When the Stars Tremble

The Forty-Eighth Star

Jiang Chuyi silently clenched her fist, taking a long time to squeeze out a sentence, “I don’t know either, how am I supposed to teach you?”

“You can teach me… what kind of kiss you like, okay?”

The tall, handsome man still had that dignified appearance from earlier, but his hands were now bound. The impact of this image was not small. Especially with the gentle gleam in his eyes, he looked as if she could do anything she wanted with him.

Jiang Chuyi: “…”

She felt that she might be a bit of a hypocrite.

Actually, sometimes she wasn’t unaware of Zong Ye’s inner thoughts, but she could never honestly face her desires. So when he threw out the bait, she comforted herself with “softness”, finding an excuse to let herself take the bait, willingly letting things deviate from her preset tracks and walk into his “trap”.

Jiang Chuyi sat there, head lowered, silent for a moment, not knowing what to consider.

Zong Ye waited quietly, not speaking again.

Jiang Chuyi checked the time on her phone.

Ten minutes left.

She called his name: “Zong Ye…”

He made a sound of acknowledgment.

“You’re really bad.”

Zong Ye smiled.

“I’m not a good person either.”

He asked: “Why not?”

As she spoke, Jiang Chuyi slowly knelt up, her hands resting on Zong Ye’s legs.

“Because I clearly see through you,” she looked directly into his beautiful eyes, “but I still intend to teach you.”

He was stunned for a moment.

In the brief moment when Zong Ye was distracted, Jiang Chuyi wrapped her arms around his neck, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips to his.

Zong Ye’s entire body seemed to have been paused.

The small space isolated in the car became unusually quiet, even the sound of the down jacket was incredibly clear. Jiang Chuyi’s mind went blank, and that bitter scent of dry orange blossom and citrus became intense again.

She slowly searched for the right angle, carefully kissing him.

Zong Ye’s breathing was heavy, but he endured without moving.

Jiang Chuyi gradually calmed down, pulling back slightly, and said softly, “Can you give me some response?”

“You don’t know how anymore?”

She nodded slightly.

Zong Ye lowered his head, his spine arching like a bow, and kissed her back. With a sigh, he curled his tongue, prying her open. Even as fine beads of sweat covered his body, even as his wrists were already chafed to the point of pain, he still gradually tightened the tie, making the pain more intense. This way, he could restrain himself from demanding more, using extremely light force to kiss her gently.

Compared to the last kiss, everything was much slower this time, giving Jiang Chuyi’s thoughts room to breathe, to experience more details. Wave after wave of heart palpitations and dizziness, his intermittent gasps in her ears, and the faint sound of lips and teeth meeting, made her even a bit fascinated by this feeling of losing control.

After a few minutes, both of them were exhausted.

Jiang Chuyi pushed him away a little.

Zong Ye turned his head, his lips reluctantly following.

She blocked him slightly, “No more…”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Jiang Chuyi was surprised to find her voice had become hoarse too.

Zong Ye’s chest heaved, as if he hadn’t come back to his senses yet, his voice much softer than before, “Chuyi…”

Jiang Chuyi checked the time on her phone again, pursed her lips, “We can’t kiss anymore.”

Her cheeks were red as she stealthily looked outside. Seeing no one, she glanced at Zong Ye again.

His lips were red, with traces of moisture at the corners of his mouth. His eyes and brows were tinged with the color of desire, and his forehead and nose were damp with sweat. Both innocent and sensual, like a fallen male spirit.

Jiang Chuyi quickly tidied her clothes, then guiltily took out the tissue box, pulled out a few sheets, and hurriedly wiped the sweat from Zong Ye’s neck and face.

If the assistant and driver saw Zong Ye in this state, she really wouldn’t be able to explain it away… People might think she was so infatuated that she had to ravish him thoroughly in this brief meeting time.

Who knows how naturally sensitive his body is… to become like this from just a bit of intimate activity… Well, he’s a habitual offender, and now she’s an accomplice too.

Zong Ye gradually recovered, a smile on his lips as he asked, “Chuyi, are you still afraid now?”

Jiang Chuyi shook her head.

