There is a flute in the mountain stream

When I was woken up by the vibration of my cell phone on Wednesday morning, I was dreaming about picking oranges in an orchard on an island. Zhao Yin was standing on a ladder and throwing down oranges. I caught a full basket, and they smelled delicious.

When I woke up, I touched my phone and saw 99+ WeChat messages.

The top post on Weibo is the number one trending search: #Rare Silver Island Unreleased Highlights#.

I clicked on the trending search, and the first video was posted by Xiao Chen, with the title "Those moments that were not edited in."

When I clicked on it, I saw that it was all about my interactions with Zhao Yin on the island: his silhouette as he blocked the sun for me, his fingers stained with orange peels when he peeled an orange for me, his back as he picked up pieces of glass for me on the beach... The last few seconds were on the night of the bonfire party, when he bent down and taught me to play the guitar. The camera zoomed out, and I could see his gaze on me.

The comment section has exploded.

[Help! What kind of magical interaction is this! Brother Yin can't hide the look in his eyes when he looks at Wenxi!]

[I knew they weren't just ordinary colleagues! Who would understand the details of peeling an orange?]

I've watched this episode of "Island Island" five times, and I'm surprised there's so much more to come! The production team needs to release it soon!

I scrolled through the screen and saw someone had captured a GIF of Zhao Yin's lip-reading from elementary school. A fan then translated it using lip-reading: "You're meant to be by my side."

This comment was pushed to the top of the hot comments.

I was staring blankly when my cell phone rang. It was my mom.

"Xiaoxi, are you awake?"

My mother's voice was a little excited. "I just watched that video. You and Xiao Zhao... are there things going on between you two?"

I choked and didn't dare to tell the truth: "Mom, that's a show effect, it's edited."

"What kind of show effect is this?" My mother obviously didn't believe it.

Your Aunt Wang even sent me a WeChat message, saying that Xiao Zhao looked at you with a strange look in his eyes. Let me tell you, Xiao Zhao looks reliable, much better than your previous one…"

"Mom!" I quickly interrupted her, "What are you talking about? We are just friends."

"Okay, okay, my friend." My mother gave in with a smile. "By the way, are you coming home for dinner this weekend? Your dad said he missed you. By the way... can you ask Xiao Zhao to come too?"

Me: "Mom! He's busy!"

My mother: "What are you busy with? I think he really cares about you." My mother insisted, "It's a deal. I'll make braised pork ribs for you on Saturday night."

After hanging up the phone, I stared at the screen in a daze.

Just as I was about to send a WeChat message to Zhao Yin, his message came first: "Awake?"

“Yeah.” I replied with a guilty expression, “Hot search…”

"I saw it." He replied quickly, "Xiao Chen didn't say hello to me."

“It’s okay,” I said quickly, “Fans are just guessing.”

He didn't reply, but after a few minutes, he sent me a screenshot.

It is the chat record between him and his sister.

Sister Zhao: "I saw the video. You're really good at hiding it."

Zhao Yin: "Nothing."

Sister Zhao: "Stop pretending. Mom even asked me if you guys are serious. Come home for dinner this weekend and bring Wenxi along."

Zhao Yin: "He may not be free."

Sister Zhao: "Even if I don't have time, I have to make some. Mom said she wants to make him his favorite sweet and sour fish."

I looked at the screenshot with my finger hovering over the screen for a long time without moving.

His family... also knew about it?

"Your sister..." I typed, deleted, and revised, "How did she know I like sweet and sour fish?"

"Last time you video chatted with your aunt, you said you wanted to eat."

He replied naturally, "I heard it."

I remembered that I once video-called my mother in a B&B, and I did complain about wanting to eat the sweet and sour fish at home. At that time, Zhao Yin was peeling oranges next to me. It turned out that he heard it.

"Then..." I hesitated for a long time, "I'll go to your house this weekend?"

"No." He replied bluntly, "Don't pay attention to my sister. She likes to stir up trouble."

Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief, he sent another message: "I told my mom I'll go to your house this weekend."

"Brother Yin!"

"Didn't Auntie ask me to go eat?" He made an innocent expression, "It would be bad if I didn't go."

This person clearly did it on purpose.

I went to the company for a meeting in the afternoon, and all the colleagues I met along the way smiled at me.

My new agent, Sister Ling, pulled me into her office, closed the door, and started laughing. "Good job, you hid it well enough. Zhao Yin just issued a statement. Guess what it said?"

My heart tightened: "What do you mean?"

Sister Ling opened her phone and showed me the statement from Zhao Yin Studio: "Thank you for your attention to 'Seaside Slow House.' Brother Yin and Teacher Wen Xi are good friends and their private interactions are friendly. Please do not over-interpret."

"That's it?" I was a little surprised.

"That's it." Sister Ling raised an eyebrow. "Do you think he'll clarify? This statement is the same as not saying anything at all. It's tantamount to tacit consent."

I didn't say anything, and Sister Ling suddenly came over and said, "Tell me the truth, when did you two get together? I've felt something was wrong for a long time. Last time, he specifically asked his assistant to send you mangoes, and I felt something was wrong at the time. How did he know?"

