Chapter 21: Meeting
Coincidentally, the first song on the playlist was the one he had played after replacing the Great Compassion Mantra when he impulsively dragged Huai Dan out to watch the sunrise.
The music broke the silence, and Luo Jing relaxed considerably.
His language system seemed to have finally been restored. He shifted into a more comfortable position and asked, “Brother, why did you suddenly come here?”
Luo Jing turned to look at him.
Seeing that familiar face again, he finally felt the reality of their reunion.
“Not nervous anymore?” Huai Dan, however, didn’t answer his question.
Luo Jing’s face flushed.
So he had been seen through.
“I wasn’t nervous,” Luo Jing retorted, saving face, then tried to explain, “It’s just that we haven’t seen each other for a long time, and you came so suddenly, I just wasn’t used to it…”
“Really?” Huai Dan chuckled softly while driving. “I thought you wouldn’t recognize me after just a few months.”
“How could that be…” Luo Jing felt inexplicably guilty.
“I happened to have some business in Wencheng, so I came to pick you up,” Huai Dan answered his previous question, then asked, “Is there anything you want to eat?”
The three days of exams hadn’t been easy. The moment his tense nerves relaxed, he felt exhausted. Luo Jing instinctively wanted to say he didn’t want to eat anything and just wanted to go home and sleep.
But then he realized Huai Dan had come all this way, so he named a restaurant they often went to as a family.
The restaurant Luo Jing chose served home-style dishes. It was reasonably priced, the food was good, and the environment was quiet.
They sat opposite each other, and the waiter brought them two glasses of water.
Huai Dan ordered two dishes and handed the menu to Luo Jing for him to choose.
Luo Jing, however, didn’t rush to order.
“Brother, why don’t you ask me how I did on the exam?” He looked at Huai Dan expectantly, practically radiating the desire for praise.
If Luo Jing had a tail like Plastic Bag, it would probably be wagging excitedly.
Huai Dan’s lips curved slightly, and he asked as he wished, “So, how did you do on the exam?”
“I think I did okay, probably better than my usual practice tests,” Luo Jing said, seemingly humble but actually boasting.
Once he started on this topic, Luo Jing couldn’t stop.
While waiting for the food, he started telling Huai Dan about his exam experience, such as how he had encountered a similar difficult problem before, how the teacher had almost predicted the essay topic, and how he had corrected an answer on the English listening test at the last minute…
Huai Dan would occasionally respond briefly, but not perfunctorily, and the atmosphere was pleasant.
Luo Jing paused, then started talking about Plastic Bag’s recent situation.
He only stumbled when talking about Plastic Bag being angry at him and Huai Dan asking why.
“By the way, brother, how long will you be here?” After talking for a while, Luo Jing took a sip of water, then remembered something and asked.
“Two or three days,” Huai Dan replied.
“That’s so short,” Luo Jing lowered his eyelashes, his mood instantly dampened.
His plans were ruined. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to play with Huai Dan.
And Huai Dan was here for business. Although he didn’t know what kind of business, with only two or three days, he must be very busy.
He was probably even taking time out of his busy schedule to see him now.
And his family’s company seemed to be holding an important reception in the next two days, which he was also required to attend.
So neither of them seemed to have much free time.
Half of the dishes had arrived and sat on the table for a few minutes. Luo Jing picked up his chopsticks but didn’t eat immediately.
“Where are you staying tonight?” he asked.
“At a hotel,” Huai Dan replied.
“Why don’t you stay at our house? The guest room is still empty,” Luo Jing suggested.
“It’s too much trouble,” Huai Dan said. “And I’ve already booked a hotel room.”
“What’s wrong? Are you unhappy?” Huai Dan chuckled, seeing the child’s clearly dejected expression.
“No,” Luo Jing replied sullenly. “I was just thinking of asking you to help me assemble the Lego set, but we don’t seem to have time.”
“We just met, and now we have to part again.”
Huai Dan chuckled.
Perhaps in Luo Jing’s life, there had never been an older brother figure.
So this child seemed to have placed too much reliance on him.
But Huai Dan didn’t mind and was willing to indulge him.
He thought for a moment, reached across the table, and ruffled Luo Jing’s hair in comfort: “We don’t have time to assemble Lego, but we’ll see each other again soon.”
“Let’s eat.”
Leaving behind this ambiguous statement, they finished their meal, and Huai Dan left after sending him home.
Luo Jing stayed at home all the next day, trying to figure out what Huai Dan’s last words meant.
How soon was “soon”? Could it be the next second?
