Vol2 Chapter 14: Free Day(1)

“I brought you some.” Zero held a bag of shrimp, her face expressionless.

“Thanks.” Bai Ci smiled, taking it and setting it on the table.

“Treat me to a big meal next time,” Zero said, squeezing toothpaste onto her brush. Soon, the swish-swish-swish of brushing echoed.

“Deal.” Bai Ci peeled a shrimp, popping it into her mouth. “What did he eat today?”

“Shrimp too, with Chu Zihang.”

“The president went for a late-night snack?”

Bai Ci froze. In her mind, the president was a disciplined, perfect, aloof guy who meticulously planned every meal. And he went for a late-night snack?

“Seemed like he had something on his mind to ask Lu Mingfei,” Zero said, emerging from the bathroom, wiping her face with a towel. “I don’t know details.”

She walked to the bed, slipped into white pajamas, flopped down like a cat, pulled the blanket up, put on an eye mask, and soon her steady breathing filled the room.

Cassell spared no expense on students—even standard dorms had the softest, highest-quality mattresses. The less-than-1.6-meter girl looked cozy on the wide bed, the soft mattress and blanket lulling her to sleep quickly.

Bai Ci quietly wiped the table, washed up, turned off the light, and slipped under her own blanket.

The president asking Lu Mingfei something… about what?

Chu Zihang outdid Lu Mingfei in everything. She couldn’t imagine a girl rejecting someone like him—aside from his low emotional intelligence, he was the perfect, aloof male god.

What was most remarkable was that Chu Zihang was a blank slate in romance. Someone with his qualities would typically have had four or five girlfriends by now, but his worrying EQ and meticulous attitude kept him single. Who’d end up with him? She genuinely hoped he’d find happiness—he was a good person, and every Lionheart member had been helped by him at some point.

She hoped his match would be a blank slate too… no reason, just that pure souls belonged together. Like in pirated manga sites, surrounded by censored adult ads, only the pure characters in the comic stood under a warm streetlamp in the snow, too shy to even hold hands.

—

Lu Mingfei glanced at the digital clock: 11:00.

Fingel’s snoring was as loud as ever, but he had no mind to care. His head was full of Chu Zihang’s desolate figure, like that line from Stephen Chow’s A Chinese Odyssey: He looks like a dog.

Lu Mingfei had thought Chu Zihang was the cold, proud, elite type—worlds apart from a loser like him. But that lonely, forlorn silhouette tonight was something else.

They were alumni, and Chu Zihang was a legend at Shilan High. Even without trying, Lu Mingfei had heard his name everywhere before Cassell.

Sometimes, Chu Zihang was the “outstanding student representative” speaking under the flag, wearing a navy-blue uniform, calmly reading a long speech while Lu Mingfei and thousands of Shilan students stood on the field. Other times, he was the basketball team’s center, scoring with every sharp drive and dunk, his shadow dominating school gossip for a week.

The wildest thing? Shilan High had a girls’ club called the Navigator Society—not for satellites, but for Chu Zihang. Full of his fans, they studied his birthday, star sign, favorite foods, after-school haunts, and ideal type. Their favorite activity? Watching him play basketball to catch a glimpse of his abs during a dunk.

Back then, Lu Mingfei thought the club was like a bunch of creepy stalkers.

But his sharpest memory was Chu Zihang’s cello solo at the New Year’s gala. Lu Mingfei, tone-deaf and uninterested in cellos, had been more excited for Liu Miaomiao’s piano solo, figuring even if he didn’t get the music, he could admire a pretty girl. But when Chu Zihang took the stage, alone with his bow gliding over the strings, even tone-deaf Lu Mingfei was drawn into the haunting melody. How could a perfect, popular student from a happy family play such a sorrowful tune?

Senior, you don’t need to be so sad. So many girls like you—Susie, Xia Mi, they’re into you. That girl you forgot probably liked you too. Fate’s a bridge; you’ll meet the girl you love. So don’t be down, Senior. Keep being you.

—

For Free Day, Caesar gave him a critical task—not fighting, but a black card for a date with Bai Ci, complete with date-appropriate clothes.

Last year, he’d disrupted Chu Zihang’s fight. This year, Caesar probably wanted a clear winner.

Lu Mingfei stared at the card, then tucked it away.

Come on, Boss, what’s this? Am I just a tool to keep Bai Ci in check? She’s prepped to shine, and me stirring things up would make me look like a jerk. My rep at Cassell’s bad enough—you’re setting me up to look like a villain! And the Bronze and Fire King…

Anyway, Boss, you’re just coasting to victory. I’m the real MVP!

He’d won last Free Day. This time, he’d win again.

How to take on Chu Zihang, Xia Mi, Bai Ci? No big deal! You want me to step up? I’ll show you! I’m a hidden hero. Those who underestimate me will kneel. I’ll show you all some color—think I’m a pushover? I’ve chopped Dragon Kings; you small fries don’t scare me!

Chu Zihang’s tangled in love, Caesar’s cocky, Nono, Susie, Xia Mi, Zero—just girls. Fingel’s a nobody. In Cassell, the only hero is me, Lu Mingfei!

On Free Day, he’d make his mark!

Only victory, no defeat!

So, on Free Day, Lu Mingfei donned camouflage, crawling through lush grass, sniping from the shadows—the mysterious sixth man.

Fight head-on? Dumb! They’d crush me like an ant.

They had guns. Even Xiang Yu or Lü Bu would drop in seconds.

Besides, Lu Mingfei had played CS. If you can’t outgun them, don’t try. That’s just stupid. Stay in the shadows, pick them off with a taser, and move.

Hit someone, relocate fast, or risk getting caught.

So, Lu Mingfei belly-crawled through a pile of “corpses.”