RED Chapter 50

Rong Jin didn’t sleep for a night; he couldn’t fall asleep.

Then he spent the whole night scrolling through Weibo, just scrolling, didn’t dare to post again.

It’s not that he didn’t want to post, but mainly because Chang Haoqing said before he left, “If you mess up again, I’ll show you what despair looks like!”

He was afraid that if he posted on Weibo again, even though Chang Haoqing wouldn’t really show him despair, he would definitely drive him crazy.

After so many years of being brothers, it’s not good for him to have such extreme emotional fluctuations.

So Rong Jin could only hold back himself. To prevent himself from making mistakes, he even changed to a smaller account.

He didn’t sleep all night, and many of Rong’s fans didn’t sleep all night either. They gathered together to discuss the meaning behind his five Weibo posts.

More and more people guessed it was about relationship issues, but they would soon be drowned out by opposing voices.

“Come on, this can’t be true. The album is so depressing, being dumped as a backup option three times, how could Rong Rong possibly encounter such a thing?”

This kind of argument dominated the discussion about relationships because Rong Jin didn’t seem like someone who could experience such things. Just thinking about it felt absurd. Otherwise, how could Rong Jin’s previous movies be considered as a dark history?

Although there were opposing voices, the comments under Rong Jin’s Weibo were all filled with his loyal fans. In their hearts, Rong Jin was like a god, shining brightly. How could such a thing happen?

Rong Jin even felt like he wanted to use his alternate account to interact with fans and argue back. Why not? How could it not be possible?

Then, as he scrolled down, he saw a fan comment: “The title track of this album is called ‘Secret Love’, and Rong Rong’s first shared song is also this one. Could it be implying…”

Although Rong Jin was indulging in unrequited love, thinking about his current situation was almost like a secret love, so he silently liked the comment.

But when he clicked to see the replies under that comment, they were all laughing: “Come on, Rong Rong secretly loving someone else, what kind of Mary Sue drama is this!”

“Yeah, exactly!”

“But it does feel kind of cool to imagine…”

“The one above opened up a new perspective! My heart trembles with excitement!”

Rong Jin felt numb and retreated from the conversation. He thought his fans’ love could be truly blind. He was just a person; why couldn’t he experience failed secret loves, being dumped as a backup option three times?

Then he continued scrolling, but the further down he went, the more uncomfortable he felt because there were more comments from fans shipping certain pairings.

It was quite strange. At first, reading those sweet comments made him really uncomfortable, but as he read on, he started to feel… kind of good!

Rong Jin felt like he was losing his mind, but his empty heart seemed to find solace.

Although it was all his imagination, in this world, there really were a group of people who believed in their love.

These people carefully examined every detail, explored the timeline, and concocted a love story for the two of them.

He even started following a video editor called “Sugary Bunny” on Weibo, who had a CP video of Rong Jin and Chi Feiran titled “Young and Passionate”.

Watching those edits of him gazing at Chi Feiran’s camera felt so right, and the endings were satisfying.

Even though it was all fake, he gradually felt genuinely happy.

Rong Jin closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and smiled. He thought he must be really unique, being able to taste sweetness even from his own false CP.

The dawn was already seeping through the curtains. Rong Jin opened his eyes, walked into the bathroom, turned on the faucet to freshen up, then opened the door. Inside and out, he was all cleaned up, concealing his emotions and fatigue perfectly.

The return flight was booked by the program team, and Chi Feiran sat next to Rong Jin, looking a bit listless.

Rong Jin’s heart was all on him, how could he not notice that something was wrong? He lowered his voice and asked, “Didn’t rest well?”

Chi Feiran felt Rong Jin’s tone was a bit off, but he still answered the question, “No… I just… kind of can’t bear to leave.”

Rong Jin understood. Chi Feiran was young, separated from his family, and in their line of work, it wasn’t easy to bring a pet along all the time.

There really wasn’t any solution to this, but Rong Jin still offered some comforting words, “Stay in touch more often. Video calls are convenient now. Take a break and go back to see them when you can.”

Chi Feiran smiled. Although what Rong Jin said didn’t change the reality, being comforted by a friend still felt good.

Chi Feiran didn’t continue the topic. Instead, he asked Rong Jin, “Rong Ge, did you not sleep well last night?”

Rong Jin’s heart skipped a beat. Did he have dark circles? He didn’t notice when he looked in the mirror just now! Or was the lighting in the bathroom bad and he couldn’t tell???

Rong Jin wished he could find a mirror right now to check, but then he heard Chi Feiran say, “I feel like your voice sounds off, like someone who didn’t sleep well.”

Rong Jin: “…”

Although he knew he shouldn’t, just hearing that sentence made him feel like a burst of spring had arrived, with flowers blooming everywhere.

“He can tell my voice sounds off! He cares about me! Even though it’s not that kind of like, he still cares about me a lot!”

Fireworks of excitement exploded in Rong Jin’s heart, one after another. He managed to keep a straight face and replied to Chi Feiran, “Maybe I had a bit too much to drink yesterday.”

Chi Feiran nodded, “Then it seems like you should drink less in the future.”

After all, Rong Ge was going to be a singer in the future. But Chi Feiran didn’t directly say this, and he wasn’t the type to meddle in other people’s interests and hobbies.

