The Thirty-Third Star
Feng Jia was in the room and was stunned to see Zong Ye squatting in front of Jiang Chuyi.
Before she could recover, Zong Ye stood up and walked towards them.
As he approached, he stopped in his tracks, the gentleness on his face gradually fading away.
At this moment, Feng Jia’s heart was still in a daze. She exchanged glances with the person beside her.
“Do me a favor,” Zong Ye said to the producer with a calm expression and a steady tone, “Clear the set.”
…
…
Soon, all the medical staff and crew members withdrew from the room. The door was closed, and the room became quiet again, leaving only the two of them.
Zong Ye leaned against the doorway, turned his head, and quietly observed the pale, obedient woman a few steps away.
After standing for a while, he took a few tissues, walked over, and squatted in front of her again. “Don’t cry anymore?”
Jiang Chuyi slowly shook her head and said softly, “I’m not crying anymore.”
“The fan was trampled and broken. I’ll buy you a new one. How many do you want?”
“No need.” Jiang Chuyi looked around. “Where are the others?”
“I asked them to leave first.”
Seeing Zong Ye frowning slightly and rubbing his eyes with his knuckles, Jiang Chuyi asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. My eyes are a bit sore.” Zong Ye put his hand down. “I might have lost my contact lenses in the commotion.”
“I have eye drops in my bag. I’ll get them for you later.” Jiang Chuyi pursed her lips. “Were you scared too?”
“A little.” Zong Ye smiled helplessly. “But I wasn’t scared by those people. You scared me when you started crying.”
Jiang Chuyi fell silent and tried her best to squeeze out a smile. She said to him, “In my senior year of high school, there was also a large-scale stampede incident in Shanghai. At that time, my friends and I happened to go to the Bund to celebrate New Year’s Eve, so I have some psychological trauma regarding such incidents.”
Zong Ye looked at her for a while and asked, “Do you need me to find a doctor for psychological counseling?”
“No need… I’m not afraid anymore. It’s not a big deal.” Jiang Chuyi smiled at him again.
“Not a big deal, but you shed so many tears?” Zong Ye handed her another tissue and said casually, “You felt so bad for that small fan?”
“I didn’t cry just because I felt bad for the small fan…” Jiang Chuyi’s voice was thick with nasal congestion.
“So,” Zong Ye stared at her and asked very slowly, “was it also for me?”
The two, one squatting and one sitting, fell into a tacit silence.
Jiang Chuyi’s mind was still in a mess after the narrow escape.
But she vaguely felt that this topic seemed to cross the line of friendship, a line she shouldn’t cross.
Jiang Chuyi had always been a person who followed the rules and didn’t want to make mistakes. She knew her emotions were still in an uncontrolled state, and she knew it was inappropriate.
But at this moment, he was looking at her, waiting for her answer.
Jiang Chuyi nodded.
He smiled, his gentle voice still calm. “Why would you feel bad for me?”
Zong Ye’s eyes were indeed very beautiful, especially when he was smiling slightly, especially when he was looking at her intently. It made her want to reach out and touch his eyelashes.
But she knew she couldn’t touch them.
Jiang Chuyi could only lower her head.
She didn’t speak for a long time.
Zong Ye was very patient, as he always had been with her. But he seemed to insist on hearing her answer, so he asked again, “Chuyi, can you tell me why?”
Jiang Chuyi seemed to sense his intention, yet she seemed unable to. She stared blankly at the crumpled white tissue in her hand.
For a long time, a small seed buried in her heart seemed to start tearing, cracking, sprouting, growing wildly in the moments she didn’t notice, rushing towards her internal organs.
Some people say that when love arrives, the first thing a person feels is pain.
However, in psychology, there is a kind of love illusion called the suspension bridge effect.
She couldn’t distinguish whether the pain in her chest was due to the lingering fear after the narrow escape, or the possibility that, at this moment, under his continuous questioning, she suddenly realized that she had fallen in love with the man in front of her.
As her cousin said, she was like many, many others, with a taste for the most popular, falling for Zong Ye.
But Jiang Chuyi was also different from them.
Because her love must never be known by anyone.
Because of his identity, because of her profession.
She understood too clearly that love would almost mean destruction to Zong Ye’s thriving career.
Jiang Chuyi’s face turned pale as she used all her rationality to suppress the surging waves in her heart.
No matter what answer she gave him, she could say it. Except for “I like you.” Only this, absolutely could not be uttered at this moment, absolutely could not be told to Zong Ye.
