Dragon Clan: Restart your life

It was clear that the sky was clear in the morning, but after a small earthquake in the afternoon, the sky turned cloudy.

It is now evening and it is raining lightly.

There were only a few people on the street, because it was cloudy and the lights in the windows were turned on early.

The girl in the white dress walked to the side and passed a wedding photography store. She stopped and tilted her head to look at the gorgeous white gauze dress in the window.

She didn't hold an umbrella, the rain fell on her eyelashes, and her hair was wet from the rain.

She was in a trance and didn't know what she was thinking.

Until a familiar voice came from behind.

"Girl, this wedding dress suits you very well. It's better to act than to move your heart. How about one of us? Senior brother spends his own money to help you organize a grand wedding!"

The elusive guy stood behind Xia Mi, with a devilishly bewitching tone.

The light in the window casts two figures side by side.

"Junior sister, why are you still carrying a birdcage?" Lu Mingfei's eyes fell on the girl's hand, and his tone suddenly became shocked.

Xia Mi turned around, pushed the birdcage in his hand to Lu Mingfei, and said seriously: "If you like it, I'll give it to you. Please don't follow me. Do you want to bury me?"

"How could that be? I'm here to pick up the bride!" Lu Mingfei said seriously.

"Accepting the bride?" the girl said with a faint smile, "Then why are you the one here?"

"I'm a fast runner, so I came to explore the situation first."

"If one of me and Chu Zihang had to die, who would you save?"

As soon as Xia Mi's pointed question came out, the scene instantly condensed.

"Junior sister, it's not necessary, is it?" Lu Mingfei said with a bitter smile.

"But I'm not your junior sister." The girl smiled brightly, as bright as a summer flower. She raised her head and said proudly, "I am the Dragon King Jormungandr. I once sat and watched your throne fall from the sky. The fire that fell burned for seven days and seven nights. The man who led the kings to bury you made me King of the Earth and the Mountains, and I am your enemy!"

Tit for tat.

Lu Mingfei touched his nose and sighed: "What a stubborn girl. Okay, a stubborn girl should match a stubborn boy. I wish you a good time."

He carried the birdcage and waved to the girl, then walked in the opposite direction.

Xia Mi stood expressionlessly in front of the display window, his eyes as dead as a pool of dead water.

Her eyes turned slightly. There was the end of the street, the trees with all their leaves, the higher sky, and the black clouds pressing down on the city.

She stood under the light of the window, but felt that the world was so dark, maybe because this world did not belong to her.

…

…

Lu Mingfei was carrying the birdcage, humming a tune, and wandered aimlessly along the street.

It seemed that what had just happened didn't bother him at all.

"Brother, you seem to be in a good mood?" Lu Mingze appeared next to him and looked at him curiously, "Are you really not nervous at all? If your senior brother messes up, you may really need to be there Choose one of those two people."

Lu Mingfei stopped, raised his eyebrows and said: "How could it be messed up? Don't be too talkative. If it is really messed up, you will be responsible for finishing it. Even if you give me medicine, you have to bring these two guys to their knees." Go to bed and cook the rice first."

"Even if we take maternity leave directly, can the twisted melons really be sweet?" Lu Mingze spread his hands helplessly, "Of course we can force them to be together, but it's just to be together. We can't give them love, because we don't know how to do it ourselves. Understand what love is.”

"Remove the word 'we'." Lu Mingfei corrected his younger brother's mistake, "No one in the world understands love better than me. I am not a boaster. Even in Japan, I am a very popular love saint."

"Hoho, are you a love saint in the field of theory?" Lu Mingze said with a smile, "I have read no less love comics than you, brother. I am also an emotional analysis expert on Weibo. If theory counts, then At least I am a lover."

He shrugged and said, "I won't tell you, brother, you have no actual combat experience at all."

Lu Mingfei pondered, decided to use his strengths and avoid weaknesses, and changed the subject: "The night view is nice tonight, let's put on some lights."

"Okay!" Lu Mingze responded in a very stupid manner. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

From west to east, both sides of the long street lit up, and the street lights, windows, and neon lights in front of the commercial buildings were full of light.

There is not a single soul on the long street, probably because Lu Mingze used some trick to erase it. This is a silent city, with no cars coming and going. The lights are dim in the rain, and the large leaves are flying. It is beautiful and lonely. It's like a castle in a fairy tale where even the flames are sleeping.

