Chapter 278: The Alleged Power of Lucid Dreams

Chapter 278: The Alleged Power of Lucid Dreams

In the dead of night, silence enveloped the outside world.

Lu Mingfei lay on his bed in an awkward position, listlessly staring at his phone, while his cousin, Lu Mingze, snored beside him.

"The history of Lu Corporation is the history of technological development. We believe that only by immersing ourselves in the grassroots can we create products that satisfy the masses..."

On the video, a magnificent stage was set, upon which stood a dignified young man. He wore a well-tailored dark suit, paired with a simple white shirt, and his face bore a gentle yet determined smile. His voice was clear and powerful, exuding calmness and confidence.

This peer, who seemed like a deity descended from the heavens, stood unperturbed amidst countless cameras. Lu Mingfei couldn't help but feel a little dejected as he recalled his own timid self during the school introduction. He paused the video, feeling a bit down, before playing it again.

Just yesterday, the current head of Lu Corporation, Lu Ke, had donated a building to Silan Middle School in his personal capacity. The overjoyed principal immediately decided to add an extra issue of the school magazine, titled "The Glorious Development History - The Rise of Lu Corporation," which had a strong sycophantic tone just from its name. The task of editing this issue was outsourced to the recently graduated Literature Club President, Chen Wenwen.

There are always one or two people in the world whose requests you just can't refuse. Chen Wenwen had only said, "Please, Mingfei," and Lu Mingfei, whose face was still covered in his aunt's saliva, postponed his gaming session with Old Tang to help with the document organization.

Chen Wenwen was the dream girl of Lu Mingfei's adolescence, and every boy had a similar dream to some extent.

When they first met, a graceful and beautiful girl sat on a bench, holding a copy of Marguerite Duras' "The Lover." The sunlight shone on her cotton dress and skin, making everything seem translucent. Lu Mingfei felt an instant connection, thinking that if he could marry this girl, his life would be complete.

Unfortunately, the goddess was always surrounded by a bunch of sycophants, each more exceptional than the last. He was just an insignificant loser among them, with gaming as his only redeeming quality.

After graduation, they would soon part ways, and Lu Mingfei didn't dare hope that Chen Wenwen would accept him. He just wanted to express his feelings before they went their separate ways, but to his surprise, Chen Wenwen had just called him "Mingfei."

It was "Mingfei," not "Lu Mingfei!"

This intimate address rekindled the toad's hope, making him feel that there might still be a chance. As he watched the online footage of the speech and searched for information on Baidu, he also downloaded various forums to gather more details.

Lu Corporation was a household name, with its products spanning numerous industries. From needles and threads to furniture and mattresses, from cosmetics and fashion to digital products, from films and music to popular dramas, Lu Corporation dominated every field.

Even Lu Mingfei's current phone, laptop, and the software and apps on it were mostly products of Lu Corporation.

When discussing Lu Corporation, one couldn't bypass its current head, Lu Ke, who was a true legend. Rumor has it that he displayed astonishing investment talent from a young age and had an uncanny accuracy in predicting future economic trends.

Setting aside stocks and mutual funds, every project that this young leader invested in, be it real estate, the Internet, social media, online sales, or big data, yielded incredibly high profits. There were almost no risks, and even if there were, they would be offloaded before any losses occurred.

His far-sighted decisions transformed Lu Corporation from a small enterprise into a towering tree, branching out into various fields, eventually reaching its current prominent status.

A small group of male netizens endlessly debated whether Lu Ke was a reincarnator, a time traveler, or a system user. They finally agreed that Lu Ke was most likely a "reincarnator who returned with a system!"

Lu Mingfei wasn't particularly interested in men, but he had overheard many of his classmates, who were addicted to romance novels, fantasizing about Lu Ke wearing a pure white suit and driving a Lamborghini, Maybach, Bugatti Veyron, or Aston Martin—luxury cars that attracted everyone's attention. They imagined him stepping out of the car, coldly nodding at them, and saying in a concise yet powerful tone, "Get in!"

How wonderful it would be.

Lu Mingfei sighed, thinking that if he were Lu Ke, he could easily win over girls like Chen Wenwen. In that scenario, he could have three children in three years, have both sons and daughters, and live a blissful life.

He grinned silently, lost in his daydreaming, and it took a while before he snapped out of it.

It was already past midnight when he finished his work. He clicked on Chen Wenwen's profile, sent her the downloaded and organized materials, and even wrote a lengthy summary, ensuring it was error-free and not perfunctory before hitting send.

A few minutes later, Chen Wenwen's reply arrived.

[Lu Mingfei, you did a great job. No other boy is as meticulous as you.]



Lu Mingfei wasn't sure whether to feel sad for returning to being 'Lu Mingfei' or to be happy about Chen Wenwen's praise. He scratched his head and typed, "It's because of you that I..."

He deleted it, thinking it was too ambiguous.

After some thought, he wrote, "Is there any reward, like having a meal together when you're free?"

He deleted that too, as it sounded like he was trying to take advantage of her kindness, and it was too slick.

