Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from Japan

……

After stepping off the stage, Liu Miaomiao immediately spotted Lu Mingfei waiting for her in the backstage corridor. Before Lu Mingfei could even extend his hand, Liu Miaomiao had already eagerly lifted her skirt and rushed into his arms.

Lu Mingfei was taken aback, thinking to himself, "Has this little girl become so bold now? Just now she only dared to hug me from the corner of the stairwell, but now she's sticking up to me in front of so many people in the backstage corridor?"

As Lu Mingfei was thinking this, he heard Liu Miaomiao's soft voice: "It hurts so much..."

"It hurts?" Lu Mingfei was taken aback. "What's wrong with you?"

"I ran too fast just now, and I think I twisted my ankle..." Liu Miaomiao raised her face, looking aggrieved.

"You're wearing high heels and running so fast," Lu Mingfei said. "Shall I take a look?"

"No!" Liu Miaomiao's eyes widened, and she quickly shook her head: "Last time I asked you to look at my feet, you made me so itchy, I absolutely don't want to do it again this time!"

Last time?

Lu Mingfei suddenly remembered which time Liu Miaomiao was referring to. It was the time he jumped off the Nibelungen subway train in Beijing while holding Liu Miaomiao. At that time, Liu Miaomiao had also sprained her ankle, and he had helped her reset it.

"Then you can't walk like this."

"Mingfei, just help me up..."

Before Liu Miaomiao could finish speaking, she saw Lu Mingfei squat down in front of her. Then, a strong hand wrapped around her knees and back, and before Liu Miaomiao could react, she was lifted into the air. Startled, she instinctively reached out and wrapped her arms around Lu Mingfei's neck.

When she came to her senses, she realized that Lu Mingfei had picked her up in a princess carry.

"Ugh! Why are you hugging me like that..." Liu Miaomiao said coquettishly, blushing.

“Didn’t you twist your ankle and can’t walk? I’ll carry you back to the lounge,” Lu Mingfei said.

"But, but there are so many people watching!"

Feeling the astonished gazes around her, Liu Miaomiao buried her head in Lu Mingfei's arms in embarrassment.

This was the first time a guy had ever held her like this. In her mind, a princess carry was something that only appeared in Taiwanese idol dramas. She never expected that a guy would actually hold his girlfriend like this in front of everyone in real life.

This experience was both shy and novel. It felt like Lu Mingfei had taken away so many of my firsts.

The first time I cried, the first time I confessed my feelings, the first time I hugged, the first time I kissed.

Liu Miaomiao's mind was filled with shy daydreams when she sensed Lu Mingfei turn a corner and suddenly stopped. Just as she was wondering what was going on, she looked up and suddenly saw her parents standing in front of her.

"..."

Four people, eight eyes staring blankly at each other.

Lu Mingfei was dumbfounded. How come he always got caught red-handed by the parents whenever he tried to flirt with someone's daughter?

No, that's not flirting. He's Liu Miaomiao's official boyfriend now. It's a perfectly legitimate way for boyfriends and girlfriends to show their affection.

"Well, um," Lu Mingfei broke the silence first, forcing an awkward smile, "Liu Miaomiao sprained her ankle and can't walk easily, so I was thinking of carrying her to the rest room to rest for a bit..."

Ji Ruyan's expression remained as indifferent as ever, while Liu Yue cautiously glanced at his wife beside him before smiling and asking:

"Lu, are you free this weekend?"

time?

"Yes, there are." Lu Mingfei nodded subconsciously.

“Your Aunt Ji and I are both off on Saturday. If you’re free, why don’t you come over for dinner tonight?” Liu Yue said.

Lu Mingfei was taken aback, not immediately understanding the meaning behind Liu Miaomiao's father's words. What was he trying to do? Seeing me holding your well-behaved, beautiful, and adorable daughter, did he harbor murderous intent and intend to set up a trap for me on Saturday, catching me like a fish in a barrel?