"Why do you want to erase all the figures?"

"Because there is no one on the road. Who likes to hang out on a rainy day? They all go back to their homes to find their parents. Those who have wives go home and hug their wives and curl up under the quilt. Those without wives go home and masturbate while watching the paper figures and talking to their wives. , everyone is very busy.”

"That's it. Naring Ze, do you feel lonely when you look at this lonely city on a rainy night?" Lu Mingfei asked softly.

"What's wrong, brother, do you feel lonely again?" Lu Mingze tilted his head and looked at him, holding his hand tightly, as if this could convey warmth to his brother.

"What kind of person would live alone in this world but not feel lonely?"

"...Brother, are you talking about your past self?"

"Perhaps, there are also every dead child like me." Lu Mingfei lowered his head, "For example, my senior brother."

"Your senior brother is not alone. He also has his mother and biological father. Although the latter only lives in his memory, some people can give others infinite courage and motivation even if they can only live in his memory. And Brother, what do you have?"

Lu Mingze stood on tiptoes and smoothed the corners of his eyebrows sympathetically.

"Me? I'm actually not alone. I just didn't realize it before." Lu Mingfei let Lu Mingze stroke his eyebrows with a warm smile.

"Brother, is it because the incident between your senior brother and Xia Mi has touched your heartstrings? Why are you so sentimental again?" the little devil said helplessly.

"No, it's because of you."

"Eh? Me?"

Without answering the little devil's question, Lu Mingfei stopped. He stood at the entrance of an alley and looked back around.

Same time, same place, but not the same people as in the previous life.

It was here in his previous life that under the careful planning of the little devil, he met a girl in a white dress who was somewhat similar to Chen Wenwen, and a group of gangsters who pestered the girl.

At that time, his brain shouted stop without thinking.

Now that I think about it, even though I got beaten up later, I finally did the right thing and didn't make a decision that would make me hate myself.

People, even if you were beaten and embarrassed at the time, it is far better than missing the right choice because of timidity, which will lead to subsequent mental self-torture.

Human beings are always not frank enough for various reasons, and thus lose some crucial things and people in life. By the time you regret it, it will be too late. The girl who once made you dream and fell in love with each other may have been long gone. Just lying in someone else's arms, or...

It's a cold cemetery.

"You shouldn't have intercepted Chen Wenwen's call to me, right?"

"Of course not. What's wrong, brother, are you going to rekindle your old lover?"

"No, I just... suddenly felt a little happy."

"Happy?"

"Yeah. Maybe it's because I started over and finally changed something, instead of just walking the same path again." Lu Mingfei showed heartfelt joy, looked back in Xia Mi's direction, and said softly, " Of course, the main course is yet to come, and I’m looking forward to the answers they will deliver together.”

"Brother, why are you so obsessed with the love story between your senior brother and your junior sister?"

Lu Mingfei slowly closed his eyes, opened his hands, embraced this cold world, and whispered:

"Did you hear that? There are people behind every lighted window. A man is with the woman who loves him, and a woman is with the man who loves her. They love each other and talk to each other and grow old together."

"Since there can be so many couples in this world who love each other for a lifetime, why can't it be them?"

"Why...can't it be us?"

He opened his eyes, and the golden pupils were filled with a fierce torch that was about to ignite and overthrow the entire world.

He seemed to be asking about the little devil, and also seemed to be asking about a "person" who did not exist here, but always focused on them.

Lu Mingze was silent for a long time, and finally raised his head, "Brother, I understand. Again, if you do what you want to do, I will support you unconditionally."

"Speaking of which...what's going on with this parrot?"

Lu Mingfei paused and looked down at the myna in the cage with confusion. He didn't know why the junior sister was walking aimlessly on the street with this bird cage.

Lu Mingze also cast a glance.

As if feeling the gazes of the two terrifying creatures, the parrot huddled stiffly in the corner and trembled: "Forget marrying him, this idiot looks okay..."

The Lu brothers' expressions suddenly became strange.

"Brother... you seem to have kidnapped tonight's protagonist." Lu Mingze's tone was incomprehensible.

Lu Mingfei looked at the parrot dumbfounded, wondering where his junior sister got such a strange bird.

No... we have to send tonight's protagonist to position C!

