The Twelfth Star
For the first time, holding hands with someone for so long? Nervous?
Jiang Chuyi’s first reaction was disbelief, blurting out a question: “You didn’t have a girlfriend in high school?”
Zong Ye gave a rare look of surprise, “I didn’t attend high school.”
Jiang Chuyi: “…”
Sincerity is indeed the greatest killing move.
She hesitated, apologizing softly with guilt, “I’m sorry.”
Zong Ye lightly nodded, avoiding her gaze and lowering his eyes.
Seeing his “dejected” appearance, Jiang Chuyi instantly regretted her quick tongue and couldn’t help but console him: “It’s okay, in our line of work, there are plenty of people who haven’t studied. Look at me, although I went to school, I was too busy during those years and hardly stayed on campus, so I’m basically half illiterate.”
After saying that, she sincerely added, “Of course, I’m not saying you’re illiterate. After all, every trade has its specialization! You play both bass and guitar very well, showing great talent with instruments. I often listen to your songs in private.”
For a while, Zong Ye didn’t speak. He slightly tilted his head, looking at her squatting on the ground, earnestly trying to comfort him, “Thank you for your consolation. I’m fine.”
Why does it still feel like he’s not fine…
Ji Kai sat not far away, resting and clearly hearing every word of their exchange.
He almost spat out his drink, turning his head and urgently asking Wang Tan in a low voice, “Did you hear that? Zong Ye actually said such things, isn’t it disgusting?”
Wang Tan was indifferent: “I heard it, he’s deliberately pretending to be innocent.”
Ji Kai nodded as if he had a realization: “Speaking of which, he’s indeed the best at this, he’s a real male green tea.”
When the male green tea returned, Ji Kai hooked his arm around his shoulder, “Bro.”
Zong Ye removed the hand on his shoulder: “What?”
Ji Kai deliberately disgusted him: “Nervous just holding hands? Never done it before?”
Fu Cheng’s expression was sarcastic: “The last virgin in the entertainment industry is none other than him.”
Zong Ye heard this and showed a faint smile, not getting angry.
After a few seconds of silence, he smiled gently, his tone soft, “Even if you insist on saying that, it doesn’t seem to be a problem to me.”
Sitting elsewhere, Jiang Chuyi had no idea about what they were saying. She was still reflecting on her words with a heavy heart.
Her emotional intelligence had been too low recently. How could she so accurately step on people’s sore spots every time she spoke?
She must be cautious in her words and actions in the future.
As she was reflecting, she remembered what Xin He had just gossiped with her about.
Zong Ye had a girl he had liked for a long time?
She really couldn’t imagine what kind of girl could make someone like Zong Ye have a crush on her.
If that girl knew that such a superstar liked her, she would probably wake up laughing from her dreams.
Jiang Chuyi looked up at Xin He.
She had just been mercilessly criticized by the director in front of everyone, and she was obviously a bit hurt in her self-esteem. She was sitting alone staring absentminded at the script.
Jiang Chuyi took the initiative to walk over to her, “Want to talk?”
Xin He glared at her gloomily: “What are you here for? To deliberately laugh at me?”
“Why would I laugh at you? Didn’t the director also scold me just now?”
Xin He pursed her lips, not speaking anymore.
After a moment of silence, she quietly complained: “I haven’t filmed many movies in the first place, the requirements are too strict.”
Jiang Chuyi sat beside her, “Actually, filming TV series and movies are pretty much the same, it’s just that movies may have more close-ups, but they’re all acting anyway.”
Xin He looked at her, saying, “The director kept saying I was spacing out, but how can one get into character so quickly?”
“That’s true.”
Xin He showed a confused expression, “Then how did you film before?”
Jiang Chuyi thought about it seriously.
“First, concentrate.” She was very patient, slowing down her speech, making it easy for others to listen, “Stare at the point they set for you, then relax, forget about what’s happening around you, and slowly immerse yourself into the character. You don’t need to be afraid of not having enough time and deliberately adjust your expressions. The director is always paying attention to your emotions when you’re getting into character and generally won’t interrupt.”
“My teacher told me that to truly act well, it’s not about exaggerated lines or expressions. The most important thing is to control the details of your facial muscles, showing delicate and relatively realistic expressions. That might be what the director and others want to capture.”
“If, if you feel like you have no feeling when looking at Zong Ye,” Jiang Chuyi tried to guide her slowly, “you can imagine him as Fu Cheng. One day, you discover that your good friend has a crush on Fu Cheng, and you don’t know what to do.”
Xin He snorted: “I don’t have any good friends.”
Jiang Chuyi: “…”
Xin He glanced at her and became a bit awkward again: “But still…”
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s, but Jiang Chuyi still clearly heard the words “thank you.”
Jiang Chuyi smiled and held her hand encouragingly.
*
After filming and wrapping up, it was already almost three or four in the morning. By the time they returned to the hotel, Jiang Chuyi checked the time on her phone and suddenly realized it was already 11:20.
Chen Yi had sent her a WeChat message 9 hours ago: “Are you done being busy? Goddess Jiang?”
