Chapter Thirty-Two: The Club

At lunchtime, the Vice Principal—who doubles as the bell-ringer—must have finally sobered up, as the clock tower's bells rang out in a melodious and continuous peal.

Lin Nian walked beneath the arched dome of the dining hall, his empty tray in hand. Just as he reached a table, he spotted Finn, sitting at the far end, waving wildly. The reason he wasn’t shouting a greeting was that his mouth was stuffed completely full with a roasted pork knuckle, leaving no room for speech.

"Senior Finn." Unable to refuse the silent invitation, Lin Nian walked over and sat down beside him.

"Finished your physical? You must be starving." Finn used his fork to spear another pork knuckle from his own tray and dropped it onto Lin Nian’s. "Eat up, get some energy back."

"Senior, have you seen my sister?" Lin Nian asked, using his fork to flip over the pork knuckle, inspecting it for any stray, un-singed hairs.

"Your sister? The faculty dining area isn't here; this is the student cafeteria," Finn replied. "You wouldn't want to see students and teachers engaging in a food fight with mashed potatoes and pork knuckles over unresolved classroom disputes."

"The cafeteria is always the best place to vent about teachers. I get that." Lin Nian nodded, noting that such a custom existed in China as well; it seemed that no matter where you went, teachers and students were natural class enemies.

"Junior, are you interested in joining a club?" Finn asked.

"A club?" Lin Nian, who was contemplating where to take the first bite of his pork knuckle, looked up.

"Just as it sounds—small groups among students. The goal is to strengthen cohesion and foster a sense of pride; it’s an internal competitive sport encouraged by the academy." Finn paused, then added in a lower voice, "Simply put, if you don't pick a side, it’s hard to make your way here. You need someone behind you to stand tall... even I had to pledge my allegiance to a faction!"

"Where are you currently serving, Senior?" Lin Nian asked, curious about which club would dare accept a loose cannon like Finn.

"The Student Union. One of the two biggest factions in the academy."

"Joining a club like that must have a difficult screening process, right? You’re impressive, Senior." Lin Nian stirred his vegetable soup.

Finn stared intently at Lin Nian’s face, noticing that while the boy’s mouth offered flattery, his expression showed no hint of envy or surprise. This frustrated Finn, who had been hoping to show off. He didn't know that back in Shilan, the rich kids who flaunted their golf courses and sports cars in front of Lin Nian had felt the exact same way.

"You mentioned two factions, Senior. What’s the other one?" Lin Nian asked after taking a bite of mashed potatoes.

"The Lionheart Society. An old-school organization, with a history even longer than the Student Union and much stricter discipline." Lacking the sense of superiority he craved, Finn went back to hacking at his pork knuckle, speaking indistinctly. "You could imagine the former as Sparta and the latter as Ancient Rome. But as it stands, the Romans, who love bathing in champagne, have the upper hand. While the Spartans are the elite of the elite, the more elite they are, the more they face an aging population. Everyone is too busy pouring their blood and sweat into slaying dragons to care about appearances, so they’ve fallen behind. The fresh blood is being drawn away by Rome's giant bathhouses and cabaret troupes."

"No wonder you joined the Student Union!" Lin Nian understood.

"There are actually many benefits to joining a club. You can apply for usage rights to clubhouses. Currently, the Lionheart Society is stationed in the Norton Building, and the Student Union is in the Amber Building. Core members can have their own rooms in the Amber Building with twenty-four-hour climate control, private chefs, and bands. They hold balls every few days with unlimited champagne and lobster." Finn chewed viciously on his pork knuckle as he spoke, as if he were holding a lobster claw from Australia.

"This academy is truly an elitist system," Lin Nian nodded.

"Indeed. The top students are currently enjoying fresh, medium-rare Wellington beef and black truffles in their clubhouses, while poor old me is stuck in the cafeteria gnawing on a 'buy-one-get-one-free' soy-braised pork knuckle." Finn sighed, clutching the knuckle. "I hate capitalism, I hate the elitist system. Years ago, I was an elite student with a lobster in one hand and champagne in the other."

"You just hate that you aren't the one benefiting right now... but let's talk about clubs later. I haven't even passed the 3E exam yet," Lin Nian said. "Both the Student Union and the Lionheart Society sound decent, but if I really had to choose, I’d lean toward the latter."

"I never would have guessed that you were the ascetic type, Junior!" Finn looked at Lin Nian seriously. "Most members of the Lionheart Society have a bit of that ascetic air. I dare say, if the current President of the Lionheart Society is like that, the next one will surely be an ascetic king who surpasses his predecessor."