…

…

Chu Zihang stopped.

The shadows of fluorescent tubes are reflected on the marble floor. He heard the rain pouring on the roof.

The Wangfujing subway station is on the second floor below ground level, and the underground shopping mall of Oriental Plaza is on the first floor below. He is now standing between the steps on the first floor below and the second floor below. Even if it is pouring rain outside, it should not hit the roof above his head. .

But the sound of rain is still clear to my ears.

There were footsteps of night guards in all directions, but all the footsteps were moving away quickly, as if they were running away from this space.

The fluorescent tubes flickered and the air was filled with the buzzing sound of electricity.

At this moment, the rain began to leak above the head, and the cold rain came from all directions. The roof, the ground, the passageways, the vents, in short, water was poured into it from every place I could think of. The water flowed calmly along the marble floor, changing on the steps. It becomes a small waterfall.

Chu Zihang wiped the rain off his face, took out the holy sword from the tennis bag, and walked down slowly.

He heard the sound, coming from deep underground, the rails shaking.

If he guessed correctly, he found the right place.

He came to the platform, the ground was shaking, and there were dazzling lights shining out of the deep tunnel.

With the screeching sound of the rails rubbing against each other, the train entered the station and stopped in front of Chu Zihang. The rusty partition doors between the old carriages were slowly being opened, making the sound of rust peeling off.

The train pulled into the station as soon as he arrived, as if it had been waiting for him.

Chu Zihang was silent for a while, then entered the carriage with the holy sword. The door slowly closed behind him, and the train entered the deep tunnel.

It's been an uneventful journey.

The train stopped at the terminal smoothly.

Chu Zihang got off the bus like a normal passenger and stood on the fusiform cement platform, which was as deep into the railway tracks as a trestle entering the sea.

He silently looked up at the prehistoric remnant whose most ferocious, majestic, and sharp appearance was exposed to the world - an ancient dragon that seemed to be integrated with the rock wall.

There are no words to describe his ancient and majestic body. He is obviously a reptile, but far more beautiful than any reptile.

It's just that that kind of beauty is dark beauty, powerful beauty, and profound beauty, which is awe-inspiring. The blue-black scales on the whole body opened and closed in sequence from front to back, making the sound of metal collision. The face full of bony protrusions carried the majesty of a monarch.

But now such a great creature shrank its neck, dug its claws on the ground, and carefully shrank into a corner. He lowered his head until it was almost touching the ground, looked at Chu Zihang warily, and let out a low roar in his throat.

Like a guard dog, alert to any outsiders.

"You..." Gu Long spoke, his voice was low and majestic, but his eyes were extremely cautious, "Are you my sister's friend?"

elder sister?

Chu Zihang suddenly remembered the life experience that Xia Mi once described to him on the train.

During that experience, she had a silly brother and a pair of parents, but later it was confirmed that most of this was a lie, but some things seemed to be true. She really had a "silly brother" who liked to call her sister. .

That girl is as cautious as this ancient dragon when facing anyone, introducing her true self into false lies.

She didn't dare to be completely heart-to-heart with people, but she was eager to communicate with them.

"Here you go." Long waved his membrane wings fiercely, and a blue bag fell between him and Chu Zihang.

That's a bag of potato chips.

"Sister said that when guests come, you should entertain them. Potato chips are the most delicious thing in the world. I will entertain you."

Long was still staring at Chu Zihang cautiously.

Chu Zihang hesitated for a moment, then leaned over to pick up the bag of potato chips and nodded to Long to thank him.

As if he sensed that he meant no harm, or perhaps because he accepted his gift, Gu Long's vigilant eyes gradually relaxed, replaced by curiosity.

He curiously observed Chu Zihang from all angles back and forth, just like a child who had never seen the world at home meeting a friend from a foreign country, curiously observing his blond hair and blue eyes.

"You have the mark of your sister on your body. Has your sister come back with you?" Gu Long asked cautiously.

Chu Zihang looked at this prehistoric beast.

It is 30 or 40 meters long, but this is not its full length. Only the front half of the dragon's body is exposed, while the back half is integrated with the rock wall.

To be precise, this dragon was still in the form of a skeleton for the rest of its life. Its thick spine gradually petrified from front to back, and finally connected with the stone wall. This thing is like a legendary undead creature. Half of its body shows the appearance of survival, and the other half shows the appearance of death. Life and death are cleverly integrated into one, and it seems to have some mysterious religious significance.

