Starlight Descends - 23

The Lawn

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In the days that followed, Qi Yao's schedule was filled with brand events and magazine shoots. She didn't see Yu Jiashu again.

Ye Qingman rested up for a week, then flew to Hengdian once the main unit caught up.

Somewhere in between, a photo of them shopping together made the hot search.

"AAAAHHHH I ran into the sweetest sister duo in all of C-ent at Taikoo Li, both so gorgeous aaaaaaahhh."

Most of the comments gushed about envying the friendship between the two beauties. Marketing accounts piggybacked on the traffic and posted related gossip.

[Gossip Queen of C-ent]: A certain young actress is going head-to-head with Min-jie for the new Fengxing series endorsement. Guess? 

1L: LMAO who'd dare compete with Min-jie for an endorsement? She hasn't had a drama air in a year and still holds 29 deals, Undisputed top of C-ent.

2L: No official announcement, no engagement. Worry about yourselves and leave the gorgeous women alone.

3L: You literally put #QiYaoYeQingmanShopping and still want us to guess? You think we're stupid? Might as well just drop their ID numbers next time.

4L: I'm guessing Ye Qingman? Didn't she almost land the Y series last time before the ex-husband guy snatched it? Maybe she’s on a revenge arc. Wouldn’t put it past her LMAO.

5L: Neither has enough clout. YQM is a pure resource princess, QY's acting is decent but her team's a mess. Fengxing obviously wants a household-name for this. Zhao Min's position speaks for itself. Do we even need to guess?

6L: Random passerby here. QY is so stunning in this pic, drooling.

7L: Everyone's got too much time on their hands, stop baiting fights. Focus on Ye Qingman's first female-lead drama instead.

...

Qi Yao scrolled briefly, skimmed through it, then exited the app. She tossed her phone aside and flipped open the newly delivered scripts.

Two or three months of rest was the absolute limit. She'd probably join a production before New Year's. Better start sifting through options now.

"You're so much less hassle." Qiao Nian dropped onto the couch, pouring herself a glass of water with genuine relief. "These new artists nowadays, each one's ambition far outstrips their ability. No acting chops, no backing, and the first thing they ask for is a second-billed female lead. Don't they ever weigh themselves?"

Qi Yao arched an eyebrow, turning script pages without responding.

They were all productions set to start shooting early next year. Two historical dramas, one urban, one campus.

Both historicals were adapted from IPs. The original novels were roughly about one-woman-three-men classics.

"Pick either of these and you're guaranteed first billing. Might even be a massive hit," Qiao Nian said.

"There can only be so many massive hits."

The market was saturated. Audiences still watched, sure, but Qi Yao had no interest in falling into a formula. She skimmed the two over and set them aside.

"Passing on them is fine too. Both studios are mediocre anyway, can't carry a major drama." Qiao Nian watched her open another. "This one's Zhang Chengming's script. Primetime prestige drama, veteran cast, all professionally trained actors."

"I can tell." Qi Yao skimmed it, even at speed she could sense the texture of the writing—the setting, the layered ensemble work.

"Landing a serious drama would be a milestone for us. That genre isn't just about traffic numbers."

Qiao Nian thought back to the time Qi Yao just wrapped her last show. "When you turned down Director Zhang's dinner invitation back then, I thought for sure we’d lost this opportunity. Yet the script still got sent to the company."

"If a script dies because I won’t have dinner with someone, it isn't worth having.”

Qi Yao checked the time. The wedding was starting soon. She set the script aside and stood, heading toward the walk-in closet.

"Leave those here. I'll get back to you next week."

"Sure." Seeing she was about to head out, Qiao Nian quickly ran through the remaining key points. "That last script is a small production, just take a look and leave it. The company's leaning toward the primetime project."

"Three brands are in talks right now, one cosmetics, one apparel, and a domestic phone brand. I'll organize the materials and send them over later."

Qi Yao changed into a dress, reaching back to pull up the zipper. The beautiful line of her spine disappeared inch by inch.

She paused for two seconds. "Hold off on the phone brand for now. Let's wait for Fengxing."

"Got it." Qiao Nian checked the time. "When do you think we'll have a verdict? I'll string the brand along."

"End of the month."

Qi Yao finished getting ready, draped a jacket over her shoulders, chose a bag, and headed out the door.

It was around ten in the morning, but traffic still clogged the roads. Lizi's driving was unsteady—sudden brakes, stop-and-go along the main artery. Qi Yao was getting dizzy.

She craned her neck to look at the endless line of cars ahead.

"All right, I'll get out and walk. It's not far now."

"Yao-mei, be careful." Lizi looked guilty. "Should've had Xiao Wang come instead."

"What are you thinking? He's with his wife." Qi Yao stepped out with the gift bag, fought back a smile, and walked around to the driver's side to ruffle Lizi's hair. "You be careful too.”

Lizi stuck out her tongue, murmured an acknowledgment, and slowly pulled away.

