Starlight Descends - 79
Bride
Qi Yao couldn't find the words for a long moment.
After sitting in silence, she replied to Ye Qingman with a simple Its fine, then exited the chat and opened another conversation instead.
The reply came almost instantly.
[1]: I'm heading out now
[S]: Nervous?
Qi Yao thought for a moment. Turning her head, she watched the evening sky blur past outside the car window before replying, "Not really."
She hadn't come in with high expectations to begin with. A rising star barely into her twenties getting a nomination was already an achievement. There was no need to fantasize about more.
Most disappointment came from the distance between impossible expectations and reality.
Better to take it as it came.
The other side suddenly changed the subject entirely.
[S]: Miss your boyfriend?
[1]: ...
[1]: Didn't we literally see each other this morning?
[S]: That was eight whole hours ago.
[S]: You don't miss me?
Qi Yao: "..."
How could someone be this shameless?
She had already typed a reply when she suddenly remembered how, that morning, he had insisted her lipstick was too dark and spent forever "kissing it lighter," nearly making her late for makeup.
The memory instantly awakened her rebellious streak.
Deleting what she'd written, she tapped out two crisp words instead.
[1]: I don't!
Short. Decisive. Complete with an exclamation mark.
The other end was silent for a moment, then sent back a lone question mark.
[S]: ?
By now Qi Yao had become fluent in his punctuation language. This one meant he was double-checking... and slightly displeased.
She deliberately poked the bear.
[1]: Really don't.
[1]: Not even a little.
The screen showed the other party typing.
After a long while, the other end sent a single word.
[S]: Fine.
[S]: Very fine.
Qi Yao: "...?”
Did she actually make him short-circuit?
She was still trying to figure out what he meant when another string of messages appeared, one after another.
[S]: Fast.
[S]: Decisive.
[S]: Without the slightest hesitation.
[S]: Cheerfully.
[S]: Happily.
[S]: Impressively carefree.
[1]: ...
[1]: ?
He understood this question mark too.
It meant "Are you okay?" or "And your point is?"
[S]: I'm complimenting you.
[S]: You're amazing.
[S]: Truly worthy of Best Actress of the Year.
Qi Yao: "..."
What a lunatic!
She laughed for a long while. When she looked up, they were already nearing the venue.
She lowered her eyes, sent him one final message, put away her phone, stepped onto the red carpet, and emerged into a storm of dazzling camera flashes.
"She's here! She's here! She's here!" Zhou Qi suddenly shouted, yanking his hand out of a bag of chips, wiping it hurriedly with a napkin before grabbing the remote and cranking up the volume.
"Holy crap, you scared me!" Da Bai clutched his chest, setting down the phone he'd been using to happily play Fight the Landlord.
"Move over, let me see!" Fang Qian hurried over from the bar carrying a freshly squeezed juice.
Amid the noisy commotion,
Yu Jiashu sat lazily on the sofa and lifted his gaze from his phone.
The enormous projector screen in the living room was broadcasting the awards ceremony live. Camera flashes exploded across the venue while shutters clicked nonstop, bright enough to make your eyes ache even through a screen.
It was the red carpet entrance segment.
The host announced each celebrity in turn, filling the broadcast with pleasant but meaningless small talk.
The camera had just moved away from a male actor signing the entrance board.
It drifted slowly across the night scenery before settling on a girl dressed in black, her dark hair falling over the shoulders of an equally black gown.
Ignoring Zhou Qi's endless exclamations, Yu Jiashu watched in silence as the person emerged from the car and slowly ascended the red carpet.
She was beautiful.
That much was beyond question.
The black gown hugged her slender figure perfectly. Her graceful neck, elegant collarbones, and pale arms gleamed softly beneath the flashes.
Surrounded by the crowd, she remained calm, a faint smile lingering in her peach blossom eyes as her gaze swept politely across every camera. Fine glitter at the corners of her eyes shimmered with every movement.
The translucent livestream comments flooded the screen. "Wife," "She's unreal," "My heart just stopped." The messages flew by too quickly to read.
Yu Jiashu simply sat there in silence.
Thinking,
She's mine.
Their conversation was still open on his phone.
Those last few messages remained quietly on the screen.
Yu Jiashu lowered his eyes.
How lucky.
The woman everyone in the world was looking at...
belonged to him.
***
The ceremony reached its halfway point.
Best Director, Best Screenwriter, Best Art Direction, Best Sound Design... one award after another had already been presented.