But this cute tone...

I wonder if anyone is over five years old?

"Sister hasn't come back yet, let's... watch TV."

He actually took out a TV, an 18-inch old-fashioned color TV, a heavy and square box. Obviously this was one of his important toys. He handled it with care and was extremely careful when connecting the power source with the wing tip. The light from the screen illuminated the black dragon scales, and the dragon placed its mandibles on the platform

Chu Zihang was a little confused and relieved. Sure enough, most of the dragon clan were so naive. No wonder they would be overthrown.

The dragon suddenly roared majestically, spread its black wings, and raised its front legs. He stood up, his golden eyes tightly shrinking, staring unblinkingly into the dark tunnel behind Chu Zihang.

Chu Zihang's heart moved when he heard the sound of footsteps coming from the tunnel.

Sure enough, the girl walked out of the darkness in a white dress, like a shimmering unicorn in a fairy tale.

Seeing that the girl he wanted to see actually appeared in front of him, Chu Zihang clenched the sword in his hand, and the blood burst silently.

The bloodline is further purified, high-pressure blood flow washes through the body, and incredible subtle changes penetrate into every cell.

Power as rich as wine flows through the veins. Even though he knows that this is a taboo technique that shortens his life, he is still intoxicated by this unparalleled power. The extremely tired heart beat like a war drum again, squeezing out the dragon's hot blood.

His body surface was instantly covered with thin blue-grey scales. The joints in his hands swelled and his facial bones protruded. His golden eyes seemed to be burning. The thin scales on his body opened and closed, and the knotted muscles protruded like iron tendons.

At this moment, he is no longer human.

When they have the appearance of dragons, hybrids have the strength to compete with pure-blood dragons.

…

...are you that impatient? Not even a word?

…

The last trace of smile disappeared from the girl's face.

Her eyes were dark, like those dark corners that could never be bathed in sunlight throughout their lives.

The same change appeared in her, more completely than Chu Zihang's.

The sharp scales slowly expanded, and the scales that pierced the skin and spit out the girl's white dress were torn into pieces, as if her last dream was shattered.

There was only silence in her pupils.

She whispered Gu'ao's language, and a brand new language spirit was inspired, and her domain expanded rapidly. Strong ionization and magnetization effects occurred in the field, the rails melted, and metal droplets levitated, rotating around Jörmungandr. Those bright droplets continue to collide and burn, impurities turn into ashes and fall, and the remaining droplets become brighter and brighter.

Chu Zihang's "Junyan" also burned, and his territory also continued to expand.

A layer of air can be clearly seen at the edge of the contact between the two realms, with hundreds of thousands of volts of white-purple static electricity and thousands of degrees of black fire snakes swimming on it. The bright places are blindingly bright, and the dark places are like black holes.

They said nothing and seemed to be facing each other, staring at each other silently and coldly.

Both parties kicked the ground at the same time, and the dragon's unique reverse-bent knee joints exploded with unusually huge force, and their figures disappeared in the high-speed movement.

then.

The battle was over in an instant.

Chu Zihang allowed the sharp dragon claws to pierce his heart, and just stretched out his arms to hug the girl who crashed into his arms. His chin gently and naturally rested on the girl's head, and the familiar fragrance filled his nostrils.

"...Won't you resist?"

"I promised you that I would win. I'm sorry that I missed my promise last time."

"...Well, you're about to die. Do you have anything else to say before you die?" The girl lay in his arms and whispered softly, just like a girl in a Chicago train station begging for a wealthy man.

"Yes. I bought a house in my hometown. I installed two swing chairs on the balcony. I also installed the smart home system you like. I hope you can come."

"...You really can't even lie to a girl. That company has obviously booked appointments until next year. Or are you using money to pave the way again? Money can't buy the girl you like."

The girl whispered in his ear with a helpless tone. This helplessness was not only for the boy but also for herself.

It was obviously such a clumsy lie, but why was he still shaken?

In the library that afternoon, the girl suddenly said that she was interested in a customized smart home system. She was really trying to build her own home. She invited the boy to accompany her and help her check it. The boy agreed, but later the girl discovered that she seemed to have no chance of realizing it in this life.

