novelraw Chapter 178
Chapter 178
Chapter 178: The Evil Dragon’s Hospitality
The sun was high in the sky.
Xia Li’s house had a rare visitor.
As neighbors, it wasn’t unusual for them to visit each other’s homes, but as they got older, they rarely stayed as guests.
Fu Yuan and Zhou Anqi both had dark circles under their eyes, probably from staying up all night. They dragged their tired bodies into the house like zombies.
However, their spirits seemed high, they must have reconciled after their fight.
Xia Li invited them to sit down. Lucia, having never seen friends visiting before, was a little at a loss.
In her memory, the dragon’s way of hospitality was simple—invite the guests for a feast.
So Lucia turned to go to the kitchen, but Xia Li pulled her back and asked her to accompany Zhou Anqi.
“Aren’t we going to entertain them…?” Lucia asked in a small voice. Xia Li held her hand and said, “I’ll take care of that, you go and keep Anqi company.”
“Oh…” The evil dragon nodded and had to turn back.
“Is this the kitten you and Xia Li are raising?”
The first thing Zhou Anqi saw when she entered the house was the litter box placed by the wall. Her eyes scanned around, and she found a sweet-looking calico cat nestled on the cat climbing frame.
After spending time together, Mianhua’s courage had been honed by Lucia. She wasn’t even afraid of the fear from bloodline suppression. When facing these strange two-legged beasts, she meowed in greeting.
Zhou Anqi squatted down to pet the cat. Girls are naturally fond of these fluffy little animals.
“So cute, what’s her name?”
“Her name is ‘Mianhua’.”
“Mianhua, haha… It’s quite your naming style.”
The two girls quickly started playing together. Xia Li then brought a cup of hot tea and placed it on the coffee table.
Fu Yuan sat awkwardly. Even though he was wearing shoe covers, he was still afraid of dirtying the floor, and his feet were trying hard to tiptoe.
“Have some hot water.”
Xia Li placed the tea in front of him, and Fu Yuan came back to his senses and reached out to take it.
“Thank you…”
“Corn silk tea, for reducing swelling.” Xia Li added.
Fu Yuan froze for a moment and subconsciously touched his eyes.
His eyes were indeed quite swollen.
As he rubbed them, tears welled up again.
“Boss… Anqi quit her research…”
“Yeah, I heard last night.”
Fu Yuan said uneasily, “That was her dream since junior high school… Now she just gave up, it’s… not fair to herself or her family…”
“What’s the use of thinking about it now?”
Xia Li interrupted him before he could finish.
He looked up at Xia Li and saw a determination in his eyes that didn’t seem like it should belong to a young man who had just entered society.
“From now on, there’s only one thing you need to do—”
“Make sure she won’t regret her decision in the future.”
“Can you do it?” Xia Li finished, each word deliberately spoken.
These words were not only questioning Fu Yuan, but also Xia Li questioning himself.
◈◈◈
Fu Yuan and Zhou Anqi came to Xia Li’s house this time mainly to explain their situation.
This ten-year long-distance love race, which had taken root since elementary school, wasn’t actually that dramatic, nor were there any misunderstandings.
It was simply that the lives they pursued were different.
Their dreams, family differences, and parents’ expectations, all these added together became ‘adult troubles,’ forming a gap that hindered their progress.
However, Zhou Anqi decided to cross this gap.
Although the feeling of liking someone can change, childhood dreams can also be easily erased by time.
Becoming a scientist wasn’t easy, doing experiments wasn’t fun at all, and the life of drifting away from home in Beijing made her feel suffocated.
She was just one of the many ordinary people in society. Compared to dreams, she now wanted to pursue her own life… and it was time to put a perfect end to this ten-year love race.
After they talked about these things, the outcome became clear.
Xia Li was the decision-maker among them, and Zhou Anqi felt that leaving the group was indeed a bit impulsive. In order to give an explanation, she deliberately dragged Fu Yuan to visit today to make things clear.
Xia Li naturally supported their decision.
Young people, whose youth doesn’t boil with passion a few times?
Seeing his good brother regain his love, Xia Li was happy for him.
