36. Dark Eyes

It was like the briefest ringing in the ears before the plane touches down.

For a moment, Yu Yue felt as if he couldn’t hear anything, with Dan Hang’s inquisitive gaze before him, the phone beside him silent, and the giant screen displaying Xu Yuanzhe’s advertisement glaringly in his peripheral vision, even without looking closely, he knew whose ad was playing.

Fortunately, this situation lasted only a few seconds.

The ringing in his ears faded away, and the restaurant’s music began to flow into his other ear.

Dan Hang probably noticed that Yu Yue’s expression was a bit different. He mouthed a question, “Who is it?”

Yu Yue didn’t speak because, at this moment, a woman’s polite and probing voice came from the phone, “Director Yu? Mr. Yu, can you hear me?”

“Yes,” Yu Yue stood up, holding the phone, and gave Dan Hang a glance, signaling him to continue eating without bothering about him. “Wait a moment, it’s a bit noisy here.”

In fact, the restaurant wasn’t noisy at all, the soft background music was quite gentle. However, Yu Yue urgently needed to go to a place where he could be alone because he didn’t want anyone to see his momentary lapse, even if it lasted only a second.

Yu Yue walked out of the restaurant and turned into an alley. The night was deep here, vehicles couldn’t enter, and there were very few pedestrians passing by.

He stood still in the darkness where the streetlights couldn’t reach, and then spoke to Zhou Ling on the phone, “Miss Zhou, hello.”

Zhou Ling said, “Director Yu, did you hear what I just said? Xu Yuan…”

“I heard it,” Yu Yue interrupted Zhou Ling. He leaned against the corner, grateful for the windbreaker he had put on as it was quite cold outside, allowing him to place his hands in the pockets. “May I ask why Mr. Xu is interested in my movie? This doesn’t seem to be a film that suits his development.”

Zhou Ling said, “He likes to choose scripts himself, so the question of why he’s interested should be asked to him personally, Director Yu. As for whether it suits his development or not, the company is also considering this issue. So, we are willing to have a detailed discussion with you about the script.”

After saying so much, the agent seemed to have said nothing at all.

Yu Yue lowered his eyes and could sense the implied meaning in Zhou Ling’s words, which was, “Meet and talk.” However, Yu Yue didn’t want to meet.

Although he knew that in this circle, such a day might inevitably come, in Yu Yue’s imagination, it was just a passing encounter in the vast sea of people, perhaps at some film festival or event.

In fact, over the five years, what should be faded has already faded, what should be forgotten has been forgotten, and even the once surging emotions have calmed down during this time. Yu Yue wasn’t someone who liked to cling to the past, but even for an ordinary person, revisiting a familiar place would evoke certain feelings, let alone meeting an old acquaintance.

However, Yu Yue’s rationality told him clearly that it was a good thing if Xu Yuanzhe was willing to discuss this movie. As long as Xu Yuanzhe came, the investors would see his name and pour in several times more money. In addition to that, the film’s fame, attention, and many other aspects would naturally follow.

Talk about it, a voice in Yu Yue’s heart said, talk as a director and an actor.

After a brief silence, Yu Yue gently closed his eyes and decided to accept Zhou Ling’s invitation for the sake of the movie. But before that, he had a question, “Miss Zhou, we can meet and discuss. You can decide the time and place. However, I’d like to ask, this is my personal number, not my work number. How did you find it?”

Zhou Ling chuckled, “Those in our line of work need to have some skills.”

Yu Yue, “…”

He didn’t say anything more, and Zhou Ling continued, “So, about the time and place…”

She mentioned a restaurant location in City A, and the time was set for two days later.

Yu Yue, leaning against the dark alley corner, had not yet agreed when he heard a voice from the phone, a voice both extremely familiar and strangely distant, clear, yet low.

The voice was actually quite far away, like a breeze that passed by unintentionally, gradually approaching and then receding. One could imagine the person speaking while walking.

“In the next two days, there will be heavy snow. The roads will be dangerous. When he drives over, tell him to be careful and prioritize safety.”

At the sudden sound of Xu Yuanzhe’s voice, Yu Yue involuntarily tightened his grip on the phone.

The ringing in his ears returned.

Snowflakes lightly fell from the sky, landing on Yu Yue’s eyelashes. They were chilly, and with a slight tremor of his eyelashes, the snowflakes vanished with a blink.

