30: Oh my god, Lucy has mastered the magic?

Chapter 30: Good heavens, Lucy has mastered magic? Lying flat is an art; learn it, young man!

Lu Ze glanced at Lucy. “Why are you asking that? Are you going to Da Xia?”

He reluctantly put down his coffee. He really couldn’t stand the bitterness, feeling as if his entire head was filled with it.

“Yes, I plan to go to Da Xia during the summer vacation.” Lucy’s pretty face lifted slightly, her eyes filled with anticipation.

She had been intensely curious about Da Xia since she was a child.

After all, people always said she looked very much like a Da Xia person, but she had never been to Da Xia in her life. How could that be right?

“Da Xia has countless scenic spots, and we only have two or three weeks of vacation during the summer.”

Lu Ze continued to advise, “You’ll need to plan ahead and choose your main destinations, otherwise you might not even be able to visit one province.”

“I will.”

“Oh, right.” Lucy offered a faint smile. “I learned a bit of Chinese before. Do you think my pronunciation is standard?”

“You can speak Chinese?” Her words certainly surprised Lu Ze.

He had never heard her speak a single Chinese word before, and a strong interest welled up inside him.

“Say something, let me hear your pronunciation.”

Lu Ze assumed that Lucy, like most foreigners, would speak Chinese with an awkward, stiff accent, only using the fourth tone.

However.

“Laozi shudao shan, chanli yi er si, gen laozi guidiao!”

Lucy immediately blurted out a sentence in Chinese with a strong accent, not only standard but also carrying a hint of authority in her tone.

After speaking, she looked up at him. “Lu Ze, is my Chinese pronunciation standard?”

Standard? How do you have the courage to ask that? This is completely unrelated to standard.

“Who taught you this? This is the Chinese accent from our Sichuan region. How did you learn it too?” Lu Ze frowned.

How did Lucy learn these things?

This was clearly every Sichuan man’s nightmare; even Lu Ze felt a chill when he heard these words.

“A Da Xia female tourist I met before said it. Every time that wife said ‘Laozi shudao shan,’ her husband would stand still as if he were under a spell!” Lucy muttered a few words.

“I think this must be some kind of magic. Does Lu Ze know any magic spells that can summon pandas? I want to learn!”

It was said that the couple came from Sichuan, the home of pandas, which is why Lucy was so dedicated to learning these phrases.

For example, by saying “Panda, laozi shudao shan,” one could immediately make a panda freeze in place.

‘Good heavens, the reputation of Sichuan men has spread overseas at this point?’ Lu Ze complained internally.

“I’m not from the Sichuan region.” Lu Ze shook his head. “Next time, I’ll ask for you if there are any more magical spells.”

“Okay!”

Lucy’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Who wouldn’t want to learn a magic spell that can summon pandas?

Who could resist a panda? It’s white, it’s black, it’s Asian, it’s an animal, it’s a vegetarian, yet it possesses immense power, and as a national treasure, it perfectly fits the characteristic of a ‘minority group.’

With this combination, who abroad would dare say they don’t like it? Be careful, or you’ll be stripped of your human status!

After chatting for a while and eating a few pastries.

Lucy looked at her watch; it was already past eleven in the morning. “Let’s go, Lu Ze, let’s get some lunch.”

“This… this isn’t very good, is it?”

Lu Ze hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back.

It wasn’t that he was unwilling, but he truly couldn’t afford Lucy’s appetite; her meals would devour the cost of his return flight home for the summer vacation.

“Don’t worry, it’s my treat this time.” Lucy chuckled.

A moment later.

It was still the same Italian restaurant where they had eaten last night. Of course, there were only a few restaurants in this small town anyway.

“Two pastas, two wet-aged steaks, one Margherita pizza, that’s all for now.”

Lucy skillfully ordered some dishes. “Lu Ze, I’ve ordered. What do you want to eat?”

What she had just ordered was only enough for herself.

“One aged steak is enough, and a glass of iced water.” Lu Ze was already quite used to it; this amount was only half a meal for Lucy.

Suddenly.

He saw a gleaming bald head in the restaurant, illuminating the surroundings like a light bulb.

“Professor Hassen, are you eating here too?” Lu Ze walked over and asked.

This person was their advisor, Michael Hassen, who would clock out promptly at nine every morning.

He had a good impression of Professor Hassen.

Although Professor Hassen was mediocre in the laboratory and held no status, he was good to his two students.

“Lucy, Lu, is that you two?” Professor Hassen pointed to a nearby chair. “Then sit down and eat with me.”

He wasn’t too surprised. The entire town had so few people, and only a few dozen restaurants in total, so running into each other was quite normal.

This Italian restaurant wasn’t a high-end one, so eating together didn’t involve any issues of etiquette.

After all, it was just a normal place to eat; where would so many rules come from?

The food was served quickly.

The three of them began to eat in unison, but the food on Lucy’s plate disappeared several times faster than Lu Ze’s and Professor Hassen’s.

Just then.

Michael Hassen took a sip of iced water and looked up at Lu Ze. “Lu, I heard you’ve been slacking off at the LLNL Laboratory recently?”

“Professor Hassen, I…” Lu Ze was about to defend himself.

“I don’t think your slacking off is a bad thing, but your method is wrong.”

Professor Hassen chewed his pasta, continuing indistinctly, “Do you know why people from India are more welcome in the Eagle Country?”

“Because I’m from Da Xia?”

“That’s just one reason. The more fundamental reason is that you are all too pragmatic and capable!” Professor Hassen swallowed, a helpless smile on his lips. “But people from India never do that.”

Rather than fearing pragmatism, it was more like fearing Da Xia’s unwillingness to fall behind.

Always believing that it will eventually rise, this is what the Eagle Country and others are unwilling to accept.

Conversely, people like those from India, who only brag and do things half-heartedly, can easily get important tasks, because everyone knows it’s impossible.

“In this place, your identity perception is far more important than your ability.” Professor Hassen didn’t care if he understood or not.

“If you want to slack off, clocking in and muddling through isn’t enough.”

Michael Hassen stood up, turned to leave, and said faintly, “You must make them understand that your skill level is insufficient to truly gain trust.”

“Only then can you openly slack off, and no one will find anything unusual.”

In his opinion, Lu Ze was completely using the wrong method.

This is the art of slacking off; learn it, young man.

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