Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Dragon Spirit's Confusion

In the pitch-black night, sitting on a bus, I was overwhelmed by a strong sense of being lost. I could barely make out anything outside the windows; the road itself had vanished into the darkness. The bus was filled with people dozing in boredom. It felt as if the vehicle was nothing more than a tin can adrift in the boundless void of space. What was I waiting for? The driver was the master of fate—he alone knew the way and would take us where we were meant to go.

Slumped in my seat, my whole body felt heavy and muddled. To be honest, this was the first time I had ever felt this way. My mind kept replaying the events of the morning—was it a dream or reality? I suddenly wondered where all my endless energy had gone; I felt like a balloon half-deflated, sprawling across the seat.

A sudden jolt of the brakes pulled me abruptly back to reality. Just then, I remembered that Ye Shuang had asked me to pick up a few things at the supermarket, and I had completely forgotten. I got off early and headed to a nearby Xinhua Supermarket to choose some fruit. With a plastic bag in one hand, I picked up an apple, inspected it, and dropped it into the bag, then selected a bag of green dates.

In the beverage section, I bought some drinks. The supermarket was crowded, and I happened to notice a pretty girl smile at a young man before she melted away into the sea of people. The morning’s events surged back to the forefront of my mind, and I was seized by the strange feeling that I’d lost something precious, a vague anxiety gnawing at me.

It was odd—losing money had never made me anxious, but now, for no clear reason, I was overcome by this sensation of loss. With a heavy bag in tow, I left the supermarket and walked home, my head filled with the images of the morning. Only a few hours had passed, yet the memories replayed again and again in my mind, as if I were watching a film…

Suddenly, I cried out—“Ah!”—realizing a few seconds later that I’d fallen into an open manhole. I had been lost in thought and failed to watch where I was going. Who would have thought that people still stole manhole covers these days? Luckily, this one seemed abandoned; there was no water below and it wasn’t very deep. I scrambled up in a few quick moves, brushed the dirt from my clothes, and continued on my way.

The rest of the journey was uneventful; there wasn’t a soul in sight.

When I returned home, the atmosphere was as lively as ever.

“I’m back,” I announced as I kicked off my shoes and stepped inside.

“Hey, big brother, where’ve you been all day? Why are you just getting home now?” Long Xin asked.

“I went to check my grades and wandered around downtown a bit,” I replied.

“Oh, really?! That’s odd—you’ve never been a fan of shopping. You must have been out with a girl, right?” Long Xin grinned mischievously.

“As if! The odds of your brother getting a date are lower than Xiao Ai winning the grand prize in the lottery.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Xiao Ai asked, slightly annoyed.

“Nothing, just stating facts,” I answered.

Xiao Xi came over and said, “Long, put your things down and have a seat. Don’t just stand there.”

I nodded, set the groceries on the table, and collapsed onto the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling. Feng Xiaoyue spoke up, “Long Ling, what’s wrong? You look so down. Are you really the same Long Ling I know, always brimming with energy?” She pinched my cheek playfully.

I didn’t respond. Long Xin said, “Brother, something’s on your mind. Tell us.”

“Not at all, just tired, that’s all.”

“Tired? Come on, big bro—you can run five kilometers without breaking a sweat. You expect me to believe you’re tired from shopping? You’re a terrible liar. Spill it—I know you too well,” Long Xin pressed.

“She’s right, Long Ling. Tell us, maybe we can help,” Feng Xiaoyue chimed in.

“Long’s secrets are always interesting,” Xiao Xi added.

At that moment, Ye Shuang emerged from the bathroom and, seeing me slumped on the sofa, called out, “Hey man, when did you get back?”

“Just now,” I replied feebly.

“Whoa, am I seeing things? My buddy who’s always full of energy looks completely drained. You left this morning like a dragon and came home tonight like a worm.”

“Long Fei is just tired and needs a break,” I muttered.

“Yezi, looks like your friend’s got something on his mind. Care to guess?” Xiao Ai teased.

“Hmm, a dragon’s worries… Let me guess: did you lose money? No, if you had, you’d be upset, not deflated like this. Did someone beat you up? Impossible—who could take you down? Maybe you finished all your manga? No, you just bought the latest issue yesterday… What could it be?” Ye Shuang adopted a thoughtful pose.

Xiao Xi said, “Long, you look just like Yezi did when he got dumped.”

“Come on,” Ye Shuang protested. “He’s still single—how could he be heartbroken? But that expression… could it be—”

I had had enough. I stood up and announced, “I’m going to bed. You guys keep talking.” With that, I retreated to my room. It was dark inside; I felt along the wall for the switch and turned on the light.

Everyone else remained in the living room. Alone in my room, I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. At that moment, I felt incredibly lonely and desolate. A wave of melancholy washed over me.

I longed for someone to sit by my side, to talk with me, to share this solitude. I got up and looked out the window. Couples and friends strolled along the street below. In the past, I would have felt nothing seeing such scenes, but now I was envious, wishing I could be among them.

With a deep sigh, I returned to bed, curling up in a corner. I pulled out my favorite manga and read a few pages, but soon found myself staring at the heroine’s face, even though it was just a black-and-white drawing.

I was waiting for that face to turn to color.

Maybe, if I stared long enough, she would come to life, jump off the page—these strange thoughts filled my head. I sighed quietly…

Outside, Ye Shuang and the others peeked in through the crack in the door, watching my every move. They returned to the living room. Ye Shuang said, “Just as I thought.”

“What is it?” Long Xin asked.

“Want to know?” Ye Shuang teased.

Everyone nodded. “Xiao Xi, bring me a soda,” Ye Shuang said.

“Okay,” Xiao Xi replied, handing him a Fanta. Ye Shuang took a few sips and declared, “Long Ling has set his sights on someone.”

“Set his sights?” everyone echoed in surprise.

“That’s right,” Ye Shuang continued. “Today he definitely met a girl he likes—and I mean love at first sight.”

“How can you tell?” Xiao Xi asked.

“I’ve got experience,” Ye Shuang boasted.

“Can we help him?” Xiao Xi wondered.

Ye Shuang shook his head. “No, no, no—this is something he has to do himself. It’s like crossing a narrow bridge in the dark. If you have a candle, at least there’s hope. But right now, there’s no candle—he has to make it on his own. We don’t even know who she is, and with his personality, he’s unlikely to tell us. Maybe even he doesn’t know who she is. So there’s no need to rush. Let’s see how things unfold. Isn’t there a saying that love is found through the test of time?”

“Who said that? I’ve never heard it,” Feng Xiaoyue interjected.

“I did,” Ye Shuang replied. Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes.

Alone in my room, I didn’t know how much time had passed. My thoughts swirled in confusion until, finally, I drifted into sleep, my manga abandoned at my side. I hoped dearly that I would dream of her.

In the days that followed, I grew restless, never wanting to stay home. I barely touched my games and spent every day wandering the same small square, circling it over and over. I kept glancing at the fragrant milk tea stall, half-expecting to see her again.

A strong sense of anticipation gripped me—a premonition that we would meet again.

But no matter how strong that feeling was, I never saw her there. After all, it’s no easy task to find someone in a city of millions.

Was she just a phantom?

Suddenly, I wondered if she was nothing but a character conjured by my imagination after reading too many manga—like those beautiful NPCs in the Second World, all virtual and unreal. It occurred to me, perhaps yesterday was just a dream after all, a beautiful daydream and nothing more.