Dragon Raja: Reboot

Chapter 104 If only life were as beautiful as our first meeting

The music in the spacious ballroom was exciting and rhythmic.

Caesar and Chu Zihang, the two most prominent club leaders at Kassel College, locked eyes, neither willing to yield, like lions and tigers meeting on the border between the jungle and the grassland.

They were expressionless, their arms around each other's thick waists, hand in hand, fingers intertwined, twirling in the center of the dance floor.

Although their movements looked a bit stiff, their passionate and unrestrained dance steps also revealed a sense of magnificence and elegance, and their coordination was still quite remarkable!

Faced with this once-in-a-century spectacle, the fortunate onlookers were all caught up in contemplation and self-doubt.

Except for Nono, who almost fainted from laughing so hard she covered her mouth.

Fingel sighed softly, "Junior brother, looking at them, I can't help but think of our past."

"Huh? Senior brother, is there a story between you two?" Xia Mi pricked up her ears, her face full of anticipation.

"Get lost. Don't use such ambiguous language. You practically dragged me onto the field last year." Lu Mingfei said with a dark face.

Nono finally couldn't help but burst out laughing. "At last year's banquet, the two of them performed an entire dance in front of everyone."

Xia Mi's eyes sparkled with excitement as she exclaimed, "Is there a video? Is there a video? How can we not record something like this and preserve it forever! Classics will live on forever!"

"You can put a bounty on the Night Watchers forum; maybe someone has saved it," Nono said with a smile.

Just as Lu Mingfei was about to say something, a strange noise suddenly came from the dance floor.

"I'm not jumping anymore!" Caesar angrily flung his hand away, took a deep breath, and walked over.

Chu Zihang, with a calm and composed expression, slowly walked over.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? You were just jumping around perfectly fine a moment ago!" Fingel asked in surprise.

Caesar sneered, "In just a short while, this guy has stepped on my feet more than ten times. If he keeps doing that, these shoes will be ruined."

Caesar certainly didn't care about a pair of shoes, but he had good reason to suspect that the man was deliberately stepping on his feet under the guise of being a "newbie".

Although given Chu Zihang's personality, this possibility is extremely low, the dance was incredibly awkward. Caesar had never danced tango with a man in his life, making Chu Zihang the first person to do so, and this first person was also his greatest enemy.

For multiple reasons, Caesar feigned anger and let go, ending this "farce".

"Watch closely, I'll show you what perfect teamwork looks like." Caesar adjusted his breathing, smiled, and extended his hand to Nono in invitation.

Nuonuo pouted, realizing there was no more fun to be had. She had originally intended to refuse this guy, but as her eyes darted around, she glanced at Chu Zihang and Xia Mi, and a thought struck her, causing a smile to appear on her lips again.

She accepted Caesar's invitation.

Caesar chuckled and snapped his fingers: "Norma, one more song."

The music started again, and they took over the stage.

The two danced to the music. Led by Caesar, Nono twirled, as light as a white butterfly. Her white dress resembled a blooming flower, and her slender legs had graceful lines.

It was truly the perfect collaboration, a magnificent dance that opened the show, a perfect combination of strength and beauty!

Chu Zihang's gaze fell on Caesar's feet; he was studying them.

Through his previous attempts, he realized that the key to this dance lay in the steps, and now he was trying to memorize each of Caesar's steps.

"Stop staring! They've already provoked you like this, how can you stand it?" Fingel leaned in, indignant. "Junior brother, don't say your senior brother won't help you. Here, I've found you a girl!"

Before Chu Zihang could react, Fingel had already pulled Xia Mi in front of him and solemnly placed Xia Mi's hand in his, looking like an old father attending his daughter's wedding, with a sad and reluctant expression.

"Keep it up!" Fingel encouraged.

Chu Zihang was still in a daze when this guy pushed him onto the dance floor.

Caesar glanced at his arch-enemy, his smile provocative and irritating, before turning his gaze back to the girl before him, his eyes filled with affection.

A nemesis certainly needs to be taken seriously, but compared to the girl you love, a so-called nemesis is not that important.

Xia Mi pursed her thin lips slightly, her small face serious as she said, "Senior brother, we can't admit defeat!"

During the climax of the dance, she used a powerful head shake to lead Chu Zihang into the dance state. Her arms were so strong that they straightened Chu Zihang's hands.

Chu Zihang's breathing quickened. At such close range, he could even feel the girl's breath. The scent of sunshine and rain washed over him, just like a scene from a long, long time ago.

His left hand was held by the girl, and his right hand was pulled to lightly embrace her waist. He was at a loss for what to do, and his steps were even more disordered than when he danced with Caesar.

"...I can't dance," he said with difficulty.

"Don't worry, don't worry, just leave it to me. You know I was in the dance troupe in junior high, right?" Xia Mi chuckled.

Hearing the girl's words, Chu Zihang felt a little calmer, his breathing gradually became steady, his body relaxed slightly, and he felt the pull from Xia Mi.

