Dragon Raja; Chapter 40: The Dictator (2)

Dragon Raja

“There’s nothing wrong with going back to China. I don’t care, and even if I did, it wouldn’t matter.” Lu Mingfei rested his hands behind his head, leaning back in bed, and stretched.

Finger gripped the mattress of the upper bunk, executing a high-difficulty body tuck to sit slowly on the lower bunk beside Lu Mingfei. “That’s the spirit. Cassell College isn’t that great anyway. They call it a school, but every day you’re hanging around with a bunch of reptiles. After graduation, you have to go all over the world slaying dragons, risking getting roasted by dragonfire. I can tell, junior, you’re not the hot-blooded type who’d shout something like ‘My destiny is to travel the world and slay dragons,’ right?”

“You’re saying what I’m thinking—I’ve got no problem with failing the exam and going back to China,” Lu Mingfei said, looking into Finger’s silvery gray Aryan eyes and shrugging. “I really don’t care.”

“But you sighed just now,” Finger repeated.

Lu Mingfei felt a surge of heat rising from his chest, like he had eaten something too spicy, burning, painful, making him forget about face or pretense. He just wanted to open his mouth.

“Why are you blabbering so much? What do you want? Whether I go back to China or not, it’s none of your business! Aren’t you also just a loser who hasn’t graduated in years? Do you think you’re so great? You still owe me money, remember? How many sodas have you taken from me? Are you gonna pay up or shut up?” Lu Mingfei suddenly snapped, not even sure why.

The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Finger might have been his only friend here. And Nono—he had shot her boyfriend, and now she was probably with that blonde guy, right?

“Brother, you’re losing it.” Finger patted his shoulder.

Lu Mingfei glanced at Finger and lowered his head.

“You’ve been yelling, ‘I want to drop out, I want to drop out,’” Finger said. “I just wanted to understand your mindset.”

Lu Mingfei sighed. “Sometimes I really want to drop out, but where would I go? By the way, why haven’t you thought about dropping out? What’s so good about this place? You’ve been here eight years and still haven’t graduated.”

“Can you not poke at my sore spot?”

“Okay, I won’t. Then tell me about your journey.”

“Because… loneliness.” Finger shrugged.

“Loneliness? You? Don’t make me laugh! You’re so good at banter—you could almost host a talk show.” Lu Mingfei rolled his eyes.

“I’m serious. People with dragon blood aren’t really human. The bloodline gives you the power of World Spirit, but it also makes you feel distant from others. When you have World Spirit power, you constantly remind yourself you’re not ordinary. Only among others like us can that feeling of loneliness fade. That’s why dragon-blood hybrids naturally gather together—it’s a genetic thing. This loneliness is called ‘The Sorrow of Blood,’” Finger explained. “Wait a minute, you’re S-Rank—haven’t you ever felt particularly… lonely?”

“Lonely?” Lu Mingfei thought back to his eighteen years of life and shook his head. “Not lonely.”

Finger scratched his head. “Back at Chicago train station, I saw you spacing out all the time. What were you thinking about? Your parents aren’t around, you don’t have any particular skills, you can’t get a girlfriend, your grades are bad, and you don’t even have a real friend. If you’re not lonely, it doesn’t make sense.” Finger said, “Even I feel lonely—I mean, when I was a kid.”

“But so what if you’re lonely? Is being lonely a big deal? Feeling lonely just makes you feel worse.” Lu Mingfei looked up at the ceiling. “No one talks to you, you feel lonely, but even when you’re lonely, there’s still no one to talk to.”

Finger nodded earnestly. “You feel lonely… but there’s still no one to talk to… It really makes sense… Brother, you’re quite the philosopher.”

“You’re the philosopher—more like a jellyfish.” Lu Mingfei said, “Just find ways to pass the time, then you won’t feel lonely. Daydreaming alone is fun. I could spend a whole night on the rooftop, just thinking about stuff.”

“Sounds like you were doing pretty well in China, so why not go back? Even ‘The Sorrow of Blood’ doesn’t seem to affect you.”

Lu Mingfei thought for a moment, sighed, rested his elbows on his knees, and hung his head, hands clutching his hair.

“But at home,” he said softly, “there’s nothing there. If there was nothing at home, would you want to go back?” He looked at Finger.

Finger looked back at Lu Mingfei, something fleeting passing through his silvery gray eyes—some kind of shared sorrow, or perhaps some emotional empathy? Lu Mingfei couldn’t quite tell.

“Even wild flowers have their spring, and even weeds want to grow,” Lu Mingfei shrugged. “I might be useless, but I want people to notice me. I want girls to like me. I want to have something I can brag about… I don’t want to be an extra my whole life.” As Lu Mingfei said this, his stomach growled.

Finger was stunned. “Hungry? Why don’t we order some late-night snacks? Give me your student ID for a moment.”

“There’s a late-night snack service?” Lu Mingfei perked up a bit, handing his student ID to Finger. “You’re not talking about tea eggs, right?”

“Tea eggs? Today’s our first night sharing a room, of course we’re ordering a feast!” Finger read out Lu Mingfei’s student ID number. “To Dorm 303 in Zone 1, send two orders of truffle bread, two servings of foie gras with lemon juice, one bottle of champagne… Yes, with an ice bucket and lemon zest. And let’s have a roasted goose too—we’re a bit hungry. Two cheese herring rolls as well.”

Lu Mingfei wiped his mouth, his stomach growling even more intensely.

Twenty minutes later, a waiter in white pushed in a dining cart and lifted the silver covers, revealing the feast Finger had ordered. The elegant waiters set up a table in the dorm room, spread out a white tablecloth, arranged silver cutlery, placed a champagne bucket in the middle, and put two chilled glasses in front of them. Finally, they lit a candle before leaving silently. The waiters had merely smiled the entire time without uttering a word.

“Wow! This really is a noble’s school! Although I was ready to drop out tomorrow, with a meal like this, I’m having second thoughts.” Lu Mingfei stabbed a fork into the goose’s chest, watching with delight as the oil oozed out.

“Eat! Man can’t survive without food! Let’s eat first, then think about the 3E exam. There’s always a way out, and when away from home, you rely on your brothers—don’t worry, I’m here for you!” Finger grabbed a truffle bread roll and took a big bite. “Dig in!”