The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

"Let's go back to the hotel," he said.

The girls agreed and followed Chen Hao ashore. No one mentioned the roar again.

Back at the hotel, it was already dark. Chen Siyao lay on the bed scrolling through her phone, coming across the boating video she had filmed during the day, watching it over and over again. She hesitated for a moment before posting the last clip of the flash flood.

This is too dangerous. Posting it will get it trending again, and people will start asking all sorts of questions. She turned off her phone, turned over, and closed her eyes. She quickly drifted off to sleep.

Outside the window, the rain is still falling.

The next morning, at the hotel restaurant.

Chen Siyao took a bowl of white porridge and a small dish of side dishes and sat down by the window. Yang Wanqing came over with a full plate—scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, bread, yogurt, and fruit, piled up like a small mountain.

"Can you finish this?" Chen Siyao asked, looking at the plate.

"I can finish it." Yang Wanqing said confidently, "I was frightened yesterday, so I need to replenish my energy."

Cai Jingwen and Li Li also came over with their plates and sat down. Chen Hao was the last to arrive, holding a cup of tea, and sat down next to Chen Siyao.

Yang Wanqing took a bite of bread and casually picked up her phone to scroll through Douyin (TikTok). After scrolling a couple of times, she froze, and the bread in her mouth fell into her plate.

"Hey! Look at this trending topic!"

Several women simultaneously pulled out their phones. The number one trending topic on Douyin (TikTok) was followed by the word "Explosive."

#Suzhou flash flood suspected to be caused by a dragon#

Chen Siyao clicked on it, and the popular video was taken by a local resident—muddy floodwaters rushing down from upstream.

The video was shaky, but you could hear the person filming, shouting, "Dragon! Dragon! Look at the water!" You couldn't see anything in the water, but the comments section was already buzzing.

Chen Siyao didn't expect that even though she didn't post the video, it would still become a trending topic.

[Old Wu from Suzhou: I always said there was something pressing down under the Dragon Mound! It floods frequently, and the older generation says it's a dragon, but you don't believe me!]

[Dancing in red: A flood is a flood, what does it have to do with dragons? Can't we be a little more scientific?]

[Gusu Travel Agency: My grandfather said he saw a light near Longdun when he was a child, around midnight.]

[The nominal person: Here we go again. Every time there's a major flood, someone makes up this kind of story.]

The most popular comment was posted by a verified account with the Suzhou Museum logo as its profile picture:

Historical research on the legend of the "Jiaolong" at Longdun: There are indeed records of floods during the Jiaqing period. However, the "Jiaolong" story first appeared in local chronicles at the end of the Qing Dynasty, and it is very likely a later addition. Currently, there is no physical evidence to prove that there are living creatures under Longdun.

The comments section was even more heated than before. Some said, "The experts are debunking the rumors again," some said, "No evidence doesn't mean it doesn't exist," and others said, "Look at the video of yesterday's flash flood, what were those things in the water?"

Chen Siyao rowed to another video, which was taken downstream from the river where they had rowed yesterday. In the footage, the floodwaters had receded, a large number of trees along the riverbank had fallen, and several sections of the stone railing were broken.

"Brother." She looked up at Chen Hao, "Look at this. Many people are saying that yesterday's flood was caused by a dragon. Some people even said they heard roars."

Yang Wanqing chimed in, "Yes! We heard it too yesterday at the dock! That sound..."

She stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence. When she heard that shout at the dock yesterday, she thought she had misheard. Now, seeing it trending on social media, she wasn't sure anymore.

"Brother," Chen Siyao put down her phone, "is there really a dragon?"

The girls all looked at Chen Hao at the same time.

Chen Hao put down his teacup, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded.

The restaurant was silent for two seconds.

Yang Wanqing's fork fell onto the plate, making several clinking sounds. Cai Jingwen's hand, holding a teacup, froze in mid-air.

"Huh?" Chen Siyao's eyes widened. "Really? But brother, didn't you say yesterday at the restaurant that the story was fake?"

Cai Jingwen, Yang Wanqing, and Li Li were all shocked and speechless for a long time.

They had only asked casually, thinking that the dragon was a legendary creature, never imagining that dragons actually existed in this world, and that yesterday's sudden flash flood was indeed caused by a dragon!

Chen Hao looked at her and said, "I said the story was fake, but I didn't say the dragon was fake either."

Chen Siyao was stunned for a moment, then realized. The story was made up—two real dragons fighting a flood dragon—that was fiction. But the flood dragon itself was real.

Yang Wanqing came to her senses: "So that sound yesterday... really was the roar of a dragon?"

It turns out that yesterday's terrifying flash flood and the awe-inspiring roar were indeed the work of a dragon! Yesterday, they had unwittingly encountered the legendary dragon's mischief!

While the girls were still in shock, Chen Hao suddenly looked at Chen Siyao, a hint of doting in his eyes. His tone was as relaxed as if he were asking her if she wanted to see a movie. He slowly said, "Yaoyao, do you want to see the dragon with your own eyes?" Chen Hao did not answer, but picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked Yaoyao.

One sentence plunged the entire dining table into an instant deathly silence!

"Brother," her voice trembled slightly, "you wouldn't... be taking us to see a dragon, would you?"

Chen Hao put down his teacup, looked at her, and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "Hmm, Yao Yao, would you like to go see it?"

Chen Siyao was stunned. She had thought her brother might say "Don't go," and she had also thought he might say "It's dangerous," but she hadn't expected him to ask in this tone—like asking her if she wanted to see a movie or visit a tourist attraction.

"Brother, are you sure this is something I can just go see?"

Chen Hao laughed: "Of course. The world is vast, Yao Yao can see whatever she wants."

Yang Wanqing was the first to react. She could no longer contain her excitement and curiosity; her previous fear had long been replaced by curiosity. She jumped to her feet: "I'll go! I'll go! I want to go!"

She realized she was speaking too loudly, and several customers at the surrounding tables were watching, so she quickly sat down and lowered her voice: "Um... I mean, if it's convenient, I'd like to go too."

Cai Jingwen put down her teacup and said softly, "I'd like to go see too. I wonder who's stronger, the Flood Dragon or the Three Bluebirds."

Li Li hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "If you all go, I'll go too. Anyway... Chen Hao is there."

Chen Siyao took a deep breath and looked at Chen Hao: "Brother, when are we going?"

Chen Hao glanced out the window. In the direction of Longdun, a dark cloud hung heavily on the horizon. His gaze lingered for a moment, then returned to its source.

"Go after breakfast."

Chen Siyao lowered her head, finished her porridge in a few gulps, and stood up: "Let's go!"

Yang Wanqing looked at her barely touched breakfast, hesitated for a moment, then grabbed two sausages and stuffed them into her mouth, mumbling, "Let's go, let's go!"

The girls went back to their room to pack their things. Chen Siyao started her live stream while changing her shoes. Millions of viewers instantly flooded into the live stream.

[I am Ying Zheng: Good morning, Yao Yao! What's on today's broadcast?]

[Yaoyao's Little Red Riding Hood: I heard Suzhou was flooded yesterday? Are you all alright?]

[Dongmen Chuixue: Yaoyao, are you still in Suzhou?]

Chen Siyao smiled at the camera: "Family, today we're broadcasting something different. We're going to watch the Jiaolong."

The live stream was silent for a second, then the comments flooded in like a burst dam:

[I am Ying Zheng: A dragon? What dragon?]

"Didn't you guys see the trending topic on Douyin? It's about my brother taking me to see the Jiaolong. You're in for a treat! I'll share it on my live stream later so you can see it too," Chen Siyao said with a happy expression.