Chapter 46: Vulnerability (6)
46 – Vulnerability (6)
Zhi Zhen walked over and sat down facing him.
He reached up to press his fingertips against the corner of his mouth—they were trembling.
No… this can’t be.
Why would he have such a dream?
Dreaming of Dong Jun because of Dong Jun’s perfume—that much he could understand. In fact, he had already thought of it in his wandering thoughts before falling asleep.
What he hadn’t expected was to dream of such a bizarre scenario, and even to have overly intimate gestures with Dong Jun.
He lay back down on the bed, pressing his elbow over his eyes, refusing to see, hear, or think.
He knew he had no particular sexual orientation—after all, since childhood, he had never experienced any emotional fluctuations.
When rejecting others’ advances, he had once claimed to be “code-sexual.” Perhaps that was true; he liked that sort of thing. The rigorous structure of computers held an indescribable charm, and even before he had fully grown up, he knew he would spend his life entangled with it.
But Dong Jun was different. Lin Xun wasn’t delusional; he didn’t think he would have any interactions with Dong Jun beyond the relationship of senior and junior. He was ordinary, while Dong Jun was not.
Lin Xun felt that anyone facing Dong Jun would feel a sense of inferiority. According to media descriptions, Dong Jun had remained single for many years, which Lin Xun found perfectly reasonable—he couldn’t imagine what kind of person Dong Jun would like.
In any case, it was not allowed.
Lin Xun moved his arm away, and as if guided by some unseen force, the scene from his dream flashed before his eyes again, causing a slight flutter in his heart.
The perfume bottle sat on the bedside table, its snow-white body particularly conspicuous in the dim light, within easy reach… as if tempting him to take it.
He turned his head away, refusing to look.
Snow-white Zhi Zhen stood on the other side, and upon seeing him look over, let out a soft “meow” before walking over.
Today was the fourth day.
On the tenth day, Dong Jun would return to take him away.
After that, it seemed there would be no opportunity or reason to chat or video call with Dong Jun every day as he did now.
Thinking about it, the experiences of these ten days would likely be like the dream he had just had—once the time came, they would drift away lightly and vanish.
Lin Xun wasn’t a sentimental person; he just wished these ten days could last a little longer.
This time, he truly couldn’t fall asleep.
Unable to sleep, Lin Xun picked up his phone and opened QQ, which he hadn’t used in a long time and had gathered dust.
There was a group inside named “Dong Jun’s Little Flirts Group 17,” with three thousand members.
He clicked into it.
Even though it was the middle of the night, the group was still buzzing with messages—young girls always had boundless energy.
As soon as he entered the group, he was bombarded with countless “I can do it” messages.
Scrolling up for a long time, he finally found the source of the “I can do it” frenzy.
Dong Jun was attending an international forum in Canada, and the person who posted the picture was a reporter from a tech news outlet who was also in Canada. Taking advantage of her proximity, she had frantically snapped photos of Dong Jun, meticulously edited them, and shared them in the group.
—That’s right, this was a fan group for Dong Jun, which had been active for years at the forefront of tracking his movements.
The maximum capacity for a QQ group was three thousand people. When Lin Xun joined back then, the “Little Flirts” series had already reached its seventeenth group—at that time, Galaxy’s status wasn’t as prominent as it is now. As for now, Lin Xun conservatively estimated that the number of subgroups had exceeded a hundred.
He saved the photo and scrolled down, curious to see what Dong Jun’s devoted fans were obsessing over today.
Galaxy Boss Lady: DC has a tour in China this month, the first time in over a decade, right? Do you think things might have eased up between Dong Jun and him?
Immediately after, this “Galaxy Boss Lady” posted a news link with the headline: Renowned musician Dong Chen to embark on China tour with his orchestra.
Dong’s Wife: DC is dead.
Dong Jun’s Cat: DC is dead.
Dong Jun’s Mouse: DC is dead.
Apollo: DC is dead, I nailed the coffin shut.
Dong Jun’s Keyboard: Please do not exploit deceased musicians.
A Tiny Piece of Glass from Galaxy Tower: He plays the piano like he’s plucking cotton.
Lin Xun: “…”
Alright, the wife fans are going crazy over Dong Chen today.
Dong Chen, by blood, should be Dong Jun’s father.
This man is a pianist and composer, the kind with an international reputation in the music world. He’s a music fanatic and a madman, his compositions praised for having an aura of hell and demons.
Dong Jun is his only son.
Of course, someone with an only son must have had a wife.
Based on Lin Xun’s previous observations of the group chat, the mainstream story is that Dong Jun’s mother fell madly in love with Dong Chen because of his talent—back when Dong Chen was still a down-and-out young man.
They married and had a child. Then, when Dong Jun was five years old, she committed suicide.
The internet has a memory, and every clue revealed in the news has been dug up.
How much resentment and conflict lies within, outsiders don’t know, but it’s largely because of Dong Chen.
Dong Chen’s personality is extremely extreme and obsessive, which is vividly reflected in his musical works. It’s said he didn’t allow his wife to leave the house or step out of his sight.
He wasn’t a good father either. Around the time Dong Jun was ten, he left alone for a foreign country and never returned.
As for who Dong Jun grew up with, and why someone from such an artistically rich family entered the IT field, no one knows. They only know Dong Chen is no good, and for years they’ve been cursing him day after day.
Dong Jun and Dong Chen also seem to have long severed ties—in various interviews, Dong Jun never mentions his family, which is widely noted.
The cursing lasted ten minutes before stopping, and they returned to their endless “I can do this.”
However, at that very moment, a discordant note appeared.
A Pickled Fish: Bad news, sisters. I finally got some info from my bestie who works at Galaxy. It seems Dong Jun isn’t single anymore.
Galaxy Boss Lady: ??
Dong Jun’s Cat: What the hell??
Dong Jun’s Keyboard: Lo?
Lin Xun: “?”
He quickly typed in the input box.
Dong Jun’s Green Switch: ??
A Pickled Fish: And it’s not a girlfriend, it’s a boyfriend.
Galaxy Boss Lady: I don’t believe it. Where’s the proof?
Lin Xun couldn’t breathe.
He swore this was the most jealous he’d been in years.
If it were a girlfriend, he’d accept it, but what’s this about a boyfriend?
He frowned, staring unblinkingly at the screen, telling himself this must be a rumor. Dong Jun’s cat was still with him, not fostered out to anyone else.
He absolutely wouldn’t believe such fake news.
But then A Pickled Fish spoke again.
A Pickled Fish: There’s proof. Let me sort it out.
Lin Xun’s mind went blank.
He was dead, the coffin lid nailed shut.