Dragon Raja 4; Chapter 61: The Funeral of a Fifteen Year Old Boy (3)

Dragon Raja 4

Lu Mingfei thought it was just Finger’s wishful thinking. It wouldn’t be long before he called back to complain about everything wrong with Cuba. But not long after, Finger posted a recent photo on the Night Watcher’s forum. In the picture, he was sitting in an old convertible Chrysler, puffing on a thick, hand-rolled cigar, with a beautiful girl with chocolate-colored skin in his arms, smiling sweeter than Cuban sugarcane.

Looking at that photo, Lu Mingfei felt a strange pang of sadness. He had always thought that some people never changed, that underdogs were eternal. But who would have thought that even an underdog could grow into a majestic husky?

The two of them got busier and busier and were in touch less and less. Sometimes, they would go a month or two without talking. But Lu Mingfei kept reading Dragon Slayer in Japan, quietly reminiscing about that perpetually rainy city.

As the sun set and clouds gathered, Lu Mingfei started feeling a little hungry. He mulled over his thoughts for a while, preparing to settle the dispute with a final decision. He looked up, about to speak, when he suddenly realized the conference room was empty. The ministers and their arguing voices had disappeared, leaving only him and the handsome boy across the long table.

The boy had soft, curly hair and large, childlike eyes, but he was dressed in a formal black suit with a white tie, a sorrowful expression on his face.

“I didn’t summon you, why are you here again?” Lu Mingfei said nervously, “Get lost! I have no business with you!”

“Brother, it’s time. We need to attend the funeral,” Lu Mingze said softly.

“Funeral?” Lu Mingfei was confused. What funeral? Whose funeral? But the way Lu Mingze said it, it suddenly made sense—there really was a funeral. He had rushed back from Rio de Janeiro just to attend this funeral. 

When Lu Mingze came over and took his hand, Lu Mingfei didn’t resist. Lu Mingze even patted the back of his hand, as if to comfort him.

They walked out of Norton Hall together and headed towards the chapel. The campus, under the night sky, was filled with candlelight, and the chapel itself was a sea of glowing candles.

The soft sound of a wind harp played somber requiem music. A white hexagonal coffin lay on the altar, surrounded by boys and girls in black, all weeping quietly.

The priest recited the eulogy in a low voice: “Today we gather here to mourn this fifteen-year-old boy. He has left us, as all things must quietly pass. Rest in peace, my friend. Your soul will endure. We offer you our tears, a final expression of love. We thank you for the dreams and happiness you brought us, now and forever…”

A fifteen-year-old boy? Did Lu Mingfei know any fifteen-year-old boys? Why was he attending his funeral?

He looked questioningly at Lu Mingze, but the little demon, like everyone else, had his eyes downcast in mourning.

After finishing the prayer, the priest hammered in nails one by one to seal the coffin. When he finished the last nail, he made the sign of the cross and said, “Amen!”

The atmosphere in the chapel suddenly lightened. People started smiling, chatting, and walking out together. Even the priest took off his robes and joined the crowd. By the time Lu Mingfei came to his senses, he was the only one left in the chapel. Even the little demon had disappeared. Lu Mingfei felt perplexed. He knew that according to Christian belief, death was just the soul ascending to heaven, where friends and family would eventually reunite. But was it really necessary to be so relaxed? It was as if that person had never existed at all.

In the silent chapel, surrounded by a sea of candlelight, he stood alone facing the coffin. Inside lay a fifteen-year-old boy whom he didn’t recognize. Sadness, like an unnamed seed, sprouted in his heart. He thought to himself, “Have they really forgotten you just like that? Have we prayed and sung for you, only to never remember you again?” You lie in that coffin, so lonely, while they continue with their laughter and joy.

He didn’t want to linger in such a sorrowful place, so he turned to leave. But suddenly, the sound of a bell rang out, as if the world was being torn apart. He turned sharply, looking back at the coffin in the candlelight, and was startled. He felt like he did know that boy, but he had forgotten the boy’s name and the experiences they had shared.

How long ago was it… how long ago was it… Lu Mingfei clutched his head in pain, as if it was about to split.

“Ricardo? Ricardo?” Someone was shaking his shoulder.

He smelled a faint scent of cypress, the fragrance Isabel often wore.

Lu Mingfei woke up with a start, realizing that he had been dreaming while lying on the conference table. The table was empty, and the voices of the ministers could be heard from the next room.