A few minutes later, Jiang Chuyi slowly raised her head, her eyes regaining their calmness.
She smiled at him and said carefully, word by word, “You got hurt while protecting me, so I would be worried about you. It’s human nature.”
This time, it was Zong Ye’s turn to fall silent.
He lowered his eyelashes, his voice still gentle. “Is that the only reason?”
Jiang Chuyi made an affirmative sound and tightly clenched her hands, not daring to look at his expression.
A long time later, he said, “I see.”
Zong Ye also seemed to find himself ridiculous. He apologized to her with a vague meaning, as if nothing had happened, and didn’t continue the topic.
When Jiang Chuyi had wiped her face clean and returned to her usual appearance, the two left the room one after the other.
The guest star Mao Zhenzhen was also badly shaken by the recent incident. She stood to the side with her assistant and saw Zong Ye coming out of the room.
As he walked past her, Mao Zhenzhen felt a chill.
This “top tier” star, rumored to be gentle and polite, seemed to be in a bad mood.
Several directors came forward and communicated with them for a few minutes, recorded a few empty scenes, and hastily concluded the day’s filming.
*
That night, the news of Zong Ye being crowded on Po Zi Street quickly exploded on the hot search.
He posted a Weibo post, and his studio, as well as the official BloodXGentle Weibo account and official fan club, all issued announcements, calling on fans to pursue stars rationally, and boycott paparazzi and sasaeng fans.
The show “Shining Stars” didn’t even have time to make an official announcement before issuing an apology as their first Weibo post:
[During the recording of the program last night, due to the negligence of relevant personnel and in order to pursue the “sense of reality” presented to the audience during outdoor filming, an accident occurred involving Mr. Zong Ye and Miss Jiang Chuyi. We sincerely apologize for this. After the incident, we took emergency measures immediately and promised that similar situations will not occur in future recordings. We also apologize to the fans of both artists.]“Shining Stars” Production Team / June 4, 2021
When the incident happened, Zong Ye’s fans were shocked and furious. They all changed to a uniform avatar and stormed into the comment section:
[Pursue stars rationally, boycott sasaeng fans and paparazzi, but fans shouldn’t take the blame for this incident. The production team can’t even stop the fanatical sasaeng fans, let alone ensure the basic personal safety of the artists. We don’t accept reconciliation. Please treat Zong Ye seriously.] [Who are you trying to fool? Using an apology template? Just to pursue some damn “sense of reality”? Who do you think Zong Ye is? What kind of misunderstanding do you have about the popularity of a top star in the entertainment industry?! Who are you talking to? Do you think he’s some unknown, obscure chicken from outside the 80th tier?! In a place with such a large flow of people, you don’t know how to clear the set? This is already a stampede incident, right? None of the production crew has a brain?!! Stupid production team, I want to kill you. Hurry up and die! I don’t accept your apology! Get lost! Fuck your mother!] [Are these people who rushed over crazy? Are they still fans? Possessed by ghosts? As soon as they got their hands on him, they started groping and pinching. Didn’t they see that Zong Ye’s face turned pale?] [They’re definitely not fans. In the video, the true fans are all at the very back, all shouting to maintain order. Those who rushed to the front to grope and pinch Zong Ye are definitely passers-by or sasaeng fans and paparazzi. True fans would never bear to hurt him like this!] [Just watching the video, I almost suffocated. I really don’t have the courage to finish watching it. The production team is really despicable…] [Speechless. Your idol has already told you to pursue stars rationally, yet you’re still cursing. Cursing is one thing, but you didn’t forget to boast about “top stream in the entertainment industry.” I’m really impressed by Zong Ye’s irrational fans. A bunch of instant noodle eaters, worrying about a star worth hundreds of millions every day…] [The anti-fan above, aren’t you cheap? A publicly recognized top stream, does he need to be boasted about? Are you an animal? Whether Zong Ye is a celebrity or not, he’s a victim. What does it have to do with how much money he earns?]The situation escalated. In addition to Zong Ye’s irrational fans, some team fans of BloodXGentle, fans of Ji Kai and Wang Tan, and even the most vicious anti-fans of Zong Ye from Fu Cheng, all joined in to fiercely criticize the production team.
Their combat power was so strong that the production team had no choice but to hire a water army overnight in an attempt to control public opinion.
However, these four top stream stars of BloodXGentle had fought their way through storms of blood, and any one of them could easily obliterate half the circle. They had never lost before, let alone this time when they rarely united. They crushed the whitewashing marketing accounts, leaving them with no power to fight back.
