RED Chapter 73

Ever since Rong Jin had met the parents, he had been in an exceptionally good mood, grinning almost constantly for several days. Sometimes, he even found himself laughing spontaneously while eating.

Chang Haoqing, unnerved by his constant laughter, eventually reached his breaking point. “Dude, I beg you, if you’re sick, get treatment!”

Rong Jin’s smile didn’t waver. He was in too good a mood to be bothered by Chang Haoqing’s irritation. He responded lightly, “You don’t understand.”

Chang Haoqing was indignant. “What don’t I understand?”

If he didn’t have a bit of sympathy, he would have started shouting by now!

Rong Jin was acting like he had been approved by his future mother-in-law, but didn’t he realize in what capacity he had met her?

Chang Haoqing sometimes didn’t know whether to split Rong Jin’s head open to see how much water was inside or to sympathize with his unrequited love that blossomed with even a little sunlight.

He felt sorry for Rong Jin at times, thinking he was pitiful. Other times, he thought he was utterly delusional. He was also very worried that Rong Jin’s previous resolve to not make a move had become empty talk and that his current buoyant mood might lead him to pursue the boy.

Rong Jin glanced at him. “You understand?”

Chang Haoqing felt hurt by that look and finally said through gritted teeth, “Get it straight, you didn’t successfully win over your mother-in-law!”

Rong Jin, still smiling, replied without any trace of abnormality, “I know.”

He spoke with such calm and sincerity that it left Chang Haoqing momentarily stunned.

Rong Jin looked at Chang Haoqing, fully aware of his concerns. But he was very clear-headed.

Those amber eyes were clear and deep, showing a peace and gentleness that Chang Haoqing had almost never seen before.

Rong Jin said, “I know I’m just a friend, but I’m still happy.”

A good friend is different from a mere acquaintance, and being a friend approved by the parents is even more special.

He knew he might only ever be a friend in this lifetime, but he was still happy because he had gained the approval of his crush’s family, even as a friend.

Wasn’t that worth being happy about?

Things in life rarely go exactly as one wishes, and even now, this was already very good.

Chang Haoqing, who had been full of frustration and ready to tell Rong Jin to wake up, suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

Logically, he knew he should be happy. It was good that Rong Jin had a clear self-awareness. The risk of him being metaphorically sunk with concrete was greatly reduced, something worth celebrating.

But Chang Haoqing just felt sad. Sometimes being too clear-headed in matters of love was the cruelest thing, especially when it meant being cruel to oneself.

He no longer had the courage to shout at Rong Jin to pursue his feelings. Last time had been a moment of impulsiveness. Now that he knew Rong Jin was fully aware, such words were even harder to say. The adult world was always full of too many considerations.

After holding it in for a while, feeling the sadness growing inside him, Chang Haoqing stood up, went to the wine cabinet, opened a bottle, and poured himself a glass. He then intended to pour one for Rong Jin.

Chang Haoqing thought that as a brother, if he couldn’t do anything else, at least he could drink with Rong Jin and help him vent his feelings.

Didn’t they say a drunken night can solve a thousand worries?

But Rong Jin shook his head and stopped Chang Haoqing from pouring him a drink. “I promised him I wouldn’t drink.”

This made Chang Haoqing feel even worse. He raised the bottle and drank directly from it, too quickly for Rong Jin to stop him.

It was good wine, aged and fine. Whether it was because he was in a bad mood and got drunk easily or because the wine was really that strong, it wasn’t long before Chang Haoqing, who usually held his liquor well, started to act drunk, crying loudly while grabbing Rong Jin.

“Why do you have to like him of all people? You idiot! Why does your taste have to be so high? You just had to fall for the little prince. I’m terrified every day, scared of dying with you, scared you’ll despair after long-term unrequited love… sob sob sob, why is my life so hard… why can’t you just like someone else…”

Chang Haoqing was crying so hard, his snot and tears streaming down his face. “There are so many good-looking kids in our circle, why did you have to pick the one you can’t touch…”

Rong Jin was busy helping Chang Haoqing to his own bedroom while wiping his face with tissues. He responded, “You said my taste is high, so of course I picked the best.”

Chang Haoqing, with his face covered in tissues, let out another howl, crying even more passionately and cursing, “Rong Jin, you idiot!”

Then he kept repeating “idiot” over and over again, crying, until Rong Jin finally tucked him into bed, where he still didn’t settle down.

Rong Jin couldn’t tell if he was genuinely emotional or just using the alcohol as an excuse to insult him…

He pulled up a chair, sat nearby playing on his phone while keeping an eye on Chang Haoqing, and only left once he saw that he was sound asleep.

Back in his room, Rong Jin discovered a surprise.

His computer had a warning pop-up, indicating it had been hacked recently.

Rong Jin raised an eyebrow and went over to check the detailed intrusion logs. It turned out the hacker had restored and copied his browsing history, chat logs, and even emptied recycle bin files, trying to extract as much information as possible from his computer.

This was…

Rong Jin chuckled, having a good idea of who was responsible. Luckily… luckily he was cautious about online security.

