Chapter 65

It felt like a football had been slammed straight into Jiang Yihao's skull—the impact was so jarring he saw stars and nearly lost his footing.

"What did you say?"

Du Yue's double-lidded eyes, dark as deep brown pools, gleamed with a high-end, pearl-like sheen that rivaled the starlight ceiling of the sedan. On the seat beside her lay the latest sports weekly, its headline blaring RQ's consecutive victories above a photo of Jiang Yihao laughing as he sprinted across the pitch.

Jiang Yihao snatched up the paper and crumpled it into a ball, hoping to destroy the evidence. Du Yue's voice was cold and piercing, making the effort utterly futile.

"The rightful heir to the Duke of Tapei, lowering himself to mix with the lower classes, performing tricks in a public circus. Jiang Yihao, you have truly disappointed me."

Jiang Yihao ran his tongue over his canine teeth. He knew his mother had always looked down on football, dismissing it as a sport for the plebeians. Du Yue's blunt dismissal of his dream, delivered mercilessly to his face, twisted his facial muscles in fury.

"Since you already know, I'll spare you the update. I'm an adult now, and I've signed with RQ. You have no say over me, and even less over the club."

Jiang Yihao's expression was positively ferocious; the blood roared and surged through his veins. He'd been caught far sooner than he'd expected. The family had been mired in a mess of troubles lately, leaving his parents with little time for him. He'd assumed they were too busy to keep tabs on him—but apparently his mother had found out anyway.

Fortunately, RQ's recent three-game winning streak had showcased his brilliance, drawing enthusiastic responses from fans. Lao Fang had also privately offered plenty of praise, which gave him the backbone to push back.

"Xiao Hao, I haven't yet gone to the club to expose you. You should be grateful."

Du Yue's eyes remained closed, her makeup still flawless despite the night's chaos, a testament to the grace of a top-tier noble lady.

"Just say what you want." Jiang Yihao's pupils contracted sharply, his lips pressing into a razor-thin line. He didn't believe his mother was being so generous.

"I can let you keep playing a few more matches to satisfy your itch, on one condition: you obey my orders."

"Tonight's party hit a small snag, so I'll arrange another meeting between you and the MUT heiress."

"You are the thirty-fifth heir to the Tapei family. It's your responsibility to produce the next heir as soon as possible."

Jiang Yihao bolted upright, nearly hitting the car ceiling, fury blazing in his eyes. "Mom, what are you saying? Whether it's the MUT heiress, the president's daughter, or a princess, I don't want any of them. I'm not dating, I'm not getting married—I don't want anyone!"

Du Yue's exquisitely beautiful eyelids lifted slightly, a flicker of suspicion in her gaze, but mostly disdain. Marriage and children were an innate obligation for a family heir, not something Jiang Yihao could veto.

"Don't push your luck. Or do you want me to call Director Fang right now?"

"You've stumbled into a rare window to play a few matches. Don't screw it up and ruin your good fortune."

Each icy word slipped through Du Yue's teeth, as if she couldn't be bothered to waste more than a few syllables on the matter.

Jiang Yihao knew his mother meant business. He shouted in anger, "Stop the car! I'm getting out!"

The sedan came to an immediate halt, and Du Yue watched impassively as her son slammed the door and stormed off. She ordered the driver to continue on to the Jiang family estate, and the car sped away.

Jiang Yihao walked alone down the bustling streets of Song City, his fury with nowhere to go. He kicked a stone on the road, sending it clattering against a trash can with a loud bang. Passersby marveled at his football-star-worthy footwork, and even more so, wondered what had gotten this handsome young man so worked up.

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

Tonight had been absurd enough to make him laugh.

He'd been on his way to oversee the fireworks display in person when the party suddenly erupted in chaos, keeping him stuck.

It was Ruan Ning's birthday today, and he was still sulking, deliberately not telling her 'happy birthday.' At the same time, the drone show had swooped in and stolen half the fireworks' thunder. And now his own mother was threatening to expose his club involvement unless he agreed to a blind date.

Jiang Yihao genuinely loathed the idea of being a duke—sitting at a desk all day like a rubber stamp, marrying and producing heirs according to family arrangements, unable to pursue his own passions, living a life of suffocating tedium while constantly maintaining a low profile.

He was also well aware that his mother's temporary tolerance for his football at RQ was an extraordinary leniency. If he refused to take the bait now, he'd be seen as ungrateful.

His mother's using football as leverage was essentially forcing him to choose between... and football.