Under Xia Mi's guidance and subtle cues, he gradually caught up with the rhythm. Every movement seemed etched into his mind; how to place his arms, how to walk—he didn't need to think at all. He only needed to relax and follow the girl's instructions. Their dance was unrestrained and free, as if they had rehearsed together for years.

He slightly averted his gaze, looking towards Caesar's position. Neither Caesar nor Nono looked at him anymore, but were immersed in their dance.

"Don't look at others at times like this; keep your eyes on your dance partner," the girl's soft voice rang out.

Chu Zihang's neck stiffened slightly. The reason he looked away was because he was not used to looking into Xia Mi's eyes at such a close distance.

"I remember you used to be the head of the dance troupe," Chu Zihang said, trying to ease the awkwardness.

"Mmm." Xia Mi responded, her left hand interlacing with his right hand's fingers, executing a beautiful high split, her dance skirt fluttering and reflecting the dazzling lights.

"You learned...this kind of dance?"

"No, I only recently started learning this dance."

"Um, why have I suddenly become interested in this lately?"

"Hmph... Senior brother, do you know what reasons boys and girls would voluntarily learn to dance?"

"My parents' expectations?" Chu Zihang hesitated, then regretted it the moment he asked.

Xia Mi's sigh was full of the implication that "this child is beyond redemption," which made Chu Zihang's expression even more stiff.

"I explained the principle to you on the Ferris wheel," she reminded you.

"A Ferris wheel?" Chu Zihang asked, sounding doubtful. "You mean a ten-minute confession that moved a sea turtle?"

"What the heck is 'moved by a sea turtle'? Senior brother, your memory is truly baffling, but you guessed right." Xia Mi rolled her eyes. "Learning to dance not only lets you hold the hand of the person you like, but also put your arm around their waist. Hmph, it's a perfectly legitimate way to get double the benefits!"

"I see... "

Chu Zihang suddenly realized that he was holding Xia Mi's hand!

Xia Mi's hands were slender and soft, as if they would break if you squeezed them too hard. The moment you held them, you didn't want to let go. This was the soft hand of the female knight-errant mentioned in martial arts novels.

No wonder some martial arts novels can go on for hundreds of words just to describe how soft and boneless the female hero's hand is, and then describe the complex psychological changes in the male protagonist, as if he had been hit by a sledgehammer and his heart, which had never been frozen for a thousand years, finally thawed, and so on...

"Senior brother, have you ever heard a legend?" Xia Mi asked mysteriously.

"What legend?" Chu Zihang asked calmly, trying to calm the chaotic thoughts in his mind.

"Legend has it that if you hold the hand of someone you like, your palms will keep sweating," Xia Mi said softly.

Chu Zihang was taken aback, and quickly and carefully felt his right palm... Good, it wasn't sweaty, otherwise he really wouldn't know how to explain this.

"By the way, senior brother, why did you suddenly come to learn dance?" Xia Mi asked curiously, blinking her eyes.

Chu Zihang managed to come up with a flimsy excuse to get by. He couldn't tell the truth, so he could only say that it was needed for a party in a few days, and everyone had to attend...

"Senior brother, stop me! The music is over! Let me put a period to it!" Xia Mi suddenly said, her eyes sparkling.

As the final notes faded, Caesar and Nono gazed at each other with deep affection in stillness, but Xia Mi did not stop dancing. She pressed her fingers against Chu Zihang's palm and began to spin.

Under the dazzling lights, her skirt fluttered as her slender figure danced and twirled before him. Her skirt, like the tail feathers of a peacock in full display, danced freely under the lights. In that instant, it seemed as if all the lights in the world were shining on the girl. She raised her head high like a swan, a faint smile on her lips, her gaze dreamily fixed on the boy between each turn.

The lingering notes of the finale faded into the distance, the world fell silent, and only the girl before me remained.

Chu Zihang had a vague feeling that the scent of spring, like that of gardenias, was getting further and further away from him.

Xia Mi's figure spun continuously, as if trying to fly away from his palm and slowly disappear into the distance...

The same fear that surged within him as when he lost someone important six years ago surged up, and Chu Zihang suddenly reached out and tightly grasped Xia Mi's slender, soft hand!

That was the final moment of the dance. Xia Mi completed her curtain call. Her spread-out dance skirt gathered up and clung to her legs, like a blooming flower closing back into a bud. Her scattered, flying hair slowly fell down.

She looked at the boy who was holding her hand tightly with a smile.

The timing was perfect, a perfect match made in heaven.

Since then.

The music ended, the curtain fell.

When Chu Zihang came to his senses, he suddenly realized that everything around him was quiet.

Looking around, everyone had left, leaving only him and Xia Mi in the huge ballroom.

The other four people made room for them at some point.

After a while.

Chu Zihang and Xia Mi walked out of the dance hall side by side.

"Brother Lu and the others really didn't wait for us!" Xia Mi stood on tiptoe and looked around.

Chu Zihang remained expressionless. He could understand the departure of Caesar and the others, but the departure of Lu Mingfei and Fingel was purely intentional.

