Starlight Descends - 59
Clear Moon
Ignoring the frozen look on Qiu Lang's face, Yu Jiashu rose calmly to his feet and stepped onto the stage amid the host's introduction and the audience's applause.
According to the schedule, this was the final media Q&A session.
Yu Chongshan wasn't here and had specifically named Yu Jiashu to stand in for him, he couldn't exactly refuse. The terms had been laid out plainly back then: Yu Chongshan funded Jingfan, and in exchange, he would come to Fengxing and represent one project.
Perhaps because he wasn't in the best mood, Qi Yao could pick up the low pressure hanging around him despite his blank expression.
After hesitating for a moment, she slipped the hand not holding the microphone behind her back, crooked her index finger, and gave it a tiny wave in the air.
As he brushed past her on his way onto the stage, in that split second behind the cover of her skirt, she copied what he had done earlier and gently hooked his finger with hers.
The soft touch lasted only an instant.
Yu Jiashu paused for a second. The long fingers hanging at his side curled slightly before relaxing again. He glanced at her.
Standing in the glow of the stage lights, she blinked at him.
...She really did learn everything.
Unable to help himself, Yu Jiashu lowered his chin and the corners of his lips curved ever so slightly.
The nameless irritation vanished in a second. Something soft seemed to settle inside his chest, calming everything down.
Holding the microphone loosely in one hand, he gave a brief introduction.
Very brief. Just a few words, offering nothing more than his name.
Before his voice could fade, a burst of cheering erupted from the audience, loud enough to make even him pause.
Somewhere in the fan section, a girl suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs, "You're so handsome!"
Her voice cut through the air and echoed across the entire venue.
Yu Jiashu: "..."
"Thank you." He chuckled softly.
The entire crowd burst into laughter, and the atmosphere relaxed considerably.
"I'm sure after the first half of the launch presentation and the interactions with our brand ambassador, Yao-mei, everyone now has a deeper understanding of our new products," the host said. "Now comes a Fengxing tradition. Open Q&A.”
"No restrictions on who can ask or the questions. Just one requirement." The host raised a finger with a grin. "When you leave, remember to tell everyone that we really don't hire plants."
Laughter broke out again.
Many people raised their hands, and staff members moved through the crowd, passing microphones one by one.
Some asked about battery life comparisons, some asked how the products compared to competitors, others asked about pricing strategies. All professional questions, none of which involved Qi Yao.
So she stood quietly to the side, turning her head to watch Yu Jiashu answer each one with effortless ease.
He listened seriously whenever someone spoke. Standing there with his tall frame, at ease yet commanding, he fixed those dark eyes on the questioner. After hearing them out, he would hum thoughtfully, consider for a moment, then deliver a concise and crystal-clear answer.
Never a trace of stage fright, never a hint of awkwardness.
After asking for recommendations suitable for students, one audience member hesitated before blurting out another question.
"Um... do you have a girlfriend?"
The words came out halting and stuttered. The girl's face went bright red, but her curiosity clearly won out as she looked up at him expectantly.
Yu Jiashu raised an eyebrow. He waited for the wave of teasing hoots rippling through the room to subside, then answered briefly, "Sorry. Questions about my private life aren't part of today's discussion."
His voice was cool and clear, and the tail end of it actually carried a trace of amusement. The slight breathiness carried through the microphone, itching people hearts.
[HOLY SHIT!!! HE SMILED AHHHHHHHH!!! DID YOU GUYS SEE THAT??? THAT SMILE IS WAY TOO DOTING!!!]
[This guy is ridiculous... literally handsome from every angle. I'd like him based on charisma alone.]
[He's so hot my legs went weak. My mom walked by and asked why my face was red as a monkey's butt!!!]
[When I saw the rumor this morning I thought, who the hell is this guy, don't come freeloading off our Yao-mei's popularity. Now? Honestly, having him as our brother-in-law wouldn't be so bad.]
[He wasn't smiling at first, did you notice, it was when Yao-mei's eyes suddenly went huge that he cracked!!]
[I SAW IT TOO! Her eyes got so round! She looked both terrified and expectant at the same time. Hahahahahahaha.]
