Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 42: The Unsolvable Knot (5)

Dragon Raja 3

“I asked him for a fight before graduation. Every time he came at me with a flying kick, I struck his knee with my bamboo sword. For three years, I practiced striking against the air like this. I imagined how he’d kick and how I’d strike. Every time he got back up, he couldn’t believe it. He said, ‘How can you hit me every time?’” Chu Zihang’s voice was a bit hoarse. “I didn’t answer. Of course I could hit him every time! I practiced ten thousand times!”

He placed his hand on Lu Mingfei’s shoulder. “Anyone can take control of their own life, as long as they believe they can.”

Lu Mingfei stared blankly at him. In Chu Zihang’s pupils, there were sparks like those of iron being forged.

“Senior Brother, you’re really the motivational king.” After a while, Lu Mingfei muttered.

“I hope you understand what I’m saying. Whether you give up on Nono or not, I don’t care,” Chu Zihang said. “But for other things, I hope you don’t give up!”

“Senior Brother, after you beat that guy up so badly, how did you explain it to your family?” Lu Mingfei suddenly asked.

“His mom came to the school, and I had to find my parents. So I went to my mom,” Chu Zihang scratched his forehead. “You know what my mom’s like… she’s not exactly reliable… After I told her why I fought, she laughed so hard she almost fell over.”

“Almost fell over?”

“Well, she was… very happy, I guess. Then she put on her best clothes, wore her Patek Philippe watch and Cartier diamond ring, took the driver and our security guard, and drove my dad’s most expensive Mercedes to meet his mom. Rich women always like to show off in these situations. I noticed his mom also came dressed in flashy gold.”

“So they competed not only in dads but also in moms,” Lu Mingfei commented.

“I suddenly understood my mom’s intention. When his mom saw my mom’s attire, she lost confidence. But in the end, I did beat up her son, so his mom still complained, hinting that my mom remarried just for money. I guess those were things he heard his parents say at home and just parroted at school.”

“Did your mom get mad?”

“No, my mom stayed calm. She said, ‘This all started because your son said my son isn’t his father’s biological child. That’s true. But if we’re going to compare who’s better at spending money, then we’re comparing your husband to my son’s stepfather. Whoever wins, let fate decide. But my son won the fight against your son, which means my son’s genes are better—he’s stronger. Genes and health are things his biological father gave him! Why would your weak son have the right to mock mine? Oh, by the way, does your husband have health problems? Otherwise, how did he have such a weak son? Isn’t he supposed to be a black belt in karate? My son trained for three years and beat him. Is that even possible? Maybe you should take your son to a hospital.’ My mom said some pretty sharp things,” Chu Zihang smiled wryly. “She threw down some medical fees and took me home. My mom can be pretty harsh with her words.”

“Your mom is amazing!” Lu Mingfei gave a thumbs-up.

But then he suddenly stopped smiling. “Senior Brother, you know, I’ve also fought with someone, for a similar reason. My middle school classmates said my parents were probably divorced abroad, and neither of them wanted me, so they just dumped me with my uncle and aunt. Later, the school told me to get my guardian, so I told my aunt…” He licked his lips. “My aunt scolded me badly, then took me to apologize to that guy and made me help him with chores at school so she could pay less medical fees… When we got home, I overheard her discussing with my uncle whether my parents were really divorced abroad without telling them, and whether they’d still send money for me…”

Chu Zihang was stunned.

“So for a whole week, I helped that guy with chores at school. When I got home to my uncle’s place, I had to serve everyone dinner before I could eat, then wash the dishes. I’d hear my aunt say, ‘Your allowance is almost used up. I’ve saved your allowance in a separate account and haven’t touched it.’ And my cousin told me that if my allowance didn’t come next month, I’d probably have to move out, so he could have his own room…” Lu Mingfei laughed again, but it was a sad smile. “So, Senior Brother, you’re impressive because you’ve got someone backing you. You’ve got a dependable stepdad and a beautiful mom. They really… love you. No matter what trouble you get into, there’s a place for you to go back to. But I don’t have that. How do you expect me to be brave?”

Lu Mingfei took big bites of his fried eggs, trying to mask any emotion. “Do you know how people in China categorize others as either ‘tall, rich, and handsome’ or ‘losers’? ‘Tall, rich, and handsome’ guys are the ones girls fight to get with, and if they fail or get dumped, they find a boy who likes them but whom they don’t like, to cry to. Those boys are the ‘losers.’” His mouth was full of runny egg yolk, and his voice was muffled. “If a girl accidentally gets pregnant by a ‘tall, rich, and handsome’ guy, the loser will sadly take her to the hospital and comfort her. And when she’s better, she’ll go find another ‘tall, rich, and handsome’ guy, and the loser won’t even get a reply on QQ…”

He wiped his mouth. “Senior Brother, you’re really ‘tall, rich, and handsome,’ and I’m a loser. I hate categorizing people like that… because they’ve categorized me so accurately.”

“Don’t talk to a loser about courage and hope.” He lay down on the long table, closing his eyes.

Tonight, he shouldn’t have meddled. He was never good at giving pep talks, and in the end, he got laughed at.

In reality, everyone loses hope sometimes—not just the “losers” but even the “winners.” He reached into his pocket and felt the key.

“Yes, I am Jörmungandr, the Dragon King Jörmungandr!”

“It’s like I stole your girl… go find Xia Mi there. I left everything about her there.”

That defiant voice echoed in his ears once more. She denied being Xia Mi, thus denying all the vague feelings between them, not giving Chu Zihang even the slightest chance to verify. She did it beautifully—done so ruthlessly.

Chu Zihang could strike an enemy’s legs with his sword ten thousand times, yet he couldn’t change that ending. Just like the story of Shanghai Fortress, there are some tragedies in this world without a solution—dead ends.

Faced with a dead end, what hope could there be?

He hoped that Lu Mingfei could stand up and blow up Caesar’s wedding car so that he could join him—perhaps to make up for what he failed to do back then.

It’s like how seniors about to graduate often tell freshmen, “Stop being a loser, GPA doesn’t matter, learn guitar, start a band, ride a bike and travel with the girl you like—live like that.” The freshman thinks the senior is amazing, and excitedly asks where the senior traveled with his girl. The senior replies sadly, “Nowhere. We didn’t have money then, and I was busy focusing on getting scholarship grades.”

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