46. Dearest

Xu Yuanzhe is busier than Yu Yue imagined.

But Yu Yue doesn’t mind. He expected that during this trip to Italy, he would spend more than two-thirds of the time alone.

He kept himself busy, editing videos in the hotel. When he got tired of editing, he would grab a camera and go out to shoot Milan Cathedral and the white doves on the Cathedral Square.

On the third day in Milan, Yu Yue was sitting on a chair in the square, holding up his camera when his phone suddenly rang.

He picked up the phone and saw it was a call from Dan Hang.

After answering, Dan Hang said, “I deliberately checked the photos of Xu Yuanzhe on the hot search in China these days. I thought I would see you by his side, but you are nowhere to be found. Where did you go? Why not stick with Xu Yuanzhe?”

Yu Yue adjusted the camera lens, holding the phone to his ear, “Why should I follow him and disturb his work?” He paused, “He has his things to do, and I’m fine being alone.”

“Tsk…” Dan Hang couldn’t help but say, “I thought, you just got back together, you’d want to stick together twenty-five hours a day.”

Yu Yue didn’t say anything.

He adjusted the lens, lifted it again, and aimed it at the scenery in front of him.

If it were five years ago, Yu Yue would indeed always want to be with Xu Yuanzhe. He would think about Xu Yuanzhe during school, and after school, he would want to see Xu Yuanzhe immediately.

But things were different now.

“No rush for now,” Yu Yue said to Dan Hang after taking a photo. “We’ll have plenty of time to be together in the future.”

Dan Hang said, “Oh,” “Why do I feel like you’ve matured, Xiao Yu? Indeed, a man with a family is different.”

Yu Yue: “…”

He said to Dan Hang, “Last time, when I got drunk at the bar, you called Xu Yuanzhe to come, right?”

Before Dan Hang could come up with an excuse, Yu Yue continued, “Regardless, thank you. When we get back, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

“Treating to a meal is not interesting,” Dan Hang said on the other end of the phone. “At the very least, you should invite me to your wedding. And make sure to give me the most prestigious seat. Got it?”

Yu Yue looked at the camera photos and couldn’t help but bend his lips very slightly.

The sky suddenly darkened, but Yu Yue didn’t pay attention. He continued chatting casually with Dan Hang while flipping through the photos he took in the morning, “I think, about the wedding, we might not necessarily have it in China. It might be in Italy.”

Yu Yue didn’t really think about it. He was just going along with Dan Hang’s conversation. Because he felt the wedding seemed distant, and whether they had it or not didn’t matter. Those were just formalities. What he cared about was Xu Yuanzhe and every day spent with him.

But Dan Hang cared more than him, “Sure, Italy. Then you’ll have to prepare two round-the-world travel tickets for me… No, make it two, I’ll bring my girlfriend. She’ll be thrilled to meet Xu Yuanzhe.”

Yu Yue said, “How about giving you two round-the-world tickets?”

Dan Hang said, “No, I still have to work.”

Yu Yue laughed, raised the camera, “It’s my wedding, and you still have to give a gift. How can you ask for things first…”

He didn’t finish his words when suddenly there was silence.

Yu Yue held up the camera. Through the lens, he first saw the khaki trench coat hem, then slowly moved upward, revealing the black shirt and tie…

The camera lens moved up again.

Through the lens, Yu Yue saw Xu Yuanzhe.

Xu Yuanzhe wore a mask, exposing only a pair of lightly black, icy mint-like eyes.

Yu Yue’s breath paused for a moment.

He accidentally pressed the shutter.

“Click” – a photo was taken.

Yu Yue quickly lowered the camera, looking at Xu Yuanzhe.

Forgetting he was on a call, he took the phone down without hanging up and asked Xu Yuanzhe, “Why are you here?”

Xu Yuanzhe said, “Filming is over, so I came to find you.”

Sitting beside Yu Yue, he glanced at the caller name displayed on Yu Yue’s phone and asked, “What wedding?”

At this moment, Yu Yue remembered the random topic he discussed with Dan Hang.

He quickly replied, “Nothing, just nonsense.”

Xu Yuanzhe didn’t say anything, looking at Yu Yue.

After a while, he said, “You can choose to have the wedding in a church indoors, or at an estate outdoors, or both.”

Yu Yue hadn’t really thought that far.

But hearing Xu Yuanzhe say this, Yu Yue’s heart trembled slightly.

He withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, turned off the camera, and with slightly reddened ears, said, “It’s still very distant. I was just chatting randomly with Dan Hang earlier.”

Dan Hang shouted something through the phone.

Yu Yue couldn’t hear clearly, so he picked up the phone and asked, “What did you say?”

Dan Hang said, “What do you mean by chatting randomly? Let me tell you, that wasn’t just casual chat. Give the phone to Xu Yuanzhe, tell him, the wedding and the two European travel tickets are a package deal!”

Yu Yue glanced at Xu Yuanzhe.

He responded on behalf of Xu Yuanzhe, “Got it, got it. Go to sleep now.”

After saying that, he hung up the phone.

Beside Yu Yue, Xu Yuanzhe managed to find a bag of pigeon feed from somewhere, sprinkling it on the bricks in front of them. A group of pigeons instantly swarmed over, eagerly devouring the feed.

Yu Yue sat next to Xu Yuanzhe, watching him feed the pigeons.

After a while, without saying anything, he put the camera back, took out the camcorder, turned it on, and started filming Xu Yuanzhe.

Many years ago, Yu Yue had always had this idea—to make a movie with Xu Yuanzhe as the main character.

But this movie would be unlike any other.

It would only have one character, Xu Yuanzhe. This movie wouldn’t tell a complete story.

It would be filmed from Yu Yue’s perspective, capturing the everyday life and moments with Xu Yuanzhe, every casual and incidental instant.

At that time, Yu Yue thought he would never have the chance to make this movie in his lifetime.

Unexpectedly…

Through the viewfinder, Xu Yuanzhe bent down to feed the pigeons, a group of hungry pigeons swirling around him, eagerly awaiting another handful of feed.

Xu Yuanzhe wore a mask, and his hair was still a bit short, but compared to when they first reunited, it had grown a bit. His profile was entirely covered by the mask, but in Yu Yue’s lens, he could clearly see the long, beautiful, pitch-black eyelashes that hung down.

After filming for a while, Yu Yue suddenly spoke.

His voice was gentle, transmitted from behind the camcorder, also recorded in this “film.”

Yu Yue softly said, “Zhe Ge.”

Xu Yuanzhe’s movements paused.

The pigeon feed in his small pocket wasn’t clenched, and half of it spilled out, making the pigeons even more frenzied.

Xu Yuanzhe turned around and looked at the camera.

Yu Yue smiled behind the camera.

After filming so many movies, long ones, short ones, various genres, Yu Yue had never felt like he found the perfect leading role.

But today, seeing Xu Yuanzhe through the lens.

Yu Yue felt that he had finally found his perfect leading man.

The only one, the eternal leading man in his life, and also the dearest person to him.