Starlight Descends - 46
Fireworks
The shadows of the trees swayed gently. The streetlights cast a warm amber glow across the narrow lane.
The warmth and bustle of ordinary life drifted back little by little, settling once more upon two ordinary people whose deepest wishes had finally been granted.
The two of them sat side by side on the bench. Moonlight spilled around them, serene and beautiful, as though the distant noise and laughter belonged to another world entirely.
"...So how did you figure it out?"
The sweet aroma of roasted sweet potato lingered in the air. Qi Yao took a bite and asked softly.
She had assumed he'd thrown the letter away long ago.
And even if he hadn't, seven or eight years had passed. If it had ended up buried somewhere during a move or lost among old belongings, that would've been perfectly understandable. Let alone digging it out from the distant past and going through the trouble of buying one of those cheap invisible-ink pens only schoolchildren use.
"Your handwriting hasn't changed much."
Yu Jiashu knew exactly what she was thinking. He tilted his head lazily, watching her take tiny nibbling bites, warm white puffs escaping with each breath. She looked like a tiny hamster. A faint laugh escaped him as he said casually,
"I'm not so hopeless that I can't recognize someone's handwriting."
He hadn't thrown it away.
Yu Jiashu really did have an exceptional memory. Combined with a mind that absorbed things almost instantly, it was one of the reasons studying and research always seemed easier for him than for most people.
Qi Yao had delivered the letter too perfectly. Quietly. Invisibly. By the time the housekeeper found it tucked inside his schoolbag while cleaning, nearly a month had already passed since the college entrance exams.
That day happened to be one of those afternoons when several friends were hanging around Nanshan, noisily playing games together. He heard his aunt calling him, walked to the doorway, took the envelope, and opened it.
It's hard to describe what he felt then. Complicated, probably, edged with something like helplessness.
The words on the page were too sincere.
So sincere that even though she'd said nothing about herself, he could still sense, faintly, something that set this letter apart from all the others.
But in the end, it was a letter that required no response, a letter he didn't need to answer.
Seventeen-year-old Yu Jiashu stood there for a long time.
Finally, he let out a slow breath and, just like all the countless letters before it, placed it into a cardboard box.
At the time, he hadn't known.
The letter he casually set aside contained an entire youth spent liking him.
Pulling himself out of the memory, Yu Jiashu lowered his gaze and said lightly, "I happened to see the interview. I was already driving this way, passed by Nanshan, and thought I'd take a look."
And as luck would have it, one of Yu Qiuqiu's pens had been tossed carelessly onto the table.
Everything had unfolded as naturally as if it were always meant to happen.
Just many years later than it should have.
But at least they hadn't missed each other again.
"So that's when you realized," Qi Yao pressed her lips together, her fingers warmed by the paper bag around the sweet potato, "that the person I was talking about was you?"
Yu Jiashu raised an eyebrow. "If it wasn't me, who else would it be?"
He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Qi Yao: "..."
Fine.
Whatever makes you happy.
She lowered her head and focused on eating her sweet potato.
Truthfully, she had thought the invisible-ink confession was pretty silly herself.
But she didn't have a choice. She'd been afraid Yu Jiashu would recognize her handwriting.
A teenage girl's feelings were always delicate and sensitive. Under the weight of reality, it was impossible not to worry about everything.
They'd only crossed paths briefly in the first place.
Their lives had only intersected for a fleeting moment. He might not have even known what she looked like. A sudden confession would've felt abrupt.
She didn't want to say something so precious in a careless way.
She'd truly meant to leave no trace behind. A blessing alone would've been enough.
But people are selfish at heart. No matter how much she told herself she didn't want him to know, a part of her still wanted to leave behind something she could hold onto.
Just like that day in September, the first time she ran into him at the convenience store.
He had turned around and asked politely, distantly, who she was.
At the time, Qi Yao had stared at his back and thought:
Don't daydream anymore.
She understood all the logic. But later, when Yu Jiashu waited downstairs for her...
She simply stood there, watching his tall figure bathed in golden light, and couldn't stop herself from wondering.
If there really was no future for them, would she regret it?
Thankfully...
Everything she'd wanted to say to him all those years ago had finally reached him.
Like wishes scattered across the Milky Way and the far reaches of the universe, echoing over and over again until at last they receive a reply.
