Stone Star
On the coastline of Cooare Island, Australia, the golden sunlight finally peeked out. A salty sea breeze from the distant ocean swept by, lifting her beautifully arched long hair, which swayed gently in the air.
Yu Sheng sat leisurely on the deck of a dilapidated wooden boat on the shore, his feet dangling in the air. In the afterglow of the setting sun, he was examining the unpolished abalone pearl in his hand.
"Still looking at that piece of junk? You've been holding onto it for so many days and won't let go." Lan Zhong walked over and threw a pair of slippers at his feet. "The beach is cold, put your shoes on."
Yu Sheng jumped off the deck, shook the sand off her feet, and put on her slippers. But her gaze never left the abalone pearl in her hand, which seemed even more alluring in the setting sun.
"It's so small, and the color is just average. How much can it be worth?" Lan Zhong rolled his eyes at him disdainfully.
For a young nobleman like Yu Sheng, who had been living amidst piles of gold and silver, this pearl was nothing special, not even much different from a discarded mineral water bottle on the beach.
But money isn't important. Once, while out at sea, a crew member chatted with him, saying the probability of finding abalone and pearls on the beach was like winning the lottery jackpot three times in a row, only to be invited by a talking hamster to become a spaceship captain on the way to claim the prize.
Although the metaphor is a bit exaggerated, when Yu Sheng found it, the first thought that popped into her head without thinking was that this little pearl could be cut and designed into an earring to give to Lu Chenyang. To let this "space captain's" luck be forever etched on his ears.
Lu Chenyang doesn't have pierced ears. So, the earring I gave him will be the first one he ever wore.
"What did Brother Lan say?" Yu Sheng asked.
Lan Zhong turned to face the setting sun, avoiding Yu Sheng's gaze: "It's fine as it is, everything is normal."
The setting sun casts a golden glow, the evening sky gradually darkens, and the last warm hues of the day slowly sink below the horizon. The distant sky turns a lonely gray-blue, with sparse, scattered clouds.
The warmth dissipated, leaving only a chill in the darkness.
The faint neon light seeped through the window, yet seemed unable to penetrate the loneliness. All the wardrobes were empty, and a small mound of dirt piled up on the king-size bed.
Lu Chenyang built a nest using Yu Sheng's clothes. He huddled inside, like a fledgling bird with broken wings from frost.
The drawers under the bed were ransacked, and a pile of medicine boxes that had once been hidden were now scattered all over the floor, along with several old, yellowed prescriptions.
He wanted to find a sleeping pill, but they were all expired. He couldn't remember the last time he had relied on medication to fall asleep.
"Brother, brother, the medicine is back." Ajiang hurriedly pushed open the door and piled a bunch of medicine boxes and bottles on the bed, then turned around and went to the kitchen to pour water.
Lu Chenyang didn't want to tell Bai Hua. Given his current condition, Bai Hua would definitely ban all his business activities and require him to be hospitalized for treatment.
But that won't do. Xinghua has put in a lot of effort to help him terminate his contract with Chen Yi and has also allocated resources to him; he doesn't want to stop working.
Most importantly, Yu Sheng hasn't returned yet. He can't let Yu Sheng know, at least not now. Far across the ocean, he wants to make Yu Sheng worry unnecessarily, but he's powerless to do so.
If... Yu Sheng is still willing to worry about him.
Based on his previous experience with medication, Lu Chenyang swallowed a handful of pills, closed his eyes, covered Yu Sheng's pajamas with his face, and waited for the medication to take effect.
Yu Sheng's pajamas were warm and cozy, carrying a scent of laundry detergent and cologne that was more effective than sleeping pills.
Half-asleep, he returned to that dilapidated little courtyard, to the familiar brown-red, peeling wooden door, to the piercing barking of dogs, and to the muffled, intermittent sobs of a boy coming from inside, as if something had covered his mouth.
Yangyang pushed open the door, and the crying became clearer. It was Xingxing. Xingxing was crying.
"Xingxing! Xingxing, what's wrong with you?!" Yangyang stepped over the threshold and rushed into the house, but was kicked far away by Yang Tieshuan, who was blocking the doorway.
