Chapter Fifteen: The Door That Would Not Open

So they noticed so quickly? As expected from my best friend!

Lu Mingfei was a little surprised, but he quickly regained his composure and answered honestly, “No, there’s no one I like in this world. I’m not lying to you.”

“Really?” The little maiden fixed her gaze on Lu Mingfei’s face, as if trying to catch any hint of a lie in his expression. Yet, she found nothing out of place. He seemed perfectly sincere, his attitude open and unguarded.

Even so, she preferred to believe that the person Lu Mingfei liked wasn’t in this world. Absurd as it was, her intuition told her this was the most accurate answer.

What am I even thinking? I’ve let myself get carried away by this guy…

She sighed helplessly, then suddenly realized another issue—the price of the clothes. She lifted her chin, displaying a playful smile. “Alright, fine, no problem.”

“But,” she continued, her tone teasing, “you know my family’s situation, so, heh, the clothes I pick won’t come cheap.”

Then she leaned in closer, her voice mischievous like a little witch, “By the way, if you agree to my previous condition, I’ll buy you a set of clothes for free—free, and worth over ten thousand. Well? Are you in or out?”

“No.” Lu Mingfei refused decisively. “I’ll figure out the money myself. All I need is your help picking the clothes. If that’s not possible, then forget it.”

“Ah, I understand your stubbornness, but Lu, what will you do if you don’t have enough money? I’m not lowering my standards so easily,” Su Xiaoqian replied with a smile, leaning back in her chair and fiddling with her keychain.

Lu Mingfei fell silent for a moment, not answering right away. He wasn’t sure how much he could squeeze out of his aunt, and whether he’d have enough for the weekend.

After a brief hesitation, he looked up and said, “Let’s do this. I’ll check at home first, and on Friday I’ll see if I have enough. If not, we’ll leave it for another time, when I have the money.”

“Oh, alright then.” Su Xiaoqian sighed helplessly, then continued in her enchanting tone, “As for our previous deal, you can come to me anytime you want to continue. As long as I’m in the mood, I’ll help.”

“No need,” Lu Mingfei answered with absolute certainty.

...

The day’s classes quickly ended. After school, Lu Mingfei gathered his things unhurriedly, preparing to go home. Su Xiaoqian, who’d packed up earlier, stretched lazily and walked over, saying, “Ugh, today’s material was so hard—I barely understood it. I guess I’ll need to ask my tutor when I get home.”

“Really? I thought it was pretty easy,” Lu Mingfei replied as he packed his bag.

“Easy? Are you sure? Did you even understand the homework the teacher assigned?” Su Xiaoqian scoffed.

“Do you want to copy it?” Lu Mingfei pulled out his notebook and handed it to her.

“Hm?” Su Xiaoqian took the notebook, puzzled, and flipped to the homework page. There, she saw clean, precise handwriting—each stroke seemed to have been planned, the logic flowing without a single pause.

“You have the answers?” she asked in surprise.

“No, I just did it myself. I can’t guarantee it’s correct. If you don’t trust me, give it back,” Lu Mingfei replied.

Since his spiritual transformation, his memory and thinking had improved enormously. Things he once struggled to remember were now etched in his mind at a glance; problems that used to give him trouble he could now solve with ease. Occasionally, he’d even spot mistakes in the questions themselves.

Some poorly written questions could lead to multiple answers, but as long as he knew which approach the teacher intended, he could guess the expected answer.

So, it wasn’t much of a problem.

“Hmph, I won’t give it back—I’m going to copy! Just watch me!” Su Xiaoqian decisively slipped the notebook into her bag. Her petulant, spoiled manner actually seemed rather cute—cuter than Chen Wenwen, who always kept up airs.

A pity she’s a brother.

“Let’s go, time to head home.” Lu Mingfei slung his backpack over his shoulder, contemplating what might happen next, feeling a touch sentimental.

Though his aunt was technically his guardian, she had never fulfilled her responsibilities—utterly negligent. Even if she provided food and shelter, it was only what she owed him, since his parents had sent plenty of money.

His parents had been sincere in their arrangement, but his aunt’s family had behaved outrageously—using the money meant for Lu Mingfei’s upbringing to improve their own lives, raise their own children, while keeping Lu Mingfei in poverty. When trouble struck, they sided against him, sacrificing his dignity and will to save money.

It was truly excessive!

...

On the way home, Lu Mingfei deliberately paid attention to the stretch of road where he and Fufu had once been able to communicate, focusing his senses to see if he could spot anything unusual.

Getting money from his aunt was important, but observing this area might reveal more about Fennina’s world, which mattered even more. So he didn’t rush straight home, but walked slowly along the road, sensing as he went.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary…

Could it be... the big truck? And maybe, if he’d been hit, he would’ve traveled to another world? He hadn’t been run over, just brushed past it, so he gained the ability to talk to Fennina?

What a silly thought...

As he walked, he drew near his aunt’s house. Suddenly, he felt a strange ripple—a sense that the space here was different, but he couldn’t affect it in any concrete way.

“Lu Mingze.”

“What is it, brother?” The little devil, impeccably dressed, appeared instantly, curiosity in his eyes.

“Do you… feel anything strange?”

“Strange? What do you mean?”

“You don’t sense it? Maybe only someone like me can feel anomalies.” Lu Mingfei muttered to himself, unreservedly probing the odd space.

‘Ah, brother is hopeless.’ The little devil sighed, obeyed, and vanished quietly.

Watching him disappear, Lu Mingfei realized this fellow followed him everywhere—he’d just never noticed before.

As for the spatial anomaly…

It was probably because he could connect with Fennina from another world, making him unusually sensitive to changes in space. The little devil couldn’t sense it.

“I’m home.” Lu Mingfei returned to his former house, standing tall as he faced the place that had never given him a sense of security. He proudly pulled out his keys and slid one into the lock, imagining a scene where his aunt handed over his rightful money, and he walked away with a disdainful smile, magnanimously forgiving them.

A bright future awaits me!

Click!

A crisp sound rang out, and the key jammed halfway, leaving Lu Mingfei dumbfounded—just as he’d been blocked halfway on his journey home, unable to move forward.

He’d been rejected.

The new lock rejected the key.

This home had rejected him.