Chapter 42: The Leader Marching out of step
Leonard moved so suddenly that Joshua didn’t even have time to react. He only felt a soft, warm breath brush against his ear, followed by a low, magnetic voice that curled like a hook, making his whole body tremble. It was as if an electric current had run through his nerves, spreading throughout his body. His knees weakened, nearly giving out beneath him.
Leonard was taken aback. Instinctively, he caught Joshua by the arm, and for once, that usual sly expression on his face was replaced with genuine bewilderment.
His gaze fell on Joshua’s flushed ears, the corners of his reddened eyes, and the faint shimmer of tears in his gaze.
Then his eyes dropped a little lower—to the slightly parted lips, the plum-colored mouth, the soft pink of his tongue. Each breath Joshua took seemed to grow hotter and heavier.
Leonard swallowed hard, his throat inexplicably dry. "You..."
But before he could finish, Joshua had already shaken off his hand and hurried away, his steps unsteady and faltering.
Nine couldn’t help but comment, [This... uh... I know human ears are sensitive, but you’re way too sensitive. Are you sure you’re not sick or something?]
Joshua pressed his lips together, saying nothing. Nine quickly corrected itself: [Sorry, not a sickness.]
Joshua paused momentarily, then said softly, "I don’t know either. I clearly wasn’t like this before..."
Nine seemed to mull that over but didn’t say anything further.
Joshua returned to the training room and quickly threw himself back into practice, nearly losing all sense of time.
"Joshua." Henry’s familiar, cold voice pulled him out of his trance.
He blinked and turned to see Henry standing there, his tone serious as he said, "It’s time to go. You’re tired, aren’t you?"
Sure enough, the sky outside had already turned completely dark.
Joshua smiled. "I lost track of time..."
"If it’s about what’s online, don’t take it too seriously," Henry said slowly. It sounded like he was trying to comfort someone, though his voice was stiffer than usual.
Joshua replied quietly, "I’m not bothered by what’s online."
At that moment, Henry suddenly continued, "Then... are you and Justin really dating?"
Joshua stared at him in surprise. After all, Henry didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d care about anyone’s business unless it directly affected him.
Henry continued, "In every regard, Justin is definitely not an ideal boyfriend. Letting an ex cause trouble right before him shows that he lacks ability..."
He abruptly stopped speaking because Joshua suddenly rose on his toes and lifted a hand. The next thing Henry knew, he felt something brush lightly through his hair, a faint trembling sensation.
Joshua waved a small piece of paper he’d just plucked off Henry’s head. "You must’ve gotten this stuck on you somewhere." He paused for a moment, then smiled. "Henry, you’re worrying too much. Justin’s not that bad—and besides, he and I aren’t lovers. Let’s go."
Henry nodded calmly, but Joshua couldn’t help but notice that his ears had turned so red that they looked like they might start bleeding. Frowning, Joshua asked, "What’s wrong with your ears?"
They were really red—like burning coals.
Henry’s voice was low. "It’s nothing serious."
Joshua didn’t press further after hearing that.
Before leaving the training room, he said goodbye to Lucen, Lucian, and the others.
Lucian watched Henry’s departing figure and muttered, "I swear, something’s off with the leader."
Lucen took a sip of water, expression indifferent. "What’s off? He’s always like that. Sometimes I wonder if his face can even show anything other than seriousness or a frown."
After a long pause, Lucian shouted, "I know what’s weird! The leader was walking, marching out of step—ha! His face was so calm I didn’t even notice at first!"
Lucen frowned. "Don’t talk nonsense. Aren’t you afraid he’ll deal with you for that?"
The other trainees nodded in agreement. After what had happened that morning, their impression of Henry’s terrifyingly strict nature had only deepened.
Lucian protested, "What, you guys don’t believe me?! Fine! When the leader shows up tomorrow, you’ll see for yourselves!"
"Alright then. If you’re wrong, you’re treating us to a meal."
Lucian waved his hand dramatically. "No way I’m wrong! Fine, if you lose, you all have to kneel and call me papa!"
Lucen couldn’t help kicking him lightly.
Meanwhile, Henry and Joshua were utterly unaware of the commotion inside the training room. As they exited the building, they spotted Justin sitting on the steps. Many trainees walking by shot him discreet glances—clearly, they’d all heard about what happened online.
"Justin, let’s go home," Joshua called out.
Justin blinked in surprise, then immediately jumped up with a bright smile. "I’ve been waiting for you."
Joshua looked at him and smiled lightly. "How did things go?"
Justin knew exactly what Joshua was asking about. The calm look in Joshua’s eyes carried a kind of quiet trust—as if he had absolute confidence that Justin could handle it.
Justin chuckled. "I’ve explained everything to the director’s team. They said they’ll take care of it." He paused momentarily, then added with another small smile, "And about that recording—thanks..."
Joshua waved it off. "Don’t mention it. I got dragged into it, too."
Meanwhile, ever since that post had exploded online, fans had been in complete distress, crying with nowhere to vent.
John, of course, stubbornly believed that Joshua had only been trying to scare him the other day, which was why he went this far. He didn’t dare tell the truth—that he had deliberately fabricated everything.
After all, regardless of how things turned out, the ones who’d take the fall were only Justin and Joshua.
[No way in hell! My baby must’ve been deceived!]
[I still can’t believe Joshua would actually like Justin. No way.]
[Why are you all so sure? Right now, the fans are just trying to comfort themselves.]
[No, but Joshua doesn’t look like the type who cares about romance.]
[Calm down, everyone—Wolf just posted a reassurance. This is definitely slander!]
[Yeah, but the photos are obvious...]
[So my ship’s ending is officially a Bad Ending? No! Joshua, please say the one you love is Leonard!]
[Joshua’s not capable of loving anyone, is he?!]
[Justin’s just an honest guy...]
[Come on, fans, stop crying and accept reality already.]
[We’re not stupid, thanks. Just one photo with Joshua proves nothing. If anything, there’s more evidence that Leonard and Joshua are together.]
[Let’s wait and see, haha.]
[@Shining Path, kick those troublemaking trainees off the show already!]
During that time, John even went online to cry and play the victim. Many of his friends spoke up for him. After all, his reputation at school had always been that of a young master—he never flaunted it outright. Still, his generous spending, expensive art supplies, and constant attendance at exhibitions all quietly showcased his wealth.
Now that people were saying he’d been deceived in love, his friends were all shocked—apparently even the rich could fall for the wrong person. They lamented the "tragedy of a sincere heart," and so on.
Amid it all, John accidentally let slip that Justin was just an ordinary guy who hadn’t even gone to school. Sympathy for John immediately grew, while waves of insults and mockery turned toward Justin—and by extension, Joshua. Even the fans’ attempts to defend them couldn’t drown out the noise from the mob of online users.
After all, scandals like this always drew attention, even from people who’d never followed Shining Path in the first place.