It was actually still a fair distance. The navigation informed softly through her earbud, 1.5 kilometers to the destination on foot.

Qi Yao played music, weaved through the gaps between cars, and strolled along the street.

Piles of golden ginkgo leaves had been swept into loose mounds at the street corners. Traffic lights blinked. As she turned onto a smaller road, two short honks sounded behind her.

Qi Yao looked back. A black Bentley was pulling up slowly beside her.

Lowering his window, the man turned his head slightly, features cool and sharp, pupils deep black. His fingertips tapped the steering wheel twice, idle and unhurried, making the faintest sound.

"Get in?"

Qi Yao hesitated a moment, then opened the passenger door.

Yu Jiashu had just left the old man's place. His mood was, to be honest, not great. His expression was a few degrees colder than usual, held in check by sheer force of will.

"Walking alone?" He watched her climb in and fasten the seatbelt.

His long fingers pressed a button. The window rose smoothly.

He left a crack, enough to let the wind in but not stung her eyes.

"The car was stuck in traffic. I'm afraid I'd be late." Qi Yao answered, then it struck her as odd. "You know where I'm going?"

Yu Jiashu made a soft scoffing sound. "Someone ran off too fast that they didn't notice others got an invitation too."

"..."

The sarcasm was thick.

Qi Yao pretended not to catch it. "Oh."

"What's 'oh' supposed to mean?"

"It means I have no idea what you're talking about."

Denying it outright now.

 

Yu Jiashu laughed and didn't push. His gaze dropped to the bag on her lap.

"A gift?"

"Hm?" Qi Yao paused, then rustled the white paper bag. "Yeah."

The car slowed. The sign for Ludao Theme Park drew steadily closer, hanging high and prominent in the air.

"Class monitor said his fiancée is a fan of mine, so I thought, besides the cash gift, I'd bring something extra."

Yu Jiashu clicked his tongue. Lowering the window, he rested his elbow on the sill, took back the parking pass, and steered lazily forward. "Say, why is everyone else get such good treatment?"

"Why did I have to ask several times for a single signed photo? You don't even reply to my WeChat messages."

Qi Yao: "..."

What was with this man today!

She stared at the rising barrier at the parking lot entrance and muttered under her breath, "Yours was a special edition with the teardrop mole."

Yu Jiashu's eyebrow lifted very slightly. His left hand was still resting on the window sill, not yet drawn back, tapping idly. "I added that myself."

"... Alright, I'll give you one when I get back! The exact same one. If a single thing is missing, I'll sign you a proper special edition on top of it."

Yu Jiashu laughed, his mood seemed to ease at this. He reversed into the parking space and answered lazily, "Fine."

Ludao was a well-known theme park on the southern edge of the city, sprawling across more than twenty thousand square meters. It catered to everything from leisure getaways and honeymoon retreats to wedding photography, with no shortage of outdoor ceremony venues.

Through the car windows, the spires of European-style villas were already visible in the distance. The chapel stood grand and stately, the lawns stretched wide and open, and the musical fountains lent the grounds an air of dreamy romance.

When getting dressed that morning, Qi Yao had inexplicably gravitated toward a casual white blouse jacket. She lifted her eyes and stole a glance at Yu Jiashu.

As it happened, he was wearing a simple white button-down as well, the small logo on his chest catching the sunlight.

The same brand.

It looked like... a couple's outfit.

Qi Yao bit the tip of her tongue. Spotting a group of female classmates chatting beneath the villa's arched garden entrance, she hurriedly grabbed her bag and pushed open the door.

"I'll go in first. You wait a bit."

Yu Jiashu glanced up and watched her slender figure retreat into the distance, hurrying away as if to avoid suspicion.

"?"

Was she really treating him as a chauffeur?

He arched an eyebrow slightly, tapped two fingers on the steering wheel, his eyes shifting to the passenger seat.

***

Qi Yao had intended to slip inside unnoticed and avoid the awkward ritual of catching up with old classmates. But before she could make it past the entrance, a bridesmaid spotted her from afar.

"Hey, Yao-mei, you're here!"

The woman's delighted call cut through the crowd, drawing every head around.

It was Liu Pingping, if Qi Yao remembered right—the arts and culture rep from their class. They'd sat in the same row, one seat apart.

Qi Yao stopped in her tracks. Abandoning any hope of slipping past unnoticed, she curved her eyes into a smile. "Long time no see."

She stood there in a fitted dress layered beneath a loose white blouse jacket—the simplest of outfits. Yet somehow, she eclipsed every carefully styled person around her.

Years of distance and the sheer force of her presence, dropped a sudden silence in the air.

A celebrity. How unattainable.

Standing among ordinary people, she seemed to belong to an entirely different world.

Several women who had been chatting together exchanged discreet glances.

Pretending not to notice, Qi Yao let her gaze pass openly over each face. "I'll head in now."

With that, she moved quietly past them, leaving the whispers and chatter in her wake.

