Rise of the White Dragon

After the wine had arrived, Ingrid took some. It was the first time where she drank such an expensive wine. Other than now she was not much of a drinker when it came to alcoholic beverages, but today she felt like taking a little. She had to admit that it was better than she imagined.

'Are all wines this good, or is it just this one that is very good?' Ingrid asked herself. She then tasted some of the grilled lobster.

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Luan drank some wine and looked towards the young girl in front of him. She was very cute as she ate slowly, her cheeks slightly pink after having drunk some of the wine.

Ingrid finished chewing and her blue eyes sparkled as she tasted the grilled lobster. She closed her eyes briefly, then took the wine glass and drank some more. She was surprised at how well this wine paired with the grilled lobster; it was a very good combination.

Afterward, Ingrid rested her left hand on the table and her right palm on her chin and stared at Luan. She smiled softly and asked, "Are you attracted to me as a friend or something else?"

Luan put the glass down and set it on the table and looked at the beautiful blonde woman with blue eyes who had asked him such a straightforward question.

Perhaps because Luan was taking a few seconds to answer, it made Ingrid sober up again, and the fear of receiving the answer she was not wishing for made her fear and regret the question she had just asked.

"What would your reaction be if I said I like you?" Luan responded with an enigmatic expression, making it difficult to say what he was going through his head.

When she heard that, Ingrid's heart skipped a beat. She was not expecting him to answer with a question, and it could be either positive or negative depending on whether he was serious or not. But knowing him a little, she believed he asked that question because he really liked her, or maybe it was her most sincere wish to want to believe it.

"I would be very happy if that is true." Ingrid swallowed all her insecurity and fear and responded while trying to see Luan's reaction.

Although Luan didn't show a big reaction when he smiled, it made Ingrid's heart accelerate, but she felt disappointed in the next moment, with Luan's ambiguous response. "Oh, that's good."

'Does that mean he admits to liking me?' Ingrid was about to pull her hair out. But she just pouted and turned her wine glass over and said, "More!"

Luan smiled again and filled the glass for her. With the current strength of his Qi, Luan would be able to get the alcohol to pass for her. For that reason, he saw no problem, even if Ingrid got drunk.

And that was what was happening: Ingrid's cheeks became more pink and her eyes became brighter. She supported her elbow on the table while her palm supported her chin and stared at Luan, swirling the little wine that was left in her glass.

After eating all the lobster and drinking the whole bottle of wine, Luan asked for the bill and paid so they could leave.

Ingrid, although she was a little drunk, was not so extreme. She was still able to walk alone, although she felt that everything was slow.

"It was a pleasure to receive you. Come back whenever you want!" The manager, seeing that Luan was leaving, went to the restaurant door to say goodbye to them while saying some words of flattery.

Outside, Luan took Ingrid's hand as he walked towards the garage.

*Ding!*

Luan unlocked the car and was about to open the car door for Ingrid to enter, when suddenly, she opened her arms and pulled him into her embrace. Her cherry lips searched awkwardly in a stir before kissing Luan emotionally. It was as if she could express how deeply she was in love with him just by doing this.

Luan confessed to himself that it took him by surprise. After mere seconds of reflection, he returned the hug and kiss. He reached out and placed his hand on Ingrid's hair next to her ear, unconsciously, and then tucked her hair behind her ear, which revealed her smooth and delicate face.

The kiss lasted almost twenty minutes. Ingrid was out of breath and her drunken state seemed to have deepened further. She pulled her head away from Luan just a little and stared at his handsome face and seductive red eyes.

"I- I lov..."

Before Ingrid could finish what she was going to say, Luan put his index finger on her cherry lips and said, "Leave that thought for once you're sober."

Ingrid pouted and rejected what Luan said strongly, "But I am sober!"

"Heh... I know how to make the alcohol go away. How about I do it, and then, you tell me?" Luan said with a giggle.

"You don't have to do that..." Ingrid hugged Luan's waist tightly and put her head on his chest and was silent after that.

"Everyone is watching us. Shall we go back?" Luan rubbed his hand on her head gently, as he asked softly.

Ingrid didn't respond directly; she just rubbed her face across his chest.

For a moment, Luan thought about making the alcohol dissipate, but on second thought, he thought it would only make her feel ashamed. And he himself didn't care that some people were watching them from a distance.

"Instead of going home, what do you think about taking a walk with me on the beach?" Luan changed his approach.

Ingrid's eyes lit up when she looked up at him and nodded in confirmation as if she'd heard a great idea.

After that, Ingrid got into the front passenger seat and Luan went to the driver's seat. Starting the car, he headed out of the garage.

It was night and the road was quiet. Shortly, Luan had arrived near the Dimas mansion and stopped the car near the beach. Getting out of the car, he opened the door for Ingrid to get out.

Ingrid knew they were going to walk on the beach, and so she left her high heels in the car.

Hand in hand, Luan and Ingrid walked along the beach. The moonlight reflected off the sea, making everything look enchanting.

"How beautiful," Ingrid commented, admiring the view.

"Mm," Luan nodded.

The two walked until they reached the water. Luan used his Qi to avoid wetting his sneakers.

*Prac!*

Near the reflection of the moon, something strange started to happen. In that specific spot, the waves started to get agitated, and just above the water, a crack in the space there started to appear. It was distant, but Luan was able to see the whole process clearly.

'Has it started?!' Luan exclaimed in his mind, surprised.

After all, there were still a few months to go before the Third Awakening was going to happen. So why did a crack appear in space from somewhere hidden?

"Luan, are you seeing that too?" Ingrid was more surprised than Luan. Although she was in a drunken state, her senses were superior to that of an ordinary person. She was able to see an opening in space, something that was only seen in films and drawings.

"To make it easy to understand, this is a portal that leads to a separate dimension. Mm, if we go into that, there are great chances of getting rare and ancient treasures, however, it can be risky. Although there might also be no danger." What Luan didn't tell her was that this should only have happened one month before the Third Awakening...

"Oh..." Ingrid was stunned by this. She then asked him, concerned, "Luan, do you intend to go in there?"

Luan put his hand on her head and made the alcohol go away and replied, "I don't know yet. These are usually open for a maximum of 24 hours. And without knowing the level of danger this poses, there is no way I can take such a chance."

The moment Ingrid lost the effects of the alcohol, the embarrassment made her blush, but she courageously continued to hold Luan's hand and listen to what he said. She also understood that there were more important things now to be discussed.

"Do you have a way to find out the level of danger?" Ingrid asked, after thinking.

"Yes, I just need to get closer," Luan replied.

"Can I go too?" She looked at him when she asked him that.

"Mm, okay." Luan nodded.

Ingrid initially thought they were going to swim, but then she saw that as they walked towards the fissure, their feet touched the water, but did not sink. Nervously, she looked towards the sand of the beach where there were some people and was afraid of them seeing what was going on, however, she soon discovered that it seemed that they had not seen her and Luan walking under the water.

"You don't have to think about it too much." Luan seemed to have guessed her concern, and said, "I'm using an optical illusion trick, making you and myself invisible to anyone who looks in our direction."

And so the two of them continued walking toward the spacial fissure.

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[Edited by: Azurtha]