Author: 反舌鸟 / Mockingbird
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 11
In the end, Long Xingyu still dumped all the bitter melon into Yu Ruoyun’s bowl.
It wasn’t that his appetite was really that good, able to eat despite everything that had happened. But if he left just like that, people might really think he had been scolded to tears by Yu Ruoyun. It was better to pretend nothing had happened and later tell those watching the scene that he had cried because of an emotional discussion about their roles. Yu Ruoyun would play along anyway.
After the meal, Long Xingyu asked, “What else do you remember?”
Yu Ruoyun said, “Just this for now.”
Long Xingyu felt a bit sorry for Yu Ruoyun.
Yu Ruoyun only remembered that someone named Jiang Yu had died and felt sad about it, without even knowing why. But if he remembered Jiang Yu’s deeds, maybe Yu Ruoyun would feel better, perhaps even thinking Jiang Yu deserved to die.
“If interacting with me more helps you remember,” Long Xingyu said, “then it’s not impossible.”
Even with such a good attitude, Yu Ruoyun didn’t seem grateful. He just sat there.
Long Xingyu stood up. “I’m leaving!”
Yu Ruoyun didn’t respond, so Long Xingyu left awkwardly.
Returning to his room and picking up his phone, Long Xingyu understood why Yu Ruoyun had been acting so strangely today.
“Why did it have to be the anniversary of my death?” Long Xingyu was still baffled, turning over to continue reading.
His fans had organized an event to commemorate him, and the media had praised him, saying that even though he hadn’t won many awards, he had contributed many critically acclaimed works over the years. Overall, the posthumous praise for Jiang Yu far exceeded the recognition he received while alive. Back then, people thought Jiang Yu was a temperamental actor who couldn’t even win awards—a significant failure. Sometimes even the public felt it should be his turn to win, but even when awards were shared, Jiang Yu wasn’t included.
Long Xingyu reflected on his strong vanity. Even now, he cared about whether people remembered him, as if that would make him feel better. He wasn’t a pure person; Yu Ruoyun entered the entertainment industry for acting and always focused on it. Long Xingyu had been pushed into it without understanding the industry, unsure of his passions, only wanting to be seen, recognized, and illuminated, casting light on Jiang Yu.
Scrolling down, he saw a familiar name. A female star frequently appeared in the headlines, though they had no interaction.
Shao Xinghe: [Today marks one year since Jiang Yu passed away. It reminded me of a red carpet event where I wore a dress with a hollowed-out upper body, thinking it looked beautiful. Suddenly, Jiang Yu blocked my view, covering me so only half my face was visible. I initially thought it was unintentional, but no matter how I moved, he followed, blocking me. That high-end dress was never fully photographed.]
He remembered this because it was so obvious. The set of photos went viral online, showing Jiang Yu in the front smiling while Shao Xinghe looked unhappy behind him. People discussed how Jiang Yu even stole the spotlight from female stars.
Shao Xinghe’s last sentence on Weibo was:
[The only thing he ever said to me was, “Your breast stickers fell off, idiot,” while standing beside me. I fixed it behind him before completing the walk.]
Somehow, Long Xingyu found it tolerable when people praised Jiang Yu’s work but couldn’t stand the compliments about his character. It felt like being elected a “Moving China” figure for picking up litter by the roadside, with cameras suddenly popping out. It was unbearably awkward. Yet this Weibo post had far more traffic than others related to Jiang Yu, partly because the poster was a celebrity and partly because the details were touching. No one even minded Jiang Yu’s swearing.
Shao Xinghe hadn’t mentioned it before, and Jiang Yu helped cover it up, so she couldn’t admit it publicly. Opening her mouth would lead others to scrutinize her photos and videos for any slip-ups. Jiang Yu didn’t care. He thought he looked better in that set of photos than Shao Xinghe.
