Please Dote on Me - Novelbike

Winter is about to enter its coldest month, and the sky remains gray almost every day. Snowflakes pile up in the clouds, teetering on the brink of falling.

Time, which will never pause or change for anything, keeps running, looking back at us with a grin, watching us act foolishly.

Shichui Mingyan’s concert is just ten days away.

Wen Rou Jing came home, taking off his shoes and scarf while calling out to me, “Qi Yang. I’m back.”

“Oh. I’m going to Japan tomorrow.”

“That’s a bit early, isn’t it?” He looked at me in surprise.

“It’s not early. There are still ten days until the concert. Besides, I don’t want to stay in this place for another minute.”

“Fine. If you insist on going…” Wen Rou Jing said softly, “I’m not deliberately indulging you this time; I just don’t want to stop you.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Wen Rou Jing still seemed somewhat opposed to my trip to Japan. I could only get his approval if I insisted on going. But he said he didn’t want to stop me.

I still don’t understand what his opposition was about before.

Bored, I fiddled with the remote, flipping through channels without taking a break, continuing to press the buttons.

“Make sure to call me as soon as you arrive in Japan. Don’t catch a cold while you’re out alone; otherwise, there will be no one to take care of you. Also, don’t ruin your stomach with food. Choose a hotel with a good environment; it’ll be safer. Oh, and try not to go out too much at night; I’m worried for your safety…” Wen Rou Jing nagged like a caring mother.

“Got it, you’re really like an old man.”

I thought Wen Rou Jing would get angry when he heard me call him “old man” again, but this time he didn’t.

“I’m just worried about you,” Wen Rou Jing suddenly hugged me tightly.

“Wen Rou Jing, please don’t make this trip sound as serious as a life-or-death matter, okay?” I hugged him back, feeling a bit disdainful of his overly sentimental concern, while also realizing I truly mattered to him. Then why do we have to hurl harsh words at each other every day?

“Actually, what I want to say is, it’s better for you to keep a distance from Shichui Mingyan and not get too close,” Wen Rou Jing released me and got to the point.

“Why? If I have the chance to get closer to him, isn’t that better? Why not get too close?” I asked in confusion, my face clearly displaying a big “Why?”

“Well…” Wen Rou Jing hesitated, but after just a second of thought, he immediately said, “It’s nothing much, really. I just worry that you might get bumped by overly enthusiastic fans and get hurt. You know how crazy those fans can be-they all crowd together, pushing and shoving, just to get a touch of their idol. Sometimes it gets out of control, and security can’t handle the situation. That can be really dangerous…”

Wen Rou Jing’s detailed explanation sounded somewhat forced. I actually knew that wasn’t the real reason he was trying to prevent me from getting close to Shichui Mingyan. From the beginning, he disapproved of my plan to go to Japan for Shichui’s concert. Now, reluctantly letting me go, he still didn’t want me to get near him. What was really going on? He didn’t want to say it directly, and I knew pressing him wouldn’t yield any results, so I simply promised him that I wouldn’t get too close to Shichui.

As I headed to the airport, wearing Gu Yuzui’s oversized coat and carrying a simple bag, I felt a small thrill inside. But this excitement wasn’t as intense as I had expected.

Something that could have made me really excited had changed everything because of Gu Yuzui’s resolute stance.

There were still so many things I hadn’t been able to share with you, so many journeys I hadn’t experienced with you, and so many corners of the world we hadn’t explored together. How could you refuse me?

My sentimental thoughts were instantly shattered by Yang Jiexi’s arrival.

…

“Hey! Qi Yang!”

“You? When did you show up in a place like this?”

“I thought I said accompanying me would be your future job? Let’s go to Japan together. I’ve been craving authentic tempura.”

“Whatever.” I responded reluctantly. I knew I couldn’t stop him.

I didn’t want to reminisce about Gu Yuzui at all. With someone like Yang Jiexi around, how could I feel sentimental?

“So you planned this trip to Japan, huh? But how did you even know I was taking today’s flight?” I began to feel something was off. “Did you peek at my schedule?”

“Of course not,” Yang Jiexi replied, a bit flustered. “Come on, let’s go in. Don’t miss the flight because you’re questioning me.” With that, he hurriedly pushed me through security.

On the plane, the worst part wasn’t feeling nostalgic while watching the city fade away outside the window, but rather the fact that I had completely forgotten that I get motion sickness. I spent the entire flight from my home country to Japan throwing up.

I almost couldn’t make it; I barely managed to hold on until we finally reached Shichui Mingyan’s homeland.

Sitting in the airport lounge, I called Wen Rou Jing. “I’ve arrived. I’m at Narita Airport now.”

“Okay. Take care of yourself. But if you can’t, it’s fine; you have Yang Jiexi with you. I asked him to come because I’m still worried about you.”

“Baka! He’s here to spy on me!” I exclaimed in shock.

“Alright, alright. Let’s not talk too much; international calls are expensive. Have a good time; I have a feeling if we keep this up, we’ll just end up arguing again. Spending money on a call just to fight doesn’t seem worth it, right?” Before I could respond, Wen Rou Jing decisively hung up.

Breathing the same air as Shichui and standing on his homeland, I was getting close to him-I’d see him soon…

But just as I was feeling excited, a glance at Yang Jiexi suddenly brought my mood down.

At this season, it was obviously impossible to see cherry blossoms.

After soaking in the hot spring with Yang Jiexi, we drank sake at our guesthouse.

“Yang Jiexi, do you ever know what it feels like to have worries?” I tend to say frustrating things when I drink. It really is annoying.

“Worries don’t always need to be shared, you know,” he said, effortlessly downing another small cup.

I didn’t plan to share my troubles with him either, especially since I couldn’t even tell if Gu Yuzui ever loved me.

I didn’t want to discuss this with anyone. But whenever I caught myself wondering about Gu Yuzui’s feelings, I couldn’t help but feel self-critical-why was I so pathetic, dragging this nonsense overseas with me?

Yang Jiexi laughed as he watched a Japanese variety show. Educated since childhood, he was fluent in several languages, including Japanese.

“Yang Jiexi, don’t you want to stay in France and manage the family business? You have such an enviable life, don’t you realize that?” I suddenly asked.

“Qi Yang, don’t you want to marry Fan Hexin? Let him pamper you and take care of you so thoroughly. Don’t you know how enviable it is to be secretly loved by someone for so long?” Yang Jiexi countered.

I was momentarily at a loss for words.