Meanwhile, someone in the living room had demolished an impressive amount of snacks.
"Our Yao-mei is seriously incredible." Zhou Qi spoke while chewing. "First-billed female lead. Award nomination. The queen who carried the year's biggest hit drama all by herself."
"Talk all you want, just stop spraying chip crumbs everywhere." Da Bai shoved a tissue at him in disgust.
Zhou Qi accepted it, wiped his mouth, swallowed, then continued. "I'm serious! My Ge here totally hit the jackpot. If I had a girlfriend as amazing as Yao-mei, I'd wake up laughing every single day."
Silence settled over the room.
The man on the sofa slowly turned his head.
Lifting his eyelids, he looked at Zhou Qi with a faint smile that wasn't really a smile.
"You dare dream about it?"
Zhou Qi: "..."
Was that really the takeaway here?
Wasn't the point complimenting how great Yao-mei was?
But this man's aura was simply too strong. Just sitting there, looking at you, was enough to make anyone lose confidence.
Zhou Qi immediately waved both hands. "No, no, no, absolutely not."
Then he hurriedly changed the subject.
"It's true, though! You guys don't get it. Getting this nomination is incredibly difficult. It's not one of those messy, bought-and-paid-for domestic awards. This is genuinely judged by the organizing committee. Over the years they've discovered a lot of overlooked films and forgotten roles. Everyone in the industry respects this award."
"Ah, yeah, I vaguely remember something about this." Da Bai took a sip of juice, instantly puckered from the sourness, quietly set it down, waited for the taste to fade, then continued. "Didn't Song Qinglan win this before?"
"Exactly!" Zhou Qi nodded. "She's a Grand Slam winner. She actually got the Feitian and the White Magnolia first before finally getting this one."
Fang Qian was curious. "So if being nominated is already that difficult... what if Yao-mei actually wins?"
"The probability's not high." Zhou Qi shook his head, looking very knowledgeable.
"The nomination itself is already recognition for her. The other nominees include so many veteran actresses. Personally I think her performance deserved it, but the entertainment industry is complicated. Once awards get involved, things become even murkier. Better not get your hopes up."
"Even so, that's amazing." Da Bai clicked his tongue twice. "Our Yao-mei genuinely has the potential to become the next Song Qinglan. Not bad, not bad."
"Song Qinglan, Song Qinglan. All day, it's Song Qinglan." Fang Qian rolled her eyes. "Yao-mei is Yao-mei. She's one of a kind. Why does she have to become the second somebody else? Just because you've got a goddess?"
"..."
The two men fell silent simultaneously.
Da Bai and Zhou Qi exchanged bewildered looks.
Experienced husbands survived on quick reflexes. Da Bai immediately picked up the juice and coaxed his wife.
"What? Since when did I ever say Song Qinglan was my goddess? You're obviously my goddess..."
Fang Qian huffed and pushed his hand away. But he stuck to her like plaster, eventually she relented and took a sip from the glass he was holding.
The expression that had just softened froze again. Fang Qian's face scrunched. The sourness made her want to curse someone.
"You trying to sour me to death?"
"Oh no, sorry! I forgot..."
Watching the married couple flirt and bicker, Zhou Qi wasn't sure whether they were arguing or showing off.
After a long silence, he quietly scooted closer to Yu Jiashu and sat beside him.
"Ge, the two of us are so lonely," he said.
Yu Jiashu didn't even move his gaze from the screen. Leaning lazily against the sofa, he asked lightly, "Are you okay?"
His tone was casual. Yet somehow it carried unmistakable disdain, as if he wouldn't deign to share his fate with the likes of him.
Zhou Qi: "?"
"Huh?"
Yu Jiashu still didn't look at him. His eyes followed the clips flashing across the screen. He spoke slowly.
"Don't you have your own girlfriend?"
"So why are you at my house...watching my girlfriend?"
He emphasized words "my house" and "my girlfriend” with deliberate clarity.
"..."
Silence.
Zhou Qi: Heh.
He'd walked straight into that one.
Throughly wounded, Little Buzz-cut picked up his chips and retreated to the balcony.
The living room remained lively until the ceremony reached its closing segment.
Most of the awards had already been announced. It was time for the final, headline-grabbing Best Actor and Best Actress awards.
Only then did everyone quiet down again. Those who'd left came back in, those standing sat down, everyone gathered before the screen to wait.