When Rong Jin heard Chi Feiran suggest drinking less, he immediately followed up, “Yeah, I won’t drink anymore in the future.”

Chi Feiran’s eyes lit up when he heard this. “Really?”

Rong Jin felt dizzy from Chi Feiran’s eager gaze. Even if Chi Feiran asked him to jump off the plane right now, he probably would agree.

Rong Jin nodded firmly. “Really.”

Chi Feiran immediately became happy. Then he asked Rong Jin in a low voice, “Rong Ge, have you ever thought about singing?”

Rong Jin hadn’t thought about this at all. He wasn’t a newcomer who needed to find popularity. He couldn’t be bothered with such things. He didn’t even have enough time to play games in his spare time, let alone think about singing.

But since Chi Feiran brought it up, Rong Jin couldn’t help but think about it. “Sing what?”

Chi Feiran thought about it seriously, then said, “How about… a song I wrote?”

Rong Jin felt his brain short-circuit for a moment. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. “Why, do you want to write a song for me?”

Chi Feiran did have that thought. If his favorite singer could sing songs he wrote, it would make him incredibly happy!

Chi Feiran nodded, “Yeah!”

But after nodding, he felt a bit embarrassed, “But the songs I’m writing now are just average. Rong Ge, you’ll have to wait for me.”

Although his first EP was a hit, receiving great reviews from fans and the industry alike, Chi Feiran was aware of his shortcomings. He hadn’t prepared enough time for this EP. While capturing inspiration was essential in creating, meticulous refinement afterward was also necessary. Additionally, he knew his lyric writing skills were not up to par.

If he were to write songs for Rong Jin, he wanted to be responsible for both lyrics and music. But at his current level, he still had a long way to go.

Rong Jin wanted to say that even if Chi Feiran wrote a children’s song for him, he would be ready to sing it. As long as it’s from him, I’ll like it.

Unfortunately, he could only keep these thoughts to himself. Outwardly, he could only say, “Sure, I’ll wait for you, but don’t keep me waiting too long.”

Chi Feiran felt encouraged. “Rong Ge, don’t worry, I’ll work hard!”

They whispered to each other, but behind them, the manager sitting with Ning Xuan seemed to be as restless as if he had fleas, constantly peeking and fearing that Rong Jin might say something inappropriate.

Ning Xuan’s manager noticed his discomfort and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

With a pained expression, Ning Xuan’s manager said, “Hemorrhoids…”

What else could it be? He had to endure Rong Jin’s one-sided love for a month, acting out their entire relationship from love to heartbreak. He even refused to change seats just now and insisted on sitting next to the kid. It was like dealing with a time bomb, so he was scared!

Could he say that out loud?!

Upon hearing this, the sympathy in the other’s eyes overflowed. He silently took off the neck pillow from around his neck and handed it to Ning Xuan’s manager, saying softly, “Try using this to relieve it. It might help.”

Ning Xuan’s manager accepted the neck pillow stiffly, genuinely touched, “Thank you!”

In his heart, he cursed Rong Jin!

Fortunately, the flight was long, and even if Rong Jin and Chi Feiran had a lot to talk about, it couldn’t last for more than ten hours. After Chi Feiran fell asleep from exhaustion, Rong Jin also quieted down.

He didn’t sleep, just leaned his head to the side and quietly watched Chi Feiran.

Most of the window shades in the cabin were pulled down, so the lighting wasn’t very good, but that didn’t stop Rong Jin from looking attentively.

He didn’t know if he would have such an opportunity in the future, so he couldn’t help but want to look more, to remember every detail.

The plane landed at A City Airport, and the guests each had cars waiting for them, waiting separately right in front of them.

Although Rong Jin had thousands of words in his heart, in the end, he could only say, “Keep in touch.”

Chi Feiran quietly bid him farewell, “Rong Ge, see you later.”

Both of them were dressed in outfits that concealed their faces, and Rong Jin couldn’t see Chi Feiran’s expression, but he hoped, at least a little, that Chi Feiran also felt reluctant to leave.

The guests all went their separate ways; otherwise, gathering together, all wrapped up like this, would clearly indicate that something was wrong.

The two of them parted ways like this, and with the large crowd at A City Airport, it didn’t take long before they couldn’t see each other anymore.

Only after Rong Jin followed Haoqing out and walked away did his phone in his pocket buzz, indicating a new message on WeChat.

Rong Jin took out his phone and saw that it was a message from Chi Feiran: “Almost got recognized, luckily I ran fast.”

Rong Jin couldn’t help but smile and replied: “Things are going smoothly on my end. I’m already in the car.”

Haoqing leaned over to look at Rong Jin’s phone screen, and Rong Jin showed him, saying, “Just a normal chat.”

Haoqing collapsed back into his seat, feeling weak as a thread. “The sky is normal, but you’re not normal at all…”

He felt like he was becoming mentally exhausted. He was so afraid that Rong Jin would play with his phone, afraid he would post on Weibo, afraid he would chat with the little prince, but he was also afraid when Rong Jin didn’t use his phone!

When a manager is too tired, sob…

Author’s note:
Haoqing: Let me tell you a sad story, I’m Rong Jin’s manager. Sob sob sob sob sob sob