NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: 6:café
At 9:30 AM in the café, the sun was shining brightly outside the window. Lin Nian woke up, sat up in bed.
Unlike usual, Lin Nian sat on the bed with a blank stare, seemingly in a daze. However, it wasn't that he was daydreaming; he was actually trying to recall. He vaguely remembered having a strange dream last night.
But after sitting on the bed for several minutes, Lin Nian couldn't remember the details of the strange dream, which left him feeling helpless. Even though he had an extraordinary memory, dreams were illogical things. Once you forget them, they're gone, and you can't even be sure if you truly remembered them in the first place.
Unable to recall the dream, Lin Nian decided to give up. He changed out of his pajamas, made his bed, walked out of the room to wash up, and as he entered the living room, he noticed that Lin Xian's door was wide open and she wasn't home. On the dining table in the living room, there was a bowl of soy milk and two buns, along with a note.
"I'm going to work. I won't be home for lunch, will be back in the afternoon."
Lin Nian tore off the note, walked to the rice cooker, opened the lid, and saw that it was empty. He turned back to the dining table, pocketed the 20 yuan of lunch money that was under the bowl of soy milk, grabbed a bun, and stretched lazily.
"A year's plan starts in spring; a day's plan starts in the morning." Whether it was the season or the time of day, this morning was perfect. Lin Nian walked over to the living room window and opened the curtain. The dazzling sunlight shone on the flowerbed outside, where several potted dahlias and February orchids that Lin Xian had been nurturing bloomed, their colors especially vibrant under the sunlight. Just a glance was enough to lift his mood.
Lin Nian took a deep breath, swallowed the bun in two or three bites, walked back to the dining table, drank the soy milk in one go, then cleaned up the dishes and prepared to leave.
Normally, he would have done his morning exercise by now. But today was different. He had an appointment outside, and the dream he had last night made him wake up late. Naturally, his usual exercise routine was skipped, and now he had to break the schedule that had remained unchanged for years and go out for his meeting.
After leaving the building and turning from the alley to the main street, Lin Nian checked the time and found that it was almost time for the appointment. If he took the bus, he would definitely be late, and since he didn't like being late, he had no choice but to hail a taxi from the street.
"South Mountain Café, in a hurry."
After giving the location, the driver sped through traffic, narrowly avoiding red lights. After some effort, the driver managed to drop him off at his destination before 10 AM. Looking at the fare, it was 20 yuan. Lin Nian could only pay with the last of his lunch money.
He pushed open the glass door and entered South Mountain Café. Lin Nian looked around. The café didn't seem to be doing too well; at this hour, it was almost empty. He scanned the room and quickly spotted the person he was meeting.
"Over here!" A blonde girl, wearing a white base shirt and a pink blazer, waved at him from a table by the window.
The sunlight outside illuminated her golden hair, making it shine like gold, reminding him of precious, soft satin. It seemed that this girl took great care of her hair. Lin Nian couldn't help but notice her at first sight, even if the café had been crowded; he probably would have noticed her no matter what.
Lin Nian walked over and sat across from the blonde girl. He noticed she had already prepared a cup of hot coffee for him, and the latte art on top was of a half-decayed tree, which seemed oddly familiar.
"Just like my QQ profile picture. This tree is called the World Tree. It's a giant ash tree in Norse mythology that connects nine worlds, and it's also the emblem of our academy," the blonde girl said in fluent Chinese, with no trace of a foreign accent.
"Your Chinese is really good. What's your name?" Lin Nian nodded and asked.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Mandy Gonzalez, a third-year student at Cassell Academy. You can call me Mandy," the blonde girl, now introduced as Mandy, smiled.
"Yesterday, you said online that you're from Cassell Academy?" Lin Nian got straight to the point and gave her another once-over. Not focusing on her personality or habits at first, but just noting that her outfit probably cost quite a bit, which matched the description Zhao Menghua gave of Cassell Academy students as elite aristocrats.
"Yes, absolutely." Mandy shrugged.
"Why did you choose the name 'Kendo Enthusiast'?" Lin Nian thought for a moment and asked.
"I thought you'd directly ask about Cassell Academy, but I can answer this. Yesterday morning, after I saw you, I figured that many girls from your school might have added you on QQ. Given your personality, you wouldn't accept all friend requests, so I had to use some small tricks or you would have probably rejected my request," Mandy said.
"You know my personality? How?" Lin Nian asked, with his question getting to the heart of the matter.
"Don't worry, it was all legitimate investigation. We checked your school records from Shilan High, and we learned about your background from the orphanage you grew up in. But even with that, I can't say I really understand you. So, I also asked Norma to hack into the computer you used at the internet café and quietly observed you," Mandy stirred her coffee slightly. "Your personality isn't exactly reclusive, but you're definitely not outgoing either."
"When did household registration offices start recruiting foreigners?" Lin Nian said flatly.
"I'm not from the household registration office. I'm from the admissions office, although our methods are quite similar," Mandy replied casually.
"Was Director Li called in yesterday morning to do our work?" Lin Nian suddenly asked.
"Yes," Mandy nodded, admitting it. "If we had just approached you and introduced ourselves as an overseas academy wanting to recruit you, you would've probably thought we were some shady school, so we planned to approach you indirectly so you could learn about us yourself.""But I still don't know much about you," Lin Nian shook his head.