Its small, thin body curled up into a ball and rolled twice on the ground before hitting the earthen wall and coming to a stop.
Yangyang lay on the ground with his arms crossed for two seconds, then continued crawling into the inner room. "The stars are crying."
Seeing that he could still move, Yang Tieshuan grabbed him by the back of the neck and threw him into the yard like trash. "Get out of the way and don't get in the way of what's going on inside. Your short-lived mother just couldn't stand me and hanged herself. Who's going to settle my gambling debts now that she's gone?"
Yang Tieshuan spat on the ground in frustration, "Anyway, I still have you two brothers. If Yang Bawan doesn't want you to go and level it, then he'll have to do it himself."
Yangyang crouched timidly under the eaves, his eyes constantly glancing towards the window. The stars were inside. "How can the stars be calm? I can too. I'll take his place, so he won't cry."
Yang Tieshuan snorted coldly twice, spat on the paper and crushed it into a cigarette, then puffed on it. "You, if you grow two more years, you'll be worthless once you're ruined."
Yang Tieshuan was truly grateful for his good judgment back then; two beautiful women gave birth to two even more handsome sons. Even after his wife died, his sons took her place, allowing him to continue gambling.
Back then, Yang Tieshuan was the richest pig farmer in Qingdi Village. He first married Chen Mian, the most beautiful girl in the village, and they had a son named Xingxing. Later, Chen Mian died, and a butcher came to the village. He bought the most beautiful girl, Lu Yaqing, and they had a son named Yangyang.
But as he got older, he developed a gambling addiction. He lost all the pigs he raised, and then his big house. In the end, he could only use Lu Yaqing to pay off his debts.
Yang Tieshuan thought of that unlucky hanged ghost again, and kicked Yangyang, who was squatting on the ground staring longingly at the window, and cursed, "You bastard."
Yangyang squatted there without moving, not even bothering to wipe the dirty footprints off his body. He huddled under the window, waiting for the stars to come out.
They had agreed yesterday to go see Lu Yaqing together in the back gully tonight. He even secretly went to see it by himself at noon today; the little red flower was growing so well, so bright red.
As darkness fell, and the house was long since silent, the door opened. Three men stepped out.
Yangyang had seen them many times, even at home, in the same scene, when Lu Yaqing was still alive.
He didn't hear what the men said to Yang Tieshuan, and taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he quickly climbed into the house through the cracks in the mud wall and the wooden window.
"Star, Star," Yangyang whispered. The room was dark, with no lights, but Yangyang still managed to spot the person on the bed with the broken leg—it was Star.
Yangyang crawled over on all fours, resting his chin on the edge of the bed. A smell he couldn't describe hit him; it was very unpleasant.
Xingxing clearly loves cleanliness the most, which Yangyang doesn't understand.
But Yangyang didn't mind at all. He raised his hand to poke Xingxing's face, but withdrew it in mid-air and wiped the dirt off his clothes.
"Stars," he called again.
Xingxing finally opened her eyes. For a long while, those eyes didn't look at him. Yangyang tilted his head to look at her and felt that Xingxing's eyes didn't seem as bright as before.
For some reason, Yangyang suddenly felt sad. His heart ached, and his throat felt sore, as if he had eaten unripe fruit from the old fruit tree in the ravine behind the mountain.
"Yangyang." Xingxing finally spoke, but her voice was so soft that it seemed like it would dissipate with a gust of wind. "Yangyang, why don't you go to the back gully first? I'll come find you later."
"Okay." Yangyang hung his head, looking somewhat sad.
Although Yangyang was developmentally delayed, his intelligence was not low. He ran out and soon came back, staggering, carrying a basin of water.
Yangyang remembered that Lu Yaqing used to often appear in Xingxing's current state. Whenever this happened, Lu Yaqing would ask him to fetch a basin of water, put it down, and then let him leave.
So Yangyang always remembered. After putting down the water, he leaned close to Xingxing and said, "Xingxing, I'm going to see my mother in the back gully first. You have to come find me soon."