Though Zhou Qi had said the probability wasn't high, even he was getting nervous now. His eyes stared at the screen without blinking.
Da Bai and Fang Qian sat on the sofa, their hands unconsciously clasping together.
Amid this atmosphere of anxiety, only Yu Jiashu, the person with the biggest emotional stake in all of this, looked completely calm.
He lounged sideways on the sofa without moving an inch, absentmindedly swinging his phone between two fingers.
"Shu," Da Bai asked while swallowing nervously, "your girlfriend's waiting for the award. Aren't you nervous?"
"No." Yu Jiashu said succinctly.
Before Da Bai could ask another question, the title "Best Actress of the Year" appeared on the screen. The living room fell momentarily silent. No one spoke.
Behind the stage, enormous LED screens began playing clips from each nominated performance.
Edited highlights from the dramas, about ten seconds of footage each, accompanied by the nominees' information.
"First nominee, Wan Qing'er. Nominated work, The Sea is Clear, the River is Calm.”
"Second nominee, Yang Anqi. Nominated work, Mountain Spirit."
...
"Seventh nominee, Qi Yao. Nominated work, Dust Melody."
The committee had selected the final scene.
The clip the committee had selected was the final sequence.
Very quiet. No dialogue. In some ways, it even shared a certain kinship with the clip from the drama that had made her famous, the one about the secret crush.
The still-young girl, having weathered all the layered, deception-shrouded cases, had suddenly stepped out of the ivory tower and into society. She stood at the school gate, quietly looking back.
Around her, female students laughed together, arms linked as they chatted about buying books or going shopping. So vibrant, so full of life.
And she stood under the shade of the plane trees, silently watching it all.
They were about the same age, dressed similarly.
Yet they looked as though they belonged to entirely different worlds, as if an invisible chasm lay between her and them.
Broken shadows from the leaves fell upon her, dividing her into light and darkness.
There was a weariness about her.
Such earned only after endured countless storms.
She merely stood there.
A slight lift of her brows.
The faint lowering of her lashes.
Thousands of emotions poured silently from every movement, every expression, every glance in those bright peach blossom eyes.
It was the clarity of someone who had finally crossed every mountain.
The calm acceptance of someone who had survived every impossible hurdle.
All of it conveyed within a single shot.
The camera lingered on her face.
And the clip ended there.
After a brief second of silence, applause thundered through the hall.
Many veteran actors applauded with genuine admiration.
Once every nominee's clip had finished playing, the host launched into the usual remarks about how fiercely competitive the category had been.
The seventh nominee, however, had already drifted elsewhere.
Qi Yao sat below the stage. When her face appeared across the giant screen, an indescribable feeling settled over her.
Life always seemed to work this way.
In the past, for the sake of so-called business opportunities, so-called resources, Qiu Lang and Qiao Nian hadn't hesitated to drag her, with her inherently fragile stomach, through dinner after dinner, bowing and flattering, offering gifts. All just so she could act in dramas and roles that "seemed very promising."
And in the end?
The most beautiful pearl had come from an ordinary shell picked up casually on the beach.
Those shells that had appeared perfectly whole and plump had been empty inside.
Fate had a cruel sense of humor.
Years had passed.
The teaching building at No. 1 High School had been renovated.
The street vendors had all been replaced by new faces.
C City's High-Tech Zone had expanded farther south.
The skies over Beijing had grown clearer.
People around her had gradually abandoned the dreams they once held, disappearing into the currents of ordinary life.
Only one person had never changed.
Only he still stood there.
Like a cedar tree that never bent beneath the snow.
Whether it was the longing in Midsummer, or the acceptance in Dust Melody, through every role she'd ever played, the person she was looking at had always been him.
When she came back to herself, the small talk had already ended. The host was enunciating the winner's name, word by word.
Her heart lifted for one suspended moment.
Then fell the instant the first syllable left his mouth.
It wasn't her.
The award belonged to a veteran actress for her remarkable portrayal of an educated young woman in a period drama.
After two seconds, Qi Yao smiled and applauded sincerely, offering her heartfelt congratulations.
She wasn't surprised.
She'd mentally prepared herself before coming. She knew that the likelihood of such a young, non-academy-trained actress winning for a self-produced web drama role was vanishingly slim.
So she wasn't exactly disappointed.
Still, there was a trace of regret.
"Almost could have" was always more regretful than "never had a chance."
She sat quietly below the stage, waiting for the ceremony to end, waiting to go home and fall into a warm embrace.
