair clause. Lu Mingfei's hands trembled a little. She began to doubt the rationality of Cassel's existence. A regular university would never tell you that if you die while studying, we will help you deal with your body.
"Are you hesitating?" Professor Guderian noticed.
"This agreement... looks very... strange." Lu Mingfei chose her words carefully.
"There's nothing to be surprised about. What's described above are all necessary facts. If you're afraid of this, then I'll tell you that the consequences recorded above don't apply to you at all, because you're rated S-level by the academy, an S-level that only appears once in a century. S-level students certainly won't fail because of a small matter. The entire Kassel Academy will welcome you. Your admission is very important to us."
"But I heard that the last S-rank committed suicide by swallowing a gun..."
"Oh... that was an unfortunate accident. I believe that your sunny and lively personality would never allow such a thing to happen!" Professor Guderian waved his hand, trying to brush off the incident. "To be honest, we chose tonight to hold the enrollment here and bring so many people with us. In fact, we have a special idea. If you back down at the last minute, we will consider taking you to Kassel College directly."
Lu Mingfei's face changed in shock, she stood up with her hands folded across her chest, staring at the opposite side in horror as if she were a young girl about to be violated by a pervert.
"I knew there was something wrong with your academy!"
"That's a very bad idea. Look, I've told you the truth. Doesn't this prove that we really want you to join us and we're willing to pay a price to get you?" Professor Guderian's tone was very calm. He obviously didn't think kidnapping was a big deal. He took out a photo from his pocket and pushed it in front of Lu Mingfei. "Do you know why we rated you as S-level? Because your parents are honorary alumni of our college. They are very outstanding, and they are also very concerned about your college admission. They even wrote a letter to President Angers, hoping to bring you to Kassel."
Lu Mingfei was stunned. She had forgotten how long it had been since she received a letter from her parents. Every letter just told her to take care of her health, study hard and make progress every day. It was always the same, so much so that Lu Mingfei felt that those letters were just to perfunctorily please her. In fact, her parents didn't care about her at all.
But as the photo came into view, Lu Mingfei saw a summer garden, with the vaguely visible background of Kassel College in the distance and countless gloomy vine walls nearby. A man and a woman were walking hand in hand in the vine walls. The man was wearing a loose white shirt and loose-leg pants, and a pair of wooden slippers on his feet, and the woman was wearing a pure white home cotton skirt.
They had never told Lu Mingfei that they had any relationship with Kassel College, and in this summer that was about to determine Lu Mingfei's fate, there was still no news from them. Lu Mingfei once thought that her parents probably forgot that there was a girl named Lu Mingfei somewhere on the earth who was their child.
But along with the photo came a printed email:
Dear Principal Angers:
It’s been a long time since we last contacted each other. I hope you are in as good health as before.
It will probably be a long time before we meet again, but there have been new developments in recent research and we can't leave.
I have something to ask of you. My child, Lu Mingfei, is already eighteen years old. She is a smart kid. Although her grades are not that good, we all believe that she will achieve great academically. If possible, please help Kassel College in accepting her.
I can't tell her in person, so I ask you to tell her that daddy and mommy love her.
Yours sincerely.
Giovanni
Lu Mingfei's nose felt a little sour, and she tried hard to swallow the bitterness. It would be embarrassing to cry in front of so many people, but how could she hold it back? So many times she watched her classmates get on their cars, so many times she was scolded by her aunt, so many times she could only stand in front of the window and watch everyone go to parties in all their splendor. How great would it be if her parents were around?
This is a commonplace daily life for most people, but it is an unattainable luxury for her. No one cares what she thinks, no one cares what she does. The world is big, but it seems to have nothing to do with her, Lu Mingfei. If she is more, she will just consume more rice, and if she is less, no one will be sad for her.
A pack of wet wipes was handed to Lu Mingfei's lowered eyes. It was the silent Zero.
"It's okay if you want to cry. No one will laugh at you." Ling whispered in Lu Mingfei's ear.
No, I won't cry like that. Lu Mingfei tore off a tissue and pressed it against her eyes, wiping away the few tears.
If she grew up a lot during her parents' absence, the biggest thing she learned was to be strong enough to be sad and upset, to mourn for something in silence for a long time, but she would not cry loudly, because tears had already dried up in the first few years of farewell. There is no god in this world who can save the suffering. You can only decide what kind of life you want to live. Crying will only make you shirk responsibility and escape, and ask loudly why all this happened to me.
Lu Mingfei wiped her nose, forced back the sour feeling, signed her name on the document, walked straight towards Professor Guderian, and looked him straight in the eye.
"Since my parents think so, there is nothing I can refuse," she said.
Kassel firmly believed that she was S-level, and her parents also thought that she should go to Kassel, so she went. The so-called incomplete body disposal might just require her to participate in some dangerous chemical experiments. Lu Mingfei was quite confident in being meticulous and cautious.
Professor Guderian smiled and nodded, then turned to look at Zero, who then signed his own document and handed it back in silence.