After several seconds, Yu Yue heard Zhou Ling saying, “I will remind him.”

Zhou Ling had her phone covered before, but now she let go, turning to Yu Yue, “Director Yu, the weather forecast says there will be heavy snow today and tomorrow. When driving, remember to be careful. Pay attention to safety.”

After saying this, Zhou Ling’s phone was silent.

She even had a moment of doubt whether the call had been disconnected. But before she could check her phone, she heard a voice from the other end of the line—Yu Yue’s voice.

Yu Yue said, “Yes, thank you for the reminder.”

With a slight pause, he seemed to be smiling, though the smile was not so evident—subtle, detached, distant. “Kindly convey to Mr. Xu as well; he should also take care.”

“So, you’re going to meet Xu Yuanzhe in a couple of days?”

On the way home, Dan Hang was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped, questioning while driving.

Yu Yue sat in the passenger seat, sliding down a bit, either due to the cold or some other reason, seemingly wanting to curl up in his windbreaker. His voice was very light, “Mm.”

Dan Hang took a deep breath, “Moreover, it was Xu Yuanzhe who contacted you first.”

Yu Yue corrected, “His agent.”

“There’s no difference,” Dan Hang said, “Who doesn’t know? Now, who is the boss of ‘Xu Yuanzhe Studio’? Of course, it’s Xu Yuanzhe. His agent contacting you is also at his behest.”

Yu Yue, “…”

He looked out of the window; the snow had stopped, but the road still had a fair amount of white.

After a while, Yu Yue said, “It doesn’t matter whose idea it is. If he didn’t contact me, I wouldn’t have contacted him either. But if he’s interested, I’d be glad if he came to act.” After a slight pause, he retracted his gaze, smiled with his eyes, “But I hope the pay isn’t unreasonably high. I’m quite poor now.”

Quick-witted as ever, Dan Hang’s mouth was even quicker. He comforted immediately, “Don’t worry. According to Xu Yuanzhe’s personality, he might not only not take any payment but also pay to act in your movie.”

The car fell into silence for a few seconds.

When Dan Hang realized what he had just said, it was already too late.

He desperately tried to explain, “No, what I meant is… I… I was just joking…”

But the more he explained, the more confusing it became.

Because Yu Yue didn’t say anything more, Dan Hang turned to look at him.

Yu Yue was looking down at the weather forecast on his phone, his voice gentle, “In the next two days, there will be heavy snow. Be careful on the roads.”

Dan Hang: “?”

He asked, “Should I come with you in two days? It’s not that it’s not allowed, but I always feel that when meeting an ex, you need to be in high spirits. You must not lose out…”

Dan Hang rambled on and on, and Yu Yue actually didn’t hear anything.

It wasn’t until they were almost home that Yu Yue put away his phone.

Dan Hang asked him, “So, I’ll dress nicely the day after tomorrow and go support you.”

After a slight pause, Yu Yue seemed to be laughing, “You don’t need to worry too much. It’s just a professional collaboration.”

Dan Hang said, “En, I know, but I still think it’s necessary to maintain a good image. In case there are any lingering feelings, you have to show that you’re doing great now.”

Yu Yue didn’t respond, just smiled faintly.

Dan Hang: “?

The car came to a stop, and Yu Yue pushed open the car door, got out, then bent down, looking at Dan Hang inside the car, “I’ll go by myself; you don’t need to think too much. It’s just a work collaboration.” After a pause, he smiled at Dan Hang, “You don’t have to worry so much; I’m not a child anymore.”

Dan Hang had the worried expression of a concerned mother on his face.

Although Yu Yue didn’t know what Dan Hang was worried about, he had already come to terms with it, thinking that since he was in this industry, he would inevitably encounter such situations in the future. Just like today, on the car radio, in other people’s conversations, on the giant screen, there was no escaping it. Rather than constantly avoiding it, he decided to face it with an open heart.

There really wasn’t anything to it.

Yu Yue knew that after five years, whether happy or unhappy, he had long forgotten everything.

After Yu Yue left, Dan Hang kept the car in place, holding the steering wheel in a daze.

Although Yu Yue had indeed matured over the years, no matter how Dan Hang thought about it, meeting an ex was still meeting an ex. Could he really be completely calm and unaffected? More importantly, Dan Hang felt that Yu Yue hadn’t let go, but Xu Yanzhe, having been in the entertainment industry for so many years, must have moved on! In the end, it seemed like Yu Yue might be the one who would be deceived and hurt!

