Dragon Raja: A Look Back at Lu Mingfei's Legendary Life

Chapter 42 Lu Mingfei's "Confession"

But Nono's reaction surprised him.

She was taken aback at first, and then a look of shock, confusion, and bewilderment flashed in her eyes, which always held a sly smile, and... a trace of deep sadness that Lu Mingfei couldn't understand.

Then she smiled.

It wasn't the usual teasing laugh, nor was it a sarcastic laugh; rather, it was a very gentle, complex laugh, tinged with helplessness and indulgence.

"Sure," she said, her voice as soft as a feather, "but the privilege only lasts for a month, so you'd better do your best."

Time began to flow again.

The birdsong returned, the sounds of medical equipment returned, the heartbeat returned—and it was beating faster than ever before, so fast that Lu Mingfei wondered if he was about to have a heart attack.

He stared blankly at Nono, his mind completely blank.

can?

She said yes?

It's not "Are you kidding me?", not "We can't be together", not "You're not good enough for me", but... yes?

"Senior Sister..." Lu Mingfei stammered, "Are you serious? You're not kidding me?"

"Do I look like the kind of person who would make fun of something like this?" Nono raised an eyebrow, but the smile in her eyes was hard to hide.

Like.

so similar.

Lu Mingfei thought to himself, "You're a red-haired witch, what wouldn't you do?"

But he dared not say it.

He was afraid that if he spoke out, this beautiful, unreal, dreamlike moment would shatter.

"Then...then..." Lu Mingfei stammered, "So from now on, you're my...my girlfriend?"

"One-month trial period." Nono held up one finger. "After one month, the privileges will expire. If you want to continue after that..." She paused, her smile turning slightly dangerous, "...that will depend on your performance."

Lu Mingfei nodded vigorously, as if he were about to snap his neck: "I'll do my best! I promise!"

Nono couldn't help but laugh at his silly expression. She reached out and ruffled Lu Mingfei's hair—the movement was very light and gentle, as if she were caressing something fragile.

"Fool," she whispered.

As Lu Mingfei felt the warmth emanating from above his head, smelled her faint fragrance, and looked at her smiling face so close to his, he suddenly felt... that this world wasn't so bad after all.

Even with the Dragon King, the Dragon Servant, Odin, and so many dangers and secrets.

But at least for this moment, the sun is shining brightly, and she is very close.

This is enough.

---

Beyond the Golden Screen: The Real World - Kassel College Square

The image on the golden screen froze at the moment Nono ruffled Lu Mingfei's hair.

An eerie silence fell over the entire square.

Then--

"Whoosh—!!!"

An uproar erupted, like a volcanic eruption.

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! He confessed! Lu Mingfei confessed!"

"Senior Nono agreed! She actually agreed!"

"A one-month probationary period?! That's way too indecisive!"

"But she agreed! She really agreed!"

"So this is how you can use the privilege of a day of freedom!"

"That bastard Lu Mingfei... he actually dared to..."

"And he succeeded! He succeeded!"

"Damn it, I'm jealous..."

The students were as excited as if they had successfully confessed their feelings. The boys slapped their thighs and exclaimed, "This actually works!" while the girls blushed and whispered, "How romantic!" The professors couldn't help but chuckle. Professor Guderian laughed so hard his glasses fell off, Professor Manstein shook his head and sighed, "What kind of behavior is this?", and Professor Schneider, unusually, had a slight smile on his lips.

Chu Zihang stood at the edge of the crowd, looking at Lu Mingfei on the screen who had mustered up the courage to confess, at his hands that were trembling slightly from nervousness, and at the tenderness hidden deep in Nuonuo's eyes.

He thought of his mother.

That woman who always smiled gently, but gradually withered away after her father's death.

"We've won, Lu Mingfei," he murmured to himself. "At least this round, you've won."

At the other end of the square, Caesar Gattuso stood quietly.

He saw the moment Nuonuo agreed to Lu Mingfei's request, and he saw the complex tenderness in her eyes that she had never shown to him before.

There was no anger, no jealousy, only a deep, weary sense of relief.

Yes, she should have been with someone like that.

Not with him, the heir bound by his family, not with Gattuso, who even calculates gains and losses in love, but with a loser who would fight for her, cry for her, and muster all his courage to tell her "I like you".