Before Lu Mingfei could react, he saw Liu Miaomiao blush and tug at his clothes. Her small lips, painted with pink lip gloss, parted slightly as she whispered, "My parents are inviting you to dinner this Saturday. Aren't you going to say yes?"

Only after Liu Miaomiao's reminder did Lu Mingfei belatedly realize that this didn't seem like a trap, but rather a meeting with his parents. He quickly agreed.

But what exactly happened? Why would Liu Miaomiao's parents suddenly invite me to a family dinner? Does that mean they've accepted my existence?

Just when I was about to overcome all the difficulties to convince Liu Miaomiao's parents to approve of my relationship with her, the boss suddenly dropped a treasure chest?

This is like Guan Yu taking his sister-in-law with him, preparing to overcome five passes and defeat six generals to find his brother, only to find that the soldiers guarding the pass had disappeared, and he himself rode Red Hare back to Shu at a leisurely pace...

"And..." Liu Yuemian said with a smile, "Can we put Miaomiao down now?"

This smile had a more forced, insincere quality than before. Only then did Lu Mingfei realize that he had been holding the woman's daughter while they were talking, so he quickly put Liu Miaomiao down.

Liu Miaomiao landed unsteadily, and with Lu Mingfei's help, she stood up and punched Lu Mingfei in the chest reproachfully.

However, in Liu Yue's eyes, this punch carried a more ambiguous meaning.

Liu Yue felt a pang of pain in his heart, thinking about how his carefully nurtured cabbage for so many years had been devoured by some wild boar that came from nowhere. His heart bled. He wondered whether he should arrange for Russian food or vodka on Saturday.

Whether it's arranging for Russians or vodka, the point is to get this wild boar drunk so he'll know that being the son-in-law of the Liu family isn't so easy.

Liu Miaomiao noticed the strange looks in her parents' eyes, and quickly blushed as she reached out her hand to her father, then limped over to her parents.

"My dad can help me to the rest room, you can go back first," Liu Miaomiao said.

Lu Mingfei knew, of course, that Liu Miaomiao was too shy to be too intimate with him in front of her parents. Girls in 2006 were conservative; they would spend ten days to half a month getting to know each other before even holding hands.

Girls like Xiao Mao, who can't wait to hug and kiss their boyfriends as soon as they start dating, are a minority.

“Okay, then I’ll head back first,” Lu Mingfei said.

"that……"

Lu Mingfei turned around, ready to leave, when Liu Miaomiao suddenly called out to him.

"What's wrong?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"Why don't you wait for me in the auditorium for a bit, and we can walk together later... It seems like the rain is quite heavy?" Liu Miaomiao pointed out the window.

This sentence sounds familiar. Lu Mingfei suddenly remembered that it was what Liu Miaomiao said when he met his senior brother, who had a poker face, at the classroom door shortly after he returned from his time travel.

Damn it, it seems like I've covered up all the traces of other men in Liu Miaomiao's life...?

"Do I live on the same route as your house now?" Lu Mingfei joked.

Liu Miaomiao was taken aback, then suddenly realized what Lu Mingfei was referring to, and bit her lip and said, "Ugh...why don't you want to ride in my car?"

"Sit, sit, sit."

Lu Mingfei knew he couldn't go too far in flirting with the young girl, so he quickly agreed.

“It’s settled then, you wait for me in the auditorium!” Liu Miaomiao said.

Liu Yue listened to their conversation with a helpless expression. Although he couldn't understand what they were saying, he knew they were flirting. He suddenly wondered if he had been spoiling his daughter too much.

Once the wind gets through your cotton-padded coat, your heart will feel unbearably cold!

After Lu Mingfei and Liu Miaomiao finished their playful banter, Ji Ruyan, who had been silent all along, finally spoke:

"Don't misunderstand. We're not acknowledging your existence. We're only inviting you to our home because your visit to Miaomiao last time improved her condition considerably," Ji Ruyan said coldly.

Lu Mingfei was taken aback, thinking to himself that he had always thought his mother-in-law was an ice queen, but it turned out she was just a cold and arrogant person...

