At the end of every July, it’s Wen Fan’s birthday. Lou Wei took Wen Fan out on a journey for nearly half a month. When they returned, a movie was in its peak release. Lou Wei, who usually paid no attention to domestic romance films, and Wen Fan both preferred watching hardcore science fiction movies. However, this particular film was said to be the first domestic adaptation of its kind. Lin Xiao and Zhao Mengke had just gone to the cinema to watch it. When Zhao Mengke called Lou Wei and Wen Fan to recommend the movie, he was crying with snot and tears, saying it was extremely good.
Taking Zhao Mengke’s suggestion into consideration, Lou Wei turned to Wen Fan and asked if he wanted to watch it. Wen Fan lowered his head and searched for information about the movie on his phone. The movie cover depicted a genuine campus romance film, with young and attractive fresh-faced actors. The title of the movie, “Starlight,” was handwritten in white brush script on a backdrop of deep blue sky.
Wen Fan glanced at the movie’s reviews below, all of them highly positive.
He nodded and said, “Alright, it seems quite good.”
Upon hearing Wen Fan’s voice on the phone, Zhao Mengke immediately spoke up, “Of course, it’s so good that even an oldie like me…hic…would cry to death.”
Wen Fan: “…”
Before he could reply, he heard a faint call from Lin Xiao on Zhao Mengke’s end.
“Zhao Mengke?”
Zhao Mengke, who had been sobbing on the phone, quickly responded with a cheerful, “Yeah, coming!” Then, without further ado, he hung up the phone happily.
Lou Wei understood his friend’s behavior quite well, having someone to talk to but no friends around. He raised an eyebrow and retrieved his phone.
Looking at the young one playing with his phone on the couch, Lou Wei asked, “Shall we go now?”
Wen Fan immediately sat up, eyes wide, and nodded repeatedly.
Lou Wei reached out and ruffled his hair.
————
Today wasn’t the premiere of the movie “Starlight,” yet the cinema was packed. The two of them were in the VIP cinema with limited seating, but the crowd was still bustling.
Lou Wei frowned slightly, lifting Wen Fan into his embrace and guiding him toward the waiting area of the special VIP room.
Both of them were dressed stylishly, exuding an air of elegance, and each had their own handsome features. People waiting to watch the movie couldn’t help but steal glances.
Those who enjoyed campus films were either high school students or young couples, generally on the younger side. Even if young people weren’t into gaming, they were aware of some of the more popular news on Weibo. Wen Fan’s face was nearly ubiquitous in the phones of all the fujoshi fans who enjoyed shipping real-life pairings. They might not remember Lou Wei’s appearance clearly, but for Wen Fan, they were undoubtedly extremely familiar.
Several girls called out to Wen Fan all at once, “Wen Fan, the big shot?”
The surrounding hall was an open space, with no obstructions. When Wen Fan was hailed by the girls, there was nowhere to hide, so he turned around to respond. The group of girls followed the hands resting on his arm and noticed Lou Wei beside him. A few of the longtime players of “Dream of Heaven” widened their eyes, exclaiming, “Lou Wei!”
Wen Fan gave an embarrassed wave to them, while Lou Wei next to him remained incredibly composed and greeted, “Hello.”
With their calls answered, the girls quickly took out their phones and began to take photos of the two.
Wen Fan’s face turned red, and he was about to pull away from Lou Wei’s embrace and stand up straight. However, Lou Wei’s hand on his shoulder lifted, pressing his head against his own chest.
At that moment, when the girls pressed the shutter buttons, Lou Wei smiled and ruffled Wen Fan’s head.
A man who rarely smiled was even more charming when he did.
The girls around them almost screamed in excitement, feeling like they had just eaten a spoonful of dog food.
Lou Wei whispered, “After you go back, could you please send me the photos through direct messages on Weibo?”
“Of course, of course!”
“No problem, General Lou!”
…
The girls were even more enthusiastic than Wen Fan, some of them even made blessings with their hands clasped together.
Wen Fan blushed the entire time as he listened to them talk. When the theater service staff began announcing the entrance instructions, he quickly pulled Lou Wei and got in line to enter the theater.
Following their pre-assigned seats, the two sat on the central back couple’s seats in the theater. These were two interconnected, genuine leather, soft sofa recliners. When Wen Fan settled into the upper one, he instantly sank into the soft leather, unable to resist squirming in comfort. Lou Wei placed the bubble tea, popcorn, and fries he had bought at the entrance into the groove on the armrest. Wen Fan saw it and quickly grabbed a few pieces and put them in his mouth, nearly closing his eyes in delight from the sweetness.
