56. Shiny and Sparkling

Since they returned to China, it was impossible to stay in their own little world all the time.

Because he wanted to be with Yu Yue, Xu Yuanzhe turned off his work phone. Zhou Ling, as an insider, originally didn’t want to disturb this newly reunited couple. However, the studio’s phone had been ringing off the hook with various work and event invitations. Some even asked if Xu Yuanzhe was being exploited by the studio, wondering why he wasn’t taking any jobs.

At first, Zhou Ling tried to brush it off, saying that Xu Yuanzhe had gone abroad for a vacation to relax.

But with more and more inquiries and paparazzi starting to gather, Zhou Ling couldn’t hold on any longer. She called Xu Yuanzhe’s private number for help, urging him to come out and work to calm down the media frenzy.

When Zhou Ling’s call came in, Xu Yuanzhe was at home with Yu Yue, working on a jigsaw puzzle together. They sat in the narrow living room, where the winter sunlight streamed in perfectly through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a golden and warm glow.

Yu Yue sat cross-legged on the carpet, supporting his cheeks, trying to fit a puzzle piece for a long time. However, he couldn’t find the right place for this puzzle piece, as it depicted the sky, and there were too many similar-colored pieces.

Xu Yuanzhe answered Zhou Ling’s call, listening to her complaints about how various media outlets were pressuring her. She mentioned everything, from how the media was oppressing her to how Xu Yuanzhe’s cat, Little Fish, had started scratching her every day, feeling abandoned by its owner.

Initially, Yu Yue wanted to bring Little Fish back.

But Xu Yuanzhe said this house was too small and couldn’t accommodate another cat.

Of course, he just wanted to spend more time alone with Yu Yue.

Zhou Ling continued on the phone, “Hurry up and come out to work. I currently have five movie scripts in hand. You have to choose one…”

Xu Yuanzhe reached out, took the blue puzzle piece from Yu Yue’s hand, and quickly placed it in the right spot.

Yu Yue raised his eyebrows slightly.

Holding the phone, Xu Yuanzhe lifted his eyes, looking at Yu Yue, who was sitting in front of him, supporting his cheeks. Though it was winter, Yu Yue only wore a black short-sleeved T-shirt because there was heating indoors. Coupled with his inherently cute doll-like face, he looked no different from when they were in college.

“When will your movie start shooting?” Xu Yuanzhe asked Yu Yue.

Supporting his face, Yu Yue thought for a moment, “Wait until your hair grows long, at least half a year.”

Xu Yuanzhe said to Zhou Ling on the phone, “You arrange it. I can take anything for the next six months, but don’t schedule too many things.”

Zhou Ling said, “Alright, then catch a flight to City A tonight.”

“Tonight?” Xu Yuanzhe questioned.

Zhou Ling: “Yeah, if you don’t come back, how can we handle work?”

Xu Yuanzhe looked at Yu Yue.

Yu Yue blinked and mouthed to him, “You go first, I’ll come later.”

So Xu Yuanzhe agreed.

Zhou Ling on the other end of the phone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After hanging up, Yu Yue looked at Xu Yuanzhe, “If I don’t accompany you, will you still work?”

Xu Yuanzhe stared at Yu Yue for a while before saying, “I’ve thought about it. If this job keeps us apart more than it brings us together, I’ll choose to leave the industry, be an ordinary person, work normal hours, and spend every day with you.”

Yu Yue remained silent.

After a long time, a glimmer of light flashed in his black and white eyes, but quickly, he smiled, crescent-like.

Yu Yue reached out, gently pinched Xu Yuanzhe’s fingertips, and then said to him, “I won’t allow you to leave the industry. I want you to appear on the big screen of world-class film festivals, win more awards, and let the whole world know you.”

Unconsciously, Xu Yuanzhe held Yu Yue’s fingertips.

After a moment of silence, he held Yu Yue’s fingertips in his palm, lowered his head, and looked at the jigsaw puzzle.

The puzzle was a photo of the two taken in Italy.

The blue sky was almost complete.

Xu Yuanzhe looked at the puzzle for a while before saying, “I don’t want any world-class awards; they have no meaning to me.”

Yu Yue actually understood.

For him, making movies might not be that important, and for Xu Yuanzhe, being an actor might not be that important either.

It’s just that during the painful five years when they were apart, one used filmmaking, and the other used acting, as a way to pull themselves out of that world. Because they were busy with other things, it prevented them from falling into the emotions that could make them collapse.

So these jobs became a part of their lives and a way to sustain their lives during that time.

But now that they were back together, everything seemed trivial.

“Work hard,” Yu Yue pulled his hand out of Xu Yuanzhe’s palm, but then raised both arms, reaching over the puzzle, directly circling Xu Yuanzhe’s neck. “So that when we’re old, we can travel the world.”

Xu Yuanzhe still hadn’t spoken.

Yu Yue continued, “Let me tell you, I had a dream when I was a kid. When I don’t need to work anymore, I’ll live at the foot of the Alps, all the way until the end of my life.” Pausing, he asked Xu Yuanzhe, “Do you think we can realize this dream when we’re eighty?”

