Chapter Nine: Lu Mingfei

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Just as Lin Nian arrived home and was about to head upstairs, someone blocked his way.

The person wasn’t an enemy, but a familiar face—and he wasn’t there to fight but to invite Lin Nian online.

The one blocking him was Lu Mingfei, a classmate from Shilan High School. Their bond formed over countless bottles of nutritional drinks and shared internet fees at the cybercafe, making Lu Mingfei one of Lin Nian’s rare friends.

Lin Nian noticed Lu Mingfei hesitating at the building's entrance, unsure if the door to the upstairs was inside the spicy hotpot shop below. He thought to himself: what if the shop staff insisted he sit down for a meal when he came in? Explaining he was there to find someone might not be well received, and he might end up having to eat spicy hotpot first.

Fortunately, before Lu Mingfei made up his mind, Lin Nian spotted him and approached, patting his shoulder. “What are you doing standing outside my building?”

Startled, Lu Mingfei turned and brightened upon seeing Lin Nian. “I was just about to come upstairs looking for you.”

“Looking for me? To go online?” Lin Nian pulled Lu Mingfei away from the hotpot shop’s entrance, noticing the staff were already glancing their way. If they lingered longer, someone would probably come over to serve them.

Lu Mingfei nodded eagerly. “Yeah, yeah, online. You coming or not?”

“Are you still covering the nutritional drinks and net fees? Did your aunt give you pocket money again?” Lin Nian asked.

“I got it all covered. It’s on me,” Lu Mingfei said, beating his chest with exaggerated loyalty.

“Alright, let’s go. I was just about to check something online anyway,” Lin Nian nodded.

They quickly found a nearby internet café. Lin Nian didn’t pick an expensive place this time, settling for the small spot where they had played CS before.

As soon as they sat down, Lu Mingfei expertly launched StarCraft while muttering, “I heard StarCraft 2 is coming out next year. I wonder how much the graphics will improve compared to the first one. Hopefully, they don’t change the gameplay too much, or it’ll take time to adjust and get beaten again.”

“I don’t play StarCraft. I just stick to CS,” Lin Nian said.

“It’s a shame with your speed and micro there, not playing StarCraft. Though you’re good at CS too. Oh, by the way, the group dinner is tomorrow night. You really not coming?” Lu Mingfei asked dryly.

“You’re terrible at changing the subject,” Lin Nian sighed. “Did Su Xiaoqiang ask you to come?”

“Damn it. You know I hate beating around the bush. No need for any games between us,” Lu Mingfei sighed as well.

“You really can’t keep secrets. Everyone in class knows that,” Lin Nian said.

“What do you mean by that?” Lu Mingfei suddenly became alert.

“Nothing,” Lin Nian shook his head. “Did she promise you something to send you all the way down here to look for me?”

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“Nothing much, just two legit PS2 game discs,” Lu Mingfei said shamelessly. “Come on, at least do me this favor?”

“We are friends, but that favor’s for the PS2 discs, right?” Lin Nian flatly refused.

Lu Mingfei sighed deeply, watching Lin Nian’s unchanging expression. “At least join the group activities. You wouldn’t join the literature club when I invited you, and you skip all the dinners too. If you keep isolating yourself, people will eventually shun you.”

“But you’re the one who invited me, right?”

“Bro, that sounded kind of gay,” Lu Mingfei shuddered.

“I meant, you’re the one who asked me to go online with you,” Lin Nian, focused on typing in the browser, immediately corrected himself.

“You can’t have just one friend in three years of high school,” Lu Mingfei complained, his fingers clattering on the keyboard.

“I might not make it through three years,” Lin Nian said. “I’m planning to study in the United States.”

Lu Mingfei slipped on the keyboard and nearly produced the wrong unit in the game. Recovering, he turned to Lin Nian in disbelief. “You’re really going to that foreign school you mentioned yesterday? The one with the weird name?”

