Brother, Don’t Delete Me! 1

Chapter 1:

It was the end of the year. Outside the window, gusts of wind carrying a bitter chill swept into the room. On the sofa, a boy sat cross-legged, so cold that half his face was buried in the collar of his jacket. The tip of his nose was flushed red, yet he still made no move to get up and close the window.

“Xiao Jing, go close the window.” His mother’s gentle voice drifted from the dining room, reaching Luo Jing’s ears. “Dinner is ready.”

“Aunt Wang, go rest, I’ll take care of it…” But before she could urge him again, her attention was pulled away by something else.

Luo Jing’s final exams for the last semester had just ended, marking the start of winter break. Following tradition, the family had moved back to their old ancestral home for the holidays.

A trendy competitive game was currently all the rage among kids his age. He was currently in the middle of a 1v1 battle against his childhood friend, Wu Li.

Before the match began, the two had generously made a wager: the loser would give the winner five yuan. The battle was reaching its climax; the character Luo Jing was controlling was nearly out of health, and he was currently hiding in the brush, waiting to deliver the killing blow to Wu Li.

“Luo Jing, don’t make me say it a second time.” After finishing her task, Lin Xue turned around to see her younger son being completely disobedient. She set the plate on the dining table and said with a hint of anger, “Do you want to lose your phone for the rest of winter break?”

Lin Xue was from the South and had a gentle temperament. Generally, when she addressed him by his full name like this, it meant she was truly getting angry.

Because of the cold, Luo Jing’s fingers were tucked into his sleeves, using only his fingertips to prop up the phone while playing. Startled by his mother’s suddenly raised voice, his grip slipped, and the phone instantly fell onto the thick carpet with a muffled thud.

He scrambled to pick it up and check the screen. In his panic, he must have touched the controls by accident; his character had stepped slightly out of the brush and was instantly spotted by his sharp-eyed friend.

The character collapsed.

Luo Jing stared at the screen as it faded from bright to dim. A resurrection countdown appeared, followed by a message notification at the top.
Wu Li: 【Hahahahaha you lost!】

“Mom, it’s closed.” Luo Jing simply exited the game, walked to the window to shut it, and then turned to look at his mother with pleading eyes.

“Mm.” Lin Xue was mostly satisfied. she got up to call the rest of the family to dinner.

Luo Jing breathed a sigh of relief, opened the chat interface, and decisively transferred five yuan to the other side with a note: 【Letting you win this time.】
In response, he received a question mark.

Luo Jing turned off his screen and blinked his eyes, which were a bit dry from the cold wind. He tucked the phone he had narrowly managed to keep into his pocket and headed toward the kitchen to wait for dinner.

Today was the day his older sister was coming home. According to her, she was bringing a boyfriend back with her.
Luo Jing actually found it very difficult to imagine what kind of guy his sister would be with.

From birth through elementary school, Luo Jing’s impression of his sister was someone who seemed quiet to outsiders but loved bullying him—a “villain” who was often secretly praised as being beautiful by his classmates when she came to pick him up.

The change happened one weekend when Luo Feng was in high school. She suddenly announced she was going to get a haircut.
When she came back, Luo Jing didn’t recognize her.

That day, Luo Jing was sitting in the living room doing homework while sneakily watching TV. The moment he heard the door open, he turned off the TV with lightning speed and looked over—only to lock eyes with his sister, who now sported a mullet.

Luo Jing froze for a moment, then questioned her coldly, “Stranger, who are you and why are you in my house?”
Luo Feng let out a laugh. “Brat.”

Later, when the family had dinner together, their parents were worried she had gone through some sort of trauma and tried to pry delicately. The result was a single sentence: “Long hair gets in the way of studying.”
Luo Jing: …
He didn’t understand, but he could only respect it.

After that, his sister moved further and further down the path of becoming “handsome.” Gradually, when she occasionally picked him up from school, it was no longer the male students asking for her contact info, but the female students. Some people who didn’t get a clear look even came to him the next day to remark on how cool his “older brother” was.
What older brother?

But if it really were an older brother, that would be nice—he could play games with him.
His seatmate had an older brother who was great at games, so his seatmate’s rank was very high. Luo Jing was incredibly envious.

While his mind was wandering, there was some noise at the front gate of the courtyard. Luo Jing blinked, jumped off his chair, and planned to go see what his “brother-in-law” looked like.