It seems my father-in-law is quite something.

……

When I returned to my seat in my class's area, most of the people in the hall had already left, with only a few remaining. Looking out the window at the rainy scene, the colorful umbrellas looked like little mushrooms growing in the rain.

Chen Wenwen was one of the few people who hadn't left yet; she was sitting in her seat reading a book.

"Why haven't you left yet?" Lu Mingfei asked, sitting down next to Chen Wenwen.

Chen Wenwen looked up and saw Lu Mingfei sitting down. She greeted him and said, "The rain is too heavy. I don't have an umbrella, so I'm waiting for my dad to pick me up."

Chen Wenwen didn't ask Lu Mingfei why he hadn't left; she knew he was most likely waiting for Liu Miaomiao.

"Don't you have an umbrella?" Lu Mingfei asked, frowning in surprise. "I remember you were carrying an umbrella when you came this afternoon."

After the afternoon rehearsal, Lu Mingfei and the others ran into Chen Wenwen while eating in the cafeteria, so they all came together.

"Oh," Chen Wenwen said, "I lent my umbrella to Su Xiaoqiang, she didn't bring one."

Lu Mingfei suddenly froze.

"Did you lend it to Su Xiaoqiang? Has she come to school?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"You're here! I've been here for the past couple of days."

Chen Wenwen nodded and said, "She came to our place once before you brought that senior to the literary society the day before yesterday. Then she was there the whole time during the party tonight, and she even went backstage after the party ended. She just left—didn't you see her?"

They just left?

Lu Mingfei was startled, his eyes instinctively turning to the window. Raindrops pattered against the glass, the flowing rain blurring the scenery outside, even the colors of the umbrellas became hazy, gradually drifting away in the rain.

……

Chapter 188 Another Encounter in the Rain

After the school anniversary celebration, the city was ready to welcome November.

October 31st is Halloween. Because of the frenzy of the school anniversary celebrations the previous two days, even teenagers were inevitably exhausted. Therefore, this festival, which is quite lively in other schools, did not generate much excitement at Shilan Middle School.

Amidst the torrential rain, Lu Mingfei and Xia Mi stood together under the eaves, watching the dripping water resemble a silver curtain adorned with strings of pearls.

Lu Mingfei and Xia Mi have been living together for over half a month, but they don't usually go out together, mainly to avoid suspicion. Putting aside the fact that he's married now, just the fact that he's living with a middle school student is enough to cause him a lot of trouble.

However, today they were both stuck in front of the breakfast shop by the same rain. Xia Mi had left first, and Lu Mingfei left after her, but when they passed the breakfast shop near the neighborhood, the poor Dragon King, who had forgotten to bring money, called out to help them pay the bill.

Lu Mingfei hadn't eaten breakfast either, so he ordered a bowl of noodles with Xia Mi at the same table. He had only taken a couple of bites when a gust of sea breeze suddenly pushed the leaden rain clouds over the city.

Autumn rains arrive with the season.

"This rain shouldn't have anything to do with Odin, right?" Lu Mingfei asked, looking at the rain curtain with frustration.

"It's okay, nothing is related to Odin. This is just a natural phenomenon!" Xia Mi gripped the shoulder strap of her backpack. "This city is naturally rainy in autumn, okay? Senior brother, don't develop PTSD!"

“PTSD?” Lu Mingfei asked, “What do you mean?”

"It's short for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder! In Chinese, it's called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which is a mental illness."

Xia Mi held up one finger and explained with a shake of her head: "If a person suddenly suffers from a violent disaster or natural calamity and is left with psychological trauma, it can easily trigger PTSD."

"You know a lot," Lu Mingfei said casually.

"Thank you for the compliment, Senior Brother!" Xia Mi said with a bright smile.

"Do you know how to stop the rain? We'll be late for school if we don't get there soon."

"Why don't you just take off your coat and let us use it to keep us dry, like in those TV dramas?"