When the Stars Tremble

The Fiftieth Star

Jiang Chuyi turned her gaze to Zong Ye, propped herself up, and said with lust, “What you said…”

“Hmm?”

“How vulgar.”

Zong Ye chuckled, his gaze following her movements. “Teacher Jiang, did you misunderstand something?”

She didn’t respond.

He touched her flowing, smooth black hair, his fingers lingering near her transparent ear, speaking softly with a hint of suggestion, “Chuyi, isn’t it you who’s being naughty right now?”

Jiang Chuyi suddenly felt a bit guilty.

She thought she was still a bit naive compared to him; he had plenty of tricks up his sleeve to deal with her.

Jiang Chuyi got off him, pretending to be righteous. “Forget it… I’ll let you off this time.”

Zong Ye remained lying on the floor, with a few faint red marks on his neck. His gray sweater was rumpled, and its hem was lifted, exposing a bit of his waist. His breathing was still uneven, and his chest rose and fell gently, showing the effects of her teasing.

Her throat was dry, and she didn’t dare to look.

Zong Ye asked slowly, “Is the punishment over?”

Jiang Chuyi responded with a vague “Hmm.”

Zong Ye sighed, “Had enough fun?”

She tugged at the unmoving person on the floor. “No more playing around, it’s time to eat cake.”

*

The cake was made by Zong Ye himself in the afternoon, but it had been kept in the refrigerator until now.

Zong Ye helped her hang the backdrop she bought on the wall, strung up some fairy lights, tied balloons, and lit scented candles. The small but festive birthday setup was complete.

Jiang Chuyi sat cross-legged in the center, hands clasped together, making a wish earnestly.

In the flickering candlelight, Zong Ye watched her quietly: “Chuyi, happy birthday.”

“Thank you.”

She leaned forward and blew out the candles.

Zong Ye cut a small piece of cake and handed it to her.

Jiang Chuyi took a few bites and couldn’t help but say, “How do you know how to do everything?”

“I used to work part-time at a dessert shop,” Zong Ye said, resting his chin on his hand. “Is it good?”

“It’s delicious.” Jiang Chuyi thought for a moment and asked carefully, “Did you start working after graduating from junior high?”

“More or less.”

“Oh…” Her chewing slowed down, a hint of sadness welling up inside her.

Zong Ye wiped some cream from the corner of her mouth, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Chuyi shook her head, “Nothing.”

“Stay here for a bit, I’ll go get your birthday present.”

She watched him stand up, “Huh? Where did you put it?”

“In my car.”

Ten minutes later, Zong Ye brought a large box and placed it in front of her, “Do you want me to open it for you?”

“No, I’ll do it myself.”

Jiang Chuyi quickly finished her cake and crawled over, curiously eyeing the large black and gold box.

Under Zong Ye’s gaze, she felt inexplicably nervous as she untied the ribbon on top and lifted the lid.

On top were several instant photos. As she looked at them, they seemed increasingly familiar. She exclaimed in surprise, “Is this my university?”

“Yes.”

“When did you visit my university?”

“Before my debut, I went there in the summer.”

Jiang Chuyi was speechless for a moment.

“Did you… want to see me?”

Zong Ye chuckled at her question.

Seeing his laugh, Jiang Chuyi felt even more upset, “Are you stupid? It’s such a big place with so many people, you wouldn’t have seen me even if you came.”

“I just wanted to see the place where you had been.”

She put down the photos, “Idiot.”

There was also a small dark blue velvet box inside. Jiang Chuyi opened it to find a delicate silver bracelet with tiny moving diamonds, a triple-chain extension, and a star-shaped charm in the center.

Jiang Chuyi skillfully put it on her wrist and took a photo with her phone.

After taking a few pictures, she felt the lighting wasn’t good enough, so she turned on the living room lights and took more photos.

Zong Ye asked with a smile, “Do you like it?”

Jiang Chuyi questioned, “How do you know so well what girls like? Are you sure you’ve never dated before?”

“I asked Wang Tan for advice. He’s dated a lot.”

Jiang Chuyi reluctantly accepted this explanation and continued checking the photos she had just taken on her phone.

“Chuyi, seeing you like this makes me want to work hard and earn more money.”

“Why?”

Worried she might catch a cold, Zong Ye bent down to place a cushion under her feet, “I want to buy you gifts every day and make you happy.”

Jiang Chuyi: “…”

Dating a man like Zong Ye, who was so good at reeling people in, required constant vigilance. When he was being nice, he could practically drown a person in honey. Not just Jiang Chuyi, any girl would be spoiled senseless by him. If Zong Ye were to take all of this away one day, Jiang Chuyi figured she’d be heartbroken for the rest of her life just thinking about him.

Unable to respond to his words, she reached for the next gift, “Is this a record?”

“Let me set it up for you.”