But still... Qi Yao lowered her eyes and bit into the soft, sweet flesh of the roasted potato.
So what exactly were they now?
He'd only said he liked her. He hadn't asked her to be his girlfriend.
Girlfriend.
The word alone made her ears burn.
...Should she ask?
She was still debating it when a sudden shout came from behind them.
"I thought you f*cking ran off on us!"Jiang Xun was standing in entrance, yelling at the top of his lungs.
The distance was too far, the lighting too dim, and the overlapping tree shadows made it impossible for him to see anything beyond Yu Jiashu's back. He didn't come over, only shouted a few more times for him to get inside before turning around and heading back into the bar.
Her thoughts interrupted, Qi Yao withdrew her gaze and said honestly, "Maybe you should go in?"
It was his friend's birthday. Keeping him outside with her didn't seem right.
Yu Jiashu showed no particular reaction. He just answered lightly, "Don't want to."
"Why?" Qi Yao blinked, remembering that on the phone earlier, he'd also said he didn't want to go inside.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
His lashes lowered. Under the yellow streetlights, his handsome profile unexpectedly carried a trace of loneliness.
After a while, she heard him speak quietly.
"Everyone else has someone with them. I'm the only one alone."
"..."
He looked so pitiful.
The sweet potato suddenly lost its taste. Qi Yao's movements slowed. She thought for a long moment, hesitating, then said softly, "...How about I go in with you and sit for a while, and then we can head back together later?"
"Besides, you've been drinking and can't drive anyway, might as well share the ride," she added.
"Can you?" Yu Jiashu turned to look at her. "Won't you feel uncomfortable?"
"Probably not." Qi Yao shook her head. "But I can't stay out too late. I have an event tomorrow."
"Okay."
The bar wasn't particularly loud.
It was a gathering of friends. Between Jiang Xun's birthday and the grand opening, everyone invited was a familiar face. There was none of the usual chaos that came with random crowds. Otherwise, Yu Jiashu never would've brought Qi Yao inside.
"Well, look who it is. Went home for a nap and came back for round two?"
A man at the bar teased him, then his eyes landed on the person beside Yu Jiashu. His expression froze; he couldn't stop himself and swore under his breath. "Holy shit."
He immediately draped an arm over Yu Jiashu's shoulder and leaned closer.
"Your girlfriend?"
Before Yu Jiashu could answer, the guy was already shaking his head, denying his own question. "Nah, haven't heard anything about you dating anyone. Must've run into each other by chance. Damn, she's gorgeous."
He cleared his throat twice and turned, clearly intending to strike up a conversation.
"Um, hey..."
Qi Yao was busy looking around with curiosity.
She rarely came to places like this. At the moment, she was enthusiastically watching the DJ upstairs and only vaguely registered someone speaking nearby when the conversation abruptly stopped after two words.
She turned her head.
Yu Jiashu had shifted slightly sideways.
Lifting his eyes, expressionless, he casually grabbed the back of the man's collar and leaned in to say something near his ear.
The music was too loud to make out the words.
All Qi Yao saw was the man's face changing instantly before he retreated a full ten feet as if she had some kind of protective barrier around her.
Qi Yao: "...?"
"What did you say to him?"
The place was crowded.
Groups of people stood around chatting.
The night was halfway through. Those who'd had too much to drink were already showing signs of losing control. Yu Jiashu turned back, his hand hovering just above her shoulder, drawing her closer to his side.
"He asked if you were my girlfriend."
People kept passing by, squeezing the already tight space. Yu Jiashu tightened his arm around her shoulder.
His arm was a solid, steady pressure across her back. In that setting, the gesture should've seemed completely normal. He was simply making sure she didn't get shoved around.
But the way he did it, somehow, it came across as casually marking territory, a stance of absolute possession, staking a claim.
Her heart skipped a beat. Qi Yao paused for two seconds, her fingers curling up, a little flustered. "...So what did you say?"
Before he could answer, someone approached carrying a drink. The man was already thoroughly drunk. He spotted them and raised his glass toward Yu Jiashu. "Long time no see, Shu..."
He didn't finish. His foot caught, and he pitched forward.
A full glass of liquor, along with a grown man, suddenly come crashing down on Qi Yao.
