Starlight Descends - 31

Lantern

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She spent the night at Ye Qingman's. When she woke, the owner of the place was already gone for hair and makeup, leaving two breakfasts on the table.

Coastal cities cooled fast. The autumn wind cut sharper than in C City, bleak and withering. Qi Yao shivered, wrapped her scarf tight, and boarded the plane.

Starting today, she'd begin dubbing for the historical drama she'd filmed back in May. It would likely wrap around the year's end, right before her next project began.

Autumn wasn’t peak travel season. Business class sat mostly empty, quiet to the point of stillness.

Qi Yao reclined slightly in her seat, flipping through her script to get into character in advance. 

Through the open window shade, the weather was beautiful. Thick, cotton-like clouds drifted lazily beneath a sky washed impossibly blue.

The engine hummed steadily, a mechanical white noise that slowly pulled at her consciousness.

She hadn’t slept well the night before. Between her own tangled thoughts and helping her management team deal with the online controversy, exhaustion had already settled deep into her bones.

Gradually, the hand holding the script dropped. Qi Yao closed her eyes and sank into a tangled dream.

Days this bright were rare in C City. Whenever it appeared, it practically warranted a Hot Search. But in Beijing, it was ordinary.

Beijing always seemed sunny no matter the season.

The sun hung high overhead, dry and blazing, evaporating the moisture from the air, leaving her perpetually parched.

Maybe because the story from last night still hadn’t finished playing out in her subconscious, she dreamed again of her days working at the coffee shop.

Qi Yao majored in Chinese literature. By sophomore year, her class schedule had already lightened considerably.

At the time, ‘Midsummer’ had just wrapped filming but hadn’t aired yet. Qiu Lang kept sending her from one tiny production crew to another, playing nameless third and fourth female leads that barely made the credits.

Outside of filming, she worked part-time at a café two streets away from campus.

The owner was an alumnus. At first, after hearing she needed a schedule with uncertain hours, he didn’t want to hire her. But two days later, for reasons she never quite knew, he called her back and asked her to come in.

Qi Yao had always been grateful for that.

She worked diligently every day, learning coffee-making and baking with surprising talent. Surrounded by the rich aroma of coffee beans and butter, her skills improved almost exponentially.

One day, she was in the kitchen making brownies.

Chocolate and butter melted over a water bath, set aside to cool. Eggs beaten with caster sugar. The hand mixer vibrated gently, whipping the golden yolks, the tremor traveling up her arm.

Through the buzzing hum, she heard a coworker calling for her and quickly washed her hands before stepping outside.

“Yao-mei, my stomach’s killing me. Can you cover the register for a bit?”

"Sure," Qi Yao answered, seizing the chance to redo her slipping ponytail. She stretched the elastic band between her fingers, lifting it to gather her smooth, long hair.

The café door suddenly swung open.

The wind chime hanging above it rang crisp and clear, announcing new customers.

The white elastic inexplicably tangled around her slender fingers, tying itself into a knot. 

Listening vaguely to the incoming group talk about mathematical modeling competitions and national awards in electronics design, Qi Yao frowned and lowered her eyes, tugging lightly with one finger.

“Ah…”

A soft gasp escaped her.

The tiny elastic suddenly slipped free from her hand. It bounced a few times through the air with surprising elasticity, then leaped right over the counter.

Several college-aged boys stood before the counter. Two instinctively reached out to catch it, but both missed.

The little hair tie traced a clean arc through the air before finally landing on—

Qi Yao’s gaze followed it downward.

When it reached its destination, her expression froze.

Click.

A tiny sound rang through the air.

The sound of a charm hitting a phone screen.

The man at the center of the group paused. One hand loosely held his phone by the edge while the other removed an earbud. On the screen, which was playing a game livestream in landscape mode, a white hair tie had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Pure white. With a tiny rabbit charm hanging from it.

Yu Jiashu's motion of removing his earbud paused for only a second. Then his long, bony fingers wound the earbud cord in a neat loop. With the other hand, he hooked the elastic on his index finger, He flipped the phone screen off against his palm, and held both loosely at his side.

Qi Yao’s heartbeat thundered wildly in her chest.

She watched him glance over lazily, extend the hair tie back to her, and sweep his eyes over the menu, his voice carrying a weary, cool detachment.

“One Americano, thanks.”

"...Oh, right. Okay.” She carefully reached out to take it, but her fingertips still brushed inevitably against his cool palm.

So close.

Yet impossibly far away.

“…Thank you,” Qi Yao murmured softly.

It was him.