“It’s so delicious!” Wen Fan praised with his mouth full.
“Is it?” Lou Wei picked up a piece of popcorn from the bucket and tasted it, feeling…
There was nothing particularly different about it.
It couldn’t even be considered tasty.
Too sweet.
He rarely ate such overly sweet things.
But when he saw Wen Fan nod earnestly, he sat down on the recliner beside him. Then—
Pressing his hand against the back of Wen Fan’s head, he pressed a kiss onto his lips without giving him a chance to refuse.
After the action, Lou Wei licked his lip corner and said, “Hmm, it’s indeed very sweet.”
“…”
Wen Fan, who had just escaped from the circle of girls’ attention, suddenly became inactive. He sat stiffly in the chair, staring at Lou Wei with wide eyes. For a while, he stuttered and couldn’t say anything.
Lou Wei’s gaze flickered.
He recalled Zhao Mengke’s advice about being a bit more proactive in a relationship. “Aren’t you planning to say something?”
Wen Fan blinked. The lighting in the theater hadn’t dimmed yet since the movie hadn’t started. Lou Wei sat beside him, casting a slight shadow on his face due to the profound contours, making his face which already looked somewhat mixed-race appear even more cold and distinct.
If it were the first two days when they had just met, Wen Fan might have been a little scared by Lou Wei’s sudden silence. However, now it felt more like finding a focus, being guided by someone. In a hushed voice, he managed to say something.
“You’re also… a bit sweet.”
Even though the theater was bustling with people walking around before the movie officially started, when Wen Fan said this, he felt a surge of embarrassment. He quickly added, “Just a little bit.”
As he was saying this, the concealed air conditioning units placed above the back wall suddenly turned on in unison. The cold air blown out instantly swept over Wen Fan’s head, making him shiver. In the next second, he felt warmth on his back. It turned out that Lou Wei had taken off his coat and draped it over him, then reached over to put an arm around his shoulder.
A smile tugged at the corner of Wen Fan’s lips. He didn’t want to express it too obviously, so he tried to keep a straight face, looking somewhat serious.
“Okay,” he thought for a moment and said, “You’re a little sweeter than before.”
As his words fell, he suddenly felt a bump against the backrest of his seat.
Lou Wei, who was sitting next to Wen Fan, quickly turned around. Before Wen Fan could react, he heard a slightly nasal teenage voice from behind, “Sorry, friend, accidentally bumped into you.”
The voice was highly recognizable, and Wen Fan felt a sense of familiarity from the first word.
He followed Lou Wei’s gaze and turned his head.
What he saw was a masked teenager. The youth had more dark than white in his eyes, and when he looked at people, there was always a kind of damp feeling to him.
Like starlight mixed with the night sky.
The teenager had a small face, and a mask could almost cover more than half of it. But his upper face, especially his eyes, was highly distinctive. Wen Fan’s brain was practically a humanoid suspended ball system, nearly merged with the internet, and as he looked at the upper half of the teenager’s face, the person’s identity was matched through data comparison. The person that came closest to his mind was—
One of the top young actors in recent years, Ruan Zhi.
If Ko Yanan from before could be considered one of the most popular first-tier stars on the entire internet at that time, Ding Yuxiao’s position in the entertainment industry was a notch higher than Ko Yanan’s. In this comparison, even ten Ko Yanans combined couldn’t reach the level of influence that Ruan Zhi, who was the first to be associated with the term “online sensation,” held across the internet.
In the entertainment circle of Country Z, the title of “online sensation” began with Ruan Zhi. In his first year of debut, solely by appearing on various variety shows, he became a household name as a rising star of the new generation. And he achieved this without any hype or scandals; it was all thanks to his personality and looks.
Even though in the past year, after Ruan Zhi and the reigning actor Du Cangsheng announced their official relationship, they began to travel around the world, not taking any work engagements anymore. However, their status and influence in the entertainment industry were unparalleled, far beyond what Ko Yanan and Ding Yuxiao could compare to.
Wen Fan couldn’t have imagined that he would encounter Ruan Zhi here.
He almost couldn’t resist going up to ask for an autograph. Luckily, Lou Wei spoke up beside him, saying, “It’s fine.”
Lou Wei’s voice was deep and chilling, instantly calming Wen Fan’s excited emotions. He thought that since Ruan Zhi was wearing a mask, he probably didn’t want to be recognized. The cinema was crowded, and if he were to actually ask for an autograph and someone nearby overheard, their movie outing would be ruined.
