Chapter 52: Willing
Luo Jing instinctively closed his eyes, his eyelashes brushing lightly against Huai Dan’s fingertips.
Huai Dan lowered his gaze, paused for a moment, then withdrew his hand.
Luo Jing froze slightly, then instinctively touched the spot where Huai Dan had just touched him.
There was no moisture, only the lingering sensation of his touch.
“I wasn’t crying,” he replied.
Just a little sad.
Huai Dan observed his expression: “Did something upset you?”
Luo Jing looked at him for a while, a sudden guilt rising in his heart.
After a long silence, he lowered his eyes and said softly, “Was I a bit annoying when I was younger?”
Huai Dan had been under so much pressure back then, and not only could he not help him, but he also pestered him with messages every day, disturbing his peace.
Even so, Huai Dan always replied to him, patiently dealt with him, and even took the time to visit him several times.
He was truly a good brother.
For a moment, Luo Jing wavered.
Were his feelings really right?
Now that Huai Dan had finally stabilized his life, if he knew that he, whom he had always seen as a younger brother, had such feelings for him, wouldn’t he be troubled again?
As he was overthinking, Huai Dan spoke.
He froze slightly, then chuckled: “Why would you think that?”
Luo Jing hesitated, then honestly expressed his thoughts.
After listening, Huai Dan was silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled.
Luo Jing: “?”
Huai Dan said calmly, “You think I was just dealing with you?”
Luo Jing sensed that his tone wasn’t what he had expected and immediately fell silent.
…Did he say something wrong?
But that wasn’t what he meant.
Realizing this, he quickly tried to salvage the situation: “You misunderstood…”
“I didn’t misunderstand.” Huai Dan interrupted him, then reached out and ruffled his hair. “What are you thinking?”
“What makes you think I was being perfunctory?” he asked.
The situation was heading in a bad direction. Luo Jing suddenly felt like he couldn’t explain himself, but he still tried: “I didn’t say you were being perfunctory, I meant, I was reflecting on myself…”
“I should be the one reflecting,” Huai Dan said. “I should think about what made you feel like I was just dealing with you all these years.”
“…” Hearing this, Luo Jing felt inexplicably ashamed: “No, don’t think about it.”
Seeing that Luo Jing’s mood had recovered and his sadness had dissipated, he stopped.
After a moment of silence, Huai Dan said, “I’ve never found you annoying, and I wasn’t just dealing with you when we chatted.”
In fact, his interactions with Luo Jing were his only moments of respite during those difficult days.
“I wouldn’t do anything I didn’t want to. No one can force me to do anything,” he said, looking at Luo Jing seriously.
Luo Jing looked at him and blinked slightly.
“Don’t overthink… And, as I said earlier today, you have to tell me if you have any problems, otherwise I won’t know.” After a pause, Huai Dan asked, “Understood?”
Luo Jing nodded.
Huai Dan was mostly satisfied and handed him the still-warm milk: “Go to sleep.”
Luo Jing took it.
After closing the door, he suddenly felt a lingering fear.
The atmosphere just now had been too misleading. Huai Dan had seemed so serious and patient.
He almost asked, “Do you like me?”
After getting ready for bed, he received a new message from Xu Xing, and Luo Jing remembered that he was going to their concert tomorrow.
Xu Xing: [See you tomorrow afternoon, little brother. Do you want to come backstage and hang out with us?]
Luo Jing thought for a moment and replied readily: [Sure.]
Xu Xing was delighted: [Great! It’s been a while. Our concert starts at 6 p.m. You can come around 4 or 5.]
Luo Jing replied: [Okay.]
The name of Xie You’s group was “Luminary.”
After years of activities, Luminary had become a top boy group in China. All the members were incredibly popular, with endless business offers and endorsements.
Of course, none of the members slacked off after becoming famous. Their skills remained top-notch and continued to improve, attracting countless fans. Even the least popular member’s birthday was celebrated with billboards all over the city.
This concert was especially significant, their fourth-anniversary concert. Besides the fans who managed to get tickets, countless others came from afar, hoping to catch a glimpse of their idols, or simply to experience the atmosphere. Many curious onlookers also came, making the traffic incredibly congested that day.
Luo Jing was stuck in traffic for an hour and almost lost his temper—Huai Dan had a sudden business trip to a neighboring city today, so he had the driver take him.
AAA.Internship Seal Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Brother, the traffic is really bad today.]
AAA.Internship Seal Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [If it gets any worse, I’m getting out and walking.]
AAA.Internship Seal Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Isn’t today a restricted driving day? Why are there still so many cars?]
AAA.Internship Seal Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Crying.jpg]
Brother: [I’ll have a plane pick you up next time.]
