Without realizing it, Chu Zihang frowned again.
He really wanted to know what this boy named Lu Mingfei had gone through before.
Chu Zihang had thought his own experiences were quite unique. He figured Lu Mingfei's must have been even more so, which was why he had such a unique aura.
Without realizing it, perhaps because of the boy's natural curiosity, Chu Zihang wanted to learn a little more about Lu Mingfei.
Dragon Clan Duyang's eyes were bright and alert. Before long, they settled on a Maybach driving through the school gates.
You got what you paid for. Even on a campus crowded with luxury cars, a Maybach was unquestionably top of the line. Like a nimble black panther, it suddenly darted through the gates.
Even in the torrential rain, the Maybach's headlights looked bright and glaring.
The emblem on the hood was especially eye-catching.
Chu Zihang raised his chin slightly and said to Lu Mingfei, "My dad's here."
Dragon Clan Duyang nodded, and the two of them went downstairs together with an air of tacit understanding.
Perhaps because Lu Mingfei had deliberately left his umbrella behind, Chu Zihang held it over him for the short walk from the school building to the Maybach.
The two of them reached the Maybach. Mercedes-Benz had not yet acquired the brand, so this was a pure-blooded Maybach.
The man who stepped out of the several-million-yuan luxury car was middle-aged, and bore some resemblance to Chu Zihang.
This was Chu Tianjiao, whose Word Spirit was the same type as Rene's. He was also Chu Zihang's father.
To be precise, he was his biological father, but not Chu Zihang's legal guardian at present.
Chu Tianjiao had been grinning, just about to brag about the Maybach, but the moment he got out, he froze.
The two boys standing before him both looked cold, one even more so than the other.
He knew his biological son was probably either proud or tsundere.
The other boy, whom he had never met before, had an aura that seemed to come together as one.
"These days, students are so hard to impress. They don't even care about a Maybach."
Chu Tianjiao felt a little dejected.
He wanted to drive a Rolls-Royce too, but what kind of car he got to drive depended on what sort of luxury car his boss bought.
Chu Tianjiao decided to preserve his dignity as a father and joked, "Ahem. Zihang, this is rare. I've never seen you bring a friend over before."
Chu Zihang was about to say something, but Dragon Clan Duyang cut in first. "Sorry, Uncle. Chu Zihang and I aren't friends at the moment. He was just kind enough to give me a ride."
The rain was still coming down hard. Chu Zihang glanced at Lu Mingfei and said awkwardly, "That's right. That's how it is."
"You don't actually object, do you?"
"If you do, Lu Mingfei, we'll leave."
Chu Tianjiao thought to himself, Which one of us is the dad here?
But as a father, he could also see that his son was full of resentment.
He had no idea what was going on. Wasn't Chu Zihang supposed to be happy? So why did he still look so displeased?
Lu Mingfei noticed it too.
So he really was a tsundere.
Even after being called out to his face, Chu Tianjiao remained shamelessly unbothered. He focused on Lu Mingfei and said,
"Don't listen to Zihang. How could I refuse to give you a ride? You know, Zihang may look cold, but he really wants to make friends."
"Honestly, I'm happy to see the two of you together today..."
Faced with Chu Tianjiao's sudden chatter, Dragon Clan Duyang simply replied, "Oh. Then thank you, Uncle."
Chu Tianjiao was instantly left speechless. He thought, Are young people these days all this eccentric?
Considering how eccentric his son was, he wasn't surprised.
Only then did the three of them realize that they had been awkwardly chatting for a while in the torrential rain.
So they all climbed into the Maybach.
Of course, Lu Mingfei got in first.
He didn't hesitate...
Chu Tianjiao got into the driver's seat and pressed the accelerator. The Maybach shot forward like a beast.
Chu Zihang and Lu Mingfei sat in the back. With a hint of curiosity, Chu Zihang asked the person beside him, "I'm a little curious. Why didn't you bring an umbrella in weather like this?"
Dragon Clan Duyang answered bluntly, "It wasn't supposed to rain this hard right now. But it did, because of certain forces beyond our control."
"What forces beyond our control?"
"The Creator's, I suppose."
"What can you do about that?"
The rain kept pouring down, accompanied by rolling thunder that flashed up now and then. It seemed intent on drowning out every whisper and murmur.
"That's a pretty abstract answer, but I like it."
The Maybach sped along the road, seemingly at a very high speed.
All the while, Chu Tianjiao kept chattering away.
It seemed this was the only kind of situation in which he could speak his mind.
Lu Mingfei maintained the same calm expression. He didn't ignore a single thing Chu Tianjiao said, but kept staring straight ahead, as if waiting for something to appear.
"You're both high school students. This is the age when you need to work hard."
"Put in a few years of effort and you'll get into a good university. Then you'll have a secure future. Don't go thinking about dating and all that."
"Even if you do date, keep it secret. Whatever you do, don't let your mom find out."
Chu Tianjiao might have been a bit of a nag, but his driving skills were first-rate.
In weather like a natural disaster, with torrential rain pouring down, most of Magic City's roads were already gridlocked and completely paralyzed.
Yet Chu Tianjiao still managed to overtake car after car, leaving the curses behind him.
Chu Tianjiao seemed to be running from something. It was as though something was chasing them from behind.
But those things seemed to be catching up. An unexpected accident had completely blocked the road ahead.
Looking at the mass of cars packed together before them, Chu Tianjiao furrowed his brow even more—until he spotted a side road.
That side road led to the elevated road. Without a doubt, it was a shortcut.
Yet at that moment, not a single car had driven down it.
"What a chance."
Chu Tianjiao's eyes lit up. He immediately cranked the steering wheel all the way around.
The Maybach turned onto the side road. The torrential rain seemed to wash both the road and the car into a blur of unreality.
"Brother, you shouldn't have gotten into the Maybach."
"You can still get out now."
Lu Mingfei, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.
He looked around, but didn't see a fourth person anywhere.
Time seemed to have stopped. The raindrops hung motionless, and the mist on the windows seemed to have frozen into a painting.