Translator: Abyssruler Editor: Lucas
The magnificent sight of Roland Garros University was incomparable. It was like a small city, with interior similar to that of a mature community. It undoubtedly had the best hardware, but that was beside the point. Roland Garros University’s greatest strength was its software. Anyone with money could have hardware, but literacy in software took years to form. It represented the highest standard in the Milky Way Alliance.
Upon alighting the car, Ling Luoyu was warmly received by the student union of Roland Garros University.
She smiled. “Wang Zheng, I’m so sorry, my friends are here.”
Wang Zheng got the hint immediately and said, “Sure, go ahead with what you need to do. Thanks for your help.”
“You are welcome. Feel free to look around. You can call me via skylink if you need any help.” She replied politely.
This was a day for Roland Garros University and all her students. Wang Zheng had nothing to do with it at all.
Wang Zheng looked at the address on Skylink. It was indeed this auditorium. The gathering would be held on the upper floor. As for Ling Luoyu, she had already made her way inside, with a group of students surrounding her. It was their special occasion to begin with.
Wang Zheng checked his surroundings. It seemed like the lift was inside, so he went in with them. There was still plenty of time before the gathering begins. He believed that Gail and the rest of them would have a lot to attend to, especially since they were all important figures. Socializing would be inevitable. Apparently, the university had made use of this opportunity and arranged for each of them to make a speech. After all, they were people of authority from different fields.
Of course, not everyone was of equal importance, or Wang Zheng would not be invited at all. Even though he was a member, he was expecting nothing more than a simple introduction for himself. It would most probably be on how he had created the Spatial Transmission System with Xiao Fei. And if someone had to speak, Xiao Fei was more likely to be the one.
The last thing Wang Zheng would expect, was meeting someone he knew here.
Nicoise had a slim and elegant lady with him. It seemed that the arrogance on his face had faded over time – he looked more reliable and mature now. It is true that people always grow.
Ever since his mentor Dong Xuewu was identified as a thief in the scientific world, Nicoise was left in an unfavorable position. People stopped giving him face. In the past, he had many friends and could do anything at Roland Garros because he was the disciple of Dong Xuewu. Now, Dong Xuewu had fallen from power, no one bothered to curry favor with him. Fortunately, he was not directly involved in the incident, but nevertheless, his good days were over.
Winnie was his new girlfriend. She was born and raised in Roland Garros, and came from an outstanding family. The two met at a friend’s party and fell in a love at first sight.
This time, he was invited to Roland Garros University by Winnie to be her dance partner.
“Winnie, you are late! You have to drink as a punishment. Oh, who is this handsome guy by the way? Introduce him to us! ”
Winnie smiled widely. She took the glass and downed its content. “One drink it shall be. Yes yes, let me introduce to everyone, this is Nicoise, my boyfriend. And these are my best friends, Zuoyi, Julie and Joe…”
Nicoise revealed a modest smile and held up a glass. “You are all top students of Roland Garros University. I have heard a lot about you guys from Winnie. Here’s to all of you. ”
“You’ve got quite a sweet tongue, don’t you? Where are you from? You don’t seem to be a Rolander from your accent.”
Nicoise’s face froze. He was only an immigrant. He replied anyway, “My ancestors originated from the Solar System. Now, I live in Roland.”
“Wow, so you are an elite immigrant. It is my honor, my honor.” A few of the girls teased. They were probably unintentional, but their sense of superiority was unconcealable and hurtful. Nicoise managed to calm himself down. Ever since what happened to his mentor, he learnt to embrace the highs and lows of life. This was no big deal. Furthermore, he really treasured his relationship with Winnie.
“The Solar system? I remember Moon is there, a small but quite well-developed place.”
Nicoise forced a smile and shook his head. “Not the Moon. It’s Earth. ”
He would never forget his ancestors regardless where he was. That was his bottom line.
Winnie’s eyes twinkled for a brief moment. Nevertheless, she grabbed Nicoise’s arms and said, “Nicoise came from a family of diplomats on Earth. He will work at the embassy after he graduates. In future, if you want to tour the solar system, remember to find me. ”
Winnie continued to behave in a generous manner. Initially, Wang Zheng did not want to listen to the conversation, but there was still time before the event. And the only person he knew here was Nicoise, whom he had a past with. Seeing how things turned out, Wang Zheng thought it was quite amusing. Nicoise was so arrogant in the past that he could never imagine him having this day.
“A family of diplomats? That is impressive. As for travelling, I think we are not interested. There is nothing fun on Earth anyway.”
Some of the classmates laughed and toasted Nicoise, but nothing more than a friendly gesture. They had no intentions of drinking with him at all.
It was an awkward moment for Nicoise, when he suddenly felt a push from behind and nearly fell. He apologized immediately. The other party just looked at him nonchalantly for a second.
The eyes of the ladies lit up instantly. “Helix, you are here! ” They exclaimed affectionately while giving up their seats.