The veteran actress chatted and laughed with the hosts before stepping down with her trophy.
By convention, the ceremony should have ended there.
Qi Yao lowered her gaze quietly, smoothing the folds of her gown as she prepared to stand.
Suddenly, she heard a sentence from the stage:
"However, this year's award comes with a special exception."
After a brief and subtle pause, Qi Yao heard the host continue.
"Because one nominee was simply too extraordinary, an exceptional young actress whose performance stood above the rest, the committee has decided to present two Best Actress awards this year."
The air was still for a moment.
Qi Yao's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Slowly, she raised her head.
The host glanced at the card in her hand, then looked up. Smiling, she sought out Qi Yao's eyes in the crowd. Word by word, she announced,"The second recipient of this year's Best Actress Award..."
"Dust Melody, Qi Yao."
The instant the final syllable fell, the auditorium erupted.
Applause crashed through the hall like waves.
Zhao Min sat in the front row. Along with countless colleagues, familiar and unfamiliar alike, they all turned back toward her with smiling faces and warm applause.
Qi Yao just sat there, frozen, slowly processing what she'd just heard.
Her heart soared high, then plunged heavily.
And then began to pound faster and faster.
It was really... her?
The surprise at the unprecedented dual Best Actress setup. The shock that the committee had broken precedent for this. Disbelief that she herself was the reason. Every emotion collided at once. Her mind went completely blank.
A moment later, Qi Yao, moving purely mechanically, hugged the nearest actress, walked through the long, narrow red-carpeted aisle between the seats, and slowly ascended the stage.
When the overhead lights fell upon her, she was still in a daze.
Standing there with the microphone in hand, looking out at the audience filled with respected seniors, she found herself at a loss.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Qi Yao."
The host laughed. "I feel like if I'd waited one more second, you'd have been ready to leave."
"...Yes," Qi Yao said. Gripping the microphone, she looked around and admitted honestly, "It was... a little too unexpected."
A wave of warm laughter rippled through the audience.
The host smiled. "Yes, this is indeed a rare exception. That alone shows how highly the committee thinks of you. Dust Melody is an outstanding production. It was also nominated for Best Director. Although it didn't win, the nomination itself speaks volumes."
"It's incredibly difficult for a young actor to break free of convention. For someone without formal training, it requires extraordinary sensitivity, emotional awareness, and the ability to learn."
“Our award presenter said she could see a kind of resilient quality in you. Humble. Always grounded. She specifically requested to present this award herself."
After a two-second pause, Qi Yao turned her head to look at the host and blinked slowly.
"Curious, right?" The host smiled and looked out at the audience. "We're curious too. We invited her many times before and she always declined. But this time she volunteered, saying she wanted to present Yao-mei's award."
"Please welcome our final presenter…Song Qinglan."
It wasn't until the trophy was placed in her hand, and a fragrant warmth approached and then receded during the brief hug, did Qi Yao finally return to reality.
Standing before her was the Grand Slam Best Actress herself.
Song Qinglan didn't say much.
She simply congratulated her. Then, while embracing her, whispered softly, "You were wonderful."
Two seconds later she added, half teasing, "Following Zhao Min is a bit of a pity."
Everyone in the industry knew the two top actresses had always shared an unspoken rivalry.
Qi Yao almost laughed. Shaking her head gently, she replied, "Not at all. You and Min-jie are both outstanding.”
"You really know how to answer." Song Qinglan smiled before pulling back.
Holding the heavy trophy in one hand, Qi Yao suddenly felt her racing heart settle.
She steadied the microphone with her other hand and began to speak slowly.
"Actually, I've imagined this scene many times before. But now that I'm really standing here, I've forgotten every grand speech I prepared."
"So I'll keep it short." She spoke calmly.
"Thank you to the committee for recognizing me. Thank you to Xiaoman for such a wonderful script and production. Thank you to every member of the cast and crew for their hard work. Thank you to myself for never giving up on what I believed in. And..."
She paused.
Qi Yao pressed her lips together. The fingers of her right hand, gripping the trophy, curled inward. Slowly, she raised it.
Her slender, pale fingers were held together. On her delicate ring finger, a ring was prominently displayed. The diamond flashed with brilliant, dazzling light under the overhead spotlights.
"...Thank you to my boyfriend."
For two full seconds, the entire venue went silent.
Where she couldn't see, the livestream comments instantly doubled in speed, comments flying past too fast to read.
