Starlight Descends - 29
Sixteen
The airport terminal was a clamor of noise.
Figures shifted and swayed. Light reflected off the tiled floor, carved into fragmented pieces by the shuffle of the crowd.
"Yao-mei! Yao-mei, you're so pretty!"
"Letters! Yao-mei!"
"Yao-mei, look at my phone case! It's you!"
Qi Yao was wearing a mask. At the fan's words, she leaned in to take a careful look. It was a little chibi-style collage of her character. She laughed softly. "That's adorable. Where did you get it? I want one too."
"I-I'll make one for you next time!"
"Hey."
She suddenly stopped walking and reached through the crowd, gently pushing aside the arm of an overzealous photographer who had shoved a camera over someone else's head.
Dozens of phone cameras immediately swung toward her movement.
The girl whose head Qi Yao had gently patted froze completely in place.
"Don't push."
Qi Yao looked directly at the photographer before continuing forward.
She had a brand event in S City that morning and decided to stop by Hengdian afterward to visit Ye Qingman on set. The moment she got off the plane, fans had already surrounded her and followed her through the airport.
Lizi was getting jostled uncomfortably behind her.
"A letter! Yao-mei!"
Qi Yao already had a huge stack in her arms, but even after reaching the nanny van, she still turned back and accepted another one with both hands when she heard this call.
"Bye-bye." She stood by the open car door and waved. "Be safe on the road, okay?"
A chorus of replies rose immediately.
"We will!!! You too!!!”
"Bye-bye, Yao-mei!"
Qi Yao smiled, waved again, then climbed into the car.
The car door slid shut and the black van slowly drove away.
The video clip ended there.
"God, our Yao-mei is seriously well-mannered." Zhou Qi sighed from the sofa, clicking his tongue in admiration.
"Even back before she got really famous, she'd always stop and chat with fans at the airport. Just casually talking to them like friends. Zero celebrity airs. Whatever they asked, she'd answer.”
"She also remembers all her longtime fans. One time there was this older fan who got pregnant. Yao-mei made a special mental note of it and told her not to come to the airport anymore. Then after the baby was born, she even sent her a huge red packet."
Zhou Qi let out another sigh. "You can tell she genuinely treats fans like friends."
Nobody responded.
The living room remained silent.
Yu Jiashu stood at the bar counter with his eyes lowered, long fingers tapping across a keyboard. It was impossible to tell whether he'd been listening at all.
Da Bai had just finished a call with legal and now sat on the floor hunched over blueprints; still finding the time to lob a mocking jab. "Another inspiring day in the life of Happy Little Buzzcut, emotionally moving himself to tears."
"Hey!" Zhou Qi jumped up from the sofa. "Not calling someone by their online handle is basic human decency, you know!"
"And the meetings have been over for three whole hours already. Everyone else left ages ago. Don't you two ever rest?”
Puzzled, Zhou Qi craned his neck to look. Da Bai was following up on technical improvements for the new GPU line; then he circled around to the bar counter and peered over. Yu Jiashu wasn't doing any Jingfan work, just sitting in on an online meeting for Fengxing.
Zhou Qi squinted at the screen. The mic was muted. Only then did he dare ask, "Is that the executive meeting for the brand ambassador selection? Did the results come out?"
Yu Jiashu had only joined because the old man insisted he show up and sit through the motions. He had a document open on a split screen and was typing something else entirely. At Zhou Qi's question, he glanced over.
"Don't think so."
"'Don't think so'?" Zhou Qi clicked his tongue. "To think this is our Young President Yu's work ethic! If I were your dad I'd be furious too."
Yu Jiashu lifted his eyelids to look at him, a half-smile tugging lazily at his mouth. "You wanna be my dad?"
"N-no no no." Zhou Qi waved both hands frantically and leaned sheepishly against the counter. "How would I dare?"
A moment later, another thought struck him. He straightened back up.
"...But if you were my dad, could you pull some strings for me on this project?”
Da Bai snorted. "Whoa there. A true man who knows when to bend."
Zhou Qi ignored him. He thought for a moment, then sighed. "I really do think my goddess is outstanding. She's just a little behind in experience and industry standing."
After a pause, he added, "Though if her opponent is Teacher Zhao Min... I guess we'd just have to accept."
"We still need to monitor post-contract risk factors and completely avoid even the slightest scandal association. Proceed with an additional week of deep background checks. Next Friday, we'll implement a voting system..."
Voices from the meeting droned on in the background.
