Dragon Raja 2; Chapter 150: The Man Behind the Scenes (7)

Dragon Raja 2

Chu Zihang pondered for a few seconds. “If he doesn’t say anything, the feelings he hides are worthless. One day, he’ll die with those feelings, and no one will ever know. So why not say it?”

Finger fell back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. “Feelings… some people’s feelings are worth a lot, others’ are trash. For example, Junior Brother’s feelings are worthless. What Caesar can give Nono, Junior Brother can’t even begin to offer. Feelings are sacred words, but they’re not hard currency—you can’t exchange them for food. Just because you like someone, it doesn’t mean your feelings are precious, my friend. For useless feelings like his, it’s better to forget them as soon as possible.”

“But you just said you’d blow up the groom.”

“Everyone’s different. Someone like you, for example—you’re the type to love fiercely. If a girl you liked was getting married, even if the wedding carriage had already set off, you’d shoot out the axle to stop it,” Finger said. “But our loser Junior Brother is a coward. Even if Caesar invited him to be the best man, he wouldn’t know how to refuse. He’d end up standing behind Nono in a perfectly fitted suit, watching her marry into the Gattuso family, then drink two bottles of red wine and sleep like a dead pig. The most aggressive he gets is charging at zombies with a shotgun in ‘Resident Evil,’ drooling as he shoots.”

“Does emotion have no value if it’s not madly passionate?”

“You could put it that way.” Finger shook his head and sighed. “A guy who’s always silently brooding and never dares to do anything—his emotions are really cheap! No, not cheap—they’re downright stupid!”

“Downright stupid?” Chu Zihang repeated the words, trying to understand their meaning. “What kind of person can be considered downright stupid? I know it’s an insult, but it seems like it can be used for anyone, without specific meaning?” He was a man with a linguistic compulsion. Everything he said could be printed verbatim in a high school textbook, specifically a science textbook, with a pure factual tone and no fluctuations in emotion.

“Well…” Finger scratched his messy head. “A Chinese person asking a German to explain ‘downright stupid’… is pretty stupid in itself… This term can basically describe any loser that’s both annoying and pathetic. Applied to Junior Brother, it’s like… he knows something is impossible but still stubbornly holds out hope, staying cowardly all the way. Sometimes he gets hot-blooded and acts like a lunatic, but when it comes time for him to be brave, he backs down… He’s like a clueless kid, stubborn as hell, and a coward too. Damn! He’s got all the worst traits—doesn’t that make him downright stupid?”

Chu Zihang was silent for a long time, then nodded slightly. “I see, downright stupid indeed. So how did you break up with your girlfriend back then?”

“Dammit! Another topic switch? It’s like asking a plastic surgery expert about cosmetic procedures, and then suddenly asking if they’ve had their appendix removed!” Finger grumbled. “Fine, it’s because I was downright stupid back then too…”

“Everyone has a downright stupid phase, right?” Chu Zihang said indifferently.

There was a knock on the door, followed by a voice pitched high: “Mole, mole, this is Sweet Potato!”

Chu Zihang got up to open the door, and Xia Mi, carrying large bags, peeked in and gestured to Finger. “Wow, it’s such a mess in here! Is this the legendary boys’ dormitory? Are you raising cockroaches as pets? Can I come in? Could you move your pets away first? I’m scared I might step on those cute little animals…”

She was wearing a bohemian plaid long dress and straight suede boots, paired with a wine-red leather jacket and a long purple scarf. No one could quite figure out her fashion sense, but every time they saw her, she was eye-catching. Maybe it was because she had a whole walk-in closet to pick and match from.

“Junior Sister, you look stunning! Come here, let Senior Brother check if your waistline has grown…” Finger opened his arms wide.

Xia Mi threw a piece of cheesecake at his face. “I was worried you’d starve, so I brought you food! Huh? Where’s Lu Mingfei?”

“Your Senior Brother Lu went out for training. He won’t be back for a while. We’ll reunite at Sabaody Archipelago in two years. Just share the food with us; is it Beijing snacks?” Finger’s eyes lit up.

“Yup,” Xia Mi nodded, sitting down and rummaging through the bags. “I’m from Beijing, you know, and I went home to see my parents today. I bought a bunch of things, and I brought some for you guys too. Even though you have two Chinese people in this group, it looks like Senior Brother Finger’s the most self-sufficient.”

“You’re too kind. It’s just my natural survival instinct to find food wherever I go,” Finger said proudly.

“Daoxiangcun pastries, preserved fruits, Tianjin’s Eighteen Street Mahua… and Tianfuhao pork knuckles,” Xia Mi listed as she pulled items out. “Should be enough for a few days.”

Finger clutched his chest. “Ah, this overwhelming happiness! You must be the mole our group planted! I knew you were still on our side.”

