Dragon Raja 2; Chapter 63: Dandelion (10)

Dragon Raja 2

“When you left, she kept looking at you through the glass. I saw it in the rearview mirror,” Chu Zihang said. “She probably did like you a bit, but you ran away.”

“Yeah,” Lu Mingfei nodded seriously. “Because if she liked me, it wouldn’t be the real me she liked. Honestly, I don’t even know what Aspasia is. I don’t have that kind of taste, nor do I have a Mint Club membership card. I couldn’t afford that meal; I’m still in credit card debt. It was the boss who treated her, and of course, the boss is great—any girl would like the boss, right? If it were me, I could only afford ramen from a street stall… but even if all I can offer is ramen, I still hope someone would like me…” He scratched his head, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. “I’m rambling… do you understand what I mean, Senior?”

Chu Zihang’s eye twitched slightly, and he fell silent. After a long while, he reached out and patted Lu Mingfei’s shoulder. “I understand… there was once a person who only knew how to drive, and he hoped that someone would like him for just that.”

Lu Mingfei felt a hint of warmth from his senior, but he didn’t quite understand the deeper meaning behind the words, so he just grinned.

“What a person can accomplish doesn’t depend solely on their bloodline, but rather on what they want to achieve. When I say you can’t do it, it’s not about your bloodline or abilities. It’s because you lack a goal,” Chu Zihang said. “If there’s no goal that makes you willing to risk it all, then you’re useless, even if your bloodline is stronger than ours.”

“Who would I risk it all for…?” Lu Mingfei mumbled. He thought back to the underwater scene in the Three Gorges, where he saw the sharp tail pierce Nono’s chest. She floated in her blood, her hair like seaweed. His fingers burned, and he desperately wanted to draw that sword. It felt amazing; he longed for another opportunity to risk it all in a heated moment… but did he even have the right to do that for anyone?

“Everyone has something or someone that makes them willing to risk their life. You’re keeping yours so you can risk it when the time comes,” Chu Zihang said softly.

As the words left his mouth, Chu Zihang realized they sounded overly sentimental, especially considering he and Lu Mingfei weren’t close enough to be sharing such deep feelings. They were just partners for this mission, nothing more. He stopped talking, pressing down hard on the gas pedal. The Panamera’s engine roared, and the car became a dark blue streak of lightning on the highway.

The night sky was a deep blue, while the glacier below it was black. It was almost midnight, and the moon had just risen above the glacier, bathing the ancient ice in a bluish glow. A wolf’s howl echoed from somewhere, startling the sleeping birds in the pitch-black forest into flight. The Hailuogou hot spring resort lay nestled in the mountain basin beneath the glacier.

Nono and Susie were soaking in a rectangular hot spring pool. Under the lights, the water was a soft baby blue, with wisps of steam rising from the surface. Nono stretched out one long leg, holding a razor.

“Come on, you barely have any leg hair,” Susie said lazily, sipping a can of cold cola from a small floating wooden tray in front of her.

“I’m just imitating Marilyn Monroe’s style,” Nono replied, diving underwater before emerging like a fish next to Susie. “What’s sexy about shaving your legs anyway?”

“I’m not a guy, ask Caesar,” Susie said indifferently.

“Caesar thinks lace dresses are the sexiest—he’s already recruited a bunch for the student council,” Nono said with a sly smile. “Do you think Chu Zihang would like it? Maybe I’ll dramatically shave in front of him someday.”

“You should do it in front of Lu Mingfei—he’d probably get a nosebleed so strong it would send him to the moon,” Susie teased, pinching her friend’s nose. “You remember, right? Today is Lu Mingfei’s birthday. He’s your only little follower; did you text him?”

“I remember, I remember, but I’m hesitating,” Nono placed a cool white towel on her forehead and leaned back, looking up at the sky.

“Don’t tell me you don’t know he likes you.”

“Do I look that dumb?” Nono made a funny face. “I started dating back in kindergarten!”

“Kindergarten?”

“I’m the queen of all queens. I once stood on the kindergarten podium and announced to all the boys that from now on, they were all my boyfriends, and they all had to do whatever I said. Anyone who didn’t would be kicked out of the group!” Nono laughed, showing her beautiful teeth, her silver four-leaf clover earrings swaying gently.

“What does it feel like to be admired by a junior?”

“It’s like getting complimented by an uncle in kindergarten who says, ‘This little girl is so pretty.’”

“What do you mean?”

“Whether it’s the uncle calling you pretty or a junior liking you, neither really understands you. The uncle will compliment the next little girl he sees, and the junior will ultimately end up with another junior girl.” Nono shrugged and got up to sit on the step beside the hot spring. She was wearing a swimsuit, but a large area of skin on her chest was still exposed. Water droplets rolled down, revealing a scar that hadn’t healed for long. The scar was left from the operation in the Three Gorges Reservoir, but she didn’t remember what caused it. The doctor had been amazed, saying it was a miracle she survived such a massive and dangerous weapon.

“You must have a lot of admirers. Does Caesar know? Isn’t he worried?”

“Caesar is actually very sensitive. He can tell who likes me,” Nono said as she tilted her head, combing through her dark red hair. “But he’s neither worried nor jealous. He thinks that only he deserves me. Of course, if it were Chu Zihang who liked me…” Nono squinted her eyes, smiling like a crescent moon, “Caesar might get serious. It almost makes me want to seduce your Chu Zihang!”

“Chu Zihang wouldn’t be seduced. Even if you ran toward him naked in the snow, he’d think you had a fever and needed cooling down,” Susie said indifferently.

“Hey, just kidding, don’t be so stingy. I won’t touch your Chu Zihang,” Nono carefully nudged Susie’s shoulder.

“He’s not mine. You don’t really think he’s my boyfriend, do you? He’s just my good friend. He’s willing to do things for me only because he thinks I helped him before. That’s just the way he is—he always repays those who help him. Today you helped him with your ‘profiling’; he might invite you to dinner after school starts.” Susie smiled.

Nono sighed and patted Susie’s head, “Hearing that makes me want to cry. That guy is such a jerk. I’ll help you teach him a lesson when we get back to the college.”

“He’s just not very emotional,” Susie was silent for a moment, then changed the topic. She turned to Nono and scratched her nose, “To be serious, you’ve been with Caesar for almost two years now. Are you planning to marry him?”

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