“Cassell College,” Lin Nian corrected his mispronunciation. “My sister and I met with their admissions office today. The meeting went well. If all goes as planned, I’m really going.”

“Why so sudden about studying abroad? You’re not that kind of guy,” Lu Mingfei asked, dropping the game.

“Are you implying I’m poor? They’re offering me a scholarship. That covers my tuition for studying abroad,” Lin Nian explained, sensing Lu Mingfei’s meaning.

“No, what about your sister? She cooks so well. Won’t you miss her food?” Lu Mingfei blurted out.

“She’s coming with me,” Lin Nian said.

Lu Mingfei fell silent, pressing the mouse repeatedly in a mechanical rhythm before speaking. “That’s so sudden.”

“I can’t stay the same forever,” Lin Nian smiled wryly. “I was originally planning to aim for a scholarship at a top university through the national exams to support my family. But Cassell College contacted me first, and their offer was too good to refuse. So I’m going abroad earlier than planned.”

“But you’re only in sophomore year,” Lu Mingfei couldn’t help but say.

“It’s a foundation program in Texas. After graduation, I’ll directly enter the main campus,” Lin Nian concealed the possibility of skipping ahead to first-year university. He didn’t want to explain too much; even he wasn’t clear on everything yet.

“This is just... too sudden,” Lu Mingfei repeated, finding no better words.

Indeed, it was too sudden. Suddenly, one of the few friends he had was leaving the country. Suddenly, everyone around him was finding new paths. Suddenly, the number of people he could tease in this city dwindled by one.

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This was just... too sudden.

“Don’t overthink it. Going abroad isn’t like going to a funeral. I’m going to study, not to be cremated. We’ll still keep in touch overseas. Maybe when StarCraft 2 comes out, we can have cross-country 1v1 matches,” Lin Nian said casually.

“That’s true,” Lu Mingfei felt somewhat relieved by Lin Nian’s words. The sudden sorrow of parting was somewhat eased.

“The dinner is tomorrow, right?” Lin Nian asked after a moment’s thought.

“So, you changed your mind?” Lu Mingfei’s eyes lit up as he looked at Lin Nian as if he were a walking PS2 game disc.

“Just one last meal before I leave. After two years of studying together, we should at least say goodbye,” Lin Nian said, feeling somewhat moved. The world was vast, but friends seemed less important than two PS2 discs.

“Farewell, huh,” Lu Mingfei repeated the word and felt uneasy inside. He wondered how Xiaotian would react when she found out.

Just thinking about that made Lu Mingfei even more uncomfortable. Since childhood, he was the kind of person who would change the channel whenever a sad scene came on TV. Real life was no different; when tragedy struck, he couldn’t help but think a lot.

“When and where’s the dinner?” Lin Nian asked, still staring at the browser.

“8 PM. I’ll send you the location on QQ... Oh, wait, I forgot you don’t have a phone.”

“I do now,” Lin Nian said, patting the iPhone 3 in his pocket.

“How long have you had it?” Lu Mingfei couldn’t help teasing, then winced as he was kicked under the table.

Seeing Lu Mingfei’s embarrassed face, Lin Nian chuckled, closed the browser, and opened StarCraft. “One last match before I go?”

Lu Mingfei perked up immediately. “Definitely. No matter what, I have to beat you at least once. Your micro skills are inhuman, but I’ve been training my game sense. If I combine speed with strategy, I bet I can take you down even if you don’t play often.”

Watching this, Lin Nian remembered the time at the school’s cybercafe when they had bet internet fees and ended up taking a month’s living expenses from Lu Mingfei. He smiled. “Alright then, let’s play.”

And so they played countless matches. The whole afternoon, the only sound in the internet café was their shared groans of defeat and victory. The world was vast, but the game was greater. Lin Nian and Lu Mingfei treated this as their last time online together, immersing themselves fully without dwelling on any sadness.