Dragon Raja 4; Chapter 90: Young Schoolmates (6)

Dragon Raja 4

That evening, Lu Mingfei had taken the stage to deliver a farewell speech, reminiscing about their three years of friendship and shared passion for literature. Before he could finish, Senior Sister Piao walked in, wearing a dazzling evening gown paired with sexy high heels. Every step she took down the stairs felt like a blow to the hearts of the boys. She apologized, saying she had brought Lu Mingfei’s luggage from his uncle’s house to avoid any delays at airport security, and the two of them were now off to the U.S. together. The students escorted them all the way to the parking lot, where Senior Sister Piao drove up in a fiery red Ferrari in the light rain…

Lu Mingfei thought to himself that the story was indeed quite dramatic, with all the right elements: the glamorous senior sister, the beautiful dress, and the red Ferrari. But wasn’t the daydreaming a bit too obvious?

Brother Zhang Facai, meanwhile, was hitting it off with Lu’s uncle, drinking so much that the principal and teachers were practically falling over. Zhang Facai was an expert at flattery, smoothly delivering lines the principal loved to hear.

It was clear that Zhang Facai had an ulterior motive for cozying up to the principal. After a few drinks, he began to inquire about Chu Zihang, saying that he remembered Cassell College recruiting two students from Shilan Middle School, one of whom had the surname Chu. He asked if the principal had any memory of it. The principal couldn’t recall, so he asked the director of academic affairs, who then asked the head of the grade. The head of the grade was adamant—there was no such student, and Zhang Facai must have been mistaken. While Lu Mingfei felt a pang of disappointment, he was also quietly grateful for Finger’s loyalty.

After a few rounds of drinks, the ballroom doors swung open, and in walked a young woman wearing a Dior suit and Louboutin heels. She walked with purpose, her carefully made-up face and curvy figure giving her the appearance of a high-powered company executive. It wasn’t until she got closer that Lu Mingfei realized she was still young, and her sharp, familiar face struck a chord.

“Xiao Tianyu?” Lu Mingfei was stunned. “You’ve grown up so much!”

“What kind of way is that to talk? Did you meet me when I was still a little girl?” She rolled her eyes at him. “Is Uncle Lu going to give me a red envelope?”

It was Su Xiaoqian, who, along with Chen Wenwen and Liu Miaomiao, had been considered one of the school beauties. But in terms of looks, she was the reigning queen.

Su Xiaoqian’s family was the largest mining owner in the region, earning money while practically lying down. She was also a top student and had gone to Fudan University. After graduating last year, she should have been interning at a large company in Shanghai to gain experience. However, her father had suffered a sudden heart attack, and Su Xiaoqian had no choice but to return home and take over the family business. She managed the company efficiently and decisively, earning the respect of her father’s old subordinates. Everyone now said that the daughter of the Su family was a true “iron lady.” Tonight, the iron lady had a business engagement, but nosy Xu Yanyan had called her to say that Lu Mingfei was back. So, Su Xiaoqian had raised a small bottle of Maotai, said her apologies for leaving early, and walked out to see her old schoolmate from America.

“You came back without telling me? Were you trying to avoid seeing me?” Su Xiaoqian’s gaze was both teasing and unsettling, making Lu Mingfei’s skin crawl.

Su Xiaoqian didn’t dwell on him for too long, instead sitting down and making small talk with Lu’s uncle. Now that the two of them were both well-known figures in the local business scene, they casually clinked glasses, completely ignoring age differences.

Lu Mingfei hurriedly whispered to Xu Yanyan, “Hey, I hit my head the other day, and some things are a bit fuzzy. Can you help me remember—do I have some kind of… history with Su Xiaoqian?”

Xu Yanyan patted him on the shoulder. “Some say that people’s greatest worry is having too good a memory. If you could forget everything, every new day would be a fresh start. How happy would that be?”

Lu Mingfei stared dumbly at this melodramatic fool. He’d forgotten that Xu Yanyan was also from the literature club, which explained why he could quote Wong Kar-wai movies so fluently.

Though Xu Yanyan had misunderstood, his words strangely fit the situation. If Lu Mingfei could just forget, how happy would he be?

Xu Yanyan added, “Liu Miaomiao and Xiao Tianyu were such good friends, but they fell out over you. Good thing Liu Miaomiao didn’t show up today, or it’d be even more dramatic.”

Lu Mingfei gasped, “Wait, I really had history with Su Xiaoqian?” Xu Miao laughed, “History? If you put in a little more effort, you could complete the ‘Twenty-Four Histories’ of China.”

Liu Miaomiao, known as the “Piano Princess” of Shilan Middle School, had left a lasting impression on Lu Mingfei. He still remembered her side profile as she sat by the piano, wearing a crisp white shirt and a navy blue skirt, as fresh as an orchid. In his memory, though, Liu Miaomiao had been Zhao Menghua’s ex-girlfriend. Zhao Menghua had first been with Chen Wenwen, then dumped her for Liu Miaomiao, and later got back together with Chen Wenwen… Their relationship was as tangled as it was messy.