Zong Ye methodically unpacked a record player, set it up, and put the vinyl record on.

Jiang Chuyi crouched beside him, watching, “Is this your song?”

“A song I wrote for you.”

The record player started working, the vinyl disc slowly turning. Jiang Chuyi held her breath as Zong Ye’s low, gentle voice filled the room.

“Hey, Chuyi, tuck your umbrella into your arms, record my voice into the CD player”
…
…
“In places without you, you’re always before my eyes”
“How can I make you look at me one more time”
…
…
“If,
You were the sunset glow falling on me, would you be surprised
You were the star listening to my story’s end, would you be sad
You were the person who made me so regretful, would you love me”
…
“If,
Time flowed backwards, back to that day
Would you look at me once more”
…
…
“I could have been the mud beneath your feet.
If you’d turn back, I’d stay forever.”
…
If you’d turn back, I’d stay forever.
…

As the song ended, Jiang Chuyi turned her head away, remaining silent for a long while.

The clock on the wall ticked away. Her eyes stung as she sniffled, glancing at him, “Zong Ye, if you keep this up, I’m going to cry.”

Zong Ye tilted his head and opened his arms to her.

After a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Chuyi crashed into his embrace.

She hugged his waist, “Zong Ye… why do you…”

He smiled, “Why am I so strange?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Why do I like you so much?”

She nodded into his chest.

“Chuyi, to me,” Zong Ye calmly answered her, “you are the only star.”

The only star that illuminated him.

A moment of brilliant radiance in a long, dark decade, gone in an instant, yet enough to dazzle him for a lifetime.

*

The end of the year came quickly. Jiang Chuyi declined an invitation from Xingcheng TV and chose to watch the New Year’s Eve gala at home. Like a fan, she sat in front of the TV, searching for Zong Ye’s figure on the grand stage as the clock struck midnight.

Under the deep red curtain, Zong Ye stood beside the host, tall and elegant, standing out even among a group of celebrities.

Jiang Chuyi softly said, “Happy New Year.”

This year marked BloodXGentle’s final tour, grander than ever before. Promotions began at the start of the year, with the first show opening in Beijing.

Jiang Chuyi knew it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to attend their concerts anymore, so she couldn’t be there on Zong Ye’s birthday.

She sent her prepared gift to A’Xi in advance and waited until late at night to video call him.

In the backstage dressing room of Zong Ye’s concert, staff members were bustling around him.

In the video, she wore a red sweater, her eyebrows fine and eyes beautiful, her expression still a bit nervous. The warm, yellow light around her cast a glow on her body, making her look very warm. He couldn’t help but caress the phone screen with his fingers.

Jiang Chuyi said solemnly, “Zong Ye, happy birthday. I want to give you a song too. Just wait a moment.”

With that, the screen shook as she set up her phone on the table, walked back a few steps, and dragged a chair over. She leaned in twice to make sure the camera was aimed correctly.

While she was preparing, Zong Ye removed his earpiece and asked someone to bring him headphones.

Seeing Jiang Chuyi bring over a guitar, he asked with a smile, “Are you going to play and sing yourself?”

Jiang Chuyi: “…Please bear with my poor performance.”

Facing a professional who dealt with music every day, Jiang Chuyi inevitably felt nervous despite having practiced many times. She was afraid of embarrassing herself in front of him.

She took a couple of deep breaths.

Zong Ye slid down his phone screen and pressed the record button.

She lowered her head, strumming the guitar strings, and began to sing.

“It’s terrible, I fell for you first”
“You love less than I do”
“Destined to suffer”
“The night’s too long, the moonlight is sure to grow cold”
“What to do, you owe me an embrace”

Her light, clear voice flowed gently. Zong Ye listened, turning the volume up to maximum.

After finishing the song, Jiang Chuyi hesitantly glanced at her phone. She put down the guitar, ran over to pick up the phone, but was too shy to point it directly at her face. “How was my singing?”

Zong Ye smiled, “It was beautiful.”

“Really?”

“You chose a good song too.” Zong Ye’s smile slowly faded. “The lyrics seem to be about me.”

Jiang Chuyi couldn’t keep a straight face and wanted to argue.

It wasn’t just about him; she was now deeply caught in his spell too…

“Thank you, Chuyi. I’m very happy.”

Jiang Chuyi gave a shy smile, “I’m glad you’re happy. Happy birthday.”

They gazed at each other silently for a long time until she asked, puzzled, “What’s wrong?”

Zong Ye said without hesitation, “I miss you. A lot.”

“Oh…” Jiang Chuyi’s ears turned red, and she replied lightly, “I miss you too.”

Wang Tan walked closer, removing his earrings in front of the makeup mirror. He glanced at Zong Ye, “Who are you video calling?”

Zong Ye looked at him, “My wife. What about it?”

