Chapter 43: Magic
The fountain was brightly lit, the water jets rising and falling in various shapes and colors. The large screen in the square, seizing the moment of high pedestrian traffic, played advertisements non-stop, and colorful lights decorated everything, creating a festive atmosphere.
The moment he saw him, Luo Jing froze.
The next moment, after confirming that the person in front of him was indeed Huai Dan, tears started falling without warning.
Then, as if a valve had been opened, the tears wouldn’t stop.
Luo Jing hadn’t intended to cry, but he couldn’t help it.
Huai Dan rarely felt so at a loss.
He was stunned for a moment, then reached out to wipe away the tears on Luo Jing’s face—but as soon as he wiped them away, more tears fell.
“Why are you crying?”
One second he was thinking about whether to go see him, and the next, the person who was half a world away suddenly appeared before him. The emotional impact was overwhelming.
Hearing Huai Dan’s question, Luo Jing looked at him, then lowered his gaze, continuing to cry.
His eyes were red, his eyelashes wet with tears, and the tip of his nose, either from the cold or from crying, was also slightly red. He looked incredibly pitiful.
Huai Dan sighed, pulled him into a hug, gently patted his back, and unconsciously softened his voice: “What’s wrong? Tell your brother.”
The boy buried his face in his chest and cried even harder.
So Huai Dan could only continue to rub the back of his head, trying to comfort him.
The winter night was very cold, and it was still snowing intermittently. Although he was wearing many layers, Luo Jing was very sensitive to cold, so he hadn’t been very warm along the way, his limbs even slightly stiff from the cold.
It wasn’t until this moment, embraced by Huai Dan, their body heat exchanging, that he gradually warmed up.
Then the realization that this person was actually here made him even more emotional.
Under the tree decorated with LED lights, Huai Dan patiently held him and comforted him. Passersby who noticed them smiled kindly, as if teasing the two boys from a foreign land, unsure if they were lovers or brothers.
After a while, Luo Jing seemed to have finally calmed down. He silently pulled away from Huai Dan’s embrace, looked away, and wiped his eyes.
After a pause, he said, “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
It sounded like a complaint, his voice slightly nasal and tinged with a faint cry.
He then looked up at Huai Dan, but quickly looked away again the moment their eyes met.
…His heart was racing, and he was afraid he would start crying again.
Huai Dan reached out and smoothed his slightly messy hair: “You…”
He wanted to say something, but he paused, then changed his words: “It’s been a long time since we last saw each other.”
“Didn’t you want your brother to come?” he asked.
“…” Luo Jing paused, then replied softly, “I did.”
Huai Dan smiled.
Luo Jing was inexplicably embarrassed by his smile, so he added, “Actually, not really.”
“Then…” Huai Dan’s lips curved slightly, and he looked down at his sleeve. “Can you let go of my sleeve first? I won’t run away.”
“?” Luo Jing followed his gaze and realized he had been holding onto his sleeve, and quite tightly.
“!”
He suddenly didn’t want this hand anymore.
His sleeve suddenly felt empty, and Huai Dan glanced at it.
After a pause, he changed the subject: “You haven’t told your brother why you were crying.”
“…”
Luo Jing fell into an awkward silence.
How could he explain this?
Seeing him speechless, Huai Dan patiently waited for his answer.
“Because I’m alone here,” Luo Jing finally said after a while, his voice low. “I miss home a little.”
Actually, that wasn’t the reason.
It was because I miss you very much.
Huai Dan was silent for a moment, then reached out and ruffled his hair.
It was a rather clumsy excuse.
It was unclear whether he believed it or not.
After receiving Luo Jing’s tearful call, Huai Dan sat in his car for a while, then turned off the engine.
He opened his schedule, rearranged some of his tasks, and sent them to his assistant, then booked a plane ticket.
When the booking confirmation page appeared, Huai Dan lightly touched the screen, suddenly wanting to chat with someone.
Ye Lin had sent him a message half an hour ago, asking if he was free the day after tomorrow and inviting him to play squash.
Huai Dan declined.
Ye Lin instantly replied: [You’re not working on the weekend, how can you not be free? You don’t even have a girlfriend.]
For some reason, Huai Dan was silent for a moment.
Ye Lin sent a question mark.
H: [Going abroad.]
Ye Lin: [For work?]
H: [Personal matters.]
Ye Lin: […???]
Perhaps it was the sound of rain outside that was disturbing his thoughts, perhaps it was the aggrieved voice of the child on the phone, or perhaps it was the subtle emotion he felt when he saw a certain trending topic during a meeting a few days ago.
Or perhaps, he also missed him a little.
Huai Dan turned off his phone, got out of the car, and belatedly realized that booking a plane ticket on a whim seemed a bit reckless.
It wasn’t something he would usually do, it was more like something Luo Jing would do.
But he didn’t mind.
After sniffing, Luo Jing finally recovered slightly from his complicated emotions.
