Chapter 70: The End
Luo Jing was woken up by hunger the next morning.
Given what happened last night… neither of them had eaten dinner, and afterwards, Luo Jing was too exhausted to move or think, let alone eat.
He felt like he had passed out.
When he opened his eyes, the curtains were still drawn, and the room was dark.
If he wasn’t so hungry, he would have fallen asleep again immediately.
The moment he regained consciousness, the soreness in his body, especially his legs, and a certain unspeakable area, hit him, and the memories of last night gradually returned…
Luo Jing sat up and took a deep breath.
“Awake?” the man beside him asked.
Luo Jing froze, then looked at him resentfully.
Huai Dan looked at him for a moment, a faint smile on his lips: “Still sore?”
Luo Jing said with a straight face, “What do you think?”
Huai Dan ruffled his hair in appeasement, then said sincerely, “Sorry, my fault.”
Luo Jing: “…”
He felt Huai Dan had a strange sense of humor.
Last night, because doing that was a bit beyond Luo Jing’s psychological capacity, and the process was quite unbearable, Luo Jing had wanted to tell Huai Dan to… control himself several times, but he couldn’t bring himself to say the usual term of address.
So every time, he could only use “you” intermittently.
But Huai Dan clearly wasn’t satisfied with this.
“So impolite, what should you call me?” Huai Dan whispered.
Luo Jing: “…”
Later, he was forced to call him “brother” many times.
But every time he did, Huai Dan would only become more unrestrained.
In the end, Luo Jing even felt like he was developing a phobia of this term of address he had used for so many years.
Thinking of this, Luo Jing narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening.
Then he said fiercely, “I’m hungry.”
Huai Dan chuckled softly: “Go wash up, the takeout is almost here… Do you need me to carry you?”
“…” Luo Jing forced a smile, enunciating each word, “No.”
Huai Dan ordered Cantonese dim sum for takeout, enough to fill the entire table.
The weather was turning colder. Luo Jing casually put on a hoodie and came to the dining table, picking up his chopsticks and starting to eat without hesitation.
Huai Dan came out of the room a bit later, and Luo Jing almost dropped the shrimp dumpling he was holding when he saw him.
He was wearing a formal, custom-made suit that fit him perfectly, making him look incredibly elegant, and even his hair looked carefully styled, every strand in place.
It was rare to see Huai Dan like this. He had only seen him dressed like this at the two receptions, not even when he visited his school.
His eyes widened slightly, then he asked in confusion, “Are you… walking the red carpet today?”
“No,” Huai Dan replied, then said seriously, “I’m going to meet your parents.”
Luo Jing: “…?”
He froze, then the memory of his unconscious conversation with Huai Dan before he fell asleep last night flashed through his mind.
…Was this what he meant?
Coming back to his senses, his heart started racing.
So… so soon?
So he voiced his thoughts.
“It’s not soon,” Huai Dan said calmly. “I’m in a hurry.”
“I’ve been thinking about this since the moment we got together.”
“…” Luo Jing lowered his eyes, picked up the shrimp dumpling that had fallen into his bowl, his ears red, and muttered softly, “I’m not going anywhere…”
He didn’t know when or how Huai Dan told them.
Luo Jing had thought it was a spur-of-the-moment decision and was still struggling with how to bring it up. It wasn’t until he returned home that he realized his family seemed to be prepared.
Because there was a table full of dishes, clearly prepared in advance—even more lavish than the day he returned to China.
…Something was definitely going on.
And it was obvious what that something was.
Lin Xue opened the door. Seeing Huai Dan, she paused, then smiled: “You’re here.”
Huai Dan was carrying a pile of gifts, looking unusually nervous, and greeted her softly, “Hello, Auntie.”
For some reason, seeing this scene, most of Luo Jing’s nervousness dissipated.
“Come in, come in, dinner is almost ready,” Lin Xue said, having the helpers take the gifts from Huai Dan. “Oh, you shouldn’t have brought so many things…”
At the dinner table, the most relaxed person was Luo Feng.
But surprisingly, Luo Zhang and Lin Xue seemed to be very accepting.
Lin Xue even chuckled and said, “No wonder Xiao Huai asked me if I was satisfied last time.”
