r18novel 011 On the highway
011 On the highway
A red Ferrari drove onto the elevated road in the night. Nono held the steering wheel with one hand and casually rested the other hand on the window, her long red hair flying freely in the evening breeze.
She glanced at Lu Mingfei, who was staring blankly out the window in the passenger seat.
"Lu Mingfei, do you know what price the school paid to admit you?"
"Full scholarship, top-tier S-level benefits, now also includes beautiful female companions and full reimbursement."
Her tone was somewhat mocking, "Lu Mingfei, do you even realize how arrogant you are right now?"
Lu Mingfei turned his gaze away from the window and leaned back lazily in his seat: "It's still a trial period. I'll make a decision after I go to Hakone."
Upon hearing this outrageous statement, Nono almost stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake.
"A probationary period?" Nono was almost laughing in exasperation. "You're interviewing us, testing us? Lu Mingfei, how can you be so outrageous?"
"There's no other way, you learn from your mistakes."
"Are you out of your mind?" she gritted her teeth. "You're going against the heavens! What else do you need? Do you want me to take you home, make up your bed, and tell you a story before you sleep?"
"No need to go home," Lu Mingfei said. "If we can leave now, we can just go."
Nono was somewhat surprised: "So carefree?"
Lu Mingfei shrugged.
"I've finished washing the dishes at my aunt's house, I don't need to worry about my cousin's homework, the person I had a crush on is a thing of the past, and all I have is eighty yuan." He paused, "Then I'll just go."
"What happened? You suddenly had a sudden epiphany?" Nono said, stepping on the gas.
The speed pointer skipped 100, 110, and 120.
Lu Mingfei felt the familiar push-back sensation, the vibration of the seat, the roar of the engine, and the friction of the tires against the ground. He had heard these sounds countless times in the Renault he drove in Miri.
He frowned: "Take it easy."
Nono defiantly stepped on the gas: "Scared?"
"No." Lu Mingfei glanced at the dashboard. "The gas gauge is almost empty. Let's make it to the gas station first."
Nono looked down and saw that the needle had already poked into the blank area below the red line.
"WTF! Why didn't you say so sooner?!"
"Weren't you speeding? I didn't want to interrupt you."
"..."
"Don't worry." Lu Mingfei looked at the road signs flashing past the window. "I estimate I can drive another five kilometers and make it to the gas station."
"How come you're so skilled?" Nono looked at him suspiciously.
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A blue sports car was parked in the middle of the road, white smoke billowing from its hood.
"Shinji, are you even a man? Use your strength!"
"Lu Mingfei! Are you here to take care of us or just to be a decoration? Don't you even glance at the fuel gauge? Don't you have any basic common sense?"
Asuka's voice came like a barrage of bullets, her red hair flying in the night wind, her hands bracing against the back of the car, her face full of anger and impatience.
"Asuka-chan, stop yelling, it's fine to push a cart..."
"Miri, shut up! Why buy a French car? French cars are all garbage! You should buy a German car, a Porsche is a million times better than a crappy Renault!"
"Asuka, Porsche and Renault aren't in the same price range..."
"Then you should definitely buy a Porsche! NERV will cover the costs anyway!"
NERV doesn't reimburse private vehicle use... I haven't even finished paying off the loan on this car yet...
Misato's voice grew softer and softer. Shinji kept his head down and didn't speak. Lu Mingfei also didn't speak. The two of them silently braced their hands against the damn trunk lid of the Renault and pushed it forward with all their might.
That was the third time that beat-up car in Miri had broken down on the road.
French cars always have electrical problems, and the fuel gauge is inaccurate. The three of them pushed the car for almost two kilometers along the dark, winding mountain road before finally finding a downhill slope.
Asuka's complaints echoed through the mountains. Shinji and Lu Mingfei exchanged a glance and saw the same thing in each other's eyes—don't talk, push the cart.
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"...I just don't want to push the cart anymore and get yelled at by you again," Lu Mingfei said softly.
Nono's eyebrows shot up.
"Am I such an unreasonable person? If I'm going to yell at someone, I'll yell at the person who lent me this car!"
Lu Mingfei glanced at her: "I thought this car was yours."
"Where would I get the money to buy a Ferrari?" Nono rolled her eyes. "It belongs to a rich kid; I'm just borrowing it temporarily."
Lu Mingfei casually said, "Awesome! Awesome!"
Nono snorted and stopped talking.
The Ferrari pulled into the gas station, and Nono casually pulled out a hundred yuan and handed it to the clerk: "Fill it up."
The man in the blue work uniform paused, looked at the red Ferrari, then at Nuonuo's face, and then at the ordinary-looking young man in the passenger seat.
A beautiful woman drives a sports car, she pays for the gas, and there's someone... um... sitting in the passenger seat.
The older brother didn't say anything, just silently cheered him on.
Lu Mingfei unbuckled his seatbelt and said to Nuonuo, "Come with me to the supermarket."
"what?"
"Buy some beer and snacks."
"...You have eighty dollars!"
"I'm afraid it won't be enough."
Nono took a deep breath, took out another hundred yuan from her wallet, and slapped it into his palm.
"Go buy it yourself, and don't let me see you."
"Thank you, boss."
"Don't call me boss, I can't afford to serve such a great deity as you."
The gas station shelves were stocked with various snacks and drinks. Lu Mingfei picked up a basket, grabbed a few cans of beer, a few bottles of soda, two bags of potato chips, a box of chocolate bars, and a few packets of beef jerky. The total came to exactly ninety-seven yuan.
He carried the plastic bag back to his car, opened a can of beer, and took a big gulp.
"Ha—" He let out a long breath, relaxed completely, and leaned back in his seat.
Nono started the car, gave him a disdainful look, and said, "Why have you become so greasy? You look like a middle-aged man."
"Life is stressful, I haven't enjoyed many good days."
Nono rolled her eyes and drove onto the main road. The night wind rushed into the car, making her red hair dance like flames.
"My original plan," she said, staring at the road ahead, "was to save you, you loser, at the movie theater, give you some life advice, help you say goodbye to the past and get back on track. A standard, shonen, action-packed script, you like it, right?"
"like."
"And what happened? You bowed down for ten thousand yuan. Zhao Menghua asked you to be the letter 'i,' and you immediately asked him for money. This whole thing baffles me."
Lu Mingfei took another sip of beer.
"Actually, you've already saved me."
Nono was stunned for a moment.
"That ten thousand yuan was originally my planned budget for a trip to Japan. If it weren't for you, I would have to buy blood to make up the money right now."
A gust of wind blew into the carriage, scattering some of Lu Mingfei's words. He leaned back in his seat and looked up at the night sky. No stars were visible in the city, only the orange glow reflected from the clouds.
"So you'd better not cause any more trouble," Nono suddenly said. "We've arrived at the airport."
The Ferrari turned into the parking lot, and the terminal building in the distance was brightly lit.
Nono turned off the engine and turned to look at him: "Three hours by plane, two hours by car, we can get to Hakone by midnight. I've got your visa sorted. Lu Mingfei, have you thought it through?"
Lu Mingfei put the beer can back into the plastic bag and opened the car door.
The night breeze carried the distinctive smell of fuel and farewells unique to airports.
In the distance, on the tarmac, the silhouette of a private jet lay quietly in the night, its logo gleaming under the lights.
He looked at the sign, the World Tree, half-grown and half-withered.
In any case, Kassel is always more generous than NERV next door.