Starlight Descends - 55
Flower Branches
Qi Yao's illness was probably the result of catching a chill, overworking herself, and carrying around too much emotional strain. Once it hit, it hit hard.
Fainting wasn't something to take lightly. After she was rushed to the hospital, she underwent a battery of emergency examinations. Once the doctors repeatedly confirmed there was nothing seriously wrong, all that remained was to wait for the fever to break and keep her under observation for another couple of days before discharging her.
In truth, she only looked delicate and fragile. Her constitution wasn't bad at all. In the past, after filming water scenes in the dead of winter, Lizi would chase after her with cold medicine, she'd take a hot shower, bundle herself tight in blankets to sleep, and wake up bouncing with energy again.
But when someone who never gets sick finally does, they collapse spectacularly. The incident even alarmed Qiu Lang. He called every day to ask how she was doing and even suggested postponing the project. After some thought, Qi Yao still refused.
Xiao Man and several crew members visited her as well, all telling her to rest for a few days.
"But what about the schedule?" Qi Yao asked from the hospital bed.
The whole reason they'd started filming early was because the budget was tight and they couldn't hold onto certain locations and equipment for long. If things were delayed further because of her illness, the project would almost certainly fall apart before completion.
"You don't need to worry about that," Xiao Man said. Whether intentionally or not, her eyes flicked toward the person sitting beside Qi Yao before returning again. "A new investor is showing interest. The filming schedule will probably be adjusted anyway."
"...Oh. Okay."
The matter continued to puzzle Qi Yao all the way home.
"How did that even happen?" she asked, sprawled over the back of the sofa. "Where did this new investor come from? I went to so many dinners trying to secure funding back then and got nowhere."
"It's not like anything major changed. I'm still the lead actress. No big name joined the cast either." She rested her chin on her elbows and watched Yu Jiashu standing at the bar, muttering gloomily to herself.
"Could Xiao Man be some kind of hidden heiress who had a falling out with her family, and now they've decided to support her again?"
Yu Jiashu lowered his eyes and reviewed the instructions several times, confirming which foods she still wasn't allowed to eat. Then he mixed a packet of medicine with warm water and handed it to her.
"Not impossible," he said, playing along.
Still confused, Qi Yao frowned and took a sip. Warm. She sighed as she drank. "Only a week on the job and I'm already back home."
"You love working that much?"
Yu Jiashu glanced at her, all droopy and wilted, and couldn't help a laugh. As he sat down, he picked up a game controller from the sofa and added casually, "Isn't a break a good thing? Don't leave your boyfriend sleep in an empty apartment all by himself."
"Cough, cough!"
Something clearly crossed Qi Yao's mind. She nearly choked, covering her mouth as her face turned red from the sudden coughing fit. After coughing for a while, she shot him a glance before quickly looking away.
"?"
Yu Jiashu paused for a second. He pulled out two tissues and handed them to her, slowly arching one eyebrow.
"Well..." After a long moment, Qi Yao finished the medicine in small sips. Her eyes wandered everywhere except his face. In a tiny voice she said, "I'm not fully recovered yet. Wouldn't it be a little inappropriate to, you know, do that..."
By the end, her voice had grown so soft it nearly disappeared. Her cheeks were turning pink. Even someone who hadn't been thinking in that direction would've been led there by her.
"..."
Yu Jiashu's eyebrow arched even higher. His voice rose at the end as he repeated, "Do 'that'?”
Every word was enunciated clearly, drawn out with obvious teasing.
"..."
Qi Yao's reasoning was simple. He'd complained about sleeping in an empty apartment alone. That obviously meant she should stay over with him.
They were adults. In a relationship. If two adults slept in the same bed, something was bound to happen.
But judging from his expression now, she realized she'd completely misunderstood. Clutching the glass, she shoved it into his hands.
"Nothing!"
Unfortunately, he was not the kind of man to pass up an opportunity to tease her. Dangling the cup lightly in one hand, he tilted his head and said leisurely, "No worries. It doesn't have to be the full production."
The way he dragged out the sentence sounded suspiciously wicked.
"Last time, didn't you even have to cover your mouth just to stop yourself from making a sound?"
"...!"