Now, hearing Xu Yanyan’s version of events, it seemed like Shilan Middle School was one big version of the “Dream of the Red Chamber,” with Lu Mingfei cast as the playboy Jia Baoyu, while Zhao Menghua, at best, was a lesser character like Xue Pan.

Lu Mingfei found himself sitting between Su Xiaoqian on his right and Chen Wenwen on his left. It felt like sitting on pins and needles—flanked by peaches and plums—while the most terrifying thing was the cold, dark red eyes watching him from across the table.

Su Xiaoqian, now a bit tipsy, raised an eyebrow. “Why aren’t you drinking, Mingfei? Is it because your American girlfriend won’t let you have drinks with us old classmates?”

Lu Mingfei was terrified that Su Xiaoqian might stir up trouble with Nono, so he quickly clarified, “I don’t have any American girlfriend! My girlfriend’s from Russia!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he caught Finger from the next table glancing over, his eyes flashing with a knowing expression. Nono also looked surprised.

“I was just joking! I don’t have a girlfriend at all!” Lu Mingfei hurried to explain. “Ask Brother Zhang Facai if you don’t believe me.”

Finger smiled slightly. “Where we come from, Young Master Lu is a man with a harem. For someone like him, ‘girlfriend’ is a singular noun that doesn’t apply.”

Lu Mingfei wanted to grab the half-eaten fish and throw it at Finger’s face, but Finger had already opened his phone and was showing Su Xiaoqian pictures of Isabel and Zero.

Su Xiaoqian, overwhelmed by the beauty of Isabel and Zero, downed a few more drinks and suddenly started crying. She said that taking over the family business had been tough, she was just one girl, carrying the weight of her entire family, while uncles and relatives outside were all eyeing their wealth.

Nono stood up to leave, but Lu Mingfei’s uncle pulled her back. “Don’t rush off, Piao! Let me tell you some funny stories about Mingfei when he was a kid. You’ll love them!”

Lu Mingfei’s heart sank. Uncle, you’ve got this all wrong, haven’t you? You must be misunderstanding something here!

Nono didn’t bother to argue with the drunken man. She picked up a glass of water and said, “Whatever. Uncle, let’s drink.”

His uncle’s bleary eyes brightened, and he clinked his glass with Nono’s. “Young lady, have we met before?”

Suddenly, Lu Mingfei sobered up. The noise around him faded, as did Su Xiaoqian’s perfume. An eerie emptiness filled his heart. Memories he had long buried began to surface, flipping through his mind like pages of a medical record labeled PTSD. He could hear the voice of Toyama Masashi in his ear, urging him to let go, to move forward. Even if you keep looking back, there’s no one there anymore. Uncle, you’ve forgotten. The last girl who said, “Uncle, let’s drink,” is now buried forever in a deep well in the mountains.

He handed the swaying Su Xiaoqian over to Chen Wenwen and muttered something about needing to use the restroom before getting up from the table.

On the rooftop of the Regent Hotel, misty rain drifted in the night air, and a faint chill lingered in the breeze. The rooftop was unexpectedly spacious, with a simple basketball hoop installed—likely something the hotel staff used to kill time. Lu Mingfei leaned against the hoop and gazed out toward the distant CBD, where the city lights shimmered, surging toward him like the tide.

Someone patted him on the shoulder. Lu Mingfei turned to see that it was his uncle.

“What are you doing up here instead of keeping your classmates and teachers company?” His uncle patted his small beer belly. “You look like you’ve got something on your mind. Here I am giving you a hand, and you’re still not happy.”

Lu Mingfei was suddenly touched. His uncle had always been a thoughtful man. Back when his aunt couldn’t stand Lu Mingfei and would find any excuse to withhold his allowance, his uncle, though not daring to openly defy his wife, would always find small ways to slip Lu some money. He might hand him 20 yuan to buy soy sauce and then tell him to keep the change. After all, they were both from the Lu family, and the men had to look out for each other. But there was no need to dwell on such old memories now. In this new world, his aunt didn’t care about the money Giovanni sent, nor did she bother cutting down Lu’s allowance anymore. As for buying soy sauce, that was no longer a task the “young master” needed to handle himself.

His uncle turned his back, unzipped his pants, and let out a stream of urine. Afterward, he staggered, clutching the basketball hoop for support, and vomited profusely.

“All right!” His uncle wiped his mouth after finishing. “I’m sober now! I’ll go back down and make a comeback. But first, let’s talk about you.”

“I’m fine,” Lu Mingfei replied, trying to keep it simple. “The school sent me back to handle some matters, so I didn’t have time to give a heads-up…”

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