Yu Jiashu removed one earbud and leaned casually against the counter, winding the cord around his fingers absentmindedly.
"You don't think she'll get it?"
"Hard to say." Zhou Qi held his phone out to him. "Look at Weibo right now. Nobody's optimistic. Zhao Min's fans and random passersby are practically roasting her alive."
"Though if you pulled strings for me, maybe she'd have a chance. But unfortunately you're Justice Bao incarnate."
(A legendary figure representing righteous judgment. Known for his unwavering integrity, fairness, and willingness to stand up against corruption.)
Zhou Qi sighed again, plopped himself onto a bar stool, and continued scrolling through Weibo.
Yu Jiashu lazily looped the earbud cord around his fingers and glanced at his own phone.
That photo was still sitting in their chat log.
He lowered his eyes, completely casual.
"I don't think she needs a back door."
Zhou Qi didn't hear him at all, too busy staring at his phone. Suddenly, he leapt up from his chair.
"Oh my god!"
"My goddess's private account finally posted a text Weibo, aaaahhh!"
"What do you mean?" Da Bai asked curiously, still editing his diagrams. "She usually doesn't?"
"Actual text! Typed by her personally! It hasn't happened in forever."
Seeing Da Bai still confused, Zhou Qi explained.
"It's a private account she's had since before debut. She used to write these little reflections, thoughts on life, stuff like that.”
"Then she got famous, and the drama started. People started digging through it and saying she was fake, acting performative, just curating a persona. They'd screenshot things out of context and dragged her nonstop. Eventually she locked all her old posts and only posted random daily photos from then on.”
"Damn." Da Bai clicked his tongue. "Do those people seriously have nothing better to do? Someone can't even share their life anymore?"
"Exactly!" Zhou Qi was furious just thinking about it. He started punching at the air dramatically. "What business is it of theirs?!"
The notification for his special-follow account rang a second time.
"Huh? Her main account posted too?" Zhou Qi's mouth fell open in delight. "She's doing a livestream tonight?! Oh my god, it's New Year's, it's New Year's already!"
"Projector remote's here. Wait, where's my tablet?!"
"I should head back to work." Watching Zhou Qi bounce around the room like a maniac, Da Bai packed his files and laptop into his bag, clicking his tongue. "Otherwise my report is going to end up reading like 'Yao-mei Livestream Recap.'"
"Bye! Drive safe!"
After setting up the projector, positioning the tablet, and mounting both his phones onto stands, Zhou Qi finally sat down properly. A moment later, he turned carefully toward the person beside him, fingers curling nervously.
"Ge, um, if you're not using your phone..."
"I do."
Yu Jiashu interrupted coldly, impatience visible between his brows. He had clearly remembered the "incident" from the previous livestream.
"Understood!" Zhou Qi withdrew his hand meekly and slapped his thigh. "I'll keep the volume down. Won't disturb you."
Yu Jiashu snapped his laptop shut and walked toward the study.
The door closed behind him, sealing off the sound outside, the room became unnaturally quiet.
He typed two lines into the document before his train of thought broke completely. He looked at what he'd just written and found it suddenly unfamiliar. A few moments later, even his thoughts themselves had drifted somewhere else entirely.
Yu Jiashu leaned lazily back into his chair, tapping his knuckles on the desktop twice.
This door...was a little too soundproof.
He couldn't hear a single thing.
After a long moment, he picked up his phone. His long fingers swiped and tapped, scrolling through his apps, opening this one, closing that one, until somehow he ended up opening Weibo.
The homepage refreshed automatically.
Ten minutes earlier, the only account he followed had posted a followers-only update.
[@SeptemberEncounter]
"The moon is beautiful tonight. Your hair is messy, oh, and the moon."
Attached was a photo of the moon. And one of her, from yesterday. The one he had taken.
Yu Jiashu paused for two seconds, then tapped into the comments.
Fans were losing their minds. Rainbow praise spam and affectionate nicknames flooded the top instantly.
[Wifeeeee I've waited for this day 55555]
[Baby you're seriously so so so so beautiful]
[Yao-mei, stay happy forever!!!! Ps. Lizi's photography skills could use some work this time, js]
Right on the hour, the livestream began. Zhou Qi happily settled in to watch.
Two minutes later, his overworked phone flashed a low battery warning and was moments away from dying completely. He scrambled around the living room searching for a charger, flipping couch cushions and digging everywhere in sight.
