Chapter 6: The Brother Who Came to My House for New Year’s
In the first second of the New Year, Luo Jing’s cover was blown spectacularly.
After hearing Huai Dan’s voice, his childhood friend paused for a moment, then asked sharply, “Is there someone else in your room?”
“…” Luo Jing closed his eyes after reacting, for the first time slightly resenting his damned, reflexive sense of ritual.
“…No,” he replied firmly after a pause.
There really wasn’t anyone else in his room.
He wasn’t in his room right now.
“Really? I don’t believe you.” Wu Li’s tone practically screamed, “Just listen to yourself making things up.” “Since when did you have a brother?”
“You misheard.”
“So he was also the one playing the game for you?”
“No way.”
“Then yesterday, when you beat your deskmate’s brother, it must have been your brother who played for you too.”
“No…”
“You’re using a substitute and not admitting it.”
“I didn’t…”
He hadn’t said a word, and the boy on the other end had deduced the whole truth.
Luo Jing’s face was filled with the guilt of being exposed.
Huai Dan listened to their conversation and lightly covered his lips with his hand.
Luo Jing saw this and instantly felt the shame of lying in front of someone.
“Then video call me, and I’ll believe you.” Wu Li suddenly showed great interest in the truth, as if he couldn’t enjoy the New Year without figuring it out.
Luo Jing really wanted to say, can’t we just give each other a way out?
“Come on, come on.” Seeing Luo Jing’s prolonged silence, he didn’t believe it even if he said there was no problem, and became even more curious. “How do you have a brother? I didn’t even know.”
Luo Jing hesitated. Huai Dan found it amusing and typed, asking if he needed him to excuse himself.
Luo Jing looked at him, as if pondering for a moment, then sighed softly and said to the boy on the screen, “Fine, fine, let me introduce you—”
Then, as if remembering something, he turned to Huai Dan with a sense of resignation: “Brother, can I start the video call?”
Huai Dan didn’t mind, so he nodded.
After receiving his reply, Luo Jing, half guilty and half with a hint of secret pride, turned on the front camera of his phone. He then sat next to Huai Dan, positioning both their faces in the frame.
“The brother who came to my house for New Year’s. How about it, handsome, right?”
Huai Dan looked at the smug child beside him with slight exasperation.
The reason was none other than the fact that his tone of introduction was strangely similar to when he had introduced Plastic Bag to Luo Feng earlier.
The boy on the other end of the screen—Wu Li—had slightly darker skin than Luo Jing and very short hair, but he also wore the essential glasses of a nerd, creating a somewhat contradictory appearance.
Huai Dan nodded and greeted him: “Hello.”
The boy was quite polite, not making a fuss, but replying with a hello, and starting to recall which of Luo Jing’s relatives’ sons this handsome young man could be.
Unable to figure it out, he gave up.
It wasn’t the point anyway.
The point was:
“So you were the one playing for him just now?”
Before Huai Dan could reply, Luo Jing said with resignation, “Yeah, so what? Come to the other side of the screen and fight me if you can.”
“So awesome, let’s play trio!” The boy’s eyes lit up, not minding the fact that Luo Jing had used a substitute during their match. “Whether I can surpass your deskmate’s rank before school starts depends on your brother now.”
“Brother, what’s your name?” he asked.
“…My surname is Huai,” Huai Dan replied.
“Alright, Brother Huai, have Luo Jing invite you, let’s play trio!” The child rubbed his hands together, his enthusiasm for the game seemingly even greater than Luo Jing’s.
Luo Jing thought about it, finding it reasonable, and turned to Huai Dan, seeking his opinion with his eyes.
Huai Dan agreed helplessly.
Having successfully added the contact he had been longing for, Luo Jing was happy: “Brother, your name is just one letter, so cool.”
Huai Dan looked at the out-of-place “AAA.Homework Wholesaler Xiao Luo” in his friend list and fell silent.
After a brief face-to-face, the video call was ended, and the two resumed their voice chat.
“I want to add him too,” Wu Li said after hearing Luo Jing’s words.
“No,” Luo Jing refused without hesitation.
“?” Wu Li’s voice was full of incomprehension: “Why?”
“Because he’s my brother,” Luo Jing said matter-of-factly.
Children always have a strange sense of possessiveness, like how they get unhappy when their parents are nice to other children. This trait was fully displayed in Luo Jing at this moment.
Wu Li: “…”
“Alright, alright, stingy,” he said, speechless.
This feeling was actually quite novel for Huai Dan.
In the past, during New Year’s, many children, both boys and girls, of different ages and personalities, would often come to his house. Some wanted to get close to him, some were a little afraid of him, but all of them were respectful, as if facing a parent.