With this in mind, he sat down, connected his phone to the computer, and ran a check with a specific software. Sure enough, his phone had also been compromised, with the contact list copied.

After completing the scan, he typed into the software’s interface: “Are you there?”

The response came quickly: “Yes!”

Rong Jin: “My computer and phone were hacked.”

The other side was silent for a while, presumably checking the logs, then responded: “Damn, impressive! Almost didn’t block it! Was I about to witness you become the protagonist of some scandal? That’s kind of exciting! Wait, hold on, let me upgrade your security.”

The person on the other side clearly worked quickly, and after a flurry of keystrokes, they started bragging: “I’m not exaggerating, the other side was good, but not as good as me! Haha, and they’re foreign, so this counts as national pride, right? I need to tell Mom!”

Rong Jin: “…”

Rong Jin rubbed his forehead. The entire conversation with this person’s mother took about twenty minutes. When they returned, they were quite pleased: “Hehe, I got an increase in my allowance!”

Rong Jin didn’t engage in the small talk and simply replied: “If you’re not busy lately, keep an eye on things for me.”

The other side agreed immediately. Rong Jin, feeling reassured, was about to close the software but found it wouldn’t close.

He typed a question mark, and the other side hesitated before asking: “Bro, are you coming back this year?”

Immediately, they followed up in a flurry: “I’m just asking for myself. I didn’t sell you out to Mom. Don’t get mad. I just haven’t seen you in a while! Bro, are you coming back or not? Bro, answer me!”

Rong Jin sighed and typed: “Yes.”

The other side was unsure what “yes” meant: “Bro, does that mean you’re being clever, or you’re coming home?!”

Rong Jin clarified with another word: “Home.”

The other side was instantly delighted: “Can I tell Mom? Or Xiaoxiao? Or who can I tell?”

Rong Jin replied: “Tell whoever you want. Now unlock my computer.”

After his computer was unlocked, Rong Jin looked at the now-normal screen but had lost the mood to browse the internet.

Oreo, his cat, emerged from the warm bed, meowing softly. Oreo had grown significantly, already much bigger than when he first brought him home.

Rong Jin turned his computer chair around, patted his lap, and Oreo, after a stretch, jumped onto his lap and affectionately licked his hand.

Rong Jin felt he had made the right choice in adopting the cat, and stroked Oreo’s head. “Good boy.”

Oreo purred loudly, obviously happy. Rong Jin reclined his chair and lay back, playing with his cat.

Before long, Oreo yawned and snuggled back into sleep on Rong Jin’s lap.

Rong Jin stroked Oreo’s soft and warm fur, then picked up his phone to check.

The chat history with Chi Feiran on WeChat was still from yesterday. His fingertips hovered over the keyboard for a long time, unsure how to start.

Deep down, he knew that just asking “What are you doing?” or “Have you slept?” could open up the conversation. But today, starting felt particularly difficult.

He slowly scrolled through their chat history, unexpectedly feeling like he might be intruding.

He wanted to occupy a bit more space in his crush’s heart, and while being friends made him happy, in the quiet of the night, Rong Jin worried.

Would his little thoughts, if known by Chi Feiran, make him… disgusted?

Lost in his thoughts in the quiet bedroom, Rong Jin was suddenly jolted by a message on WeChat, almost dropping Oreo.

After steadying his son, Rong Jin focused and saw it was a message from Chi Feiran.

Chi Feiran: Rong-ge, are you asleep?

All the chaotic thoughts in Rong Jin’s mind vanished instantly, replaced by joy. He immediately replied: Not yet, what’s up? Is there something you don’t understand in the materials?

Seeing Rong Jin’s response, Chi Feiran sighed at how concerned Rong-ge was about his studies, feeling a bit embarrassed to talk about anything else…

But it was good that he did ask a question. Chi Feiran didn’t type anything further: “Rong-ge, I tried the improvisation, but I just can’t seem to let go…”

He found the written parts relatively easy, but the performance aspect was really difficult, especially when it required intense emotions. He could feel his own awkwardness in every aspect of the performance.

Rong Jin then asked him: “Do you have any video recordings? Send them to me.”

Chi Feiran was already prepared and immediately sent them over.

Rong Jin watched each video carefully, taking screenshots and analyzing them for Chi Feiran: “Here, your movements are too restrained, and the emotions aren’t intense enough. As an actor, you often have to abandon yourself, play the role of a madman, and not worry about how your movements look. A madman is irrational, so you have to abandon reason too.”

Rong Jin didn’t pamper Chi Feiran in matters of professionalism; he pointed out every issue he could think of.

Chi Feiran noted down the key points in a little notebook and occasionally asked questions.

After guiding him for a while, Rong Jin suddenly had an idea. He felt like his brain had just unclogged and finally grasped the point: “You don’t have any work arrangements lately, right? How about I give you some on-site guidance? What do you think?”

After listening to this voice message, Chi Feiran started to struggle.

Rong-ge personally guiding him… would he still have the motivation to learn?!

Author’s Note:

Ran Ran: Suddenly losing interest in studying.