DXXZL - 62

The lights in the stairwell flickered on and off, and Zhu Xingyao remained tightly embraced by Jiang Tu for a long time until his phone rang. With one arm still wrapped around her, Jiang Tu pulled out his phone and answered. Lao Yuan’s voice carried a note of exasperation: “Boss, did you go chasing after Zhu Xingyao? We’re about to leave. If you don’t come back to say goodbye, how are we going to sign this contract?”

Leaving clients halfway through dinner was far from ideal.

Jiang Tu glanced down at Zhu Xingyao and said: “I’ll be right up.”

After hanging up, he gently adjusted her scarf, pulling it up to cover half her face. His voice was low as he asked: “Will you come upstairs with me? I’ll take you home afterward.”

Zhu Xingyao had cried so much earlier that her eyes were still red, and she felt too embarrassed to face anyone just yet. She shook her head slightly and murmured: “I’ll wait for you in your car.”

Jiang Tu held her hand and walked with her from Zone B to Zone E, where they found his car. He opened the door, handed her the keys, and said softly: “Wait for me.” Zhu Xingyao nodded lightly, and Jiang Tu turned to walk briskly back upstairs.

When Jiang Tu returned to the restaurant, Lao Yuan and the clients were already stepping out of the private room. Jiang Tu quickly approached them to apologize: “I’m very sorry, but something urgent came up that I had to attend to. Next time, I’ll treat you all to another meal at a different restaurant to make amends.” He spoke in German.

The German man didn’t seem particularly bothered and instead grew curious: “Did Mr. Jiang go chasing after Miss Zhu?”

This was Lao Yuan’s attempt to smooth things over with the client.

Jiang Tu pressed his lips together briefly, offering an apologetic smile: “Yes, this time…”

“No worries,” the German man waved dismissively, chuckling. “Mr. Yuan mentioned you’ve never had a girlfriend before. Miss Zhu must be someone special to you—and she really is quite beautiful.” Realizing his wife was standing nearby, he added with a laugh, “Of course, my wife is even more beautiful.”

Lao Yuan stifled a laugh and inwardly sighed in relief—the contract seemed secure.

After seeing the clients off, Lao Yuan immediately turned to Jiang Tu: “Hey, did you really go chasing after Zhu Xingyao just now? Did you succeed?”

Jiang Tu paused for a moment and replied: “I think so.”

He realized he’d forgotten to ask if she would officially be his girlfriend.

“What do you mean, ‘I think so’? I always thought you two were already a couple! So… you haven’t fully won her over yet?” Lao Yuan looked utterly baffled. Just as he raised his head to ask more, Jiang Tu turned and began walking away.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving first. She’s waiting for me in the car.”

With those parting words, Jiang Tu strode off quickly.

Lao Yuan stood rooted to the spot. If she was already waiting in the car, then surely that meant success, right?

Inside the car, music played softly. Zhu Xingyao received a message from Jiang Yi. Though they’d been WeChat friends for some time, there wasn’t much interaction between them—mainly because Zhu Xingyao rarely replied. Knowing about the rumors online, Jiang Yi couldn’t help but ask: “Was that man your first love boyfriend?”

He was referring to Lu Ji.

Zhu Xingyao hesitated for a moment before replying: “No, he’s my current boyfriend.”

She sent him another message apologizing and ended the conversation.

When Jiang Tu opened the car door, Mayday’s Stubborn was playing. Back in high school, while most people were fans of Jay Chou, Jiang Tu was among the few who preferred Mayday. As A-Xin sang the line, “The most beautiful wish is always the craziest,” Zhu Xingyao turned to look at him, thinking how simple it would have been for him to slip a love letter into her bag when they were desk mates.

It was already 9:20 PM. Jiang Tu took her hand resting on her knee and turned to ask: “Do you feel like watching a movie?”

Zhu Xingyao blinked in surprise, then smiled. “Sure.”

There weren’t many people at the cinema, and with no particularly appealing movies showing so late—nearly 10 PM—their options were limited. Zhu Xingyao chose a documentary titled Where Has Time Gone? , and Jiang Tu paid for the tickets. Seeing other girls holding popcorn, he also bought a bucket of popcorn and some juice.

As Zhu Xingyao cradled the popcorn, she looked up at him and teased: “Tu Ge, is this your first time coming to the movies with a girl?”

“Mm,” Jiang Tu nodded. “I rarely come to the cinema unless it’s for work events or gatherings I can’t refuse.” Handing their tickets to the usher, he led her toward the entrance.

Watching him hand over the tickets, Zhu Xingyao couldn’t shake the feeling that he had lived a lonely life these past years.

The usher directed them: “Hall 8, straight ahead and turn left.”

They entered Hall 8, and with only three minutes until the movie started, the theater was almost empty. Zhu Xingyao muttered: “Are we really the only ones here?”

Jiang Tu glanced around and smiled. “This works out nicely.”

They sat in the back rows, and soon two couples joined them. By the time the movie began, no one else had arrived.

Zhu Xingyao and Jiang Tu sat in the second-to-last row, with the two couples seated in front of them. Though Zhu Xingyao didn’t gain weight easily, she rarely indulged in greasy snacks. After eating a few kernels of popcorn, she turned to Jiang Tu: “Do you want some?”

