Lu Mingfei: What? They're all real!

The middle-aged woman and her son were already seated. Lu Mingfei's cousin sat next to the rice cooker, scooping out rice with a resentful expression, as if the rice in the pot was his enemy. Lu Mingfei's aunt waved and called to her warmly, then turned around and slapped her son's head, scolding him for spilling rice grains outside the pot.

Xia Mi's heart began to ache. This family was not the kind of family she had seen in the stories in the book, and it could not even be considered a harmonious family. But she felt sad because she had no home. She had never sat down to eat with anyone at the round table at dusk. If she wasn't feeding her mentally challenged brother potato chips, she would be hiding alone in the darkness, quietly waiting for the sun to set and being completely enveloped by darkness.

This is not the place for her; her place is not here. She cannot truly see herself as a little girl visiting a boy's house.

Even she, even with countless grand reasons, would be heartbroken by this contrast.

She felt a lump in her throat, and her heart sank into her stomach.

"I...I'm leaving now..." She said goodbye to Lu Mingfei and then ran out the door with her head down.

The world outside the door was nothing but loneliness; her ears fell silent instantly, and only loneliness accompanied her.

Loneliness was a terrible curse she could not resist. Both Jormungandr and Shami were children who were afraid of loneliness. Now the sun was about to set, and she needed to find a small place where she could hide from the sunset and curl up to hide. She was always afraid of the moment when the sun would set.

Fortunately, the stairwell of this old building was a decent spot, allowing her to hug her knees and wait for the sun to set. She leaned against the mud-splattered wall under the windowsill, quietly and slowly crouching down. The windowsill was about a hand's width above her head, and the crimson sunlight slanted in, spreading a reddish glow on the ground in front of her toes, leaving her alone in the shadows, the boundary between light and shadow separating her from the world.

The girl closed her eyes, accepting everything as it was. She wanted to sit on the ground; it would be more comfortable. She was very tired.

But her slow movements suddenly stopped. She couldn't land. Something was pulling her arm, someone was grabbing her. Standing in front of her was the boy who had just been arguing with her like a bull, the afterglow of the setting sun shining on his face, making him look golden.

With a slightly reproachful smile on his face, he exerted a lot of force, pulled her up from the ground, and dragged her to a place where the sun could shine.

Chapter 36 Her Friends Will Be There

"Are you really not going to eat anything?"

Lu Mingfei held the girl's arm with one hand and held a bowl in the other, as if he didn't chase after her immediately because he had gone to get rice first.

Xia Mi felt a tightness in her chest; she didn't want to speak, nor did she have the strength to.

"Alright, come on, I have a secret base where no one will be around." Lu Mingfei invited the girl along as if he were a playmate.

This seemed to be the first time Lu Mingfei had ever taken the initiative to invite a girl, or even the first time he had ever taken the initiative to invite a friend. He had never been so bold before.

But how can you just stand by and watch a girl who patted her chest and said she would always stand by your side hide alone under the wall, feeling dejected? Even if you have the urge to kill this girl, she's so loyal, how can you just leave her alone? She's so much like your past self, practically a carbon copy. Even if you pity your past self, shouldn't you at least show her some kindness?

Impulsiveness is just impulsiveness, but being moved is more real, and Lu Mingfei is someone who is naturally susceptible to this kind of thing.

He was very proactive, assertive, and even a little domineering, not allowing girls to refuse him.

Xia Mi gently shook her arm, but found she couldn't break free from that warm hand. She didn't know if it was because he was too strong, or for some other reason... something within herself...

He dragged her along, moving upwards, past his own front door, and continuing upwards until they reached the top floor. The gap in the iron gate was just enough for them to squeeze through sideways. Lu Mingfei had a slightly harder time, as both his hands were occupied, while Xia Mi had it easier. Although she kept trying to break free, she was still pulled sideways through the iron fence.

The golden light of the whole world seemed to be gathered on this rooftop. The girl's vision was instantly filled with the red glow. The sky, the ground, and the distant horizon were all golden and red. She had never seen the world like this before. She didn't like to stay outside at dusk, let alone stay at high places.

A hot breeze blew down from the clouds, gently patting the girl's face. Her hair swayed like waves, and there were some unknown smells wafting from the street. It smelled like the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread from a shop, or the smell of pineapple from a fruit stand on a tricycle, or the scent of newly blooming osmanthus flowers. All sorts of smells were mixed together, entering her nostrils and filling her lungs.

