Chapter 35: Timid
Xie You’s group had debuted for a year now.
Because the members of the group were all talented and good-looking, each with a unique style, and boosted by the buzz from the Jiang Kun incident before their debut, the boy group attracted the attention of many young people almost immediately after their debut, achieving immense popularity in a very short time.
After that incident, the remaining members of the group gradually added Luo Jing on WeChat and expressed their gratitude.
He got along best with the baby-faced boy who had added him first, and they were now practically sworn brothers.
But Xie You was different. He hadn’t spoken to him since thanking him that day.
So Luo Jing was a bit confused after seeing the comments online.
He briefly scrolled through the messages and finally understood what had happened.
Xie You’s Weibo account had only followed the company’s official account since its creation, not even his teammates.
But a few days ago, he suddenly followed Luo Jing.
As expected, Xie You’s follower count remained the highest in the group, an undisputed popularity gap, so whenever there was any activity on his Weibo, fans would notice immediately.
The change in his following list from one to two was too obvious for fans to miss.
And now, Xie You had been following him for almost three or four days, and he still hadn’t responded.
It wasn’t a big deal, but because he hadn’t reacted, some netizens online started mocking him, saying that Xie You was trying to curry favor with the company owner’s son but failed and was ignored.
Luo Jing hadn’t been very active on Weibo recently due to his busy schedule. After learning about this, he followed Xie You back and posted a new update.
[@DontWantToMemorizeVocabulary111: Long time no see, everyone. I was too busy before.]
As soon as he posted it, dozens of comments appeared.
[Luo Luo, you finally remembered your account password.]
[I won’t accept your apology unless you live stream for 24 hours!]
[He followed Xie You back! And Luo Luo only follows Xie You… I’m shipping them.]
[Can some of you shipping them be less ridiculous… He’s still a high school student, and the other person is just an employee of Luo Luo’s company.]
[Now that you mention it, it’s even better.]
More and more comments appeared, some asking about Plastic Bag, some asking how he was doing recently, some asking for a live stream. Luo Jing selectively replied to the comments, chatting with his followers.
His nervousness eased a bit. As a wave of drowsiness washed over him, Luo Jing quickly turned off the lights and lay down, looking forward to tomorrow.
His alarm was set for 8 a.m., but Luo Jing woke up naturally at 7.
After boarding the plane with his backpack and finding his seat, Luo Jing finally felt a sense of reality.
He was actually going to see Huai Dan.
And… they would be meeting in two hours.
His phone beeped. Luo Jing instinctively picked it up and glanced at it.
Brother: [On the plane yet?]
AAA.Vocabulary Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Just sat down.]
Brother: [Okay, let me know when you arrive.]
This trip was completely impromptu, a sudden idea that came to him when he saw his deskmate scrambling for a test spot and noticed that city.
Test spots in Huai Dan’s city were always difficult to get, with very few available, and it wasn’t very close to them. Unless absolutely necessary, teachers usually wouldn’t recommend them to take the test there.
Luo Jing didn’t actually need to take the test anymore, as he had already received an offer from the university he wanted with his best score.
But he still had one unused test fee in his account.
He didn’t know what his mentality was at the time, but he had booked that test center while hesitating and waiting until the last minute, just to try his luck.
And he managed to get a spot.
After putting his phone on airplane mode, Luo Jing put on the eye mask provided and prepared to sleep.
But the thought of seeing Huai Dan as soon as he got off the plane kept him awake.
Struggling between sleeping and not sleeping, and thinking about what to say after they met, the two-hour flight quickly passed.
The plane landed. Luo Jing turned off airplane mode, sent a message to Huai Dan, then put his phone back on airplane mode.
He was completely offline, slowly shuffling towards the exit.
Looking at the other passengers waiting for their luggage at the baggage claim, Luo Jing glanced at his light backpack and suddenly felt a bit envious.
He should have brought a suitcase too.
He had imagined countless scenarios of meeting Huai Dan at home, on the way to the airport, and on the plane, and was prepared to rush to see him as soon as he landed.
But now that the time had come, he suddenly became nervous.
He even felt a slight urge to run away.
So nervous that his heart wouldn’t stop racing.
Luo Jing suddenly understood what it meant to be “timid about returning home.”
Although the situation was different, the feeling was probably similar.
Brother: [Which exit are you coming out of?]
Luo Jing stared at the message, silent for a moment.
It wasn’t that he didn’t know what to reply…
Luo Jing slowly walked behind a pillar and stood there, his fingers hidden in his sleeves, staring at his phone screen, caught in a strange and subtle dilemma.
[Brother, why don’t I just go to the hotel myself? I can take a taxi.]
After typing this, Luo Jing closed his eyes.
Why hadn’t he realized he was such a coward before?
As if defying himself, he quickly deleted the message and, in one go, sent the number of the exit he was about to reach.