[You shippers have completely lost your minds. You'll ship even this? A backdoor deal situation? Wow, fans truly are a reflection of their idol.]
[Did you lose your brain? What year is it? You actually believe rumors from marketing accounts? Where's the evidence? If you don't have any, what the hell are you talking about?]
[Innocent until proven guilty. Yet you're always first in line to convict female celebrities. Get lost, internet police.]
...
Time ticked by, and the Q&A passed the halfway mark.
Perhaps because the entry requirements had been thoroughly screened, everything had gone smoothly.
That is, until the floor mic was passed to a man wearing a mask and baseball cap in the fan section.
Standing at the edge of the venue, Qiao Nian's eyelid twitched violently the moment she saw him rise to his feet, a bad premonition surged through her chest.
Unlike others before him, the man didn't seem nervous at all. He adjusted his posture, introduced himself first, and clutched the mic like he had no intention of letting go.
"Hello, everyone. I'm independent media creator Wang Zhuo. I have a few questions for Teacher Qi."
The venue instantly fell silent.
Even Qi Yao's heart skipped a beat.
Wang Zhuo, known in the industry as Wang Dachui. One of the most infamous paparazzi around.
His track record included, but was not limited to: following celebrities all the way to their home, staking out their apartment floors, maintaining permanent camera positions in underground parking garages, photographing interiors footage through uncurtained windows from neighboring buildings, and even harassing the residences of artists' friends and family.
The area he was sitting in was designated for fans. In theory, those seats were distributed by management teams after qualification checks.
Many girls around him were still holding Qi Yao light signs, now they sat there dumbfounded.
After a brief pause, Qi Yao blinked, lifted her microphone with one hand, and said evenly, "Go ahead."
On the livestream feed, the comments had descended into chaos.
[.................. Qiao Nian, are you dead?? You let this guy into the venue???]
[I'm telling you, Sheng Yu is doomed sooner or later. You can't even protect your biggest artist? Screwups like this. Why don't you just drop dead??]
[I camped out refreshing for half a month trying to get a slot and couldn't, and you let Wang Dachui get a ticket?? Just go bankrupt already, I swear to god.]
[...I'm just a random passerby and I'm terrified. What's happening?]
[Wang Dachui never says anything decent. During the Gu Heng incident, he followed Yao-mei to the underground parking lot, got exposed, got sued, and did two days inside. Definitely holding a grudge now.]
The man kept the lower half of his face hidden behind his mask, showing only a pair of narrow eyes. "First question. A few days ago, there were rumors that you acted like a diva on your new drama set and abruptly refused to continue filming. Could you speak to what happened there?"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Yu Jiashu's expression was faint. He lowered his lashes and made a subtle gesture.
Staff members in the front row immediately began making calls. Security personnel were ushered inside and stationed by the rear exit, ready to remove the man should anything happen.
Backstage, supervisors barked orders into the walkie-talkie, preparing to cut the livestream feed and switch to a commercial at any moment.
On stage.
Qi Yao paused for two seconds before lifting her microphone. "Apologies, this is a brand launch event. The client signed a contract and paid me to promote their products. If you have questions about me personally, I suggest contacting my studio to schedule an interview."
After a beat, she added, enunciating each word, "Though I may not accept."
"As is my right." Her expression remained perfectly composed.
[HOLY SHIT... THAT'S SO SAVAGE...]
[I literally got goosebumps... Is it today's styling? Why does it feel like Yao-mei suddenly grew up so much...]
[No, it's the aura. She's so calm, but when she looks at this guy and talks, it feels like she's saying, 'Who exactly do you think you are?' I'M DYING.]
[AHHHHHHHH YAO-MEI DESTROY HIM DESTROY HIM DESTROY HIM!!!!!]
The silence in the room deepened, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Even the host, ready to step in and smooth things over, paused for two seconds and glanced toward the other side of the stage.
Yu Jiashu still stood there. His expression neutral, dark lashes concealing whatever emotions lay beneath. He looked at Qi Yao, then a moment later, casually wagged his index finger toward the man holding the microphone in the center.