Seeing that the water army’s whitewashing was useless, and the fans were clamoring to report the production team to the radio and television administration, several directors had to put aside their pride and held several emergency meetings, making multiple calls to apologize to the head of IM.
At four in the morning, when the fans’ anger had mostly subsided, the official Weibo of BloodXGentle finally posted a new message to quell the storm.
…
…
The next day, the hot search for “Zong Ye on Po Zi Street” was still in the top few positions, but apart from the cursing of irrational fans, the topic of discussion had changed again.
[I don’t mean to ship the CP… Sorry, let me kowtow first. But in this video, the actress Zong Ye is protecting in his arms is Jiang Chuyi, right? Didn’t their romance rumors just end? They’re collaborating again… There’s something going on.] [To be honest, this situation is quite dangerous. It’s possible to suffocate to death if you’re not careful. Zong Ye kept protecting that young actress… Looking at his stubborn back pressed against the wall, some cheesy slogans surfaced in my mind: You can mess with me, but not my woman. [Smoking]]When the hot search came out, the super topic “Yi Jian Zong Qing” also went crazy for a whole night.
First, they confirmed their collaboration. The CP fans didn’t have to wait for the movie to be released, and they had a large batch of materials to ship, which was simply a surprise from the heavens.
Second, they felt distressed that Zong Ye and Jiang Chuyi encountered such an incident. The production team really didn’t treat them as human beings.
Third, even though they encountered such an incident, it was still so shippable. This world is probably beyond saving…
So half of the super topic started fiercely scolding the unscrupulous production team, and the other half started writing “you really, I’m crying to death” literature.
[I really don’t want to ship Yi Jian Zong Qing based on this serious “social news,” but, but, Zong Ye, you used your own body to block those lunatics and prevent them from touching Chuyi. Aren’t you afraid of dying? Do you know that you are IM’s biggest cash cow? Do you know that you are a top star? Is your life worthless compared to Jiang Chuyi? You really, I’m crying to death.] [Seeing Chuyi being so flustered and still helping Zong Ye block those perverted hands, it’s a mutual rush to protect each other. GEM’s lyric “Destiny made us fall in love in these dangerous times” is already playing.] [The atmosphere between the two of them is really different.] [When will they do it, when will they do it, when will they do it? We really need to see them do it. Not joking.] [Actually, I’m still quite rational. I’m not sure if they are in a romantic relationship now, but I think at least little Zong seems to be in love like crazy (who knows). Although the production team is trash, I’m really looking forward to “Shining Stars.” I can’t wait to watch it, wuwuwu.] [I’m going to bring out the golden quote from the CP circle, “We once said our subtle love to the fullest among a crowd of distinguished guests.” Yi Jian Zong Qing is forever in a passionate romance [Raising glass].]*
Because Zong Ye had an accident at Wuyi Square, the next day, the production team directly suspended all outdoor filming for the four BloodXGentle members.
The screenwriting team worked day and night from top to bottom to revise the content and produced a new script, placing most of the tasks in Changsha indoors.
Some parts of the store visits were directly passed. For the parts that had to be filmed on the street, the production team hired several times more people than usual to block the onlookers.
Also, being scared by the fans online, wherever Zong Ye went, including places for rest and dining, the set was cleared in advance.
However, with the adjustment of the filming content, the guests became more tired. After all, they had to continuously play games indoors, including many physical competition segments, without a moment to rest.
In the early morning after the first period of filming ended, Feng Jia communicated with Jiang Chuyi about the time and content of the next recording in the car on the way back to the hotel.
It would be in about ten days, and the location was in Guangdong.
Feng Jia repeatedly confirmed, “At that time, there will be a part where you will likely play games in a swimming pool. The guests will need to enter the water. You should have no problem with that, right?”
“No problem. I can swim.”
“That’s good.” Feng Jia sighed. “I’m afraid that you and Zong Ye will run into some mishap again. It would really be a sin.”
Jiang Chuyi patted her hand.
Soon, the car arrived at the hotel.
Jiang Chuyi and Little Zhong had just walked in when they found A’Xi sitting on the sofa in the lobby.
Seeing them, he immediately stood up and called out, “Teacher Jiang.”
Jiang Chuyi recognized him as Zong Ye’s assistant. She stopped and said, “What’s the matter?”
A’Xi looked at the people beside her with some difficulty.
