Starlight in the Dark

Shi Xu didn't know how she got back to the apartment. Her memories were like a broken cassette tape, with only her father's cold words and Shi Zhiyuan's unwavering gaze replaying repeatedly in her mind.

The moment he pushed open the door, warm light and the aroma of food wafted out, a stark contrast to the cold and oppressive atmosphere of the house he had just left. Yunxi, wearing an apron, poked her head out of the kitchen with a warm smile on her face: "You're back? Dinner will be ready soon. I made your favorite soup."

When she saw his pale face and empty eyes, her smile froze on her face. She put down what she was holding, walked quickly to him, and anxiously took his cold hand in hers.

"What's wrong? What...did they say about you?"

Looking into her eyes, Shi Xu saw the pure worry and concern in them. The cold, tearing words he wanted to say stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single one. He suddenly reached out and pulled her into a tight embrace, so tight that she almost suffocated.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing in her faint, sunshine-like scent, as if only in this way could he confirm that he was still alive and had not yet been assimilated by that cold world.

Yunxi didn't struggle or ask any more questions; she simply patted his back gently, like comforting a frightened child. She could feel his body trembling slightly, and she could sense the storm raging within him.

After a long while, time slowly calmed down. He released her, the bloodshot in his eyes had not yet faded, but his gaze had become firm again.

"It's nothing," he said hoarsely, raising his hand to gently wipe away the tears that had unknowingly streamed down her face. "I'm hungry."

A silence fell over the dining table. Shi Xu sipped his soup, head bowed, saying nothing. Yun Xi looked at him, her heart filled with heartache and a helpless anger. She hated the family that had driven him to this state, hated the "brother" who had hurt him with cold logic.

“Timeline,” she put down her chopsticks and looked at him seriously, “No matter what happens, no matter what they say, remember, you don’t need to become what they expect you to be.”

Shi Xu looked up and met her determined gaze.

“You are you.” Yunxi said, word by word. “You will frown because of a difficult problem, you will secretly be happy because of winning a competition, you will remember what I like to eat, and you will… Shixu will become different because of me. You are not Shi Chongyuan’s son, you are not Shi Zhiyuan’s brother, you are just Shixu.”

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was like a ray of light, piercing through the heavy gloom in his heart.

“They think emotions are a weakness, a redundancy.” Yunxi’s lips curled into a slightly stubborn smile. “But I think it is precisely these ‘redundancy’ and these ‘weaknesses’ that they look down on that make us living, breathing people, instead of cold machines.”

She reached out and placed her hand over the back of his hand, which was resting on the table.

“So don’t give up.” Her eyes shone like stars in the night sky. “Let’s fight this battle together. In our own way.”

Looking at her, at the unwavering courage and unconditional trust in her eyes, the cold resentment in his chest finally began to dissipate. He took her hand in his, their fingertips conveying each other's warmth and strength.

“Okay.” He nodded, his voice still a little hoarse, but with unprecedented strength, “In our way.”

That night, they didn't discuss the provincial competition, their families, or those suffocating rules and expectations. They simply studied together at their desks as usual, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones about the problems. Calm, yet filled with unspoken understanding and strength.

Late at night, Shi Xu lay in bed, gazing at the sparse starlight outside the window. His father's words still stung like thorns in his heart, and Yun Zhiyuan's cold gaze still sent chills down his spine.

But this time, he no longer felt lonely and desperate.

He turned over and looked at the simple note Yunxi had drawn for him on the desk next to him, encouraging him to keep going, with a crooked smiley face drawn next to it.

He reached out and gently touched the smiling face, a slight smile unconsciously appearing on his lips.

The darkness remained thick, but the starlight never went out.

And he has found his own brightest star.