A distant star

[Aaaah, he's not becoming anyone else's son-in-law, just your husband!]

[Xingxing is such an alpha! So hot!]

[He can't bear to see his husband down on his luck. Xingxing is stepping in!]

[He finally remembered his actual job! Xingxing is about to unleash his ultimate move.]

[A live performance! Sob, I'm officially jealous! Xingxing's voice is one of a kind in Chinese entertainment!]

Song Yunxing connected the speaker and microphone somewhat clumsily, then gave two light coughs into the microphone to test the sound.

His voice came through the speaker, and Song Yunxing crouched down to adjust the volume.

The people around them stopped in their tracks and looked their way.

The two men's striking looks were already enough to turn heads. Now, with a speaker added to the mix, people couldn't help getting curious.

"Singing to draw people in? Are you sure that'll work?" Shen Yanci leaned against the truck's frame. His neatly pressed shirt had acquired quite a few wrinkles, and his cuffs were pushed up carelessly, giving him an air of languid elegance.

"Of course. Easy for you to say! Let me tell you, you can't get by on your looks forever!" Song Yunxing stood up and declared with complete conviction.

The cameraman and the accompanying director both jumped, afraid Shen Yanci would lose his temper and refuse to keep filming.

In the entire entertainment industry, Song Yunxing was probably the only person bold enough to accuse Shen Yanci of trading on his looks.

Everyone in the industry knew Shen Yanci had a bad temper. Once, a well-known gossip reporter had fabricated a story about his secret romance with a famous actress. The very next day, the reporter's news agency announced its bankruptcy. The extent of his influence was staggering.

Besides, what Shen Yanci was doing hardly counted as trading on his looks. He hadn't once brought up adding anyone on WeChat, nor had he even picked up his phone.

For a moment, the crew all broke into a nervous sweat on Song Yunxing's behalf.

Shen Yanci's expression remained as calm as ever, betraying no emotion.

On camera, the man strolled toward Song Yunxing and stopped in front of him.

Song Yunxing's gaze flickered as he realized things might be taking a bad turn.

No way! Was he really angry? There were cameras here. He wouldn't actually hit me, would he?

Song Yunxing swallowed and forced himself to stand his ground.

The viewers in the livestream hardly dared breathe. For a moment, the barrage of comments dwindled by half.

"Song Yunxing." The man's voice was low and husky, his dark eyes fixed on him.

"Are you... jealous?"

Song Yunxing: ...What did him flaunting his looks have to do with me being jealous?

The man's features were deep-set, and a soft light shone in his dark eyes, as though there was room in them for Song Yunxing alone.

No wonder those fans said Shen Yanci's eyes looked affectionate even when he was looking at a dog. Stare into them long enough, and it really was easy to lose your head.

"What a ridiculous joke! Why would I want vinegar when there aren't any dumplings?" Song Yunxing turned his face away, avoiding his gaze a little awkwardly.

A faint smile hid in the man's low voice. He bent slightly and tilted his head to meet Song Yunxing's eyes. "Really? Then why won't you look at me?"

That handsome face suddenly filled Song Yunxing's vision. His pupils contracted, and he instinctively stepped back twice.

Song Yunxing tripped over his right foot and was about to fall.

Shen Yanci reacted swiftly and caught his hand.

An unfamiliar warmth and touch reached his fingertips. Their eyes met, and the tips of the young man's ears turned completely red.

"You! You shameless bastard! In broad daylight, you actually... actually dared to assault me!" Song Yunxing quickly shook off his hand, his words tumbling into a muddle.

The man pressed his lips together and fell silent for a moment, but apparently unable to hold it in any longer, he let a laugh escape.

Caught between embarrassment and indignation, the young man's fair face burned bright red.

[Aaaah! My hopeless romantic heart!]

[Shen Yanci, there's nothing innocent about the way you look at Song Yunxing!]

[Please stop pretending, you two. I'm completely hooked!]

[Hahaha! So he couldn't help getting jealous. I was wondering why Xingxing suddenly grabbed Shen Yanci!]

[You're both running straight toward each other. This whole sworn-enemies thing is just your kinky role-play!]

At some point, a circle of people had gathered around them, all wearing teasing expressions that said, "We get it."

Quite a few of the older women had flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, seemingly eager to see what would happen next.

Song Yunxing was so embarrassed his toes curled. He wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

But this was the perfect moment to perform. He couldn't let such a good opportunity to sell their mandarins slip away!

Swallowing his embarrassment, Song Yunxing faced everyone's stares and said, "Everyone, our show is helping fruit farmers sell fruit that's at risk of going unsold. If you need any, please buy a few pounds. We picked all this fruit ourselves after carefully selecting it. It's plump and juicy, sweet and refreshing, and soothing for your lungs."

"I'll sing you a song. If you like it, you can take a few extra pounds home for your family to try."

The people around them were wonderfully supportive, calling out their approval.

Song Yunxing nervously tightened his grip on the handheld microphone and, with trembling fingers, tapped the backing track for a popular Chinese song.

I wasn't even this nervous at my very first concert! This was all Shen Yanci's fault!

The song title and a long string of lyrics appeared on his phone, and a lilting melody slowly flowed from the speaker.

He let out a long breath and settled himself into the right frame of mind.

The midday sunlight spilled down, its dazzling rays illuminating the young man's profile. Light and shadow traced his striking features, his fair, rosy skin without a single visible flaw.

The young man lowered his lashes, casting shadows like black feathers beneath his eyes.

"Lately I've been in such a good mood, and I don't know why."

"This feeling I have right now, I want to sing it to you."

"Looking at the little stars outside my window, thinking of the secret in my heart."

"I'm not quite sure if it counts as love, I only know I'm thinking of you..."

The young man's voice was distinctive, ethereal and pure, as though it came from heaven.

The noisy crowd around him fell quiet, savoring his singing.

Even nature seemed especially fond of him. The breeze stirred his silver hair, his lashes fluttered slightly, and sunlight lit his light brown eyes, making them as dazzling as a unique piece of flawless amber displayed in a gallery.

"The distance between us seems to grow and shrink, you're clearly not beside me, yet you feel so close."

"Ha~ There's a feeling I want to explain, the secret in my heart is the sweetness you give me."

"The distance between us seems to shrink little by little, do you have special feelings for me too?"

"Ha~ I hesitate over whether to tell you, the secret in my heart is that I think I've fallen for you."

Leaning against the truck, the man gazed at the young man standing diagonally in front of him. Light shifted in his dark eyes, and the feelings buried deep in his heart were laid bare beneath the sun, with nowhere to hide.

The young man was as dazzling as he had been in his memories. Time had treated him tenderly, polishing his pride and radiance into something gentler and clearer.

He was like a distant star, visible but forever out of reach.

The man lowered his eyes, his thoughts once again unreadable.

Suddenly, he felt a gaze fall on him.

Shen Yanci looked up and met Song Yunxing's eyes without warning.

Neither had expected their eyes to meet. The young man's gaze wavered, and he looked away first, pretending nothing had happened.

The man seemed stunned for a moment, then chuckled softly.

Good thing my Xingxing was a person. Otherwise, I really would have considered investing in aerospace rockets!

The lyrics are from G.E.M.'s "My Secret."

This song fits the two of them and their current relationship pretty well. If you get the chance, lovelies, I recommend giving it a listen.