Jiang Chuyi said to Little Zhong, “You go up first and wait for me.”
After the person left, A’Xi coughed and said with a somewhat unnatural expression, “Mr. Zong is on the top floor of the hotel. He said if I saw you, I should tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
A’Xi: “If you want to drink, you can go up and find him.”
Jiang Chuyi: “…”
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the rain that had started in the evening had not stopped and was instead getting heavier.
She asked, “Is he still on the top floor now?”
A’Xi nodded, “Yes.”
…
…
The design of the top floor of this hotel was very strange. It was an inverted triangular sloped structure. The roof terrace had a hollow area in the middle with a small camping tent.
Jiang Chuyi lifted the door curtain of the tent.
Inside, there was only a dull yellow warm-colored hanging lamp, a small table, and a few chairs.
Zong Ye seemed to have expected her to come. He didn’t touch the alcohol on the table at all and sat there quietly waiting.
Jiang Chuyi entered with a slightly hunched posture, put away her umbrella, and asked, “Why did you suddenly want to invite me for a drink?”
Seeing her come in, Zong Ye extinguished the half-smoked cigarette between his fingers.
She asked while sitting down next to him, putting the umbrella at her feet and wiping the water off her arms with a tissue.
“The only friend of yours I know is Xin He.” Zong Ye helped her hang the umbrella at her feet and answered her, “So I asked Fu Cheng to help inquire about what you do when you are in a bad mood.”
Jiang Chuyi fell silent.
When she and Xin He were filming, they would occasionally make plans to drink together to relieve their mood.
However…
Jiang Chuyi glanced at the few bottles of fruit beer on the table and remained quiet for a moment. “Thank you, but these fruit beers you bought might be no different from soda for me.”
“I’m sorry.” Zong Ye laughed. “I forgot that your alcohol tolerance is better than mine.”
“How did you see that I was in a bad mood?” Jiang Chuyi asked.
She recalled that after the accident, she seemed to have behaved quite normally these past two days. On the contrary, Zong Ye spoke less. When they were on the same team playing games, she gave instructions for the tasks, and he just listened without saying much.
Zong Ye: “I guessed because my mood is not great either.”
Jiang Chuyi pondered for a while and suddenly stood up, hastily saying to him, “Then wait for me for a bit.”
Zong Ye raised his eyes. Before he could say anything, he saw her grab the umbrella and run out again.
Ten minutes later, Jiang Chuyi returned. This time, she was lugging a large bag of things, huffing and puffing.
Jiang Chuyi bent down and took out the items one by one, placing them on the small table.
Zong Ye looked at the few bottles of erguotou and shifted his gaze back to her, asking, “You want to drink this?”
“Of course. Aren’t you in a bad mood too?” Jiang Chuyi explained, “I usually get drunk easily when I drink baijiu (white liquor), and after sleeping it off, my mood improves.”
Zong Ye: “…”
Jiang Chuyi reassured him, “Don’t worry. This erguotou is all for me to drink. You can just have the fruit beer. I also bought you some melon seeds, sugar-free.”
A smile appeared on Zong Ye’s lips again, and he softly agreed, “Okay.”
…
…
Before opening the erguotou, Jiang Chuyi sent a message to Little Zhong, telling her to come to the rooftop to get her if she didn’t return in an hour and a half.
“No one will suddenly come up here, right?” Jiang Chuyi asked.
Zong Ye: “Don’t worry. A’Xi is outside. The rain is heavy today, so people generally won’t come up here for no reason.”
Jiang Chuyi nodded.
Zong Ye pulled the tab on the fruit beer and clinked glasses with Jiang Chuyi.
Erguotou was very harsh at first, difficult to swallow, but after getting drunk, it was no different from drinking water.
Zong Ye drank slowly, propping his chin with one hand, tilting his head to watch her drink.
Jiang Chuyi’s mind grew hotter and hotter. Taking advantage of her last shred of consciousness, she blurted out something she had been holding in for a long time, “Zong Ye, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”
Zong Ye: “Hmm?”
Jiang Chuyi organized her words, “My PD told me the other day that the production team might want us to go the CP route, and the post-editing might also lean in that direction.”
He was silent for a moment.
Jiang Chuyi took another sip and continued on her own, “I don’t know if telling you this is a breach of contract, but I still wanted to let you know in advance. After all, you’re also a party involved. With our popularity gap, the one who will benefit from hyping a CP is definitely me. It’s just…”
She was somewhat drunk, her words jumbled, but she tried her best to make herself clear, “It’s like what my management company did before, riding on your popularity and all that. So in the future, if the production team gives you some arrangements that make you uncomfortable, and it’s not easy for you to speak up, I’ll go and refuse.”