Before he could think of a better response, Chen Wenwen sent another message.

There's still so much work to do.

Lu Mingfei subconsciously questioned himself.

Is there anything else I can do?

No need, you've already helped me a lot. I can handle the rest of the work myself.

Lu Mingfei could only reply with an "Oh," and then responded.

Remember to rest. Work is never-ending, and it's already quite late.

Yeah, I'm going to take a shower.

Lu Mingfei looked at the last word "la," feeling a bit tired. He closed his eyes and turned over, lying on his back.

After three years of high school, Chen Wenwen's attitude towards him had always been lukewarm. If you say there's a bit of ambiguity, she has never mentioned anything about love. At most, she would gently speak up for him when others mocked him, and that's only if you consider them ordinary classmates. She would ask him to help with various tasks like cleaning empty classrooms, moving books, organizing documents, and attending meetings.

Lu Mingfei knew that thinking this way might be a bit despicable and perhaps self-deceptive, but why doesn't Chen Wenwen ask other male students for help?

The Literature Club rarely attracted the interest of male students. After Chen Wenwen became the club president, the number of male and female students was split evenly. The boys' intentions were obvious, so she wouldn't lack helpers. Then why does she always ask him? Even if she really treated him as a sycophant, he should be a rather special one.

With these thoughts in mind, he had rejected Professor Guderian from Cassel Academy, who had shown him kindness and expectation, and Nonno, whose sharp gaze was like a knife, and whose aura made it hard to breathe.

Women are just too hard to understand.

Lu Mingfei looked at the conversation between the two and sighed silently. His phone vibrated, and a message from Old Tang popped up.

"Mingming, are you going to play or not? If not, I'm going to sleep. I haven't been sleeping well lately, and I keep having weird dreams."

If you're not sleeping well, just take a proper nap! Why play games? Lu Mingfei complained, but what he typed was, "I'll play, I'll switch to a smaller account to play with you."

Games are a man's power station!

The drowsiness had passed, but the frustration lingered. He glanced at his cousin Lu Mingze, who was sleeping like a log, put on his headphones, turned on his laptop, switched to his smaller account, and logged into the game. He opened Black Myth, a game released earlier this year.

In the past, Lu Mingfei mainly played StarCraft by Blizzard, not because he wasn't interested in other games, but because he was a little afraid that he wouldn't be able to adapt to the pace and content of new games, like a snail hiding in its shell.

But since he had partnered up with Old Tang for gaming, he gradually ventured into other gaming platforms. After overcoming his fears, he found that other games weren't that difficult, and the content was quite diverse.

However, Lu Mingfei still preferred strategy games over action games. After completing the game once, he hadn't touched it again until recently, when a co-op challenge mode was added, allowing players to team up and fight bosses. He decided to give it a try, especially since Old Tang had insisted.

Soon, a stick-wielding character appeared in the beautifully designed Chinese-style game, with the small account ID "Sunset's Mark" on its head. This was a small account he had prepared specifically to make his cousin experience the bitterness of love.

After a while, a golden-clad character in luxurious Monkey King attire appeared beside him, with the simple ID "Old Tang" above its head.

"You don't seem to have fought the hidden boss before. Can you handle it?"

Old Tang looked at Lu Mingfei's character, which was in poor condition, and a grinning expression appeared above his head.

Lu Mingfei patted his chest and assured, "I guarantee a win."

At least when it came to games, he still had some confidence.

"Alright, in the challenge mode, the equipment stats are standardized, and it all depends on skill and technique."

Old Tang didn't ask further, "Our goal is to break into the top 100 of the leaderboard. It's said that players who make it onto the leaderboard will receive an official Monkey King figurine."

"It's the Monkey King, not some random figurine. I never thought Old Tang would be interested in figurines. Are you the type of person who likes to make crafts in your free time?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I can't even cook without burning the pot, let alone make figurines."

Speaking of which, when did this game start having a leaderboard?

With its online mode and leaderboard, Lu Mingfei worried that it might eventually become a browser game, where he would have to pay a monthly fee to obtain spiritual essence, collect fragments to assemble equipment, and deal with a bunch of cosmetic packages.

With some hesitation, Lu Mingfei opened the leaderboard, and a simple list appeared before him.

First Place: Corruptor

IP Location: Chicago, USA

Second Place: Courtyard Serpent

IP Location: Beijing, China

Third Place: ???

IP Location: ???

Fourth Place: Cambridge Folding Knife

IP Location: Chicago, USA

Fifth Place: Little Monster

IP Location: Tokyo, Japan

Sixth Place: Flame Slashing Dragon

IP Location: Chicago, USA

Seventh Place: Tortoise

IP Location: Tokyo, Japan

Eighth Place: Kaze no Ryuuji

IP Location: Tokyo, Japan

Ninth Place: Murasame

IP Location: Chicago, USA

Tenth Place: Dick Treadwell

IP Location: Chicago, USA

...

After the top ten, the specific names were not visible, and Lu Mingfei scanned the leaderboard, making comments as he went.