Panic-stricken, he had no choice but to disturb the diligent Young President Yu, who was still burning the midnight oil working away in the study.
Zhou Qi pressed down the door handle and slowly pushed the door open. Afraid of interrupting him, he even lowered his voice.
"Ge, where'd you put your charging cab..."
Another voice suddenly echoed through the room.
...An extremely, extremely familiar voice.
In fact, completely identical to the one currently coming from the living room.
The different devices had a slight delay, but they largely overlapped. A voice both warm and soft, yet touched with a hint of cool clarity.
"Hello, everyone. Long time no see."
"How long will I broadcast? Just a little while. I'll stop once Ye Qingman finishes filming."
"Mm. Yeah, I'm visiting her in Hengdian right now."
Zhou Qi stood there for a moment, utterly petrified.
"..."
What the hell.
Wasn't this Yao-mei's livestream?!
This man had righteousy hidden himself away in here...
Only to secretly watch Yao-mei's livestream alone?!
"..."
The study fell deathly silent.
The man behind the desk paused for two seconds, slowly lifting his eyes. Yu Jiashu locked his screen and stared at him expressionlessly. "Need something?"
Cold air swept through the hallway. Zhou Qi couldn't help shivering. Yu Jiashu's gaze felt sharp enough to freeze blood, like he might murder him to keep this secret buried.
"N-no, nothing..." Zhou Qi shut the door with trembling hands and retreated mechanically. "P-please, carry on..."
Bang.
The door shut again. Zhou Qi fled back to the living room like he was escaping a crime scene. Things crashed and clattered to the floor in his wake, followed by a muffled yelp of pain that he quickly choked back.
Like he was afraid of disturbing some sleeping monster.
Yu Jiashu: "..."
?
***
"I've been good lately. I haven't been too tired."
Qi Yao sat in the car, holding her phone with one hand, leaning in close to read the comments.
[Yao-mei!!! WHEN'S THE NEW DRAMA AIRING!!!]
[QI GU IS REAL QI GU IS REAL QI GU IS REAL]
[Wifey, have you eaten yet!]
"I did."
"Why did I suddenly decide to livestream today?" Qi Yao tilted her head thoughtfully. "Because if I didn't show my face soon, you guys would've nagged me to death."
Night had fully fallen outside, the sky was pitch black. Not wanting to disturb the filming crew, she'd parked farther away with the car door cracked open slightly. Streetlights and moonlight spilled softly across her, she looked startlingly gentle.
Lizi was in the passenger seat, helping her set up the phone stand.
"Oh my, this..." Qi Yao leaned in to read a commenter's ID, sounding it out word by word. "'Yao-mei's little dog'...”
[HOLY CRAP BEAUTY ATTACK AAAAAHHH]
[WIFE DON'T LEAN THAT CLOSE MY HEART CAN'T HANDLE IT]
"What's with these username?" She laughed softly. "I actually read your letter today."
Qi Yao shifted back a little, revealing more of herself to the camera before making a heart with her hands. Her eyes curved warmly.
"Congratulations on your marriage."
[Jealous. Envious. Losing my mind. Qi Yao really is the sweetest angel in all of c-ent...]
[Wifey you, I'm seriously crying, I'm gonna go get married right now, can you send me a blessing too]
[AAAAAHHH Yao-mei I was the first one to rush out after work today!! Can you praise me too!!]
Qi Yao was laughing so hard she could barely continue, keeping up the banter while responding.
Then, suddenly, the screen lagged again.
A line of small text flashed past in the comment bar, shoved upward by the torrent of comments in under a second.
But that username was far too familiar.
Qi Yao stiffened subtly.
[XM Chip Developer - Yu Jiashu has entered the livestream!]
......
Qi Yao pressed her lips together. She pretended not to notice and continued chatting.
"'My face looks crooked in the back camera, what should I do?'" She slowly read the question aloud from the comments.
"It's okay. My face looks crooked too." Qi Yao took a sip of water. She looked away from the lens and waved a hand. "I'll have Lizi switch to the back camera so you can see."
Lizi took the phone, flipped it around, and switched the lens.
Qi Yao waved at the camera. "See? My face is crooked too, right?"
"It's definitely the phone's fault, so don't worry."
[She's seriously too sweet 55555]
[YOU CALL THAT CROOKED?! Yao-mei do you have some kind of misunderstanding about yourself? You're goddess descended from heaven]
[She's just too gentle! Wifey I love you [tears][tears][tears][tears]]
Using the back camera meant she couldn't see comments anymore, so Lizi carefully switched it back while trying to keep the shot steady.
