novelraw Chapter 175
Chapter 175
Chapter 175: The Evil Dragon’s Tears
After two bottles of beer, it was already midnight.
A month ago, Xia Li’s elderly person’s sleep schedule would have already sounded the alarm.
But recently, he had been staying up late reading, and midnight was the time when he was most focused on studying.
The fire in the small charcoal stove had almost burned out. The winter night was cold and windy. The Fat Boss replaced the charcoal with a new batch and added two handfuls of meat skewers.
The evil dragon next to Xia Li was eating heartily. Not satisfied with eating by herself, she would stuff the meat into Xia Li’s mouth after tasting two spicy bites.
Xia Li’s mouth never stopped moving, comforting his good brother while eating the dragon saliva-coated meat skewers that the evil dragon sent his way.
The empty beer bottles on the table piled up higher and higher. Seeing that the third case of beer was almost empty, Xia Li and Chen Tao felt that something was wrong and tried to persuade Fu Yuan to drink less.
Even a friend from the next unit couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Alright, alright, stop being sad. Everyone goes through these things. Just think of it as paying for growth.” The four grown men huddled together, with Fu Yuan reluctantly sharing his troubles.
Those words that he usually wouldn’t dare to say out loud, occupied by reason, poured out today like a flood breaking through a dam.
Fu Yuan grew up in the countryside. When he was six years old, his parents spent all their savings to buy a new house in Qingcheng City so that he could attend school in the city. That’s how parents were back then, always thinking that sending their children to school would allow them to break free from the shackles of fate.
To live up to his parents’ expectations, Fu Yuan worked hard and consistently ranked at the top of his class. He had always been the “child from someone else’s family” in the mouths of his neighbors.
However, Fu Yuan, who came from the countryside, was not only timid but also had a deep-seated inferiority complex. His small stature, coupled with the constant praise from adults, made him the inevitable target of exclusion.
He was ostracized by his classmates at school and bullied by neighbors in his apartment complex. Children’s jealousy is a natural form of malice, and the better Fu Yuan’s grades were, the more he became a thorn in the side of his peers.
Later, he was saved by Xia Li. After joining Xia Li’s small group, his so-called childhood trauma vanished. He had been calling Xia Li “Boss” since he was eight years old.
However, it wasn’t just Boss Xia who saved him. There was also that girl with a high ponytail, always a head taller than him, who often stood up for him and bullied and teased him.
From elementary school to junior high, then to high school and university.
They were friends and rivals, talking about their dreams during the day and staying up late to study for an extra half hour at night, just to beat each other in the next monthly exam.
Fu Yuan recounted a sad tale of unrequited love from his humble youth.
He was like a moth in the night, chasing the only light in his life.
He could have followed her and flown away, but the burdens he carried made him hesitant.
His parents had gambled everything on him.
His life was not his own, so he didn’t dare to take a step forward.
Tonight was destined to be a sad night. Under the clear night sky, the heartbroken young man, trapped by love, was struggling in the mire, and the twinkling stars listened quietly to his story.
“Go ahead, say it. Saying it out loud will make you feel better.”
“But, it would be great if you could say these words to Zhou Anqi…”
Chen Tao patted Fu Yuan’s shoulder, his eyes also moistening.
Xia Li sat silently, the beer tasting exceptionally bitter tonight.
They had all watched each other grow up, and this scene touched everyone.
“Xia Li, why is he crying?”
Lucia brought over a small stool and looked at the boy who was already dead drunk. She squeezed closer to Xia Li, a small skewer dangling from her mouth.
The evil dragon had eaten too many skewers tonight. Almost all of the two hundred or so bamboo skewers had been eaten by her alone, and there was still a streak of grease from the skewers across her face.
Xia Li pulled out a tissue and wiped her mouth.
“It’s normal. I would cry too.”
“Is this… heartbreak in human emotions?” Lucia thought for a moment.
The word “heartbreak” was new to her. This was the first time she had seen such a scene.
“Yeah, sort of…” Xia Li nodded.
Unrequited love was still heartbreak.
But, Zhou Anqi told Fu Yuan that she never liked him. Was that really true?
“Would you cry if you had your heart broken?” the evil dragon asked again.
Xia Li looked down at her.
Lucia’s amber-like, clear eyes blinked at him. Those beautiful almond-shaped eyes were still so pure and innocent, as if all the questions she asked were just the innocent curiosity of a child.
“I won’t have my heart broken.”
“Xia Li is afraid to face reality.”
“Shut up.”
Xia Li couldn’t help but knock on the dragon’s head.
He had drunk quite a bit, and the knock made Lucia wince. She frowned and retaliated with a bamboo skewer.
“Stupidity spell!”
The skewer fell lightly, not even disturbing a strand of Xia Li’s hair.
Xia Li pulled the dragon over, wanting to take advantage of his drunken state to give her a good kiss.
But considering that there was a heartbroken brother next to him, he held back and didn’t kiss her, only pinching her soft, white cheeks.
Lucia didn’t fight back.
The Brave Hero wouldn’t let her use magic, and she couldn’t defeat him in a fight, but she could use other means to bring him down.