Qi Yao couldn't endure another word. She immediately lunged forward and covered his mouth.
She'd been sitting cross-legged on the sofa in socks. In her haste, she stepped onto a soft cushion for leverage and launched herself at him.
Her knee bent, pressing beside his thigh. Half-kneeling as she was, she ended up slightly taller than him.
Afraid she'd fall, Yu Jiashu instinctively reached out to steady her, wrapping an arm around her waist.
The faint fragrance unique to her enveloped him. Her soft palm pressed against his lips. For two seconds, Yu Jiashu simply looked up at her.
Her face was slightly flushed, her lips pressed together awkwardly. When their eyes met, she blinked twice.
Yu Jiashu watched her calmly for a moment, set the cup onto the coffee table, then wrapped his other arm around her waist as well.
With one easy movement, he pulled her closer.
"Ah..."
Qi Yao was caught off guard. She released the hand covering the lower half of his face. Her fingers fluttered uncertainly through the air before settling on his shoulders.
The arm around her waist loosened.
Then suddenly she was sitting on his lap.
Face to face, both hands still resting on his shoulders.
Qi Yao blinked at him.
"I've been holding back for days." Tilting his chin slightly, Yu Jiashu looked at her and said quietly, "Come here. Let your boyfriend kiss you."
There had always been people coming and going in the hospital room. One moment Lizi was there checking on her, the next it was someone else from the crew visiting, and they'd stay for hours at a time. He could barely even find an opportunity to hold her hand.
Besides, she'd been sick. Even entertaining certain thoughts made him feel guilty.
But he couldn't help himself.
After the gentle, lingering kiss ended, Qi Yao buried her face against his neck. Then, as if struck by sudden insight, she straightened up and looked at him. "It was you, wasn't it?"
Yu Jiashu looked distracted, one hand rested on her waist. His dark eyes stayed fixed on her as he asked what she meant.
"The new investor!"
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became.
The man had been staying at Fengxing lately, helping oversee the company for his father. What business trip could he possibly have? He'd probably been lying to her from the start.
She vaguely remembered seeing him speaking with Xiao Man a few times. She hadn't thought anything of it at the time, but now it all made sense. They'd probably been discussing the investment.
To facilitate the interrogation, Qi Yao shifted backward a little and ordered him to confess.
After two seconds, Yu Jiashu's eyelids drooped again. "It wasn't me."
Qi Yao narrowed her eyes. Then she scooted back a little farther and hooked a finger beneath his chin, forcing him to lift his face.
"Say that again. Lying makes you a puppy."
"..."
Silence filled the room.
Yu Jiashu opened his mouth, prepared to answer. Looking at her convinced expression, he decided there was no point hiding it.
"Fine." He relented. "You guessed it.”
So it really was him.
Oddly enough, after getting confirmation, Qi Yao wasn't particularly happy. If anything, she felt a little disappointed.
...He really hated being called a puppy that much?
Puppies were adorable.
After a moment, Qi Yao pressed her lips together, shook off the thought, and started frowning with worry.
She buried her face in the crook of his neck again, thinking for a moment, then said in muffled voice, "Don't be so good to me."
Yu Jiashu arched an eyebrow. This girl really did say the silliest things sometimes.
"If I'm not good to you, who should I be good to?"
"The old lady downstairs?"
"..."
Against her will, he made her laugh again. After calming down, she said softly, "You can invest money. Just don't invest because of me."
Investment was, above all, about returns.
Other companies weren't stupid. There was a reason she'd spent so much time and energy and still couldn't attract funding. This drama simply didn't fit the mainstream taste of the domestic market. It wasn't sweet, wasn't thrilling, wasn't a power fantasy. It had no top-tier traffic star to carry it. It didn't even have an experienced production team. The risk was astronomically high.
Maybe there was a one-percent chance of earning the money back. But on the whole, it was far more loss than gain.
Yu Jiashu could tell she was genuinely trying to reason with him, wanting him to stay clear-headed and make decisions based on business realities.
She even made surprisingly convincing arguments.
As he listened, he casually rubbed the small of her back. The pressure wasn't heavy, massaging just right. Qi Yao paused and flinched back sensitively. A little displeased, she poked his collarbone with her index finger.
"Are you even listening?"
