The Thirtieth Star
His voice was soft, but it was already loud enough for Jiang Chuyi to hear clearly.
She let out a startled “ah” at his words, caught off guard.
“What’s wrong?” Zong Ye paused his actions and looked up at her.
“No, it’s just…” In the cramped space, under his earnest gaze, Jiang Chuyi felt flustered and wanted to withdraw her hand.
“Just what?” he asked.
She couldn’t find her train of thought. Hesitating and struggling, she blurted out, “I just feel that you’re… too gentle.”
Zong Ye looked at her with amusement, “Am I gentle?”
Jiang Chuyi’s ears felt hot, and her head was dizzy. She mumbled a sound of agreement, “Among the people I’ve met, you’re considered very gentle.”
He continued his actions without immediately responding. Using water to scrub away the toothpaste stains, Zong Ye finally said with a hint of a smile, “I have my moments of not being gentle too.”
Jiang Chuyi didn’t make a sound.
Fortunately, the topic didn’t continue.
After washing the hem of her shirt, Zong Ye stood up and said to her, “I’ll go find a hair dryer.”
Jiang Chuyi stood still.
Zong Ye walked to the bedside, crouched down on one knee, and reached out to pull open the bedside drawer.
Jiang Chuyi didn’t dare to look around the bathroom, so her gaze could only follow Zong Ye’s direction. Suddenly, she spotted a familiar object on the bed behind him.
It was the fluffy blanket he had once asked her for.
The pure white bunny blanket looked particularly out of place on the pitch-black bed. It was crumpled into a ball, like a pitiful puddle of spilled milk, huddled next to the pillow.
Jiang Chuyi immediately turned her head away and stared at the floor beneath her feet.
Zong Ye brought the hair dryer he found into the bathroom and plugged it in.
She wanted to say she would do it herself, but Zong Ye had already turned on the hair dryer and started blow-drying the wet spots on her clothes.
Jiang Chuyi shifted slightly.
He slid his thumb down, lowering the setting, and asked, “Is the wind too strong?”
She avoided his gaze and said uneasily, “No, I’ll do it myself. I don’t want to trouble you too much.”
“It’s fine, it will only take two minutes to dry.”
Zong Ye continued to help her blow-dry her clothes.
……
……
Seeing Jiang Chuyi coming downstairs alone, Ji Kai asked in puzzlement, “Where’s Zong Ye?”
“He said he wanted to take a shower, so I came down first.”
Ji Kai pressed the remote control and let out an “oh” before continuing to watch the comedy show.
Chen Xiangliang set the bowls and chopsticks without raising his head, “Don’t mind him. Dinner will be ready soon, so let’s eat first.”
Wang Tan said, “It’s okay, Uncle. We’ll wait for him. Taking a shower won’t take long. Zong Ye is the birthday boy today, after all.”
Jiang Chuyi wanted to go to the kitchen to help serve the dishes, but Chen Xiangliang stopped her, “Just sit down. You’re a guest and it’s your first time here. A young lady shouldn’t be doing any work. You don’t want to get your clothes dirty again.”
Jiang Chuyi had no choice but to sit back down at the dining table.
Xin He walked in after making a phone call. She glanced at Jiang Chuyi and pulled out the chair next to her, “Just washing clothes and you’ve even washed your face red.”
Jiang Chuyi reflexively raised her hand to touch her face, “Really?”
Xin He couldn’t be bothered to say more. With a look of disappointment, she said coolly, “See for yourself.”
“It’s probably from the heat,” Jiang Chuyi tried to appear calm as she picked up a glass of water and took a sip.
“From the heat?” Xin He obviously didn’t believe her. She scoffed and said coldly, “Don’t tell me Zong Ye forcefully kissed you.”
“Pfft.”
Jiang Chuyi almost choked on the water she hadn’t swallowed. She coughed violently a couple of times and gave Xin He a weak glare, “Don’t… don’t say nonsense.”