“Then, did you like it just now?”

Jiang Chuyi hesitated, then nodded lightly.

“I understand.” Zong Ye glanced outside the car, “Can you help me with something?”

“What?”

Zong Ye raised his hands: “Help me untie this.”

Jiang Chuyi leaned in, studying how the tie was knotted. She had to admit, Zong Ye had some tricks up his sleeve, to even think of this method.

“Why is it so tight,” Jiang Chuyi muttered, struggling for quite a while before managing to undo the binding knot for him.

As soon as it was off, the shocking chafe marks on his wrists startled her, “Doesn’t it hurt?”

“It’s fine,” Zong Ye rubbed his wrists.

“Don’t hurt yourself like this anymore,” Jiang Chuyi felt a bit heartbroken, “I wasn’t that scared.”

He asked a question: “Can you forgive me for what happened before?”

Jiang Chuyi: “I just need to get used to it slowly, it’ll be fine.”

“Chuyi, I promise you,” Zong Ye smiled slightly, “If you feel you’re not used to it in the future, or you don’t like something I’m doing to you, just say stop, and I’ll stop. Is that okay?”

Jiang Chuyi nodded.

Zong Ye stroked her hair, “Is time almost up?”

“It should be.”

She realized it was time to go, belatedly feeling a bit reluctant. Half an hour had passed too quickly.

Jiang Chuyi sighed, touching the car door, “So, I should get out?”

Zong Ye made a sound of agreement.

She still sat motionless, tentatively asking, “…How long will you be staying for that music festival in Sanya?”

“A day or two.” Zong Ye carefully observed her expression, “Will you miss me?”

Jiang Chuyi hesitated, “A little.”

Since Zong Ye had resumed work, the opportunities for them to meet were few and far between. With his current high profile, his schedule was basically transparent. Forget about normal dates, she couldn’t even visit him on set. If they were discovered, it would be huge news.

Staring at the person in front of her, Zong Ye curved his lips, “Even though you haven’t left yet, I’ve already started missing you.”

When it came to love, Zong Ye was a very straightforward person, never stingy with his sweet words. Influenced by him, Jiang Chuyi also learned to express those thoughts she had hidden deep inside, too shy to show. She said softly, “I know, I’ll miss you too. Take care at work.”

……

……

When Jiang Chuyi got out of the car, she didn’t dare look at A’Xi and the driver’s expressions. She lowered her head, wrapped her clothes tightly around herself, hurriedly said goodbye to them, and returned to her own car.

Little Zhong said proudly, “Sis, I just went for a walk around and didn’t spot any paparazzi.”

Jiang Chuyi sneezed, “Let’s go, to the airport.”

Little Zhong sighed, “It’s so difficult dating a top star, even a casual meeting feels like an affair.”

Jiang Chuyi laughed at her words, “Isn’t it always like this for celebrities dating?”

Little Zhong asked curiously, “Sis, let me ask you something. You’re not public yet, aren’t you worried someone might snatch Zong Ye away?”

“Why should I worry about that?”

“You should worry! Men sometimes need to be kept on a tight leash, especially men like Zong Ye who are rich and handsome. You never know when they might give in to temptation and cheat. Just now, after the gala ended, several female celebrities went to chat with him.” Little Zhong got too invested, getting agitated as she spoke, “Although Zong Ye is my idol, I still think all men have the same bad nature, you can’t let your guard down.”

Jiang Chuyi, having nothing better to do now, discussed it with her: “In our line of work, we’re often apart more than we’re together. If Zong Ye really wants to cheat, it’s not something I can control anyway.”

Perhaps because Zong Ye seemed to like her so much, Jiang Chuyi didn’t feel any sense of crisis at all. However, Little Zhong’s words did remind her of something.

Love is the easiest thing to spoil, and dopamine can’t control the brain forever. Jiang Chuyi still needed to make some pessimistic plans, lest she fall too deep in the future. After all, she was gradually understanding Zong Ye’s true nature… normal people simply couldn’t outsmart him. If Zong Ye got bored and she couldn’t help but cling to him, it would turn out very ugly.

*

Back in Shanghai, Jiang Chuyi caught a cold.