Jiang Chuyi: “I just wrapped up.”
It was close to noon in China, and Chen Yi quickly replied: “Let’s video call.”
Jiang Chuyi: “Wait a moment”
Jiang Chuyi took a shower and returned to the bedroom, connecting to her video call.
Chen Yi was lying on a chair, with a makeup artist still busy on her face, “Happy birthday, baby.”
As she spoke, she instructed her assistant to help set up the phone.
Jiang Chuyi was wiping her hair with a towel, “Why are you rushing so early in the morning?”
“Yeah.” Chen Yi sighed, “I’ve only slept for a few hours in the past few days, and I still have two variety shows to record today. I didn’t even have time to play King of Glory with handsome guys. I feel like I’ve aged ten years. By the way, how do you plan to celebrate your birthday this year?”
Jiang Chuyi also sighed: “I’m still filming, when would I have time to celebrate my birthday?”
“Your crew doesn’t plan to celebrate your birthday?”
“What status do I have to bother the crew to celebrate my birthday?” Jiang Chuyi’s shoulders were sore, so she adjusted her posture and brought the phone to her eye level.
“Haven’t you been quite popular recently?” Chen Yi’s tone was sarcastic, “A few days ago, those famous BloodxGentle celebrities even joined you for a live stream.”
Hearing this, the makeup artist couldn’t help but lift her head and steal a glance at Jiang Chuyi.
Jiang Chuyi was powerless and sat on the edge of the bed: “Popular how? Don’t mock me.”
“When did I mock you?” Chen Yi cut in, “Zong Ye even reposted your Weibo with his main account. Which female celebrity is as lucky as you? That’s Zong Ye!!”
“Indeed, indeed, I’m lucky.” Jiang Chuyi didn’t argue with her anymore. She tore open a sheet mask and put it on her face.
As they were talking, with a ding dong sound, another person joined the group video call.
Chen Yi: “Zhao Guangyu? Why are you up so early too?”
Zhao Guangyu yawned, with heavy dark circles under his eyes: “I’m on vacation these past two days. I stayed up all night playing a game and saw you guys chatting, so I came to take a look.”
The three of them were college classmates, assigned to the same small group during military training. Later, Chen Yi took him and Jiang Chuyi out to eat a few times, and gradually they became familiar with each other.
Zhao Guangyu asked listlessly: “Today is Chuyi’s birthday, right?”
“Yeah.”
Zhao Guangyu: “When are you coming back to China? Let’s get together for a meal.”
Jiang Chuyi calculated the days, “It should be soon, I’ll be here for another week or two.”
“Alright, remember to call me when you’re back.” Zhao Guangyu remembered something, “Isn’t Xin He also in the same crew as you this time?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Nothing.” Zhao Guangyu yawned again and said in a gossipy tone, “I remember this girl gave you some bad likes a few days ago. My buddy told me she has a bad temper. You’re not being bullied, are you?”
Chen Yi was shocked, “There was such a thing?? What bad likes? Why haven’t I heard about it?”
The girl doing her makeup said, “It just happened a few days ago.”
Jiang Chuyi hurriedly said, “Oh, that. It was a misunderstanding. I wasn’t bullied. They’re all quite nice people.”
This was true.
Perhaps due to the many cold shoulders she had experienced in recent years, Jiang Chuyi had done a lot of mental preparation before joining the crew. After all, they’re the hottest new stars in the entertainment industry today. It was to be expected that they would look down on others. However, after interacting with them for a while, she found that everyone was quite approachable.
There was no sense of looking down on people. They were very polite to her.
“Are you sure they’re all very nice?” Chen Yi’s tone was full of distrust. With no outsiders, she spoke without reservation, “You’re just too naive and see everyone as nice. You wouldn’t even know if someone tricked you and sold you.”
“I’m not lying to you. Xin He is not bad…” Jiang Chuyi didn’t know where to start explaining, “I’m not new to the industry. I still have some judgment. She’s actually quite simple-minded.”
“Simple-minded? Isn’t Xin He known for having a severe princess syndrome? She even gave you bad likes? Geez, she’s really something. Her EQ is too low, and she does a lot of weird things. You’d better stay away from her.”
Jiang Chuyi: “You’ve only heard about it second-handed. There will be opportunities for you to meet them in the future.”
“Tsk, she’s the Hua Rui princess. When can commoners like us meet her?”
Some deep-rooted prejudices indeed cannot be eliminated with only words in a short time. Jiang Chuyi decided to give up, looking tired, “Alright, let’s not talk about it now. I need to wash up and get some sleep. I have to film again in the afternoon.”
“Okay, bye. Let’s get together when you’re back in China. Take care of yourself.”
Jiang Chuyi agreed, “I know.”
*
The next day, as soon as she arrived at the set, Er Er and a few staff members wished Jiang Chuyi a happy birthday.
Jiang Chuyi thanked them.
Everyone was in a rush with their own tasks recently. Jiang Chuyi had few scenes in the past few shots, so she was resting most of the time, sitting and chatting with Er Er.
Today’s filming went relatively smoothly, finishing an hour earlier than planned.