For some reason, in just that short span of time, the screen was suddenly flooded with even more CP fans bearing the Qi Gu ship name.
[MY SHIP IS REAL AHHHH]
[Dammit how is this not an official announcement yet?! Go public, I'm begging you!!]
Qi Yao's expression remained neutral. She didn't know whether something had happened on Gu Heng's side, but she chose to act like she hadn't seen anything.
[Yao-mei has something happy happened recently!! The moon is super round today too!!]
The moon was even rounder on the sixteenth day of the lunar month, hanging bright and flawless in the night sky.
Qi Yao looked up and smiled softly.
"I am really happy lately. I hope everyone's happy too."
[The new photos you posted are seriously gorgeous too!!]
Perhaps buoyed by her mood, she let out a mock-haughty scoff at the camera, tilting her chin up for a sip of water. "Well, it's me. How could it not be gorgeous?"
[Feels like boyfriend POV hehe]
[I DON'T CARE GU HENG DEFINITELY TOOK THOSE PHOTOS!!!!]
[@GuHeng @GuHeng @GuHeng YOUR WIFE IS LIVESTREAMING WHY AREN'T YOU HERE]
Qi Yao: "...Cough cough!"
Something in the comments made her choke instantly.
"Don't say nonsense, you guys." Qi Yao lowered her eyes to tighten the water bottle cap. When she looked back up again, the screen was freezing and lagging under a barrage of gift effects.
A sense of foreboding rose in her heart.
Sure enough, flashy animated effects began flooding endlessly across the top of the screen, completely burying all the ship comments underneath.
[XM Chip Developer – Yu Jiashu] gifted @Qi Yao a Yacht!
[XM Chip Developer – Yu Jiashu] gifted @Qi Yao a Ferrari!
[XM Chip Developer – Yu Jiashu] gifted @Qi Yao a Dream Castle!
[XM Chip Developer - Yu Jiashu] used a special privilege to send a Super Shoutout:
“YaoYao Jellybeans scream with me! Heavenly-beauty Qi Xiao Yao ❤️ Human-Ideal Qi Xiao Yao 🌈 Gentle-and-Thoughtful Qi Xiao Yao ☁️ Healing-Smile Qi Xiao Yao ❤️ One-and-Only Qi Xiao Yao 🌈 Capture-of-My-Heart Qi Xiao Yao ☁️ Brighter-Than-The-Moon-And-Stars Qi Xiao Yao ❤️ Love-At-First-Sight Qi Xiao Yao 🌈 Treaaure-Girl Qi Xiao Yao ☁️ Work-Hard-To-Meet-Qi-Xiao-Yao ❤️”
[[XM Chip Developer - Yu Jiashu] used a special privilege to send a Super Shoutout:
“You can miss the last bus at sunset 🚗 You can miss a meteor shower ⭐ You can miss April cherry blossoms 🌸 You can miss amazing movies 📺 You can miss magical moments ☁️ You can miss many, many things, but you absolutely cannot miss treasure girl Qi Xiao Yao ❤️❗Qi Xiao Yao ❤️❗Qi Xiao Yao ❤️❗Qi Xiao Yao ❤️❗Qi Xiao Yao ❤️❗”
Qi Yao: "..."
Even Lizi was struck silent for a moment.
The atmosphere felt so awkward you could practically hear cartoon crows flying overhead.
Qi Yao's expression was beyond description.
[HAHAHAHA WHAT IS THIS YAOYAO JELLYBEAN DOING]
[WIFE JUST GOT HIT WITH SECONDHAND EMBARRASSMENT LOOK AT HER FACE LMAOOOO]
[Using your real-name account and still being this brave is INSANE 233333]
The comments instantly burst into chaos and laughter, completely burying the ‘boyfriend POV’ and Gu Heng topics.
After a very long pause, Qi Yao finally recovered and spoke seriously.
"Um... everyone really needs to be careful about account security, okay? Be extra careful not to get hacked."
After thinking for a moment, she added earnestly:
"And don't lend your accounts to other people either. You never know what other people might use it for…”
The phone beside her suddenly lit up with a notification ding.
Qi Yao glanced down slightly.
Her facial recognition unlocked instantly, displaying the new message directly on screen.
[S]: Wasn't hacked.
[S]: It's really me.
---
Author's Note:
Shu: Well, they already saw it anyway.
Whatever. Fine. I'm done pretending!
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