Dragon Raja 4; Chapter 138: Unbeatable Loneliness is a Disease (4)

Dragon Raja 4

Within two or three minutes, the plates were empty. They leaned back in their chairs, each holding a glass of wine and rubbing their full stomachs.

Nono glanced at the clock on the wall. “Less than half an hour left. Since I’m about to die, there’s nothing left to hide. If you have any questions, ask away.”

Lu Mingfei scratched his head. “I don’t have any questions. I just brought you here to eat. Too bad the foie gras wasn’t cooked right.”

Nono silently sipped her wine for a while. “When we first met, you were such a fool. You need to understand—no girl likes a fool. It sounds harsh, but whose life is meant to be charity?”

Lu Mingfei nearly spat out his wine. “I get it! I get it! Senior Sister, you were with Caesar by then. I was just daydreaming.”

“It’s not about him. I’m just saying I didn’t like you. If I had, no one could’ve stopped me.”

Nono crossed her arms. “Sometimes, I even found you annoying.”

“Me? Annoying?” Lu Mingfei stammered. “I mean… I have plenty of bad habits. It’s normal if you found me irritating. But… can I ask? Was there something I did that was particularly terrible?”

“Not really. I disliked you because you reminded me too much of my younger self. But I hated who I used to be, so I became who I am now.”

Lu Mingfei was silent for a moment. “There are times when I hate myself, too. But when I finally want to change, it’s often too late.”

Nono nodded. “If you treated me like a brother, like you do Fing—Finger—it would be much easier for me. I’ll always be around when you need me, but I don’t want to share the same misery. I’m too scared to be lonely again.”

Lu Mingfei laughed. “If loneliness is a disease, I’ve been sick for a long time, but I still don’t know how to cure it.”

“Loneliness isn’t a disease, but if you can’t find a way out of it, then it becomes one,” Nono said softly. “Remember what I said: one day, no one will be around to take care of you anymore. In the end, you’ll have to rely on yourself.”

According to the current storyline, they had recently left Sacred Heart Charity Hospital, and while helping him straighten his clothes, Nono had said something similar. At the time, it struck a chord with Lu Mingfei, making him feel that Nono was hinting at something deeper. Looking back now, it was clear—Nono was hinting at something. It had been a rehearsal for a farewell. Though they still had time left, even the longest vacation must come to an end, and both Nono and Lu Mingfei understood this. They were no longer children.

“Be brave. Take care of yourself,” Nono said as she stood up and walked toward the open door.

Outside, the storm raged. The crows cawed in the darkness, and the shadows had already arrived, though they hadn’t yet found a way to cross the now-swollen, stormy Lotus River.

“Where are you going, Senior Sister?” Lu Mingfei asked.

“I’m just going to check out the rain, get some fresh air.” Nono didn’t turn back.

Lu Mingfei watched her slender figure. Floating above her shoulder was green text: “Chen Motong (Imitation): Height: 170 cm; Weight: 49 kg; Measurements: B34-W24-H34.”

Her skirt whipped in the wind, fluttering like the tail feathers of a bird on the verge of snapping.

Lu Mingfei had never outright told her this was a game, worried that it would hurt her. She wasn’t the real Chen Motong—she was NPC No. 108, a copy modeled after Chen Motong, a disposable imitation. There were other things he had lied about too. This wasn’t the first time he’d said words that resembled a confession—just here at Aspasia, he’d said it twice before. It wasn’t even the first time they had a late-night snack together; previously, he’d taken different versions of Nono to eat seafood from street stalls and grilled cold noodles. This Nibelungen had a strange sense of humanity. The shops were empty, devoid of people, but the refrigerators were stocked with ingredients, and the gas stoves worked. In the past few days, his cooking skills had drastically improved, and he could now whip up a few decent dishes, though he still hadn’t managed to perfectly cook the foie gras for her.

“Hey, Senior Sister,” Lu Mingfei called, “don’t give up yet. We still have fifteen minutes. Let’s try again. Who says we’ll fail this time?”

No. 108 turned around, tilted her head, and looked him up and down, then suddenly smiled. “Saving an NPC? Or do you just feel bad about watching something that looks like your Senior Sister die?”

“You are my Senior Sister. From 10:23 tonight, the moment I opened my eyes, you’ve treated me like your junior, so of course, I’ll treat you as my Senior Sister.”

Lu Mingfei stood up and pulled out the black box he had brought from the Huanya Corporation. When he opened it, it was filled with heavy weaponry.

“You went to all this trouble to give me a dinner full of ceremony, then talked about such heavy themes, and now you’re taking up arms for a deathmatch?” No. 108’s eyes sparkled.

“Yeah. When it comes to risking my life, I’m kind of an expert.” Lu Mingfei grabbed the wine bottle and downed the last of it.