Chapter Twenty-Nine: Chu Zihang Brings Warmth

After the 1v26 incident, Lu Mingfei’s reputation in Shilan Middle School soared. Now, whatever happened between him and the little songstress no longer mattered. What did matter was that he was a real man, someone who could take on twenty-six people at once—a figure most students and teachers in the school now looked up to.

The other main character in the incident, Zhao Menghua, couldn’t stand the strange looks from the rest of the school and eventually chose to transfer. Yet, given the speed with which information spread online these days, it was highly likely that students at other schools had also seen the video of Lu Mingfei’s 1v26 battle. When they welcomed their new classmate, they might unconsciously remember the other protagonist from the video. For Zhao Menghua, perhaps it would have been better to just delete his Earth Online account and start over.

“Lu Mingfei~ how did your hunt go?” After a long while, Furina asked tentatively.

“The result was good, but there was a little accident on the way, and I ended up losing my lunch. Sigh,” Lu Mingfei replied with a sigh.

“Lunch?”

“A stray dog stepped on it when it passed by. Really unlucky.”

“That is pretty unlucky. So you…”

“But it’s not a big deal. After I finished hunting, I bought something else to eat near home. At least I won’t go hungry, so don’t worry,” Lu Mingfei answered with a smile.

“That’s good. You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

“How could that be?”

“Let me see! Let me see!”

“All right, all right~”

As the familiar sense of connection opened between them, Lu Mingfei felt supremely at ease. He liked being cared for like this—especially when it was from someone he cared about in return. The sense of being rewarded for his devotion was far more fulfilling than what he ever got from Chen Wenwen.

If only we weren’t so far apart. I still can’t see her in person. I’d really love to hold her, sit together on the school bench, and take a carefree nap in the sun.

Perception was mutual. While he struck a pose in his hotel room, Lu Mingfei also observed Furina. He could tell she cared deeply about his well-being too. At that moment, she was sitting in her chair at Moman Palace, also carefully posed.

She seemed to have learned how to use a cushion? The way she sat, with her chest slightly raised, looked like a kind of pride—though her face was filled with bashfulness, she still radiated confidence. Seeing Furina changing because of him, Lu Mingfei suddenly broke into a wide, joyful smile, as if he were the happiest boy in the world.

“Hey, what are you laughing at? Stop laughing, stop it!”

“Nothing, just thought of something amusing.”

“Something amusing?”

“My dog had puppies.”

“Aren’t you staying in a hotel right now? Do you even have a dog?”

“Haha, hahaha~”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying! Hmph!”

After this incident, Lu Mingfei’s life changed in subtle ways. The very next day after he’d displayed his extraordinary strength, an unfamiliar man knocked on the door of his hotel room.

“Who is it?” Lu Mingfei called from inside, at the same time mentally commanding the elements around him, using his authority to glean information about the visitor.

A man, tall and imposing, with a blade-sharp aura—he possessed dragon blood, though not a strong lineage.

But more than these basic facts, what struck Lu Mingfei most was the sense of familiarity about him. He felt certain he’d seen this man before, and not just once or twice, but many times—though with the door between them, he couldn’t quite place him.

“Hello, I’m Chu Zihang.”

“Chu Zihang?” Lu Mingfei’s eyes widened in realization. No wonder the visitor felt so familiar—he was an upperclassman at Shilan Middle School, quite famous in his own right. Every morning, he’d practice his routines on the sports field with perfect discipline, catching the attention of many admirers—including Su Xiaoqiang.

So he’s a hybrid. Maybe hybrids had always been around me, but because I hadn’t entered that world, I never realized it.

Click!

Lu Mingfei opened the door and greeted him with a smile. “Hello, senior. What brings you here?”

Though he smiled, Lu Mingfei was already prepared to use his word spirit at a moment’s notice. After all, for a hybrid to find him with such precision at this time probably didn’t mean anything good. Maybe the other side already suspected that he was related to dragons.

Moreover, this senior, with his expressionless face, felt sharp as a blade—like a weapon, composed and precise. Even if there seemed to be no open hostility, it was best to stay on guard.

“Good evening, junior.” Chu Zihang raised a hand and offered a case of pure milk, observing every etiquette of a courteous guest.

“This… what’s this?” Lu Mingfei didn’t dare take it directly. Although nothing seemed strange about the milk, who could say whether it wasn’t specially designed to block dragon perception, or that someone hadn’t coated the handle with a poison deadly to dragons?

Besides, Chu Zihang’s timing was just too suspicious. He’d found the hotel so precisely, and then offered milk right at their first meeting—none of it felt right.

If they were at Lu Mingfei’s house, he wouldn’t have been so wary, but tracking someone down to their hotel room was a different matter altogether. It meant Chu Zihang had investigated him and come prepared.

“…” Chu Zihang’s brows lowered slightly; though his face gave nothing away, his hand unconsciously loosened its grip on the milk.

Feeling a little awkward, Lu Mingfei said bluntly, “Senior Chu, I don’t like taking things from others. Just set the milk over there. I still don’t know why you’re here.”

“Oh.” Chu Zihang nodded, half-believing, and set the milk in a corner of the room. He’d even checked online beforehand for etiquette on visiting someone, but it seemed his efforts hadn’t worked out as planned.

“Come on in, come on in—don’t just stand there,” Lu Mingfei said, stepping aside. He glanced reflexively behind Chu Zihang, every sense on alert, ready for any sudden conflict.

“Mm.” Chu Zihang entered, clearly in better spirits. He believed Lu Mingfei really just didn’t like receiving things, rather than disliking the milk he’d brought.

Once he’d made sure no one was following, Lu Mingfei quickly shut the door, his smile now more relaxed. He invited his senior to sit on the couch, and after they were both seated, he asked, “So, what brings you here? Is there something important?”

“Yes,” Chu Zihang replied honestly.

“Uh, wh-what is it?” Lu Mingfei sensed that his senior was perhaps a little naïve, not given to scheming—or maybe he simply didn’t intend to play mind games with him.

Still, even if it felt impolite, if Lu Mingfei could do it over again, he would still choose caution. After all, he was a man with important goals. He couldn’t afford to take any risks with his life.