Chapter 14: The Fallen Child Star (14) Part 1

A song doesn’t last long.

In those brief two minutes, Xu Weiheng thought of nothing at all.

He was simply focused on singing earnestly.

When the song ended and the melody faded, only then did he hear the sounds around him.

The cheers and applause from the thirty or so spectators were scattered and lacked unity, yet for some reason, Xu Weiheng suddenly felt tears welling up in his eyes.

Perhaps these audience members were just applauding out of habit, perhaps they would forget his voice in an instant, but Xu Weiheng savored this moment.

He bent down, bowing deeply in all directions from the stage.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you all.”

The host walked back to his side from the corner.

Xu Weiheng handed the microphone to the host and was about to leave, but she grabbed him by the arm. “Wait, don’t rush off, young man. Everyone, what did you think of our young friend’s singing?”

Someone in the audience shouted loudly: “He sang great!”

Xu Weiheng recognized Zhang Qingyi’s voice, feeling both embarrassed and amused.

“It seems our audience is quite enthusiastic,” the host smiled.

She held Xu Weiheng back for no other reason than to interact with him briefly. After all, there wasn’t anyone else scheduled to participate at the moment.

The stage lights brightened once more. As the host was about to hand Xu Weiheng a star-shaped pillow, her gaze briefly lingered on the part of his face not hidden by his hat. Her hand paused momentarily.

This face…

The host quickly regained her composure and asked the audience, “Everyone, since he sang so well, should we let him sing another one?”

The audience responded with enthusiastic applause and agreement.

The host then turned to Xu Weiheng, asking if he’d be willing.

In the end, Xu Weiheng sang a children’s song acapella.

The host stuffed two star-shaped pillows, which had been prepared in advance, into Xu Weiheng’s arms.

As Xu Weiheng turned to leave, the host smiled and said, “Did you know? There are two types of stars shining in the sky. One is a planet, and the other is a fixed star. Planets don’t emit light on their own; every glimmer we see from them comes from reflecting the sun’s light.”

“They try their hardest to shine brighter and brighter, hoping to be the first thing people notice when they look up at the night sky. Every planet possesses a resilient yet gentle soul.”

“But sometimes, the boundless darkness swallows up the light they reflect.”

“If you can no longer reflect light, then strive to become the sun.”

“The sun’s light is something that no one can obscure.”

Xu Weiheng paused in his steps, then quickly quickened his pace, leaving the stage. He came down and gave the pillows to Yao Rong and Zhang Qingyi respectively.

Yao Rong accepted the pillow and brought out her right hand from behind her back: “Your Aunt Zhang and I also have a gift for you.”

—It was a bouquet of folded paper stars.

They were of all colors, vibrant and beautiful.

There were only eleven of them, a small bundle, but Xu Weiheng was pleasantly surprised.

Zhang Qingyi explained, “Sister Yao just ran to the store to buy them. She said you would definitely give us the pillows, and she guessed right.”

Holding the star flowers, Xu Weiheng asked Yao Rong, “How did you guess?”

Yao Rong adjusted his hat brim, “That’s just the kind of thing you’d do. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”

Earlier that afternoon, Xu Weiheng had gone to buy three bottles of water. He first gave the opened bottle to Zhang Qingyi, who was the thirstiest, and helped her open it. Only after both women had started drinking did he open the last bottle for himself.

At the time, he was drenched in sweat from the sun—it was impossible not to be thirsty.

Stars, indeed, possess resilient and gentle souls.

Yao Rong didn’t know if the host’s words were intentionally directed at Xu Weiheng or simply heartfelt.

But she really liked this sentiment.

If a star can no longer shine, then work hard to become the sun. Because the sun’s light cannot be obscured by any existence.

Thinking back to what the ‘Dear Family’ production team had said on the phone earlier, Yao Rong made a decision in her heart.

However, seeing how much fun Xu Weiheng had had today, she didn’t want to spoil his mood.

After all, the production team had said they would wait three days for an answer.

She then said, “Let’s go home. Didn’t you say you wanted peace and quiet?”

The amusement park was located on the outskirts of D City, not far from Ying County, making it easy for them to take a taxi back.

…