“I was just joking. Why are you getting so worked up?”
Jiang Chuyi retorted, “I’m not worked up. I just choked on the water.”
“Sigh.” Xin He slammed her forehead with her hand and sighed, “Almost thirty years old and still as pure as an elementary school student.”
……
……
Zong Ye came downstairs after his shower.
The chatter and laughter among the group stopped as they all turned to look at him.
He had changed into a dark blue hoodie and casual gray sweatpants. Tall and slender, his skin appeared even paler.
Many people online used words like “enticing,” “ascetic,” and “desire” to describe Zong Ye. However, at this moment, a new word popped into Jiang Chuyi’s mind.
Innocent.
Walking to the dining table, Zong Ye swept his gaze over the group who were all looking at him, “Why aren’t any of you eating?”
“How dare we start eating without you?” Ji Kai said in utter exasperation, “You’re a man. Do you need to take so long to shower? So fussy!”
Zong Ye sat down and apologized, “Sorry, I got held up washing my hair.”
Chen Xiangliang brought a bottle of white wine and asked Xin He and Jiang Chuyi, “What would you like to drink?”
“We’ll just have water,” Xin He smiled, “We usually don’t drink beverages to maintain our figures.”
Jiang Chuyi nodded in agreement.
Chen Xiangliang understood, “It’s not easy being celebrities.”
He instructed Zong Ye to pour a glass of white wine for each of the men at the table. Raising his glass, he said, “It’s rare for us to gather for a meal on Zong Ye’s birthday. Your uncle is happy today, so join me for a drink.”
Jiang Chuyi watched Ji Kai down his first sip with great gusto, and she couldn’t help but worry. That New Year’s Eve, she had witnessed the drinking capacity of these few people firsthand. Drinking so fiercely now, they would probably all end up throwing up later.
Faced with a table full of delicious-looking carbohydrates, Jiang Chuyi silently postponed her diet plan for another two days.
Zong Ye wasn’t exaggerating. His uncle’s culinary skills were indeed excellent.
Jiang Chuyi wasn’t good with spicy food, but she couldn’t stop eating the plate of chili fried pork in front of her.
She ate while sweating from the spiciness, forced to stop and drink some water before continuing to eat.
Chen Xiangliang also noticed this and couldn’t help but smile, “The chili fried pork is delicious, isn’t it?”
Jiang Chuyi nodded shyly and wiped her sweat with the back of her hand again, “Uncle, your cooking skills seem on par with professional chefs.”
“I am a professional,” Chen Xiangliang laughed, “Zong Ye didn’t tell you? Our family runs a Hunan cuisine restaurant.”
“Hunan cuisine?”
“Yes, I’m from Hunan.”
Jiang Chuyi had a sudden realization.
As they were talking, Zong Ye picked up a box of tissues, walked around half of the table, and quietly placed it next to her hand.
She was slightly stunned and thanked him.
After a few rounds of drinking, Chen Xiangliang got into the mood and started telling them about some past events.
Everyone at the table listened quietly.
It turned out that Chen Xiangliang wasn’t Zong Ye’s biological uncle. Ten years ago, he came to Shanghai penniless. During the day, he would set up a stall on the street to sing, and at night, he would sleep on park benches.
One day, he encountered a skinny boy in the park. Seeing that the boy was young and pitiful, with dirty clothes, Chen Xiangliang took the initiative to ask him a few questions and learned that his parents had passed away.
From then on, Zong Ye followed him and started a life of wandering and surviving on the streets. For several years, they relied on busking to earn money.
Jiang Chuyi’s heart surged with emotions, and she couldn’t help but look at Zong Ye.
His expression didn’t change much; he even had a slight smile on his face.
Chen Xiangliang continued talking. Jiang Chuyi suddenly remembered something and spoke up, “The place you mentioned, I’m actually quite familiar with it. My high school was also in that area.”
Chen Xiangliang said, “What a coincidence.”