The host understood, lowered the hand that had been poised to interject, and quietly retreated from the side of the stage.
The man below visibly froze. He clearly had not expected anyone to refuse to take it lying down, to push back directly against him.
After years as a paparazzo, he'd always held some kind of leverage over every celebrity. Who dares to not treat him carefully?
Even if they hated him to the bone, when they crossed paths, they still smiled to his face and called him Zhuo-ge. You never knew when something might come up, let alone at a massive event like this, packed house, nationwide livestream.
Qi Yao stood there without much expression, gentle and slender. Yet somehow, beyond a doubt, she made him feel like she was looking at a rat.
Wang Zhuo's pride took a hit. Glancing at the security personnel behind him, he gritted his teeth and forced a laugh. "Fine. Then let's talk about Fengxing."
“First, congratulations. You've overcome all obstacles and emerged from a stacked field of candidates to secure this endorsement deal.”
Knowing it wouldn't be anything good, Qi Yao listened calmly, giving no reaction.
The man narrowed his small eyes and shifted his tone. "But have you been busy lately? Or has your company been too busy to care about you? They haven't addressed the public discussion or responded whatsoever."
"According to information from Fengxing insiders, this endorsement deal of yours wasn't obtained through entirely proper... methods."
Qi Yao furrowed her brow, not quite grasping what he was implying.
"Or rather," Wang Zhuo paused with loaded significance, his eyes sliding back and forth between the two people on stage, insinuation dripping from every glance, before continuing. "It was secured through an improper relationship."
"What's your explanation for that?"
The entire venue fell silent.
The malice in his words was unmistakable. Even people who hadn't followed the trending topics that morning understood exactly what he meant.
Around the room, audience members exchanged stunned looks.
Outside the venue, public discussion exploded.
[???? WHY ARE THE SECURITY GUARDS JUST STANDING THERE??? DRAG HIM OUT ALREADY??]
[This is more thrilling than any celebrity press conference… Fengxing really embraces all rivers, huh? Personal attacks are acceptable questions now?]
[I absolutely despise you people. A hardworking actress is standing onstage getting asked this kind of question? Have you no shame?]
[This isn't just malice toward one actress. It's malice toward all women. Why does everything a woman achieves have to be attributed to a man? Why can't she have earned it herself?]
On stage.
Qi Yao's breath caught.
As the words replayed in her mind over and over, the hand holding the microphone began to tremble slightly.
She wasn't someone who got angry easily, but that didn't mean she had no temper.
Qi Yao took a quiet, steadying breath, tugged at the corner of her mouth, and mustered a polite smile. Just as she raised the microphone, Wang Zhuo cut her off.
Maybe he sensed that today she was more inclined to meet force with force instead of her usual gentle self. Besides, he knew she was rational and composed. Even if cornered, she wouldn't lose control like Ye Qingman. There was no point in provoking her, so he shifted targets.
Fixing his eyes on the man beside her, he asked:
"Or perhaps, Young President Yu here, do you have any thoughts on the matter?"
[FUCKING DIE YOU FILTHY PIECE OF SHIT.]
[Are you sick? Are you sick? Are you sick? If you're sick, go get treated! @Fengxing, okay, we get it, you don't hire plants. Can you remove this thing? Your launch event is turning into a circus.]
[Actually, I kind of want to know. I understand the fans' anger, but passersby also want to see how this gets handled.]
[Wang Dachui deserves to die, but it does need to be clarified, doesn't it? Just dragging him out isn't much of a solution either, ending on that note would be pretty ugly. Let's wait and see.]
[Clarify what? Maybe he hit a nerve and now they don't know how to answer. Dragging him out might be the best option.]
[I'm shaking with rage, holy shit, hit a nerve my ass, can the rumor-mongers just die????]
Public opinion spiraled.
Discussion topics surged across social media platforms, and attention spiked rapidly.
Backstage, everyone was on edge. Watching the rapidly climbing numbers, the director gripped his walkie-talkie and hesitated.
"Are we really not cutting the feed?" someone asked.
"Young President Yu's gesture seemed to mean don't cut it..."