The temperature in Pingcheng was too low, and she was wearing too little. After enduring for several hours, it was expected that she would fall ill.

It was the peak season for flu recently. Jiang Chuyi obediently drank a cup of medicine and rested at home.

The day after tomorrow would be November 20th, her birthday. Chen Yi and Zhao Guangyu would come to her house for dinner as usual. Besides Xin He, she had originally planned to invite the BloodxGentle members too, as they were among her few good friends in the industry. But she didn’t know how long they would be busy with the music festival. Jiang Chuyi had wanted to ask Zong Ye about it in the car that day, but feared he might delay work for her birthday, so she didn’t bring it up.

After organizing the ingredients ordered online and putting them in the refrigerator one by one, Jiang Chuyi felt dizzy and touched her forehead again. It was still very hot.

It seemed she had a slight fever.

After taking a shower, Jiang Chuyi turned the air conditioning up high, lay down on the bed, and read the script for a while.

Yu Tong mainly wanted to film a story about a depressed teenage girl. Jiang Chuyi hadn’t dealt with this kind of subject matter in films before, so she had been researching and studying up on it recently.

She picked up her phone and chatted with Wang Woyun.

Jiang Chuyi: “Mom, can you take me to visit the psychiatric department at your hospital? I’m about to film a movie related to depression, and I don’t know much about it. I want to talk to a professional doctor.”

Wang Woyun: “You’re filming another movie? When?”

Jiang Chuyi: “The script is still being revised and needs to pass censorship. We’ll probably start shooting after the New Year.”

Wang Woyun: “I’ll ask around for you then. How have you been lately?”

Jiang Chuyi: “I’ve had a bit of a cold these past two days, seems like I have a low fever.”

Wang Woyun: “Have you taken medicine? If the fever is serious, come to the hospital for an IV.”

Jiang Chuyi: “I’ve taken medicine. If the fever doesn’t go down tomorrow, I’ll go.”

Wang Woyun: “Alright, don’t stay up late. Get some rest early.”

Before bed, Jiang Chuyi was scrolling through Douyin, frequently coming across videos of BloodxGentle’s performance at the Sanya Music Festival.

She couldn’t help but stop to watch each one.

Clear ocean waves, coconut trees providing shade. Compared to other cities, Sanya lacked hustle and bustle but had a strong summer vibe. The music festival venue was crowded with people. Even from the video, one could feel the heat of the scene.

There was a rock song in BloodxGentle’s fifth-anniversary album. Zong Ye and Ji Kai had switched positions. During the few minutes he was playing the drums, the crowd below went wild with cheers.

This exciting clip was being shared all over social media.

Zong Ye had just finished singing several songs, his black tank top soaked with sweat, earphones still hanging on his ears. His eyes focused on the music sheet, he twirled the drumstick with one hand, and following the beat, he struck the drum set at an incredibly fast speed. With a sudden crash, the cymbals and drum skins vibrated simultaneously, unleashing a tidal wave of screams from the audience.

[Damn, this Zong Ye guy, he’s killing me with his coolness. Is it true what his solo fans say about him still having his first kiss? Where does all this explosive hormonal energy come from????]

[Moscow doesn’t believe in tears, and there are no virgins in the entertainment industry. Who still remembers when Zong Ye used to go for the abstinent look? Now his style is getting more and more sensual, things are definitely not simple. Which exceptionally talented sister managed to sleep with him? Can you come out and share some details… We really need to know]

[As expected of my ex-husband, even though I’ve left the fandom, seeing this face still makes me go crazy @JiangChuyi @JiangChuyi @JiangChuyi @JiangChuyi, please come out and share the details, don’t hide it anymore]

Seeing her own name, Jiang Chuyi immediately closed the comment section guiltily.

She got up to drink some water, not sure if it was because watching Zong Ye play the drums made her heart race, or because of the fever, but her throat felt dry.

……

……

Waking up uncomfortable in the middle of the night, Jiang Chuyi turned over, opened her eyes, and groggily picked up her phone.

It was still on a call.

She spoke, tentatively calling out, “Zong Ye?”

A response came quickly from the other end, “Are you awake?”

