Brother, Don’t Delete Me! 23

Chapter 23: Surprise

After reacting, the boy suddenly had a look of realization, then looked at Luo Jing again, still smiling, but with a hint of curiosity and eagerness.

He greeted Luo Jing amicably: “Hello.”

Luo Jing: “?”

Who was this person? He didn’t seem to know him.

Conditioned by the recent incident, he instinctively started to wonder if he had taken the wrong seat again.

Just then, the boy turned to the person beside him, whose legs were the only visible part, and said, “Huai Dan, that little friend.”

“!”

Hearing the name, Luo Jing instinctively looked in that direction.

The boy thoughtfully leaned forward slightly, giving them space to talk.

Huai Dan turned to look at him, perhaps finding his stunned expression amusing, and smiled faintly, then said, “Come sit here.”

Luo Jing froze for two seconds, then stood up woodenly, walked over, and sat down next to Huai Dan.

Then he avoided looking at him.

“We just met two days ago, and you’re like this again?” After a moment, seeing him silent, Huai Dan’s voice carried a hint of amusement. “Didn’t I say we’d see each other again soon?”

The environment was dim, and the host on stage was saying something. Their seats were close to the stage, so the sound wasn’t too soft, but Luo Jing felt like he hadn’t heard a single word.

Huai Dan spoke in his usual tone, the one he used when talking to Luo Jing, like coaxing a child.

Everything was normal.

But Luo Jing inexplicably felt his ears burning.

Ye Lin was actually a bit surprised when he first learned that Huai Dan was going to this reception.

“Didn’t you say you weren’t coming?” Ye Lin asked on their way to the city.

“When did I say that?” Huai Dan had no such memory.

“At your house.”

“No.”

“I was wondering at first,” Seeing him deny it, Ye Lin didn’t bother arguing and said instead, “You don’t usually attend these company receptions.”

“Then I realized, it’s not just any company, it’s the Luo family’s company.”

He looked at Huai Dan, his eyes filled with unconcealed curiosity: “So you’re here for that Miss Luo you were talking to on the phone last time?”

“The chairman’s daughter seems to be called… Luo Feng.” Ye Lin said, opening his phone to confirm the information.

“No,” Huai Dan denied calmly while driving.

Ye Lin carefully observed his expression and, seeing no signs of deception, became even more curious: “Then why did you come all this way? They don’t have any other daughters surnamed Luo, oh, and there’s a son named Luo Jing…”

“Get off at the next intersection and take a taxi yourself,” Huai Dan suddenly said.

Ye Lin was shocked: “Seriously? I didn’t even say anything, and you’re already kicking me out of the car?”

His friend’s temper was becoming increasingly unpredictable.

“No,” Huai Dan explained. “I have something to do later, it’s not on the way.”

“…Besides attending this reception, what else do you have to do here? And today is the last day of the high school entrance exam for junior high students. The roads will be jammed later.”

Despite his words, priorities were priorities. Since Huai Dan had said so, it must be true, so he obediently got out of the car.

And as he predicted, he was stuck in traffic for more than an hour after getting a taxi.

Although Huai Dan had indeed said they would see each other again soon two days ago, he hadn’t said it would be this soon.

Luo Jing had thought Huai Dan was just comforting him.

For some reason, he had the strange feeling that he wasn’t ready.

Although he didn’t know what he needed to be ready for.

He subconsciously glanced at his clothes.

Fortunately, he had woken up early and spent the whole day getting dressed up.

…Wait, why “fortunately”?

Luo Jing was speechless by his own strange thoughts.

Huai Dan had seen him in all states during the winter vacation when he was at home.

After figuring this out, he felt a subtle sense of happiness that Huai Dan had kept his promise.

The awkwardness had come inexplicably, so it also disappeared quickly. In no time, Luo Jing returned to his usual self.

“Hey, what’s your name?” Ye Lin asked, leaning in curiously. He was incredibly curious about this child who seemed to have cast a spell on his good friend, and deduced from their current seating arrangement, “Are you Luo Jing?”

“Yes,” Luo Jing replied, then asked with equal curiosity, “Are you my brother’s friend?”

“That’s right,” Ye Lin said confidently. “I’m his best friend, so you have to call me brother too.”

Luo Jing: “?”

He didn’t quite understand this logic.

But out of politeness, he still obediently called him, “Brother.”

Anyone who could be good friends with his brother couldn’t be a bad person.

“Little brother,” Ye Lin replied with a smile, “My name is Ye Lin.”

“Oh.”