“What would make me uncomfortable?” he asked.
Jiang Chuyi muttered softly to herself, “Like hyping romance rumors and such. Your fans will probably object to that, right? I’m just afraid it will attract too much hate for you and cause some damage.”
Zong Ye remained expressionless, “Before participating in this variety show, I also signed a contract, so I have an obligation to comply with the production team’s arrangements.”
She nodded slightly and downed a few more mouthfuls of alcohol.
The two fell silent. Outside, the rain pattered on the tent. Jiang Chuyi felt the familiar dull ache rising in her chest again.
The words she didn’t say that day in the small restaurant room, she probably wouldn’t have a chance to tell him in the future.
Their choice to cooperate with the production team’s hype also meant that this romance rumor must never become a reality.
Any top stream star faces endless shipping, CPs, and true or false romance rumors. But as long as it’s not real, as long as it’s not officially announced, it won’t damage the fan base.
It’s something no popular celebrity can escape.
If their relationship were to be exposed, Zong Ye’s popularity would inevitably suffer a heavy blow, and he would also lose many things.
The only thing Jiang Chuyi could do now was to ensure that the rumor between them didn’t become a reality.
In fact, in some necessary future moments, she would need to step forward to clarify things for Zong Ye, rather than deceiving the fans who liked him.
…
…
Jiang Chuyi drank glass after glass until someone asked her, “Are you drunk?”
Her mechanical movements paused as she answered the voice, “I’m drunk.”
“Then will you still remember what we’re saying now?”
Jiang Chuyi hesitated, her tongue heavy, “I don’t know… Probably won’t remember.”
The voice in her ear fell silent.
Jiang Chuyi drank a few more sips and set down the glass. That faint male voice spoke up again.
“Chuyi,” he called her name, “has anyone ever told you that sometimes your sincerity, or your gentle patience, even your blessings, your kind heart, your soft-heartedness, to a certain extent, can bring pain to others?”
Hearing these words, Jiang Chuyi couldn’t comprehend their meaning.
“For example?” She couldn’t seem to think straight, bewildered and honest, “I may have had too much to drink. I don’t quite understand what you’re saying.”
“Because I didn’t make it clear,” Zong Ye looked at her, “I know you may not want to understand yet.”
For some reason, Jiang Chuyi said, “Did I hurt you? I’m sorry.”
Zong Ye’s eyes were dark and deep, as if suppressing something.
After waiting for a long time without getting an answer, Jiang Chuyi finally couldn’t resist the drowsiness and slumped onto the table. In the second before her consciousness sank into a chaotic darkness, she seemed to hear a sigh.
That male voice was very gentle, fleeting, drowned out by the rain.
— “It’s okay. You can hurt me however you like.”
*
Outside, it rained heavily. The wind picked up, and the dull yellow hanging lamp swayed nonstop, making the light in the camping tent unclear.
Zong Ye finished the last bit of beer in the can and set it back on the table.
She was slumped on the table, fast asleep, her hair ends dangling beside Zong Ye’s hand.
His expression was calm, yet he couldn’t conceal the adoration in his eyes. His fingers slid very gently over the ends of her hair, repeatedly, longingly, reluctantly. Finally, he gently wrapped that lock of black hair around his fingers.
He couldn’t do anything more outrageous.
Even if there was something in his heart about to break free from its restraints, devouring all his gentle pretenses, he still couldn’t do anything more outrageous.
Zong Ye reminded himself of this.
This was the most polite touch he could manage, from a moral standpoint, while she was drunk — touching a part of her body.
But that was all.
Without Jiang Chuyi’s permission, he shouldn’t indulge himself in getting closer and closer to her. Because he didn’t know how long he could hold out.
Perhaps the greatest suffering comes from knowing too clearly what you desire, yet being unable to obtain it.
And his remaining rationality and gentleness had already been nearly destroyed.
Zong Ye thought he probably wasn’t a good person.
He probably wasn’t a normal person either.
He was a terrible person.
Because when he told the director to clear the set and returned to the room alone.
The moment he closed the door behind him, leaving only the two of them in the room.
He calmly watched Jiang Chuyi’s tears.
Zong Ye knew she was sad for him.
But what he was thinking was, he wondered if she would also cry so miserably when they kissed, slept together, and made love.
