Starlight Descends - 69
Comforting Her
Filming for Dust Melody had resumed for nearly half a month during the coldest time of the year.
A seaside city in winter.
The sky was overcast. Heavy gray clouds hung low over the distant horizon, casting the buildings beneath them in muted shades. While the crew kept everything running in order, there was no stopping the curiosity of the growing crowd gathered outside.
"What's going on? Who's filming here?"
“Who’s that actress? She's gorgeous."
“Did you get the picture? Did you get it?! I’m sending it to my roommate. She’s a Qi Yao fan, she’s gonna be so jealous of me right now.”
“Who started the rumor that she's average-looking? Look at those legs. Long, slim, and so pale. And her face is tiny. She's ridiculously beautiful."
The chatter drifted in from every direction.
Qi Yao seemed not to hear a word.
The moment the clapperboard snapped shut, she slipped effortlessly into character.
Her expression softened into something heavier. Long black lashes lowered before lifting again two seconds later.
When she looked up, she was someone else entirely.
No one could deny it. In front of the camera, she possessed a kind of magnetism few people could ever hope to match.
Xiao Man's script was genuinely interesting.
It wasn't the typical suspense drama drenched in bleak colors and oppressive horror from beginning to end.
Instead, she'd taken an unconventional approach. The story opened like an ordinary urban drama, following a perfectly normal female law student. The protagonist's search for a mysteriously vanished diary became the thread connecting a series of independent cases, each revealing fictional characters trapped within their own impossible circumstances. Every twist overturned the last.
Neither readers nor viewers could ever predict where the story was headed, yet nothing ever felt forced or unrealistic. It never relied on manufactured tension. Even the cinematography and color palette were surprisingly vibrant.
The immersion was remarkable, its appeal was broad, its premise refreshingly original.
Rather than revolving around romance, it painted a rich ensemble cast that could easily rival many prestige dramas.
The moment Qi Yao read the script, she'd been completely captivated.
That was why she'd hesitated for so long.
She really, truly loved it.
The entire afternoon shoot passed under the watchful eyes of curious onlookers. When the final "Cut!" rang out, her scenes for the day officially wrapped. She waved toward the fans calling her name nearby, walked over to collect a few letters they'd prepared, then continued chatting with them as they walked together.
"Yao-baby, are you exhausted lately? You look even thinner. Promise you'll eat more!"
"I'm okay. It hasn't been too bad." Qi Yao smiled. "I eat plenty. I'm just afraid I'll gain so much weight I'll scare you."
“What?! No way! Being healthy is what matters most! No matter what you look like, we'll always love you."
"Yao-mei, Lunar New Year is only a few days away. Are you spending it on set again this year?"
Qi Yao paused.
She stood still for several seconds before answering softly. "Most likely. The schedule's pretty tight."
“How much have you filmed now? More than halfway? Can't you make it home for New Year’s? You’re on a set every single year, that’s way too hard on you.”
Qi Yao smiled. "This one's a short production. It'll only take about a month to finish, so we really can't afford to drag things out."
Surrounded by the crowd, they chatted about everyday things as she slowly made their way toward her van.
She was relaxed and approachable, never putting on celebrity airs.
By the time the conversation naturally came to an end, they'd already reached the vehicle.
Suddenly someone poked their head out from the crowd and shouted, "Zip up your down jacket right now! You're gonna give your mom a heart attack! It's freezing and you're still walking around with bare legs!"
"..."
Qi Yao already had one foot inside the van. Hearing that, she pulled her coat closer around herself, turned back toward the crowd, and deliberately put on a fierce expression.
"Quit trying to claim you're my mom!"
Laughter immediately erupted.
The fan who'd shouted scratched her head sheepishly. "It just slipped out! We usually call you Yao-mei. We were just worried about you."
"I know." Qi Yao couldn't keep a straight face anymore, her eyes curved into a smile. "I’m off now. You guys should get home early too. Bye!"
"Bye-bye, Yao-mei!"
She waved one last time before climbing into the van.
Lizi handed her a thermos. Qi Yao drank more than half a cup of hot water before warmth slowly returned to her body.
It really was freezing.
Still, compared to the beginning, the past two weeks had been much easier.
Due to budget constraints, the previous locations and facilities had been subpar, and equipment was limited.
Under so many inconvenient conditions, a single scene often required multiple retakes, stretching filming endlessly and making the cold even harder to endure.
Things were different now, efficiency had improved dramatically.
And all of it was thanks to one extraordinarily "generous" investor.