While he was contemplating, he saw Ruan Zhi take two steps back and sit in the couple’s seat behind them. Beside him sat another taller man, also wearing a mask. When the man saw Ruan Zhi sit down, he handed over his drink to Ruan Zhi. Ruan Zhi naturally accepted it, holding it with both hands.
Then, he leaned over and whispered something to him.
Although the man also wore a mask, based on Ruan Zhi’s previous actions, Wen Fan recognized his identity in almost two seconds.
It was…
The reigning actor Du Cangsheng.
Wen Fan was a little excited.
Anyone would probably be more excited than him to see the top star who dominated the entertainment industry in a movie theater.
Wen Fan was afraid that his face would reveal his thoughts, so he quickly turned back to look at the movie screen.
Beside him, Lou Wei watched his reserved actions and leaned over to ask in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”
Lou Wei had worked with quite a few celebrities through his LouV Technology and had cooperated with many stars. Additionally, the game’s main audience was mostly young people, so he needed to pay attention to their preferences. Lou Wei wasn’t unfamiliar with the names Wen Fan had mentioned. After a moment of consideration, he matched the names to their identities in his mind.
He nodded without saying more.
Wen Fan looked at him sideways and found that Lou Wei was even more composed than he was. “Don’t you know who they are?”
Lou Wei looked down at him and honestly replied, “I do.”
“Then why are you so calm?” Wen Fan tugged at his arm and whispered, “I guess they’ve come back from their world tour? I haven’t seen any updates about them on Weibo.”
Listening to the person beside him speaking so discreetly, a slight smile tugged at the corner of Lou Wei’s lips. He looked at Wen Fan’s face and his gaze flickered. “So concerned about them?”
Wen Fan seriously answered Lou Wei’s question, “Of course. The entertainment industry is so chaotic. After looking around, it seems like they’re the ones with the most lasting presence.”
And every time he saw candid photos of the two together on Weibo, he felt really happy.
Wen Fan thought about this.
Unexpectedly, Lou Wei spoke again, and his deep voice resonated in a way that made Wen Fan’s ears tingle. His words sounded as if he had heard Wen Fan’s inner thoughts: “We are happy too.”
Wen Fan’s heart stirred, and his bright eyes looked at Lou Wei. He pursed his lips and nodded, “Definitely.”
Just as the two of them finished speaking, a moment later, a song’s prelude suddenly played through the surrounding speakers, and then the lights around them went completely dark.
This was—
The movie was beginning.
The opening song of the movie “Starlight” was quite unique. It combined the crisp, grainy sound of a piano with the nostalgic sound of an organ. Rather than feeling strange, it evoked a sense of reminiscing about the past with a touch of melancholy and sweetness.
In an instant, Wen Fan was immersed in the atmosphere of the movie by this pure instrumental music.
Next, they saw a high school student wearing a blue and white school uniform being bullied by a group of people, pushed down with hands on his head. This was a scene of campus violence, and it was clear that the one being bullied was the protagonist of the movie.
The main character was surrounded and hit by others. He covered his head and looked around while turning his head, as if seeking help. When he looked over with panic in his eyes, his gaze went straight to the audience outside the screen.
Like a pair of clear springs, his eyes moved the hearts of those who saw them.
Wen Fan even heard the screams of the young girls around him.
And for the first time, he felt that a man’s eyes could also be beautiful.
The following plot was as expected.
Ye Xing, a young man who was often bullied, coincidentally met the heartthrob of their grade, Ruan Linxiu. The previously timid and self-deprecating Ye Xing was instantly captivated by Ruan Linxiu. It was not an exaggeration to say it was love at first sight.
It was all because of glimpsing Ruan Linxiu playing basketball on the sports field that they struck up a conversation. They gradually became close friends who shared everything. The once self-conscious teenager became more active and confident under Ruan Linxiu’s influence, and his hidden feelings deepened over time.
Unfortunately, the straight and oblivious Ruan Linxiu only saw him as a normal friend, even though they shared everything and Ye Xing’s feelings towards “Ruan Linxiu” were completely different from his feelings towards others.
When Ye Xing finally couldn’t hold back and confessed his feelings, he only received Ruan Linxiu’s reply of “disgusting, repulsive,” along with deliberate avoidance and indifference.
This cold treatment, combined with the behavior of the classmates around who suspected the situation and thus targeted Ye Xing even more, caused Ye Xing to give up immediately. On the day of high school graduation, Ye Xing moved out of his residence directly and went to the city he wanted to go to most when filling out his college application.
