Chapter 36: Dumplings
Luo Jing fidgeted restlessly along the way, not daring to look at Huai Dan.
He had never felt so awkward.
But Huai Dan didn’t seem to notice his discomfort. After a brief exchange, they both fell silent.
After a while, Luo Jing couldn’t resist and glanced at Huai Dan, trying to make it seem casual.
But he found that Huai Dan wasn’t paying attention to him, but had leaned back and closed his eyes.
His brows were slightly furrowed, as if he wasn’t feeling well.
“Brother, are you uncomfortable?” Luo Jing couldn’t help but ask.
Hearing his voice, Huai Dan opened his eyes and looked at Luo Jing, a hint of amusement in his voice: “No, don’t worry.”
Instantly, most of his nervousness dissipated, replaced by a slight heartache.
Huai Dan always seemed to be busy, from their first meeting during the winter vacation until now.
He finally had some time to rest, and he had to waste his energy dealing with him…
Thinking this, Luo Jing took out his phone, found Wu Li, and typed carefully, word by word: [But seeing him uncomfortable makes me uncomfortable too. Is this also the suspension bridge effect?]
Wu Li replied quickly: […]
Wu Li: [Unsubscribe.]
AAA.Vocabulary Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [[WeChat Red Envelope] Wishing you prosperity and good fortune.]
[Wu Li claimed your red envelope.]
Wu Li: [I don’t think so. You probably really like him. Why don’t you confirm it again in the next two days?]
Luo Jing: “…”
The airport was far from the city center, and with the traffic jam, it was already dinner time when they arrived at Huai Dan’s house.
Huai Dan opened the door, then stopped Luo Jing just as he was about to enter and handed him a new pair of slippers: “Put these on, the floor is cold.”
Luo Jing obediently put them on, then, carrying his backpack, walked in, feeling both reserved and curious.
The furnishings were the same as what Luo Jing had seen during their occasional video calls, a simple black, white, and gray color scheme, looking sophisticated yet also a bit cold, matching Huai Dan’s own temperament.
“I live here alone,” Huai Dan said, lightly patting Luo Jing’s shoulder as if sensing his unease. “Make yourself at home.”
“Oh,” Luo Jing replied obediently.
“I just had the housekeeper come and clean. You’ll be sleeping in this room.” He led Luo Jing to a room. “Unpack first and see if you need anything. Come to the living room if you do.”
Luo Jing agreed, and Huai Dan closed the door behind him as he left.
With a soft click, the door closed, and Luo Jing breathed a sigh of relief, sitting down on the bed.
The bedding was freshly changed, and he could still smell the faint scent of detergent. The room was spacious, odorless, and decorated in the same minimalist and clean style as the rest of the house.
Luo Jing took out his phone. Luo Feng’s message from ten minutes ago was still prominently displayed: [Did he pick you up?]
AAA.Vocabulary Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Yes, I’m at his house now.]
Luo Feng replied quickly: [?]
Sister: [You went to his house?]
AAA.Vocabulary Wholesaler Xiao Luo, feeling guilty: [I forgot to book a hotel, so he asked me to stay at his place.]
Luo Feng didn’t reply for over a minute, seemingly speechless: […You’re really so clumsy. Don’t trouble him too much, you hear?]
AAA.Vocabulary Wholesaler Xiao Luo, feeling even more guilty: [I know.]
After briefly unpacking, Luo Jing went to the living room and saw Huai Dan sitting on the sofa, seemingly waiting for him.
“Done unpacking?” Huai Dan looked at Luo Jing upon hearing the noise. “Do you need anything?”
“No,” Luo Jing replied. “Everything’s here, thank you, brother.”
They were silent for a moment, then Huai Dan suddenly chuckled.
Luo Jing: “?”
“Aren’t you tired standing there? Come sit down,” Huai Dan said. “Why are you suddenly so polite?”
Luo Jing: “…”
It wasn’t politeness.
Although they rarely met in person, they chatted online every day. Huai Dan could be said to know his daily routine very well, even more so than his sister.
Luo Feng had commented on their relationship more than once, saying that he had been completely won over after spending a winter vacation with Huai Dan and that she didn’t know whose brother he was anymore.
So, to Huai Dan, Luo Jing’s sudden change in behavior might indeed seem overly distant.
From Huai Dan’s perspective, he must seem quite ungrateful.
Luo Jing thought guiltily.
But who knew he would suddenly fall for him?
Luo Jing lowered his eyes, slowly walked over, and sat down next to Huai Dan, trying to explain, “No, haven’t I always been like this?”
Huai Dan chuckled, as if he had heard something funny. He looked at him for a moment, as if trying to confirm whether this was the same person he knew: “Really? Then who was the one who dragged me out to climb a mountain in the middle of the night because they couldn’t sleep?”
“…” Luo Jing refused to admit it. “Anyway, it wasn’t me.”
“Okay, it wasn’t you,” Huai Dan chuckled indulgently.
“…”
Luo Jing’s ears turned red again.
“What do you want for dinner?” Huai Dan asked after a pause.
“I don’t have anything in particular I want to eat,” Luo Jing thought for a moment and replied honestly.