[Holy shit!! THE RING!!!!]
[THAT DIAMOND IS MASSIVE!! I'M SO JEALOUS AHHHHHHHH]
[WHEN ARE YAO QIAN SHU GETTING MARRIED WHEN ARE YAO QIAN SHU GETTING MARRIED WHEN ARE YAO QIAN SHU GETTING MARRIED]
[Seriously a life winner. The most show-stopping couple in c-entertainment. Talented and beautiful. I'm crying.]
[I'm actually tearing up. Ten years ago she secretly loved him. Now they've met each other at the very top.]
[Thank you for making me believe in love again. Thank you for making me believe fairy tales really exist in this world.]
On the eighteenth floor, the living room had fallen completely silent.
The rapidly scrolling barrage was like passing clouds. It didn't even register in his eyes. Yu Jiashu just froze where he was, simply staring at the woman on the screen.
It was as if they were gazing at each other across the camera lens.
After a brief pause, Qi Yao smiled softly into the camera.
"Thank you, for all the strength you've given me, year after year."
A piece of his heart suddenly went tender.
Yu Jiashu sat on the sofa, fixed on the screen, watching for a long while.
Confident.
Strong.
Openhearted.
Radiant.
This was the woman he loved.
After a long while, he let out a quiet breath, lowered his eyes, and stood.
Onscreen, the ceremony continued.
The host glanced out at the audience and asked in astonishment. "So... was that a live relationship announcement?"
"Hold on, I'm completely caught off guard right now. This news is too sudden. Yao-mei, is that an engagement ring on your hand?"
Qi Yao smiled. "Yes."
"Someone accidentally spilled the secret for me already. So I figured there was no point hiding it anymore."
In her van, watching the livestream on her phone, Ye Qingman silently covered her face.
Then everyone watched as Qi Yao stood on stage with a gentle smile and spoke softly.
"We're getting married next month."
"Thank you, everyone."
Yu Jiashu picked up his jacket and car keys and headed out the door, leaving the big screen in the living room to the three people with tears welling in their eyes.
Outside the car window, neon lights flowed past beneath the evening sky.
Light and shadow traced the lines of his profile. His jawline was sharp, his eyes cool and clear.
His phone, resting on the center console, continued playing the broadcast.
"Anyway, since the ceremony is pretty much over, can I gossip a bit?" the host asked. "You and your boyfriend have completely dominated entertainment headlines lately."
Qi Yao smiled. "Sorry. We didn't do it on purpose."
Another wave of laughter rippled through the venue.
"Listen to that humble brag." The host chuckled. "We won't pry too much. Just one question. I'm sure everyone here, and the fans watching from home, are all dying of curiosity."
"Why do you love him?"
The girl on the screen fell silent.
Then answered slowly.
"Since becoming an actress, I've met many wonderful people. I've received so much love."
"I treasure every bit of it."
"But undeniably, what most people love is the version of me they see under the spotlight. They love my brightest moments. They love my time-limited beauty."
"But him..."
Qi Yao tilted her head slightly. She paused for a long while, as though looking back across years of memories.
Then she smiled.
So gently.
"He started loving me when I was still just an ordinary girl."
"When he was shining brighter than anyone else… he was willing to love the ordinary me."
Qi Yao's lashes fluttered.
She laughed quietly.
"On the way here, I was actually a little nervous. I asked him, what if I don't win the award? Would he be disappointed?"
"He answered immediately. 'Of course not.'"
She lifted her eyes and looked into the camera, as though looking directly at him.
Her smile remained warm, though there was a glint of tears at the corners of her eyes.
"He said..."
"'You'll always be the Best Actress in my life.'"
The crowds gradually dispersed.
People drifted past one another beneath the night sky.
Wrapped in her coat, Qi Yao stepped out of the venue.
There, she saw the familiar tall figure waiting for her.
The night was hazy. Under a sky full of stars, they looked at each other.
Suddenly, Qi Yao remembered attending Li Xun's wedding. She had sung Next Stop, Queen inside that private room.
Back then, everything had seemed impossibly far away.
In the end, become a queen, become a bride.
She had done both now.
She walked into the embrace of the man she loved.
The familiar scent of cedar and mint wrapped around her.
Their fingers intertwined.
The heavy trophy rested safely between them.
Qi Yao thought, there could never be a more perfect moment than this.
The future was within reach.
The person she loved was at her side.
She had no more regrets.
---
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