“He’s actually quite lucky. Many people have helped him. But the feeling is strange… It’s not happiness. None of the help brings him happiness; it only keeps him balanced on the edge of loneliness, as if he were the world’s child, and no one dares let him truly despair. Whenever he is about to fall into the abyss of sorrow, someone will give him a little comfort, almost as charity, to help him hold on. I have this strange feeling… that when he truly despairs, he will turn into…” Mai said softly, “…a devil!”
Morning, Beijing International Airport. The first flight of the day from North America to China had arrived, carrying an entire tour group. Customs urgently opened new entry lanes, but long lines still formed. The well-dressed Americans had no choice but to line up and wait, and they all seemed well-behaved, except for a few of them who were a bit rowdy.
“Hey, Mingfei! Great to see you!” Someone from the tour group ran up enthusiastically to shake hands with Lu Mingfei, who had dark circles under his eyes.
“Tencin?” Lu Mingfei’s eyes widened. This guy had slept the whole flight and had no idea what kind of people he was surrounded by.
“Wow, junior, you’ve got some wide social connections!” Finger said.
“Are you guys here to slay a dragon too?” Tencin shook hands with Finger as well.
“What do you mean… ‘too’?” Finger suddenly realized this situation was far from as simple as hundreds of hybrids flying to China.
“Yeah,” Tencin smiled, lowering his voice, “this was a special charter flight. We pre-screened all passengers—everyone on board is a hybrid. We’re all here to slay the dragon in China.”
“This is too big of a scene!” Lu Mingfei and Finger exclaimed in unison.
“We’re all friends here, no need to hide it. Aren’t you guys here for the same reason? The news has spread wildly lately—I think every hybrid in the world knows about the Dragon King potentially awakening in Beijing, unless they happen to be in the middle of Africa or some isolated place in the Amazon rainforest.”
“But come on, dude! Who do you think you are? What qualifications do you have to slay a dragon? Do you think slaying a dragon is like attending the World Expo, just needing a ticket and a line?” Finger was stunned. “Look at you in that cute outfit!”
Tencin wasn’t dressed as formally as at the auction but instead wore a long-sleeve shirt under a military green vest full of pockets, loose jeans, and a pair of sneakers. He also sported a New York Yankees baseball cap, with “Not a Hero Until You Reach the Great Wall” splashed across the chest of his shirt in bold Chinese characters.
“Oh,” Tencin laughed generously, “I’m not that delusional. With my Yanling, even second or third generations are overwhelming for me, let alone a Dragon King. But with such an influential event happening, it’d be a pity not to witness it firsthand… Plus, you have a point—the World Expo hasn’t ended yet, and my friends and I figured we might as well take a vacation and visit the Expo while we’re in China. Isn’t that a win-win? Look, some people even brought their families.”
“Wow, you’re treating this like a try-your-luck-if-it-fails-it’s-a-vacation thing. What kind of serene, ultimate ‘uncle mentality’ do you need for that?”
“A hybrid born in 1977 is already thirty-three this year. What’s so unusual about having an uncle mentality?”
At the same time, a Bombardier Global Express XRS landed smoothly at the Capital Airport. It was a private plane departing from Hong Kong, painted entirely black, unlike most private jets. As soon as the plane came to a halt, the cabin door opened, and without waiting for the boarding stairs, the VIP directly jumped out of the plane, facing the strong wind and the rising morning sun. Despite it being a mid-size business jet, the cabin door was more than two meters above the ground. What shocked the staff even more was that the VIP was wearing three-inch high heels and carrying a large LV travel bag…
Mai stood in the morning glow, removing the hairpin on her head. Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. She stretched freely, shaking off the fatigue from the long journey, and every man watching the scene instinctively touched their noses, wondering if they had a nosebleed. Even in the soft morning light, every extended curve of her body evoked the image of a blooming flower.
Chu Zihang was looking down, working on his laptop, while Lu Mingfei and Finger were dozing off with their heads drooping. Only Tencin saw the unforgettable figure. The girl in black leather ran from behind, like a black flash darting out of the empty diplomatic channel. He couldn’t help but whistle. Lu Mingfei looked up in confusion; for a moment, he smelled something familiar—a fragrant scent, filled with a sense of battle.
An extended Hummer was waiting outside the VIP channel, and a black-clad driver/bodyguard respectfully opened the door. Mai leaped into the car like a black swallow taking flight. The door closed immediately, and the Hummer sped away.
The back of the car was a private space, completely isolated from the driver’s seat, decorated with cherry wood and wine-red lambskin. In the temperature-controlled wine cabinet, crystal glasses clinked as the vehicle moved. The wide kangaroo leather sofa faced a 42-inch LCD screen displaying stock market trends from the New York Stock Exchange. A girl curled up on the large sofa, wearing black plastic-framed glasses, her dyed brown hair falling to cover half of her face. One hand scribbled quickly on paper, while the other held the car phone, her voice stern: “Increase the price by 1.5%, go all in buying stocks of our selected wind energy company! I’ve given you a credit limit of five hundred million dollars.” She grabbed a chip and put it in her mouth. “Don’t doubt my decision! Five minutes ago, a 200,000-ton oil tanker ran aground and sank in the Gulf of Mexico. This oil spill will provoke a severe backlash from environmentalists against the oil industry, and renewable energy companies will have a huge upswing in the next three months!”
“Hey! Chips! Seems like you’re enjoying yourself in Beijing!” Mai threw down her travel bag and immediately reached out to pinch the girl’s face.
“Hey, no touching!” Chips quickly covered her face.
But it was too late. Being a ninja, Mai’s hand moved faster than her mouth—just like a knife to an enemy’s throat. Before Chips could raise her hand, Mai had already pinched her face to her satisfaction and comfortably leaned back on the sofa, taking off her sunglasses and crossing her legs.
“Let me touch you—it won’t kill you. You’re really well-maintained, your face is so smooth and tender.” Mai looked her up and down. “But these clothes are still old-fashioned.”
“Well, I was waiting for you and did a face mask in the meantime…” Chips looked down at herself: a loose white shirt, washed blue jeans, and thin-soled flip-flops. “I might not be as fashionable as you, but I wouldn’t say it’s old-fashioned, okay? It’s just casual.”
“Damn! I’ve been carrying two blades and walking in three-inch heels all over the place—my legs are about to break, and you and that expressionless girl are just enjoying yourselves? Face masks? Cozy at home? What home-staying maiden makes a five-hundred-million-dollar call to buy wind energy companies?” Mai rolled her eyes. “When I got your call, I jumped straight into a car without even putting on makeup, rushing to Kai Tak Airport. God knows how many red lights I ran and how many tickets I racked up on the way—and here you are, all chill.”
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