However, when Xia Li asked if they were officially dating, Zhou Anqi just turned her head away and snorted softly.
“It depends on his performance!”
“I will work hard.”
Fu Yuan sat up straight, answering every question very seriously.
Zhou Anqi looked at his honest and simple appearance and felt anxious. She reached out and grabbed his hand, and Fu Yuan’s face instantly turned red.
Wait…
Are these two’s roles reversed?
Who’s flirting with whom?
“It depends on your performance too!”
The evil dragon beside Xia Li felt that these words were very appropriate and added a sentence after Zhou Anqi.
Xia Li pulled the dragon claw over and said, “Aren’t we already together?”
Lucia shook her head, “Anqi said, it’s only considered ‘together’ after the boy confesses and the girl agrees.”
“…”
In just a few minutes, what else did Zhou Anqi teach his little dragon! Xia Li reflected for a few seconds.
Did he go through this process?
It seemed like he had, but he never finished it.
Either he was led astray by Lucia’s strange train of thought halfway through, or he ended up with an ambiguous answer…
Reflecting on this, Xia Li realized that he couldn’t even define the progress of his and Lucia’s current relationship.
He was about to clear the final level, but Lucia’s feeling was still stuck in the beginner village?
Love isn’t like playing a game, there’s no progress bar, it’s often muddled.
But this situation is also normal.
Many people reach the point of marriage without being sure if they truly love each other.
That’s how human relationships are, they can’t be defined.
“Come here.”
Xia Li shivered with anger and pulled the stinky dragon who wanted to reset their relationship to the beginner village into his arms.
The evil dragon struggled a little, a playful smile on her face.
“Hehe…”
In the end, she was still successfully captured by Xia Li, her little butt forced to sit on his lap.
Zhou Anqi glanced at Fu Yuan.
Fu Yuan was still sitting very properly, motionless, but his face was even redder than before.
This guy is hopeless…
◈◈◈
Xia Li felt that it was necessary to teach Yuanzi some dating experience, how could dating be like being in prison?
Thinking of this, Xia Li couldn’t help but think of himself and Lucia.
Before, there was no reference point around him. Now, with Anqi and Yuanzi, Xia Li had something to compare with.
When it comes to love, he himself was only half-baked, let alone having any experience to speak of. Dating Lucia, they were both crossing the river by feeling the stones.
“Xia Li, why are there books all over your table?”
Zhou Anqi rarely visited Xia Li’s house. She hadn’t been here once since Xia Li moved back to live alone.
She didn’t expect that when she sat in this room again, she was no longer the little girl following behind Xia Li. Everyone had started to build their own families.
The small house was filled with the breath of life everywhere, and Zhou Anqi envied this kind of cohabitation life. She couldn’t help but imagine her future with Fu Yuan.
Finally, her eyes fell on the books on the table.
The mountain of books reminded her of the purgatory-like high school days.
Xia Li then got up and tidied up the messy coffee table, with Lucia helping out beside him.
“Oh, this… I’m planning to take the veterinary qualification exam.”
“Veterinary qualification exam?” Fu Yuan and Zhou Anqi asked in unison.
“Boss, I remember you graduated with a degree in Chinese Language and Literature…”
“Yeah, there aren’t many job opportunities for my major. I’ve been thinking about doing something else recently.” Xia Li answered casually.
Zhou Anqi thought for a moment and said, “Is it because Lu-mei likes it?”
“Yeah.” Xia Li nodded.
It was obvious without thinking too much.
Now, the only person who could make Xia Li take such action was Lucia.
Fu Yuan stared at the complicated study materials and suddenly understood what Xia Li had said to him earlier.
Xia Li was proving with his actions that he could do it.
◈◈◈
After seeing off Yuanzi and Anqi, Xia Li quickly cleaned the house.
He didn’t feel this way when no one came to visit, but today, after his friends came, let alone not treating them well, Xia Li even felt like his living habits formed over the past twenty years had been spied on.
He saw books and clothes scattered everywhere, the floor hadn’t been mopped for days, and there were cat litter particles on it.
Xia Li was cleaning here, and the dragon beside him was helping out.