She lowered her eyes to ring up the order, her thoughts drifted for a moment.

At the foot of the imperial capital, people were everywhere, especially around the university district.

Back in high school, No. 1 High had once felt enormous, and yet she could round a corner to use the bathroom and still bump into the person she wanted to see.

She had never so clearly understood how impossibly difficult it was, in the vast sea of humanity, to simply cross paths with someone you had no connection to.

Her university and T University were separated by only two streets.

And in two whole years, they had never met.

Only this once.

Even after everyone finished ordering, the roaring in Qi Yao’s ears still hadn’t subsided.

She moved almost mechanically through the drink orders. The espresso machine dripped and hissed, releasing a rich, faintly bitter aroma. She couldn't stop her gaze from drifting toward him.

He and his friends had taken a large table by the window.

The weather that day had been bright too. Sunlight poured generously through spotless glass windows, falling over him, gilding even his outline in a hazy, blurred glow.

They sat facing each other, laptops and papers spread across the entire table. When Qi Yao approached with her tray, she could barely find a spot to set the cups down.

The boy nearest the edge noticed and quickly cleared some space for her.

Qi Yao set the cups down one by one, catching fragments of their conversation.

Complaints that every seminar room on campus was booked. Lab approvals taking too long. Their project deadline was approaching, and they couldn't even find a place to work through the night.

The others grumbled along.

Only Yu Jiashu didn't speak.

His long fingers tapped steadily across the keyboard. Sometimes he picked up a pen to revise designs on the blueprint beside him. His pale lashes lowered, looking serious and completely absorbed.

Qi Yao pressed her lips together, gathered the empty tray, and turned away.

He was always so focused on the things he loved. That look on him was beautiful. She had always known that.

Her coworker returned from the bathroom and thanked her profusely, Qi Yao simply nodded and went back into the kitchen.

The butter and chocolate had melted and cooled. The egg mixture had reached the right consistency. All the ingredients for the brownies were ready.

But she couldn’t settle down.

Qi Yao lifted her eyes and looked at him through the glass.

The boy’s profile seemed wrapped in a hazy filter, blending with the golden sunlight, like a mottled, shimmering dream.

After a long moment, she took out her phone and called the owner.

The plane gradually began descending.

The roar of the engine grew louder. Pressure shifted. It felt as if water had suddenly filled her ears, faint ringing following close behind.

The dream ended abruptly.

Her long lashes trembled lightly as Qi Yao opened her eyes, gaze unfocused somewhere ahead, her thoughts adrift.

After a pause, she lowered her eyes and slowly bent down to retrieve the script that had slipped onto the floor.

It had fallen open to the scene where the female lead finally confessed the feelings she had carried for years.

Beside the lines, neat handwriting had been scribbled in the margins.

“Secret love is a rainstorm loud enough to shake the world.”

A cold front howls through. But it drenches only her.

Those things that no one else ever knew—they end here.

***

Downtown C City, eighteenth floor.

Game sound effects echoed through the living room. Cartoon characters flashed across the television screen in explosions of colorful, chaotic visual effects.

It was the weekend. Students and office workers alike were finally enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

Yu Jiashu lounged lazily against the sofa, legs spread slightly apart, long fingers loosely gripping the Switch controller. He nudged the joystick occasionally, maneuvering his character.

Zhou Qi stared at the screen with intense tension, clutching his controller so hard veins bulged on the backs of his hands. His entire body leaned unconsciously along with the game character’s movements.

Even then, he somehow still found the energy to anxiously ask, “Uh, bro.”

“Hm?”

Yu Jiashu answered lazily.

Shifting light from the screen flickered across his face. His posture was relaxed, chin slightly raised, jawline sharp and clean, giving him an air of effortless composure.

“So about my goddess… ahhh, fuck! Why is this guy only targeting me?!”

After a flurry of chaotic, desperate maneuvers, the gorilla on screen had managed to barely survived. Clinging to Yu Jiashu’s Mario like a terrified little henchman, Zhou Qi finally exhaled in relief and continued his question.

“My goddess denying the dating rumors… it’s making a pretty huge mess online, it shouldn’t affect Fengxing’s background check, right?”

Ever since discovering Yu Jiashu secretly watching Qi Yao’s livestream alone in the study, Zhou Qi had been unable to gauge his actual stance. Even speaking around him required caution now.

Yu Jiashu’s expression remained unchanged. Without pausing his movements, he executed a flawless combo, sending another player flying off the stage, and only then slowly raised an eyebrow at Zhou Qi.

“What impact would it have?”

“……”

Zhou Qi choked on his own words.

