Starlight Descends - 36

Softness

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“Holy shit holy shit holy shit!!”

“What is this princess-and-knight setup?! I’m going to die from the sweetness!”

On the video call, Ye Qingman had both hands covering her face, fingers spread just enough to peek through. Her ears were red with excitement as she practically vibrated in place, a nonstop stream of profanity spilling out between squeals.

“Did this man secretly take some advanced flirting course or something? How does he make even playing a game sound so insanely romantic?!”

Qi Yao’s face burned hotter the more she spoke. She quickly set her pen down and covered her ears. “Alright, alright, stop talking already. We need to discuss something serious.”

Ye Qingman spiraled for a while longer, shrieking and squirming in front of the camera before finally calming down, genuinely puzzled.

“We have serious business? Isn’t your love life currently the number one issue in the world?”

Qi Yao: “...”

“The script selection!”

“Ohhh, right.” Ye Qingman finally remembered. She narrowed her eyes at Qi Yao meaningfully, clicked her tongue twice, then shook her head so theatrically that Qi Yao grew uncomfortable under the scrutiny before she finally got around to thinking seriously.

"What were you agonizing over again? Zhang Chengming’s drama, and that web series by... whoever, I forgot who?”

Qi Yao lowered her eyes to the script in her hands. Black pen marks and annotations covered nearly every page. She hummed softly. “The writers and director are all newcomers. One of them is even your junior from school. But the script itself... has real spark to it."

Honestly, there shouldn’t have been much to hesitate over.

Being able to move from online platforms onto television screens, onto satellite broadcast—no actor who came up through web dramas would ever willingly refuse.

Without question, it was the kind of opportunity that could redefine an entire career trajectory.

"You know what my advice is." Ye Qingman, no longer shipping, had moved on to cracking sunflower seeds.

“Good scripts are hard to come by. I haven't read your web one, but it can't possibly be better than Zhang Chengming's.”

“If the options are roughly equal, I'd obviously say take the safer road. Besides, Director Zhang is waiting on you. You can't really brush him off, can you?"

“I know, but...”

Qi Yao paused for a moment, looking at her annotations and underlines from reading the script. After a long silence, she sighed. "Let me think about it some more.”

She genuinely liked the story.

And the director had deliberately pulled strings to make sure the script was sent to her, and only her.

Qi Yao had Lizi do a little digging. The production team was so underfunded, so much so that if she didn't sign on, the whole thing felt like it might collapse. And if that happened, it would be a real waste of a good script.

Forget it.

Qi Yao exhaled slowly and decided to sit on the choice a little longer.

"Oh, right. When exactly do the Fengxing results come out? It's already the end of the month."

“No idea.” Qi Yao paused briefly and shook her head. “I haven’t asked him.”

Ye Qingman frowned. “Do you think this whole scandal might affect the background check? Fengxing’s ridiculously strict. They won’t tolerate even a tiny bit of messy gossip.”

Qi Yao was silent for a moment, then shrugged, the corner of her lips curving up. “That's not something I can control. And anyway, with Teacher Zhao Min and all those heavy hitters in the running, it wasn't necessarily going to land on me in the first place."

Ye Qingman studied her for a moment and didn't call out her feigned nonchalance. They chatted idly for a few more minutes, though Qi Yao was obviously distracted the entire time, and less than five minutes later, the call ended.

Qi Yao lay slumped over her desk, staring blankly at the decorations sitting there.

A crystal snow globe from Disneyland.

Clear and sparkling.

Inside, a dreamy blue-roofed castle stood beneath drifting snow, tiny flakes of gold glitter floating through the glass. A princess and prince stood before the gates, smiling brightly.

“This knight is always at your service.”

...

Qi Yao shot upright and shook her head hard, trying to fling the sentence lingering stubbornly in her ears out of her mind. She pressed her lips together, thought for a moment, then opened Weibo to browse the trending topics related to the new Fengxing endorsement.

It wasn't just Ye Qingman who had this concern. A segment of netizens was equally convinced.

[Insider info: qy made it into Fengxing’s final round, and apparently even got direct pass.]

[Her professional skills are actually pretty impressive, but it's such a shame. This thing blew up too big. Fengxing definitely won’t choose her now.]

[If it were just dating rumors it’d be one thing, but the cheating and mistress accusations were the real problem. Sure, she cleared things up, but whenever people mention her now, those keywords still come to mind. No brand is going to choose an artist associated with that kind of controversy as the face of a flagship product.]

[Why are you guys discussing this so seriously... as if she would've gotten it without the scandal lol. One candidate is a traffic actress buried in gossip, the other is an established actress with stable ratings and a rock-solid fanbase. The comparison’s brutal. If it were you, who would you pick?]

Qi Yao scrolled through two pages before exiting and chugging down an entire glass of water.

Bad timing.

Bad circumstances.

One wrong incident could destroy all the preparation she’d done beforehand.

But what could she do? This was reality.

Qi Yao forced herself not to think about it anymore, undid her hair, and went to shower.

Steam fogged the bathroom mirror. She shut off the tap, worked oil into her smooth black hair, and blow-dried it until it was half dry.

