25. Little Sun

“—April 1, 2015, clear weather.

To celebrate getting my first role as the third male lead, Yu Yue said he wanted to take me out for something delicious.

Originally, we planned to have a candlelit dinner, but in the end, he dragged me to a barbecue place because the candlelit dinner had a long queue, and he was too hungry to resist the aroma of the barbecue.”

Indeed, that day, they had initially planned to celebrate at a fancy restaurant.

Yu Yue knew that next semester, Xu Yuanzhe would be in his final year, approaching graduation. Many of his classmates had already started submitting resumes and looking for acting opportunities, and Xu Yuanzhe was no exception.

Without capital and resources, and lacking company recommendations, it was challenging for students like them to land a role.

But Xu Yuanzhe’s resume caught someone’s eye.

Yu Yue was even happier than Xu Yuanzhe, saying they should go out to celebrate.

Thinking of going to a high-end restaurant, Xu Yuanzhe naturally dressed up a bit. He took out a white shirt from his wardrobe, tied a tie, and paired it with black dress pants.

Yu Yue stared at Xu Yuanzhe’s attire for a long time without saying a word.

Xu Yuanzhe thought there might be an issue with his outfit.

However, Yu Yue walked over, adjusted Xu Yuanzhe’s tie with a tug that made him bow slightly, and then kissed him under the sunlight.

After a while, with a blush on his face, Yu Yue said, “You look so handsome.”

“…”

Seeing Xu Yuanzhe’s ears turning red, really red, as if they were becoming translucent, Yu Yue became even more mischievous. He kept teasing Xu Yuanzhe about how handsome he was all the way.

Because Yu Yue spontaneously decided to go for a candlelit dinner, they only realized upon arriving at the restaurant that without a reservation, they had to wait in line, and there were already ten tables ahead of them.

Xu Yuanzhe took Yu Yue out for a stroll.

As they wandered, Yu Yue lost interest in the candlelit dinner.

He pulled Xu Yuanzhe to eat barbecue instead.

The barbecue was delicious, but because of this meal, oil stains splattered on Xu Yuanzhe’s white shirt. Yu Yue attempted to wipe it off with wet wipes and tissues, but it proved to be stubborn.

“If it doesn’t come off, let it be,” Xu Yuanzhe grabbed Yu Yue’s hand, moving the tissue away. “I’ll wash it when we get back. If it doesn’t come off, so be it.”

Yu Yue felt a bit disheartened.

Originally meant for celebration, it ended up ruining a nice piece of clothing.

On their way home, they had to pass through a poorly lit alley with a malfunctioning streetlight.

That streetlight was always broken, flickering on and off. In the past, Yu Yue might have found it frightening, but with Xu Yuanzhe, he thought the light resembled stars, twinkling.

Hand in hand, Xu Yuanzhe and Yu Yue walked on that sparsely populated path.

Later, Yu Yue hopped onto Xu Yuanzhe’s back, requesting a piggyback ride.

Perhaps due to a few drinks, feeling a bit tipsy, Yu Yue extended his hand, pointing around, “Now you’re the third male lead. Next time, you’ll be the second male lead. Then, play the lead role, and after… you’ll switch to movies, act in one or two, and you’ll be an award-winning actor.”

Carrying Yu Yue on his back, Xu Yuanzhe found Yu Yue’s tipsy talk cute. He looked down at their shadows on the ground and said, “It’s not that easy.”

Yu Yue tilted his head, hooking his arm around Xu Yuanzhe’s neck, “I know I exaggerated a bit, but… it’s not impossible, right? As long as we work hard together, things will get better. If all else fails, I’ll study directing, make big films, and cast you as the lead. Then, we’ll win awards together. You’ll get Best Actor, and I’ll get Best Director.” After a slight pause, he shook his leg and asked Xu Yuanzhe, “What do you think?”

“Sounds good,” Xu Yuanzhe agreed.

Why not? A future he dared not imagine, Yu Yue had already planned it out.

After being with Yu Yue, Xu Yuanzhe began to fantasize and anticipate. Their future, their lives, everything would get better and better.

He was no longer the Xu Yuanzhe from the past, crouching in the back kitchen of a barbecue restaurant, holding a wrong inventory list until dawn, thinking his life would never improve.

Upon returning home, Xu Yuanzhe washed the white shirt.

Some of the oil stains came off, but the marks were genuinely indelible.

One day, returning home, Xu Yuanzhe discovered that someone had drawn a small sun on the chest of the white shirt hanging on the balcony, using yellow watercolor.

The sun conveniently covered the oil stains.

Standing on the balcony, Xu Yuanzhe gazed for a long time at the shirt swaying gently in the wind.

The little sun on it resembled Yu Yue’s smiling face.

Yu Yue was the sun in Xu Yuanzhe’s life.