“Mm, feeling a bit uncomfortable, seems like I’m still feverish,” Jiang Chuyi replied weakly.

“Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“Let’s see if the fever goes down after I wake up tomorrow.”

Like most people, Jiang Chuyi didn’t like the smell of disinfectant in hospitals. Plus, her mother being a doctor who often worked overtime due to her job had made her a bit averse to these places since childhood.

She wanted to drink some water but found the cup was empty. Jiang Chuyi felt weak all over and was too lazy to get out of bed to refill it. She swallowed and asked, “Is the music festival over?”

“It’s over.”

“When are you coming back?”

“We’re already in Shanghai.”

Jiang Chuyi slowly felt her forehead, casually asking, “Are you home?”

“Not yet.”

Her thoughts were slow, “Then where are you?”

“At the entrance of your residential complex.”

“What?!”

This answer woke Jiang Chuyi up a bit. She sat up, “Why are you only telling me now?”

“I didn’t want to wake you.” Zong Ye was silent for a moment before continuing, “Knowing you had a fever, I was a bit worried, so I came to stay near your place for a while. If anything happens, I can come to you right away.”

She choked up, her heart immediately softening.

Jiang Chuyi sighed, “Come up then, Building 7, Room 1101.”

Throwing off the blanket and getting out of bed, Jiang Chuyi put on her pajamas.

Walking out of the bedroom, she realized it seemed to have started raining heavily outside, with thunder rumbling.

About ten minutes later, the doorbell rang.

Jiang Chuyi immediately ran to open the door.

The warm light from inside spilled onto him. Zong Ye was wearing a black windbreaker and dark jeans, his black hair and eyelashes framing bright eyes.

She curved her lips slightly, “Good thing you knew to bring an umbrella. You’re not too stupid after all.”

This was Zong Ye’s first time at her place, and Jiang Chuyi hadn’t tidied up in advance. Fortunately, the housekeeper cleaned regularly, so it wasn’t too messy. While he was changing his shoes, she quickly gathered up the few shoujo manga and novels on the coffee table.

Rui Bi (Ruby), seeing a stranger, quickly retreated into its cage.

Zong Ye walked over and carefully placed the back of his hand on her forehead, saying softly, “Still feverish.”

His body still carried a chill, and Jiang Chuyi suddenly felt cooled, which was quite comfortable. She took his hand and put it on her face, “You can help cool me down.”

Due to the fever, her face was flushed red, and her hair was messy. Probably because she got up in a hurry, her pajama top wasn’t buttoned properly, with a few buttons misaligned. Zong Ye could see the cute strawberry-patterned nightgown she was wearing underneath.

His throat moved slightly, “If you’re not feeling well, go back to sleep. If the fever hasn’t gone down when you wake up tomorrow, I’ll go to the hospital with you.”

“Even if I need to go to the hospital, I can’t let you come with me. I don’t want to end up trending with you and getting scolded.”

Zong Ye looked at her steadily for a few seconds, then smiled, “In the future when we go public, we’ll still have to face criticism together.”

Jiang Chuyi ignored this comment and went to the kitchen to pour him a glass of warm water. Sitting down beside him, she asked, “Do you have anything to do these next couple of days?”

“I can stay with you for your birthday.”

She was surprised, “You actually remembered.”

“Hmm?” Zong Ye smiled, “Haven’t I sent you a private message every year?”

Jiang Chuyi stammered, “What about Wang Tan and the others? If they’re also resting, they could come to my place for a meal together.”

“I’ll tell them tomorrow.”

Her mood, which had been low due to the fever, finally started to improve. “Are you going to sleep at my place tonight? I’ll go prepare a bed sheet in the guest room for you in a bit.”

“I can sleep on the sofa just fine.”

“How can that be okay?”

“Your sofa is quite… fluffy,” Zong Ye considered his words. “Very warm.”

“Alright…”

Zong Ye’s body was cool, and Jiang Chuyi couldn’t help but curl up in his arms to cool down. She covered them both with a small blanket and yawned, “Then I’ll stay out here with you for a while.”