"But it's already escalated this far. If this keeps going, we might lose control."
"Exactly. A few hundred people at the venue is one thing. There are countless people watching online, and the number keeps rising. If something really goes wrong, how are we supposed to contain the backlash?"
"But Young President Yu must have his reasons. Don't you trust him?"
"...Nevermind." After a long silence, the director gritted his teeth and put down the walkie-talkie. "Let's trust him this once."
He stood and began issuing orders. "Monitor the direction of the public sentiment. Moderate comments and bullet chat in real time. Prevent extreme languages and secondary spread..."
The backstage area sprang into activity.
Unlike the emotional viewers, unlike the frantic staff backstage, the man singled out to answer the question on stage appeared entirely unruffled.
Yu Jiashu merely raised an eyebrow. Holding the microphone loosely in one hand, he looked directly at Wang Dachui with those dark eyes and said lazily, "Good question."
His voice was calm, stripped of inflection, level and unrippled.
"Staff, please escort our spokesperson down to rest." Turning toward Qi Yao, he added softly, "You've worked hard."
Qi Yao stood frozen. Her chest still rose and fell faintly as she looked at him.
His pupils were deep black, his face composed.
Just meeting his gaze was enough to calm her down.
After a long moment, Qi Yao followed the staff off stage, passed Qiu Lang without a single flicker of expression, and sat down in Yu Jiashu's original seat, not sparing a glance to the side.
On the vast stage, only one person remained.
Tall and straight. Like a cedar standing beneath winter snow, still dark green despite the cold.
Yu Jiashu stood at the very center, chin slightly lifted, composed and unhurried.
The sharp, cool curve of his eyes swept across the crowd before landing on the man standing in the front row of the fan section.
A single glance, completely devoid of emotion.
Like the man was something discarded by the side of the road, too unlucky to warrant a second glance.
After a long pause, he shifted his gaze away, and snapped his fingers.
The giant screen behind him flickered.
The massive Fengxing new-product poster vanished, in its place appeared a video. A large play button materialized at the center.
"Everyone knows Fengxing's principles. We don't look at status. We don't look at background. We look at ideas and creativity."
Lowering his gaze, Yu Jiashu spoke calmly. "So let's take a look at the first-round interview."
On the giant screen behind him, hundreds of applicants' interviews had been edited into a tightly paced twenty-minute video.
For the first time, the audience witnessed a celebrity endorsement interview from beginning to end. Everyone sat fixed in their seat, eyes glued to the screen, gradually drawn into the atmosphere.
The first round at Fengxing actually had only three prompts: Diversity, Courage, and Ordinariness.
Three seemingly simple words that were in fact highly abstract. Applicants had to connect them to the brand creatively without falling into clichés. For many celebrities, that proved difficult.
The video showed that roughly eighty percent of interviewees simply sat across from the panel and recited prepared speeches about how the concepts related to the product.
Among them were even some currently popular A-list celebrities. Even with scripts memorized, some still stumbled, their delivery was stiff and mechanical, like students answering a high-school politics exam from a textbook.
After only ten minutes of edited footage, the audience's ears were already growing tired. Imagine being the interviewer forced to sit through it all day while maintaining a smile.
The remaining fifteen percent had clearly prepared more thoroughly.
While explaining the connection to the product, they also proposed marketing ideas in keeping with Fengxing's standard practice. Some of the stronger candidates even presented complete, fully fleshed-out strategies based on their own experience, which naturally earned the interviewers' strong approval.
One of them was the much-anticipated Zhao Min.
As a top actress with extensive endorsement experience, she had offered numerous practical suggestions that were later reflected in today's event setup. Her scores during the interviewer evaluation process had been excellent.
Yet she still failed to earn a direct pass to the final round.
Everyone in the venue had been puzzled by that.
Until the screen changed, and Qi Yao's face appeared.
"Did you edit this video yourself?" an interviewer asked.
The cool-toned promotional video, reminiscent of a rainy day, flashed across the screen. A video almost everyone had seen at the opening and even praised.
Then they heard Qi Yao answer. "Yes."