It was a lawn wedding held in the private garden of a standalone villa. A white backdrop stood beneath the open sky, adorned with fresh flowers and trailing silk ribbons. Everything had been arranged with meticulous care. The ceremony was about to begin.

Qi Yao found a seat at the edge. She'd never been close with her high school classmates. She was only here because of Li Xun, to deliver a gift, and probably wouldn't stay long.

Before long, most of the seats were filled. The host took the stage to warm up the crowd.

There weren't many guests, perhaps a hundred in total. Since both the bride and groom had attended the same high school, more than half the attendees were familiar faces from those years.

Every so often, stolen glances drifted her way, accompanied by hushed whispers. A few people even raised their phones to sneak photos. Qi Yao had long since grown accustomed to such attention and paid it little mind. Her gaze swept calmly across the crowd before dropping to her phone.

A notification popped up on the screen.

She tapped it open.

A notification flashed on the screen. She tapped it open.

[S]: Can I come in now?

Qi Yao's fingertip froze. "..."

No way. He was still outside.

Too obedient.

His two unanswered messages sat alone in the chat history. A moment later, they finally received a reply.

[1]: ...Yeah.

***

"Um, Yao-mei."

Qi Yao looked up. Liu Pingping, in her white bridesmaid dress, settled into the seat beside her. 

"Yes?"

"They want a photo with you but were too shy to ask. They asked me to check." Liu Pingping tipped her chin toward the front rows. Several young women smiled sheepishly and waved at her from a distance.

They looked quite sweet.

"They were all classmates of the bride."

"Of course." Qi Yao set her phone aside, curved her eyes, and stood. The girls hurried over at once, crowding around her and eagerly changing poses for the camera.

Afterward, they gathered around the screen to review the photos, chattering excitedly.

"You're seriously so gorgeous. I can't believe we went to the same school, oh my god."

"Yao-mei you're so beautiful. You literally glow in the sun!"

"Thank you." Qi Yao was amused. "You're all very beautiful too."

"Every day after work I binge-watch your dramas like crazy. 'Wild Pear Branch' had me completely obsessed..."

"...Holy shit."

The girl on the left had glanced up casually and stopped mid-sentence.

She stared toward the entrance, then patted her friend's shoulder. But because they were all huddled close looking at photos, her hand landed on Qi Yao's shoulder without her even realizing.

"Is that Shu?"

Qi Yao's lashes fluttered.

She looked up.

Nearly half the guests had turned toward the entrance.

A man in a simple white shirt and black trousers was making his way through the venue. Tall and lean, he walked beneath the shifting patches of sunlight filtering through the trees, listening absently to something a groomsman beside him was saying.

His clothes couldn't have been more ordinary, yet he still stood out effortlessly. Even beside a man dressed in a tailored suit, he commanded attention.

A few loose strands of hair fell across his cool brow. His jawline was clean and sharply defined, lending his features an air of languid indifference.

The hand on Qi Yao's shoulder clenched tight, digging into her thin shoulder blade. The girl dropped her voice: "Holy shit! Li Xun actually got him to come."

"He's so fucking hot. Hotter than Gu Heng, I swear." The girl on the right immediately joined in, keeping her voice just as low. "Damn. No wonder Yinyin liked him for three years."

Standing at the center of the group, Qi Yao simply watched him. 

It was a strange feeling.

Back in school, it was always the other girls—the pretty ones, the outgoing ones—who got teased and egged on. Their friends would tease them relentlessly, nudging them toward the person they liked, laughing and cheering them on. 

And Qi Yao would stand in some forgotten corner, quietly watching it all unfold.

Watching them shine so brightly, so vividly alive. Watching them bite their lips and stamp their feet in shy delight, before finally gathering their courage and stepping toward the person they liked, buoyed by the encouragement around them.

As for her?

She would steal a glance from afar, look away, and return to her own broken and gloomy life.

She wanted to like someone openly, too, just like everyone else.

But she couldn't.

The faint, budding romantic notions of her adolescence were just like her. Untimely. Unnoticed by anyone.

A sharp sting pulled her back to the present.

The girl's acrylic nails had been filed to fine points. Even an accidental jab would hurt, let alone an unconscious grip digging into her shoulder blade.

Yu Jiashu was approaching now.

The sun was near its zenith. Against the brilliant daylight and the vivid green of the lawn, his white shirt seemed almost dazzling, impossible to ignore.

He tilted his head slightly. Lifting his pale lids, he lazily hooked a finger through a set of keys and held them out in front of her.

Qi Yao froze.

The girl beside her held her breath. No one spoke.

The long, lean fingers hovered before her eyes.

Two keys hung from a metal ring. A plush Cinnamoroll charm dangled beneath them, swaying gently with each movement.

The keys clinked together with a crisp chime.

Yu Jiashu turned toward her, still half-listening to the groomsman at his side and responding with the occasional absent-minded syllable. Then, beneath the gaze of half the wedding guests, he crooked his finger at her. 

Completely casual.

"You left these in my car.”

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