“That’s because Senior Brother Finger is the most handsome,” Xia Mi grinned.

Finger turned to Chu Zihang, pounding his chest. “See, Junior Brother? You still need your Senior Brother’s good looks to escape the tragic life of eating junk food every day!”

Chu Zihang was too lazy to entertain the two jokers. After nodding in greeting to Xia Mi, he continued to stare at the Beijing map on the wall, lost in thought.

“Seismic data from Beijing?” Xia Mi walked up to him. Her studies leaned towards science, so she understood immediately.

Chu Zihang nodded. “But there’s too much junk data, too much interference. It’s like wind rippling across a lake—there are so many waves that we can’t find the bubbles rising from the fish underneath.” He tapped the map. “The fish is hiding under the surface now, but when it fully awakens, it’ll break through in its true dragon form, and by then, it’ll be too late.”

“He’s currently still in human form. To fully awaken, he’s likely transforming into a dragon,” Xia Mi said.

“Yes, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to cause the two incidents at the train station and Six Flags amusement park. He couldn’t exactly fly to America as a dragon.” Chu Zihang said, “But a Dragon King in human form has limitations—Norton already proved that.”

Xia Mi stared at the map: “Transforming completely into a dragon takes time—it’s like hatching all over again. I told my parents that you’ve been looking out for me, and they said they’d like to invite you over for dinner.”

Chu Zihang was stunned and didn’t have time to respond before Finger’s loud voice interrupted: “Another one of you science students’ sudden transitions, huh? Hey, hey, is this the so-called ‘meet the parents’ scenario?” Finger covered his face, “Shamefully adorable!”

“Adorable, my foot!” Xia Mi turned around and said angrily, “It’s just an invitation for dinner!”

“Then why not invite me?” Finger jumped up, questioning.

Xia Mi was taken aback.

“It’s obvious I’m not invited, right? Clearly, you weren’t planning on calling me! Guilty and blushing, huh? Damn it! I knew you girls think I’m an old guy! Saying Senior Brother is the most handsome was all just lies!” Finger’s face was full of indignation.

“I don’t even know you…” Xia Mi covered her face and turned away.

Chu Zihang cleared his throat and hesitated for a few seconds: “You can see we’re already very busy here, so I probably won’t have time to go. But thank you for your parents’ kind offer.”

“It’s just dinner, only a few hours. My brother really wants to meet you after he heard about it,” Xia Mi covered her ears, “He was shouting on the phone like ‘Sister, sister, I want big brother to play with me,’ so noisy! I had no choice but to come and invite you!” Xia Mi leaned her face close to Chu Zihang, “Please say yes, please say yes?” She shook her head, her eyes darting around.

“I…” Chu Zihang was at a loss for words. “I’m not really good at playing with people…”

“He’s your brother, isn’t he? Why does he call you sister? And didn’t you say before he was your younger brother?” Finger was curious.

“It’s ‘Onee-san’ sister!” Xia Mi stuck out her tongue. “He’s a bit developmentally delayed, so mentally, he’s like a child, and he always thinks I’m his older sister.”

“Speaking of which, helping minors is a traditional virtue of our Cassell College!” Finger puffed out his chest. “It’s our duty! Chu Zihang, it’s your duty too!”

Chu Zihang was helpless: “When?”

“The day after tomorrow at noon. How about making dumplings together?”

“Okay,” Chu Zihang nodded.

“Wait a minute? But I have plans the day after tomorrow at noon,” Finger suddenly said. “Even though I’d love to go with you, it’s really unfortunate. You should go to Junior Sister’s house by yourself.”

Chu Zihang was stunned: “You… have plans?”

Finger shook his fluffy hair, trying to make it look a bit rebellious. He straightened his collar and lifted his chin: “Visiting Beijing’s 798 Art District.”

“Are you messing with me?” Chu Zihang thought to himself.

“Oh, Senior Brother, you’re going to 798? There are some nice art galleries there. Let me draw you a map…” Xia Mi already sat down on the bed and started drawing a map for Finger on a piece of paper. No one paid any more attention to Chu Zihang, as if everything had already been decided—natural and reasonable. The day after tomorrow at noon, the dutiful Chu Zihang would represent Cassell College, a prestigious institution with a tradition of fine virtues, and go to Xia Mi’s house for dinner, as well as entertain her brother.

Chu Zihang suddenly understood why the word “smash” was used so often online. It was that kind of feeling—wanting to smash the keyboard into their faces! It was a scam from the very beginning! Since when did Cassell College have a tradition of helping minors? When did that group of killers ever care about minors?

“Hey, undercover Junior Sister, what is Caesar doing?” Finger suddenly asked.
“It seems like from yesterday to today, he’s been drinking tea, taking Finnish baths, having a spa… and today he’s apparently shopping at Liulichang.”