Vol2 Chapter 41: Disobedient

Maybe she was tired from playing, but Xia Mi asked Chu Zihang to carry her on his back.

Chu Zihang nodded, bending down. Xia Mi giggled, hopping onto his back. Feeling her warmth, she was as soft as any ordinary girl—though he’d never carried another ordinary girl.

Looking back, he and Xia Mi had known each other for a long, long time. She was quiet now, lost in thought.

It was as if he’d returned to that afternoon years ago.

A girl stood expectantly under a sycamore tree, glancing sideways. The boy she’d agreed to meet pedaled up on his bike, and a gentle smile lit her face. She hopped onto the back seat, lightly wrapping her arms around his waist, their destination the aquarium.

What was in her heart at that moment?

He didn’t know.

He couldn’t read her mind, felt he barely understood her, yet he’d grown used to her presence. Sometimes, he’d unconsciously glance downstairs from his dorm, and there she’d be, hands behind her back under a courtyard pillar, gazing through the tree shade at the sky, thinking or waiting for him.

Other times, she’d bring piles of his favorite food, sitting quietly beside him, smiling as he ate, eagerly awaiting his verdict.

And then there was her, barefoot in a puddle, arms spread as if playing in a river, night breeze rustling past, fine raindrops swirling around her—a vision so beautiful it was unforgettable.

Chu Zihang didn’t know what to call that feeling. Xia Mi was like an unexpected pebble tossed into the still waters of his life, rippling across the surface.

“Hey, Senior Brother, if one day I stopped talking to you, would you be sad?” Xia Mi suddenly asked.

Chu Zihang thought it over. It’d be like his freshman year again—no girl chattering beside him at meals, no quirky trinkets from Xia Mi cluttering his dorm, no one cooking for him.

The thought made something heavy lodge in his chest, a feeling like the rainy night his father disappeared. He hated it.

“I would.”

“Wah, Senior Brother, you really do care about me!” Xia Mi feigned being touched, eyes dramatic. “I’m almost crying!”

Chu Zihang smiled silently, ignoring her. He was used to her exaggerated way of talking, like a vibrant kid with a wild imagination.

Xia Mi rested on his back, arms around him, her face against his neck. Her golden eyes brimmed with a tidal wave of sorrow.

What a strange girl. A dragon, a near-divine first-generation species, born at the top of the food chain, a being to lord over all life. Yet here she was, showing a fragile, almost delicate human side.

“Senior Brother, if you knew death was coming, what would you do?”

“Me?” Chu Zihang paused, unsure why she’d ask. He thought for a moment. “I’d text everyone I know, saying I’m off to handle a tough job.”

“So like you…” Xia Mi laughed softly. “Still so boring. Never thought of fighting back or running?”

“I wouldn’t run,” he said. “I don’t want to regret running away.”

“And if I were dying one day, would you save me?”

“I would.”

“So cool, Senior Brother!” Xia Mi straightened, clapping. “I’m dying of感动!”

Soon, they reached her place. Lu Mingfei and Bai Ci seemed to have left. Chu Zihang helped her tidy up, preparing to go.

“Senior Brother, hold on!”

“What?”

“I just made tremella soup with lots of your favorite osmanthus sugar. Drink it before you leave.”

Chu Zihang nodded, sitting at the table, watching her back.

Honestly, he felt uneasy.

He’d asked Shilan classmates, teachers, even the principal—no one remembered her. Norma’s records were flawless, but Xia Mi’s home didn’t match them.

Was Xia Mi… really Xia Mi?

He didn’t dwell on it. Partly because she’d brought a big bowl of tremella soup, and partly… he wasn’t sure why.

“Here, Senior Brother, this delicacy’s just for you!”

Xia Mi smiled, sitting across from him, chin on her hands, watching.

As he finished, a wave of dizziness hit, heavy, like someone had smashed a hammer into his skull, his spine trembling.

“Sorry, Senior Brother.”

Xia Mi looked at him slumped on the table, gently lifted him onto her bed, and softly stroked his cheek.

Senior Brother, so naive…

You can’t just eat a sprite’s food. Like Tang Seng, always fooled by a demoness’s innocent facade.

“Senior Brother, they’re all here for my brother. The world’s hybrids are coming to kill him—Fenrir, my brother, the King of Earth and Mountains. In your myths, I’m Jörmungandr, the serpent encircling Midgard.”

“Don’t worry, Senior Brother… I won’t hurt you. Just sleep quietly.”

She took out her phone, the screen’s glow lighting her face.

She opened the camera, lightly tapping the screen.

Senior Sister was always like this. Xia Mi had seen her photo album—aside from snacks and food, there was one special folder.

All pictures of Lu Mingfei.

Senior Sister’s such a hopeless idiot.

Xia Mi stared for a moment, her finger hovering over the delete button, the phone prompting, “Confirm deletion?”

Her finger lingered but didn’t press.

Why did she still hold onto hope?

Because he inexplicably broke her memory seal?

She knew from the start—humans and dragons could never work.

So why… did she still hope?

She suddenly laughed, a soft, fleeting sound. Her delicate hands clasped together, she hugged her knees, soft hair falling over her curled back, burying her face like a wounded little monster licking its wounds in the dark.

She might die, wouldn’t she?

Senior Brother Lu wasn’t as weak as he seemed. She’d seen it before—his throne toppling from the heavens, its flames burning seven days and nights…

They were enemies. He was the lofty king; they were the rebels betraying their lord.

“Sorry, Senior Brother. I might not live to see you save me.”