The other end seemed to be waiting for his message and replied almost instantly.
Brother: [Okay.]
Brother: [Do you have a lot of luggage?]
AAA.Vocabulary Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Not much, just a backpack. I can come out myself.]
Brother: [Okay, I’ll wait for you there. You’ll see me when you come out.]
Then Huai Dan sent him a license plate number.
After reading the message, Luo Jing took a deep breath.
Then he put away his phone and walked towards Exit 3A with firm yet unsteady steps.
He felt less like he was going to meet his crush and more like a terrified soldier being forced onto the battlefield.
When he reached the exit, Luo Jing quickly found Huai Dan’s car based on the license plate number.
It was different from the previous one. This car was longer.
Luo Jing paused, mentally prepared himself, and opened the passenger door.
“Brother…?”
Contrary to his expectations, a kind-looking driver in a suit was sitting in the driver’s seat.
Seeing him, the driver smiled friendly: “Are you Young Master Luo?”
“Ah, yes,” Luo Jing replied, stunned.
He opened the car door, but the person he had been longing to see wasn’t there. His anticipation turned into disappointment, and his nervousness vanished instantly.
He should have been relieved, but instead, he felt a sense of helplessness and emptiness.
Thinking again, he felt it was actually quite reasonable.
Huai Dan was so busy, he didn’t have to come personally for such a small matter. It was better to have the driver come.
But he was still a bit unhappy.
Like a reward that should have belonged to him had been taken away by someone else.
…Maybe more than just a bit.
The car’s interior was very business-like, with a partition between the driver’s seat and the back, clearly the kind Huai Dan usually rode in.
Luo Jing tried to distract himself by observing these things.
He held the car door handle, lowered his eyes, and quickly composed himself.
“Hello, Uncle,” Luo Jing smiled at the driver. “I’ll sit in the back. I’m not used to sitting in the front.”
“Okay, okay, the back is more spacious…” the driver replied repeatedly. An airport staff member came over, knocked on the window, and told the driver that he could only park there for five minutes and his time was almost up.
The driver immediately rolled down the window and said apologetically that he would leave immediately.
Luo Jing felt a bit guilty seeing this, so he quickly went to the back seat, sat down, and closed the door.
He breathed a sigh of relief and was about to put his bag down when he suddenly froze.
Then, his whole body stiffened.
“Am I really that invisible?” After a moment, Huai Dan’s voice sounded beside him, carrying a faint hint of amusement. “Why can’t you see your brother every time?”
“…” Luo Jing closed his eyes.
Opening them again, he slowly turned his head towards the car window, desperately trying to control his emotions, and said in the calmest voice possible, “No, I didn’t.”
Then he subconsciously glanced at his wrist.
The car drove smoothly on the road, and Luo Jing’s racing heart finally calmed down a bit after staring at the scenery outside for a while.
Fortunately, he hadn’t worn his watch today… Otherwise, it would probably have been beeping all the way.
Feeling better, he slowly turned back and sat up straight.
As soon as he turned around, he saw Huai Dan looking at him, as if waiting for him, he didn’t know how long he had been looking.
Luo Jing: “!”
He almost turned back again.
“Seen enough now?” Huai Dan glanced out the window on Luo Jing’s side. “What are you looking at? You seem lost in thought.”
“…Nothing,” Luo Jing’s gaze drifted for a moment, then he tried to compose himself and looked at Huai Dan, hesitating slightly. “I thought you weren’t coming.”
Huai Dan chuckled, a bit helpless: “Why would you think that?”
“Because, when I opened the car door, I saw the driver in the front,” Luo Jing replied.
“I said I would pick you up, so I came to pick you up,” Huai Dan said. “When has your brother ever lied to you?”
Luo Jing: “…”
“Mm,” he replied and sat up straight again.
He hadn’t had a crush before and now realized that people online weren’t lying.
Everything the other person said would sound different.
…And it would also make him act differently.
Luo Jing had never been so reserved around anyone before, and he could even sense his own awkwardness.
He just didn’t know how this awkwardness appeared to Huai Dan.
He had been trying to control it.
Unfortunately, with little success.
…He should go to the company and take a couple of acting classes.
He thought.
As he was lost in thought, Huai Dan’s voice sounded again: “Did you book a hotel?”
Luo Jing’s words reached his lips, then changed course.
“…I forgot,” Luo Jing said.
Huai Dan chuckled: “You can’t be this forgetful when you go abroad.”
“I won’t,” Luo Jing retorted softly.
Because whether it was booking the wrong test center or forgetting to book a hotel… it was all intentional.
He was truly a terrible person.
Luo Jing mentally scolded himself.
“Come stay at my place. I have a spare room,” Huai Dan said.
“!”
“Okay,” Luo Jing replied, trying to remain calm.
“Good.”
Two minutes later, Luo Jing lowered his head, opened his phone, and silently canceled his hotel reservation.