Jiang Chuyi: “…”

Wang Tan cursed, “Shameless bastard.”

…

…

This Spring Festival, Jiang Chuyi followed her usual custom of returning home to spend the New Year with her parents.

On the third day of the New Year, her relatives had booked a table at a restaurant.

While the elders played cards and chatted, Jiang Chuyi and Shan Wanwan could only look after the children on the side.

Today seemed to be the death anniversary of Zong Ye’s mother. He had sent her a message in the morning saying he was going to visit the grave, and there had been no news since.

Wang Woyun was still complaining to her sisters-in-law, saying that when she was Jiang Chuyi’s age, she had already been married for several years.

Others rushed to comfort her, saying, “Oh, Little Yi is a celebrity, it’s unavoidable that her work is busy. There’s no rush to date, the child is pretty… she won’t have trouble in the future…”

Their intermittent chatter drifted over, but Jiang Chuyi remained unmoved.

Shan Wanwan asked gossip-hungry, “Sis, have you really not found a boyfriend yet?”

She neither confirmed nor denied, only saying, “There’s someone I like.”

“Who? Is it someone from the entertainment industry?”

Jiang Chuyi looked at her steadily, “Someone you know.”

“I know?”

Jiang Chuyi: “It’s a person from that group you really dislike.”

Shan Wanwan: “…”

After a moment of shock, Shan Wanwan slowly spoke, “Don’t tell me you mean BloodxGentle.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Shan Wanwan gasped, “You like someone from BloodxGentle? You actually like someone from BloodxGentle?! Are you tired of living?!”

“What’s wrong?”

“How can you ask what’s wrong?” Shan Wanwan was agitated but afraid of being overheard, so she lowered her voice, “Don’t you know how terrifying their fans are? That group of people can’t tolerate anything female around their idols, not even female mosquitoes. If you get involved with someone from BloodxGentle and it gets out, you’ll be cursed to death…”

Shan Wanwan gritted her teeth, her expression complex, “Anyone else would be fine, as long as it’s not Zong Ye.”

Jiang Chuyi was puzzled, “What did Zong Ye ever do to offend you?”

“His looks are just annoying, anyway he’s quite ordinary, I don’t know how he got so popular, he doesn’t deserve it!”

“His looks are annoying?” Jiang Chuyi was even more confused, “Zong Ye is very handsome. He’s even more handsome in person than in photos, and he’s very polite too. You’ll see when you meet him.”

Although the entertainment industry doesn’t lack good-looking people, regardless of gender, anyone who’s momentarily in the spotlight tends to have a noble air of relying on their looks. But Zong Ye was one of the very few people she had encountered who, despite being at the height of his popularity, showed no sense of superiority in his behavior.

“Why do you keep speaking up for him…” Shan Wanwan finally realized belatedly, her expression changing, “Don’t tell me the person you like is actually Zong Ye?!!”

Jiang Chuyi calmly replied, “Yes, it is.”

Shan Wanwan was thunderstruck, her mind reeling, her expression blank.

Jiang Chuyi didn’t keep her in suspense any longer, “I’m telling you in advance so you can prepare yourself. If I can bring him home in the future, don’t give him the cold shoulder, remember to call him brother-in-law.”

“Brother-in-law…”

Shan Wanwan coughed violently, almost unable to catch her breath.

To think that she, Shan Wanwan, who had single-handedly battled toxic fans keyboard to keyboard until the sky turned dark, cursing Zong Ye’s ancestors eighteen generations back, would one day have to call him… brother-in-law.

Brother-in-law??!

Shan Wanwan looked at Jiang Chuyi with a “don’t be crazy” expression: “Stop joking, sis.”

“I’m not joking.” Jiang Chuyi remembered something else and added, “Remember to prepare some gifts for Zong Ye when you meet him.”

Shan Wanwan, still not giving up, confirmed once more, “Are you two dating now?”

Under her gaze, Jiang Chuyi nodded.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, after much hesitation, Shan Wanwan scratched her head, “No, sis, are you really not afraid of death? I’m in the fandom, I know better than anyone, they will absolutely never accept a sister-in-law.”

“It’s not like I haven’t been cursed before,” Jiang Chuyi comforted her. “When we go public, let them curse. I just won’t look at it.”

Shan Wanwan shook her head, “Sis, you’re underestimating Zong Ye’s toxic fans. They start by casually trying to destroy people. If you dare to go public, they’ll probably curse you right out of the industry.”

Jiang Chuyi fell silent.

She smiled slightly, avoiding her cousin’s gaze: “I know. Dating Zong Ye right now isn’t really a wise choice.”

“Then why do you still…”

Jiang Chuyi’s voice was firm, “But no matter what, this is the path I’ve chosen for myself. Even if I have to pay a price in the future, I won’t regret it.”

Shan Wanwan was speechless.