This child was quite likeable and well-mannered. Although he seemed spoiled, he didn’t have the usual flaws he often saw in rich kids. On the contrary, he was very polite.

The two chatted animatedly with Huai Dan between them.

“Do you need to switch seats with me?” The person sitting in the middle suddenly spoke, interrupting their conversation about the dog Luo Jing and Huai Dan had found during the New Year.

Although his tone was no different from usual, Ye Lin instinctively flinched.

“No, no,” he fell silent and retreated to his own seat.

Just then, Luo Jing’s father went on stage to speak, so Luo Jing also turned back and settled down.

He felt like his father had glanced in their direction while speaking.

It felt like whispering in class under the teacher’s watchful eye.

“Brother, why are you here?” Luo Jing’s father’s speech wasn’t long. A few minutes later, Luo Jing was freed from his “frozen” state and turned to Huai Dan. “My parents didn’t tell me.”

“To surprise you,” Huai Dan replied, pausing after remembering how Luo Jing often prepared surprises for different people, surprises that weren’t always pleasant.

Luo Jing: “…”

It was indeed quite a surprise.

After Luo Jing’s father’s speech, it was time for the company’s artists and groups to take the stage one by one.

On stage, every artist was dressed to the nines, their makeup exquisite, with polite smiles on their faces, their jewelry shimmering under the spotlights.

The quality of their artists was generally very high. Everyone in and out of the industry knew that Fengjing Entertainment only signed beautiful people, and both male and female artists were uniquely attractive.

It had even become an internet meme. Sometimes, when people saw good-looking people online, they would tag the company’s official account.

So, objectively speaking, this scene was very appealing.

But no matter how beautiful the faces were, after seeing so many, it was hard to maintain much interest. Luo Jing watched these familiar faces come and go with boredom, playing a mental game of matching the company’s artists.

As he was playing, Luo Jing suddenly thought of something and subconsciously turned his head slightly to look at Huai Dan.

Huai Dan wasn’t looking at the stage.

He didn’t seem very interested, sitting with his legs crossed, looking down at his phone, his expression indifferent.

In the dim light, the stage lights cast a faint glow on his face, highlighting his sharp, defined features and high nose bridge. He was wearing a well-tailored suit, looking elegant and aloof.

He did have an air of inapproachability.

Luo Jing had never seen this side of him before.

To be honest, it was quite novel.

Currently on stage was a male celebrity who had won the Best Actor award last year, one of their company’s top artists.

He was smiling faintly, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

His features were undoubtedly handsome, but Luo Jing, looking at the stage, then at Huai Dan beside him, reaffirmed his belief that his brother was better-looking than their company’s artists.

“What are you looking at?” Huai Dan suddenly asked, his eyes still on his phone.

Luo Jing was startled and quickly looked away.

Was he talking to him?

Probably not.

It shouldn’t be possible for him to be noticed from such a hidden glance.

“Luo Jing,” unfortunately, Huai Dan called his name.

Luo Jing: “…”

He turned back dejectedly: “Brother, do you have a second pair of eyes?”

Huai Dan’s lips curled up. He put away his phone and looked at him, the inapproachable air disappearing: “It was too obvious. Hide it better next time. Do you have something to say?”

Luo Jing instinctively retorted, “You only knew I was looking at you because you were looking at me… I was being very discreet.”

“Mm, I was looking at you,” Huai Dan readily admitted.

Luo Jing: “!”

His heart skipped a beat. Luo Jing thought this must be the guilt of being caught.

“Then I’ll learn from you next time,” he said.

Remembering something, he turned his head, about to ask, “Don’t our artists…”

He saw some familiar outfits on stage, his expression changed, and he stopped talking, turning back to look at the stage.

It was the pre-debut boy group he had encountered outside the lounge.

They had only recently joined the company and were attending this reception for the first time. Facing so many media outlets, except for the leader, the others all looked more or less nervous.

The leader was that Jiang Kun.

His makeup was a shade whiter than his teammates’, looking a bit exaggerated under the spotlights.

Luo Jing felt like he was even brighter than the lights above him.

It was truly an eyesore.

Although this thought might be influenced by his previous encounter, objectively speaking, this person’s appearance was indeed average.

Why would the company sign someone like this? Had the scouts’ aesthetic sense suddenly malfunctioned?

He first led the group onto the stage, then naturally walked to the center after they stopped.

The other members seemed to be used to it, silently making way for him, without any communication.

Perhaps because of the dim lighting and their nervousness on stage, no one noticed that the “little trainee” who had just been talking to them outside the lounge was now sitting in the front row.