The more Jiang Chuyi looked at Chen Xiangliang, the more she felt certain memories in her mind becoming clearer.
Her and Qin Tong’s “black material” had probably been exposed during their third year of high school. At that time, Jiang Chuyi had just experienced her first low point in life. Many of her jobs were put on hold, and she returned to school to continue her studies.
During that period, she often kept to herself. Even after school, she wouldn’t go home. Instead, she would wander aimlessly on the streets. Occasionally, when she encountered street musicians playing the guitar, she would stop and listen to a few songs.
Jiang Chuyi shared the things she remembered and said hesitantly, “It’s possible that I might have seen you both back in high school.”
Ji Kai let out an “ah” sound, “Is that true? You have that kind of fate?”
Jiang Chuyi slowly shook her head, “I’m not too sure… it’s just a possibility.”
Chen Xiangliang laughed, “Now that you mention it, you do seem a bit familiar. Maybe we really did see you back then.”
Jiang Chuyi: “Huh?”
Chen Xiangliang took another sip of wine and said something cryptic to her, “It’s also possible it was even earlier.”
……
……
After finishing the meal, Chen Xiangliang asked Zong Ye to bring over the guitar from the corner, saying he wanted to play a few songs for them live.
Wang Tan laughed.
Chen Xiangliang strummed the guitar strings, testing the sound, “You little brat, looking down on your uncle? I was the one who first taught Zong Ye to play the guitar.”
“No, no, we’re all ears!” Wang Tan applauded.
The group sat on the sofa. Chen Xiangliang turned off the main light in the dining room, pulled over a chair, held the guitar, and played a few old love songs from the previous era, all by Rene Liu.
When he played “Later,” Ji Kai got excited and couldn’t help but sing along.
“How do you remember me, with a smile or in silence…”
“In these years, has anyone been able to keep you from being lonely…”
Jiang Chuyi couldn’t help but laugh. As she laughed, she noticed someone looking at her. Across a few people, her gaze met Zong Ye’s.
He was sitting hunched next to Wang Tan, facing her direction, gently shaking the glass in his hand.
Jiang Chuyi didn’t understand his meaning.
She reacted for a few seconds, reached out, picked up the beer bottle on the coffee table, took a sip, and then looked at him uncertainly.
Zong Ye lowered his gaze and smiled silently. In the dim light, he tilted his head back and drank the remaining alcohol in his glass.
*
Knowing that Zong Ye used to busk and sing near her high school, Jiang Chuyi searched through her long-unused computer during the Spring Festival when she returned home, rummaging through the photos taken during her high school years stored on the cloud drive, hoping to find some traces.
Unfortunately, after searching for a few hours, she couldn’t find anything.
In the evening, while the family was watching the Spring Festival Gala, Wang Woyun scolded Jiang Chuyi, “What are you doing locked up in your room all day? You don’t even spend time talking to your father when you’re back.”
Jiang Chuyi was distracted, watching the skit on TV. Suddenly, she asked Jiang Chenglin, “Dad, do you remember when you went to my high school, did you see any street musicians nearby? The kind who played guitar and sang, and had a child with them.”
Jiang Chenglin frowned at her question, “How would I remember something from so long ago?”
Jiang Chuyi let out an “oh” and concealed the slight disappointment in her tone, “Okay.”
Wang Woyun said, “You’re always worrying about these trivial things. When are you going to bring a boyfriend home for your parents to see?”
Hearing this, Jiang Chuyi felt a headache coming on and quickly said, “I’m busy with work now. I’m not in a hurry.”
After the skit ended, Jiang Chuyi found a random excuse to go back to her room and rest.
She wasn’t sure if it was because her period was approaching, but Jiang Chuyi felt a bit down.
She lay down on the bed, hugged her bunny plush tightly, and pondered her actions over the past few days, searching through her high school photos and seeking confirmation from the people around her.
It seemed a bit neurotic…
Because of Ji Kai’s casual remark about “fate,” she wanted to prove that she might have indeed seen Zong Ye in high school.