Seeing she’d lost interest in the snack, Jiang Tu took the bucket of popcorn. The movie wasn’t particularly engaging, and Zhu Xingyao kept turning to look at him instead of focusing on the screen. Jiang Tu held her hand and quietly asked: “Did Lin Jiayu tell you everything?”

“In a way,” Zhu Xingyao replied, not mentioning Waiting for the Stars . She pouted slightly. “You should have told me yourself.”

Under the faint glow of the screen, Jiang Tu noticed her pursed lips and murmured: “It’s all in the past now.”

It seemed no one in Hall 8 was paying much attention to the movie.

Zhu Xingyao noticed one of the couples in front kissing and felt awkward, avoiding eye contact with Jiang Tu. Another couple left midway through, holding hands. In the final 20 minutes, even the kissing couple departed.

Only they remained.

Now it truly was a private screening. As the movie neared its end, Jiang Tu leaned closer and asked: “Your parents arranged a blind date for you, but here you are, watching a movie with me. How will you explain this to them when you get home?”

Zhu Xingyao thought for a moment, then whispered almost directly into his ear: “Last time, I told Dad that you were pursuing me. He might not… he might not like you very much, but it doesn’t matter. If he asks, I’ll just say you succeeded.”

Warmth surged in Jiang Tu’s chest. Perhaps there was no need to ask certain questions anymore.

He had started liking her at sixteen—a long, silent infatuation filled with unspoken bitterness, life’s pressures, endured hardships, and abandoned beliefs. Yet now, he had reclaimed those heavy burdens, which once nearly suffocated him, transforming them into memories of the past.

Twelve years had passed.

He was now twenty-eight.

Rather than saying he had pursued her successfully, it felt more accurate to say he had waited.

It was nearly 1 AM when Zhu Xingyao returned home. Unable to sleep, she curled up in bed and continued reading the unfinished parts of Waiting for the Stars . As she read, something struck her as odd—had Lin Jiayu, during her senior year of high school, harbored feelings for Lu Ji?

Lin Wake’s breakout work, Embracing the Moon , was a story about teenage unrequited love, and its film rights had already been sold.

Waiting for the Stars was written from a similar perspective.

Under pressure from her editor, Lin Jiayu reluctantly sent the revised first half of the manuscript.

The editor stayed up all night reading it and began pestering her the next morning: “I want to sign this book! Please, please, please!!!”

Lin Jiayu hesitated: “It might not work... You’ve probably guessed already. The protagonist is based on Zhu Xingyao, and the male lead is modeled after my childhood friend. You don’t know how cold and distant he is. If he finds out I wrote him as the main character, he might literally kill me...”

Still unwilling to give up, the editor pleaded: “Just ask him! Please! Big Sister Wake!”

Lin Jiayu: “...”

She genuinely dared not bring it up with Jiang Tu.

Zhu Xingyao stayed up late, waking at 10 AM the next day. She headed to the practice studio in the afternoon.

On the way, Li Xixi called her. Over the phone, she said: “Lin Jiayu sent me a document yesterday, but I only had time to read it this morning. I’m halfway through now...” She sighed. “Thinking about it, Jiang Tu has had it tough. How are things between you two now?”

Zhu Xingyao gazed out the window and smiled: “We’re together now.”

Li Xixi was momentarily speechless. Coming to her senses, she eagerly asked: “Quick, tell me! How did he win you over?”

Old Liu, driving the car, glanced at them briefly through the rearview mirror.

Midway through her explanation, Zhu Xingyao was interrupted by an assistant reminding Li Xixi it was time to enter the recording booth. Annoyed, Li Xixi said: “I’m still missing one song for the new album, and nothing good has come up yet—it’s driving me crazy. Stars, I’ll call you tonight, okay? Wait for me...”

At 3 PM, Lin Jiayu arrived at the practice studio to see Zhu Xingyao.

Lin Jiayu sat nearby watching her rehearse with the musicians. By 5 PM, Zhu Xingyao set aside her cello and walked over. The two girls sat on the couch enjoying afternoon tea. Turning to Lin Jiayu, Zhu Xingyao said: “I’m with Jiang Tu now.”

She was deeply grateful for the story Lin Jiayu had written. Without it, she and Jiang Tu might not have come together so easily. Lin Jiayu was incredibly important to both her and Jiang Tu.

Lin Jiayu’s eyes widened in surprise before breaking into a wide smile: “Finally, this old mother’s heart can rest easy.”

Unable to suppress her laughter, Zhu Xingyao thought for a moment and finally turned to ask: “Jiayu, do you... do you like Lu Ji?”

“This...” Lin Jiayu hesitated, feeling somewhat awkward. During Zhu Xingyao’s senior year and her freshman year of college, regardless of how many misunderstandings brought her and Lu Ji together, Zhu Xingyao was ultimately Lu Ji’s girlfriend. Unsure of how to respond, Lin Jiayu suddenly exclaimed, waving her hand dismissively: “While Jiang Tu was secretly in love with Stars, I couldn’t help but fall for the moon... All ancient history now.”

Zhu Xingyao looked at her, her voice soft: “What about now?”