Chapter 31: The Fallen Child Star (31) Part 1

The moment Xu Weiheng opened his eyes, tears streamed down his face.

He didn’t know why he was crying, but in that instant, he sensed deep in his heart: as if some unseen fate had been completely rewritten.

Blowing out the candles, the lights in the courtyard flickered back on. Xu Weiheng waved at the camera, smiling as he thanked everyone in the livestream before closing it.

Yao Rong handed him a tissue. “Go wash your face and then we’ll cut the cake. Ping’an is getting impatient.”

While preparing the cakes, Yao Rong had made two—one for her and Xu Weiheng to eat, and another specially made with ingredients safe for Ping’an, their dog.

Ping’an barked once, as if responding to Yao Rong.

After finishing the cake, neither feeling sleepy, Yao Rong pulled Xu Weiheng into the courtyard to watch a variety show.

They were watching the fifth season of “Dear Family.”

Two years had passed, and even this show had progressed from its third season to the fourth and now the fifth.

The main difference between these three seasons was that the show’s executive director had changed to Director Zhou, whom both Yao Rong and Xu Weiheng knew.

Halfway through the show, the time crept to 11:59, then slipped past second by second.

Finally, a new day dawned.

Shortly after the coming-of-age ceremony, Xu Weiheng entered his final year of high school and began focusing on preparing for the art college entrance exams.

He had everything planned out for his exams. Seeing how well he was handling things, Yao Rong let him manage on his own, telling him to come to her if anything required her involvement.

She was busy preparing her new book recently and couldn’t split her attention.

Xu Weiheng assured her: “Don’t worry, I can handle it. You focus on your important work.”

The following March, with spring chill still lingering, the “Starry Sky” production team finished setting up and began intense filming. Yao Rong joined the crew as a screenwriter, while the art exams at the Central Academy of Drama also began.

Xu Weiheng declined Yao Rong’s offer to accompany him and went to A City alone for the art exams.

The first day of exams went very smoothly.

But the weather changed suddenly.

Without warning, dark clouds blanketed the sky, and torrential rain poured down.

Because the weather forecast had predicted no rain, Xu Weiheng hadn’t brought an umbrella. He stood under the eaves on the first floor of the exam venue, watching as students with parents left under shared umbrellas, helplessly waiting for the rain to stop.

In such cold weather, getting caught in the rain would surely lead to illness.

With exams continuing tomorrow, he couldn’t risk falling ill.

Looking around the corridor, he realized he wasn’t the only one leaning against the wall waiting for the rain to stop. At least he had company, Xu Weiheng thought, finding humor in the situation.

Suddenly, through the crowd, a familiar figure appeared, holding an umbrella and moving against the flow of people.

As they approached, the umbrella tilted up slightly, revealing a face Xu Weiheng knew all too well.

“Mom! What are you doing here?!”

Xu Weiheng stepped forward abruptly, unable to contain his surprise and joy.

“How could I not come to pick you up on such an important day?”

Yao Rong walked up the steps, handing Xu Weiheng another umbrella she was carrying.

“Let’s go, your Aunt Zhang and the others are waiting outside. They want to take you out for dinner.”

Xu Weiheng glanced at the umbrella Yao Rong was holding—it was large enough for two people.

“Wait for me a moment,” he said.

Gripping the spare umbrella, Xu Weiheng approached the baby-faced boy closest to him.

He had noticed the boy earlier: when Xu Weiheng arrived, the boy had already been there. Plus, the exam number on the boy’s chest was ahead of his, so he must have finished at least half an hour earlier. The fact that he hadn’t left yet probably meant no one had come to pick him up.

“Here, take this,” Xu Weiheng said.

The boy had been staring down, seemingly lost in thought. Hearing Xu Weiheng’s voice, he looked up blankly, clearly caught off guard by the gesture.

“I’m leaving now. Good luck with tomorrow’s exam,” Xu Weiheng said, placing the umbrella in the boy’s hand before waving goodbye and leaving.

In April, Xu Weiheng’s art exam results came out.

He ranked first.

Although confident in himself, it wasn’t until he saw the results that Xu Weiheng let out half a sigh of relief.

The remaining tension would only ease after the college entrance exam concluded.

In June, Xu Weiheng sat for the national college entrance exams.

As he walked out of the exam venue after finishing, unsurprisingly, he once again spotted a familiar figure waiting outside.

“Let’s go home,” Xu Weiheng said, jogging over to link arms with Yao Rong.

The day after the college entrance exam ended, Xu Weiheng packed his bags and rushed to join the “Starry Sky” production crew, where he was to play a minor supporting role.

Just as he finished filming for “Starry Sky,” the college entrance exam results were released.

According to the province’s college entrance exam score brackets, Xu Weiheng’s score had just passed the first-tier university line.

While not exceptionally high, for an art exam student, it was already a very impressive result.

Xu Weiheng had a clear understanding of his position.

He had dropped out of school for two years to enter the entertainment industry, then returned to school. He had struggled to catch up, only managing to do so with the help of many classmates and teachers. So to achieve such results, he was already very satisfied.

After all, he was certain to get into the Central Academy of Drama!

After posting a Weibo to share the good news with his fans, Xu Weiheng and Yao Rong embarked on a two-week world tour.

Upon returning to the country, Xu Weiheng first received his acceptance letter from the Central Academy of Drama, followed by a phone call from Wen Qiu.

On the other end of the line, Wen Qiu began by congratulating him.

…

Translator’s note: will be taking a break for about a month. I’ll continue to release chapters in December.

_ Steamedbun💞