I was stunned for a moment, then I remembered that I once ate mangoes in a B&B.

"Sister Ling, we are really just friends." I still didn't dare to admit it.

Sister Ling looked at me for a long time and didn't ask any more questions. "Okay, you guys just need to know what's going on. By the way, there's a fashion dinner next Saturday, and the brand has invited both you and Zhao Yin. Do you want to go?"

"Go." I almost blurted out.

Sister Ling smiled and nodded: "I knew you would go. The dress has been prepared for you. When the time comes..."

"Just show up normally," I interrupted her. "No need to make any special arrangements."

"I understand." Sister Ling smiled and went out.

I was the only one left in the office. I clicked on Zhao Yin’s WeChat avatar and saw a black cat, the same one from five years ago.

After hesitating for a long time, I sent a message: "Come to my house on Saturday, do you want to buy something?"

"No need." He replied quickly, "I'll just bring a bottle of wine."

"My dad doesn't drink."

"Then bring some fruit."

"My mother likes to eat strawberries."

"knew."

Putting down my phone, I looked at the sky outside the window, which was as blue as the sea on the island. I remembered the last day on the island. He said, "Some goodbyes are not the end." I didn't understand it at the time, but now I seem to understand it a little.

When I got home from work in the evening, I saw a box at the door as soon as I opened it.

When they opened it, they found a box of strawberries, each one big and red. There was a note on it with Zhao Yin's handwriting: "These are the strawberries Auntie likes. I bought them in advance."

I put the strawberries in the refrigerator and suddenly felt that the refrigerator seemed a little empty. Next time I can buy some of his favorite sugar-free yogurt and put it in.

Just as I was thinking about it, my cell phone rang. It was Zhao Yin.

"Did you receive the strawberries?"

"Yes, thank you."

"It's okay, isn't it?"

"It's not broken, it's fine."

He was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "What color dress will you wear to the dinner?"

"black."

"What a coincidence, me too." There was a hint of laughter in his voice. "Then... shall we walk the red carpet together?"

I held the phone and said, "No, it's too eye-catching."

"What are you afraid of?" He said in a relaxed tone, "It's normal to go with your boyfriend."

"……All right."

After hanging up the phone, I walked to the refrigerator, opened the door and looked at the box of strawberries.

Thinking of what my mother said, and thinking of his sister's chat records...

When I opened my second account, I saw that there were already over 100,000 comments under my latest Weibo post.

I edited a new message: "There will be braised pork ribs and strawberries on Saturday." After thinking about it, I added a strawberry emoji and hit send.

After turning off my phone, I leaned against the kitchen door frame and watched the street lights outside the window light up.

We can eat braised pork ribs together, go to photography exhibitions together, walk the red carpet together...

That's good.

I went to the crew for a costume try-on on Thursday. As soon as I entered the dressing room, I saw Xiao Chen walking around with a camera.

When she saw me come in, her eyes lit up and she ran over with her camera in hand: "Brother Xi! You're finally here! I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

"What's wrong?" I put down my backpack. My assistant had already handed me the script. The cover was printed with four large gold-plated characters: "A Thousand Years of Letters". Next to it were two intertwined flying birds, one with wings of light and the other stained with dust.

"The director asked me to film some behind-the-scenes footage of the costume fitting, and by the way..." Xiao Chen winked, "to see how well you and Brother Yin are in sync."

I was just about to say, "This isn't the first time we've worked together," when I saw Zhao Yin coming out from the inner room.

He was wearing a red Taoist robe with white ornaments, the collar of which was embroidered with dark golden cloud patterns. His long hair was half draped and half tied up with a jade crown, and he really looked like an immortal banished to the mortal world.

"Does it look good?" He walked up to me and raised his hand to brush away the strands of hair on my forehead.

The staff in the dressing room were all laughing secretly. My face felt a little hot and I pushed his hand away: "Stop it, the director is outside."

"What are you afraid of?" He chuckled and turned to sit in front of the makeup mirror next to me. "What do you think of the role of Youming?"

"It suits you quite well." I flipped through the script. "A cold and aloof immortal, pretty much like your usual character."

"What about Xu Di?" He looked at me through the mirror. "A mortal scholar who loves to play the flute. Do you think you can handle it?"

"Of course." I raised my eyebrows. "Don't forget, I'm the best actor."

He didn't respond and the makeup artist had already started applying makeup on him.

I looked at him in the mirror and suddenly remembered a line from the script: "There is a difference between immortals and mortals. A single thought can separate us for a thousand years."

"What are you thinking about?" He closed his eyes and his voice was a little muffled.

"I was thinking," I turned to the chapter where Xu Di first met You Ming, "Xu Di playing the flute in the mountain stream, You Ming listening in the clouds, this scene should be quite beautiful."

"Yeah." He responded, "I'll be hanging on the wire when the time comes, and you can play the flute below. Don't laugh."

"Who would laugh?" I was unconvinced. "Last time during the kissing scene, you forgot the lines, who was the one who laughed?"

