Ch.128 – The Star Around The Sun

They settled on having dinner at a restaurant in the hotel the cast and crew were staying at. 

Chen Hailan and Ren Jingyuan had decided to fly in at the last minute. The trip took a while, and by the time Yang Youming received their call, it was almost 9 p.m.

Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng took the elevator down to the third floor restaurant together. Right before they entered the private room, Yang Youming got a call from Du Jin. He answered the phone while patting Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder, beckoning him to go inside first. 

The waiter in front of them pushed the door open, and Xia Xingcheng was met with the sight of the classy private room. Just as the door opened, Ren Jingyuan, who was the closest to the door, stood up, eager to welcome the newcomers, yet upon seeing Xia Xingcheng on his own, his feet stilled for a beat before he followed it up with a friendly smile as he approached him. “Xingcheng, you’re here.”

Ren Jingyuan and Xia Xingcheng’s relationship was so-so. They were hardly close, but they weren’t at odds either. 

What Ren Jingyuan’s purpose for coming to tonight’s meal was exactly—Xia Xingcheng already had a faint inkling in his heart. Seeing Ren Jingyuan smiling as he greeted him now, he could only nod and smile. 

The private room contained a small round table, and in addition to Reng Jingyuan, there were two other people. One was Chen Hailan, and the other was Ling Jiayue. 

Ling Jiayue was wholly quiet. She was wearing an oversized coat, and her long hair was worn down, draping over her back. She shot a glance at Xia Xingcheng before looking away.

Chen Hailan greeted Xia Xingcheng with a customary smile. Once Xia Xingcheng reached the table, he held Xia Xingcheng’s arm and asked, “You all right?”

Xia Xingcheng saw the genuine trace of worry in his eyes. He nodded and softly said, “I’m fine.”

Ren Jingyuan sounded somewhat nervous as he asked, “Where’s Ming ge?”

Xia Xingcheng answered, “He went to take a call. He’ll be here in a minute.”

Afterwards, the private room temporarily fell silent. Who knew what the mute Ren Jingyuan was thinking about. 

Chen Hailan glanced at Reng Jingyuan and frowned slightly. Shortly after, he turned to ask Xia Xingcheng, “How did shooting go these last couple of days?”

“It went really well.” When Xia Xingcheng spoke, he couldn’t help but take a look at Ling Jiayue. “There’s nothing to be worried about.” 

Ling Jiayue never once looked his way. 

Ren Jingyuan was also looking at Ling Jiayue. He was in the middle of filming; when the photos of Xia Xingcheng broke out on the internet the other day, he’d spent the whole night witnessing the commotion. Although some netizens said that they were stills, Ren Jingyuan thought otherwise. From the look of his clothes and his surroundings, his intuition told him that they were sneakshots that were taken on the day of Chen Hailan’s banquet.

As for who the other man in the photo was, at the time, Ren Jingyuan had no idea at the time. But regardless of who it was, this matter wasn’t that big a deal in their circle. In the entertainment industry, gay men and women dating and hooking up in private were a dime a dozen. Everyone was well aware of the fact, and no one in the circle would reveal a thing. 

There was no way the paparazzi would be among the guests of Chen Hailan’s banquet. It wasn’t the paparazzi’s style, either. Ren Jingyuan had thought that Xia Xingcheng had probably offended someone, and that someone was messing with him.

Yet that afternoon, he’d gotten a call from Chen Hailan—telling him that his little cousin had stirred up trouble.

At the time, Ren Jingyuan was taking a nap in his nanny car with the air conditioner one. He was still a bit drowsy, so he asked Chen Hailan what he was on about.

Chen Hailan’s tone didn’t sound all too good. It obviously contained a hint of anger as he told him that the person behind Xia Xingcheng’s photos on the internet was Ling Jiayue, that she was the one who’d secretly taken those photos and sent them to a marketing account. 

Ren Jingyuan had been a little confused. He subconsciously asked, “Why? Is there something wrong with her head? What does she have against Xia Xingcheng?” Back then, he still hadn’t realized how serious the problem was—after all, it was only Xia Xingcheng, not someone they couldn’t afford to offend.

Chen Hailan said, “Then go ask her yourself.” When he heard Ren Jingyuan’s lack of reaction, he added, “You still have no idea who Jiayue offended, do you?”