"From the concept and script to filming and editing, I completed everything myself."
A collective gasp rippled through the venue.
The young woman sat quietly across from the panel. Whenever an interviewer spoke, she tilted her head slightly and listened attentively. After they finished, she lowered her dark lashes, considered her answer briefly, then responded in an organized, measured manner.
Her voice was soft but resolute, her enunciation clear. Simply watching her felt comfortable, you could see in her a humility and tenacity absent in others.
Yet what moved people most was what she said.
"What is the connection between this video and the product?"
The girl in the footage looked seriously at the interviewer and laid out her reasoning, point by point.
"Looking at Fengxing's promotional campaigns over the years, the company has largely relied on grand narratives perspective, often elevating discussions to society-wide or even national values. That approach certainly has its merits, but its weaknesses are equally obvious."
"The purpose of a promotional campaign is to expand recognition. When Fengxing's name is already known to virtually everyone, the real question becomes how to create resonance between the product and consumer needs."
"Has the company ever considered that focusing exclusively on lofty ideals is, fundamentally, a failure of perspective?”
She spoke unhurriedly, with an attitude of absolute sincerity. Sharp in her observations, unafraid to point out flaws in one of the country's leading technology companies.
And yet, it inspired no defensiveness. People only wanted to hear more.
"Nation, society, collective spirit... these are of course very important. But as a promotional campaign, they are difficult for most consumers to emotionally connect with."
"Fengxing needs a spark. Something small and personal that can ignite the advertisements, the posters, and eventually the entire launch event."
"No matter the concept or theme, if you want people to resonate with it, if you truly want to move them from the heart, you must begin from the perspective of ordinary individuals, not abstract corporate values."
"Whether it was 'Diversity,' or 'Courage.'"
Her gaze drifted briefly toward the camera, as though she were making eye contact with everyone watching.
Countless eyes remained fixed on this young woman who was beautiful, but far more than beautiful.
Then they heard her say softly, yet with complete conviction:
"The ordinary people inside those grand narrative—they are the ones we should be paying attention to."
The video ended abruptly.
The screen went black.
Yet for a long time afterward, nobody spoke.
The final frame was an image of a pair of impossibly clear, peach-blossom eyes, soft and quiet, yet from which one could feel an immeasurable strength.
It was as if their hearts were still trembling from that single gaze, their blood still surging from those words. Everyone remained frozen in place.
Seconds later, scattered, tiny applause rose from the corners of the room, then swept through the entire venue with unstoppable, overwhelming momentum.
Immense. Fervent.
Like a rising tide, long and unbroken.
The livestream audience continued climbing, yet the comments visibly slowed.
[...I have goosebumps.]
[I don't know why, but I'm tearing up a little. I haven't felt anything like this in years, not since I graduated high school.]
[There's a kind of warmth in her that nobody else has. Gentle yet steadfast. Soft yet unbreakable. She truly deserves all of this.]
Outside the livestream, countless posts began appearing beneath the trending topic bearing Qi Yao's name.
[XiaoTaoNeverGetsFat]: "I don't really know what to say. I was lucky enough to meet Yao-mei once at a convenience store late at night. I already liked her back then. Suddenly seeing my idol, I got carried away and ended up talking her ear off."
"Thinking back now, she'd probably just wrapped filming and had a crack-of-dawn flight. She was visibly exhausted, but she never showed the slightest impatience. She listened to me carefully the entire time and even handed me tissues."
"Even her tissues smelled nice."
"I'd chased other celebrities before, gone to airport pickups, but they were always behind sunglasses and security, seeming so far above. But when Yao-mei stood in front of me, she felt more like a friend I simply didn't get to see very often."
"Later, when she occasionally passed by and saw me working, she'd buy me a little something and tell me that working night shifts at my age must've been hard."
"But she's barely a few years older than me herself. She worked at a coffee shop during college to pay her own tuition. She never thinks of her own hardship. She only worries about others."
"Before meeting her, I was just a casual fan who could've switched fandoms at any moment. After meeting her, I knew I would like her my whole life. I will always believe in her, always support her."
...