“Brother, how long will you be here this time?” he asked.
Huai Dan smiled and asked in return, “How long do you want me to stay?”
“…”
I want you to stay here with me until I graduate.
But that was clearly unrealistic.
“Anything is fine,” he said.
Without any initial expectations, there wouldn’t be any disappointment, so every extra second would be a bonus.
Luo Jing thought, even if it was just one night, he would be happy.
Huai Dan’s appearance here was already the best New Year’s gift he could receive.
Huai Dan didn’t say anything but reached out and gently ruffled his hair.
“Luo Jing… who is this?” His neighbor, the bartender, and his girlfriend happened to walk by and, seeing a familiar figure, were about to greet him, but then saw an unfamiliar handsome man standing opposite their friend and became curious.
The man was half a head taller than Luo Jing, wearing a black trench coat and a gray cashmere scarf, one hand in his pocket, looking down at Luo Jing.
And his friend, for some reason, seemed a bit uncomfortable.
Hearing his voice, Luo Jing instinctively looked over, then at Huai Dan, feeling inexplicably guilty, as if he had been caught doing something wrong by his friend: “This is… my brother.”
“Oh, hello, brother,” his neighbor greeted Huai Dan friendly.
Huai Dan nodded politely in response: “Thank you for taking care of Luo Luo this whole time.”
His neighbor quickly declined: “No, no, we take care of each other.”
As expected of an older brother, his words carried a parental tone, making people instinctively want to stand at attention.
“Is your brother also studying here? Why haven’t I seen him before?” his neighbor asked Luo Jing.
“No… he just arrived from China,” Luo Jing replied.
“When did he arrive? Why didn’t you tell us? We could have had dinner together… By the way, brother, have you eaten?” His neighbor, unable to contain his chattiness, asked enthusiastically.
“I ate on the plane,” Huai Dan replied.
Luo Jing glanced at him, realizing something: “Brother, when did you arrive?”
He couldn’t have come to find him right after getting off the plane, right?
Huai Dan glanced at the time: “An hour ago?”
“…?!”
Really…
A hint of concern appeared in his eyes: “Aren’t you tired? What about your luggage?”
“It’s at the hotel,” Huai Dan replied.
“…Oh, you’re staying at a hotel.” Luo Jing was slightly disappointed.
Actually, he had two bedrooms in his apartment, and the cleaning service came regularly every week. It was very clean.
As if seeing through his thoughts, Huai Dan’s lips curled up: “I booked a room for one night in case the flight was delayed.”
“I came here on short notice and couldn’t book a room for the next few days. What should I do?”
Luo Jing immediately said, “I have a spare room at my place.”
So did this mean he was coming to stay with him, and for more than just one day?
After watching the musical fountain show, they walked around the streets. Worried he was cold, Huai Dan bought him a cup of hot chocolate at a small shop. Luo Jing felt so happy that the world seemed unreal.
The fine snow and the dim streetlights created a hazy atmosphere. Luo Jing wondered if he was dreaming.
He glanced at the time. It was already past 11 p.m.
Would the magic disappear at midnight?
Huai Dan called a car. The driver was a quiet white man. Huai Dan seemed tired and leaned back, closing his eyes to rest. Luo Jing looked out the window, using the glass reflection to steal glances at him.
As he was looking, the man opened his eyes and met his gaze through the glass.
Luo Jing: “!”
He instinctively looked away.
“Brother, it seems like we’re almost at your hotel,” Luo Jing said, trying to cover up his actions.
Huai Dan, however, didn’t say anything, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Luo Jing thought this was a tacit agreement and felt a pang of sadness at their impending separation.
Although they would see each other again tomorrow, he found it difficult to go from luxury to frugality.
He didn’t want to be apart even for a single night.
The car sped along the wide asphalt road, and Luo Jing felt drowsy from the constantly changing scenery. He only woke up when the car stopped.
Looking out the window, they were already at his apartment complex. Slightly annoyed that he had forgotten to say goodbye to Huai Dan, Luo Jing instinctively thanked the driver and glanced at the time as he unlocked his phone. It was exactly midnight.
He was about to get out of the car.
Beside him, a familiar voice spoke, thanking the driver in English.
Luo Jing’s heart trembled.
He instinctively turned around and saw Huai Dan sitting there.
“Back to earth,” Huai Dan said with a smile, seeing him look over. “Your stop.”
Luo Jing opened the door in a daze and got out. He only felt slightly more awake after being blown by the wind outside.
“Brother… where’s your luggage?”
“I had someone send it over.”
“…Oh.”
Luo Jing turned around and walked ahead, seemingly calmly, leading the way.
The magic hadn’t disappeared, and he wasn’t dreaming.
Huai Dan went to the security room to get his luggage. Luo Jing stood outside, took out his phone, turned the brightness to the lowest setting, buried half his face in his scarf, and typed carefully.
AAA.Quiz Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [I think I’m going to love him forever.]
