FIO CH66

Chapter 66: The Sleeping Dragon and the Phoenix’s Chick

In the early morning, the sky was dark and misty, shrouded in a layer of moisture. On the quiet street, a household made some noise, and a minibus was parked in front of the door. People dressed in white mourning robes got into the vehicle one by one.

Zhou Zheng, standing at the door, furrowed his brows and said, “You shouldn’t go.” None of the people in the car were familiar to Lu Fangchi, and since he had to accompany the coffin in another vehicle, he couldn’t stay with him.

“I’ll drive my own car and just follow the main group,” Lu Fangchi said.

Zhou Zheng, with his hands on his hips, swallowed hard, licked his lips repeatedly, and his brows were tightly furrowed, showing a very conflicted expression.

Reality didn’t allow them much time to think. A middle-aged man walked over from not far away, waving and urging, “Hurry up and get in the car. If we delay, the line at the crematorium will be long.”

“Got it,” Zhou Zheng replied, looking into Lu Fangchi’s clear and moist eyes, and seeing the determination there, he relented, “The roads are narrow and difficult to drive on. Be careful and call me immediately if anything happens.”

Lu Fangchi nodded, “Got it.”

Zhou Zheng’s hand applied a bit of force, rubbing back and forth on Lu Fangchi’s hand before letting go. He then strode quickly towards the minibus.

Only after seeing Zhou Zheng get into the minibus did Lu Fangchi walk towards his own car, unlock it, open the door, and get in.

After waiting for about five or six more minutes, the minibus in front started moving forward, followed closely by the bus, and Lu Fangchi stepped on the gas and drove forward as well.

The night was dark and the fog was thick, so the speed was not fast. Lu Fangchi maintained a steady forty miles per hour, following behind. The road was narrow, and when encountering oncoming traffic, he had to slow down.

The journey was smooth, except for a light drizzle that started midway. The tiny raindrops fell on the car window, forming a spider-web-like cover, which disappeared instantly when wiped by the wipers. Fortunately, there was no sign of it getting heavier, and it had stopped by the time they arrived at their destination.

As soon as Lu Fangchi parked his car, there was a knock on the window. Zhou Zheng, dressed in mourning attire, leaned against the car and said, “We still have to wait. There’s a line, and it’s the next group’s turn.”

Lu Fangchi glanced outside and saw another group of people, similarly dressed in white robes, gathered at the entrance. More cars arrived, bringing new batches of people, all dressed the same.

Lu Fangchi heard Zhou Zheng say again, “You don’t have to go in. Just wait in the car for me.”

“There’s not much to see,” Zhou Zheng pursed his lips and paused for a moment, then said, “She, they’ll take her around for a last look, and then she’ll be pushed in for cremation. There’s nothing much to see.”

“Okay,” Lu Fangchi nodded in agreement and complied.

The two didn’t chat for long before someone called Zhou Zheng over, saying it was their turn.

A large group dressed in white mourning robes walked in, and after about five or six minutes, they came out in a bustling manner.

Lu Fangchi rolled down the car window and heard their discussions.

“Ugh, she really doesn’t look good.”

“Is it because she’s too thin?” the speaker shivered, rubbing their arms, “She looks like a skeleton.”

“It’s not about that. My elder also passed away very thin, but they looked like they were just sleeping, not like that.”

“Too much evil done in life, that’s why she looks like that after death.”

“The Zhou family boy is really heartless. His uncle cried his heart out when he saw her like that, but he didn’t shed a single tear.”

“Sigh, a big ungrateful person gives birth to a little ungrateful one…”

Suddenly, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky. Although it was midsummer, in this scene, it felt eerie and cold. The women urged each other to hurry back to the car.

As they passed by Lu Fangchi’s car, one of the women, probably noticing his gentle and good-looking appearance, spoke in broken Mandarin to remind him, “He’s still inside waiting for the cremation. It will probably take more than half an hour.”

Lu Fangchi nodded with a gentle expression and replied, “Got it, thank you.”

After the main group had all boarded the bus and it drove away, Lu Fangchi got out of the car, took a few steps, then stopped. The drizzle fell on his face, and he blinked his eyes, before walking back to the car and getting in again.

Forget it, Zhou Zheng might not want to see him right now.

Lu Fangchi sat in the car, waiting and watching as the next batch of mourners came out. The unfamiliar women gathered together, whispering and gossiping, repeating the exact same process as before.

The rain gradually intensified, from a light drizzle to a moderate rain, and soon it turned into a downpour with large raindrops falling rapidly, creating a loud, steady sound.

Through the curtain of rain, Lu Fangchi recognized the two people coming out as Zhou Zheng’s uncle and aunt.

He didn’t see Zhou Zheng’s figure, so he might still be behind. Lu Fangchi got out of the car, walked around to the back, opened the trunk, took out a large black umbrella, and walked towards the crematorium.

He had only taken two steps when Zhou Zheng appeared at the entrance, dressed in a white robe and holding a box in his hands, walking out step by step.

Seeing this, Lu Fangchi quickened his pace and ran up to hold the umbrella over Zhou Zheng’s head. But the rain was too heavy, and in just a few steps, Zhou Zheng was drenched.

His hair was soaked and stuck to his temples, with rainwater spreading down from the ends. His eyelashes were clumped together from the rain, and his face was covered in rain, or perhaps mixed with something else.

Zhou Zheng raised his eyes, which were bright red, with rainwater streaming down from the corners and pooling at the edges. “Ten years ago, I swore I would never shed a tear for them again,” he said.

“They’re not worth it,” Zhou Zheng’s lips, wet from the rain, glistened with a watery redness. His lips trembled slightly at the corners, “When he died, I felt fifty percent relieved. Now that she’s gone too, I’m finally completely free. From now on, I have no more burdens.”