Helix, director of the student union, was also a popular figure in Roland Garros University. More importantly, he was Gail’s disciple, a Mathematics genius. Not everyone who studied Mathematics was a nerd. He was the perfect representation of the rich and powerful in Roland Garros, born with grace and elegance.
Joe was the event organizer of this clique. She was full of herself all the time, but when she saw Helix, her face beamed with delight and surprise too. “Senior, I thought you were not coming. We are having a small-scale activity later. Do join us.”
“Winnie, are you coming as well?” Helix asked out of the blue. Winnie was shocked and flattered. She nodded her head subconsciously.
“Sure, our teacher would like to introduce me to a few of the mentors in a while. Let’s go together after that.”
While Helix spoke, he shot a glance at Nicoise. “Who brought him here?”
Winnie’s face reddened immediately. “He is my friend… my boyfriend. ”
Wang Zheng sighed to himself, Nicoise is lucky, isn’t him? At least his girlfriend could hold her ground.
There was a trace of disdain on Helix’s face. On the other hand, the girls beside him were chattering in excitement.
“Please don’t tell us it’s the legendary Genesis Coffee Club. Senior, could you bring us along, so that we could all broaden our horizons? Just one look will do! ”
The girls began begging Helix. The appeal of the Genesis Coffee Club was just too powerful for university students. They would do anything to have a look.
“I can only give it a try. Only mentors and their disciples are allowed to enter this time round. ”
“Yes, use your charm. After all, the gathering is held in our ground. You are Gail’s favourite student. I’m sure you can make it happen. We will just take one look.” A few of the girls started to speak coquettishly.
Helix smiled loftily, “Alright, I will do my best, but outsiders are definitely not allowed.” He looked at Winnie upon finishing his sentence.
Nicoise felt awkward, but he had learnt to give in at times like this. “Winnie, go ahead. I will wait for you here. ”
Even though Winnie craved to meet the legendary figures, she felt bad to leave her boyfriend here.
“I… I will accompany you then. Senior, you guys go ahead.”
Helix was taken by surprise. Even Winnie’s friends were astounded. They had never thought that Winnie was so serious, especially towards an Earth immigrant.
A voice broke the silence unexpectedly. “There there, it really is you, Nicoise.”
Nicoise was stunned, even more at the sight of Wang Zheng. D*mn, misfortunes only came in pairs. The last person he ever wanted to see was Wang Zheng.
This guy was a nightmare.
“You rascal, what is the situation now? You don’t recognize this old friend of yours? Did I change that much?”
Nicoise replied embarrassingly, “Hello Wang Zheng, It’s been a long time. ”
“Yes, it has definitely been a long time. Is this beautiful lady your girlfriend? Not bad, you are quite capable! ” Wang Zheng teased.
Nicoise could not tell whether Wang Zheng was being sarcastic, so he just went along and smiled. “This is Winnie, my girlfriend. And this is Wang Zheng, … my friend from town.”
“Hi everyone, I am Wang Zheng from Earth. It is a beautiful place. Your life is not complete if you haven’t been there. I welcome all of you to visit! ”
As Wang Zheng spoke, Helix and the rest expressed nothing but contempt. They could not be bothered to talk to Wang Zheng the county bumpkin.
Nicoise felt awkward as well, but Winnie held his hand.
“Nicoise, why? You all want to go up and take a look? I’m heading there too. Let’s go together and join the crowd. I can introduce some mentors in your field of studies to you as well. ”
“I… It’s okay. I shall not disturb them.” Nicoise wanted to go badly. He never wanted to give up his studies but Dong Xuewu had lost his ways.
“What is there to disturb? Come on, let’s go together,” Wang Zheng said.
Helix stopped Wang Zheng. “I don’t know where you pop out from, but the people upstairs are authoritative figures from all fields. You better return to where you come from, or I will send the security guards to do so. ”
Entertained, Wang Zheng replied, “But I am here to attend the event, so why can’t I go up? ”
Helix and a few of the girls laughed aloud. There was something wrong with this country bumpkin, they thought.
On one side, Winnie was disconcerted. She wanted to take care of Nicoise’s feelings initially but this friend of his was too bizarre. How could he do this?
But Nicoise held Winnie back and shook his head lightly. He felt overwhelmed, because Wang Zheng was standing up for him.
Why?
The reason was simple. They both came from Earth!
This was sufficient for him to do something.
Nicoise had suffered defeat at the hands of Wang Zheng before. He knew it was not wise to go against him, even for Helix. To Wang Zheng, Helix meant nothing.
“You? Don’t tell me you are a student of our school?” Helix asked smugly.
Wang Zheng shook his head.
“Then why are you here?”
Wang Zheng smiled faintly. “Well, I was invited.”
Everyone scorned, but Wang Zheng continued climbing the stairs. “Oh, the person who invited me is here.”