The phone suddenly chimed. Long Xingyu picked it up and saw a message from Yu Ruoyun. The content was even stranger: Yu Ruoyun asking Long Xingyu to come to his room.
Was Yu Ruoyun always like this on set? Calling newcomers to his room in the middle of the night? Long Xingyu almost smashed his phone in anger.
He didn’t break the phone but dropped it on his face, hurting his nose. It proved that playing with the phone in bed wasn’t a good idea.
The pain brought some clarity. If Yu Ruoyun easily slept with young stars, there would’ve been endless gossip. Even if he wanted to sleep with someone now, it was his freedom. The law didn’t require him to stay chaste for three years. Long Xingyu had no right to accuse him of being promiscuous—though he really wanted to. At least now, the person Yu Ruoyun wanted was still somewhat related to him.
Long Xingyu replied that he would be right there but first took a shower. By the time he came out, it was later at night, and Yu Ruoyun might no longer be waiting. But he went anyway.
Yu Ruoyun was still waiting, opening the door and stepping aside to let Long Xingyu in. He handed Long Xingyu a box and said, “My assistant went to Japan on vacation and brought this back.”
Long Xingyu was puzzled. “You called me over just for chocolates?”
Yu Ruoyun said, “I suddenly wanted something sweet.”
Long Xingyu picked up the stack of snacks. They were popular blogger items, as caloric as they were famous.
“These aren’t worth buying,” Long Xingyu said, tearing open a package. “Cheap and space-consuming, not even…”
He stopped, realizing he had opened a packet of White Lover cookies, famous for both taste and name.
Unsure if Yu Ruoyun recognized it, Long Xingyu handed him a piece. Yu Ruoyun accepted it.
“Someone filmed a video and posted it online,” Yu Ruoyun said. “It even trended.”
“Not a big deal,” Long Xingyu was indifferent. “Trending topics are easier than getting a dog these days.”
“Are dogs easy to get?”
“…” Long Xingyu said, “I was just making an analogy.”
He was always like this, talking nonsense, not trying to please, often creating messes that the studio had to clean up.
Yu Ruoyun slowly chewed the cookie Long Xingyu handed him, took a sip of water, and said, “I thought eating something sweet would improve my mood.”
If Yu Ruoyun hadn’t said that, no one would have noticed any difference in him, seeing no sign of bad mood.
“When you said you wanted to be famous today, it reminded me of some things,” Yu Ruoyun said. “I remembered meeting his mother later. He left part of his estate to me in his will. I wanted to return it to his family. His mother wasn’t surprised to see me. She knew me, saying Jiang Yu’s room was once full of posters. Later, many were taken down, but mine remained. She said he must have really liked you to leave part of his inheritance to you. But how did he know your ID and contact information?”
“His mother thought he idolized me,” Yu Ruoyun said. “She wasn’t wrong. But more accurately, he wanted to surpass me. Once he did, he would take down the poster. He wanted to be famous too.”
When the cookie’s sweetness became cloying, it turned bitter. Long Xingyu struggled to swallow it. Yu Ruoyun knew him too well.
But Yu Ruoyun continued, “He was only thirty-four. Why did he write a will?”
Returning to his room, Yu Ruoyun pondered for a long time but couldn’t recall why. His memories of Jiang Yu started from Jiang Yu’s death. He couldn’t remember and could only conclude he had been an incompetent lover.
“Did he ever mention me to you?” Yu Ruoyun asked Long Xingyu. This was the real reason he called him over, though the prelude had been long.
There’s a type of spider called a bird-eating spider. It weaves such intricate and soft webs yet can trap free-flying birds, rendering them helpless. Yu Ruoyun had entangled him and was now injecting poison, making it hard for him to breathe.
He should say something comforting to Yu Ruoyun, like Jiang Yu often praised him and said he was good to him. But Long Xingyu didn’t want to let Yu Ruoyun off so easily. He knew what to do.
“He said he felt he could never surpass you,” Long Xingyu said.
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