This thought rapidly expanded, absorbing all of Lu Mingfei's six years of memories since leaving his parents. In these memories, he didn't need to worry about parent-teacher conferences, he didn't need to be bothered by a lack of personal space, and he didn't need to think about how to save money to go to an internet cafe for two hours of StarCraft.
He didn't need to tremble when he was dependent on others, or remain silent and take the abuse when he was bullied.
Now, he himself was his confidence, and the S-Class was his greatest backing; no one would look down on him.
The weight of being S-Class not only didn't crush Lu Mingfei's spirit, but instead made him realize that he possessed the ability to bear this weight.
Who would emerge from a dependent situation?
And what would the black dragon raising its head from the deep pool be?
In Dormitory 1, Room 303, Caesar stopped and looked back at Lu Mingfei. His intuition told him that the S-Class freshman behind him had completed some kind of transformation in an instant.
He didn't care what the S-Class would be like after the transformation, or how sharp the drawn sword would be. He only wanted to see a brand-new opponent, a formidable rival completely different from Chu Zihang, and the excitement of imagining himself as an enemy to him.
From the moment he first saw Lu Mingfei walk into the dormitory, he had eyed him with scrutiny.
Unsatisfactory.
Caesar had only met one S-Class, Hilbert Jean Angers. He subconsciously believed that the new S-Class would be as sharp a character as Angers, but the reality was that this S-Class was somewhat cowardly.
Therefore, he lost interest in chatting with Lu Mingfei and turned to leave after confirming that Lu Mingfei had no interest in joining the Student Union.
Now it seemed he was about to be the first to witness the S-Class's true self.
"I haven't joined the Lionheart Society."
Caesar didn't understand Lu Mingfei's meaning at first. After carefully pondering it, he couldn't connect the sentence to anything profound, so he simply interpreted it as Lu Mingfei trying to distance himself from the Lionheart Society.
"And I really don't want to join the Student Union either," Lu Mingfei added.
Caesar raised an eyebrow at Lu Mingfei's words, unsure of Lu Mingfei's intentions. If he wasn't joining the Lionheart Society or the Student Union, were there other options?
Forming a new organization himself?
"So you want to go to the Freshman Welcome Party and directly become the leader among the freshmen?"
After much thought, Caesar could only come up with this one possibility: Lu Mingfei didn't want to be subordinate to anyone and wanted to instantly become someone on par with him and Chu Zihang.
He wasn't incapable of accepting such an outcome, but the Freshman Welcome Party was a bit too humble; it probably couldn't accommodate such a significant figure as an S-Class.
"No." Lu Mingfei had never expressed refusal so naturally, following his heart, treating the other person as someone of equal standing, his words flowing smoothly from his throat.
"I will join the Disciplinary Committee."
He showed a resolute gaze, clearly and unmistakably expressing his meaning.
Caesar was speechless. It was an unexpected outcome. An organization led by professors, in some sense, was above him. So this was what Lu Mingfei was thinking.
In his eyes, Lu Mingfei's demeanor when he spoke those words seemed to have undergone some kind of sublimation; even his gaze became captivating, as if a ball of fire was hidden within it, ready to burn the entire world to ashes.
It felt good. So this was what it felt like to be able to express one's meaning clearly.
Lu Mingfei's mind was clear, and he slightly curved his lips as he looked at Caesar.
"So that's your plan." Caesar composed himself and returned to his seat. "We really should have a good chat."
"No problem." Lu Mingfei nodded and sat opposite Caesar.
Fingel meticulously refilled Caesar's teacup and didn't forget Lu Mingfei's.
Caesar initiated the conversation, "It seems you've figured something out. I can tell your tone now has more confidence than before."
"A small matter, letting go of some things I was holding onto," Lu Mingfei said.
Caesar remained silent, remembering the days when his mother was still alive, wishing he too could be like Lu Mingfei one day.
Lu Mingfei took a deep breath, mimicking Caesar's way of speaking and thinking about Caesar's thought patterns. Before he formed his own way of doing things, this was the optimal way to deal with Caesar.
"I'm hosting a party at Amber Hall in two days. Interested in attending, Lu Mingfei? What should I call you now?" Caesar asked, looking at Lu Mingfei.
Lu Mingfei paused for a moment. He knew Amber Hall was the Student Union's newly selected event venue. To invite the culprit to the first party at the new venue at this time, should he say it was typical of Caesar?
"Lu Mingfei, freshman." Lu Mingfei extended his hand to Caesar.
"Caesar Gattuso, junior." Caesar smiled and shook Lu Mingfei's hand.
"I originally thought that students rated S-Class were all extraordinary individuals, but now it seems I misjudged you. You're more normal than anyone else here," Caesar said with a faint smile, withdrawing his hand.
"It sounds like Senior has a good impression of me. Earlier, I heard from Senior Chen Motong that Caesar is a very magnanimous person. Now it seems the reputation is well-deserved." Lu Mingfei also smiled. In the mutual flattery segment, Lu Mingfei had gained a lot of experience from StarCraft's chat rooms.
"I've read a Chinese book. It's a pity I haven't had the chance to talk to Chu Zihang over tea like this. Lu Mingfei, you're excellent. I like you very much." Caesar raised his cup to Lu Mingfei.
"Everyone who can join Kassel College is an elite, but even among elites, there are differences. I like to communicate with true elites. Chu Zihang is one, and so are you."
Lu Mingfei was startled. He understood that Caesar was alluding to the 'Boiling Wine and Discussing Heroes' segment in the Three Kingdoms. He had to admit that Caesar was indeed very much like Cao Cao in some ways. You could feel his ambition, and you could also consider him an emperor, but he could also sit with you and gossip about others.
For the first time, he had his own feeling: Caesar was a trustworthy person.
The two chatted for another fifteen minutes, and Caesar happily left Room 303.
"Lu Mingfei, I wish you success in joining the Disciplinary Committee."
Lu Mingfei sat in his original spot, lost in thought for a long time. He let out a long breath, never having felt that chatting was such an arduous and mentally taxing activity.
Fingel, on the other hand, made himself at home, sitting in Caesar's seat and downing the tea Caesar had drunk.
"Are you really decided on joining the Disciplinary Committee?" Fingel was also very surprised by Lu Mingfei's decision. This was definitely not due to Professor Guderian's persuasion; he knew his mentor's personality well.
In other words, this was a method Lu Mingfei had come up with himself.
Lu Mingfei was more opinionated than he had thought.
"I've already decided," Lu Mingfei said, explaining his reasons for doing so.
"I understand." Fingel flipped onto his bed. "Too bad I've lost my year of late-night snacks. Caesar said if I could sweet-talk you into joining the Student Union, he'd cover my late-night snacks for a whole academic year."
He paused, "Do you need me to post about your intention to join the Disciplinary Committee on the Night Watcher Forum?"
"Let's talk about that once I've taken office."
Lu Mingfei replied.