Chapter 17: No Puppy Love
Luo Jing found this whole situation absurd.
The math representative had always treated him like a normal friend, no different from anyone else.
And he never seemed like the type to like guys.
Although he had nothing against homosexuality, he had hardly encountered anyone from that community in his life, and he had never had a crush on anyone before. Luo Jing subconsciously always assumed he liked girls.
Moreover, he had a good relationship with the girls in his class. Based on this fact, Luo Jing naturally thought he was the type to attract girls and had never considered that a boy might have a crush on him.
He couldn’t understand how things had turned out this way.
This incident also made him question his firm self-perception.
After much thought, he could only think of one possibility.
AAA.Homework Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Brother, do I look like a girl?]
Luo Jing took out his phone, hesitated, and then sent the message to Huai Dan.
H: [No.]
H: [Why would you think that?]
This time, he replied quickly.
Although Luo Jing’s appearance was indeed delicate and cute, and perhaps because he was still young and hadn’t fully developed yet, he did look fairer than his peers, but he definitely wasn’t androgynous.
Let alone being mistaken for a girl.
AAA.Homework Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Nothing.]
Huai Dan stared at Luo Jing’s reply, which was clearly not “nothing,” for three seconds, then lowered his eyelashes and began to think.
His first thought was that Luo Jing might have been bullied by his classmates and called a girl or something.
But considering his personality and how he had gathered his friends to play games during the New Year, it didn’t seem like something he would encounter.
But what if?
Unable to figure it out, he took a screenshot and sent it to his friend.
H: [Why would he suddenly ask this?]
Ye Lin replied quickly: [Who is this? What homework wholesaler?]
Ye Lin: […]
Ye Lin: [That kid?]
H: [Yeah, I don’t understand kids these days.]
Ye Lin: […]
Ye Lin: [If he wasn’t so old, I would really think he’s your illegitimate child.]
Huai Dan ignored him, quoting his first question with a period, directing his attention to the main point.
Ye Lin thought for a moment: [Bullied by classmates?]
H: [Doesn’t seem like it.]
Ye Lin: [Confessed to by a male classmate?]
Huai Dan was silent.
A few seconds later, he decided to ignore Ye Lin’s nonsense and opened Luo Jing’s chat window.
Brother: [Did someone say you look like a girl? Did you have a fight with your classmates?]
Looking at Huai Dan’s message and the letter in his hand, Luo Jing hesitated for a long time.
But he really needed someone to talk to about his complicated feelings.
He definitely couldn’t tell Wu Li or other classmates. They all knew each other, and it would be too awkward.
He couldn’t tell Luo Feng either. He could imagine how she would laugh at him, and she might even tell his parents.
After hesitating for a moment, Luo Jing told Huai Dan about his current confusion.
AAA.Homework Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Actually, it’s because a boy confessed to me today.]
AAA.Homework Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Did he mistake me for a girl?]
AAA.Homework Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Because he doesn’t seem like the type to like guys at all.]
Brother: [There are many reasons to like someone. Gender may not be the primary attraction.]
Brother: [Being liked by someone means you’re excellent. Don’t doubt yourself.]
Feeling like he was guiding a minor’s immature thoughts, Huai Dan typed carefully.
After thinking for a moment, he added another sentence.
Brother: [But you’re still young, no puppy love.]
The child on the other end replied after a while.
AAA.Homework Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Don’t worry, brother, I won’t have puppy love.]
Huai Dan was satisfied: [Mm.]
He put down his phone and picked up the document in front of him to continue reading.
Half a minute later, he received another message.
L: [Do you like stocks? I’m very interested in them recently.]
Huai Dan: “…”
Luo Jing nervously sent the message, his tablet at the ready, prepared to look up anything he didn’t understand if Huai Dan mentioned it.
But to his surprise, Huai Dan didn’t answer his question, but asked: [Are you very free right now?]
Luo Jing subconsciously glanced at his untouched homework.
Not really…
But.
L: [I always have time to chat with you OVO]
After awkwardly typing an emoticon, Luo Jing felt a bit of goosebumps.
After sending the message, Luo Jing closed the webpage titled “Essential Chatting Phrases for Online Dating.”
After thinking for a moment, he opened it again and bookmarked it.
Useful, very useful.
Huai Dan, however, only paused for a moment, then replied coldly: [Go do your work first.]
Luo Jing: “?”
Why weren’t things going as he had imagined?
And why did Huai Dan seem to have some kind of obsession with supervising his studies?
If everything wasn’t so perfectly planned and seamless, Luo Jing would really suspect that Huai Dan was actually talking to him directly.
Suppressing the strange and inexplicable premonition, Luo Jing took a screenshot and sent it to Wu Li, feeling a bit defeated.
AAA.Homework Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [What should I do? He doesn’t seem to be paying much attention to me.]
