Dragon Raja 2; Chapter 23: All Classmates Are Not Mean (4)

Dragon Raja 2

“Chen Wenwen, Lu Mingfei’s ‘first crush,’ lasting three years, ended without a trace, and she ended up with Zhao Menghua.”

If Lu Mingfei had a personal file on his life, and he looked back at it much later, the entry for Chen Wenwen would only include these few details. No hand-holding, no movie dates, no trips—there had never been a single chance. It was a lackluster crush. In the increasingly blurred memories, the occasional flash would be the white hem of her skirt on the bench on the first day of school, and the light and shadow cast on her face.

“Hi, Lu Mingfei,” Chen Wenwen said.

“Oh, oh, I’m going to the restroom,” Lu Mingfei replied.

They brushed past each other.

Lu Mingfei loitered in the restroom for a while before returning to the private room, where the pizzas were already served, and everyone was eating heartily. On his seat lay the fancy toilet seat, and beside it sat Chen Wenwen. He hesitated for a moment, but since it was the only seat left, he had no choice but to sit down gently, forking a slice of pizza onto his plate. Chen Wenwen smiled at him and nodded; she looked rather tired, probably from lack of sleep. After taking a couple of bites, Lu Mingfei looked up and noticed Zhao Menghua sitting across from the two of them.

“What’s going on?” he muttered to himself.

Chen Wenwen was Zhao Menghua’s girlfriend, so of course, she should sit with Zhao Menghua.

He was a bit worried they were playing a prank on him again; it wasn’t the first time. Looking left and right, he suddenly realized that everyone was seated this way because of him. No one had chosen the seat next to Lu Mingfei, and since Chen Wenwen arrived last, that was the only seat left for her.

“Should I switch seats with someone?” Lu Mingfei asked Chen Wenwen awkwardly.

Chen Wenwen shook her head, busy texting with her head down. After sending the message, she placed her phone face down on the table and began sipping her cream of mushroom soup. Her face was hidden behind the bowl, and Lu Mingfei couldn’t even get a glance at her.

From far away, Zhao Menghua’s phone beeped. He picked it up, glanced at the new message, sent a quick reply, and put his phone face down on the table.

“Boss, you’re awesome!” A younger classmate reached out towards Zhao Menghua’s hand.

“Only now do you realize I’m awesome?” Zhao Menghua shook his hand, still a bit confused, “Why are you shaking my hand? What’s going on?”

“No way I’d shake a guy’s hand… I wanted to see your watch.” The younger student grabbed Zhao Menghua’s wrist, revealing a thick watch with a soft golden-blue glow on the face. “Rolex?”

“Wow, a ‘Yacht-Master’! 4016 movement! Boss, you’re wearing a gold watch!” Some of the classmates recognized it.

Everyone put down their pizza and gathered around to see Zhao Menghua’s watch. That side became lively, leaving just Chen Wenwen and Lu Mingfei on this side, with half-eaten pizzas scattered across the table.

Actually, Lu Mingfei also wanted to go over and take a look. A nice watch is always cool for guys, and although Lu Mingfei didn’t know much about them, he understood the significance of wearing a good watch—it was like a monkey in the South Pacific islands stuffing wild fruits into its cheek pouches to create a strong, powerful look to attract female monkeys. Expensive male accessories—Caesar often wore a Patek Philippe, sometimes swapping it for a Zenith or Glashütte.

But Lu Mingfei didn’t move, because Chen Wenwen didn’t move. If he went over, she’d be left sitting alone. Chen Wenwen was still texting.

The conversation grew more animated, and several boys showed off their watches, talking about how recently someone bought a Jeep to drive around school, someone else skipped three classes to attend golf lessons, and another was staying in a hotel-style apartment that cost 12,000 a month instead of the dorms. All these topics were far from poor Lu Mingfei’s reality. Those people were also far from him. Ironically, the closest person to him now was Chen Wenwen, who was right in front of him yet felt worlds away.

Chen Wenwen didn’t even spare him a glance, just kept texting non-stop.

How awkward. Suddenly, Lu Mingfei started missing Finger. If that useless senior were here, he wouldn’t be embarrassed… He’d seize the chance to drag the lobster pizza over to himself! Suddenly feeling a bit cheerful, Lu Mingfei quietly pulled the freshly served lobster pizza towards him. The aroma of melted cheese made him feel better, and he couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

The laugh was so sleazy and creepy that everyone turned their heads simultaneously. The room suddenly fell silent.

Lu Mingfei shrank back.

Chen Wenwen pressed the send button on the text message.

Zhao Menghua’s phone beeped, “You have a new text message.”

Lu Mingfei knew who Chen Wenwen was texting with… He suddenly had a newfound understanding. It was so refreshing! It turned out that having a girlfriend had so many advantages! Even if they didn’t sit together for dinner, they could still text and chat. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the crowd, the two of them could chat slowly… Should we go out this weekend?… Was the beef noodle shop at that place good yesterday?… I recently read a great comic book… The flowers we planted in the botanical garden last year are sprouting… And so on, “beep,” “beep.”

No matter how noisy the surroundings are, the two of them still have their own world, so quiet that they can hear the flower seed that was lost last spring sprouting in the shadow under the window.

It’s really artistic, so artistic that it makes people sad.

Lu Mingfei’s well-tested krypton gold eyes were blinded with envy and hatred. Why hadn’t he noticed before? Oh, so that’s how it is. It turns out he never knew how close others were in private… It turns out he was always such an idiot… Lu Mingfei’s mind was full of random thoughts, and he grinned silently. Sometimes when he didn’t know what expression to use, he would grin like an idiot.

Zhao Menghua took back his Rolex and put it on, “Eat first, eat first.”

Liu Miaomiao sat nearby, silently flipping through her phone. The others returned to their seats, chewing their pizzas while cursing Teacher X for being such a pervert.

The atmosphere was a bit stifling.

“I’m going to the restroom.” Lu Mingfei stood up.

In the stall with the “squat-style toilet” the waiter had mentioned, Lu Mingfei clutched a wad of paper, striking a typical squatting posture, though in reality, he was deep in thought… Many things were suddenly swirling in his mind.

On Nono’s birthday night, her official boyfriend Caesar was leading the lace-dressed female student council members with assault rifles to slay a dragon on campus, while he and Nono were stargazing by the cold spring at the mountain’s peak. Nono had placed her phone on a rock, waiting for someone’s birthday wishes. He sat beside her, his feet playing in the icy spring water, feeling like he was breathing in sync with the red-haired little witch. Later, he gave her a sky full of fireworks. His heart stirred.

One afternoon, he and Chen Wenwen were on duty together. Chen Wenwen sat on the podium, smiling faintly, her head down as she texted. He excitedly waved a mop around, running back and forth, because in the vast world of the classroom, there were only the two of them. He felt incredibly close to Chen Wenwen, as if holding her hand was a real possibility. His heart stirred.

At the literature club’s graduation party, he and Chen Wenwen went to get movie tickets together. Walking along the riverbank, Chen Wenwen kept her head down, texting, her sleeve brushing against his shoulder. His heart pounded like crazy… No! It was as if hundreds of massive antlered stags, each standing two and a half meters tall, were crashing around in his chest with overwhelming passion. His nose nearly bled, and his face flushed, feeling that in that moment, he shared something with Chen Wenwen, wishing the road could stretch to the horizon… His heart stirred…

Damn it! Was the only thing worth writing about in his love history the phrase “his heart stirred”?

Series Navigation

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