Xin He had a live broadcast for an endorsement and had to rush back to the hotel. She said goodbye and left first.
The director was flipping through the script, preparing to rehearse a few scenes for tomorrow.
Since Xin He wasn’t there, Jiang Chuyi had to stand in for her.
Coincidentally or not, the scene Jiang Chuyi was rehearsing for Xin He happened to be the segment from her audition day.
On her birthday, the female lead met a wandering guitarist. Along with her was Zong Ye.
Because it was only a rehearsal, Jiang Chuyi only needed to say the lines. With her skills honed over many years, she could memorize the lines almost perfectly after reading the script for just over ten minutes.
Similar to the previous process, the photography team was ready. Jiang Chuyi stepped forward and said according to the lines, “This song is really nice.”
“Thank you.”
Jiang Chuyi: “May I ask what it’s called?”
Zong Ye thought for a moment and gave an answer.
“Can I hear it one more time?” After saying that, she added, “I can pay.”
Zong Ye tilted his head, thought for a bit, and asked, “Is today your birthday?”
Jiang Chuyi was momentarily stunned. Although she knew it was an act, she was still a bit out of character for a moment.
This line was too much of a coincidence.
Fortunately, her professionalism was still there. She quickly followed up, “Ah, yes, how did you know?”
Zong Ye calmly said, “You’re holding a birthday cake in your hands. Is it tiramisu?”
He’s really dedicated…
Although her hands were empty, Jiang Chuyi still nodded along, “Yes.”
He hooked his fingers on the guitar strings and slowly strummed, “Want to hear the song from earlier again?”
Jiang Chuyi made an affirmative sound.
On the Italian street where the sunset was about to descend, the colorful neon lights full of charm lit up one by one. Zong Ye held the guitar, lowered his head, and played attentively and focused.
He played very well. Jiang Chuyi felt it sounded familiar but didn’t know which song it was. However, Zong Ye wasn’t rehearsing at all, but more like performing a solo piece for a fan at a concert.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew. In front of the ancient church, someone released a bunch of colorful balloons into the sky. Half a minute later, the song ended.
Jiang Chuyi was still immersed in his music.
He moved the guitar from his lap and shifted his gaze back to her, “For you.”
Jiang Chuyi was stunned.
The two were standing and sitting less than half a meter apart. As a melodious tune from the square came, a few white pigeons on the roadside flapped their wings and took flight.
Zong Ye looked up slightly, his features handsome, and lowered his voice, “Chuyi, happy birthday.”
For a moment, Jiang Chuyi’s mind went blank.
She reacted half a beat later and said, “Thank you.”
This line wasn’t in the script.
*
That night, back at the hotel, Jiang Chuyi curled up on the sofa, browsing through her phone calendar and counting the days in her mind.
She laid back, her mind empty.
Closing her eyes, her mind was filled with the last scene of her rehearsing with Zong Ye.
Without realizing it, she had been here filming for more than half a month.
Far away in a foreign country, without the very obvious “class difference” that led to differential treatment in China, she seemed to have gradually forgotten that BloodxGentle was a hugely popular idol group. Wang Tan and Ji Kai had interesting and quirky personalities, and from time to time, they would tease her and Xin He on set. Although Fu Cheng always had a frowning face, he would unexpectedly say a few funny lines.
And Zong Ye…
After interacting for a long time, Jiang Chuyi had truly categorized them as friends for a moment.
However, being in the entertainment industry, she had experienced too many such short-lived feelings. They came quickly and went quickly. After everyone returned to China, they would be busy with their own work. BloodxGentle would still be the same unstoppable rising stars, while she would still be a marginal actress quietly acting in her own projects.
She probably wouldn’t have many opportunities to interact with them again in the future.
Just as she was thinking this, her doorbell suddenly rang.
Little Zhong went to open the door.
Jiang Chuyi sat up slightly and looked in the direction of the sound.
A man who looked like a hotel manager was at the door. He first greeted them in Italian, and seeing that they were Chinese, he switched to English and asked, “Is Chuyi Jiang here?”
Jiang Chuyi stood up, finding him a bit unfamiliar, and asked, “Hello?”
“I’m here to give you something,” the man panted and wiped his sweat.
“Me?” Jiang Chuyi pointed at herself in confusion.
The man confirmed again, “Are you Chuyi Jiang?”
“Yes.”
“That’s right.” The man handed her what he was holding.
Jiang Chuyi took it, bewildered.
The man came in a hurry and left in a hurry. She looked down at the paper bag in her hand, puzzled.
Looking inside, there was an exquisitely packaged box with a small card inserted on top.
Jiang Chuyi picked up the card.
On it, only a simple “Happy Birthday” was written in black pen, signed by the BloodxGentle Team.
Jiang Chuyi recognized this handwriting, and her heart stirred.
Slowly walking back to the room, she took out the box. It was made of white cardboard, not big or small, barely able to fit in her palm.
Pulling off the bow tied around it, Jiang Chuyi opened the lid and looked inside.
A piece of tiramisu was lying in the center.
