Chapter 4 The Villa by the Sea

  Get rid of that mysterious little girl, Hao Ren went to the second floor of the library to check out some materials, borrowed a few related books, and walked out of the library.

  When I went out, that little girl was indeed gone.

  Hao Ren looked up at the somewhat gloomy sky and thought about the little girl's situation, wondering if next week would be her arrival.

  If her parents really found out, it would be... She clearly lost it herself, but blamed me for taking her things... Isn't she just trying to avoid punishment from her parents?

  He returned to the dormitory, and several roommates were concerned about the cause and effect of this matter. Hao Ren only said that the matter was resolved smoothly and did not elaborate. He didn't want to involve his brothers in the dormitory with these annoying things either.

  "The little girl is very pretty, in a few years she will definitely be a campus belle." Zhao Jiaxin patted Hao Ren's shoulder and said with a sigh.

  Pretty is pretty, but a beautiful woman who causes trouble is better left untouched. Hao Ren thought.

  "Aren't you going back home this week? Have you finished checking the materials?" Zhao Jiayu asked again.

  "Ah, just getting ready to head home." Hao Ren put the books he borrowed from the library on his desk and pulled out an empty backpack.

  "Come back early tomorrow night and we'll play cards!" Zhao Jiatong patted Hao Ren's shoulder affectionately.

  "Alright, got it, thanks a lot for your help today." Hao Ren waved goodbye to the brothers in his dorm room.

  On the bus home, Hao Ren couldn't help but roll up his sleeves again and check his wrists.

  The blue mark is similar to a fragment of dragon scale, but after washing, the color has faded a lot.

  If grandma saw this, she would definitely think I've gone bad and gotten a tattoo... Hao Ren let out a sigh, opened the car window, and faced the cool breeze, unknowingly falling asleep.

  Hao Ren woke up again when the car had been driving for more than an hour and was almost home.

  He dazedly picked up his school bag, got off the bus, and walked along a wide cement road towards the inside.

  Occasionally, expensive cars would drive by him, while Hao Ren, carrying a backpack and walking alone, looked somewhat down on his luck.

  After walking for half an hour, he finally arrived at a place with houses.

  If Hao Ren's classmates were to see it, they would definitely be shocked, because Hao Ren's home is actually located in the most beautiful coastal area of Donghai City, and his house is a seemingly ordinary two-story villa just 200 meters away from the beach!

  "Grandma!" Hao Ren, feeling slightly tired, pushed open the intricately designed iron gate and shouted out.

  "Ah Ren is back!" An old man with a kind face walked out of the house, smiling at Hao Ren, "Why did you come back so late today?"

  "Heh heh, I have to hand in something next week, so I need to look up some materials." Hao Ren followed his grandmother into the house, "Grandma, how was your week?"

  "Just like before, sweep the house, take a walk by the sea, plant flowers and grass, and then stir-fry stocks. Uncle Wang has already gone back, and Grandma personally cooks for you." Grandma said with a smile.

  "Stock trading? How much did you make this week?" Hao Ren asked casually.

  "It's not possible to make money every week, this week I lost 6,000 yuan, but grandma doesn't mind these things. There is news from Norway, your parents' scientific examination is about to end, and they may be back next month." Grandma said as she walked into the kitchen.

  "Oh, you're coming back next month?" Hao Ren also walked into the kitchen to help his grandmother.

  Originally, a chef named Wang Shu was also hired in the small villa, on the one hand to cook for Grandma, and on the other hand, it was actually to find someone to accompany Grandma in the villa, so that when Hao Ren's parents went abroad and Hao Ren went to school, Grandma wouldn't be too bored alone.

  However, this weekend Wang Shu's family had something going on and he went back home. Although Hao Ren didn't have anything going on at home, he also had to go back to accompany his grandmother.

  For him, apart from his parents who often appear and disappear suddenly, the person closest to him is his grandmother.

  "Grandma, I suddenly thought of a question today," Hao Ren said while chopping vegetables, "Do you think there are really dragons in this world?"

  "Dragon?" Grandma seemed interested in this topic, her eyes shining with excitement, thinking for a moment, "It's said that people from Donghai City here used to see dragons."

  "Really?" Hao Ren's interest was also piqued.

  "Uh, actually I've seen it once too. At that time, I was still young, probably just over 20 years old. One day while working in the fields, the weather suddenly turned into thunder and rain. My good friend Miss and I were looking for a place to take shelter from the rain, when we saw a very thick cloud suddenly descending very low..."

  Hao Ren's heart was suspended as he listened to his grandmother's story, and he hurriedly urged her on, "Grandma, keep going!"

  "Hmm, at that time I saw a dragon-shaped lightning bolt coming out of the cloud layer and swimming in the sky for a while. I was so scared at the time, but later thought it was an illusion. However, after thinking carefully again, that piece of cloud was grayish-white, unlike the surrounding dark black clouds." Grandma said seriously, as if lost in thought.

  "Lightning, I suppose it's a natural phenomenon." Hao Ren thought for a moment and said.

  "Your dad also explained it to me like that, and you know he never believed in these things. But my girlfriend at the time later told me that she really saw a white dragon come out of the clouds, sucking up the water from the lake, creating a thick column of water rising into the sky. I asked her if it was real, and she said absolutely not mistaken, and absolutely not lying to me."

  Grandma's vivid description made Hao Ren's heart feel a bit creepy too.

  If dragons really exist, then...

  "How did you suddenly think of asking this?" Grandma asked Hao Ren, coming back to her senses.

  "Oh, just asking casually." Hao Ren withdrew his surprised expression and lowered his head to chop vegetables.

  "But in Donghai City, it's said that many people have seen dragons before. And according to legend, there was a Dragon Palace nearby. It seems that the name 'Donghai City' also has its reasons." Grandma continued.

  "Donghai Longgong?" Hao Ren turned his head and asked.

  "Hehe, probably so." Grandma washed the vegetables and put them in the pot.

  "Now how can we see a dragon at all?" Hao Ren continued to ask.

  "It's probably due to environmental reasons too, with the environment deteriorating, many animals have become extinct." Grandma gave Hao Ren a very speechless response.

  The two of them, grandfather and grandson, chatted about other things in a desultory manner, then had dinner, watched TV for a while, and each went back to their room to rest.

  Hao Ren returned to his room, unable to sleep. He opened the window and gazed at the vast starry sky above the sea, listening to the distant sound of the waves. He thought about the stories his grandmother used to tell him, and he couldn't help but wonder if dragons really existed in this world.

  He lifted his wrist, and that green mark was still floating on his arm, piece by piece, the more he looked at it, the more it resembled a dragon scale.

  Alas, I must have thought too much... He closed the window, turned off the light and went to sleep.