"I am." His hand slid slowly upward along her spine, sending a slight shiver through her. "I've thought it through.”
"Hm?" Qi Yao was a bit surprised. Her fingertip continued its light, teasing pokes. "Thought what through? Let's hear it."
He didn't answer immediately.
His pupils were pitch-black, watching her seriously for a long moment.
The air gradually filled with the intimacy born from prolonged eye contact.
Yu Jiashu kneaded the back of her neck. His hand wandered higher, guiding her gently closer until their foreheads touched and their noses brushed.
Then he said quietly, "Wherever you are, that's where I see potential."
In other words:
I will always believe in you.
***
Qi Yao had no idea how things had progressed to this point.
After he said those words, her heart gave a violent thump.
It was as though he'd touched the softest part of her soul.
The clean scent of cedar lingered in every breath until warmth spread through her completely.
The man's ink-black pupils were so close, seducing with terrifying ease. His kiss was gentle and long, pulling her under. When she came back to herself, it was an unfamiliar pleasure.
Qi Yao's spine pressed against the soft back of the sofa. Her hand gripped his forearm. Her neck arched back, drawing a beautiful curve.
Heat rose from every point of contact, spreading to the far reaches of her limbs.
Like a stream, winding and flowing ceaselessly, growing stronger.
She bit her lower lip unconsciously, fixing her eyes on the sun's dappled projections on the ceiling, doing her best to stay quiet in the onrushing flood.
...
A while later.
Limp all over, unable to lift even a fingertip, Qi Yao leaned against the sofa wrapped in a blanket, watching him clean up. She said quietly, "I think I have a fever again."
Without turning around, Yu Jiashu laughed. "Are you sure?"
The teasing in his voice was impossible to miss.
"..."
Qi Yao wisely chose silence.
She simply watched him clean up at an unhurried pace and toss a damp tissue into the trash.
Heat immediately flooded her cheeks. She stopped watching him and stared at the ceiling, spacing out. A thought suddenly struck her. She voiced it quietly, "You're not going to invest in every single drama I do from now on, are you?"
Yu Jiashu paused and countered, "Are all your future dramas going to be this broke?"
"..."
Qi Yao: "Probably not."
"Good." After washing his hands at the counter, he replied lazily, "Any more and your boyfriend won't be able to afford you."
He had no particular expression, yet it somehow felt like he'd breathed a sigh of relief. Qi Yao couldn't help laughing for a moment. Then a new confusion arose. Curling deeper into the blanket, she asked softly:
"Why don't you ever hold me after, you know, every time we finish?"
In scripts and novels she'd read, the couple usually cudled together after intimate moments. Social media often claimed it was a sign of affection. Yet during the few times they'd been intimate, he always pulled away fairly quickly.
She didn't have much experience, but it did make her wonder sometimes.
Yu Jiashu paused for one second, arching an eyebrow at her. "Would you want me to?"
Qi Yao blinked. Before she could answer, she heard him continue, slow and deliberate.
"We can cuddle. But something might poke you."
"...!"
It took her two seconds to process. She immediately shut her mouth.
Watching her, he added calmly, "And it won't go away."
"..."
Qi Yao slid lower beneath the blanket until only the top of her head remained visible. She looked like a little quail, or an ostrich shoving its head in the sand at the first sign of trouble.
Yu Jiashu wanted to laugh at the sight. The corner of his mouth curved.
After a long while, hearing no further sound from outside, Qi Yao cautiously lowered the blanket enough to reveal a pair of bright, watery eyes.
Their gazes met.
Winter sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, dividing the room into bands of light and shadow.
Dust drifted lazily through the air.
Everything felt warm and gentle.
Under the sunlight, her features appeared even softer and more beautiful. Her peach blossom eyes held a quiet, soft radiance that could melt anyone's heart with a single glance.
Yu Jiashu stared at her for a moment. His expression shifted, no longer that casual, insouciant mask. He lowered his lashes and asked,
"So. Why didn't you keep writing to me in high school?"
The misdelivered letters had only been the beginning of the misunderstanding.
Youth was long and brilliant. At sixteen or seventeen, people still carried wholehearted sincerity and passion untouched by life.