"I didn't find the merchant, but went to the equipment department to cooperate with several experiments. Do you remember? I went to the equipment department during the hearing. The reward is what you like. The book said to surprise the girl, so I never did it. Let me tell you. I have said it a long time ago that some things do not need to be fought for, but only need to be changed from a different angle. But if there are some things that can only be exchanged by working hard, I can only choose to fight hard because I have nothing, especially after you leave. ."

He hugged his girl tightly and whispered in her ear,

"Sorry, just like you said on the Ferris wheel, I shouldn't have waited for you to speak first."

The girl in her arms was stiff, and the emotion that was not allowed to appear overflowed in her chest again.

"I'm sorry, I have to tell you something. I've seen you tapping turtles between your fingers through the glass in the aquarium, I've seen the light and shadow changing on your face in the cinema, and I've seen you on the streets covered with sycamore leaves. I’ve seen you on the Internet, and I’ve also seen you in the crowd at the basketball court..."

"enough……"

"So I thought I might..."

"I said enough!" The girl grabbed his clothes tightly, buried her head in his neck, and roared like a female dragon, "I said it, didn't I? I said it, didn't I? This kind of thing is useless No need to apologize! Why do you have to apologize for every word? Do you owe me anything?! We don’t owe each other at all! And the above words are not what a wooden fish brain like you can think of, right? Who can help? Did you make it up? Senior Brother Lu? Fingel? Or the vice principal? What do you want to do? You want to trick me back..."

"I'm sorry, I can't imagine a future without you."

The hot emotions surging in his chest finally blurted out.

All the barriers collapsed under the undisguised fiery emotion, revealing the helpless figure behind.

The world suddenly froze.

Time stopped here and remained silent for a long time.

The wind surging in the tunnel stopped.

The giant dragon lay on the ground with its teeth and claws open, staring blankly at the figure of the sister and the boy embracing each other.

Another figure stood in front of the birdcage, reaching out to tease the shivering parrot in the cage.

The world is so quiet.

It was so quiet that one could clearly hear the two hearts beating violently in the chest.

It spanned 8.6 light-years and surpassed all the hearts that hug each other tightly.

"Speaking like this... humans are really cunning."

The girl who couldn't tell whether she was Jormungandr or Xia Mi closed her eyes amid the murmur that lingered in her ears.

She buried herself completely in the boy's arms, like a mole seeing the sun for the first time, greedily craving for sunlight, even if it might be fatal.

"Why don't you ask me if I've been lying to you?"

"I don't want to hear your lies."

"How cunning. I've obviously prepared all the answers."

"Sorry, I seem a little tired..."

"Then have a good sleep, I will be by your side."

"When I wake up, can I see you first?"

"Okay, okay, okay, go to sleep quickly. When you wake up, everything will be back to how it was before."

"Last question...you are...Xia Mi, right?" The man lying in the girl's arms raised his eyes, his pupils dimmed due to heavy blood loss.

"It's me, I'm Xia Mi, I'm your girl." She tilted her head and smiled sweetly.

"No...I want to tell you that it doesn't matter whether you are Xia Mi or not. I will accept your offer..."

After all, before he could finish everything he had prepared, he fainted due to heavy blood loss.

The girl looked at him blankly, his last unfinished words flooding her mind.

Her delicate fingers gently smoothed the boy's eyebrows that were still furrowed in his sleep, and murmured softly: "Idiot, I can't even finish talking about the final decisive blow..."

She looked at the boy who was lying in her arms as if he was asleep. The corners of her mouth were slightly raised, her lips were shallow, and her smile was bright.

She smiled so beautifully, like an angel who came to earth for a boy.

Why don't you ask me if I've been lying to you?

If you asked me if everything was a lie, I would tell you yes.

Whether it's my past, my present, or my vision for the future, they are all lies.

The tatami is, the swing chair is, the floor-to-ceiling windows are, the bathtub is, the lavender curtains and tablecloths are all, everything is a lie created by me.

And the biggest lie in this is that "Xia Mi" who only sees you.

But...why do you take it seriously?

You should know that there is no love in the dragon bloodline.

You should know that there is more between us than just blood.

You should understand that there is no such girl named Xia Mi in this world.

You seem to understand everything, but you seem to understand nothing.

In this case……

I will also take these lies seriously!