That's how Nono should be.

That's the real Chen Motong.

Caesar turned and left the square.

The silhouette remains proud, but it has lost some of its former sharpness and gained more... genuine loneliness.

Beyond the Golden Screen: The Real World - Kassel College Campus

Nuonuo took Lu Mingfei for a walk around the campus all day.

From the library to the teaching buildings, from the gymnasium to the clock tower, from the Amber Building to the Norton Building, she introduced all the important buildings in Kassel. Lu Mingfei was like a country boy who had just arrived in the city, his eyes couldn't take it all in, and everything he saw seemed new and exciting.

"This is the library, with the world's largest collection of books—specifically, the dragon-related literature."

"That's the clock tower. The vice principal lives there; he's a very interesting old man, but also quite dangerous."

"That's Amber Hall over there, the student council headquarters. Across from that is Norton Hall, Lionheart territory."

"See that lake? It's called 'Swan Lake,' but it's actually home to piranhas. Don't go near it."

Lu Mingfei listened and nodded, trying to cram all this information into his head. But to be honest, he felt a little dizzy.

This isn't a university; it's clearly a hybrid of a medieval castle, a modern military base, and a mythological theme park.

"How are you feeling?" Nono asked him.

"It's like...a movie set," Lu Mingfei said honestly. "It's not real."

Nono laughed: "You'll feel real after a while. So real that you'll miss the days of doing math problems in China."

Lu Mingfei imagined himself wearing this dark blue school uniform, carrying books, walking among these ancient buildings, and suddenly felt a strange sense of time travel.

From a regular high school student at Shilan High School to a mixed-race freshman at Kassel College.

From a loser who worries about his exam results every day to an S-class student who needs to learn dragon-slaying skills.

From a coward who didn't even dare to confess his crush on his deskmate, to... a brave man who just successfully confessed on the golden screen?

The thought of Jin Mu stirred something within Lu Mingfei.

"Nono," he asked, "what exactly is that golden light screen?"

Nono's expression turned serious: "We don't know either. It suddenly appeared a week ago, hovering above the square, playing images from the future—the ones you saw."

"The future?" Lu Mingfei was stunned. "Those...are they all real?"

"Judging from the current situation, yes," Nono said. "You're taking the 3E exam, participating in a day of freedom, and carrying out the Kuimen Project inside the light screen... These are all things that will happen in the future. But now, because of the appearance of the light screen, the future may have already changed."

Lu Mingfei processed this information.

future.

Another version of myself in another time and space.

S-grade bloodline.

Bronze City.

Word of Power: Rhine.

And... confessions.

His face turned red again.

"That..." he whispered, "the me in the light screen... and you..."

Nono glanced at him, a smirk playing on her lips: "What? Feeling embarrassed now that you've confessed successfully?"

Lu Mingfei's face turned even redder, almost red enough to bleed.

"Let's go." Nono patted his shoulder. "I'll take you to the square to see the light screen. It's time for you to see it for yourself."

The two walked toward the central square.

The closer they got to the square, the more people there were. Students gathered in small groups, some discussing the content of the light screen, some reading, and some training. When they saw Nuonuo and Lu Mingfei, they all cast curious glances at them.

"Is that Lu Mingfei from the real world?"

"She looks so young...much younger than she appears on the screen."

"I heard that Senior Sister Nuonuo personally went to China to pick him up."

"They just got together in the light screen..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! They're coming!"

Whispers surged like a tide, and Lu Mingfei felt like a new animal in a zoo, being watched and judged by everyone.

He subconsciously moved closer to Nuonuo.

Nono sensed his nervousness and reached out to hold his hand: "Don't be afraid, they're just curious."

Lu Mingfei paused for a moment, then looked down at their clasped hands.

Nono's hands were cold, but her grip was tight. Her fingers were slender, but her palms had thin calluses, a mark left by long-term training.

This is...the first time we've held hands?

Lu Mingfei's heart started pounding again.

Even though he knew Nono might just be comforting him, and even though he knew it was nothing, he still couldn't help being happy.

Like an idiot.

The two walked through the crowd and arrived at the center of the square.

Then, Lu Mingfei looked up and saw it.