“Is the meeting over? Has the budget been decided?” Lu Mingfei asked in confusion. “I don’t even know when I fell asleep—it must be the aftereffects of my injury.”

“I handled the communication on your behalf, and they accepted the budget for next year,” Isabel said with a smile. “The Lionheart president is waiting downstairs and would like to meet with you.”

Lu Mingfei almost leaped to his feet. “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier? I’ll go right away!”

Although Chu Zihang had graduated, he was still the president of the Lionheart Society. He had graduated alongside Susie and Lancelot, and with their departure, the Lionheart Society immediately exposed a lack of talent. In terms of managing the organization, Chu Zihang couldn’t compare to Caesar, who had long prepared successors like Lu Mingfei. Chu Zihang had not considered who would take over after him. Several elections had been held for the Lionheart presidency, but no candidate received enough votes, forcing Chu Zihang to extend his tenure.

Now, their meetings had become rare, mostly occurring when Chu Zihang returned to campus to give reports. Every time he came back, Lu Mingfei would pull him aside for long talks late into the night.

There wasn’t really that much to talk about, but having Chu Zihang around made Lu Mingfei feel like a junior again. He liked being a junior because when the sky fell, he had an elder brother to help hold it up.

“Let him come up,” Isabel said with a smile. “There’s no need for you to personally go downstairs. That would be too formal.”

“What are you talking about? Do I seem like the kind of person who would let power go to my head?” Lu Mingfei said with mock indignation at Isabel’s teasing expression, then walked briskly downstairs.

The ground floor was lined with floor-to-ceiling windows, and outside, the streetlights had just come on. Waiters hired from the college’s restaurant were setting the table, preparing for the welcome dinner in honor of Chairman Lu’s return to campus. Lu Mingfei didn’t see Chu Zihang but noticed a well-dressed Black man in a navy blue suit and white tie sitting by the window, smiling at him with a broad grin of pearly white teeth.

Lu Mingfei had no idea who he was, so he waved in greeting and quickly asked a waiter where the Lionheart president was. The Black man immediately stood up, adjusted his suit and tie, and walked up to Lu Mingfei with a confident stride, extending his hand.

“Chairman Lu, hello. I am Bablu, the current Lionheart president. We’ve met a few times, but I imagine you’ve forgotten. I’ve been hoping to have the opportunity for a deeper conversation with you. Since I heard you had just returned to campus, I made a special visit.”

His Chinese was perfect, probably learned from watching the news, and his speech was elegant and respectful—clearly a man suited for politics.

Lu Mingfei stared at him for a moment, then, as if having an epiphany, extended his hand. “Ah, it’s you, Bablu! Sorry, sorry, my memory is terrible…”

No wonder Isabel said it wasn’t necessary for him to go down personally—while he had been in Rio de Janeiro, the Lionheart Society had already elected a new president. Now, with the Student Union overshadowing the long-established Lionheart Society, and with him being a senior and former president, it was only fitting to maintain some dignity and let the new president come upstairs to meet him.

But he didn’t remember meeting Bablu before—maybe it was at some sort of social gathering, just a quick glance in a sea of people.

Thinking about how Chu Zihang had left the college for good, Lu Mingfei felt a pang of sadness but couldn’t avoid the social interaction with Bablu. So, he politely invited Bablu to stay for dinner.

Bablu happily accepted, and they sat down by the window, making small talk before the table was set for dinner.

Bablu praised the elegant new design of the renovated Norton Hall, suggesting that it must reflect Chairman Lu’s taste. Lu Mingfei smiled noncommittally, thinking to himself, “If the Student Union really followed my taste, it would be a disaster. Forget Italian food tonight; we’d be having hotpot and drinking beer straight from the crate.” Bablu then said that as a junior, there was much he could learn from Lu Mingfei. Lu Mingfei replied, “No problem, we should organize more events. Back in Caesar and Chu Zihang’s time, they were always at odds with each other. It’s unnecessary—we’re student organizations, not gangs.”

Bablu was stunned. “Chu Zihang? Who is Chu Zihang?”

Lu Mingfei was also taken aback. “You’ve never heard of Chu Zihang? Then who did you take over the Lionheart presidency from?”

“Former President Abdullah Abbas graduated last year, and I was elected through the internal election to become the new Lionheart president. Chairman, do you see any problem with that?”

Lu Mingfei was getting irritated. “What Abdullah Abbas? Everyone knows that the previous Lionheart president was my senior brother, Chu Zihang. You shouldn’t be making things up like this.”

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