[HappyFamily38580275]: "I've met this young lady before. At the time I only thought she was very pretty. Didn't know she was a celebrity."
"She's a very good person. I'm old, I don't understand all this talk about improper deals and whatever. I just remember once, I took her order in the middle of the night. The car had a problem, broke down halfway. She didn't complain, didn't get angry, just calmly said she'd wait for me."
"In the dead of night, this young girl waited outside for me for half an hour. When I came back, she'd even bought me a bottle of water. After I dropped her off, she told me to drive slowly, reminded me to drive carefully and to rest if I got too tired."
"Here, look. This is the five-star review she left me. It just says, 'The driver was excellent.' Life isn't easy for anyone these days. Most people don't leave bad reviews, but who goes out of their way to leave good ones?"
"I believe she's a good person."
...
[StudyHardtoGetIntoNo1HighSchool]: "[Location - Southwest Mountain Region] A lot of people probably don't know this, but a lot of the desks, chairs, and books at our school were donated by Yaoyao-jiejie. She taught here as a volunteer during her junior year of college.”
"Our conditions were terrible back then. Dirt roads everywhere. The volunteer teachers didn't even have proper housing and slept on the floor of the village office surrounded by mosquitoes. She never complained once."
"Even after becoming famous, she still sends us things every year. At New Year's, she video calls us with holiday wishes. And when she donates, she never lets us put her name on anything. No plaques. No 'Donated by Qi Yao.' Nothing."
"There isn't a single person at our school who doesn't like her. We all study hard because we want to make it to the big cities and become someone like her."
...
[SunSunSunWenboTheMostHandsome]: "Yaoyao-jiejie comes to the orphanage to visit us every year. She brings food and supplies and donates money every year too. I don't know how much, but the auntie always tells her she doesn't need to give so much, that the home has enough."
"She's really, really, really nice. Really nice. That's all I can say right now. When I've studied a few more years, I'll come back and tell everyone properly how amazing she is."
...
From different IP locations, different age groups, the voices of countless "ordinary” rose, gathered beneath this topic born from malice.
Thousands upon thousands of fragments came together, forming a single image of Qi Yao.
A sincere, brave, and kind Qi Yao.
Yu Jiashu stood on stage, expression light.
His gaze swept over the sea of people before him, seeming to look into the heart of every person there, and he spoke evenly.
"I've always felt that this society gives women too little, and demands too much from them."
Into the total silence, he continued.
"The assumption that a female celebrity must rely on a powerful man to obtain opportunities is, at its core, a product of stereotypes and the way women are constantly scrutinized."
"Why must women depend on men?" His tone was perfectly level, without ripples, almost casual. Yet every word struck like thunder.
"Why must men always be placed in the position of resource-holders?"
"Why can't an outstanding woman achieve what she wants through her own abilities?"
The calm rhetorical questions landed in the ears of everyone present, churning up an irrepressible swell of thought. Some of the younger girls even quietly wiped away tears.
"There was no back doors. No relying on connections. And certainly no improper relationship."
He enunciated every word.
"Fengxing has always walked the straight path. Clear as moonlight, open as daylight. Upright and aboveboard."
"Hearsay, embellishment, malicious speculation."
Yu Jiashu's gaze swept over the person sitting in the front row with the ashen face, pausing pointedly for two beats before he continued.
"Your endless interpretations and assumptions about me do not amount to one ten-thousandth of who I am. They are, however, a complete portrait of who you are."
Finally, standing alone at the center of the stage, Yu Jiashu spoke with relaxed certainty.
"Our spokesperson is sincere, kind, and brave."
The hall remained silent.
Amid the vast sea of people, Yu Jiashu found her eyes and spoke softly.
"If we're talking about who doesn't deserve whom..."
Qi Yao's heart thundered.
She looked at the man who was exactly as she remembered him from years ago. Standing tall like a pine tree, his dark eyes fixed only on her.
He lowered his head slightly and drawled lazily:
"Then I'm the one who isn't good enough for her."
---
Author's Note:
Shu: Someone's bullying my wife right in front of me?
No problem. I'll handle it.
---
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