The girl suddenly felt less heavy-hearted.

“You’re lucky. This place used to be full of garbage, not a place where you could eat. But I had a fight with the property management a couple of days ago and made them clean it up.” Lu Mingfei laughed carelessly, still holding the girl’s arm tightly.

He pulled her toward the low wall of the rooftop, finally stopping at the edge. Then he finally let go of the girl's arm and slowly sat down. Lu Mingfei stretched his legs out over the edge, letting the wind sweep through the gaps, swaying gently like a bird preening its wings in the wind.

"Standing or sitting down to eat?" He handed the bowl to the girl, giving her only these two options. "Standing is better for digestion, but sitting is less strenuous. People should take it easy whenever possible. Who knows whether the end of the world or tomorrow will come first? Filling your stomach is more important."

Xia Mi took the not-so-small bowl and chopsticks in a huff, sat down next to Lu Mingfei, and stretched her legs out from the edge, swinging them casually.

It was so hot that her face was flushed. This place was quite nice, she thought. If only she had known about it sooner, she could have spent countless evenings here.

She shoveled small bites of rice into her bowl, her face expressionless, but her legs kicked lightly, like a puppy's tail wagging behind it, completely revealing her mood.

To be honest, this guy isn't bad; he could be considered a decent person.

"Jormungandr," Lu Mingfei suddenly called her name.

"Don't call me that name, not even when we're alone!" she emphasized again, puffing out her cheeks. "My name is Xia Mi, Xia Mi Xia Mi Xia Mi!"

She yelled and, in a very unladylike manner, spat out a grain of rice, which stuck to Lu Mingfei's face. But she showed no remorse whatsoever, making faces and gesticulating wildly.

Lu Mingfei silently wiped his face, thinking to himself that even beautiful girls could do such indecent things.

"Why are you looking at me? I'm not apologizing. Who told you to keep bringing up that name?" Xia Mi felt a little guilty under the stare, so she hummed and looked away, continuing to eat her rice in small bites, and slowly became happy again.

"So what if someone else hears this?"

“Then we’ll just get slaughtered,” Xia Mi said, her tone as flat as if she were commenting on the unappetizing dishes in her hand. “Or we can slaughter them ourselves, and then I’ll ask you to be my helper. You can’t refuse.”

"Then why did you even become a preparatory student?"

Lu Mingfei was shocked, yet not so shocked; for some reason, he felt that the answer was perfectly reasonable.

If it weren't for the threat of death looming over her, the girl in front of her wouldn't be so afraid; she trembled just hearing her own name.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained! How can you have no ambition at all?" Xia Mi retorted, "But you, all you think about are women. Do you even consider yourself one of us? You should know shame!"

"I'm really sorry then." Lu Mingfei's lips twitched.

"But let me tell you some gossip." Xia Mi held her rice bowl and kept laughing, just like a girl next door. She seemed to have never had the chance to chat with anyone like this before, and now she was genuinely happy.

She lowered her voice and brought her head close to Lu Mingfei's face. At this distance, her breath would hit Lu Mingfei's face if she opened her mouth even slightly. She said softly, "I heard that the Supreme One suffered because of a woman back then, which led to everything that followed."

"There's such a thing?" Lu Mingfei was secretly surprised, but couldn't help but feel that it made more sense.

Suffering at the hands of women is truly the most common plotline.

"Of course! Even old things have their youthful days!" The girl's boasting was greatly satisfied. She raised her face with satisfaction, lightly tossing her flowing hair. The ends of her hair turned into streams, drifting beyond the edge of the cliff. The afterglow was broken by the flow of her hair, leaking through the part of her hair and imprinting on her cheeks, making her beautiful eyes shine even brighter.

She looked incredibly happy. Even though she was sitting on the edge of a low wall high above the ground, she was so excited that she kept moving around, kicking her straight legs that were hanging out and swaying her round thighs that supported her body.

She had been holding this gossip in for a long time, but she could never find anyone to tell it to—the only person she knew who was like her was her mentally challenged brother, who wouldn't understand what she was saying.

Now, she is surrounded by people she can bicker with as "peers," and also people she can chat with as "kindred spirits." There has never been anyone like this in her life who could accompany her. The loneliness that has bound her since birth has temporarily subsided at this moment.

She completely relaxed and focused intently on battling the food in her bowl until the setting sun slowly disappeared below the horizon. She no longer felt lonely or desolate; for the first time in her long life, she had never been so happy.