What difference did it make whether she had seen him or not…
Fortunately, a phone call from her cousin alleviated her restless mood.
As they were chatting, Jiang Chuyi suddenly heard the sound of firecrackers exploding outside the window.
Looking at the time, she realized it was already midnight.
Jiang Chuyi complained to her cousin on the phone, “My neighbors are so daring. Firecrackers are strictly banned in Shanghai, yet they’re not afraid of being caught by the police.”
“It’s the Lunar New Year. Where’s the festive atmosphere without firecrackers? The police officers also need to celebrate the New Year.”
Shan Wanwan responded to her casually. Jiang Chuyi heard the sound of typing on the other end and knew she was chatting with someone else.
She also started browsing her own phone.
After snatching a few red envelopes in the family group chat, Jiang Chuyi exited.
Several friends had sent her New Year greetings. Jiang Chuyi replied to them one by one until finally, she clicked on Zong Ye’s avatar.
Just as she finished replying to his message, she heard Shan Wanwan curse.
Jiang Chuyi was puzzled, “What’s wrong?”
“Damn it, I’m arguing with Zong Ye’s fans,” Shan Wanwan cursed a few times, “I posted a Weibo praising my idol for being the visual king, and they had to come and say a few passive-aggressive words. They’re really sick, with severe top idol syndrome. It makes me want to vomit.”
Jiang Chuyi was speechless.
Looking at the WeChat chat window, she couldn’t help but think that if Shan Wanwan found out she was chatting with Zong Ye, she would probably rush to her house immediately.
Shan Wanwan’s tone was indignant, “I don’t know what BxG fans are so proud of. They act like they’re superior every day, with no sense of aesthetics at all. Zong Ye is already so overexposed, and the people who like him are all vulgar! Don’t you agree, sis?”
Jiang Chuyi fell silent.
She didn’t respond to her cousin’s words. She turned over and thought to herself, yes, there were so many people who liked Zong Ye, already falling into the category of being overexposed.
So even if she couldn’t help but fall for him in the future, it would just be her being no exception to the masses.
It didn’t sound like such a difficult thing to accept.
*
Due to some issues with the censorship approval for the high school-related plot in “September Rain,” Jiang Chuyi’s filming was delayed by more than a month.
This was a modern drama, unlike period dramas where she had to be suspended by wires, jumping into water or off buildings. Moreover, the filming location was in the city center of Xiamen, so Jiang Chuyi’s days were quite comfortable.
She often bought something to eat after filming and went for walks by the sea with Xin He and a few assistants.
“September Rain” had many fans of the original novel and a large casual audience, so it garnered considerable attention. To maintain the hype, the production team specifically bought some marketing accounts during filming to pose as passersby and release some high-definition behind-the-scenes photos.
Among these photos, a set of Jiang Chuyi and Ren Hanjun’s scenes gained the most popularity.
This scene required a fall on flat ground, which had a high risk factor. However, Jiang Chuyi didn’t use a stunt double and filmed it three times, each time hitting the ground hard.
She propped herself up with one hand, her slender wrist looking fragile and easily breakable. Jiang Chuyi’s expression seemed to be enduring the pain, biting her lips until they turned a vivid color. Then, she controlled her expression, slowly turned her head, and let her delicate face be fully exposed to the camera.
In the footage, she was kneeling on the ground, looking both pure and timid, her eyes brimming with tears.
Ren Hanjun watched for a few seconds and raised his hand to wipe away her tears.
The atmosphere between the handsome man and the beautiful woman was so strong that Ren Hanjun’s side profile in this scene bore a striking resemblance to Zong Ye. It even led to the appearance of hashtags like #RenHanJunZongYe#, inadvertently stirring up a wave of discussion on Weibo.
A few experienced fans in the industry mocked that the clarity of this segment was terrifyingly high, clearly a deliberate hype by the production team.