According to Xiao Man, this investor didn't demand any product placement, soft advertising, or forced sponsorships of any kind. He’d thrown in a huge sum of money with just one condition.
—Treat their leading lady better.
"..."
The moment Xiao Man revealed that, the entire crew immediately started teasing them.
The younger staff called out one after another, exchanging knowing glances before unanimously turning toward their "leading lady."
What could Qi Yao even say?
She simply pulled her hood over her head to hide her reddening ears, and, with a perfectly straight face, hurried them all back to work.
With high efficiency came an early clock-out. The van rolled onto the main road and headed toward the hotel.
Perhaps her fans' questions had stirred something inside her.
Curled up in her seat, Qi Yao suddenly thought of something.
She pressed her lips together, picked up her phone, and opened the pinned chat at the very top. Their conversation still ended with the hour-long phone call they'd shared the previous night.
They talked every evening.
Maybe she'd simply grown used to having someone beside her, or maybe it was something else. Since rejoining the production, she'd started finding it hard to sleep in a new bed.
So every night, Yu Jiashu would call to keep her company, chatting idly about random things until she drifted off to sleep.
Qi Yao hesitated. Her fingertips hovered over the keyboard for a long time.
Finally, she cautiously sent a sticker first. It felt exactly like messaging someone you weren't close to and awkwardly opening with an obvious, "Are you there?"
Anyone could tell she had something to say.
[1]: Ding ding ding
[1]: (Curious kitten peeking out.jpg)
[1]: Time for your daily check-in.
After sending them, she glanced at the date, a little lost in thought.
The Spring Festival was right around the corner. Her filming schedule was packed solid. It didn't look like she was getting a single day off.
The initial shooting schedule had been interrupted by her illness, after all. They needed to wrap by mid-February since she had another project waiting afterward.
She really didn't have the nerve to ask Xiao Man for more days off for the New Year.
...But she also didn't want to spend it alone.
Back when she was on her own, New Year's Eve, Spring Festival, and every other holiday had felt no different from ordinary days.
People gave them meaning. By themselves, they were nothing special.
She'd never needed to think about who to celebrate with, or how.
Now everything was different.
Because he had appeared in her life, the meanings people attached to those days had suddenly become real.
Whether a day was ordinary or special, she wanted to spend it with the person who mattered most.
But he probably had to go home for the New Year, right? Wasn't that what Spring Festival meant for most people? Family. Reunion. Warmth.
Especially someone from a family like his. Someone like her, with no home to return to, was probably in the minority.
Qi Yao's lashes trembled. She lowered her eyes, pressed her lips together as she stared at the chat window, and slowly let out a long breath.
The other side didn't reply immediately.
Perhaps he was busy.
To stop herself from overthinking while waiting, she absentmindedly opened Weibo clicked on Weibo and scrolled through her feed.
Filming in the middle of a city didn't have the same seclusion as a studio or Hengdian. There was no privacy, plenty of passersby gathered curiously.
Photos and behind-the-scenes clips spread across the internet almost instantly.
Sure enough, in just half a day, the on-set photos had climbed onto the trending topics again. A lot of netizens were just here for the gossip, and the overall tone was fairly neutral.
She skimmed through a few.
[Holy crap, those legs. Let me touch first, I insist! heavy breathing!]
[What drama is this... never heard of it... Did a Baidu search, there's zero info on it. Besides her I don't recognize anyone. Looks so low-budget.]
[Why do gorgeous actresses always end up filming these random web dramas with boring styling? It's weird.]
[Because that's all she can get. Sheng Yu is just that useless.]
[There's literally no one familiar in this cast besides her. Even the Baidu entry has nothing but a title. Never heard of the director either. Seriously questioning her studio's script choices.]
[Poor girl. No resources. No backing from her company. Such a waste.]
[Didn't the rumor says before that she terminated her contract? Things have been really quiet about it, might actually be true.]
[Her fans scream about contract termination every year and I've never seen it actually happen. They've cried wolf so many times nobody believes it anymore.]
[Who says her studio picked this script? Maybe she chose it herself. She's not that famous, that's why she gets to play the female lead in some unknown production. Hilarious.]
...
Qi Yao read through everything at a glance.
The praise didn't affect her, neither did the criticism.
It did remind her of something, though.
She exited Weibo and messaged Zhao Min, asking when they planned to officially announce her new contract.
She'd already met her new manager. A remarkably capable woman. Although she'd managed several award-winning actresses before, she couldn't have been more different from Qiao Nian.