Outside in the courtyard, Luo Feng had her hair tied half-up and was taking luggage out of the car trunk.
Huai Dan stood to the side and watched for a moment before asking, “Need help?”
“No need. Just open the door for me, my hands are full,” Luo Feng said without looking back.

Compared to her mountain of bags, Huai Dan’s luggage was much lighter—just a single suitcase.
He nodded and didn’t insist. Carrying his suitcase, he walked to the door to push it open.
Suddenly, the door opened on its own.

Inside, a kid wrapped in a padded jacket, half his face tucked into his collar and looking thoroughly frozen, came rushing out. He skidded to a halt the moment he saw him, nearly crashing into him.

Luo Jing’s view was blocked by a figure the moment he pushed the door open.
The person in front of him was more than a head taller than him; he had to look up to see the face.
This height didn’t seem like his sister.
He instinctively looked up and met the eyes of a young man.

This person’s features were very handsome. At the moment, his eyes were half-lidded, looking down with a cold and detached gaze.
Though he had a bit of a “do not approach” vibe, because he was so good-looking, it made up for that small flaw.
The moment Luo Jing saw him, he felt that—just as he expected—the man didn’t match his sister at all.

In an instant, various types of guys flashed through his mind, and he realized that none of them would look like a couple standing next to his sister.
Thus, he comforted this handsome guy in his heart: It’s not your fault, brother.

The young man reached out a hand to lightly steady Luo Jing’s shoulder, helping him regain his balance. Once Luo Jing was standing steady, he smiled at the “brother” in front of him and prepared to address him.
“Brother-in—” (Jie-fu)

“If you dare say that out loud, I’ll toss you onto the street to sleep tonight,” a cool female voice rang out from nearby. It was his villain sister, alright.
Luo Jing slammed on the brakes. “?”

“Then what should I call him?” He poked his head out from in front of the young man to look at his long-lost sister, his expression tinged with resentment.
“Call him Gege (older brother).”
“Oh.” He gave a reply, moved back in front of the young man, looked up slightly, and said clearly, “Hello, brother.”

“Mm,” Huai Dan responded. He didn’t have any negative feelings toward his friend’s overly energetic younger brother.
Unaccustomed to small talk, he asked a standard question: “How old are you?”
Luo Jing: “…”

He could actually tell that this “brother” was trying to use a friendly tone, but that word was clearly not in the man’s dictionary. He ended up sounding like a teacher outside an exam hall asking if a student was carrying cheat sheets.
Fortunately, Luo Jing was outgoing and could chat with anyone. He adapted well to the situation and quickly replied, “I’m in 9th grade now.”
“Good.” The young man didn’t seem to know what to say next; he paused and gave a simple acknowledgment.
The atmosphere seemed to fall silent again.

“What are you standing there for? Come help me with the bags, or take him to his room.” His sister’s voice rang out again, sounding like she was at the end of her patience.
Luo Jing blinked and made a quick decision.
“Brother, let’s go.” He tugged at Huai Dan’s sleeve to lead the way.
Huai Dan had no objections. He picked up his suitcase and followed the kid inside.

Luo Jing led the way dutifully, though he found it a bit strange.
Why didn’t the “brother-in-law” help his sister with her bags?

But on second thought, maybe this was just how they interacted. Luo Jing really couldn’t imagine his sister acting like a dainty, dependent girlfriend.
…The thought alone was enough to give him goosebumps.

Lost in thought, they arrived at the front door. Luo Jing pushed it open with practiced ease.
The heater was on inside. Since the living room window had been closed, the house was much warmer, and the chill on his body gradually began to dissipate.
His father wasn’t back yet, and his mother had likely gone to call his grandparents for dinner. The living room was empty, with the food on the dining table emitting steam.
Huai Dan closed the door behind him. Luo Jing stood in the middle of the room with the guest, suddenly feeling a bit stumped.

Where should the “brother-in-law” stay?
He looked at the young man, then at the second floor, hesitated for a few steps toward the stairs, and finally went up.
Huai Dan followed.

When they reached a bedroom door, the boy hesitantly put his hand on the doorknob.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the handle, a female voice—slightly out of breath from carrying heavy things but surprisingly loud—rang out from downstairs: “What are you doing standing at my bedroom door?”