Yu Jiashu frowned.
He raised his arm, placed his palm against the back of her head, and pulled her firmly into his chest.
Qi Yao's body lurched forward. Her brow and the tip of her nose pressed against his shirt. She could hear the heavy rhythm of his heartbeat.
The second time today.
Her vision blocked, every breath filled with nothing but his scent, her heart instantly hammering.
Qi Yao was buried completely in his arms. Her hands lifted, then dropped, and she clutched helplessly at the fabric at his side.
The drunk man stumbled two more steps and barely managed to catch himself against the bar. Alcohol splashed everywhere, the floor was a mess.
The man hurried to apologize. "Sorry, sorry, so sorry."
Yu Jiashu ignored him.
He swept his gaze over the man, then looked down to check if Qi Yao was alright. Without moving from that position, he slipped an arm around her slender neck. His long fingers hovered before her face, covering the lower half as he guided her away.
Qi Yao stared at his hand and blinked.
She wasn't wearing a mask today. He was probably helping her cover her face.
As he led her through the crowd, she secretly glanced up at him.
His expression remained distant.
His eyelids hung lazily, and under the dim lighting he carried an unmistakable aura of stay-away-from-me indifference.
His features were naturally cool and sharp.
When he wasn't smiling, his eyes looked narrower, his pale double eyelids thinner, the outer corners slanting slightly down. Thin lips stayed pressed together.
The coldness was especially pronounced. No one else approached after that.
The mood lasted all the way until they reached the second-floor seating area.
Jiang Xun had designed the place himself.
There were plenty of clever details throughout, and the upstairs area was much quieter. The few of them who hated noise were all up here, spacious and peaceful.
"No idea what he's doing out there. He'll freeze to death in this weather. His mood's been off all day too, completely distracted.”
Standing with his back turned, Jiang Xun knocked a bottle against the edge of the table and popped it open.
"Don't tell me he got rejected after confessing. Is that why he's so depressed?"
"What else would he be doing outside?" Jiang Jinghan lifted his eyes, paused for two seconds, then lazily jerked his chin toward the entrance. "Playing the sympathy card."
What else could it possibly be?
Qi Yao had just arrived upstairs and missed that exchange entirely.
Only after Yu Jiashu lowered the hand covering the lower half of her face did she glance into the room.
Several people lounged across the couches, men and women. Friends chatting casually.
It didn't seem like there were that many couples, though. Why had he said he was the only one alone?
Qi Yao was a little puzzled.
The person who'd been shouting for Yu Jiashu at the door earlier turned around. His eyes immediately widened.
"Holy shit. What's going on?"
Jiang Xun looked at Yu Jiashu, then at Qi Yao, then back again. His gaze bouncing between them, stunned. "This is...?"
His voice was loud, and since he was the man of the hour, nearly everyone in the room looked over.
The atmosphere fell silent.
Two seconds later, someone whistled.
A teasing, gossipy whistle.
"Oho, Shu have a girlfriend now?"
"I thought nobody was bringing dates. If I'd known, I would've brought someone too."
The teasing erupted from all sides.
Qi Yao pressed her lips together and stayed quiet. She still felt a little awkward.
These were all his friends. Other than Yan Jiu, she didn't know anyone.
Still, she could tell none of them meant any harm.
They were simply joking around. The few who recognized her were only briefly surprised before laughing along with everyone else.
In their circle, celebrities weren't exactly unusual.
"So shouldn't Yu Jiashu be paying tonight instead of Jiang Xun?"
"No shit. He ditched us halfway through the party to pick up a girl. Absolutely ridiculous."
"Alright, alright."
Yu Jiashu laughed, stepped forward, and pulled out a chair for Qi Yao. He said casually, "Don't scare her."
"Scare her? She's a celebrity man." Jiang Xun wandered over with his hands behind his back like some retired government official. "You're really not introducing us?"
"Jiang Xun, my childhood friend." Yu Jiashu gave the briefest of introductions, then lifted his eyes toward her. "Not the sharpest tool in the shed. Try not to spend too much time around him."
Jiang Xun: "...?"
"Get lost!"
Qi Yao couldn't help laughing. "Hello. I'm Qi Yao."