Her presence was powerful without being intimidating. She spoke calmly, never sarcastic or aggressive. Even the initial career plans had been discussed with Qi Yao rather than imposed on her.
Qi Yao was genuinely satisfied.
Zhao Min replied a moment later, saying they could announce anytime, but since there was no new drama to promote right now, announcing the contract signing now would be a bit of a waste of buzz. But she added that the final decision was ultimately Qi Yao's.
Qi Yao considered it; she had a point. It wasn't something that absolutely had to be announced immediately.
They might as well wait until Dust Melody begins its official promotion. The initial traffic for this drama would be entirely shouldered by her, after all.
She replied with a simple "Okay."
After finishing work, she sank bonelessly into her seat again.
Opening the pinned chat once more, she saw that he'd finally replied.
[S]: Present.
He was answering her "check-in" message.
Qi Yao couldn't help smiling, a moment later, the smile faded again.
After hesitating, she slowly typed, "Are you definitely going home for New Year?"
...Was the implication too heavy?
Anyone could see she was hinting for him to come spend it with her.
The sentence sat there unsent.
Qi Yao pursed her lips, pressed delete, and erased it character by character. Eventually she changed it to: "Are you busy during New Year?"
That should be less obvious, right?
After thinking for a long time, she finally pressed Send.
His reply came almost immediately.
[S]: With how long you were typing, I thought you were about to confess to me.
Qi Yao: "..."
What exactly went through this man's head all day?
Just then, Yu Jiashu send another message.
[S]: Busy.
Qi Yao's movements stopped. For a long moment, she just dropped her eyes and typed back,
[1]: Okay then.
A wave of gloom swelled up from her chest, squeezing at every breath.
Qi Yao exhaled deeply, turned off her phone, and tossed it aside.
Looking out the window, she tried to comfort herself.
It's fine. He has to go home to his family. He might have company matters to handle too. Everyone has work. It’s understandable. This wasn't her first time spending the New Year on a set alone. She'd get used to it.
The drive back to the hotel took around half an hour. For the rest of the journey, Qi Yao simply stared out the window in silence, never touching her phone again.
The gray scenery blurred past the window, and her mood sank right along with it.
Just as the hotel's tall building came into view two streets away...
Her phone rang.
The familiar name flashed across the screen.
Qi Yao stared for two seconds, then swiped her finger across the screen and put it to her ear. "Hello?"
The other end was noisy. She heard rustling, but not his voice.
Qi Yao waited a while. Still no answer. All she could vaguely make out was someone excitedly shouting, "Let me say hi to her!"
Confused, she called softly, "Yu Jiashu?"
Two seconds later, a little girl's voice came through the speaker. Soft and sweet. Still carrying the unmistakable lilt of a child.
"Yaoyao-jiejie, hello!"
The voice was still babyish, yet resounding and perfectly articulated, bright and clear, bursting with irrepressible excitement.
A child.
Qi Yao blanked for two seconds. She lowered the phone to check the screen.
It was definitely his number, definitely his contact name.
She slowly lifted it back to her ear and said softly. "...Hello?"
Silence lasted exactly one second.
Then came a burst of frantic movement. The microphone filled with wind and rustling, as though someone was jumping around while clutching the phone.
"It really is Yaoyao-jiejie!"
"Really!! Gege didn't lie to me!!!!"
Yu Jiashu lounged lazily against the sofa, lifting his eyes to watch Yu Qiuqiu bounce around the room in excitement.
His fingers drummed twice against his thigh.
Stretching out one arm, he took the phone back while his other hand landed on top of her head, stopping her from jumping everywhere.
"Hey," he spoke.
Qi Yao was still bewildered. "What's going on?"
Yu Jiashu didn't answer. He just sat there lazily, looking through the glass entrance toward the black nanny van slowly pulling up outside.
"So I say I'm busy and suddenly you ignore me?"
He drawled out the last syllable, lazy and unhurried, the exact same tone he used every night when he coaxed her to sleep.
"You're not even going to ask your boyfriend why he's busy?"
Qi Yao was quiet for two seconds before stepping out of the van.
Standing in the bitter winter wind, she lowered her eyes.
Her voice was soft. "I'd understand whatever the reason..."
"Qi Shiyi."
Yu Jiashu seemed to let out a very soft sigh, interrupting her in a low voice.
"Look up."
His cool, magnetic voice flowed through the phone, sending an inexplicable shiver through her ears.
Then she heard him say,
"I'm right across from you."
---
Comments
Post a Comment