He thought Lucia would be clumsy, but she was even more efficient than him. Xia Li held the mop and watched as Lucia brought a rag and wiped all the furniture in the house in an orderly manner.
“Anqi and Watermelon Head… are a couple?”
Lucia wiped the TV cabinet and turned to ask Xia Li.
She still felt it was strange, after all, a living example had just happened in front of her.
Before, Lucia didn’t understand how people got together, but after her own experience and witnessing this process, she had a new understanding.
Two-way rush?
That’s probably it.
“Sort of,” Xia Li put the mop in the mop bucket to wash it clean, thought for a moment and said, “Actually, for them, the hardest part is their parents.”
“Parents?”
Lucia was stunned for a moment, quickly comparing her current situation, “Then your parents…”
“My parents like you very much,” Xia Li said, “But their situation is different. Their parents have planned different life paths for them. If they want to be together, they have to go against their parents’ arrangements. This is the hardest part.”
“Aren’t humans independent individuals? Why do they have to follow other people’s arrangements?” Lucia didn’t understand.
Xia Li tried to explain, “Everyone is independent… but maybe it’s because they want to meet their elders’ expectations. Most people don’t want to disappoint their parents. It’s complicated, and every family is different.”
Lucia listened quietly.
She washed the rag under the tap. The tap on the balcony didn’t have hot water, and the icy cold water froze her little hands red. Her fingertips were like lotus root buds pulled out of the ground, pink and tender.
Lucia didn’t feel cold. She wiped her hands and continued cleaning.
No wonder Xia Li always emphasized the ‘freedom’ of dragons in front of her. Xia Li said that becoming human meant losing freedom.
Now that she thought about it, it was indeed true.
Humans had too many things to consider. It was a sign of greed.
But Lucia was different.
Even if she became human, she wouldn’t consider those things.
Dreams, money, society… Lucia didn’t think they were important.
“What are you thinking about?”
Xia Li suddenly reached out and pinched the evil dragon’s soft face.
The evil dragon shook her head and muttered, “Humans are so complicated…”
Too complicated.
Not like their dragon race.
If they liked each other and found a mate, they could live in a nest together.
As long as there was enough food and the climate was suitable, they could lay a dragon egg in the nest right away… There weren’t so many messy things like humans.
“Then, when will they… that…” Lucia thought for a moment and said.
“Hmm? Which ‘that’?” Xia Li knocked on the dragon’s head, “What are you thinking about?”
“I mean, get married.”
An imperceptible blush flashed across Lucia’s face.
“I don’t know about that.” Xia Li shook his head.
The two chatted casually.
Taking advantage of this momentum, they cleaned the house inside and out.
It was only a few weeks until the New Year, and cleaning now was considered a farewell to the old and a welcome to the new.
After wiping the dusty storage cabinet inside and out, Xia Li found a long-forgotten small appliance from the innermost cabinet.
He took it to the balcony to dust it off and found that it could still be used.
“In Sichuan, this thing is called a ‘little sun.’ It’s a heater used in winter.”
As before, Xia Li introduced the great inventions of the human world to Lucia.
As the switch was turned on, the resistance wire began to heat up, and the heat was reflected back from the reflector. The orange light shone on Lucia’s face.
The strong light forced Lucia to close her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, there was a hint of surprise on her face.
“Are you going to say… ‘What a powerful holy light magic!’ or ‘Xia Li actually attacked me with holy light magic, good thing I’m not a black dragon who fears holy light!'” Xia Li said preemptively.
Speaking the words of the evil dragon, leaving the evil dragon speechless.
However, this time Xia Li guessed wrong.
Lucia leaned in to smell it, then squatted down to look at the buttons on the machine.
“I’m wondering if it uses a lot of electricity?” Lucia said.
Xia Li: “…”
What a practical dragon.
Since when did this chuunibyou dragon become so integrated into modern life? Now it was Xia Li who seemed chuunibyou.
“Give me your hand, this holy light magic… this little sun is for warming your body. Put your little hand that touched the cold water on it to warm it up, otherwise you’ll get frostbite.”
Xia Li put the evil dragon’s little paw in front of the heater to warm it up, and a smell of detergent wafted out.