Wu Li replied after a while: [Are you sure he agreed to have an online relationship with you? It doesn’t seem like it.]
Luo Jing, also confused by Huai Dan’s attitude, switched back to his main account to confirm.
He had indeed replied with an “Okay,” right?
Wu Li: [Or maybe that’s just his personality?]
Wu Li: [I thought he seemed a bit aloof when we met. Try to build some rapport with him.]
Wu Li: […]
Wu Li: […So why am I still talking about this with you? Makes me look like I have a problem.]
Luo Jing ignored his last message and, after reading it, felt it made sense.
AAA.Homework Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Then I’ll keep trying.]
He then switched back to his second sister’s account and replied carefully: [Am I bothering you?]
Huai Dan seemed busy, and his reply was short: [No.]
Although it was a denial, Luo Jing felt like he saw a “yes” hidden within that “no.”
No, there couldn’t be a “yes.”
L: [Do you think I’m a bit annoying?]
So he asked.
Huai Dan replied after a while: [No, I’m just busy sometimes.]
H: [You should be quite busy too, right?]
Luo Jing started to feel guilty again.
So he decided to change the subject: [Then can I call you brother?]
H: [Okay.]
L: [Okay, good night, brother, sleep early QWQ]
H: [Mm.]
Seeing this, Luo Jing felt they had made a huge breakthrough in their relationship. The previous unresponsiveness was just an illusion caused by Huai Dan being too busy. So he happily put down his phone, planning to chat again later.
Also, if they continued chatting, Luo Jing was afraid he would be exposed.
For some reason, chatting with Huai Dan using this account felt completely different from using his main account. It even gave him the illusion of talking to two different people.
Perhaps he was just too guilty.
Anyway, homework was important.
He put down his phone, put the somewhat unusual love letter aside, and, forced to be unusually self-disciplined, took out his homework and started working, feeling a headache coming on.
Early the next morning, Luo Jing arrived at school with dark circles under his eyes again.
“What were you doing again?” His deskmate, seeing his continued state of exhaustion, was filled with curiosity.
“Coaxing my online dating partner,” Luo Jing said, not wanting to elaborate, and even less wanting to reveal the miserable fact that he had been doing homework until past midnight.
Wu Li looked at him meaningfully: “Relationships are hard work.”
Luo Jing glared at him threateningly.
Behind him, there was a soft “thud”—the sound of a workbook falling onto the desk.
Luo Jing instinctively turned around and saw the math representative’s half-collected workbooks scattered all over his deskmate’s desk behind him. The deskmate looked at the math representative, who was staring blankly ahead, dumbfounded, almost about to lose his temper.
Luo Jing: “…”
He froze for a moment, then tried to compose himself, casually picking up the workbooks scattered around his feet and handing them over, muttering softly, “I returned your things, did you see?”
It was too awkward. Luo Jing genuinely considered him a friend.
“…I saw it,” the math representative replied sullenly, taking the workbooks.
Luo Jing had, at some point, put the letter he had spent two days writing into his drawer. When he saw it this morning, he had been a little excited. But upon opening it, he found a small note inside, besides his own letter.
Six words were written on it in overly neat handwriting, clearly written with great effort to control the pen strokes: Thank you, but no.
He had been very sad at the time.
But after recovering, he comforted himself with the thought that Luo Jing wasn’t in a relationship and didn’t like anyone.
He had finally suppressed his sadness and wanted to use the opportunity of collecting homework to see his crush—something he often did.
Then he overheard this devastating conversation.
He barely managed to suppress the surge of sadness, gathered the workbooks, took a deep breath, and said, “It’s okay, continue your chat.”
Luo Jing watched him leave with mixed feelings, then turned around to see Wu Li and his deskmate looking at him.
“What?” Luo Jing asked, puzzled.
“What did you do?” Wu Li was even more puzzled. He pointed at the math representative’s back: “His eyes are red… Is he crying?”
As if on cue, the math representative piled the workbooks onto one arm and wiped his eyes with the other hand.
Luo Jing: “…”
Wu Li: “…”
“…We had a little disagreement,” Luo Jing said awkwardly.
The first morning class was Chinese. The teacher said they would be tested on ancient poetry in the next class, so everyone was reciting, creating a sense of white noise despite the slight commotion.
Luo Jing felt drowsy in this environment.
In his daze, he remembered something and opened his phone, switching to his alternate account.
Then, as usual, he sent a message to Huai Dan: [Good morning, brother OVO]
Clearly a cute girl.
Diligently pursuing her online dating partner.
H: [Morning.]
H: [Don’t play with your phone in class.]
Luo Jing: “…”
Luo Jing put his phone back in his desk with a wooden expression.
He wasn’t really feeling this online relationship anymore.