Apart from Ren Hanjun being bombarded by Zong Ye’s fans, the comments about Jiang Chuyi were mostly positive, praising her acting skills as befitting a movie star brought up by Qin Tong, outshining Ren Hanjun, who couldn’t keep up with her performance, in all aspects.
Most importantly, Jiang Chuyi’s falls looked so dedicated, without any hint of acting, to the point where even non-fans felt pity for her.
In recent years, the domestic entertainment industry had put celebrities on too high a pedestal, already provoking many people’s rebellious mentality. Especially compared to countries like South Korea and Thailand, it made people question, “What exactly are you being so noble about?”
[Oh my god, lesser-known celebrities really have no human rights. If it were a more famous celebrity, their fans would already be crying and protesting at the production team’s doorstep…]
[Can Ren Hanjun please go practice his acting skills? What’s the use of just getting plastic surgery?! He’s not even thirty, and his face is already collapsing!]
[Sister’s acting skills are better suited for movies… Taking this kind of school drama to partner with a subpar actor is truly a waste of her talent. You deserve better…]
[I hope they give more good roles to these talented and dedicated actors. My eyes have had enough of the torture from those pretty-faced, popular young actors.]
[Why is everyone scolding them? Am I the only one who thinks… Ren Hanjun and Jiang Chuyi have great chemistry? In this scene, I’ve already completely projected Zong Ye onto him…]
[The person above, are you sick?? Can you give Zong Ye a break?? These two are also a perfect match. They both love to leech off my baby. I hope this lousy drama flops and sinks into the ground! (vomit)]
[BxG fans are really good at getting triggered. What’s wrong with me shipping Zong Ye and Jiang Chuyi? Are you going to kill me? I’m going to say it—Zong Ye’s one and only love is Jiang Chuyi [heart]]
Due to the Jiang Chuyi and Zong Ye incident, a certain super topic that had been dry for a long time without new material became active again.
[A certain someone is probably restless while holding his concert, wishing he could be Ren Hanjun’s body double!]
[Chuyi’s behind-the-scenes photos are in the top three of the hot search. Little Zong will definitely see it, right? Is he going to feel distressed for his wife now?]
[Don’t even mention it. The gods on the forum have already calculated that Zong Ye must be dying of jealousy!]
[Zong Ye, seeing Chuyi crying and having another man wipe her tears, his inner monologue: My poor, adorable wife. When we get home tonight, I’ll pin her to the bed and fiercely make love to her.]
……
……
At the end of May, BloodxGentle’s final tour concert in Macau concluded.
In the dressing room, Manager Li was telling them about their upcoming work plans.
The variety show jointly produced by three sponsors and Star City had been given a name: “Shining Stars.”
This variety show was an outdoor challenge-based reality program. The script would include some game segments, with each episode having a theme, including team competitions. It was expected to be filmed in various locations across the country, with plans to visit places like Changsha, Xishuangbanna, Guangzhou, Zhengzhou, and more.
Similar to most reality shows, “Shining Stars” would pre-record two episodes, including the pilot, and then film and broadcast simultaneously later on.
While listening to Manager Li, Ji Kai actually showed some interest, “Sounds quite fun.”
Wang Tan was listless, “Fun? Recording this kind of reality show is so exhausting.”
Fu Cheng asked, “When does it start?”
Manager Li: “If all goes well, next Wednesday. We’ll go to Beijing first to record the pilot episode.”
As he finished speaking, Manager Li sent them the list of proposed guest invitees for the variety show.
Zong Ye took it.
He wasn’t very enthusiastic either. He casually placed it on the table and quickly scanned through the names of the regular guests.
Two familiar veteran variety show stars, a female actress Feng Miaotong who was pushed in by a sponsor, a newly signed male artist Xu Jiayu from IM, a singer from Star City…
As he kept reading, Zong Ye suddenly paused.
He reached out, brought the paper closer to his eyes, and double-checked.
In the second-to-last row, on the white background in black text, three characters were clearly written:
—Jiang Chuyi.
