"Damn Zhou Zilong, he's been gone for four years. At first, he'd call me every night to chat, but then he stopped contacting me altogether. He's just the worst! Once I find the Dragon Balls, I'm definitely going to give him a piece of my mind!" Bulma stood by the stream, tossing stones into the water as she muttered. Her eyes flashed with determination, but beneath it lurked a faint loneliness and sadness.
Just as Bulma was lost in thought, a familiar voice suddenly sounded behind her. "Bulma, I'm sorry. I led you on. I'll be more careful from now on!"
At the sound of his voice, Bulma's body jolted. She spun around and saw Zhou Zilong standing behind her, a gentle smile on his face. Though four years had passed, Zhou Zilong had grown calmer and more reserved, but the warmth in his eyes had never changed.
The moment she saw Zhou Zilong, Bulma's eyes reddened. She rushed over and pounded his chest with her little fists. "You big jerk! You big jerk! Didn't you promise to say goodnight to me every day when you left? You kept it up for just one year, then stopped. Do you have someone new you're in love with?"
Zhou Zilong staggered backward under Bulma's blows, but he didn't complain at all.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "Of course not, Bulma. I've been waiting for you the whole time. It's just that after that, I devoted myself to training so I could get stronger. I neglected you, and I promise I won't do that again!"
In Zhou Zilong's embrace, Bulma could no longer hold back her tears. She clung to him, as though trying to release all the longing and hurt she'd felt over the past four years. Zhou Zilong held her just as tightly, letting her tears soak his shirt.
After a while, Bulma pulled away and wiped her eyes. "Then let's go back to West City, Zilong. I came out to gather the Dragon Balls and wish for you to come back, but I guess there's no need for that now!"
To grow closer and move the story along, Zhou Zilong shook his head. "Bulma, we hardly ever get to go out together. Let's go on an adventure and have some fun. The Dragon Balls aren't easy to find anyway, so we can look for them along the way!"
Bulma thought it over and decided he had a point. She nodded. "Okay! You're right, Zilong. Let's go on an adventure together. We can't waste our precious summer vacation!"
And so, the two set out on their adventure to find the Dragon Balls.
Night fell beneath a brilliant, starry sky. In an empty spot far from the city, a house produced from a Capsule stood quietly. Inside, warm light spilled through the windows onto the grass, revealing two hazy silhouettes.
"Bulma, I have something to tell you." Zhou Zilong's voice broke the night's silence. He sat at the dining table, facing Bulma as she busied herself preparing dinner.
Bulma turned around, still holding a freshly cut carrot. She blinked playfully. "You're not going to tell me you had a child while you were away for those four years, are you?"
Bulma's words amused Zhou Zilong. He gently ruffled her hair and laughed. "What are you thinking about all day, you little rascal? What I wanted to tell you is that I'm not from this planet!"
The carrot nearly slipped from Bulma's hand. She stared at Zhou Zilong in shock, as if trying to read the truth on his face.
Seeing her reaction, Zhou Zilong took a deep breath and revealed the tail he'd been hiding around his waist.
"What's that...?" Bulma asked in surprise, pointing at Zhou Zilong's tail.
"This is my tail. I'm actually a Saiyan from a planet called Planet Vegeta." Zhou Zilong told Bulma the story of the identity Xiao Ling had given him, explaining some things about the Saiyans and how he'd been exiled.
Bulma listened intently. She'd never imagined Zhou Zilong had such a past.
"Then... could King Vegeta discover that you're still alive? Could he send someone to kill you?" Bulma suddenly thought of a serious problem and looked at Zhou Zilong anxiously.
Zhou Zilong gently took Bulma's hand to reassure her. "Don't worry, he won't. The spaceship that brought me here was destroyed when I was little. They won't even notice. And even if they do come after me, I'm strong enough to deal with them now!"
Only then did Bulma relax. She leaned against Zhou Zilong's shoulder, comforted by his warmth and the sense of security he gave her.
As the first light of dawn shone through the treetops, Zhou Zilong and Bulma had already packed their things and were ready to continue their journey in search of the Dragon Balls.
After a good night's rest, they were both refreshed, and Bulma was especially excited about finding the third Dragon Ball.
The car drove deeper into the mountains. The trees grew thicker, and the road grew rougher, but Bulma was a skilled driver, and the car moved steadily onward. Zhou Zilong sat in the passenger seat, glancing out the window now and then to observe their surroundings.
"Zilong, look at that waterfall! It's beautiful!" Bulma suddenly said, pointing ahead.
Zhou Zilong looked where she pointed. A waterfall plunged down from the mountaintop, sending up sprays of water and roaring loudly. Sunlight struck the droplets, forming brilliant rainbows.
"It really is beautiful," Zhou Zilong agreed.
Meanwhile, in a modest house on Mount Paozu, there was a little boy with hair standing up like a hedgehog. He wore a blue-purple sleeveless Martial Way uniform, blue pants, and a pair of black training shoes. His chubby face looked both adorable and a little naïve.
He pressed his hands together and bowed respectfully to the Four-Star Ball, an orange sphere with four orange-red stars embedded in its center.
"Grandpa, I'm going out to find food!" the little boy said, his voice clear and firm. He stood up and walked out of the small but cozy house. The door closed softly behind him.
The forest on Mount Paozu was his playground. He darted through the trees, chasing little animals and climbing trees, enjoying all that nature had to offer. A carefree smile lit his face, as though nothing in the world could trouble him.
After playing with a saber-toothed tiger and falling into the water, the little boy laid his soaked clothes out to dry on a rock and said, "I'll have fish today!"
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