Chapter Thirty-Five: Lu Mingze's Brainstorm

"Why..." Lu Mingfei whispered softly, fragments of happiness he had recently experienced flickered through his mind. But in the next instant, a black hand pierced through the screen that played those beautiful moments, and the abyssal darkness devoured him. At that precise moment, he opened his eyes and said, "Because there is something in my heart that I must protect."

"Is it Su Xiaoqiang?" Lu Mingze asked tentatively.

He had always accompanied his brother, and precisely because he was always by his side, he knew that his brother was unlikely to fall for Su Xiaoqiang. Besides her, there was no one else—Lu Mingfei's attitude toward Chen Wenwen made it clear that the girl no longer held a place in his heart.

Beyond Chen Wenwen and Su Xiaoqiang, Lu Mingze could not think of a third option.

"Of course not, he's just a good friend," Lu Mingfei answered naturally.

"Could it be Chen Wenwen?" Lu Mingze's voice was incredulous.

"No. I want to protect that person. Only I can hear her voice. She's the cutest person I've ever met," Lu Mingfei murmured, recalling the image of Funnina.

Meanwhile, Lu Mingze was stunned. He stood there, staring at the expression on Lu Mingfei's face, and an unbelievable answer suddenly sprang to mind.

That person... could it be me?

No, no, that can't be right. No matter how he tried to reason, Lu Mingfei's attitude toward him was nothing like someone wanting to protect him. And what did "cute" mean? Was that a word to describe him? He was just a little boy—was "cute" really the right adjective?

Well, maybe it wasn't so far-fetched after all.

Besides him, whose voice could only Lu Mingfei hear? No one else fit that description. Only he could do that... was there anyone else capable of it?

Could anyone else achieve what he could?

Lu Mingze sat down and took deep breaths, struggling to keep his senses sharp, resisting the urge to be swept away by emotion.

From a rational perspective, Lu Mingze refused to believe that Lu Mingfei was talking about him; but emotionally, he desperately hoped he was the one, because Lu Mingfei was his favorite brother.

Suddenly, Lu Mingze remembered that careless promise Lu Mingfei had once made: "Become the Dragon King to protect you." Strange feelings surged within him again.

Could it be... could it be...?

No, no! Reason told him his brother must have invented a completely new role, an independent character to converse with him, not himself. But... he couldn't calm down!

Just then, Lu Mingfei spoke again. He stood by the window, gazing at the frozen world outside, and continued, "How should I put it? Although I've only known her for a few days, her presence gave me the courage I needed. Without her, I would never have dared yell 'shut up' at Auntie."

"Is that so?" Lu Mingze, lost in a storm of thoughts, forced himself to regain composure. The answer his emotions longed for was beautiful, but it was not the real answer.

He chose to trust reason, convinced that Lu Mingfei had imagined a new character, someone who could speak to him in his heart. Though the personality he described was similar to his own, judging by his brother's attitude, it was not him. It seemed to be a girl, probably playful and adorable.

That was always his brother's favorite type, though there was no girl of that type who truly captivated him, which was why he secretly liked Chen Wenwen. His fantasies followed the principle of preference, so that girl must have that personality and often chatted with him.

He thought this way, but was still moved by the possibility.

"So, how do I become stronger?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"We possess the complete Dragon Heart and the highest powers, but your body has only just awakened the power of dragon blood. There's a long way to go before full development. You just need to maintain your current state, and your strength will keep growing," Lu Mingze replied.

"I understand." Lu Mingfei nodded, watching as Lu Mingze's presence gradually faded.

"Click!"

The hotel door was pushed open by staff; a group rushed inside, carrying firefighting tools. Seeing the burnt sofa and Lu Mingfei standing nearby, they relaxed a little and asked, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

...

Lu Mingfei followed Chu Zihang's advice, explained everything to the staff, and voluntarily compensated the hotel with a large sum of money. The hotel's owner, whose face had been dark with anger, suddenly became rosy and his concern for Lu Mingfei's health increased exponentially, showering him with warmth and repeatedly assuring him it was the hotel's fault—that Lu Mingfei was blameless and could not possibly be at fault.

Perhaps this was the charm of money.

The enthusiastic owner arranged a new suite for Lu Mingfei—an executive suite. Yet from that moment, Lu Mingfei began to sense something was off. He had paid a lot, but the owner's attitude seemed a bit excessive.

Was there another reason? Maybe Chu Zihang's connections were at work?

Perhaps. Hybrids were elites among humans, and Cassel College—composed of hybrids—was naturally powerful. For them, such arrangements would be simple.

In the new room, Lu Mingfei looked in the mirror at Lu Mingze's proud smile and felt a touch of confusion.

"Brother, Cassel College has noticed you. Listen carefully: the power you demonstrated earlier doesn't match any known language of power. The people at the college will easily spot the anomaly, but..."

Lu Mingze's smile grew even more triumphant, as if his face were calling for praise. He continued, "But you don't need to worry. I've already patched things up for you. You can keep pretending your language of power is water-based, and even use other elements at certain moments. No one will investigate."

"Really?" Lu Mingfei's eyes changed. He suddenly realized this little devil was even more resourceful than he'd imagined. He had no idea how Lu Mingze managed it, but he could directly influence Cassel College on the other side—his methods were unclear.

Could it be... that he could use the same means to make others see him? Was he not visible only to Lu Mingfei? If so, then Funnina's words back then carried even more weight. She had judged his identity as extraordinary even then—truly worthy of being the Water God of Fontaine.

At that time, he had no supernatural power, only the yearning for salvation of a downcast youth.

To have met her... was truly wonderful.