bdsm-fiction Chapter 43 A Response Across Time and Space
Chapter 43 A Response Across Time and Space
A golden light curtain.
Suspended 30 meters above the ground, with rune-like golden patterns flowing along its edges, and a clear image at its center—the scene in the hospital room where Nuonuo was stroking his hair after his successful confession.
The image was frozen in time, but the gentle atmosphere still emanated through the light screen.
Lu Mingfei stared blankly, his worldview shattered.
Although I had heard Nono describe it on the way here, and although I was mentally prepared, seeing it with my own eyes was still...
It's still too shocking.
That was definitely him.
Although he looks more mature, although he's wearing a hospital gown, and although he's pale... his eyebrows, his expression, and the way he purses his lips when he's nervous—it's definitely him.
In the picture, Nono is stroking his hair, her smile so gentle it could melt ice and snow.
"This...this..." Lu Mingfei stammered, "This really is..."
"It really is you," Nono replied. "It's me too."
She stared at the image on the screen, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "In that timeline, you had just escaped death from Bronze City, covered in wounds, lying in a hospital bed. Then you mustered up the courage to use your privilege of a day of freedom to ask me to be your girlfriend."
Lu Mingfei's face turned as red as a purplish-red.
Seeing yourself confess your feelings is a hundred times more shameful than actually experiencing it.
Especially since so many people were watching.
He could feel the gazes from all around him—curious, kind, teasing, envious… all eyes were focused on him, on Lu Mingfei in the real world, who had just successfully confessed his love on the screen.
"I...I..." He wanted to disappear into a crack in the ground.
Seeing his embarrassed expression, Nono suddenly laughed.
She released her grip on his hand, then raised her hand and reached for his hair.
Before Lu Mingfei could react, Nuonuo's hands were already ruffling his hair. The movements weren't gentle; in fact, they were a bit rough, making his hair a mess, like a bird's nest.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Lu Mingfei frantically covered his head. "Senior sister, what are you doing!"
"Let's do a little rehearsal beforehand." Nono smiled brightly. "We'll have to knead it sooner or later anyway, so we might as well get used to the feel now."
Lu Mingfei was stunned.
He looked at Nuonuo's smiling face, at the mischievous glint in her eyes, and at her cheeks that were slightly flushed from laughing.
Then, he smiled too.
It was a very relaxed and natural laugh.
It wasn't because the confession was successful, nor because he became the center of attention, but because... at this moment, in this strange, magical, and dangerous world, there was someone willing to use this clumsy method to make him less nervous and less embarrassed.
"Senior sister," he said.
"Um?"
"Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?"
"Thank you for coming to find me," Lu Mingfei said earnestly. "Thank you for bringing me here. Thank you... for patting my messy hair."
Nuonuo smiled, a smile that held a hidden tenderness that Lu Mingfei couldn't decipher.
"Fool," she said again, but this time her voice was softer and gentler.
The two stood in the center of the square, under the golden light, and in the sight of everyone.
One had fiery red hair, while the other had messy black hair.
One smile was as bright as the summer sun, the other as shy as the warm spring sun.
It's as if they came from two different worlds, yet met at this moment.
It seemed like they were destined to miss each other, yet they somehow managed to hold onto one another.
It's like... all coincidences are inevitable, carefully designed by fate.
The students around them, watching this scene, suddenly fell silent.
They looked at the frozen image on the screen, then at the two real people in the square, and a strange resonance welled up in their hearts.
That was a response that transcended time and space.
That's an echo from a parallel world.
That was... the initial form of love.
Brave, clumsy, sincere, and reckless.
It's unclear who started it, but applause broke out.
It was light and slow, but it quickly became a continuous chorus. The students—regardless of grade or affiliation—were all applauding.
It's not to celebrate a successful confession, not to stir up trouble, but for... something more precious.
For courage.
It is the courage to say "I like you" even knowing that the road ahead is fraught with danger, that you may be rejected, and that you will be ridiculed.
It is the courage to tell her my feelings even though I am critically injured and on the verge of death in another time and space.
It's about having the courage to still laugh even when your hair is messed up, you're surrounded by everyone, and your values are shattered.
Lu Mingfei was startled by the applause and instinctively tried to hide behind Nuonuo again.
But this time, Nono didn't let him hide.
She put her arm around his shoulder, pushed him forward, and said loudly to the crowd, "Let me introduce you, this is Lu Mingfei, the real-world version. He just arrived from China and doesn't know anything, so please take good care of him."
The crowd burst into good-natured laughter.
"Absolutely!"
"An S-class freshman! A future legend!"
"Who would dare not take care of Senior Nono's boyfriend?"
"Go Lu Mingfei! I believe in you!"
Lu Mingfei's face turned red again, but this time, he didn't flinch.
He looked up at the unfamiliar but kind faces around him, at the ancient and mysterious academy, and at the red-haired girl beside him.
Then, he took a deep breath.
"Hello everyone," he said, his voice not loud but clear, "I'm Lu Mingfei. Looking forward to... your guidance."
The applause grew louder.
Sunlight spilled onto the square, onto the golden light screen, and onto everyone's face.
It's like sending the warmest blessings for the arrival of a newborn.
Behind the Golden Screen: The Real World, Kassel College, Board of Trustees Emergency Meeting Room
The meeting began in a tense atmosphere.
The long conference table was already occupied by seven high-backed chairs. Angers sat at the head of the table, flanked by Mr. Turing, Lisa Laurent, Elizabeth Laurent, Frost Gattuso, and the mysterious masked school board member.
The holographic screen lit up, displaying Lu Lincheng's face. He looked even more haggard than before, but the madness in his eyes was even more pronounced.
"Everyone's here." Angers tapped the table. "Let's begin. First, the latest update on the golden light screen—"
"We can discuss the situation with the light screen later!" Frost Gattuso interrupted rudely again, the acting patriarch's patience seemingly inexhaustible. "What we need to discuss now is Lu Lincheng! He brought the Dragon King's bone vial to the academy! This is a blatant threat! A blatant violation of the Secret Party's rules!"
All eyes were on Lu Lincheng on the screen.
Lu Lincheng remained expressionless and simply said, "That was a gift for my son. That's all."
"A gift?" Frost sneered. "The urn containing the bones of Leviathan, the King of the Ocean and Water, is a gift? Lu Lincheng, do you think we're fools? Do you know what the consequences would be if that thing went out of control? The entire North America could be flooded!"
"So I will keep it under control," Lu Lincheng said. "It's safe in my hands. It's also safe in Mingfei's hands."
"What makes you so sure?" Lisa Laurent asked, her tone calm but her question sharp. "Lu Mingfei's bloodline has shown extreme instability. The explosion in Bronze City proved he possesses devastating power, but it also proved he cannot fully control that power. Entrusting the Dragon King's bone flask to someone like him is far too risky."
"Risk?" Lu Lincheng laughed, his smile full of sarcasm. "My son almost died in Bronze City! He used Rhine to complete the mission, to save everyone! And you're discussing risk now?"
His voice suddenly rose in pitch:
"He lay in bed for three days, suffering seventeen fractures, internal bleeding, and severe burns! He was on the verge of death, and you—the leaders of the Secret Party, my son's elders and mentors—are discussing whether he was too risky?!"
The conference room was deathly silent.