Reaching out her small arm, she grabbed a bottle of beer from the case and used her little fangs to bite off the cap.
Then she poured the beer for Xia Li.
“Drink more,” she said.
Xia Li: “…”
Was this really his girlfriend?
What kind of girlfriend kept pouring alcohol for her boyfriend?!
After filling Xia Li’s glass, Lucia used her all-purpose dragon teeth to pry open a bottle of jujube juice, filled her own glass, and clinked glasses with Xia Li.
“You finish it, I’ll just have a sip!” the evil dragon said.
Xia Li: “…………”
Lucia quite liked this human drinking culture of clinking glasses. Xia Li was forced to drink three glasses in a row, while her own small glass was still more than half full.
Xia Li felt that he would be made to vomit by this dragon sooner or later.
“Hehe… Xia Li has been hit by a dizziness spell.”
“Sister-in-law, only you dare to mess with him like this.”
At the other end of the table, the boys who had been crying their hearts out seemed to have recovered. The Watermelon Head boy wiped his glasses, his eyes still red. Seeing this scene, he was filled with envy.
Lucia smiled faintly.
Of course.
Only she, the Silver Dragon Queen, could defeat the Brave Hero!
Following Fu Yuan’s words, everyone turned their attention to them. Chen Tao was the first to stir up trouble.
“I remember Little Lu has a lot of strength. Why don’t you try arm wrestling with Boss Xia?” he suggested.
Xia Li was drunk and confused. Hearing this, he lifted his eyelids and looked over.
This was a dragon.
Don’t mess with her.
Lucia smiled slightly, her small hand already placed on the table.
She rolled up her sleeves, revealing a small patch of her delicate, snow-white skin. Her slender wrists looked fragile, not at all like they possessed great strength.
Xia Li frowned, thinking that the small wooden tables at the barbecue stall were quite flimsy. Even normal guys arm wrestling could make them fall apart. If he and Lucia competed… wouldn’t they shatter with a touch?
“Hurry up, why are you being so hesitant?”
Chen Tao felt that this was a good opportunity to liven up the atmosphere, and naturally wouldn’t miss it.
He walked over and pushed Xia Li. Xia Li was already quite drunk and swayed from the push.
Everyone couldn’t help but laugh.
The previously depressing atmosphere instantly eased.
“Come on!”
Lucia had been waiting for a long time, her smiling eyes like crescent moons, looking sweetly at Xia Li.
To be honest, Xia Li wasn’t confident.
But he still sat down and grasped Lucia’s soft little hand with his right hand.
He took a deep breath.
Against a giant dragon, trying to compete with strength was asking for trouble.
To defeat Lucia, he could only rely on speed…
With this plan in mind, as Chen Tao’s countdown of “three, two, one” ended, Xia Li instantly exerted his strength, the veins on his wrist bulging as he pressed Lucia’s small hand outwards.
The small wooden table under their elbows trembled, but the evil dragon in front of him didn’t move an inch.
Lucia’s expression was calm, with a hint of amusement in her eyes.
“Wow, he’s really strong,” Chen Tao exclaimed.
◈◈◈
He didn’t expect Boss Xia to be so serious. It was just arm wrestling, but his eyes looked like he was about to fight.
It seemed that Little Lu was really strong, which was why Boss Xia was taking it so seriously.
A moment later, with a “crack,” Lucia suddenly collapsed without warning.
“Oh no, I lost!” Lucia sighed.
Xia Li was stunned.
She threw the match!
She definitely threw the match!
“Again!” Xia Li slapped his thigh.
“Why play again if you’ve already won… I’m not playing anymore, my hand hurts.”
Lucia shook her dragon claws. Her hand had been uncomfortably squeezed by Xia Li, and it was sweaty.
Everyone just laughed at the result, not finding it surprising.
After all, it was hard for Xia Li, with his strong arms, to lose to a little girl.
The other guys continued chatting, trying to keep the conversation positive. A rare smile appeared on Fu Yuan’s face, the tear stains at the corners of his eyes shimmering in the light.
Xia Li leaned his head close to the evil dragon’s ear, wanting to bury himself in her soft body. He asked in a questioning tone,
“Did you throw the match?”
“I-I didn’t…”
“You did it on purpose!”
“I definitely didn’t do it on purpose,” Lucia said.
Xia Li laughed in exasperation.
“Double negative means positive, you did it on purpose.”
With this dragon’s level of Chinese, she still wanted to fool him?
“Because losing to you at this time would make you look good,” Lucia admitted in a small voice.
After all, he had defeated her, a dragon, in front of his brothers…
She hoped that when they returned to Azure Continent, the Brave Hero would also lose to her a couple of times, so that she, a dragon, could save face.
“I’m not convinced, let’s arm wrestle again when we get back.”
Xia Li knew this dragon had her own little schemes, but he was drunk and insistent on winning.
“I won’t PK with a drunk Brave Hero.”
The evil dragon calmly took a sip of juice and said dismissively.
Xia Li was getting frustrated.
He was about to grab the dragon and tease her when, before he could even reach out, Lucia’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she reached out to stop him.