Luo Jing: “…”
Huai Dan seemed to be less busy and chatted with Luo Jing casually, making the somewhat unbearable time pass a little faster. Soon, Luo Jing finally arrived at the venue’s underground parking garage.
AAA.Internship Seal Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [I’m here.]
Luo Jing sent the message while walking.
Huai Dan might have suddenly become busy and didn’t reply immediately. Luo Jing put away his phone and walked to the backstage entrance.
The hallway was filled with dressing rooms. Turning a corner, he saw Xu Xing standing there waiting for him, his hair and makeup done, looking radiant and every bit the superstar.
Seeing him, the boy’s eyes lit up: “I thought you wouldn’t be able to make it backstage. It’s almost time to start.”
“I almost didn’t. The traffic was terrible,” Luo Jing complained to Xu Xing familiarly.
They were both extroverted, so they chatted as they walked towards their dressing room. Although they hadn’t seen each other for a long time, there wasn’t any awkwardness.
Upon entering, Luo Jing greeted the other members in the dressing room, and they all responded enthusiastically.
Luo Jing had helped them a lot before their debut and often asked about their recent activities even when he was abroad—they even had a group chat with the five members and Luo Jing.
They used this group as their private chat without their manager, never hiding anything from Luo Jing. Luo Jing would occasionally join their conversations, and the atmosphere was pleasant.
Although he was the boss’s son, because they were so familiar, they treated him as a friend and had never asked him for anything, such as resources or other favors.
There was still more than half an hour until the concert started. The last time they met was at that dinner abroad. After such a long time, Luo Jing chatted with them, and the atmosphere was good.
His phone suddenly vibrated. He glanced at it during a break in the conversation and saw it was a reply from Huai Dan.
Brother: [Okay.]
Luo Jing was about to put away his phone when he saw “Typing…” above, so he waited patiently.
After typing for about half a minute, Huai Dan sent another message: [Go home early.]
“What’s wrong? Are you hot?” Xu Xing, who was excitedly sharing his vision for the group’s future with Luo Jing, suddenly noticed something was off with his expression.
“Your face is a bit red,” he said.
Luo Jing: “…”
“It’s nothing,” Luo Jing said, trying to remain calm. After a pause, he typed.
AAA.Internship Seal Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Okay.]
After sending the message, Luo Jing nervously exited the chat window. The next moment, a new notification dot appeared.
His heart instinctively clenched.
Then, seeing who the sender was, his heartbeat slowly returned to normal.
He opened Luo Feng’s chat window.
Sister: [Where are you? At the concert?]
AAA.Internship Seal Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Yes, backstage, chatting with Xu Xing and the others.]
Sister: [Okay, have fun.]
Sister: [Remember to go home early.]
Sister: [Go back to Huai Dan’s place.]
“…”
Luo Jing sent a confused: [?]
To his surprise, Luo Feng actually explained: [Tomorrow is his parents’ death anniversary.]
Sister: [You’re always troubling him, and you can’t offer him anything substantial, so at least offer some emotional support.]
Luo Jing: “!”
His heart clenched instantly.
AAA.Internship Seal Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [I understand.]
“What’s wrong?” The other members were either making final preparations or chatting. Xie You, however, seemed to notice his sudden change in expression and asked.
“Ah… nothing.” Luo Jing looked at him, holding his phone, and thought for a moment. “I might have to leave early today, I can probably only watch for a while.”
“It’s okay, a while is enough. We just wanted you to admire our handsome dance moves on stage…” Xu Xing also noticed and readily accepted his explanation, then started teasing him.
Xie You, however, suddenly became nervous for some reason: “When are you… leaving?”
Luo Jing was preoccupied with other things, so he didn’t notice his awkwardness and replied after a moment of thought, “Around 7 p.m., I think.”
Xie You lowered his eyes, replied with an “okay,” then paused, as if hesitating, and finally left the dressing room.
Xu Xing looked at his leader’s retreating figure, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
From their first meeting until now, after so many years, Xie You had always been the anchor and pillar of their group.
Their young leader was talented, popular, skilled, and taciturn. After so many years in the entertainment industry, he had become someone who didn’t seem to be affected by anything.
This was the first time he had seen him show such emotions.
Although it was only a brief moment, he still caught it.
Nervous, flustered, even a bit out of character.
This was very unusual.
Not long after, Xie You returned, with the concert’s director.
All the members were called out, leaving Luo Jing alone in the dressing room.
Luo Jing didn’t pay much attention to this. He was completely preoccupied with what Luo Feng had just said, his brows slightly furrowed. He opened Huai Dan’s chat window countless times but didn’t know what to say.
After much thought, he finally sent a message: [I’ll go home early.]
Huai Dan only replied after the members returned to the dressing room.
Thinking that his words had put pressure on Luo Jing, he replied: [No rush, have fun.]