He opened his eyes and glared at me through the mirror. The makeup artist beside him said with a smile, "Brother Yin, your expression is wrong. Youming can't smile."

I spent the whole afternoon taking fitting photos.

I was wearing a blue-gray scholar's robe, holding a bamboo flute in my hand, standing next to Zhao Yin, feeling like I was on a different path from an immortal to a mortal.

The director looked at the photo in the camera and nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, not bad, that's the feeling. Brother Yin, look a little colder and stop smiling at Wen Xi all the time."

Zhao Yin coughed lightly and turned his head to look away.

It was already evening when they finished work. Zhao Yin changed back into his own clothes, but did not take off the jade crown and wig, saying that they were "comfortable to wear."

I watched him drive, his long hair swaying gently with his movements, and I couldn't help laughing out loud.

"What are you laughing at?" He freed one hand and ruffled my hair. "Do you think your brother is really handsome?"

"He's quite handsome." I nodded. "He looks a bit like an opera singer."

He reached out and pinched my face, with a hint of pampering: "What do you want to eat tonight?"

"Whatever." I looked out the window. "By the way, you really don't need to buy anything else when you come to my house on Saturday? My dad likes playing chess, you can play a few games with him."

"Okay." He agreed immediately. "It just so happens that I recently learned a few moves and want to find someone to try them out."

"You can also play chess?" I was a little surprised.

"I understand a little bit." He raised an eyebrow. "Then I'll make your father admit defeat with conviction."

I was about to retort when my phone rang. It was my mother.

She rambled on over the phone, "Xiao Xi, I've bought the seasoning for the braised pork ribs. Ask Xiao Zhao to come early and play a few games of chess with your dad. By the way, what does he like to eat? I'll make some more."

"He's not picky." I glanced at Zhao Yin, "Just do whatever you want."

After hanging up the phone, he asked, "What did Auntie say?"

"I told you to go early and play chess with my dad." I said with a smile, "Don't lose too badly."

"Don't worry." He turned a corner. "There's a noodle shop up ahead. Want to go eat something?"

It was the same noodle shop we went to last time. The owner saw us and greeted us with a smile: "Xiao Zhao, Xiao Wen, are you here again today?"

"Yeah." Zhao Yin nodded, "Two bowls of beef noodles, one less spicy."

When the noodles came, I found that all the coriander in his bowl had been picked out.

Remembering that Xu Di didn't eat coriander in the script, Youming would always pick it out for him.

"How do you know I don't eat coriander?" I teased him on purpose.

"I guessed it." He lowered his head to eat noodles, "Eat quickly, I'll take you somewhere after you finish eating."

"Where are you going?"

"You'll know when you get there."

After we finished eating, he drove to the riverside. The evening breeze was a bit chilly, so he pulled out a coat from the car and draped it over my shoulders.

"Look." He pointed to the cruise ship on the river. Lanterns were hanging on the boat, like strings of stars falling in the water.

"It's beautiful." I leaned on the railing. "Just like in the script, Xu Di takes You Ming to see the lights of the world."

"Yeah." He stood beside me, "What does it matter if there's a difference between immortals and mortals? The light is in front of me, so I have to see it before I'm satisfied."

I turned to look at him and remembered what the fans had said: "Xiyou Silver is real." Something hit me in the gut: this is real. TvT.

"It's late, let's go back." I pulled his sleeve.

He didn't move, but looked down at me: "Wenxi, do you think Youming will give up his immortal status for Xu Di in the end?"

"I don't know." I flipped through the script. "The script isn't finished yet."

"I think so." He took my script and turned to the last page. "A thousand years is too long. When waiting for someone, you always have to have some thoughts."

I looked at the script in his hand, and perhaps there really aren't that many boundaries between immortals and mortals.

On the way back, he suddenly said, "What clothes should I wear to your house on Saturday?"

"Just wear whatever you want. My parents don't care about appearance."

"No." He said seriously, "It's the first time I meet the parents, so I have to be formal."

"Who said we were meeting the parents?" My face flushed. "It was just a casual meal with friends."

He didn't respond, but just drove slower.

When we were almost downstairs of my house, he suddenly said, "Your bracelet is dirty. Let me wash it for you."

"Need not……"

He had parked the car on the side of the road and took out a bottle of mineral water from the trunk.

"Okay." He took out a tissue and carefully wiped away the water droplets, "Don't make it dirty again."

"I understand, Teacher Zhao." I pulled my hand back.

He watched me go upstairs until I waved to him from the third-floor window, then he drove away. The distance between immortals and mortals is not that difficult to cross.

I opened my second account and saw fans guessing under my latest Weibo post whether we would collaborate on a new drama.

I edited a message: "There is a flute in the mountain stream, there are fairies in the clouds, a thought in a thousand years, it is worth meeting." After thinking about it, I clicked send.

After turning off my phone, I leaned against the window and looked at the moon. The name "A Thousand Years of Letters" perhaps not only means that immortals and mortals are separated, but also means that some thoughts can transcend thousands of years and never change.

Just like my feelings towards him, from the first time we met five years ago to now, have never changed.