If everything had turned according to the gears of fate, they would've crossed paths countless times in the hallways, countless chances to share the sunset.
They wouldn't have had to lose all these years to arrive here.
The girl sitting on the sofa slowly withdrew into herself. Silence settled around her.
Her lashes lowered, hiding the emotions in her eyes.
But the change was obvious. The lively brightness around her vanished, something heavy sank inside her. It was as if she'd been asked, without warning, to reveal the deepest secret of her heart.
After a long time, her eyelashes trembled and she smiled faintly.
"Because you were too dazzling."
Qi Yao watched the dust motes floating in the air, her gaze still.
Yu Jiashu stood where the light fell. The side of his face seemed almost luminous.
"You just stood there. And it felt like you belonged to a world I couldn't reach."
Looking at him now felt like looking through years of sunlight and shadows toward that boy from long ago.
The person who had always stood in the most radiant light.
She knew, of course she knew, that all her years of regret stemmed from her own cowardice.
But even now, she couldn't bring herself to blame her younger self.
The Qi Yao of fifteen or sixteen years old didn't have the unconditional support of family and friends. She hadn't gained confidence from years spent walking red carpets and facing cameras. She hadn't possessed his open, unwavering affection.
All she'd had were sleepless nights beneath moonlight in the orphanage, dark alleys after school, tightly pressed lips, and fingers clutching the hem of her clothes whenever she felt lost.
The girl in those memories had been so fragile, guarding her own tiny world. Meeting life with caution and resistance. As though one strong gust of wind might shatter her completely.
Many years later, Qi Yao would sometimes wonder.
If, on that scorching summer afternoon, the power outage had lasted just a little longer. Long enough for her to find the courage to speak honestly. Would things have turned out differently?
But reality was what it was.
Years of distance and separation couldn't be undone by a single "what if," or some hypothetical daydream.
The power outage that afternoon had been a fluke. The constant was her own cowardice.
Qi Yao forced a smile. A moment later, perhaps realizing it didn't look convincing, she let it fade and lowered her eyes.
The room grew quiet.
The person who had been so lively and bright moments ago had sunk into melancholy, shielding herself from his gaze with the dark crown of her head.
Yu Jiashu seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. After considering for a moment, he lifted a hand to her face and gently tilted her chin upward. "It's okay."
His voice was clear. Whenever he looked at someone seriously, all traces of his usual carelessness disappeared, leaving something earnest and sincere.
"I think one of the most important things a person has to learn as they grow is not to romanticize the path you didn't take."
...Don't romanticize the path you didn't take.
Qi Yao's lashes trembled. She repeated the words silently to herself. After a long time, she lifted her eyes to him.
The silhouette of the boy from her memories overlapped perfectly with the man standing before her. Exactly the same. Not a single difference.
He looked at her intently and spoke softly. "Have you ever thought about this? You're so smart, and beautiful, and lovely.”
Yu Jiashu paused for a few seconds. He held her gaze and continued seriously:
"Maybe the choice you made back then was simply the best decision you could make with what you had."
Emotion swelled painfully in her chest.
He used every beautiful word imaginable to describe her. As though fifteen-year-old Qi Yao hadn't been some ordinary, timid girl who was too afraid to even say hello. As though she'd been strong, independent, capable of facing life with courage.
And she had been.
"Don't blame your past self for what you did or didn't do."
"You were the best version of yourself at that time."
The sun was beginning to set. Golden light spilled generously across him, outlining his profile in a warm glow. In his dark pupils, there seemed to be starlight flickering.
Qi Yao pressed her lips together, gazing at him for a long time, "... Mm."
Only the person who tied the knot could untie it.
The only people capable of helping her fully reconcile with the past, besides herself, was the distant star she'd once thought she could never reach.
Time seemed to pass for an eternity, or perhaps not at all.
Sunset filled the living room. One standing, one seated. One looking up, one looking down. They held each other's gaze in silence. Like a frame from a beautifully lit film.
***
After the brief but unexpectedly powerful conversation, Yu Jiashu teased her a few more times and returned to his usual carefree self.
She was still recovering, so spicy food and junk food were off-limits. He'd planned to call the housekeeper back to cook, but Qi Yao refused.