For some reason, he felt like Yu Jiashu’s calm expression carried the faintest trace of satisfaction.

After the statement had been released last night, “Qi Yao Studio Denies Relationship Rumors” inevitably hit the Hot Search.

The “QiGu” supertopic had practically been celebrating New Year moments earlier. Fans had been crying tears of joy eagerly revisiting clips, behind-the-scenes footage, fan-edited videos, and fanmade posters.

Who knew the happiness wouldn’t last long.

The moment the statement dropped, chaos exploded across the internet.

[...A celebrity personally denying dating rumors tied to a popular CP? First time I’ve ever seen this in c-ent. Does this woman seriously not want these fans anymore?]

[I don’t even watch dramas or ship BG couples and even I know how huge QiGu is. Why does she suddenly cutting ties the second people mention real life? Is there some inside story?]

[Think carefully. If Gu Heng wasn’t visiting Yao-mei… then who was he visiting?]

Some believed it. Some didn’t.

But overall, the pink bubbles collapsed, and public attention gradually turned its scrutiny toward Gu Heng himself.

Naturally, a large number of Gu Heng’s solo fans began viciously attacking Qi Yao online. The insults were ugly.

[LMAOOOOO, this chick was shamelessly glomming onto him when they were pushing the CP. Now she's had her fill of the benefits and suddenly she rushes to distance herself? Who cares about you anyway? The queen of having it both ways, I've truly witnessed it all today.]

[To which I say: Qi-jie, get a grip. No one actually thinks you'd be our real sister-in-law. No need to jump out and announce yourself like this.]

[Has the web drama girl flop so hard she has to buy fake relationship trends for relevance now? Qi Yao’s representative work: QiGu CP (green tea).]

[My god, I'd pay serious money for a pair of eyes that have never seen this. Not even that good-looking. Just a regular plain Jane in the entertainment industry, always out here hopping around.]

[Pure passerby here. Gu Heng fans having meltdowns is honestly hilarious. Anyone with eyes can tell who was the most enthusiastic one during the promotion period.]

[You can say Qi Yao has zero variety show sense. You can even say she's too polished and careful. Fine. But calling her ugly... @CCityPsychiatricHospitalDirector!]

…

People online seemed to have endless time on their hands. Everything became something to comment on.

The controversy looked serious at first glance, but on closer thought, none of it was actually Qi Yao’s fault.

“The internet creates a new storm every single day. A little fluctuation in public opinion is normal.” Yu Jiashu idly moved the joystick.

“She didn’t do anything wrong.”

"Good, no impact's good." Zhou Qi let out a huge, relieved breath. He smacked his lips thoughtfully. “Still though, what was that guy even doing there? This humble netizen also wants to know."

Yu Jiashu seemed to recall something.

He didn't answer, just stared at the screen, his thumb flicking the joystick, one side of his brow lifting very slightly. “The one who's about to get killed, stop following me."

“Holy crap!”

Zhou Qi suddenly snapped back to attention only to discover he’d been beaten down to a sliver of health. His character staggered twice before getting blasted clean off the map.

"DAMN IT!" He hurled his controller onto the sofa in fury.

“It’s him again! What the hell is wrong with this guy?!”

“Bro, avenge me! It’s him! That Pikachu!”

Yu Jiashu didn’t even look up.

“Sure,” he drawled lazily, hopping twice over the grayed-out gorilla body onscreen. “Go downstairs and run an errand for me later.”

The Smash Bros match finally reached its conclusion. Player S remained firmly in first place from start to finish.

Watching Yu Jiashu move swiftly and effortlessly across the map, Zhou Qi nodded immediately. He'd do anything right now.

Knock knock.

Someone rapped on the door. Zhou Qi reluctantly peeled himself off the sofa to answer it. Da Bai walked in carrying several large bags.

"Good lord, what's all this? You moving in?" Zhou Qi gaped.

“My ass.” Da Bai hauled the bags into the kitchen. “Dumplings and wontons my wife made. Baked a cake too. Stuff for the fridge. Told me to bring some over for you two.”

Yu Jiashu glanced over briefly.

“She keeps worrying you idiots never eat properly.” Da Bai tossed a smaller bag onto the coffee table.

“Heavens, Qian-jie is too good, she's basically my second parent!” Zhou Qi practically burst into tears of gratitude and immediately dug out a slice of cake.

“And what about me? I’m the one who carried all this over.”

“How could I forget you?” Zhou Qi hurried over and made a show of massaging his shoulders and pounding his back. Before long, though, he was craning his neck curiously toward the smaller bag. “What’s this?”