"Hmm." Xingxing blinked, forced a smile, and raised her hand to help Yangyang straighten his frizzy head, but pulled it back just before touching him—her hand was dirty.
"Yangyang, don't be afraid of the wind, Aunt Lu will be with you."
"I also want the stars to keep me company, I wish the stars would come soon."
It was a cold night, and the shadows of the trees in the ravine behind the mountain swayed and danced. A small mound of earth lay forlornly among the weeds, while a small red flower planted beside it bloomed brightly, its petals trembling and drawing Yangyang over.
Yangyang gathered the dry grass and branches around him. He didn't have a flint, so he could only pile all the dry grass on himself and curl up inside to keep warm.
I miss the stars. It's dark, and the stars haven't appeared.
Yangyang looked up at the sky. The sky was a gloomy, dark blue; it had rained during the day, and large patches of clouds hadn't yet dispersed, obscuring the stars so Yangyang couldn't see them.
"Mommy, Xingxing seems very tired today. I guess I shouldn't have let him come with me to see you." Yangyang leaned against the small mound of earth, his dirty fingers carefully twirling among the petals.
"Mommy, will the stars lie here like you someday?" Yangyang asked. "Then what kind of flower should I plant for them?"
"It seems no flower is worthy of him. He is a star, he should be in the sky."
He drifted off to sleep on the little mound. When he opened his eyes again, two stars appeared in front of him.
One is a five-pointed star made of stone, and the other is the star itself holding a small stone pendant.
"Xingxing! You're here!" Yangyang jumped up from the haystack and rushed into Xingxing's arms. "I've been waiting for you for so long, I was even asleep."
Xingxing held him in her arms with one hand and stroked his head with the other, using her clean hands to pluck the grass leaves from Yangyang's hair one by one.
"Shall we take me to the river to wash myself clean?" Yangyang asked. Xingxing always loved cleanliness and always kept him very clean.
“No need,” Star said. “It’s fine if it looks dirty; at least it won’t actually get very dirty.”
Xingxing smoothed his hair and placed the five-pointed star pendant she was holding around his neck, saying, "Here's a star for you."
Yangyang was overjoyed to receive the gift and ran around Lu Yaqing's little mound of earth, holding up the stone stars to look at them. Yangyang squatted down, took out a flint from his pocket, and lit the pile of dry grass and branches.
Yangyang ran up behind him, then suddenly her pupils contracted and she exclaimed, "Xingxing, you're bleeding!"
In the firelight, Yangyang could clearly see the red bloodstains on Xingxing's pants.
"Star, are you going to die too? No! No! No!"
The stars cannot die, the stars will not die!
...
"Stars—!!!" Lu Chenyang woke up with a start.
The bedroom was bright, with white gauze curtains barely covering the harsh morning sun.
Three or four seconds passed before his unfocused pupils finally refocused, and the tinnitus gradually subsided. Only then could Lu Chenyang clearly see Ajiang, who was anxiously calling out to him.
"Brother Chenyang, what's wrong?"
"...I...I'm fine." As Lu Chenyang felt the familiar surroundings, the stiffness in his body suddenly subsided. He reached out and gathered Yu Sheng's clothes on the bed into his arms, wrapping them tightly in his embrace.
“Brother, you had a fever last night, it was so scary, I called a doctor to come over.” Ah Jiang still felt scared as he spoke, “Your face turned blue from the fever. Luckily, the fever has gone down now.”
Ajiang helped the man sit up from the bed, handed him a glass of water, and said worriedly, "Brother, tell Sister Zhou to stay home and rest today."
"No need." Lu Chenyang swallowed a mouthful of water, rolled over and got out of bed. "I remember there's a music video shoot today. Get ready, I'll be there in a bit."
After saying that, Lu Chenyang went into the bathroom. When he came out again, Ajiang could no longer see the disheveled state he had been in the previous night when he had a high fever. He now looked every bit the dedicated and professional elite of the entertainment industry, which was truly admirable.
Looking at the pile of medicines with national drug approval numbers starting with "H" on the bedside table, Lu Chenyang's straight back slumped for a moment. "Take the medicine with you," he said softly, "and don't let the company know."
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