One was the dream he'd cherished since childhood; the other was the most tender, precious garden in his heart, one he refused to let anyone else touch.

Frustrated, he pulled out his phone to text Manager Wang for an update on the fireworks site. As he scrolled, his thumb brushed against Ruan Ning's chat window.

Early this morning, he'd woken suddenly, and with his phone in hand, he'd typed out a birthday blessing for Ruan Ning, deleting and retyping it repeatedly. Just as he was about to hit send, he'd swiftly deleted it again.

Ruan Ning had recently changed her profile picture. The old one was a selfie from the freshman ball; every time he tapped on it, a little thrill of joy surged through him, reminding him of their muddled first encounter in the restroom.

Now her profile picture was blank. He didn't need to guess why.

He sighed. That silly girl was the most honest person he'd ever met. Sometimes he wanted to crack open Ruan Ning's head with a mallet just to see what was inside.

She just stayed quietly on the sidelines, not fighting for anything, silently caring for everyone, wishing them all happiness and joy—while completely ignoring herself. The more she did that, the more he wanted to give her the best in the world.

Manager Wang texted back that everything was ready. Jiang Yihao opened the livestream, where a million viewers were watching online. The comments were flying by in a blur: [Why the sudden fireworks?] [Is there some event going on?] [No idea, but a show is a show—doesn't cost you anything anyway.]

Jiang Yihao minimized the window, leaving it floating over Ruan Ning's chat interface, the long paragraph he'd typed still sitting there unsent.

He stared at it for a long while, then finally didn't press send.

He spun around and kicked the streetlamp post, a sharp pain shooting up his calf.

"Damn."

He muttered under his breath.

While the whole city buzzed in anticipation of the fireworks, out in a distant suburb, Ruan Ning and Bai Xingmiao lay side by side in a pitch-black park, gazing up at the star-filled sky.

For the first time, Ruan Ning experienced the feeling of putting down her phone, immersing herself in nature, waiting for something unpredictable. The scent of white pomelo from Bai Xingmiao drifted into her nose. The two chatted casually under the sky's canopy.

This was the most comfortable moment for Ruan Ning—no need to force herself to navigate complex social pleasantries, just quietly existing in her own little world, bantering about nothing in particular, without a care in the world.

Suddenly, Ruan Ning turned over, animated and cheerful. "You know, your username actually comes from Mira's binary star, Omicron Ceti, right? A red giant and a white dwarf together—a pair of stars that are forever companions, isn't that right?"

Bai Xingmiao looked a bit surprised. He'd used that username for years, and this was the first time someone had discovered its hidden meaning.

"Too bad nothing in this world lasts forever. Even stars die."

"Don't say that. At least they're together until they die—that's so romantic." Ruan Ning plucked at the grass beside her, laughing happily. "Then everyone's got it wrong. They should be calling you '00' not 'oo'—ha ha ha!"

When relaxed, Ruan Ning revealed herself to be a bit of a chatterbox with a flair for the dramatic. Since it was too dark to see, she became even more uninhibited, teasing Bai Xingmiao without restraint.

"I heard that people who like watching stars have great personalities. Because no matter how much you hate someone, in a few decades, you'll all become stars together, so it's not worth holding a grudge. Is that right?"

Bai Xingmiao said, "Perhaps. Though some people might become stars in less than a few decades."

"Ha ha ha ha." Ruan Ning was genuinely amused.

Bai Xingmiao stayed quietly by Ruan Ning's side, chatting about everything under the sun. Occasionally, he'd interject like a deadpan comedian. Before they knew it, the conversation drifted from anime and games to astrology and divination.

As they talked, Ruan Ning often forgot that the man beside her was also a scion of an aristocratic family; he felt more like a close friend she'd known for ages and was finally meeting in person.

Suddenly, Bai Xingmiao sat up and looked toward the sky. "There's a shooting star."

"Where?" Ruan Ning looked in the same direction. Across the endless dark expanse, a streak of light zipped by like a raindrop—before it could even touch the distant mountaintops, it vanished in the blink of an eye.

Ruan Ning sighed regretfully. "Too bad. My birthday plus a meteor shower—that's a supercharged buff for a wish that would definitely come true."

Bai Xingmiao laughed softly. "What would you wish for?"

Ruan Ning flashed a sly, mischievous grin. "Wanna guess?"

Bai Xingmiao paused in thought. "Unimaginable wealth? Worldwide fame and respect? Or..." He hesitated. "A handsome, charming man."