The girl turned out to be a chatterbox, rambling on about all sorts of things. One moment she was saying how awful the changes of the times were, and that she wanted to eat all the inventors and researchers of physics and chemistry alive—who told them to research so many weapons! The next moment she was praising the inventor of television and signals as a wonderful fellow. Luckily, the television kept Fenrir calm, or else things would have been in trouble!

She spoke tirelessly, one sentence after another, as if she were trying to extract every last word from her gut.

A bowl of rice was consumed in that short time.

"Okay, thank you for the treat~" Her voice even became sweet and soft. She pursed her lips, handed the bowl to Lu Mingfei, wiped her mouth, and then patted the boy next to her shoulder heavily. "I won't forget your kindness until this meal is digested."

"If you want to say that you'll become an ingrate overnight, just say so."

"Hehe, I've only been an ingrate once in my life."

The girl nimbly flipped herself up, standing on one leg over the edge—a difficult move, but she had excellent balance and didn't wobble at all. Her leg swung back and forth in the air, as if she were dancing. She couldn't hide her joy and smiled broadly.

"Be careful." Lu Mingfei grabbed her arm that was resting on his shoulder.

"Thank you for your concern~"

……

Even as she waved goodbye, Xia Mi still had a smile on her face, and seemed a little reluctant to leave, turning back every few steps and waving her little hand repeatedly.

Goodbye~

She stood far away, still saying goodbye one last time, until she could no longer see the boy's small figure, before she finally stopped looking back.

"Hum~"

She hummed a light tune, her steps becoming lighter, and as she walked, she was suddenly stirred by inner joy, and inexplicably began to skip—

wrong!

She finally realized that she had come to gain this guy's trust, but in the end she was tricked into becoming a child by him—no, not just a child, she felt that she had wasted thousands of years of her life and was about to degenerate into an egg!

But at that moment, the sun had just disappeared below the horizon, and the world was instantly dyed a deep blue. This is what the so-called blues moment looks like now. Under the deep blue dome, everything becomes melancholic.

Along with the girl's heart.

Xia Mi froze. She realized that the thing that had supported her heavy heart had disappeared. The golden light that had been imprinted on the boy's face and warmed her heart had vanished completely from the world and could no longer be found. The sky grew darker and darker, and the neon lights became the main feature of the world. The traffic on the roadside turned into streaks of light as cars passed by, and the sound of horns rang out and then rushed past her ears along with the noise of tires.

She stopped in the middle of the road, wrapped her coat tighter around herself, and hugged herself. She felt that the wind was no longer warm; it was a bit cold.

If only she could completely trust someone, she thought; if only she were just a girl who had had a good time and was heading home.

Chapter 37 It's really fun to bicker with him.

When Lu Mingfei left in the morning, he only greeted his uncle. It was just the two of them who got up early. Just before leaving, his uncle mysteriously peeked in front of him and whispered that he needed some money.

My uncle said that a man can't afford to falter at the most crucial moment in his life. He also has a thousand or so yuan of his own savings that he can give to his dear nephew.

Lu Mingfei knew what his uncle meant by "the most crucial moment." Many people already knew, as if someone was deliberately publicizing this, as if someone was creating hype...

He hoped that person wasn't Chen Motong, which was a bit much. He also felt that the person wasn't Chen Motong; he thought she wouldn't be so shameless. She seemed like a proud girl and probably wouldn't do such a thing.

Lu Mingfei felt that only one person could pull off such a feat...

His heart temperature rose slightly, and he felt a little irritated; he didn't like this.

"Humph!"

Like a cannonball landing, Su Xiaoqiang sat down next to him. Her face was icy, and she started snorting through her nose before even sitting down, like a sulking heifer.

Su Xiaoqiang is essentially the ultimate version of Lu Mingfei. It's hard to say she has any friends at school. Lu Mingfei always sees her alone, and it seems that when he calculates it, he actually spends a surprisingly large amount of time with her, even more than all the other people combined. So in a sense, they are a pair of unfortunate brothers and sisters... Maybe Su Xiaoqiang is actually a month or two older, so she could also be considered an older sister and younger brother in misfortune...

But the crucial issue right now is that Lu Mingfei doesn't know who has offended the Little Fairy; the expression on her face is simply too unpleasant—

This thought was interrupted by the girl's deathly stare. Lu Mingfei mechanically turned his head to check, only to find that there was nothing behind him. So now the answer was obvious: the one who had angered the Evil Dragon Fairy was none other than himself, Lu Mingfei…

"You really are incorrigible," Su Xiaoqiang scolded, exasperated. "Didn't you tell me Chen Wenwen wasn't important? Didn't you say you were going to find your wife? Why have you changed your mind now?"