Ren Jingyuan sounded bewildered. “What do you mean? It isn’t Xia Xingcheng?”

Chen Hailan sighed, seemingly exasperated. “You don’t know who Xia Xingcheng was with?”

Only then did Ren Jingyuan’s heart abruptly constrict. He had a terrible premonition, and he immediately cursed under his breath and asked, “Who was it?”

Chen Hailan said, “It’s Yang Youming.”

Having said this, Chen Hailan hung up immediately. He was utterly resentful of Ling Jiayue’s actions, and he had only made this call for the old man Ren Yuchang and Ren Jingyuan’s sake.

After the phone call, Ren Jingyuan was completely stumped. He made frequent mistakes when he filmed that afternoon, and afterwards, he directly asked the production team for leave. He made another phone call and pleaded with Chen Hailan for a long time, asking him to step in for him and invite Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng to dinner. He immediately flew over to personally escort Ling Jiayue to apologize, wanting to put an end to this matter. 

He didn’t inform Ren Yuchang about this affair for the time being and only called his parents. The two elders urged him to help his younger cousin avoid causing a scene. 

Ren Jingyuan had been suppressing his anger. The instant he saw Ling Jiayue today, he almost slapped her face in a rage. He thought—she’d brought herself so much trouble, and yet she stubbornly maintained an indifferent appearance. It aggravated him all the more. 

At first, he’d planned on waiting for Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng’s arrival before telling Ling Jiayue to apologize to them. Yet he didn’t expect that Xia Xingcheng would show up alone first. Therefore, Ren Jingyuan wanted to wait a little longer, after all, if Yang Youming didn’t witness the apology with his own eyes, then it was practically meaningless. 

Right then, Yang Youming finally hung up and entered the private room.

Ren Jingyuan immediately rose and greeted him respectfully. “Ming ge.”

From the moment Yang Youming opened the door, his gaze swept over the faces of the people  in the private room. He appeared calm, merely nodding at Ren Jingyuan slightly before he walked straight over to Xia Xingcheng’s side and sat down without another word. 

As he sat down, he lifted a hand and stroked Xia Xingcheng’s head, asking, “Hungry?”

They had already eaten something when they returned, but they didn’t eat much. 

Upon hearing this, Ren Jingyuan promptly said, “I’ll get the waiter.”

The waiter swiftly served their dishes, during which no one else spoke. Only Yang Youming and Chen Hailan exchanged a few brief pleasantries. 

Xia Xingcheng noticed Ling Jiayue growing restless. Her head was lowered, and both her hands were under the table. A moment later, she lifted a hand and nervously nibbled on a finger. She then looked up and, seeing Xia Xingcheng’s eyes on her, she put her hand back down and mutely turned away. 

When the waiter left after serving their dishes, the door of the private room clicked shut, and the room grew quiet. Nobody moved their chopsticks. Chen Hailan and Ren Jingyuan hadn’t had dinner, so they ought to be hungry, yet nobody had the appetite to eat anything. 

Even Chen Hailan was reluctant to pipe up and smooth things over, which Xia Xingcheng thought was a rare occasion. 

In the end, Ren Jingyuan was the first to open his mouth. He faced Yang Youming, and said with a pleading tone, “Ming ge, I apologize.”

Yang Youming slowly raised his eyes towards him, yet he didn’t respond. 

Ren Jingyuan turned to Ling Jiayue and hinted at her with his eyes. 

Ling Jiayue stood up, faced Yang Youming, and bowed. Her long hair hung down and concealed her cheeks, and she quietly said, “I apologize.”

Yang Youming didn’t spare a single glance her way. 

Chen Hailan couldn’t resist uttering, “Perhaps the one who should be accepting your apology is Xingcheng.” 

When she heard this, Ling Jiayue turned to face Xia Xingcheng, and similarly bowed. She said, “I’m sorry, Xing ge.” After that, she remained facing Yang Youming, and in a short while, her eyes were brimming with unshed tears.  

As Xia Xingcheng watched her, he didn’t feel the slightest bit of pity. He merely felt vexed, thinking: If anyone should be crying, it’s me. What on earth are you crying for?

While he wanted to spout several unpleasant questions at Ling Jiayue, his character and upbringing would never let him say them out loud. In the end, he asked a question that he perfectly knew the answer to: “Why did you do it?”