"Ha ha ha ha," Ruan Ning burst out laughing. Bai Xingmiao always had this deadpan way of being funny. Before, she'd been too in awe of him to say so, but now the more serious he acted, the more she wanted to tease him. "I'll take the handsome man—the more handsome, the better."

There was a beat of silence in the darkness. Though Ruan Ning couldn't see his face, she could imagine his exasperated expression.

"Alright, I'm kidding. Actually, I don't have any particular wish. I think I'm pretty happy—my family is harmonious, I have plenty to eat and wear, and compared to a lot of people, I'm already lucky. If I had to pick something to hope for, I think I could achieve it myself with a little effort."

"Besides, this meteor was a total letdown. Wishing on it is like wishing on a drop of water sliding down a bathroom mirror. Would that actually come true?"

Bai Xingmiao lay back on the grass, a faint smile on his lips. "Why not give it a try?"

"Fine, then my wish is for another downpour of meteors so I can wish my heart out." Ruan Ning gave in to the persuasion and laughed.

Suddenly, she remembered something. "Speaking of which, you could have watched the meteor shower alone. Why did you insist on dragging me here?"

"..."

The air fell silent again.

Perhaps because the earlier conversation had put him at ease, Bai Xingmiao spoke slowly. "I heard from the butler that you want to retrieve the thank-you letter."

Mentioning that, Ruan Ning immediately grew serious, her smile fading. "Yes. You once advised me not to act rashly, but I can't stand it anymore. I want to put this matter to rest as soon as possible."

Bai Xingmiao's voice returned to its usual cold detachment. "I advise you not to, for now."

"Why?"

"The consequences are more than you can bear."

"What does that mean? Can you tell me now?"

Bai Xingmiao's eyes darkened. "You have to believe that if I meant you harm, I wouldn't have come to see you today."

"So, you came only to stop me from getting the letter back?" Ruan Ning's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible disappointment.

Bai Xingmiao remained motionless in the dark, silent as the grave.

Just as Ruan Ning turned away in understanding, a tiny, almost inaudible sound reached her ears.

"Not entirely."

Ruan Ning's pupils dilated. She tried to perk up her ears to hear it again, but then, suddenly, the sky burst into a dazzling meteor shower—streak after streak, each with a shimmering tail, tearing across the heavens.

The surrounding area erupted in cheers as people scrambled to their feet, craning their necks to watch. Such a dense meteor shower was exceedingly rare; everyone there tonight was among the fortunate few in a million.

Ruan Ning excitedly grabbed Bai Xingmiao's arm and slapped it in delight. "Look! Isn't this exactly what I wished for? A downpour of meteors!"

Ruan Ning hopped with joy, then clasped her hands together and cleared her throat. "Alright, meteors, all of you brothers and sisters, listen up! I wish to be free and happy forever, I wish my friends and family free and happy, and I wish Bai Xingmiao free and happy forever."

The two watched for a long time. Ruan Ning recorded a full library of videos on her phone, utterly overjoyed.

Someone who'd always been unlucky like her had never been this fortunate. It made her feel even closer to Bai Xingmiao.

Unfortunately, it was getting late, and her family had been nagging her to come home. Only then did she reluctantly say goodbye and drive off.

The ride home was long, and Ruan Ning dozed off in the car.

At a red light, Bai Xingmiao turned his head. The girl who'd been chattering away moments before was now fast asleep, her head lolling against the seat, breathing evenly. Her long black hair spilled over her shoulders, her plump, glossy lips occasionally pouting slightly. Her eyelashes, like little fans, cast a faint shadow as she slept peacefully.

Bai Xingmiao turned down the music, adjusted the temperature in the car, and continued to wait at the light.

When they reached Ruan Ning's building, she still hadn't woken. Bai Xingmiao found a discreet parking spot, pulled the handbrake, and sat silently in the driver's seat, waiting for her to stir.

Minute after minute ticked by, and Bai Xingmiao showed no intention of waking her.

"Bai Xingmiao..." Ruan Ning suddenly muttered in her sleep.

The man in the driver's seat furrowed his brow slightly. The sleeping girl was just talking in her sleep.

"Bai Xingmiao!" Ruan Ning called out again, eyes still closed, this time with a note of irritation in her voice, almost commanding, as if summoning him to come immediately.

Bai Xingmiao lowered his gaze, his eyes clouded with an unreadable emotion.

He paused for a moment, then slowly leaned over toward Ruan Ning. The distance between them shrank, her beautiful sleeping face growing larger in his vision, until only a finger's width remained between their noses...