When Yu Zeqi and Zhao Zhiyu walked out of the dormitory building, they ran into Xu Jiaqiao, and both sides froze.
In a single day, Xu Jiaqiao had escaped the harm inflicted by his trash company and agent, gaining a new agent and a new future.
His bright, brilliant future shone so dazzlingly that he could not sleep, so he had decided to go for an hour-long run in the early morning to burn off some energy before going back for a good night's sleep.
Xu Jiaqiao was covered in sweat now, but after running into Yu Zeqi, whose eyes were wet and red and who clearly had something going on, he could no longer spare a thought for going back to shower.
"Yu Zeqi, you two are still up this late? Did something happen? You don't look too good..."
Xu Jiaqiao kept a safe social distance from them so they would not have to smell his sweat. Yu Zeqi touched his slightly red, swollen eyes, unsure how to answer.
He wanted to say nothing had happened, but his current state hardly looked like nothing had happened. He wanted to tell him what had happened, but they did not seem close enough to have a heart-to-heart yet, so he fell silent.
Zhao Zhiyu knew nothing of Yu Zeqi's dilemma. He only knew that Xu Jiaqiao and Yu Zeqi got along fairly well, and perhaps Yu Zeqi would feel much better if Xu Jiaqiao joined them, so he spoke up.
"Xu Jiaqiao, Yu Zeqi's feeling a little down, so I'm taking a walk with him, maybe getting some ice cream or something. Want to join us? You've just finished exercising, so you can rest a little before heading upstairs."
"Sure."
Zhao Zhiyu extended the invitation, and Yu Zeqi tacitly agreed, shooting him a grateful look. Xu Jiaqiao nodded and accepted without hesitation.
They headed toward the little scenic garden nearby, where a self-service ice cream freezer let them buy ice cream simply by scanning a code. It was very convenient, and very close to the dormitory building.
"The moon and stars look their best at this hour. You two, hurry and look up. There are so many stars, like a river of them, and the moonlight is just right too. Everything's just right."
The three of them sat on a bench, each holding a tub of ice cream. Xu Jiaqiao was always gentle, cheerful, and lively. Wherever he was, the atmosphere never grew cold.
At his mention of the sky, Yu Zeqi and Zhao Zhiyu could not help looking up. The dark sky looked just like a fine velvet curtain, with the stars and moon serving as decorations that adorned the stillness of the night.
A breeze swept past at just the right moment, carrying the fragrance of the ornamental flowers scattered throughout the grounds. It blew Yu Zeqi's bangs aside, revealing his full, fair forehead, then slipped away, leaving a lingering trace of fragrance and taking the heaviness in his heart with it.
"The moon has always hung in the sky. Whether his light dazzles depends on what sort of stage he stands on. Once he steps onto it, all the stars will make way for him."
As Xu Jiaqiao finished, he looked at Yu Zeqi beside him, his lips curving into a faint smile. "Yu Zeqi, you yourself are that moon, while your soul is the sun, and your abilities are the stars."
"No matter where you are or where you go next, you're the most brilliant presence of all."
Yu Zeqi turned to look at him. Smiling, Xu Jiaqiao raised a hand and ruffled his hair, and his voice rang out beside Yu Zeqi's ear again, loud and full of vitality.
"Even if the future holds plenty of unknowns, what does that matter? Your very existence is already something to be proud of."
Yu Zeqi stared at him blankly, taking a long while to come back to his senses. His heart pounded. He did not know whether he felt comforted or was simply emotional, but his heart was surging.
"Yu Zeqi, although I don't know why you're upset today, it's all right. Cry if you want to. There are only the two of us here anyway."
Xu Jiaqiao withdrew the hand ruffling Yu Zeqi's hair and casually took another bite of ice cream before exchanging a glance with Zhao Zhiyu and continuing, his smile utterly radiant.
"Neither of us will tell anyone. Besides, once you become the young master of a wealthy family, you'll owe us both a favor, got it? Hahaha! ૮(˶ᵔᵕᵔ˶)ა"
Beside them, Zhao Zhiyu could not help laughing. This guy Xu Jiaqiao really lived up to being a helpful citizen. The way he spoke truly put people at ease. Zhao Zhiyu chimed in too.
"Exactly! You'll have to repay that favor. And honestly, if your biological father really does take you back, you could just quit the training camp."
Zhao Zhiyu felt that, given Yu Zeqi's background, he could leave the training camp outright. Why bother with a survival show? He would be a cut above everyone else the moment he left. Going straight home to study and train, then becoming the heir, would be far better than wasting time here.
"Just go home and inherit the family business. Didn't Brother Jue say your family's situation is unusual, and lots of people are eyeing your dad's position? As his son, you can't let your dad fight alone."
"Exactly, exactly. Don't forget us when you strike it rich."
Xu Jiaqiao kept eating away in complete earnest, his speech growing a little more relaxed and uninhibited. He did not even turn his head or worry about any cameras that might be around. He was perfectly at ease.
"To be honest, I only joined this survival show to make a living off my youth. Once you take this path, you can kiss having a wife, kids, and a cozy home goodbye."
"I'm not asking to become some huge sensation now. As long as I get through my youthful idol years steadily and put out some commercially valuable work, I can probably retire after a few years of that..."
Zhao Zhiyu could not help smiling at him, sounding a little envious as he spoke.
"Hey, I don't think you'll necessarily take the idol route from now on. You've signed with Jinyuan Media, after all. Their resources are so good that as long as you have some acting skills, you could pick a good role and make it a classic."
"That's not necessarily true. My new agent hasn't asked me to withdraw, so she's probably planning for me to take the idol route."
"Really? Then you're a strong opponent. I'll have to work even harder in training now. Oh, right, my name's Zhao Zhiyu. Xu Jiaqiao, remember my name."
"Hahaha, issuing a challenge already? All right, I'll remember it, Zhao Zhiyu. I'm really looking forward to your performance..."
Sitting between them, Yu Zeqi watched their back-and-forth, looking from one to the other. The little secret and sadness in his heart had long since been cleared away. Now he only wanted to laugh, so he did.
"What are you two doing? Weren't you supposed to be comforting me? How did you end up chatting away on your own? I can't with you, haha..."
Seeing him laugh, the other two froze for a moment, then began laughing too, as though they had finally caught on. The three half-grown boys happened to meet one another's eyes, then dissolved into laughter again.
Friendship between boys could sometimes be truly strange. It seemed they could become friends with just a few words, yet it was not quite as simple as a few words.
That night, after all these years, Yu Zeqi gained his second and third friends besides Ren Xiaoxue.
He was very, very happy. Suddenly, he knew what to do when he faced that man who was his father.