When Wen Fan saw this part, he thought the plot was about to conclude. Unexpectedly, the content continued, narrating how Ye Xing gradually improved himself in university and even in his career later on.
Although this part progressed quickly, it still allowed people to sense Ye Xing’s changes in a glance. The teenager who had been bullied and humiliated during his student years and who was heartbroken due to an unrequited love was transformed over time into a completely different, more positive person in the fast-paced society.
And just ten years after his high school graduation, six years into his career.
On a snowy day in winter, Ye Xing decided to walk home for once, and he almost slipped at the corner of the street.
The one who caught him was a tall young man. Ye Xing raised his head, sensing something, and met the gaze of Ruan Linxiu.
“Xiao Xing, I finally found you.”
Following that, Ruan Linxiu’s perspective revisited the previous school drama in the movie. When Wen Fan reached this point, he initially thought it was going to be a campus romance movie with a reunion theme. However, he didn’t expect that the two characters in the film wouldn’t actually reconcile.
For the once Ye Xing, Ruan Linxiu was the only light in his life from childhood to adulthood. But as time passed, the grown-up Ye Xing no longer needed their radiance to warm himself.
Just like the movie’s title, “Starlight.”
It holds a dual meaning.
One refers to the light that Ye Xing used to have—Ruan Linxiu.
And another, which Wen Fan thought of, should be about how even if you’re a small star among thousands of stars, you can still shine brightly.
As the movie concluded, with the sound of the chilling wind, Ye Xing in a charcoal-gray coat walked away from a sorrowful Ruan Linxiu. Wen Fan even felt that this wasn’t just a simple romance movie, but more like a coming-of-age inspirational film. While love was interwoven, it conveyed a certain attitude.
Just like Ye Xing’s words to Ruan Linxiu at the end of the film:
“Ruan Linxiu, you’re like the wind, and I’m the fallen leaves. Fallen leaves return to the roots. When the wind blows the leaves away, you can only accompany me for a while. The rest, I still have to walk on my own.”
Everyone’s life paths are unique. If you want to survive by drawing from others’ radiance, you’re destined to lose yourself. Only by leaving confusion behind and moving forward on your own can you, like the final Ye Xing, step onto a path of success and fulfillment, without needing to yearn for a relationship that has been gone for many years.
When the final ending song played, the lyrics captured the essence of the entire film.
“I fear you’ve left, yet also fear you’ve yet to arrive,
So I’ve been waiting in the same spot, unable to turn back.
Twilight is in chaos,
The tree shadows dance.
In the end, I can only sigh softly,
The lonely moonlit night is deep.”
From the perspective of the plotline, Ye Xing’s growth is undoubtedly positive, but from the perspective of the romantic subplot, it’s a tragedy. Wen Fan even heard a soft sobbing from behind, presumably from Ruan Zhi, and the comforting whispers of Du Cangsheng beside him.
He faintly seemed to hear Ruan Zhi say something:
“…Stupid movie, why did it have to be so tragic!”
However, these details weren’t important. What mattered most was that this movie seemed to be… not quite suitable for couples who had just started dating.
After all, the main theme of the entire play can be summarized in one sentence: Rely on yourself, be beautifully independent, who needs a boyfriend.
Wen Fan glanced at Lou Wei and indeed saw that the man’s face had turned completely dark.
When the ending song of the movie also concluded, and the lights around them came back on, Lou Wei practically didn’t stop for a moment as he helped Wen Fan collect the food and drinks, guiding Wen Fan out.
Even though the light inside the cinema was dim compared to outside, it couldn’t conceal his face, which was now as dark as the bottom of a pot.
Lou Wei’s tense expression only relaxed after he led Wen Fan out of the cinema.
Wen Fan felt like laughing at this sight, and then he heard Lou Wei’s serious voice saying, “Zhao Mengke can’t save his year-end bonus this year.”
The year-end bonus at LouV Technology could almost match the total annual salary.
Given how substantial the deduction from Zhao Mengke’s year-end bonus was, it was easy to imagine Lou Wei’s level of anger.
Wen Fan was about to say something to console him with a suppressed smile, but then he heard Lou Wei continue, “You can rely on me.”
Wen Fan was taken aback.
Lou Wei raised his hand to gently tidy up the hat on Wen Fan’s head, and with a deep, magnetic voice, he continued, “Always.”
Author’s Note:
The additional appearances of Ruan Zhi and Du Cangsheng, the protagonists of “The Ever-Changing Lead of Flowing Stars” and “The Guide to Crying-in-a-Bag Love,” respectively, as well as the movie “Starlight,” are all Easter eggs! Hmph!