“Quick, quick, the plot is about to happen!”
Xia Li thought, he wasn’t even drunk, how could the dragon be drunk first?
Weren’t they just a group of guys comforting a heartbroken brother? What plot could there be?
Turning his head, Xia Li vaguely heard the sound of high heels approaching from afar.
The person was dragging a suitcase, wearing a youthful and beautiful long dress that matched her temperament, with a plain down jacket over it.
She walked over and took off the U-shaped pillow from her shoulder.
She looked exhausted, probably from traveling all day.
With a “thud.”
The U-shaped pillow landed on Fu Yuan’s head, who was drinking. Fu Yuan looked up blankly, his face frozen in shock.
“Anqi…”
“Am I dreaming?” he asked Chen Tao next to him.
Chen Tao shook his head uncertainly, “That’s not right, if you’re dreaming, wouldn’t we be having the same dream?”
Even though he was a bit tipsy, Fu Yuan remembered clearly.
A few days ago, Zhou Anqi had said that she wouldn’t be coming back for the New Year.
She also said that she would leave the group chat for a few days to calm down and then tell Xia Li and the others what happened.
After hearing those words, Fu Yuan thought he would never see Zhou Anqi again.
“Yuanzi, come here.”
Zhou Anqi let go of her suitcase. She was tall and slender, casting a long shadow under the streetlight.
Fu Yuan opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
He always got lost at crossroads in life, and every time he was lost, he would helplessly seek help from those around him.
Like now, Fu Yuan looked at Xia Li, hoping Xia Li would say something.
Xia Li held the dragon girl’s hand. Although he was quite drunk, he still maintained his reason in this situation.
“Yuanzi, go.” Xia Li repeated.
“…”
After a moment of silence, the girl under the streetlight could no longer bear it.
“Since we were kids, when have you ever had your own opinion?!”
The sharp sound of Zhou Anqi’s black high heels echoed as she dropped her suitcase and walked over, grabbing Fu Yuan by the collar.
Fu Yuan was less than 1.7 meters tall, even a bit shorter than Zhou Anqi.
When Zhou Anqi grabbed him, he was like a boneless piece of meat, dragged off the chair. He wanted to stand up, but either because he didn’t have the strength or the courage, his legs went weak and he almost fell to the ground.
“Every time I ask you a question, your answer is always ambiguous. If I didn’t know you well enough, I would think you’re the kind of scum who can’t make up his mind!
Fu Yuan, do you even know what you want in life?!
Do you have the courage to face what you want?!”
Zhou Anqi’s voice was no longer as gentle as usual. The girl’s heartfelt shout was heart-wrenching.
The evil dragon next to Xia Li shifted, silently clinging to him.
Even Chen Tao at the other table had never seen such a scene, and followed Lucia, taking a stool and sitting next to Xia Li.
The group watched the drama unfold with wide eyes.
Fu Yuan lowered his head silently, unable to say a word except for clenching his fists.
“You want to take the civil service exam, and you also want to come to Beijing to be with me. How can you have it all?!
Is it that easy to become a civil servant in Beijing?! You can’t be so greedy!!”
Zhou Anqi’s scolding rained down on him, and Fu Yuan quietly endured it.
“You don’t have the guts to drop everything—I do!”
Hearing these words, Fu Yuan’s drooping head slowly lifted.
He was still being held by the collar by Zhou Anqi, but his lifeless eyes were gradually regaining their light.
Like a moth drawn to a flame, his eyes reflected the glimmer of light that belonged to him.
“Before I met you, I was a bad student. You were the one who led me to read and study, patiently and gently teaching me subjects during our playtime… We competed together, appearing on the podium for the top three in our grade, appearing in the citywide math competition.
It’s strange, this small, timid you, could actually give me such strength—”
“I’ve asked myself countless times why I had to work so hard, why I had to push myself to study. Then I realized, I wanted to catch up to you. To catch up to you, and the childhood dream of ‘becoming a scientist,’ which seemed so far-fetched, became something I could try.
But you, you’re always standing still, always too cowardly to move forward!!”
“I’m standing so far away, watching you cowering in place, and I can’t help but wonder, why am I even trying to catch up to you? Catching up to you doesn’t give me any sense of accomplishment!”
“Fu Yuan, stand up!!”
“Anqi, I…”
Zhou Anqi’s voice was almost squeezed out from her chest. As Fu Yuan listened to her words, his eyes welled up again.
“Move forward with me, like we used to!!” she said forcefully.
Not only Xia Li, but everyone present saw this domineering side of Zhou Anqi for the first time.
Xia Li was so shocked that he dropped his skewer.
This, this was Zhou Anqi?
Chen Tao shook his head repeatedly, not daring to speak. No one wanted to interrupt this scene.
Xia Li picked up the skewer from the ground and threw it in the trash can. Looking up, he heard a faint sniffling sound. He followed the sound and saw Lucia’s bright eyes filled with tears. She was clutching Xia Li’s shirt, her fingers digging in tightly.
Xia Li was taken aback.
This dragon who never understood human emotions…
Was actually crying?