Ling Jiayue wiped the corner of her eyes with her fingers. She straightened her back and turned to look at Xia Xingcheng. “Can you break up with Ming ge?”

The instant her words fell, Ren Jingyuan immediately looked at her like he’d seen a ghost. Even Yang Youming looked over at her. 

In a flash, Xia Xingcheng let out an indignant laugh, and said, “Why would I break up with him?” 

Ling Juayue’s eyes were still red. She earnestly said, “I think, if you really want what’s best for Ming ge, you should break up with him. The both of you can’t go on like this.” 

Ren Jingyuan could no longer stand this, he stood up and caught Ling Jiayue’s arm. “Is there something wrong with your head?” Though he’d said it as a question, he’d practically inwardly confirmed that his cousin had mental problems. 

Ren Jingyuan had grabbed hold of her, yet Ling Jiayue still continued badgering Xia Xingcheng, “Have you ever thought about what’ll happen if your relationship gets exposed one day? Yang Youming is supposed to be perfect, the one by his side should be a woman like Yuan Qian—how can it be a man?”

Ren Jingyuan clasped Ling Jiayue’s wrist with one hand, and covered her mouth with the other. He anxiously said to Yang Youming, “Ming ge, she might be a little sick. Please don’t get angry.”

Yang Youming stared at Ling Jiayue for a long time, watching her struggle in Ren Jingyuan’s arms. “Who are you to say these things?” he asked, voice low and deep. 

Ling Jiayue shook her head and struggled fiercely. All of a sudden, she bit down on Ren Jingyuan’s palm. 

Ren Jingyuan raised his hand and almost slapped her, but stopped at the very last second. His breathing was ragged as he glared daggers at Ling Jiayue. 

Ling Jiayue had shrunken her neck and tilted her head away, her eyes tightly shut to withstand an oncoming slap. She didn’t anticipate that Ren Jingyuan would stop in the end. She cowered back at Ren Jingyuan’s gaze, then turned to Yang Youming and said, “It’s because I’ve liked you since I was a child. I sincerely hope that you’ll have a smooth and happy life and career. I’ll be happy as long as I can see that you’re doing fine.”

Yang Youming said to her, “I’m doing great as I am right now.” 

Ling Jiayue shook her head firmly. “Your relationship is bound to be exposed one day, and when that day comes, the public will attack you, other fans will leave you, and by then you’ll no longer be happy.”

As Chen Hailan listened to her words, his brows knitted tightly. He opened his mouth, yet he’d been rendered speechless, and in the end, he looked towards Yang Youming and shook his head wordlessly. 

Xia Xingcheng was struck by an absurd sense of dissociation. He felt as if he had suddenly become an outsider watching the show. 

Ling Jiayue jerked her hand away from Ren Jingyuan’s grip, jabbed a finger at Xia Xingcheng, and said to Yang Youming, “He’s not worthy of you.”

Ren Jingyuan said indignantly, “If he isn’t, then are you?!”

Ling Jiayue immediately refuted his words, “Of course not, I’m not worthy either!”

Xia Xingcheng noticed Yang Youming knocking on his own forehead. He’d probably never expected that this situation would turn into something so headache-inducing. He couldn’t resist asking Ling Jiayue, “Then who’s worthy? Yuan Qian?”

Ling Jiayue was silent for a moment. “I thought she was good enough at first, but she’s not worthy of you anymore now.” 

Yang Youming leaned back on his chair. He slightly tilted his head, and asked Ling Jiayue, “Then would it be best if I spend the rest of my days alone?” 

Ling Jiayue pursed her lips, and said, “There’ll be a woman who suits you well. It’s not like you were gay in the first place—didn’t you like Yuan Qian at first? If you two hadn’t taken part in that movie, if Xia Xingcheng hadn’t pestered you, you wouldn’t have turned out like this!”

Ren Jingyuan had already cooled down. His tone was calm as he said, “I’ll call her parents and tell them to take her to a doctor.” 

Ling Jiayue shouted, “I’m not sick! I wholeheartedly want what’s best for him! It’s only my feelings for him that don’t expect anything in return!”

☆ ☆ ☆

Thank you to Bolshv for the kofi! ❤
t/n – did anyone ask for drama?

⟵ Chapter 127 | TOC | Chapter 129 ⟶