Dragon Clan: Avoid the College Entrance Examination to Slay the Dragon

Chapter 77 Sense of Deja vu

The restaurant was bathed in a warm yellow light, the aroma of roasted meat mingling with the malty scent of beer foam. As Gu Yi walked through the aisle lined with oak barrels, he saw someone waving their arms wildly beside a pillar on the left. A girl with long, dark brown curly hair was holding a silver fork above her head and shaking it.

"Over here!" Vivian shouted.

As Gu Yi pulled out a chair and sat down, a waiter promptly brought him ice water. Vivian pushed the menu towards him.

"Rib or something?" She traced her fingertips across the charcoal grill special section. "I heard the cherry wood smoked ribs on special today are pretty good."

Gu Yi took the menu and glanced at it. "Grilled ribs, please."

“A wise choice, then I'll do the same.” Vivian beckoned, and the waiter waiting by the wine cabinet immediately bowed and stepped forward. Upon seeing Gu Yi's face, the waiter suddenly straightened his back: “S-rank?! Please allow me to recommend today’s…”

“No need.” Gu Yi interrupted his eager recommendation. “Two rib set meals, with roasted asparagus as a side dish. And drinks.” He turned to look across the table.

“Just like him.” Vivian rested her chin on her hand, smiling as she looked at Gu Yi.

As the waiter bowed and left, Gu Yi noticed several freshmen at the surrounding tables glancing at them. He picked up his glass, took a sip, and asked, "I haven't seen you much these past two weeks, senior sister. What have you been up to?"

"I'm stuck in my dorm, writing action reports and papers. My supervising professor is Manstein; the president should see how his dear disciplinary committee member torments the students."

"Professor Guderian doesn't appear often; I haven't seen him many times since I enrolled in the school."

"After all, your mentor believes in 'governing by doing nothing,' and he highly admires the educational methods of your ancient Chinese sages."

Gu Yi smiled. "So, are you all done with your work now?"

“That’s right! I’ve spent two weeks getting everything sorted out, and now I can have a—” she stretched her arms out in a gesture of relief, “a very easy November.”

"Thinking about it, it's almost November already. Time really flies." Gu Yi looked out the window.

Vivian nodded. "That's right. When I first met you, I never imagined you could accomplish so much in just two months since you entered the school. Do you know what you're called on the forum? The strongest freshman in history."

"It's just Fingel's clickbait title."

“But I just realized that we’ve known each other for so long, and you’ve never asked me my full name?” Vivian asked.

Gu Yi paused slightly: "I just realized that I really didn't know."

“Didn’t I tell you?” Vivian’s eyes widened. Seeing him shake his head, she suddenly burst into laughter, her silvery laughter drawing the attention of the waiter. “It was my oversight. My full name is Vivian Christina von Eisenberg.”

Gu Yi turned slightly to the side upon hearing this, "The name sounds very noble, like a German noble's name."

“Right?” Vivian took a sip of water. “It just sounds impressive. My ancestors were indeed German nobles, but my great-grandfather immigrated to the United States, and the titles and such disappeared with the tide of time.”

Gu Yi nodded thoughtfully: "I heard from Fingel that you are the young lady."

“What a gossip king!” the girl shook her head. “But he’s not wrong. By worldly standards, my family is indeed old money.”

Gu Yi raised an eyebrow slightly: "Does your family have a seat on the board of directors, Senior Sister?"

"Please don't misunderstand!" Vivian quickly waved her hand. "The Board of Directors is controlled by behemoths like Gattuso and Laurent, as well as representatives from your Chinese Tianji Organization. Our family only holds a seat in the Council of Elders."

"Are the Council of Elders and the Board of Trustees different systems?"

“How should I put it, it’s a bit like the upper and lower houses of parliament? The board of directors is the decision-making body, with eight directors, six of whom usually attend—” Vivian counted on her fingers, “The one from China’s Heavenly Secrets is always absent, and there’s another mysterious director whose identity is unknown even to the council of elders, and he rarely attends related meetings.”

"Understood." "This food is taking so long to arrive..."

Gu Yi was about to speak when he was suddenly interrupted by a burst of laughter from the next table. He changed the subject: "Senior sister, there's a question I've been wanting to ask you."

"Hmm?" Vivian looked at Gu Yi curiously.

Have you ever been to China before?

“No, not at all. Why are you asking this all of a sudden?” Vivian’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Actually,” Gu Yi scratched his head, “I felt you looked familiar when we first met.”

"Wow—" Vivian rested her elbow on the wooden table covered with a dark-patterned tablecloth. "Is this what you Chinese call 'having a connection at first sight'?"

As Gu Yi lowered his head to drink water, a faint blush appeared on the tips of his ears. "Maybe I remembered it wrong."

Vivian smiled and rested her chin on her hand. "I'm just teasing you. What you're feeling is called 'déjà vu,' which translates to a sense of familiarity or déjà vu. You've seen someone with similar traits to me before, either in reality or in your dreams. When you see me, your brain awakens those memories, but sometimes the channels that access those memories have problems. Your brain can't find the time and context of the memory, and that's when you get that feeling of 'I've seen this person before.'"

"Your senior sister knows psychology too."

“Of course!” Vivian raised her chin, revealing her swan-like long neck. “I took psychology as a special course in my sophomore year. This kind of déjà vu phenomenon is common in people and is actually proof of active brain nerves. Studies have shown that people aged 15 to 25 experience it most often, especially individuals with rich life experience.”

Gu Yi gazed at the ice cubes floating in the glass: "If there's any scientific basis for it..."

"But, is it possible," she deliberately drew out the last syllable, "that your first love and I have some similarities?"

Gu Yi hurriedly waved his hand, "I've never been in a relationship."

"That's impossible!" Vivian exclaimed in shock. "You look like you've never been in a relationship? Nobody would believe that!"

"I really haven't been in a relationship..."

"Oh—" Vivian's suddenly drawn-out tone made Gu Yi's neck tense. "Didn't we say before that dreams could also cause déjà vu? Are you having sex...?"

"Senior sister!" Gu Yi's blush spread from the tips of her ears to her face. "We've gone a bit too far off topic! Let's change the subject."

Vivian looked at the boy's flustered appearance and smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents: "Alright, alright, I won't tease our innocent junior brother anymore. Senior sister has something to ask you, do you have anything planned for the winter break?"

Gu Yi paused for a moment, "I might have work during the winter break."

"The Enforcement Bureau is shameless! They won't even give you a winter break?" Vivian's almond-shaped eyes widened.

"It's not an assignment from the Executive Bureau; it's work the principal gave me, and I'll have a two-week vacation after I finish it. I might go back to China for a trip."

"Oh, I see," Vivian said somewhat listlessly. "I was thinking of inviting you guys to go on a trip during the winter break."

Gu Yi chuckled: "Next time."

"Hello, excuse me."

The waiter was bowing as he served the food from a sizzling iron platter. The smoky aroma of cherry wood wafted up, carrying the caramel-colored ribs, creating a thin mist between the two of them.

(End of this chapter)