"I'm not ascetic," Lin Nian said, taking a sip of water. "I just don't like clubs that are too active. Always busy with this or that. I heard back home that courses in university aren't the worst part—it's the endless student activities that give you the biggest headache!"

"The Lionheart Society is still recruiting. After the 3E exam tomorrow, you can go and try. As one of the rare 'A' grades, you’re a hot commodity that both the Student Union and the Lionheart Society are itching to get their hands on," Finn said, still chewing. "They’ll probably send people to offer you titles and promises within the next few days."

"I hope the person they send is a pretty senior," Lin Nian said, finally starting on his own pork knuckle.

"I just praised you for being an ascetic, handsome man!" Finn looked at him, feeling like he was failing to live up to expectations. "You're too focused on the wrong things, Junior. There's no future in being ascetic. Haven't you seen that even the original ascetic master, Xuanzang, nearly fell in the Kingdom of Women and even left behind a descendant? Joining the Student Union is the best choice! The frontrunner for the next Student Union President, Caesar Gattuso, has promised that if he succeeds, he will invest in adjusting all student benefits. Every member will receive a monthly stipend from the President!"

"Senior, why do I feel like you've been singing the praises of the Student Union from the very beginning?" Lin Nian suddenly put down his fork and knife, looking at Finn suspiciously.

Finn’s eyebrows twitched. He shifted his gaze back to his pork knuckle and said earnestly, "I’m just objectively explaining the pros and cons of the different factions to you, Junior."

"It seems the Student Union is truly thirsty for talent... they’ve even mobilized you to scout for them."

"They offered too much, and the odds on the Watcher's Forum aren't looking good. I have to find a way to increase my income, or I won't even be able to afford the next 'buy-one-get-one' pork knuckle," Finn said coyly. Watching a man nearly six-foot-three acting coy was truly a painful sight.

"I’m still hoping the person who scouts me is a pretty senior," Lin Nian sighed.

"Does this pretty senior count?" A girl sat down beside Lin Nian with her tray, a scent of sandalwood trailing as her long hair fell.

Lin Nian turned his head and said in surprise, "Senior Mandy?"

Mandy, holding a cup of hot milk, giggled. "Hey there, Junior! How did the physical go?"

"Sorry, Professor Manstein said the files are being sealed and uploaded for review. He told me to keep it confidential until the results are out."

"It's fine, I believe in your level," Mandy gave him a thumbs-up. "So, interested in joining our Student Union?"

"Senior Mandy is in the Student Union?" Lin Nian was surprised.

"What else? Do you think she looks like an ascetic girl?" Finn tilted his head, eyeing Mandy, who had a bit of white milk foam on her lips.

"You're the ascetic one, your whole family is ascetic. I’d join the Lionheart Society too, but they have to actually want me," Mandy shot Finn a glare. "What did Caesar Gattuso promise you?"

"Free late-night snacks for the whole school year." Finn’s expression turned serious. "This is a life-saving matter, so don't steal my work, Junior Sister. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."

"You’re selling me out for a school year's worth of pork knuckles?" Lin Nian felt a bit depressed, feeling like Finn saw him as nothing more than a pork knuckle covered in sauce.

"Late-night snacks at Cassel College have tiers, and President Caesar said I could choose any tier I wanted, and eat until I’m stuffed every night," Finn looked down at his half-eaten pork knuckle with sorrow. "You know my situation, Junior. I was even selling autographed T-shirts at the airport just so I could afford an extra pork knuckle for lunch... I’ve even lost weight recently."

Lin Nian looked up and down at Finn’s hulking frame, noting the little belly poking out from under his school uniform. Surely that counted as fat, right?

"Cheap and unambitious," Mandy shook her head. "In my eyes, you're worth at least the entire collection of lipsticks Chanel released this year. The Gattuso family has a lot of influence in Europe; if a case of Chanel isn't enough, they can throw in Dior and Lancôme."

"So, to you, I’m either a pork knuckle or a case of lipstick," Lin Nian sighed. "Both of you, please head back. I won't be joining the Student Union or the Lionheart Society for now. I don't want to become political capital for someone's election campaign. I haven't even been assigned my classes yet."

"It's fine. As long as you haven't filled out the membership form, there's still hope. I'm just staking my claim so some despicable person doesn't get there first." When she said "despicable person," Mandy didn't even try to hide the fact that she was looking directly at Finn.

"That's called having the advantage of proximity," Finn said, his skin as thick as ever.

As the two glared at each other, Lin Nian quietly picked up his pork knuckle and left the table. Sighing as he walked, he decided to find another place to enjoy his lunch, feeling that he might need to reconsider whether coming to Cassel College had been the right choice after all.