He didn’t really like children, so he never tried to get close to them. That kind of interaction was just what he wanted.
But this child seemed a bit different.
Luo Jing was the type that people liked.
Although he had watched Huai Dan play games many times, this was the first time playing with him, and Luo Jing was quite excited.
The sounds of fireworks outside rose and fell, continuing non-stop.
In the room, Luo Jing was still on a voice call with Wu Li, but now on speakerphone.
They chatted casually. Luo Jing played games while telling his friend about the dog he had picked up today, enthusiastically inviting him to visit Plastic Bag after the New Year with a gift.
Huai Dan was playing a support character this round, going down the bottom lane with Luo Jing.
After skillfully healing Luo Jing, who had lost half his health due to chatting and getting hit by the enemy, he drifted off slightly.
It was mostly helplessness.
Also a bit of amusement.
This was the most absurd New Year he had ever experienced.
In the past, he would spend New Year’s at home with his extended family. Although it seemed lively, it was actually quite cold and impersonal.
Everyone sat together, seemingly enjoying themselves, but underneath, there were undercurrents, everyone with their own agendas.
In short, there wasn’t much of a New Year’s atmosphere. It was more like some kind of corporate year-end summary.
But this time was different.
There was no waiting for the countdown, no large group of people gathered together, no faces with either false flattery or slightly sincere smiles. There were only simple “Happy New Year” greetings during the game when fireworks went off.
The idea of playing games during New Year’s felt absurd. He wasn’t a mobile game enthusiast, and all of this seemed completely unrelated to the “New Year’s atmosphere,” but Huai Dan felt a long-lost sense of having someone to spend New Year’s with.
Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps Luo Jing was really thoughtful, but he didn’t feel the anticipated sense of being excluded as an outsider despite spending New Year’s at this house.
Luo Jing’s family had a good atmosphere, which resulted in a well-behaved child. Besides “likeable,” Huai Dan couldn’t think of any other adjective to describe this child.
He felt a long-lost sense of envy towards his friend.
He, who had always felt content being an only child, suddenly felt that having a younger brother like this wouldn’t be bad.
Unknowingly, they played games until very late. So much had happened today, going out shopping and picking up Plastic Bag. Luo Jing was already tired and started to feel sleepy.
The last game ended at two in the morning, concluding with Luo Jing saying he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer.
After turning off his phone, he drowsily adjusted his pillow and lay down where he was.
Huai Dan was a little surprised: “Sleeping here?”
Luo Jing, eyes closed, mumbled, “Too sleepy to move. The bed is big, brother, turn off the light.”
Huai Dan sighed and resignedly pressed the switch on the bedside lamp.
The fireworks outside finally stopped, and after turning off the lights, the room was plunged into darkness.
Huai Dan wasn’t very sleepy yet. He glanced at the sleeping child beside him and turned his phone’s brightness to the lowest setting.
Ye Lin’s last unread message was from two hours ago. He had first sent a “Happy New Year,” then bombarded him again five minutes later without receiving a reply. Then, he probably went to chat with others and hadn’t sent any more messages.
Huai Dan moved his fingers and replied with a “Happy New Year,” then switched to another chat.
Besides Ye Lin, many other people had sent him New Year greetings, including some from his family, which annoyed him.
Not long after he cleared his messages, Ye Lin replied: [Don’t tell me you’ve been playing games until now???]
Ye Lin: [We were chatting, and you suddenly disappeared. I saw you online around midnight. Are you really that into it?]
Ye Lin: [By the way, remove me from the block list first. Why am I still blocked? What did I do to offend you again?]
Ye Lin: [Why are you suddenly so addicted to games?]
H: [Accompanying a child.]
Ye Lin: […]
Ye Lin: [Didn’t you say he was accompanying you? Who’s accompanying who?]
Ye Lin: [Since when did you like children so much?]
H: [It depends on the person. He’s quite cute.]
Ye Lin: [?]
Ye Lin: [Such high praise. When will you let me see this cute child, the one you’re so patiently accompanying?]
He was really curious. His friend was notoriously incompatible with all types of children. It was already considered good if they weren’t scared to tears by his cold demeanor.
Ye Lin couldn’t imagine Huai Dan patiently coaxing a child and playing games with them. Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps, and he felt like his friend had been possessed by something strange.
But this scene had actually happened, somewhere he didn’t know.
So he was incredibly curious, wanting to see what kind of person this child was.
After reading his friend’s message, Huai Dan subconsciously glanced at the soundly sleeping “cute child” beside him.
Luo Jing had the habit of sleeping on his side. His right cheek was slightly squished against the pillow, his long eyelashes lowered. He looked very different and much more obedient when asleep than awake.
Huai Dan looked away again.
H: [He said he doesn’t want you to see him.]
