Chapter 52 – Gathering the Stars Reflected in His Eyes

After tossing and turning for half the night, dawn was almost breaking. Only then did Lin Xiaowen take a good look at Cheng Yishu.

Sneakers with silver suit trousers? A white short-sleeved T-shirt under a denim jacket...

Looking further up, his handsome hairstyle was slightly disheveled from their recent “intense activity,” and his sharp brows were drawn together in faint displeasure.

His eyes, aggrieved and puzzled, gazed at Lin Xiaowen as she scrutinized him up and down.

“Haven’t you looked enough yet?”

Whether it was in front of the camera or on stage, under the adoring or envious eyes of countless people, Cheng Yishu had never felt timid. Yet now, with Lin Xiaowen’s calm, lingering gaze, he felt more uneasy than when a director was choosing roles.

“Hmm, I’ve seen enough!” Lin Xiaowen nodded lightly and continued, “You look quite good!”

“As if I needed you to say so...” Receiving Lin Xiaowen’s direct praise made Cheng Yishu feel a bit giddy. But before he could bask in it, Lin Xiaowen added,

“It’s just... why are you dressed so mismatched? Suit trousers with denim? Is this the latest trend?”

Lin Xiaowen genuinely didn’t understand their fashion, so she asked in earnest.

Cheng Yishu glanced down at his outfit. There was a flash of regret, but he quickly steered the conversation back.

“You… alright, let’s not talk about that. Lin Xiaowen, stop changing the subject... I asked you—when I said I like you and want you as my girlfriend, don’t you have anything to say to me?”

Cheng Yishu’s voice grew softer, yet each word, light and heavy like a bowling ball, slid into Lin Xiaowen’s heart, finally landing with an explosive crash that made her heart tremble uncontrollably...

He liked her? Wanted her to be his girlfriend?

This was the first time Cheng Yishu had earnestly confessed to her, and it was also what Lin Xiaowen had secretly hoped for deep inside. But now that it was happening, she was both excited and hesitant.

She was excited because, when it came to Cheng Yishu, Lin Xiaowen had to admit she liked him. For so many years, no one had affected her like he did; whatever she did, she would involuntarily think of him.

She would constantly check her phone, wishing to see a message from him out of the blue...

She would feel a dull ache in her heart when he talked about his childhood, wanting nothing more than to stand quietly behind him and be there for him...

And when he mentioned the girl who had amazed him, she would feel that the tenderness in his eyes was blinding, and that the distance between them grew, making her painfully aware that she and Cheng Yishu could never be.

Yet tonight, he had told someone else she was his girlfriend, then confessed his feelings to her...

All these changes had come so suddenly in just a few days, leaving her no time to process.

“I...” Lin Xiaowen stammered under Cheng Yishu’s burning gaze, feeling an urge to flee. Perhaps she should think it over once more; would it be too reckless to decide like this?

Seeing Lin Xiaowen’s evasive eyes, Cheng Yishu’s self-esteem began to waver...

Maybe she didn’t like him after all. After all, even at their first and second meetings, the impression he gave her wasn’t the best...

“So... what do you say?” Cheng Yishu watched every flicker of expression on Lin Xiaowen’s face with anxious hope, afraid to miss even a glimmer of acceptance...

But aside from silence, Lin Xiaowen showed no other emotion.

The streetlight stretched their shadows long and thin. Apart from the whisper of the new ginkgo leaves in the morning breeze, there was no other sound.

Swallowing the bitterness in his throat, Cheng Yishu could no longer bear to see the conflict and complexity in her eyes.

He forced a casual breath, pressed his lips together, and even managed a self-mocking smile as he said quietly,

“It’s alright... I knew it. So much for being the nation’s idol—none of that seems to matter to you at all... heh...”

His smile was strained and forlorn. Perhaps not wanting the awkwardness to linger, he glanced up at the brightening horizon and forced a laugh.

“Dawn’s almost here. You should go back and rest. I’ll be going, too... Sorry for the disturbance...”

Those last words, Cheng Yishu could no longer hide his pain; sorrow and regret surged through him.

He was hurt by Lin Xiaowen’s silent rejection.

He blamed himself—having confessed so openly only to be refused, would they even have the chance to meet again in the future?

Turning slowly, Cheng Yishu walked away. Even after standing in the cool early summer night for hours, nothing compared to the chill and desolation he felt at that moment.

Cheng Yishu, you were born to be alone. Tan Jing treated you as a tool for making money, never loving you. And now...

But urgent, stumbling footsteps behind him shattered his thoughts. The next moment, trembling arms, cool and sweet with the scent of the night, wrapped tightly around his waist from behind...

Cheng Yishu froze, his furrowed brows locked in place as he dared not move, acutely aware of the anxious, trembling woman holding him—a clumsy yet passionate embrace.

“Don’t move—just let me finish!” Lin Xiaowen’s soft voice shook with nerves. Her fingertips were icy, yet beads of sweat gathered on her brow.

“I don’t know if I can be a good girlfriend. I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you, so I didn’t dare accept, or make any promises... I’m not like other girls... Being with me means you’ll face twice the pressure, Yishu... If—if you’ve considered all this... then I... then I...”

An ordinary sentence became halting and awkward in Lin Xiaowen’s mouth, but Cheng Yishu was already rejoicing inside.

A smug and blissful smile spread across his lips. He could have turned around right then, letting his eyes tell Lin Xiaowen to go on, but he deliberately held back. He wanted to see just how brave she could be for his sake.

Lin Xiaowen drew a deep breath, tightened her embrace around his narrow waist, and, mustering all her courage, said,

“Then I’m willing to try—to be with you!”

Cheng Yishu’s dazzling smile exposed all his perfect teeth. He covered her trembling hands, entwined in front of him, then whirled around—

Lin Xiaowen, unprepared, looked up in shock as Cheng Yishu bent down, wrapping her tightly in his arms...

In his eyes were a thousand galaxies—gentle and brilliant. His embrace was so warm she never wanted to leave. His lips...

Cool lips brushed hers lightly. Lin Xiaowen’s round eyes widened further, but as she saw the starlight in his, she instinctively closed her eyes...

Because she wanted to treasure the stars in his eyes, keeping them forever in her own heart.