…

Tears streaked across his face, but they could no longer dampen the hot emotions surging in his heart.

The world is silent.

Lu Mingfei held a flower basket and circled around them.

He looked up at the sky, casually took out a large number of rose petals from the flower basket in his arms and threw them into the air, and then slowly fell beside them.

The flower basket in his hand was like the fat blue cat's fourth-dimensional bag. It couldn't finish scattering the petals, and in the end, all the petals were flying in the sky, just like the sudden heavy snow, falling in a free and easy manner.

I don’t know whether this guy came to attend a funeral or a wedding.

"Exchange?" He looked at his senior brother's dying body and asked again.

The girl sat on her knees, reaching out and stroking the face of the boy lying on her lap, her eyes full of his figure.

"The deal is done, please take me to him."

"Then as a price, I will take your names." Lu Mingfei shrugged: "From now on, you are no longer Jormungandr. As for whether Xia Mi is happy with you, anyway, I am very happy, very happy see you again."

"Little junior sister."

The man who straddled the past, present and future stood here, raised his head, covered his face with one hand, and softly announced to the world.

The dragon transformation that was far superior to Xia Mi suddenly came, and at that moment there seemed to be a boy standing behind the man.

Their backs were against each other, as if they were fighting the whole world together.

The strong wind that swept through the entire Nibelung lifted him up, with huge bone wings spread out behind him.

He formed a huge cross with his wings and body, and stood out in the center of the world like a god or a demon. There were two colors in his golden pupils. His left eye looked coldly at the world with indifference. The former King of Heaven was briefly at this moment. When he returned, his right eye was filled with a wanton and crazy Ku Lie. That was the earthly king who once played in the world!

Two completely different temperaments blended perfectly in him.

One moment he seemed like a devil playing with the ups and downs of people's hearts, and the next moment he was a ruthless monarch who held supreme power.

He stretched out his hand, as if holding the scepter of power again, and sat down on the throne high in the sky again, using this to issue his own declaration to the entire world——

"world……"

"Time and space..."

"destiny……"

"The unreachable place will never be reached, but wherever you go, it will shine brightly."

The boundary between reality and illusion comes——

The alchemy field surged to the point of subverting the entire Nibelungen and instantly spread throughout the entire place!

"I give you blood, use blood to refine your soul, and achieve the blood source mark."

He reached out and touched Chu Zihang's eyebrows. Chu Zihang, who was sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes. Burning golden flames filled his eyes. His golden pupils had never been so bright!

"All the traitors and ministers must be put to death. Today I will impose the death penalty and deprive you of your true name. From today on, the Dragon Kings Jormungandr and Fenrir will all be put to death."

He looked at Xia Mi coldly, and raised his hand to grab something from between her eyebrows. At that moment, Xia Mi's body convulsed in pain and almost died, as if she had fallen from heaven to hell.

The supreme authority that someone had deposited in them was taken back by its original owner.

After finishing all this, he allowed the strong wind to sweep him back into the air, standing in the void and darkness, his golden pupils flashing with anger, indifference and the cruelty of the king's punishment.

He reached out to the entire world and spoke the words of final judgment:

"The sky, the earth, the ocean... the day I return to the world, I will definitely fulfill the expectations of this life cycle, and I will kill all the rebellious officials and traitors!"

He openly swore to the entire world like a supreme monarch who would not tolerate disobedience, and his majesty radiated to every corner of the world, as if he had returned to the supreme age that once stood high in the sky.

But all this has nothing to do with the boys and girls below.

The girl who decided to call her Xia Mi hugged the sleeping boy and leaned down to secretly kiss his lips.

She hummed a song, just like humming a nursery rhyme to lull her beloved to sleep.

"We still have enough time..."

"You still have a chance to choose..."

"That's our future..."

…

…

This was the autumn of 2010, and those carefully prepared lies were blocked by the boy before they even exited.

Just like the bad fate assigned to this autumn, before the compass of fate stopped, someone reached out and grabbed the pointer of the roulette wheel and forcibly moved it to the happy area.

As someone said, there are so many people in this world who love each other and stay together for life, so why can't you be among these people?

Of course, it could also be us.

I dozed off in the middle, but fortunately I woke up suddenly. Technically speaking, I only slept for two hours... But this chapter has more than 8k words, so forgive me.

By the way, I'm a guy.