Zhou Zheng was smiling, but it looked as if he was crying. The rain concealed his true emotions. Lu Fangchi’s heart ached, and he reached out with his free hand to tightly embrace the person in front of him.
Zhou Zheng obediently rested his head against Lu Fangchi’s neck, feeling a wave of dampness followed by a burst of warmth. He said, “He would only beat me when he was drunk, and he’d rather buy cigarettes than a pen for me. She never paid attention to me, treating me like I was invisible. They never loved me, not even a little bit. Every time I was beaten or scolded, I wished they would just die and disappear from this world.” By the end, the alpha was almost grinding his teeth, filled with resentment and frustration. Then, his tone shifted abruptly to an extremely soft whisper, “But now that they’re really gone, I don’t feel as relieved as I thought I would.”

So soft that Lu Fangchi almost couldn’t hear him, he repeated, “Can I be sad?” It sounded like a question, yet also a murmur.

A pang of sorrow welled up in Lu Fangchi’s heart. He gently patted the alpha’s broad back and whispered, “You can.”

As soon as the words left his lips, Lu Fangchi sensed the alpha in front of him shedding his facade, as if all his strength had been drained. His face buried in the crook of Lu Fangchi’s neck, his shoulders trembled slightly, and the pattering rain drowned out the soft sobs.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed, perhaps only ten minutes, when the sobs gradually subsided and ceased. Lu Fangchi led the dazed Zhou Zheng back to the car.

Even with the umbrella, half of Lu Fangchi’s body was soaked. He simply took off his jacket. As for Zhou Zheng, his white mourning robe was drenched and clung to his body, dripping water everywhere. His eyelids were slightly red, and he looked listless.

“This won’t do. You’ll catch a cold. Take off your clothes,” Lu Fangchi paused for a moment, then softly added, “Can you take them off?” He gestured towards the mourning robe.

“Yep, it’s over now,” Zhou Zheng nodded weakly and quickly removed the robe. The pieces of cloth had served some purpose; his undergarments weren’t soaked through, and his pants were fine. In the end, he just changed into a T-shirt and dried his hair with a towel.

Lu Fangchi had originally planned to take him to a hotel for a hot shower and a good night’s sleep to rest before leaving, but Zhou Zheng seemed to despise this place and refused to stay. Since their luggage was already in the trunk, Lu Fangchi pulled up the navigation and entered the route, deciding to drive back home.

Since earlier, Zhou Zheng had become extremely quiet, his slightly swollen eyelids drooping, and his expression listless. Lu Fangchi tried to maintain a steady speed to avoid any jolts in the car, turned up the volume on some soft, relaxing instrumental music, and attempted to soothe Zhou Zheng with the melodic tunes.

But in reality, all the alpha’s feelings of resentment and frustration had been washed away by the rain, leaving him emotionally drained and as fragile as a crystal glass ball. The alpha sniffed and spoke up, “Do you think I’m pathetic?”

Huh? Lu Fangchi glanced at Zhou Zheng sitting in the passenger seat, unsure where this was coming from.

The alpha gave a sheepish smile, “Compared to you, I’ve lost control way too many times. I didn’t mean to just now, but I couldn’t hold back.”

“Not as good in character, and my family isn’t great either. You must have heard some things these past few days…” Zhou Zheng’s voice grew quieter, his head drooping lower, perfectly embodying the word “inferiority.”

Lu Fangchi slammed on the brakes, stopping in front of a house by the roadside in the dead of night, where no one would disturb them.

He shifted into park and turned on the hazard lights. Looking at the shaken Zhou Zheng beside him, Lu Fangchi said, “I’m not so great either.”

Lu Fangchi pursed his lips, for the first time voluntarily dissecting his own past to someone else, “Do you remember the time when you threw me a birthday party and I inexplicably got angry?”

Zhou Zheng blinked and nodded. The puppy had just been coaxed into feeling better but hadn’t received an explanation yet.

Lu Fangchi took a deep breath and said, “That day was my mom’s anniversary.”

Under the alpha’s widened eyes, Lu Fangchi continued, “My birth cost my mom her life. My dad thinks I’m a jinx. He doesn’t like me, and I don’t bother trying to win his favor, so our relationship is very poor. We only see each other twice a year, once on the anniversary and once during the New Year.”

Lu Fangchi reached out and smoothed the alpha’s furrowed brows, curved his eyes, and softly said, “So you see, my character is average, and my family isn’t much better.”

In intimate relationships, the greatest extent is to share past traumas and cry in each other’s presence.

Zhou Zheng’s eyes were filled with heartache. He reached up, pulled down Lu Fangchi’s hand that had been smoothing his brows, buried his face in it, and mumbled, “Don’t speak of yourself like that.”

Lu Fangchi tapped Zhou Zheng’s temple with his finger and said, “You shouldn’t either.”

Zhou Zheng nuzzled his face from side to side, “You’re the best in my heart.”

Lu Fangchi curled his lips, “You are too.”

“Then we’re a perfect match?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“We’re the Sleeping Dragon and the Phoenix’s Chick.”

“Yep.”

“Then the Sleeping Dragon has a wish now, can the Phoenix’s Chick grant it?”

“……Why are you the Sleeping Dragon?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Zhou Zheng looked up at Lu Fangchi with a pout, dragging out the last syllable as if coquettishly asking, “Can you grant it?”

“Tell me what the wish is first,” Lu Fangchi needed to consider the situation.

“I’m feeling down and very vulnerable right now,” Zhou Zheng’s plump lips turned downward, he glanced up at Lu Fangchi stealthily, probably thinking the next words were too shameless, and spoke quickly and softly, “So I need to stay with you…”