*

After visiting his mother’s grave, Zong Ye helped Chen Xiangliang thoroughly clean the whole house and put up Spring Festival couplets.

They only get to rest for these few days all year. Chen Xiangliang finally felt the New Year atmosphere after setting off firecrackers in the yard. He prepared a big table of dishes and called Zong Ye over to drink with him.

Zong Ye took a photo and sent it to Jiang Chuyi, then immediately put down his phone. He gently blocked Chen Xiangliang’s attempt to pour him wine, saying helplessly, “Uncle, I can’t drink too much. I need to call Chuyi later.”

Chen Xiangliang glared at him, “It’s bad enough that you can’t hold your liquor, but now you’ve forgotten your uncle because of a girl. Heartless.”

Zong Ye just smiled without saying anything.

As they ate, Chen Xiangliang picked up some food for Zong Ye and casually said, “I see your mood is quite good today.”

In previous years on Zong Xiuyun’s death anniversary, after visiting the grave and having dinner with him, Zong Ye would always shut himself in his room for the entire night.

Zong Ye made a sound of agreement.

As they ate quietly, Zong Ye suddenly said, “Uncle, actually I don’t blame my mom anymore.”

Chen Xiangliang paused.

Zong Ye took a sip of wine, put down his glass, and said calmly, “I didn’t understand before why she would abandon me for that kind of man, but now I don’t blame her anymore.”

“She loved him so much, she must have been very desperate in the end. Death might have been a kind of relief for her,” Zong Ye continued, maintaining a slight smile. “I’m probably the same kind of person as my mom. Because I can’t imagine what I’d do if Chuyi doesn’t want me anymore in the future. It seems like dying wouldn’t be so bad?”

Chen Xiangliang scolded him, “What nonsense are you talking about? Talking about life and death during the New Year, it’s not auspicious at all.”

Zong Ye finished his glass of wine and continued eating.

Chen Xiangliang asked, “How are the preparations for your company going?”

“Almost done.”

“What are your plans for the future? Not going to be a celebrity anymore?”

Zong Ye’s expression was hard to read: “I’ve already started the process of terminating contracts with some endorsement brands. There are too many unstable factors in this industry, I’m afraid of unexpected incidents.”

Chen Xiangliang lit a cigarette and didn’t ask further, “It’s up to you.”

Zong Ye joined him with a cigarette, lowering his eyelashes. Just as he put the cigarette in his mouth, his phone screen lit up. He picked it up.

Jiang Chuyi: “Zong Ye, can you come out and pick me up? I’m at the entrance of the alley, I can’t find my way.”

…

…

Jiang Chuyi slowly walked back and forth along the curb, focusing on counting the paving stones. She was wearing a white down jacket, her chin wrapped in a scarf, with a lollipop in her mouth. Her shadow stretched long under the streetlight.

Zong Ye watched her from a distance for a while before walking over.

They looked at each other, and after a brief silence, he asked, “Why did you suddenly come here?”

Jiang Chuyi finished counting the last paving stone, stepped forward, and jumped in front of him, “After dinner with my family, I suddenly missed you a bit.”

In the cold winter, her eyes were bright and dark, her breath forming mist as she spoke. Zong Ye felt a wave of emotion and said softly, “If you missed me, you could have sent me a message. I would have come to see you.”

“I can’t always expect you to come find me. I should give you a surprise occasionally too.”

After saying this, Jiang Chuyi noticed the cigarette between his fingers, “Are you in a bad mood?”

“Hm?”

“It feels like you haven’t smoked in a long time.”

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered that today was the anniversary of his mother’s death, so Jiang Chuyi fell silent.

Zong Ye’s gaze was deep as he raised his hand to touch her face, “Before seeing you, my mood was always about the same.”

Jiang Chuyi took the lollipop out of her mouth, “Actually, others have taught me to smoke before.”

“What?”

“I saw an edited clip of your music video online before, on a rooftop, where a girl wanted to share a cigarette with you, but you didn’t let her,” Jiang Chuyi casually observed his expression. “Many people said they wanted to know what it’s like to share a cigarette with Zong Ye.”

Zong Ye’s reaction was slightly delayed.

Jiang Chuyi grabbed his hand and brought it to her mouth, taking a drag from the half-smoked cigarette.

It was the familiar taste of nicotine, bitter and astringent.

Zong Ye stood still.

She deliberately said in a small voice, “So this is what it feels like to share a cigarette with Zong Ye. It doesn’t seem that special.”

“Is that so?” He smiled.

Zong Ye found her slender wrist, grabbed it, and pulled her close.

Jiang Chuyi stumbled a few steps, her face suddenly flushing.

His hand moved through her hair, holding the back of her head. He tilted his head slightly and leaned close to her ear, his voice lowered considerably, “It seems many people also say they want to know what it’s like to kiss Zong Ye. Are you curious about that too?”