It was too late in the day to bother someone right before dinner. So she ordered Yu Dongdong to make noodles instead.
Yu Jiashu: "..."
What could he say? All he could do was agree.
Dinner passed quietly. While eating, Qi Yao wondered whether she should return to her apartment afterward. She looked up and found him seeming distracted, lost in thought.
This state continued even after he'd finished washing the dishes.
Standing in the kitchen doorway, Qi Yao asked tentatively. "Where am I sleeping tonight?"
Water continued running. Whether he hadn't heard or was simply lost in thought, Yu Jiashu put away a bowl without responding.
Frowning, Qi Yao called his name. He finally looked up and back at her, expression perfectly composed. "What is it?"
"..."
Qi Yao was thoroughly confused. "What are you thinking about?"
Yu Jiashu paused for two seconds, closed the cabinet and stared at her for a moment. He crossed the room in a few long strides until he stood before her. Then he spoke.
"Have you ever had that gift where you're great at giving other people advice, but when it comes to yourself, it stops working?"
"...Of course." She still had no idea where this was going. "Isn't that normal?"
When it came to other people's problems, everyone was clear-headed and rational, a whole list of principles at the ready.
When it came to their own lives, it's just "I know all the logic," followed by an unspoken "but."
Everyone's like that.
"Really?"
Yu Jiashu lowered his gaze thoughtfully. Qi Yao studied his expression, even more confused. She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. "So what's bothering you?"
After releasing a heavy breath, he finally admitted: "This afternoon's thing."
"Mm?"
He spoke very seriously. "I've been wondering why I was so handsome back then."
"..."
The words hung in the air, and the room fell silent.
She didn't know what to say.
Qi Yao looked at him in silence. The worst part was that he appeared genuinely troubled by the question.
For a moment she didn't even know what aspect of the situation deserved her speechlessness more.
She really wanted to reply, "Then keep thinking about it, I guess." But she couldn't say that. She could only managed a baffled, "...Huh?"
Her brows twisted together.
"Or to put it another way." Completely unaware of how ridiculous he sounded, he continued thoughtfully, "I was wondering if there's any way I could go back in time and tell seventeen-year-old Yu Jiashu to stop be so dazzling."
After two seconds of processing, Qi Yao's brow gradually smoothed. She blinked slowly.
She was starting to understand what he was thinking.
Yu Jiashu looked at her and sighed softly. "You scared your future girlfriend away. You'll miss her for three whole years for nothing.”
"I regret it to death," he said.
A complicated wave of emotion surged through her.
She was still recovering from the shock of his earlier statement, and now he'd landed this turn. Qi Yao couldn't react for a second. Her fine brows were still faintly drawn, lips pressed tight.
Her expression became something between laughter and tears.
"What's wrong with you?"
Who sincerely spent time worrying that they'd been too attractive as a teenager?
She made a fist and thumped him lightly on the shoulder. It seemed like he'd made her laugh, but there was a glint of tears in her peach blossom eyes, reflecting the bright light overhead, shimmering in soft, watery ripples.
Why was she crying again?
With another resigned sigh, Yu Jiashu gently wiped them away.
This was exactly why he hadn't wanted to tell her.
"Little crybaby." Yu Jiashu looked at her.
After a long moment, he asked suddenly, "Do you have any photos from back then?"
"...I wasn't pretty in high school."
Qi Yao sniffled, her voice carrying a nasal tone. She pursed her lips and gestured.
"Small. Sallow."
"I want to see."
Bending slightly to match her height, Yu Jiashu looked at her seriously.
"You're the most beautiful."
"The most beautiful person in the whole wide world."
"..."
Qi Yao was caught again between laughter and tears at the sight of him saying such childish things with a completely straight face. The tears she'd been holding back retreated. "Even elementary school kids don't say 'the most beautiful in the whole wide world' anymore."
That said, something inside her softened. Sour and swelling, like a freshly opened bottle of soda, bubbles fizzing up without end.
As Qi Yao opened the door to leave, she heard the person in the living room add, "If you have a stuffed animal or something you need to sleep with, bring it over too."
She turned back. "Hm?"
Yu Jiashu stood there lazily watching her.
Then said, with complete straightforwardness:
"You're staying here tonight."
---
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