Zong Ye lowered his eyes, seeing her naturally wrap her arms around his waist, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

Jiang Chuyi buried her head in his clothes, smelling that pleasant bitter scent, and inexplicably felt a sense of security. Even the fever didn’t feel as uncomfortable anymore.

Due to fatigue, she dozed off without realizing it. In her hazy state, she heard Zong Ye ask, “Where are your towels?”

“Towels?”

“I want to wipe your sweat.”

“Oh…” Jiang Chuyi pointed in a direction with sleepy eyes, “In the bathroom, the white one with small daisies.”

After saying this, she turned over and continued sleeping.

Not long after, someone lifted her hand. A half-dry towel wiped over her arm, then her neck and chin.

Taking advantage of being sick, Jiang Chuyi contentedly enjoyed the thoughtful care.

“Chuyi, do you want some water?”

“Yes.”

Jiang Chuyi wasn’t the type of pampered girl who expected everything to be done for her, but this was the first time she experienced what it felt like to be carefully held in someone’s arms, with water brought to her lips, drinking slowly sip by sip.

She had never dated before, but she had heard Chen Yi complain about many of her ex-boyfriends. Compared to them, Zong Ye was truly a breath of fresh air. Most of the time, he was genuinely good to her beyond reproach, patient and gentle.

If Zong Ye could always be like this, even if he was a bit abnormal when kissing her sometimes, it seemed like it might not be unacceptable… However, if Zong Ye was always like this, she would probably be spoiled rotten, developing a delicate temperament, and wouldn’t be able to date anyone else in the future…

Thinking this, Jiang Chuyi couldn’t help but look up at him.

Zong Ye’s hand paused, “Don’t want to drink any more?”

Jiang Chuyi nodded.

He put the water glass on the coffee table.

Taking advantage of Zong Ye’s inattention, Jiang Chuyi propped herself up on the sofa, leaning in to try to kiss him.

Unexpectedly, he reacted faster, leaning back slightly.

She was confused: “Why are you dodging?”

“Do you want to kiss me?”

Jiang Chuyi wasn’t willing to admit it, vaguely saying: “You’re acting like I’m trying to take advantage of you.”

Zong Ye’s breathing became a bit uneven, and he smiled wryly, “Not now.”

“Why? Are you afraid I’ll pass my cold to you?”

“No, you’re still feverish.”

She moved a bit closer, “Not even like we did in the car?”

Zong Ye paused, “Do you want to tie me up again?”

Jiang Chuyi: “…”

*

Jiang Chuyi didn’t bother moving, so she and Zong Ye squeezed together on the sofa for the night.

She slept quite well with his attentive care. Her fever had mostly subsided. Zong Ye had been up for most of the night, only resting when dawn broke.

He was a light sleeper and noticed her movement when she got up. His eyes opened, “Can you sleep with me a bit longer?”

Jiang Chuyi tucked the blanket around him: “I’m all sweaty, I’ll take a shower first and come back later. You sleep well.”

“Then I’ll wait for you.”

Jiang Chuyi: “…”

She had no choice but to quickly take a shower. Grabbing her script and a few manga books, she sat cross-legged in the corner of the sofa, keeping Zong Ye company as he slept.

After a night of observation, Ruby finally moved its chubby little body out of its nest once the man on the sofa fell asleep.

Jiang Chuyi casually scooped Ruby up.

Before long, Ruby struggled out of her arms.

Jiang Chuyi didn’t pay much attention and continued reading. After turning a few more pages, she glanced over and found that the fat rabbit was actually sniffing around Zong Ye’s neck.

Jiang Chuyi: “…”

Xin He’s cat was one thing, but even her timid rabbit was so looks-oriented…

Afraid of disturbing his sleep, Jiang Chuyi brought Ruby back and continued reading while petting the rabbit.

As she was petting, her hand was suddenly taken by someone.

Jiang Chuyi followed the movement with her gaze.

Zong Ye had woken up at some point and took the hand she had been petting the rabbit with, placing it on his own face.

Jiang Chuyi was puzzled, “What’s wrong?”

He leaned back on the sofa, eyes slightly closed, nuzzling her palm, and said almost inaudibly: “I want you to pet me too.”