These two guys sold him without hesitation.

"Going back to the dorm?" Xia Mi turned around and asked him.

"Hmm... It's getting late, let's go back and rest," Chu Zihang said with a deep breath.

"Senior brother, what are your plans for tomorrow?"

"The library, this afternoon..." Chu Zihang hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "My junior brother and I went to Fairy Lake, and we really found that sword at the bottom of the lake."

Xia Mi's eyes widened as she asked, "Which one? Which one?"

"I'm not sure yet if it's the legendary holy sword. I plan to see if I can find more information in the library," Chu Zihang said honestly.

"You guys didn't even include me in your games!" the girl cried out in despair.

"I'm sorry, it was all too rushed and I didn't have time to call you. It was mainly my junior brother's idea," Chu Zihang said apologetically.

"Damn it, Senior Brother Lu is such a person! I'll remember him!" Xia Mi said indignantly.

Chu Zihang remained calm, showing no intention of defending his junior brother.

"Is that sword sharp?" Xia Mi leaned closer, asking like a curious child.

She asked a whole bunch of questions, and in the end, Chu Zihang simply invited her to meet him at the library the next day, where he would bring the sword.

Xia Mi was finally satisfied and let him go for the time being.

They walked side by side through the campus at night.

The plane trees standing on both sides of the road stood quietly. Chu Zihang glanced at them and saw their tall figures like guardians in the darkness. A sense of the passage of time washed over him.

He sometimes thinks about it.

Over the years these sycamore trees have stood here, they have witnessed countless stories and measured the four years of students' lives, whether they were filled with haste or unforgettable memories.

Of these stories, how many have a regrettable ending, and how many have a happy ending?

In junior high school, he read Nalan Xingde's poem: "If life were only as beautiful as our first meeting, why would the autumn wind bring sorrow to the painted fan?"

He initially thought it was a love poem, but later learned that it was an imitation of ancient style written for a friend. But whether it was the former or the latter, the first line alone stirred up a myriad of emotions in Chu Zihang.

The initial beauty is unforgettable, but unfortunately, life is destined not to remain as it was at first sight, nor can it be beautiful forever. The initial beauty often determines the sadness of parting in the future, and in the end, it might have been better not to have met at all...

"By the way, senior brother, there's something that's been bothering me!" Xia Mi clenched her small fists, staring intently at him.

"What?" Chu Zihang was taken aback.

"Senior brother, you should know that I used to be a ballet dancer, right?" Xia Mi touched the ground with her toes and spun lightly. Her neck and legs were long, like a swan treading on water.

"The day you came to my house, I was practicing on the yoga mat behind you." The girl wrinkled her nose and widened her eyes. "Question! Did you secretly turn around that day?"

"No, no..." Chu Zihang subconsciously refused, but the fleeting glimpse from many years ago came to mind.

"Don't lie! You're a dog if you lie!" the girl suddenly shouted.

Someone obediently slammed on the brakes, managing to stop uttering the last word.

They looked at each other, and Chu Zihang looked away slightly.

"So... hehe, I thought you were having a good time that day... I'm having a great time tonight!" Xia Mi said with a smile, her hands behind her back, skipping and hopping ahead of him.

The only sounds in the quiet campus were the girl's footsteps and her soft humming.

Chu Zihang listened carefully and confirmed that this was not the song "Falling Slowly" that she had hummed before.

The night breeze tousled the girl's hair at her temples. Xia Mi took off her dancing shoes, carried them in both hands, and walked barefoot onto the flower bed. She moved along the narrow edge, her arms outstretched, swaying precariously to maintain her balance. Her graceful figure was revealed in every detail, like a silhouette. The night breeze rustled past, and leaves that had turned from emerald green to pale yellow swirled and fell beside her.

Chu Zihang stared blankly at the girl's retreating figure.

The image was etched in his mind, and he felt he would never forget it for the rest of his life.

"See you tomorrow!"

Xia Mi suddenly turned around, her hair in a bun, her face pretty, and her smile radiant with sunshine.

She raised her hand and waved to Chu Zihang, then gracefully jumped off the flowerbed, her youthful and energetic figure slowly disappearing into the night.

Standing under the streetlight, watching Xia Mi's figure disappear into the distance, Chu Zihang unconsciously clenched his right hand, which had been intertwined with Xia Mi's earlier.

My palms were a little damp; I wondered whose sweat it was.

……

Meanwhile, the buildings and teaching buildings have lost their protagonist aura and disappeared into the night.

Streetlights, benches, and the shadows of sycamore trees.

Xia Mi did not go straight back to her dormitory. She sat quietly on the bench, her body covered with the sparse, intertwined shadows of the sycamore branches.

She looked up at the night breeze blowing from the mountains and forests, and the peaceful night sky in the distance reflected in her colorful eyes.

Her cheeks were flushed in the dim light, her hands were clenched into fists on her knees, and her palms were warm and slightly damp.

"The legend is actually true..."

She muttered softly, her murmur carried far away by the night wind.

(End of this chapter)