Huai Dan’s face flushed slightly, and he served Luo Jing a bowl of soup to hide his embarrassment.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was pleasant. Luo Fu chatted with Huai Dan about business, and they even seemed to hit it off.
Luo Zhang had always admired this young man, who had achieved such success at such a young age, but although they were somewhat familiar, they were both busy and didn’t have many opportunities to interact.
Until now.
Huai Dan was humble throughout, but his words weren’t perfunctory or flattering, so Luo Zhang became increasingly satisfied with him. After dinner, he even took him to his study and continued their conversation over tea.
Lin Xue, seeing this, shook her head.
“Your father, really,” she said to Luo Jing.
Then, after a pause, she asked curiously, “When did you two get together?”
Luo Jing: “…”
He instantly became uncomfortable.
Seeing that he didn’t want to talk about it, Lin Xue didn’t press further, then said with a smile, “Oh, it’s quite wonderful when you think about it. You’ve known each other since you were so young…”
“Xiao Huai is also a good person,” Lin Xue said. “He’s always been good to you, and he’s reliable. This child is very reassuring… When are you planning to get married?”
Luo Jing: “???”
He felt his mother was unusually imposing for the first time.
He avoided her gaze and stammered, “Let’s… let’s talk about it after the New Year.”
“Then remember to tell me in advance. I’ve recently taken a liking to a designer’s clothes, his style is very nice. I’ll contact him and have him make your wedding outfits…”
After that day, everything seemed to settle down. The weather gradually turned colder, and the New Year was approaching.
Luo Zhang and Lin Xue invited Huai Dan to their house for the New Year.
But this time, not as a guest, but as family.
Although no one had been living there, it had been regularly cleaned and maintained, so the old house looked almost the same as it did a few years ago.
They arrived two days later than the others.
Luo Jing was still as afraid of the cold as before, shivering as he got out of the car, staying close to Huai Dan.
Huai Dan pulled him into a hug, looked down at the shivering Luo Jing, and said helplessly, “It seems you’re not wearing enough.”
“I didn’t expect… it to be this cold,” Luo Jing said with difficulty.
Fortunately, the entrance was only a few steps away. The moment the door opened, a wave of warmth washed over them, and Luo Jing instinctively shivered, quickly taking off his shoes and entering the house.
Huai Dan closed the door behind him and patiently waited for Luo Jing to recover.
Half a minute later, Luo Jing breathed a sigh of relief and turned to help Huai Dan with his luggage.
Huai Dan said, “Go upstairs and open the door.”
So Luo Jing went upstairs first and opened his bedroom door.
His parents were out grocery shopping, and only Luo Feng and Plastic Bag were at home.
Luo Feng, having watched their entire interaction from the sofa, clicked her tongue.
Plastic Bag had been waiting for Luo Jing for a long time. Seeing him finally arrive, it was overjoyed and followed him upstairs, wagging its tail.
Downstairs suddenly became quiet, and Luo Feng felt a sense of being left alone.
There was something Huai Dan really wanted to know, but he hadn’t found the right opportunity to ask.
After dinner, he naturally followed Luo Jing back to his room.
The weather forecast predicted snow tomorrow.
Plastic Bag left Luo Jing’s room and returned to its bed downstairs. After washing up, the two sat on the bed, the atmosphere pleasant.
Huai Dan was looking down at his laptop.
Although it was the New Year holidays, he was still half as busy as usual, with some work left to finish.
But Luo Jing was much freer and watched his boyfriend work with some boredom.
Both the scene and the person overlapped with his memories, and Luo Jing, looking at Huai Dan, suddenly felt like he was back in the past.
As if Huai Dan was still the handsome, taciturn, yet kind brother in his memory.
He unconsciously became engrossed in watching him.
After a while, the taciturn brother spoke: “You said you’ve liked me for a long time.”
Huai Dan closed his laptop, put it on the bedside table, and looked at him: “When did it start?”
Luo Jing: “…”
His fantasy instantly shattered, and Luo Jing pulled the quilt up, covering half his face: “Don’t ask.”
Huai Dan chuckled and pulled the quilt down a bit: “But I really want to know.”