Dan Hang pulled at his hair, feeling really distressed.

As the weather forecast predicted, there was indeed heavy snow in the next two days.

The agreed meeting time with Xu Yuanzhe was during dinner. Despite it being the weekend, the heavy snowfall caused the roads to be slow and congested. Even at this speed, there was no need to worry about accidents.

Yu Yue drove slowly, following the cars in front.

Wearing a Bluetooth headset, he was currently on the phone with Steven.

Three years ago, Steven also joined Yu Yue’s team because, after Yu Yue joined Eden, Steven witnessed Yu Yue’s talent and willingly chose to follow him.

Steven actually didn’t know that Xu Yuanzhe was Yu Yue’s ex.

After all, that adventurous incident four years ago had been forgotten by those who didn’t care. Who would remember someone named “Brother Zhe,” and its connection to the current movie star Xu Yuanzhe?

Steven had also returned to China, but he was now in City C, as it had been a long time since he last came back, and he wanted to visit his parents.

His voice came through the Bluetooth headset, “I just watched the movie that Xu Yuanzhe starred in. His acting is really good, and you know what, his image fits the role perfectly. If we can successfully negotiate, our movie has already succeeded in casting.”

Yu Yue glanced at the time; it was already 6:49. Due to the heavy snow, he had left early, but he didn’t expect that he might still be late.

Steven continued chatting with Yu Yue through the Bluetooth headset about other things.

Yu Yue occasionally responded, trying to speed up, as he didn’t want to be late for their first reunion, especially since it wasn’t intentional.

Finally, he arrived at the underground parking lot of the restaurant at 6:56.

Steven asked Yu Yue, “Have you arrived?”

“Almost,” Yu Yue looked at the car in front of him and realized it was moving unusually slowly, even though there were no other cars in front. “I’m stuck behind a Maybach; I might be late.”

“Maybach?” Steven laughed on the phone. “Bump into him.”

Yu Yue: “…”

Initially, Yu Yue didn’t know why the Maybach was driving so slowly.

However, he soon discovered that the Maybach was trying to park. Due to its long body, it needed to move forward a bit before it could reverse, and because Yu Yue was too close, the Maybach couldn’t reverse.

So, Yu Yue shifted to reverse to give way.

While giving way, Yu Yue noticed another parking space behind him.

Although it was a bit far from the elevator, Yu Yue was in a hurry and thought it was better to walk than wait in the garage, where walking would be faster than driving.

So, Yu Yue parked the car next to the Maybach.

One car space separated them.

After parking, Yu Yue opened the car door and got out.

Steven continued talking about Xu Yuanzhe through the earphones, “This Xu Yuanzhe, I looked at some of his photos, and he seems a bit cold. I don’t know if he’s easy to talk to. I also found a bit of his dark history, saying that he had conflicts with his previous company in the early days, and the company said he wasn’t a good person…”

When Yu Yue got out of the car, the owner of the Maybach on the other side, which was separated by one car, also happened to get out of their car.

As he closed the car door, Yu Yue glanced up.

He just wanted to take a look, without any ulterior motives.

The person getting out of the Maybach was dressed in a black windbreaker, tall and slender, wearing a hat and a mask, covering themselves thoroughly.

When that person closed the car door, probably because Yu Yue had been looking in their direction, they also turned to look.

It was just a glance, but both of them stopped.

Yu Yue found it strange.

He hadn’t even seen the person’s eyes.

Because the person was covered too securely, with a low-hanging hat and a well-covered mask, making it impossible to see clearly.

But at the moment when that person turned around, at the moment when their gaze fell on Yu Yue’s face, Yu Yue’s fingers, tucked into the pockets of his windbreaker, involuntarily clenched.

The garage was quiet, and Yu Yue and that person stood facing each other, separated by a car.

At this moment, a car slowly approached from a distance, its headlights brightly illuminating the person. It then slowly drove past.

In the moment when the headlights fell on the person and the face with a mask, Yu Yue saw the eyes under the hat’s brim.

Dark, black eyes, just like many years ago, resembling peppermint candy. That gaze was unique, something Yu Yue had never seen in anyone else. At least, he had never seen anyone else’s gaze be so cool, penetrating into the deepest recesses of the heart.

Except for Xu Yuanzhe.