"Why are the top ranks all from Chicago and Tokyo? Oh... at least Beijing has a skilled player to save face. And what's with this Question Mark guy?"

"It's a game, mostly played by the youth. The rankings are based on the location they're logged in from when they achieve their rank. Perhaps Chicago and Tokyo have professional teams? As for the question mark, it might be a system bug."

Old Tang spoke with a nonchalant tone, "Come on, brother. Let's team up and take down the three-eyed boss for the rankings!"

"It's Qingyuan Miaodao, Erlang Shenxian Zhenjun. Why don't you read some Chinese mythology?"

"You want me, an American, to read Chinese mythology?"

"America doesn't have its own mythology; you guys only have a couple hundred years of history."

"Makes sense, but Chinese is too difficult!"

Lu Mingfei bantered as he controlled his character into the painting, triggering an automatic cutscene. In the scene, a man and a dog sat in front of a small temple in the snow. Upon sensing someone's arrival, the handsome Erlang Shenxian Zhenjun, wielding a Sanjiao Liangyandao, slowly rose from the snowy ground, dressed in a white robe.

"It's cold up here, and there's no good wine to drink."

"I've gone through a lot to find this place. I'm sure you didn't come here just to keep me company."

"There's something weighing on your mind, or someone you can't let go of."

"I can't kill him, and no one can, except himself."

Yang Jian brandished his weapon, his face filled with murderous intent.

"Later, I realized that was the only way. He had no choice, and neither did I."

The game's dialogue, vibrating through the headphones, invaded Lu Mingfei's eardrums. The last two sentences inexplicably tightened his heart, giving him the uncanny feeling that the game character was coming to life and speaking to him directly. He stood frozen in place.

Swish, swish, swish—

Several flashes of sword light passed by, and in the moment Lu Mingfei was distracted, his Tianming character was defeated within a few breaths. The screen turned gray, and Old Tang's anxious voice sounded in his ear.

"What the heck, Mingfei! We're playing co-op, and the boss's stats are doubled. Are you AFK?"

Lu Mingfei snapped back to his senses, "Sorry, sorry! I'll do better next time!"

Old Tang's hands moved swiftly on the controller, barely holding off the boss's attacks due to his familiarity with the boss's moves. Unfortunately, the boss's stats were too exaggerated, and after using up a few spells, Guangzhi, who had transformed, was knocked back to his original form by the Howling Celestial Dog's surprise attack.

With the boss's powerful shout of "Open!", a massive Heaven-Splitting Divine Axe descended from the sky, and Old Tang's character also displayed the 'GG' message.

"You, in the end, are not him."

Lu Mingfei, who had been watching the screen, couldn't hold back any longer.

"Is this game making things too ambiguous between Yang Jian and the Monkey King?"

"Is it more ambiguous than you and Chen Wenwen?"

Suddenly, a crisp child's voice rang out from behind.

Lu Mingfei's body stiffened, and his hairs stood on end. Hearing a child's voice in the middle of the night from behind was enough to scare anyone to death. Had there been a break-in or a ghost?

He then realized that Lu Mingze's snoring had stopped, and the time on the laptop screen had also frozen. Outside, it was so quiet that not even the sounds of insects or birds could be heard.

It must be a ghost!

Lu Mingfei clenched his teeth, prepared for the worst, and turned around abruptly. A boy, appearing to be around thirteen or fourteen, dressed in a pure black nightgown, sat on his cousin's round belly. A radiant glow flowed on his youthful face, and his golden eyes shone with a flame-like brilliance.

"Don't go to Cassel Academy, brother."

The boy's eyes were filled with melancholy, a heavy sadness that was hard to imagine in a child.

"There's an 'anomaly' there, and I'm not sure if I can handle it."

"Why are you calling me brother?"

Lu Mingfei, completely confused by the situation, hesitantly asked, but there was no response. The boy simply continued to stare at him with melancholy eyes.

Lu Mingfei pinched his face; it didn't hurt.

He realized he was in a lucid dream, and just a moment ago, he had been playing the game with Old Tang. Why was he now in the body of a boy, and not only was the gender wrong, but the age was off too!

It was said that in lucid dreams, you were in control. Lu Mingfei's eyes lit up, and he commanded, "Change!"

"..."

The boy's melancholy disappeared, replaced by deep silence.

It was as if the finest opera singer, performing the most touching drama, suddenly had a spectator shout, "Come and see, peanuts, popcorn, and mineral water!"

The boy approached Lu Mingfei, his tone slightly disdainful.

"Brother, saying these vulgar words won't fill the void in your heart."

Lu Mingfei asked hopefully, "So, can you change?"

The boy let out a cold hum and suddenly kicked out!

Lu Mingfei felt his body suddenly lose weight, and he floundered in panic before realizing he was still lying on the bed. The image on the laptop had turned gray, and Old Tang's voice sounded mournful.

"This is the second time, Mingfei. Are you up for this or not?"

"I'll do better next time!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end