"See how sweet she is!" Jiang Xun glared at him, grabbed his bottle and a glass, and sat down next to Qi Yao, falling into an easy, warm patter. "I know you. I've seen your dramas before."
"Really?" Qi Yao followed along naturally. And somehow, chatting with Jiang Xun about everything and nothing, she found herself actually drawn into the conversation.
Everyone here seemed close.
Looking more carefully, Qi Yao realized she had faint impressions of quite a few of them.
The kind where you couldn't exactly say you knew them, but you'd absolutely passed them countless times in a classroom, on the sports field, somewhere on campus. Familiar strangers. The moment you saw them, a blurry version of their younger selves would flicker up in your memory.
As the newest face in the room, and with Jiang Xun enthusiastically pulling her into every conversation, Qi Yao quickly became part of the group's discussions.
After chatting for a while, the topic inevitably circled back to the central question of the evening.
"So you two are..." A girl with bright eyes looked back and forth between her and Yu Jiashu. "Dating?"
Afraid she'd been too forward, she quickly added, "I'm one of the good guys! If you round it up, I'm basically his little sister. I won't go blabbing!"
Yu Jiashu was sprawled in his seat, one leg kicked out. He cut in mercilessly: "That's a hell of a round-up."
"Mind your own business!" The girl glared at him, then turned back, looking at Qi Yao with hopeful, shining eyes. Her face all but had the words pretty older sister and new sister-in-law written across it.
Qi Yao paused for two seconds.
Honestly, the question had caught her off guard too. She didn't know either.
Say they were together? No one had officially asked.
Say they weren't? That didn't feel right either.
Qi Yao pressed her lips together. After a moment of silence, she secretly glanced at the man beside her.
Jiang Changwan: "...?"
Jiang Xun: "...?"
Jiang Xun spread his hands dramatically. "No way. You don't even know if you're dating or not?"
His expression was doing absolutely nothing to hide the message: You're that fucking hopeless? She hasn't even acknowledged you yet. A nameless, title-less little nobody.
Yu Jiashu ignored him completely.
He raised an eyebrow slightly, his pale eyelids lifted, and his dark pupils met Qi Yao's.
Amid the dim lights and noisy crowd, they looked at each other across the chaos.
Qi Yao's heart was pounding. Her fingers curled unconsciously.
She didn't know what he was going to say.
A little anticipation. A little nervous flutter. As if the relationship hovering between them was waiting for a single sentence before finally becoming real.
The atmosphere grew strangely delicate.
Even people sitting in the corners started drifting closer to listen.
After a long pause, Yu Jiashu looked away. He lowered his head, and laughed softly.
Then he answered casually. "Not yet."
The last syllable lingered in the air.
...Not dating.
Qi Yao's heart suddenly dropped.
The room fell silent.
People exchanged glances.
Everyone present was socially savvy enough to realize they might've stumbled into awkward territory. Just as they began searching for another topic to rescue the conversation, Yu Jiashu added:
"Still chasing."
Earlier downstairs, Qi Yao had asked what he'd said to that guy.
Nothing much, really. Just a simple question in return.
"Is she your girlfriend?"
"If she isn't mine, is she yours?"
But he definitely couldn't tell Qi Yao that.
He hadn't formally asked her yet. He was afraid if things moved too fast, she'd think he was careless. Too casual.
And judging from this situation...
She clearly wasn't sure either.
The man lifted his eyes, leaned back in his seat, tilted his chin up, and turned his head to look at Qi Yao. He clicked his tongue. "Looks like I haven't caught up yet."
Another beat of silence.
Then the room exploded.
"Holy shit, you're actually saying it out loud?"
"Never thought I'd live to see this day. Qi Yao, don't agree too quickly. String him along for a year or two."
"A year or two's too easy. Make it three to five. Do you know how many people were after this guy back in school?"
Her heart soared and crashed all at once.
The dizzying sensation felt almost like falling.
What was that supposed to mean?!
He'd never even asked her, and now he was telling everyone he hadn't managed to win her over yet!
Qi Yao's ears turned bright red amid the uproar.
She hurriedly looked away and escaped to the other side of the room to play cards with Yan Jiu and Jiang Changwan.
Watching her retreating figure, Yu Jiashu's lips curved upward.
He clicked his tongue softly.
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