NABC Chapter 50 The Banquet is in Progress
Chapter 50 The Banquet is in Progress
Beyond the Golden Screen: The Real World - Kassel College Square
When Lu Mingfei arrived at the square, a large crowd had already gathered there.
The students, some standing, some sitting, looked up at the golden screen, chattering amongst themselves. The screen was playing a scene from the Amber Pavilion banquet—9999 roses, the purple Nono, the rented suit, Caesar's kiss on the hand…
Lu Mingfei stared blankly, feeling as if his worldview had shattered once again.
The man in the cheap suit, holding Nono's hand, standing in front of Caesar... is that really him?
Although he looks more mature and has been through a lot, that face, that little gesture of pursing his lips when he's nervous—it really is him.
Wow, Lu Mingfei confessed his feelings!
"Senior Nono agreed!"
"A one-month trial period! That's way too passive!"
"President Caesar is so gentlemanly..."
"9999 roses, how romantic..."
"But it's goodbye...it's so sad..."
Hearing the surrounding whispers, Lu Mingfei's face turned ashen.
Seeing yourself confess your feelings is a hundred times more shameful than experiencing it firsthand.
Especially since so many people were watching.
He instinctively wanted to escape, but his feet seemed to be nailed to the ground, unable to move.
He saw himself reflected in the light screen, humiliated by Lancelot at the banquet, rescued by Chu Zihang, and toasted by Caesar in front of everyone...
I saw myself in that world, from the initial panic to the later calm, and finally the relief of raising a glass and drinking it all down.
I saw... growth.
Although it's only a little bit, and it's still quite clumsy, it is definitely growing.
"So? What are your thoughts on seeing another version of yourself?"
A familiar voice came from behind.
Lu Mingfei turned his head and saw Nuonuo.
She was wearing a simple tracksuit today, her long red hair tied in a ponytail, and her face still flushed from training. She walked over to Lu Mingfei and looked up at the screen with him.
"I..." Lu Mingfei stammered, "I don't know... this is too..."
"Is this too surreal?" Nono laughed. "You'll get used to it. In Kassel, surrealism is everyday life."
She paused, looking at her reflection in a purple suit on the screen, her expression complex:
"In that world, I wore purple to say goodbye. To give Caesar, and to the past, a dignified end."
Lu Mingfei looked at her and asked cautiously, "Then... in real life..."
"In reality, Caesar and I never started anything," Nono said calmly. "Before the light screen appeared, Caesar and I were just ordinary friends. After the light screen appeared, I knew he was my 'future' boyfriend, but I also knew he would break up with me and be with you."
She turned to look at Lu Mingfei, her smile containing a complex emotion that Lu Mingfei couldn't decipher:
"So in reality, I skipped the part with Caesar and came straight to you. It's easier that way, and it's also...fairer."
Lu Mingfei was stunned.
Did you skip it directly?
So, in reality, Nono never ended up with Caesar?
That Caesar...
"Does Caesar know?" he asked.
"I know," Nono nodded. "I talked to him. I said that since the light screen foreshadows our breakup, we shouldn't start anything. He agreed."
She paused, then added:
"He's a proud man, but he has his pride. He disdains a relationship that's destined to end."
Lu Mingfei remained silent.
He recalled Caesar's hand-kissing gesture on the screen, that calm and elegant farewell.
In reality, Caesar didn't even have the chance to say goodbye.
It never even started.
Is this considered lucky or unlucky?
"Don't overthink it." Nono patted his shoulder. "Every world has its own trajectory. The world in the light screen is one way, and the real world is another. There's no right or wrong, it's just... different."
She looked at Lu Mingfei, her eyes serious.
"You just need to remember, in this world, I like you. Not because you're some S-class, not because you'll be incredibly powerful in the future, but because... you are you. The Lu Mingfei who would fight tooth and nail for me, who would muster the courage to confess, and who would strive to become stronger."
Lu Mingfei stared blankly at her, feeling his heart filled with a warm yet bittersweet emotion.
He wanted to say something, but Nono had already reached out and ruffled his hair—just like in the light screen.
"Alright, stop making that face," Nuonuo said with a smile. "We have training tomorrow. Chu Zihang won't go easy on you just because you watched the screen all night."
Lu Mingfei smiled and nodded, "Mm."
The two stood side by side, looking up at the light screen.
On the screen, the banquet was drawing to a close. Guests began to leave one after another. Lu Mingfei and Nuonuo walked hand in hand out of the Amber Pavilion and into the night.
The image gradually faded away.
New subtitles appear:
[Next scene: Jormungandr, King of the Earth and Mountains, enrolls in school]
[Timeframe: One week later]
A burst of excited discussion arose in the square.
Is the Dragon King going to enroll in school?
Or is he the king of the earth and mountains?
The plot is getting more and more exciting.