Yu Yue used “we,” not “I” can realize this dream.

Xu Yuanzhe understood what Yu Yue meant.

It’s just a way of telling him to go to work, to find meaning in his own life because a person’s life is not just about love. If it’s only about love, it would be quite dull.

Yu Yue knew very well that a person must first be himself, must be that shining and sparkling self.

Once upon a time, Xu Yuanzhe, due to his reluctance to be himself, felt extremely inferior to his true self. He always believed that he existed in the shadows, while Yu Yue was the one shining brightly. This mindset led to an increasing gap between them.

Now, Xu Yuanzhe had finally become that shining version of himself.

Even if Yu Yue wanted to be with Xu Yuanzhe, even if all Yu Yue had to do was say a word for Xu Yuanzhe to quit the industry today and never return, Yu Yue wouldn’t do that.

He looked at the sunlight shining on Xu Yuanzhe’s nose. It seemed like light favored this young movie star, giving him a cinematic texture and beauty no matter how it illuminated him.

“You have to be yourself, that shining version of yourself.”

When Yu Yue lightly touched Xu Yuanzhe’s nose, he whispered, “There was you first, then me, and only after that, there’s us. Don’t put me above everything; I’m not that important, at least not more important than yourself.” A slight pause, “So, act well, win more awards.”

Xu Yuanzhe lowered his eyes.

He looked at Yu Yue’s dark and thick eyelashes, his heart trembling violently, as if his soul was resonating.

At this moment, Xu Yuanzhe still thought the same way—he had found his beloved, a treasure bestowed upon him by fate, more important than life itself.

Even if Yu Yue said not to place him in the most crucial position.

But in Xu Yuanzhe’s heart, there was truly nothing that could surpass this, a lover who was eternally sunny, warm, healing, and always giving him strength like an angel.

Xu Yuanzhe’s nose gently brushed against Yu Yue’s, back and forth. In the end, unable to control himself, he placed his hand on Yu Yue’s waist, turned his head, and kissed Yu Yue’s lips.

His eye sockets were actually very warm, but being bathed in sunlight, his entire body felt hot. His heart was as passionate as erupting magma, but it wasn’t too obvious.

Later, they tightly embraced each other, staying like that for a very, very long time.

When Yu Yue lacked the ability, he also experienced moments of powerlessness.

However, his powerlessness was different from Xu Yuanzhe’s; it mostly stemmed from his parents.

Five years ago, Yu Yue’s parents never accepted his relationship with Xu Yuanzhe. They believed that Xu Yuanzhe was a bad influence on him. Additionally, as Yu Jingnian was a public figure, he cared a lot about his image. After Yu Yue and Xu Yuanzhe got together, he felt that he had lost face.

As his parents repeatedly told him that being with Xu Yuanzhe would lead to a miserable life and regrets, among other things, Yu Yue gradually started to doubt.

Facing his parents, Yu Yue was most powerless because, at that time, he was still young and heavily dependent on his parents. Having been pampered and spoiled since childhood, even though he was stubborn, there were times when he couldn’t resist this kind of pressure and felt like retreating.

Especially when Xu Yuanzhe showed even the slightest hint of pressure, Yu Yue would wonder if his parents were right, if their relationship wouldn’t last.

But as Yu Yue grew older, looking back, he realized that if he had had some capability back then, he wouldn’t have been so lacking in confidence, wouldn’t have doubted Xu Yuanzhe like that.

Now, Yu Jingnian had officially retired from the industry, not shooting any more movies. Meanwhile, Yu Yue had grown into a director. Although it wasn’t the job he had initially dreamed of, he had no regrets.

He inherited the cinematic language talent from Yu Jingnian and didn’t sever ties with his parents abruptly. Because quietly, both Jiang Qian and Yu Jingnian noticed that Yu Yue had not been living well for the past five years.

And five years later, Yu Yue and Xu Yuanzhe were together again.

This time, facing the already acclaimed Movie King, Yu Jingnian was speechless.

While Xu Yuanzhe was working in City B, Yu Yue specially visited home. First, he watched a movie he directed with Yu Jingnian, and after hearing Yu Jingnian’s evaluation, he casually brought up his own affairs during dinner with Yu Jingnian and Jiang Qian.

Yu Yue openly and naturally mentioned that he would always be with Xu Yuanzhe, spending their lives together.

Both Yu Jingnian and Jiang Qian remained silent.

After a long while, Yu Jingnian lowered his head to look at his phone. Then, he awkwardly said, “Does Xiao Xu have WeChat? I’d like to chat with him.”

Hearing his father calling Xu Yuanzhe “Xiao Xu,” Yu Yue felt joyful inside, but he didn’t show it on his face. He deliberately said, “Xu Yuanzhe is very busy; he might not have time to chat with you.”

Yu Jingnian cleared his throat again, saying, “I won’t take up too much of his time.”

Jiang Qian glanced at Yu Jingnian.

