Chapter 114 Don’t Be Afraid, Er’er. I’m Here.

When Song Jingmo got home and had just taken off his coat, the hospital called.

A complex emergency surgery at a brother hospital had hit a snag, and they hoped he could provide remote guidance.

Immediately, Song Jingmo turned on the smart TV in the living room, connected to the surgery room’s live feed, and put on his headphones. His calm voice transmitted clearly to the other side of the operating room through the microphone.

“Pay attention to the position of the vascular clamp…”

“Yes, shift two millimeters to the left…”

“Gauze for hemostasis, now…”

He focused entirely on the screen, giving precise instructions.

When the surgery ended smoothly, he took off the headphones and noticed the wall clock pointing to eight in the evening.

Rubbing the slight ache in his brow, he finally picked up his phone.

The screen lit up with a WeChat message from Lu Er, along with a photo of the stylish girl, Lu Yanyan.

Even though he had expected that Lu Er’s visit home was for a blind date and trusted that Lu Er wouldn’t be interested in that girl…

Seeing the photo in person still pricked Song Jingmo’s heart like tiny needles, bringing a faint, sour discomfort.

His possessiveness flared. Why should his person be inspected and picked over by someone else?

He first explained that he’d been busy with surgery and hadn’t replied immediately. Then, after a brief pause, he chose a candid photo from his album taken during a hike and sent it.

In the photo, Lu Er faced the mountain wind, forehead hair slightly tousled, profile flawless, eyes bright, exuding a wild, untamed charm.

“In my heart, the coolest will always be you.”

After sending the message, Song Jingmo waited for Lu Er to respond in the usual playful way, either with a string of emojis or a teasing brag.

But at the Lu family mansion, Lu Er looked at the photo and the sweet words, forcing a faint smile.

Inside, it felt like a heavy stone pressing down, and he couldn’t shake off the gloom.

That cold diagnostic report was a chasm he couldn’t cross, cutting him off from any carefree or happy feelings.

They exchanged a few casual words. Sensitive as ever, Song Jingmo noticed something off with Lu Er’s mood and cautiously asked:

“Coming back tonight?”

Lu Er’s chest tightened at the message. He forced a light tone in reply:

“I’m at home right now, where else would I be going?”

As soon as the message was sent, Song Jingmo replied almost instantly:

“Come back to our home—the one that belongs only to the two of us.”

Reading this, a sharp ache hit Lu Er’s nose, nearly breaking down from the weight of suppressed hurt and vulnerability.

Biting his lip tightly, fingers trembling as he typed:

“Then… could you… come pick me up?”

The moment the message was sent, Lu Er regretted it.

As expected, Song Jingmo immediately sensed something was wrong.

“On my way.”

He sent a voice message, low and gentle, with worry clearly in his tone: “Baby, what’s wrong? What happened?”

“Why even ask if you can?” Lu Er’s voice faltered slightly, with a teasing lightness, “Next time, just say ‘coming to get me now,’ got it?”

Hearing the word baby and the voice message made Lu Er’s eyes water even more.

Sniffling, he replied: “Got it… I’ll wait by the roadside.”

The drive usually took forty to fifty minutes, but Song Jingmo managed to get there in just over thirty.

From afar, he saw a small figure crouched by the road. The dim streetlight outlined Lu Er’s curled-up silhouette, looking lonely and pitiful.

Song Jingmo’s heart tightened sharply, a piercing pain.

He parked, got out, and ran a few steps to kneel beside Lu Er, bringing his eyes level with him.

“What’s wrong?”

His voice was full of unhidden heartache, his gaze landing on Lu Er’s reddened, watery eyes. “Did you argue with your family?”

Lu Er shook his head, saying nothing, only looking up at Song Jingmo with wet eyes full of reliance, grievance, and deep sorrow.

The night wind blew, and he instinctively curled up a little.

Feeling Lu Er’s icy fingers, Song Jingmo frowned.

Without asking more, he pulled him up, half-hugging, half-lifting him into the passenger seat, buckled him in, then returned to the driver’s seat and started the car.

All the way home, Lu Er was unusually silent, gazing at the night scenery racing past, his side profile appearing especially fragile in the flickering lights.

Back home, Song Jingmo first made a steaming cup of ginger tea, with plenty of brown sugar, and handed it to him.

Lu Er silently took it, sipping carefully. The sweet-spicy warmth spread, but couldn’t reach his frozen heart.

Song Jingmo sat beside him, saying nothing, just reaching out to gently rub Lu Er’s soft hair.

Half an hour later, Lu Er put down the empty cup, whispering, “I’ll go shower.”

“Mm,” he nodded. “Pajamas are in the left side of the wardrobe, help yourself.”

After showering, Lu Er changed into a loose cotton set of One Piece pajamas, Luffy’s bright smile making him look even more slender.

Song Jingmo brought a dry towel over, gently drying his dripping hair, then carefully blow-dried it before tucking him tightly into bed.

“I’ll shower, be quick.”

He touched Lu Er’s forehead to make sure he wasn’t catching a chill, then went into the bathroom.

But when he came out with semi-dry hair, he saw a sight that made his heart clench.

The person on the bed had his back to him, but his shoulders were trembling slightly, suppressed, with faint sobs.

Song Jingmo abandoned drying his hair and immediately got into bed, holding him and the blanket tightly.

“Baby, don’t cry, don’t cry…”

Patting his back gently, his voice low and tender, filled with indescribable heartache:
“What happened? Did your family force you into an arranged marriage?”

Under his warm reassurance, Lu Er’s tightly wound nerves finally snapped.

Burying his tear-streaked face in Song Jingmo’s neck, still scented with shower gel, he choked out in fragments: “It’s not… it’s not that…”

“I… I might soon lose my mom…”

“Although she wasn’t as gentle as other mothers… she switched me to so many schools for me, afraid I’d go astray… even specially asked you to study with me.”

This strong, ever-controlling woman, always arranging his life from above, was suddenly sentenced to a countdown of her life…

The shock and fear of impending loss were far more despairing and helpless than any quarrel or coercion.

As he spoke, hot tears soaked Song Jingmo’s pajamas even more.

He tightened his embrace, holding the exhausted, nearly limp Lu Er closer.

Lowering his head, he kissed his wet hair, voice low but resolute:

“Don’t be afraid, Er’er. I’m here.”

“I’ll always be with you. We’ll face it together.”