Luo Jing lowered his eyes and was silent for half a minute.
Huai Dan, looking at him, chuckled: “Forget it, if you don’t want to say it…”
“Didn’t you ask me what I wished for before?” Luo Jing suddenly asked, as if having made up his mind.
Huai Dan realized he was talking about the coin he had tossed by the wishing well.
Realizing something, he was stunned.
“Actually, I didn’t make a wish that day,” Luo Jing continued.
The room was quiet, and his voice was soft, but Huai Dan heard him clearly.
“I was tossing a coin that day,” Luo Jing paused and said. “I was thinking, if it landed on heads, I would go see you.”
Huai Dan’s brows furrowed slightly, a pang of heartache in his heart, but he continued to listen quietly.
“It was tails,” Luo Jing lowered his eyes and said. “So I was actually a bit sad when I saw it.”
“But… but you suddenly appeared the next second.”
“That’s why I cried. I didn’t expect you to suddenly appear… I wasn’t homesick.”
I was thinking about you.
“At that moment, I knew I would probably never like anyone else again.”
His tone was light, as if he was simply laying himself bare and explaining clearly.
But the information contained in those few words was overwhelming.
Huai Dan took a shallow breath.
Suppressing the complex and painful emotions in his heart, he pulled Luo Jing into his arms.
After kissing him for a while, Huai Dan looked down at him: “So early…”
“…Actually, even earlier,” Luo Jing said, catching his breath.
Then he reached out, opened his bedside table, and took out the smartwatch.
“You still kept this?”
“Mm,” Luo Jing replied.
The atmosphere was so good that he couldn’t help but want to tell Huai Dan everything—like a child complaining to their parents after being wronged.
Because this watch held a special meaning for him, it had been well-protected. It was still fully charged and functioning perfectly.
“Do you remember when you came to our school before?” Luo Jing asked after a moment of silence.
Huai Dan was instantly speechless.
He frowned slightly, inexplicably unable to continue listening—or rather, unable to hold back anymore.
His emotions were too intense, and he needed an outlet, so he turned over, pinned Luo Jing down, and kissed him.
…
“How did you find out at the time?” During the process, Huai Dan finally seemed willing to listen to Luo Jing and asked.
Luo Jing, however, was a bit dazed and could only reply after a moment, “High school… my heart was racing, and when you left after class, the watch alerted me…”
His words were a bit disjointed, but Huai Dan understood.
He paused, took the watch, and put it back on Luo Jing’s wrist.
Luo Jing looked at his wrist, confused.
“Is it as fast as it was then?” Huai Dan asked.
Luo Jing: “…”
His brother was really good at ruining the atmosphere.
Seeing his expression, Huai Dan chuckled and kissed him.
After a while, he buried his face in the crook of Luo Jing’s neck.
“I didn’t know,” he said, his voice low, repeating slowly, “I didn’t know…”
He didn’t know that Luo Jing had liked him for so long, and he didn’t dare to imagine how sad Luo Jing must have been when he didn’t reciprocate his feelings, when they couldn’t see each other.
At the same time, he felt a sense of relief.
Fortunately, he had bought that plane ticket.
Luo Jing hadn’t said these things to make Huai Dan feel sad or guilty.
He just wanted to tell him, as if seeking an answer for his past self, and now he had said it, and he had received a satisfactory answer.
“You know now,” Luo Jing said. “It’s not too late.”
“I love you,” Huai Dan suddenly said.
Luo Jing froze slightly.
The next moment, his fingers touched something cold.
He instinctively looked over and saw a ring.
But Huai Dan didn’t put it on his finger directly.
“Marry me,” Huai Dan said after a pause.
They were very close, close enough to hear each other’s heartbeats. Luo Jing looked at Huai Dan and saw his own reflection in his eyes.
And only his own.
Luo Jing lowered his eyes and took a shallow breath.
He said, “Okay.”
Then he said, “I love you too.”
The next moment, the ring was placed on his finger, the coldness quickly disappearing, replaced by his own warmth.
Huai Dan lowered his head and kissed his knuckles reverently.
His long and seemingly hopeless childhood crush had finally been reciprocated. They were together now.
And they would be together forever.
[End of main story]