She softly commented, “Putting on an act.” After a pause, she looked at Yu Yue and said, “Let him come over when he’s free. We want to talk to him, something we didn’t get the chance to do a few years ago.”

Yu Yue had no intention of hiding anything.

Leaning on his chin, sitting at the dining table, he asked his parents, “Why do you want to meet him? What do you want to talk about?”

Yu Jingnian still cared about his face and snorted, refusing to speak. But Jiang Qian, who had already let go, brewed tea while saying to Yu Yue, “What else can we say? Are we going to interrogate him with torture? Just chat about daily life, have a meal together, and see what his plans are. That’s about it.”

After Yu Yue left home, he drove to the airport.

It was 7:30 in the evening, but since it was the weekend, traffic wasn’t too heavy.

However, near the airport, there was still some congestion.

Before him were the continuously moving red taillights, forming a sea of red. With one hand resting on the car window, slightly supporting his forehead, Yu Yue waited for the traffic to slowly pass when Xu Yuanzhe happened to call.

“Have you reached the airport?” Xu Yuanzhe asked.

“Almost,” Yu Yue replied. “Two more minutes, but there’s traffic.”

“Okay,” Xu Yuanzhe said. “No rush, there’s plenty of time.”

Yu Yue lightly rested his forehead, recalling the events at home today. Both his parents expressed their willingness to meet Xu Yuanzhe, making him genuinely happy, especially when he heard Yu Jingnian call Xu Yuanzhe “Xiao Xu.”

After a moment of silence, Yu Yue smiled and called out, “Zhe-ge.”

Xu Yuanzhe responded on the other end of the phone, “Hmm?”

Yu Yue asked, “How long have we been apart?”

Xu Yuanzhe glanced at his watch on the phone, “Four hours and twenty minutes.”

Yu Yue said, “We’ll be able to meet soon.”

Xu Yuanzhe simply responded with another “Hmm.”

He felt that Yu Yue seemed to have something to say but didn’t express it.

However, Xu Yuanzhe wasn’t in a hurry and waited quietly.

The traffic slowly moved forward, and finally, they could drive into the underground parking lot at the airport. After Yu Yue got out of the car, he held his phone and walked while talking to Xu Yuanzhe, “Have you been busy with work lately?”

Xu Yuanzhe replied, “Not busy. Many things haven’t been scheduled yet.”

“Can I book your next weekend?” Yu Yue asked.

Xu Yuanzhe sat in his studio, in his office. Facing the huge floor-to-ceiling window, he looked at the night view of City A, with his arm gently resting on his knee.

Xu Yuanzhe said, “Sure, where would you like to go?”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Yu Yue’s voice came through, “Wake up naturally in the morning, then go to my parents’ house for lunch, and in the evening, go to the seaside and book a private cottage.” After a slight pause, he continued, “And then, at midnight…”

As if intentionally leaving suspense, he paused for a while before saying, “Blow out candles and eat a birthday cake.”

After this statement, the phone fell completely silent.

Yu Yue held the phone, standing at the airport. Amidst the hustle and bustle, witnessing many farewells and reunions, it had also witnessed many moments between him and Xu Yuanzhe.

Even though Xu Yuanzhe wasn’t physically with him at this moment, the rhythm of Xu Yuanzhe’s breath seemed to be right next to his ear.

Next week is Xu Yuanzhe’s birthday.

As if it had been destined from the beginning.

Yu Yue held his phone, listening to Xu Yuanzhe’s somewhat unsteady breath. He felt the tremor of Xu Yuanzhe’s heartbeat, a tremor that even penetrated through the phone and affected Yu Yue’s own heart.

Because Xu Yuanzhe had been silent for too long.

Unable to hold back, Yu Yue asked in a soft voice, “What are you thinking? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Xu Yuanzhe’s voice was even hoarser than Yu Yue had imagined.

He said, “I’m thinking… all my birthday wishes seem to have come true.”

The three birthday wishes he made at the age of twenty.

A car, a house, and a long-lasting relationship with Yu Yue.

He initially thought that one of those birthday wishes would become a lifelong regret. However, he hadn’t expected…

The last birthday wish, through their efforts over the years, was finally realized.

Yu Yue didn’t know what birthday wishes Xu Yuanzhe had made.

He asked, “What birthday wishes?”

Xu Yuanzhe held the phone but remained silent.

After a long silence, he leaned slightly on the sofa, and the gentleness reflected in his brows and eyes gradually softened. He lifted his hand to look at his watch.

Xu Yuanzhe said, “I’ll tell you when we’re eighty.”

【End of the main text】

After holding it in for so long, I finally wrote the concluding chapter! This story turned out shorter than I imagined, but it’s warmer and more healing than I expected. I really like Yu Yue, who shines like a little sun, and I also like Xu Yuanzhe, who started off feeling inferior but eventually became just as radiant and consistently gentle.

The story comes to an end here, but there will be extras continuing their story, such as working on movies together (there should be extras… suddenly not sure).

My writing skills may be lacking, thanks for your understanding, and I will continue to work hard and learn! (づ￣3￣)づ╭?～

TN:
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