"Get off, you're hitting my head." Da Bai swatted his hands away. "Just some old photos of me and Shu from college. Fang Qian found them while cleaning and said I should bring them here.”

The game froze onto the results screen.

Player S had the highest overall score, the undisputed victor.

Yu Jiashu casually tossed the controller aside and glanced over.

“Why bring them here?”

"Who knows?" Da Bai pouted, looking somewhat aggrieved. "I didn't dare ask."

Laughing, Zhou Qi reached over and started flipping through them.

It really was a photo album.

There were group photos from university clubs, award photos from national competitions where Yu Jiashu stood as project lead, solo photos from outstanding student speeches, and occasional snapshots from project work.

"Was this the electronic design competition you guys did together?" Zhou Qi held one up.

“Yeah. I was just about to graduate from my master’s at the time and still got dragged into competing with him.”

“At least we brought home an actual national award.” Da Bai leaned over the album with a nostalgic grin. “Final year. First-class scholarship too. Used the money to buy your sister-in-law a ring.”

“Damn, impressive... huh?”

Zhou Qi suddenly paused.

He lifted one photo closer to the light and squinted.

“Wait. Isn’t this Yao-mei?”

One hand loosely gripping the back of his neck, Yu Jiashu slowly rolled his shoulders. At these words, his eyes flicked over.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”Da Bai snorted dismissively.

“You’ve lost your mind. Every day it’s ‘Yao-mei this, Yao-mei that.’ We were in school! What would she even be doing there?”

Zhou Qi pulled the photo out and squinted at it, inches from his face. He scrutinized it for a moment, then shot up and shoved it toward them.

“I’m serious!”

“Look yourself! How many years have I been a Yao Yao Jelly? This is absolutely, definitely her! If it's not, I'll walk a hundred laps around the complex on my hands!"

The man on the sofa lifted his eyes slightly. Leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees, he crooked a finger against the table.

Let me see.

Da Bai leaned in too. “Where?”

The photo showed a square wooden table cluttered with papers. Three people were bent over it, heads down, buried in research materials and circuit designs.

The paper scattered across the tabletop was slightly overexposed beneath the sunlight. Large printed words like “Voltage-Controlled LC Oscillator” and “Integrated Operational Amplifier Tester” could barely be made out.

Yu Jiashu glanced at it. The memory surfaced almost instantly. This had been during the electronics competition in his junior year.

Major competitions often overlapped with finals season. The university library was packed beyond capacity. Every seminar room was booked. Lab access required endless approval procedures.

They had needed to complete five years’ worth of past competition problems in a single week.

There simply wasn’t enough time.

To make matters worse, it was peak tourist season. Hotel rooms were impossible to book.

During the day, they'd wander between whatever coffee shops they could find.

At night, if they got lucky, they found bars willing to stay open late. If not, they rented private booths at internet cafés and survived there.

It was miserable.

“So how did we solve it in the end?” Da Bai frowned, trying to remember. “I feel like we only suffered for a day or two. Then things went back to normal."

The photo was a candid shot, poorly framed. In the top-right corner, part of the café counter appeared. A slender figure was quietly tucked there. 

Yu Jiashu looked down, his eyes still.

She was so fair. Her profile was serene and lovely.. Sitting alone behind the counter, she rested her chin in both hands, eyes half closed as though exhaustion had finally overcome her and she’d drifted into a light doze.

The weather had been bright.

Sunlight poured over her, illuminating pale skin and the straight line of her back until she almost seemed to glow.

…How had they solved it?

Yu Jiashu stared for a long moment. His heart stirred, and a strange, clutching ache seized him.

The feeling was difficult to explain.

Like wandering alone through a long, dull forest at night, only to realize years after reaching the end that someone had once quietly carried a lantern behind him the entire way, accompanying him within the limits of what she could do.

“This café stayed open twenty-four hours a day for an entire week.” 

And there had only been one person on staff.

Yu Jiashu lowered his eyes and answered softly.

Silence instantly filled the living room. Nobody spoke.

Da Bai and Zhou Qi exchanged a look, shock written all over their faces.

Within the drifting haze of memory, Yu Jiashu stared at that slender figure and suddenly remembered.

Back then, they’d joked that fate itself must have wanted them to win, since every obstacle had somehow resolved itself so easily.

But that wasn’t true.

Even for Yu Jiashu, life didn't hand out that many easy victories.

It was that girl who liked him. 

The girl who had quietly tucked herself away in a corner. The girl who had kept them company through the long nights.

She had, without a sound, lit a lantern in his life.

---

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