After showering, she sat in the living room, resumed the movie she hadn’t finished last time, and continued watching while applying body lotion.

Movie dialogue drifted through the room, accompanied by intermittent strange squeaking sounds.

At first she assumed it was part of the soundtrack.

But after a while, the noise became too abrupt, too irregular, and too close—as if it were happening right beside her. She grabbed the remote and paused the movie.

The sound stopped for a second too.

Then it started again.

Qi Yao jumped in fright.

Phone clutched tightly in hand, she cautiously followed the source of the noise.

Step by step, from the living room to the kitchen doorway. The sound grew louder, like the squeaking of a small animal.

Goosebumps spread across her skin. She didn’t dare go inside. Standing frozen at the kitchen doorway, she didn’t even dare turn on the lights for fear of startling whatever it was. Using only the weak glow of her phone screen, she slowly peeked around the corner and finally spotted movement beneath the counter.

 

Small. Long tail. Fur. White paws...

A RAT!!!

Qi Yao shrieked and jumped backward violently. Her shoulder slammed into the kitchen light switch, flooding the room with brightness.

The creature, startled itself, squeaked even louder and shot past her feet with blinding speed, barely a blur!

Qi Yao was frozen in terror, every hair on her body standing on end, skin crawling with goosebumps. She pressed herself against the wall, breathing in shallow little gasps, and lifted her phone with a trembling hand.

[1]: HELP!!!

After sending the message, she clutched her phone and scanned around in fear, but couldn't see where it had gone. It was nowhere in sight. 

Pressed against the wall for a full minute, her breathing gradually steadied. Slightly calmer, she lit up her phone screen again and only then realized it was nearly one in the morning.

She hesitated, about to tap into the chat and recall the message, when she saw the reply already waiting.

[S]: ?

Two seconds later.

[S]: Open the door.

The handle slowly turned.

The lock clicked softly as the black security door swung open a crack, revealing a bare, clean face.

The man looked down at her, his gaze sweeping her from head to toe. Only after confirming she was fine did the tension in his brows ease slightly.

“What happened?”

“There’s a rat.” Still frightened, Qi Yao pointed shakily inside, not daring to move an inch forward, and stepped aside to let him in.

“Where?”

“In the kitchen just now. I screamed when I saw it and it ran past my feet. I think it went toward the study.”

Yu Jiashu circled the kitchen, one hand grabbing a broom and dustpan. Qi Yao followed right behind him, refusing to to leave even half a step between them, narrating as she went.

 

She was genuinely terrified, even her voice shook as she spoke.

Yu Jiashu didn’t tease her this time. He simply acknowledged her softly and told her to wait outside while he checked the study.

Nothing there.

“You sure it came in here?”

"I was watching from outside. I only saw it go into the hallway. I don't know which room.”

Qi Yao stuck to him like a shadow. If basic decency weren’t stopping her, she probably would’ve climbed directly onto his back already.

She really was scared.

The orphanage hadn't had the best conditions. Late at at night, rats always crawled through the damp dark corners, fat and greasy-looking. Even now, she still feared them instinctively.

Yu Jiashu hummed quietly. Dark lashes lowered, he listened for a moment, then stepped into the first room on the left.

Qi Yao, terrified the thing would burst out from somewhere, stayed glued to him.

This was her bedroom. Spacious, softly lit. A large blue-and-white bed sat neatly made with clean, plush bedding. Beside the balcony was another door connecting to the adjacent room that had been converted into a walk-in closet.

The room carried obvious traces of everyday life.

Several books sat on the desk. Scented candles rested on the bedside table. A fluffy white rug spread across the floor near the bed. The balcony doors were shut against the wind, gauze curtains veiling half the city lights beyond.

Qi Yao had been nervously glued to his side the entire time when her gaze suddenly swept across something unfortunate.

Her breathing stopped.

Caught between panic and embarrassment, she struggled for two seconds before cautiously inching away from behind him and sidling toward the bed.

Trying her absolute best to discreetly shove the intimate garments resting on the bed into the covers.

She had just pinched the edge of a bralette when a familiar squeak sounded right by the bed!

“...!”

Her blood nearly froze solid.

Maybe it was just fear playing tricks on her, but she could practically feel fur brushing against her ankle.

Without thinking, she threw both arms around the nearest thing she could grab and jumped onto it.

Like an octopus, she wrapped herself around the unknown object with both arms and legs, eyes squeezed tightly shut, face scrunched together in terror. Somewhere in the middle of her panic, distant part of her brain still had the presence of mind to think: Thank god I held it in and didn't scream. That would have been so embarrassing.

Then two seconds later, the thing she was clinging to moved.

“...”

A brief rustle, and then the thing stilled again.

An astonishing silence filled the room.

After a long, long moment, Qi Yao held her breath and reached up with a trembling hand, feeling lightly at this “thing” she was hugging.

Warm.

Alive.

Through the thin layer of clothing, she could even feel body heat, pulse, heartbeat.

Her legs immediately gave out and she nearly slid off, but Yu Jiashu reached out and caught the back of her knees, steadying her before she could fall.