Luo Jing held Plastic Bag and tried to bond with it—the puppy had been quite angry at him before. Although its anger had subsided over time, it was still a bit distant and needed to be coaxed.
The high school entrance exam was over, but there was still some time before the summer vacation officially started. His parents were both at work, and the housekeeper had come in the morning, efficiently cleaned the house, cooked, and left. So now he was home alone.
He turned on the TV, flipping through countless channels, but felt bored.
Being alone was really boring.
He opened his phone, wanting to message Huai Dan, but then remembered he might be busy, so he gave up.
He opened Wu Li’s chat window and called him.
Wu Li was in the midst of a game.
Seeing the caller ID, Wu Li answered the call, then continued to focus on the screen: “I haven’t finished this round yet. Let’s play duo next round.”
“I don’t really feel like playing games,” Luo Jing politely declined.
Plastic Bag was finally appeased a bit, and Luo Jing let it go play by itself: “Are you coming to my family’s reception tomorrow?”
“I have to go even if I don’t want to,” Wu Li sighed, complaining, “I haven’t had enough rest yet. Your family really knows how to pick a time.”
“Actually, it’s been around this time for the past few years,” Luo Jing was playing Gold Miner on his tablet—after tireless efforts, he had earned over a million. “It’s just that it wasn’t during the holidays before.”
“Yesterday, I…” When recounting what happened, he stumbled over how to address Huai Dan.
Luo Jing hesitated between “my sister’s ex-boyfriend,” “my brother,” “that brother,” and “online dating victim,” feeling none of them were quite right, and ultimately chose to call him by his full name.
“Huai Dan, he…” But the moment he said the name, he felt strangely awkward.
It felt like they were strangers.
He didn’t like this feeling, but the words had already been spoken, and he couldn’t take them back.
He had been calling him “brother” all this time, but for some reason, he suddenly couldn’t bring himself to say it in front of his friend.
He belatedly realized that the term seemed too intimate, even slightly coquettish.
Why hadn’t he felt this way before?
Luo Jing also found himself strange, but he had already said the name, so he continued: “He picked me up yesterday after my exam.”
“That brother of yours?” Wu Li was also stunned when he heard the name, taking a moment to recall who it was.
“Yes, yes, yes.” Luo Jing instantly felt better. “He came very suddenly and took me out to dinner.”
Wu Li, playing his game, replied casually, “That’s nice. And then?”
“And then, when we were parting, I asked him when we would see each other again, and he said ‘soon’.”
“How soon is ‘soon’? Was he just comforting me?”
As he spoke, Luo Jing missed a grab at a mole.
These moles were very annoying, always running around underground, distracting him, and often taking the bait, wasting his time, only to be sold for two dollars.
This was the third time he had caught a mole this round, so he angrily threw a bomb.
Wu Li felt like a bomb had been dropped on him.
His game character had just respawned, but he no longer had the heart to play.
He looked conflicted and asked with difficulty, “So you’ve been thinking about this all day?”
“…Mm?” Wu Li’s tone was too strange, so Luo Jing replied hesitantly.
“You’re so strange.” It felt odd, but Wu Li couldn’t pinpoint the source of this vague and indescribable feeling. He only vaguely felt that his friend was doomed. “Are you a little too concerned about him?”
“Am I? Maybe. What’s wrong?” Luo Jing looked confused.
“…Nothing, as long as you’re happy,” Wu Li said speechlessly.
Fengjing Entertainment was a long-established entertainment company, one of the giants in the entertainment industry, with countless artists under its wing.
This annual reception was one of the company’s most important events, with every artist required to attend, along with numerous media outlets and investors.
Having finally reached the holidays, Luo Jing had stayed up late playing games with friends last night and was still asleep when Lin Xue woke him up.
He felt like he had only closed his eyes for a second before being woken up.
He looked at the time. It was only 7 a.m.
“Isn’t it in the afternoon, Mom?” Luo Jing asked listlessly.
“We need to choose your outfit,” Lin Xue, fully dressed and wearing elegant makeup, sat by Luo Jing’s bed and said with a smile.
Realizing something, Luo Jing looked up with horror.
—Seeing several suits at the end of the bed, all similar in style but, according to Ms. Lin, with subtle differences in pattern, material, and color, Luo Jing closed his eyes in despair.
He recalled the horror of being dressed up like a doll when his mother took him clothes shopping.
By the end of the trying-on session, he felt like his skin would be chafed raw.
“Go wash up,” Lin Xue patted her son’s messy bed hair. “Comb your hair too. Someone will be here to style it later…”
Luo Jing resigned himself and got up: “Okay…”