Luo Jing froze and reflexively pulled his hand back—the memories of being “disciplined” many times as a child for wandering into his sister’s room were still vivid.
Coming back to his senses, he was about to speak when his mother’s voice rang out: “Xiao Huai, you’re here! The guest room hasn’t been tidied up yet, is it okay if you share a room with the younger brother for tonight?”

“Hello, Auntie.” Huai Dan greeted the woman, having no issues with the room assignment.

Luo Jing looked back blankly, only then realizing the fact that someone was going to be stuffed into his room tonight.

***

At the dinner table, everyone in the family was very polite to this new “brother.” His mother kept warmly encouraging him to help himself to whatever he wanted to eat and not to be formal.
Luo Jing was busy replying to messages on his phone while eating. He only behaved after his mother tapped the back of his hand with her chopsticks.

His seatmate was challenging him to a fight.
The in-game kind.

Middle schoolers got bored over the holidays, so the number of players in their age group had surged recently. Luo Jing was one of them.
Luo Jing had lost every time his seatmate challenged him to a duel lately, unable to win even with his best character.
Normally, their skill levels were about the same. Luo Jing didn’t believe his seatmate had suddenly awakened some hidden talent; his gut told him his seatmate’s pro-gamer brother was “ghosting” or playing for him.
But he had no proof.

However, kids this age are at their most competitive. Several times he felt like he was just a hair’s breadth away from winning, so he became more determined with every defeat.
Luo Jing happily accepted the invitation for tonight’s duel.

***

When Huai Dan finished freshening up and entered the room, he saw the kid sitting cross-legged on the bed with his phone, looking dead serious.
The overall design of Luo Jing’s room was mostly blue and white. It was soft and felt like a standard, comfortable child’s room.
It was kept very clean and organized, which was different from Huai Dan’s impression of boys that age.

Hearing the door, Luo Jing looked up, then scooted over toward his sleeping side to make room for Huai Dan.

“Brother, this is your quilt.” He pointed to the neatly folded light blue quilt beside him. “It’s freshly washed and very clean.”
“Mm, thanks.” Huai Dan replied, closing the door before sitting down by the bed.

“Are you planning to sleep now?” The boy’s voice was polite but a bit awkward.
“Not yet. Why?” Huai Dan checked the time.
“I’m going to be on voice chat playing a game with a friend in a bit. My headphones broke recently and the new ones haven’t arrived yet, so I’m afraid I’ll disturb you.” Luo Jing pointed to his phone.

“It’s fine, go ahead.” Despite being the one staying over, the kid’s nervousness made it seem like Huai Dan was the owner of the room.
After a moment’s thought, Huai Dan reached out and ruffled the kid’s hair as a gesture of goodwill.

Luo Jing relaxed and nodded, then picked up the voice call from his seatmate.
Before long, another child’s voice filled the room. The volume wasn’t high, so it wasn’t noisy.

Huai Dan’s phone had just been turned on and was vibrating incessantly. He tapped the screen, and seeing the wall of messages, his brow furrowed slightly.
He ignored most of them, picking only a few important ones to reply to. Soon, a friend sent a message.
Ye Lin: 【Finally decided to reply. Your phone was off so long I thought something happened to you.】
Ye Lin: 【Where did you run off to?】
Huai Dan: 【Don’t annoy me.】

That person was his childhood friend. They were close, and the guy complained every day about who would ever be able to put up with Huai Dan’s temper.
Huai Dan’s one sentence silenced the other side for a moment, before a long-winded stream of resentful messages started pouring in. Huai Dan casually turned on ‘Do Not Disturb’ and began clearing other notifications.
Having seen the same kind of talk too many times, a trace of irritability inevitably flickered in his eyes.

“Are you having your brother play for you again?” Perhaps fearing he would disturb Huai Dan, the kid beside him had been very quiet, barely speaking and mostly responding to his friend with single syllables.
But this sentence was spoken with a bit of uncontrolled volume, drifting into Huai Dan’s ears. He inexplicably detected a hint of indignation in it.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I use him when I have a brother?” The boy on the other end of the call admitted it openly, his tone full of pride. “So, isn’t my brother amazing?”
Luo Jing: “…”
He took a deep breath, looking thoroughly incensed.

Curious, Huai Dan took a glance at the kid’s phone screen.