“Not hungry yet?”
“No.”
“You have to eat even if you’re not hungry.” Huai Dan pondered for a moment. “There are some dumplings the housekeeper made in the fridge, or we can order takeout.”
“Let’s have dumplings.” Luo Jing suddenly felt the urge to contribute, and after realizing his crush, being alone with Huai Dan became a bit unbearable. He was afraid he would be exposed, so before he even realized it, he blurted out, “I’ll cook them.”
Huai Dan was stunned, a slight surprise in his eyes: “You can cook?”
“…”
Actually, he couldn’t.
But his words had already been spoken, so Luo Jing could only bite the bullet and say, “I can, brother. Just wait here, I’ll go do it.”
Luo Jing went to the kitchen with a strange sense of determination. Huai Dan stared at the closed kitchen door for a moment, then picked up his phone.
His friend’s message from a few minutes ago: [So you picked him up?]
H: [Yes.]
Ye Lin: [How is it? You’re really something, pushing back the online meeting this afternoon just like that.]
H: [That meeting wasn’t important.]
Huai Dan paused, then typed.
H: [We talk online every day, why is he suddenly so distant now that we’ve met in person?]
Ye Lin replied after a while: [He’s grown up, of course he has nothing in common with an old man like you. Kids these days are rebellious.]
Huai Dan: “…”
He said expressionlessly: [I’m 23, not 32.]
Ye Lin gloated: [Who told you to sound like a heartbroken old father whose son has returned from afar?]
Ye Lin: [You chat online every day, of course it’s awkward when you meet in person. And you always have such a serious face.]
Ye Lin: [Just wait for him to get used to it.]
Huai Dan blinked slightly after reading his message.
Luo Jing stood in the kitchen, feeling a bit at a loss.
Worried about the dumplings not being cooked thoroughly, he added a considerable amount of water to the pot, put in two bags of dumplings, and turned on the heat.
This should be fine, right?
Based on the idea that anything boiled in water would be cooked as long as it was in the water, Luo Jing looked at the dumplings floating in the still-cold water, thinking uncertainly.
Waiting for the water to boil and the dumplings to cook was a bit boring, so Luo Jing took out his phone, looking for something to do.
Like chatting with his paid relationship consultant.
AAA.Vocabulary Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [I’m at his house now.]
Wu Li replied faster than ever: [???????]
AAA.Vocabulary Wholesaler Xiao Luo said embarrassedly: [It’s like this, he asked me if I had booked a hotel, I said no, and then canceled my reservation.]
Wu Li breathed a sigh of relief, then felt speechless: [Can you be any more hopeless?]
Luo Jing felt even more embarrassed: [I don’t know, maybe.]
Wu Li expressed his feelings with six dots.
They chatted for a while, their pleasant conversation abruptly ending when Luo Jing suddenly noticed the situation with the pot.
Seeing what was happening on the stove, Luo Jing’s eyes widened, and he instinctively put down his phone, feeling at a loss.
White foam and water were overflowing from the pot, flowing down the sides, the water droplets evaporating with a sizzling sound.
He had put the lid on earlier to make it cook faster—now the lid was almost being lifted off.
He looked around frantically, especially at the kitchen door, then quickly turned off the heat and searched online for what to do next.
After adding a bowl of water to the pot according to the online instructions, the world quieted down.
Luo Jing breathed a sigh of relief, but his mood was complicated as he looked at the pot again.
He had already added a lot of water, and now it was almost overflowing.
He decided to take the dumplings out first and pour out some of the water.
But as soon as he touched a dumpling, it broke.
Luo Jing: “…”
He didn’t believe it and tried another one, which also broke.
Instantly, the pot was filled with floating dough and filling, a beautiful sight.
Luo Jing stood there, holding the strainer, with a blank expression.
For convenience, the kitchen door was a sliding door.
With a sliding sound, Huai Dan walked in, wanting to see how Luo Jing’s dinner was coming along.
Then he saw this rather shocking scene.
The area around the stove was a mess, covered in water stains. The pot was filled with unrecognizable “dumplings,” and the sides of the pot were coated with a translucent film, like dried rice water.
And the culprit himself was standing there silently, staring at the scene.
Huai Dan was silent for a moment, then chuckled softly.
Luo Jing felt like he was being laughed at.
“Making soup?” Huai Dan asked euphemistically.
“…” Luo Jing said with a straight face, his tone flat, “You’re so smart, brother. Want a bowl?”
Huai Dan chuckled: “Sure, let me try your cooking.”
In the end, Huai Dan salvaged the few remaining intact dumplings, and the two stood at the dining table, sharing them.
After this incident, Luo Jing’s nervousness completely vanished, replaced by deep shame.
“What time is your exam tomorrow?” Huai Dan tried to pick up a dumpling with his chopsticks, then gave up and used a spoon instead. “I’ll take you there.”
Only when Huai Dan mentioned it did Luo Jing remember that the purpose of his trip was supposedly to take the exam.
“1 p.m.,” Luo Jing replied hesitantly.
Actually, he didn’t really need to take it…
He thought.