Just as Lu Mingfei had said countless times in his heart, Su Xiaoqiang was a girl with a fiery personality who never kept her thoughts to herself.

"I--"

Lu Mingfei wanted to explain, but the girl didn't give him the chance.

“You should just leave. Zhao Menghua is determined to make you look bad today. I don’t even need to ask around to know how big his entourage is today. The classmates are talking about it nonstop.” Su Xiaoqiang said, “Do you know how much he spent? He hired an entire dance troupe to perform! I think he even used up all his living expenses in college.”

"Could it be one of those ballet troupes under Boss Xu's management? That's incredibly extravagant, a shameful waste!"

Lu Mingfei leaned back in the red chair. Now he knew why this event hadn't charged an event fee and why such a large theater had been used. When he first came in, he thought this was the venue for some kind of high-class concert!

It turns out that all the expenses were paid by Young Master Zhao.

"Why are you so shameless? You don't actually think Chen Wenwen likes you, do you?" Su Xiaoqiang was indeed straightforward and spoke without any restraint. She said, "Girls like her are both vain and stupid. If you want to get involved with Zhao Menghua in this kind of thing, just wait and see if you'll be a laughing stock at school forever. Every time someone confesses their feelings, they'll bring you up in their mouths."

"I'm not going to confess to Chen Wenwen, so why should I worry about these things?" Lu Mingfei crossed his arms behind his head, not worried at all.

“But, but you clearly—” Su Xiaoqiang asked, then suddenly realized she had misspoke.

"Ah!" The boy finally got interested and jumped up from his seat. He pointed at the girl next to him and wagged his finger. "You were eavesdropping through the door too, weren't you?"

"No, no..."

The girl's voice decreased rapidly, like a sliding rheostat, until it became as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

However, she quickly found a new direction: "But it doesn't matter. Zhao Menghua doesn't care whether you like Chen Wenwen or not. He's been humiliated by you so much lately. Chen Wenwen is just a minor thing. The interview is more important. Haven't you seen that Liu Miaomiao is already starting to look down on him? He'll definitely want to get revenge!"

"You deserve a lot of credit for this, don't you?"

"I was standing up for you all along, aren't you grateful?" Su Xiaoqiang pointed her sharp blade directly at the ungrateful Lu Mingfei.

"Zhao Menghua is such a stingy guy, doing something like this." Lu Mingfei quickly turned his attention to Zhao Menghua.

"Yeah, what a stingy guy!"

Having found a common ground with Lu Mingfei, Su Xiaoqiang quickly turned her fire on Zhao Menghua as well. She didn't want Lu Mingfei to question her about why she was eavesdropping on him at the door; even she couldn't answer that question herself...

The two were chatting animatedly when more and more people arrived. Some people secretly glanced over, full of questions. The "news" everyone heard was that Lu Mingfei was planning to confess his feelings to Chen Wenwen, whom he had a crush on for a long time. No one understood what had happened.

"Why don't you stay away a bit?" Lu Mingfei asked quietly. "Once everyone thinks I'm trying to confess my feelings to you... wouldn't that be good for you?"

The girl paused slightly in her indignant attack on the other woman for being too snobbish, but the hall was dark and Lu Mingfei couldn't see her face or know what her expression was.

"Well, if you really can't back down, it's okay to do it..." Her voice was light and airy, as if she was forcing herself.

"No need! No need, wouldn't that ruin your reputation?" Lu Mingfei quickly waved his hand in refusal, thinking to himself, "Has the little fairy taken the wrong medicine today? Why is she saying such things?"

"I never said I would agree!" The girl's voice suddenly rose considerably, bordering on anger. "I was just telling you not to be put in an awkward position. What are you thinking?"

"Don't be angry, don't be angry..."

Lu Mingfei apologized with an awkward smile, feeling a little calmer. Little Fairy really was a righteous and good girl.

It's good to cultivate a good conscience; it's completely different from his vindictive and petty mentality.

"Anyway, be careful. If things really don't work out, just turn around and run away. Don't give him a chance to hold you back. It's no use saying you don't like Chen Wenwen. These kinds of things are just rumors, and public opinion can be deceiving. You'll just be seen as stubborn." The girl said earnestly, "Or you can just leave now. This movie is terrible."