Hao Ren her plate, "According to school rules, you have to wash your own lunchbox after eating; I'll leave mine in your hands!"Hao Ren saw some quick eaters already washing their plates at the basin....Chapter 4: The Villa by the Sea

Hao Ren went to the second floor of the library to look up some information, borrowed a few relevant books, and then left the library.

As he exited, that little girl was indeed no longer there.

Lifting his head to glance at the somewhat overcast sky, Hao Ren thought about that young lady and wondered if next week would bring her parents' arrival

If her parents did come looking… It’s just that... She lost something she shouldn’t have had in the first place, yet now she accuses me of taking it to avoid facing her parents’ punishment...

Returning to his dormitory, his roommates inquired about what transpired. Hao Ren simply stated that everything was resolved smoothly and didn't elaborate further. He did not want to burden his roommates with these troublesome matters.

"That little girl is very pretty; in a few years, she'll definitely be one of the school beauties," Zhao Jiayin patted Hao Ren on the shoulder while offering comfort and expressing admiration at the same time.

Pretty as she may be, Hao Ren thought to himself, it's best to stay away from trouble-making beauties.

"You’re going home this week too Did you finish your research" Zhao Jiayin asked again.

“Yeah, I'm just about to head back,” Hao Ren placed the books borrowed from the library on his desk and took out an empty backpack.

"Come back early tomorrow evening; we're gonna play cards!" Zhao Jiayin affectionately patted Hao Ren's shoulder.

“Sure, I'll be sure to come back early. Thanks for your help today,” Hao Ren waved goodbye to his roommates.

On the bus heading home, Hao Ren couldn't resist once again rolling up his sleeve to check his wrist.

The cyan mark, resembling fragmented dragon patterns, had faded significantly after being washed.

If grandma saw it, she would definitely think he got a tattoo… sighing,郝仁opened the car window and fell asleep to the cool breeze.

When 郝仁woke up again, the car had been driving for more than an hour and was almost home.

Still half-asleep, he picked up his schoolbag and got off the car, walking along a wide concrete road.

Wealthy cars occasionally passed by him on the road, making 郝仁, who walked alone with a backpack, look somewhat forlorn.

After half an hour of walking, he finally reached the residential area.

If his classmates saw this, they would be astonished because 郝仁's home was actually located in the most scenic seaside district of Donghai City. His house was a seemingly ordinary two-story villa within a cluster of villas just 200 meters from the beach!

"Grandma!" Feeling somewhat tired, 郝仁pushed open the ornate iron gate and called out.

"Ah Ren is back!" An amiable elderly woman came out of the house with a smile on her face. "Why are you home so late today"

"Hehe, I have to turn in something next week, so I need to look up some information." 郝仁followed grandma into the house. "How was your week, Grandma"

"As usual, cleaning the house, taking walks by the seaside, gardening and stock trading. Uncle Wang has already gone back home. Grandma personally cooked for you today."

Grandma said with a smile.

"Stock trading How much did you lose this week" 郝仁asked casually.

"How can I make money every week This week, I lost 6000 yuan. But Grandma doesn't mind these things. We got news from Norway; your parents' expedition might be ending soon and they may come back next month."

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

Originally, they had a chef named Uncle Wang hired in the small villa. On one hand, he cooked for Grandma, and on the other, it was actually about finding someone to keep her company in the villa so that she wouldn't feel too lonely when Hao Ren's parents were abroad and he was at school.

But this weekend, Uncle Wang had some personal matters and went back home. Even though Hao Ren didn't have anything particular to do when he came home, he still had to go back to keep his grandmother company.

To him, apart from his parents who are often nowhere to be found, the person closest to him was his grandmother.

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

"Dragons" His grandmother seemed interested in this topic, her eyes sparkling as she thought for a moment. "People here in Donghai City used to see dragons."

"Really" Hao Ren's interest was piqued.

"Mm-hmm. Actually, I saw one once when I was young, probably around 20 years old. One day while working in the fields, it suddenly started raining and thundering. My close female friend and I found a place to shelter from the rain, and then we saw thick clouds lowering...

Hao Ren's heart raced with his grandmother's story, urging her on. "Grandma, go on."

"Yes, at that time, I saw lightning shaped like a dragon piercing through the cloud layer and moving across the sky. I was terrified then and thought it might be an illusion, but thinking back now, those clouds were grayish-white, unlike the other dark black storm clouds around them." His grandmother seemed lost in thought as she spoke earnestly.

"Lightning is a natural phenomenon," Hao Ren said after some thought.

"Your father explained it to me like that too. You know him; he never believed such things. But my close female friend later told me she clearly saw a white dragon emerge from the clouds, sucking water out of the lake, forming a very thick column of water rising up into the sky. I asked her if what she saw was real, and she said there's no way she could be mistaken."

Grandma described it so vividly that Hao Ren felt a chill down his spine.

If dragons really do exist, then...

"Why did you suddenly ask about this" Grandma came back to her senses and asked Hao Ren.

"Oh, just a casual question," Hao Ren put away his surprised expression and bent down to chop vegetables.

"But in the past, many people claimed to have seen dragons here in Donghai City. And there used to be legends about a dragon palace nearby. It seems that the name of this city might also have something to do with it," Grandma continued to say.

"Donghai Dragon Palace" Hao Ren turned around and asked.

"Heh, maybe so." Grandma washed the vegetables and put them in the pot.

"Then why can't we see any dragons now" Hao Ren followed up with another question.

"Maybe it's due to environmental reasons. The environment has deteriorated, causing many animals to become extinct," Grandma gave him a rather speechless reply.

The two of them chatted casually about other topics while they were having dinner and watching TV for a while before retiring to their rooms for rest.

After returning to his room, Hao Ren couldn't fall asleep. He opened the window, gazing at the magnificent starry sky above the sea, listening to the distant sound of waves, and thinking about Grandma's stories, he became increasingly curious as to whether there really were dragons in this world.

He lifted his wrist; that tinge of green mark still appeared on his arm, looking more like dragon scales upon closer inspection.

Sigh, am I overthinking things... He closed the window and switched off the light before going to bed.personality. Being able to obtain some materials or low-level magic treasures from him was already very rare.Little White circled Zhen Ciming, vigorously splashing water on the small zhen. Zhen Ciming...