The air itself seemed to go silent.

Even the small animal sensed the shift in atmosphere and fell silent in sheer alarm.

Softness pressed against his back.

Slender pale arms looped around his neck.

Yu Jiashu slowly raised a brow and lowered his eyes toward the cautious little movements of her fingers against his chest.

“Not getting down?” he asked.

The hand froze. The delicate fingertips trembled twice, then curled inward uncontrollably. He could practically picture the mortified flush spreading to the tips of her ears.

The corners of Yu Jiashu’s lips lifted upward.

Dragging out his words lazily, he said, “Next time you need me to carry you while catching guinea pigs, I’m charging extra.”

“...”

Qi Yao was silent for two seconds before finally opening her eyes and slowly sliding off his back.

He was a full head taller than her. Without him bending down, and without her adrenaline-fueled freak vertical, there was no easy way for her to reach the ground directly.

And besides, Qi Yao curled her toes. Somewhere during the chaos, she’d kicked off her slippers. The only place she could step now was onto the bed itself, which brought her gaze roughly level with his.

Dark hair carrying the faint scent of shampoo brushed past his shoulder.

Her soft body slid against his back and shoulder.

An indescribably strange sensation lingered there.

Qi Yao stood on the bed, the cream-white sleep shirt that had ridden up with her movement now slowly cascading down—but not before offering a glimpse of a slender strip of pale waist.

The curve of her waist was smooth and delicate.

Her skin was fair and soft, rising subtly with each breath. A shallow indentation near her waist appeared faintly beneath the warm light, slim enough to look as though it could be fully encircled with one hand.

The lingering softness against his back refused to fade.

Yu Jiashu's breath stopped for a second. His Adam's apple slid along the long line of his throat.

The room lights were still off.

Only a dim night lamp glowed faintly from the corner, casting soft amber light across the room.

Neither of them spoke.

Only the sound of shifting fabric and uneven breathing filled the silence, and suddenly the entire atmosphere turned unbearably intimate.

The charge in the air made the ears burn.

Qi Yao hurriedly pulled her hands from his shoulders and awkwardly changed the subject.

“What guinea pig? Wasn’t that just a rat?”

At the sound of her voice, Yu Jiashu dragged his gaze upward and stared at her for a moment. His pupils were dark, unreadable. It was a long while before he spoke. "Hm?"

“What did you say?”

Qi Yao: “...”

So he hadn’t been listening either.

Pressing her lips together, she pointed toward the dustpan. “Guinea pig?”

Yu Jiashu paused for two beats, made a low sound of assent, and looked down, calling the building management on his phone. "Probably someone's pet that got out."

For some reason, his voice sounded slightly hoarse. Maybe she was imagining it.

Qi Yao cautiously peeked through the gap.

The little white guinea pig actually looked rather cute.

Completely harmless, really.

It must have slipped in when Lizi took out the trash earlier and didn't shut the door tightly, only revealing itself now in the quiet of the night.

Yu Jiashu turned his head away and stopped looking at her. One hand held the phone while he briefly explained the situation. Property management promised to come collect it within twenty minutes.

Still standing on the bed, Qi Yao took advantage of his phone call to crouch down and smoothly stuff that bit of fabric into the covers, even carefully tucking the edge of the duvet afterward.

"Next time, just call," Yu Jiashu said when the call ended, lifting his eyes to look at her. "What if I hadn't seen the message."

"If you didn't see it, you didn't see it."

Qi Yao sat quietly on the edge of the bed, speaking softly.

It almost sounded like she was comforting him instead.

“You should’ve been asleep at this hour anyway. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

Fresh from the shower, her hair half dry, she sat there quietly looking up at him.

Her peach-blossom eyes were clear and bright. Even her voice was soft, rising gently into the quiet room.

“But I was really scared back then. My brain blanked out and I didn’t even think. I just instinctively messaged you.”

Instinctively.

Yu Jiashu turned the word over in his mind, and his breathing suddenly caught.

Did she have any idea how intimate that sounded?

As though he were the emergency contact she’d call without hesitation.The person whose number she knew by heart. The first person a child would run to after falling down, arms spread wide for comfort.

Looking into her eyes, even his heart softened without warning.

Perhaps because she hadn't heard a response for a while, Qi Yao looked up at him in confusion.

Her slender neck and collarbones glowed beneath the dim yellow light, smooth and luminous like polished jade.

Yu Jiashu said nothing.

Dark eyes fixed on her for a long moment.

Then, without warning, the image of the thing she’d tried so hard to hide earlier flashed through his mind again.

White lace. Thin and delicate beneath the night lamp. Pure and vaguely suggestive all at once.

The softness seemed to return against his back again.

Yu Jiashu forcibly dragged his gaze away and tilted his head back, the line of his jaw drawn taut, and exhaled a heavy breath.

His Adam’s apple rolled once more along the line of his throat.

Staring at the faint shifting glow on the ceiling, he thought:

Fuck.

She’s too damn adorable.

Author’s Note:

Yu Jiashu: Too damn adorable.

Qi Yao: (completely unaware, peeking around nervously) Where did my slippers go?

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