Mandy smiled, the corners of her mouth curling up. "We're not afraid of you not understanding us, only afraid of you not wanting to."
With that, she took a stack of documents from beneath the table and pushed them toward Lin Nian. He picked up the first document and opened it, discovering that it was a copy of an officially registered university license from the U.S. Department of Education. Following that were photos—images of various classical, luxurious campus facilities: libraries, gyms, and concert halls. From the distant perspective in the pictures, Cassell Academy appeared to be located halfway up a mountain. The overall architecture resembled a renovated medieval castle. In one of the photos, students dressed in matching uniforms stood with elderly professors at the school gate. A glance was enough to see that the students, regardless of nationality, were all strikingly attractive, while the professors' faces bore the marks of experience and wisdom.
"Let me give you a brief introduction," Mandy began. "Cassell Academy is a private university located in the outskirts of Chicago, Illinois. It's a partner school with the University of Chicago, and every year we co-host events at Lake Michigan, including equestrian competitions, rowing races—" She paused, glancing briefly at something out of sight, then continued as if nothing had happened: "—hot-air ballooning, swimming, and other intercollegiate activities. We also have extensive academic exchanges. We're honored to have found your information in Shilan High School's foreign exchange student records. Based on your performance, we believe you meet the qualifications for admission to Cassell Academy, so we're extending an invitation for you to join our preparatory program."
"Preparatory program?" Lin Nian asked, watching Mandy breathe a sigh of relief after finishing her rehearsed lines.
"This program is specifically designed for students who haven't yet reached senior year but already qualify for admission. Take you, for example. You can start in the second semester of your junior year, and once you graduate, you'll be eligible to take our entrance exam. If you pass, you'll transition directly into the main campus in Illinois. If you don't, you can return to China and take the college entrance exam as usual. It's a win-win situation," Mandy explained.
"I qualify for admission? Why would I have such qualifications?" Lin Nian asked, lingering on the word "qualifications."
"Because you're exceptional," Mandy said, giving Lin Nian a meaningful look. "Cassell Academy only recruits individuals who are not just excellent but extraordinarily so—students who are exceptional beyond the ordinary. Your abilities are so remarkable that we're skipping the standard interview process to recruit you."
Lin Nian's fingers tightened subtly around the handle of his coffee spoon, though his expression remained unchanged. "I suppose there's no reason to refuse a prestigious university offering me an opportunity like this?"
"If anyone else received a preparatory offer from Cassell Academy, they'd probably be so excited they'd laugh themselves awake from their dreams," Mandy said softly.
"But I refuse," Lin Nian placed the spoon down and shook his head.
"Why?" Mandy wasn't surprised; she simply sipped her coffee.
"I can't afford it," Lin Nian said simply. "A university like yours sounds expensive."
"Pfft." Mandy couldn't hold back a chuckle. Lin Nian, however, wasn't offended, because her laughter didn't carry a hint of mockery. "If Cassell Academy let a promising student turn us down simply because they couldn't afford tuition or plane tickets, our school would become the laughingstock of the world."
"You're saying you'll cover the tuition?" Lin Nian finally showed some genuine surprise.
Mandy nodded. "Of course. For students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, the academy covers not only tuition but also living expenses throughout the preparatory program. The board of trustees sets aside a special fund for this purpose. If you pass the entrance exam after the preparatory period, congratulations—you'll qualify for a $36,000 annual scholarship. That's enough to cover all your expenses for four years of college, and you'd even have some left over to send home."
"Sounds too good to be true. Like a pie falling from the sky," Lin Nian said bluntly.
Thirty-six thousand U.S. dollars, at the current exchange rate, converted to nearly 240,000 yuan—a substantial sum. And if it lasted four years without major fluctuations in the exchange rate, it would genuinely be a life-changing amount.
"But here it is—this 'pie' has fallen right in front of you. You can verify us anywhere you like. Ask around, contact any official organization, or even call the academy directly to confirm if I'm a real student. My student ID is Al082321B. You'll find me in the database. If you still don't believe me, you can even request my ID photo from the academy." Mandy shrugged. "I have no doubts about how good my ID photo looks."
Lin Nian gave Mandy another careful look. Indeed, her face seemed immune to the distortions of even the worst phone camera.
By this point, Mandy had adopted a "go ahead, investigate me if you want" attitude. She was practically daring him to dig deeper.
"What's the matter? Afraid we'll sell you off to work in a Middle Eastern coal mine?" Mandy teased.
"Too far away," Lin Nian said.
"What?" Mandy thought she hadn't heard him correctly.
"I said that Chicago is too far away," Lin Nian replied. "Sorry, but I'm still going to refuse."
"No, wait. The preparatory program isn't in Chicago. This year, it's being held in San Antonio, Texas," Mandy blurted.
"That's even farther," Lin Nian shook his head.
"I get why you'd reject the offer because of money—but because it's too far? Seriously?" Mandy's beautiful face finally showed some genuine confusion.
"Too far is exactly what I mean," Lin Nian said. "I live with my sister. Leaving her alone here while I go abroad doesn't sit right with me. America is too far. If something happened to her while I was there, I'd be too far away to help."
"This..." Mandy hesitated. She had prepared for many possible reasons for Lin Nian to reject the offer, but she hadn't anticipated this one.
(End of Chapter)