Chapter 7: Mutual Following on Weibo
Meng Chao, of course, noticed it. He was amused by Lin Qin's pure reactions; just a little nudge, and he had turned this red.
However, he didn't expose it. The kid had thin skin, after all. Instead, he brought up a topic on purpose, "What's your Weibo account? Why can't I find it?"
After posting a supportive Weibo for Lin Qin earlier in the morning, Meng Chao had tried to locate Lin Qin's account. Unfortunately, Lin Qin was really discreet—he hadn't even opened a Weibo account.
Lin Qin stayed silent for a while, twisting his fingers nervously, and said, "I... I don't have a Weibo account."
In truth, he did have a Weibo account. But, on his account, there was only Meng Chao—all Meng Chao. From the moment Meng Chao debuted until now, for several years, Lin Qin's account had existed for the same number of years. He didn't follow anyone, nor did he accept anyone's follow requests. But he would silently repost Meng Chao's updates and news. Sometimes he'd write film reviews in thousands of words for Meng Chao's new movies, and sometimes, utterly smitten by Meng Chao's good looks, he'd fanboy over him, reposting and exclaiming with strings of "ahhhh" to express his excitement.
His Weibo page had over three thousand posts, every single one related to Meng Chao.
Nobody knew about this small private account—not even his cousin Chu Hong.
This was his little secret, a tiny sanctuary not meant to be shared with others, yet it was his greatest treasure.
"Open an account. We'll follow each other."
Just as Lin Qin was lost in his thoughts, Meng Chao's voice pulled him back. It carried a warm, gentle smile.
Lin Qin looked up at Meng Chao in a daze, completely unsure how to respond at that moment.
"Why? Don't want to?" Meng Chao squinted playfully as he prodded.
Lin Qin quickly shook his head. "No, no, I'll open one right away."
After opening an account, it required verification, so Lin Qin handed the task over to Chu Hong. Chu Hong worked efficiently and swiftly sent the verified account credentials back to Lin Qin's phone.
Lin Qin logged into Weibo for the first time, and as soon as he did, he saw a notification about a new follower and a mention.
Lin Qin tapped into the new follower notification, almost unable to believe his eyes.
He looked up at Meng Chao, "Senior Meng… this…"
Meng Chao lifted his phone towards Lin Qin and said, "I followed you. Waiting for you to follow me back."
Lin Qin's heart swelled with uncontrollable joy. The feeling was akin to being noticed by someone you've admired for a long, long time—a wave of exhilaration that made you feel light and as if you could float away.
With trembling fingers, Lin Qin tapped on Meng Chao's Weibo avatar but hadn't yet hit the follow button when he saw the latest post Meng Chao had just put up—
[Meng Chao v: This is my kid. Please give him lots of love. @Lin Qin]
Lin Qin's eyes grew misty, his nose tingled with an ache, and his chest felt like something was about to overflow. He stared at the post for a long time before remembering to follow Meng Chao back. After following, it became clear, belatedly, that Meng Chao's following list contained only one person—him.
Happiness came too suddenly, enveloping Lin Qin entirely, full to the brim, like waves crashing over him.
[Lin Qin v: Thank you, Senior Meng // Meng Chao v: This is my kid. Please give him lots of love. @Lin Qin]
It took Lin Qin a while to craft his first Weibo post, and it only contained four words. Yet he spent more than ten minutes editing it, cycling through various versions, such as: "I'm the obedient kid of Movie King Meng"; "Hi everyone, I'm Lin Qin," and others. But he rejected all of them in the end. Torn between drafts, he ultimately sent the simplest four words: Thank you, Senior Meng.
While Lin Qin was posting, Meng Chao was beside him watching. Seeing Lin Qin take forever to get a single post out, Meng Chao didn't urge him—he just crossed his arms and waited.
Now, seeing Lin Qin finally repost the mention with those plain four words, Meng Chao glanced at Lin Qin's bright, excited expression, then back at the four words of "Thank you, Senior Meng," and felt that they seemed to vibrate with life in front of him.
This kid sure knew how to say one thing while hiding another.
Meng Chao chuckled softly.
Hearing the laughter, Lin Qin cautiously glanced at Meng Chao. Did he make a mistake with his post?
Meng Chao noticed Lin Qin's puzzlement and pretended to sigh in disappointment, saying, "Do you have to be so formal with me?"
The four words "Thank you, Senior Meng" sounded distant compared to Meng Chao's "my kid," didn't they?
"I…" Lin Qin's mouth opened hesitantly. He didn't dare to act too familiar. When it came to Meng Chao, he always meticulously held back, afraid of crossing boundaries and upsetting Meng Chao.
"Call me Brother Chao and let me hear it," Meng Chao didn't wait for Lin Qin to stammer out a reply, taking the initiative instead.
Lin Qin looked at Meng Chao; Meng Chao looked back at him, his lips curved in a smile, his eyes carrying warmth along with playful encouragement.
In a sudden burst of courage, Lin Qin closed his eyes and called out, "Brother Chao."
"Hmm," Meng Chao responded briskly. Then he teased, "Is your Brother Chao so terrifying you can only say it with your eyes closed?"
Lin Qin flushed red with embarrassment, opened his eyes, and softly, tentatively called again, "Brother Chao."
The deliberately softened tone was syrupy sweet, and that tentative demeanor was almost unbearably adorable. Meng Chao felt himself melting inside.
How could someone as cute as Lin Qin exist?
Meng Chao suppressed the inexplicable surge of emotion within him and stood up. "Let's go."
Lin Qin raised his head to look at him, blinking expectantly. "Go where?"
Meng Chao: "You need the kitchen tomorrow, right? Let's go to the supermarket, stock up the fridge, and have a little outing while we're at it."
"Oh." Lin Qin stood up as well. "Sure, okay."
After speaking, he just stood there looking at Meng Chao. Meng Chao gestured for him to follow. "Come on, what are you waiting for?"
When Lin Qin walked up to Meng Chao, Meng Chao finally stretched his long legs and started walking in step with him.
Walking beside Meng Chao, Lin Qin couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from curling upward.
The supermarket was a distance away from the villa, and it was already past seven in the evening by the time they arrived.
At this hour, the supermarket was bustling with peak-time crowds. As soon as Lin Qin and Meng Chao appeared, they drew a wave of attention and excitement. Luckily, security had been arranged beforehand. Seeing staff holding cameras, the onlookers realized filming was happening and refrained from causing disturbances, opting instead to record from outside the protective barrier with their phones amid scattered whispers.
Lin Qin was visibly uncomfortable with the noisy atmosphere. From the moment he stepped into the supermarket, his entire demeanor stiffened up. Those gazes directed at him felt like countless needles prickling him, leaving him on edge.
His palms started to sweat, damp and clammy. He felt uncomfortably out of place; the surroundings blurred into vagueness—all except the piercing stares, like glowing green eyes in a dense, dark forest.
The world seemed remote and alien, leaving him isolated at the center of it all, trapped without any support.
Until…