Qiao Jingjing experienced a momentary mental blank...
After a long pause, she managed a dry "No," shifting her legs to let him pass.
She vaguely sensed what seemed like a faint smile from him as he walked in and sat beside her. Suddenly, his intense masculine presence permeated all her senses.
It took several minutes into the movie for Qiao Jingjing to regain her composure. She felt somewhat annoyed—had she just been flirted with? And she hadn’t flirted back? What a disgrace to the entire entertainment industry.
Sneaking a suspicious glance at Yu Tu, she found him intently focused on the screen, his handsome profile radiating concentration and seriousness...
Alright then...
Qiao Jingjing withdrew her gaze and began watching the movie seriously. Just a few minutes in, she sensed something amiss. This seemed to be a story about how the protagonist persistently pursued their dreams despite family opposition?
She recalled the desolate look in Yu Tu’s eyes when he mentioned giving up his cosmic ambitions the other day...
Would watching this put him in a bad mood?
The movie was engaging, with all ninety minutes feeling far from dull. The protagonist ultimately held onto their dreams and gained family support. As the film ended with uplifting music, the audience left satisfied.
Qiao Jingjing and Yu Tu waited until everyone had left before standing up.
"I’ll take you back."
Qiao Jingjing nodded.
On the way back, Yu Tu was unusually quiet. She stole glances at his expression—under the night sky, his demeanor was placid. Noticing her gaze, he raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
"Um, I didn’t know the plot would be like this."
"It’s quite good," Yu Tu said. "The protagonist in the movie is a fortunate dreamer."
Unable to hold back, Qiao Jingjing finally asked, "Last time you said you were giving up—why?"
Remembering his mention of parental opposition during college entrance exams, she added, "Is it still because of your family? But your uncle seems to work in aerospace too? Why would your parents object?"
Yu Tu was taken aback.
Qiao Jingjing suddenly realized she knew too much! She hurriedly looked up at the sky.
But instead of changing the subject, Yu Tu looked at her, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Reluctantly, Qiao Jingjing brought her gaze back down: "Well... Peipei..."
Yu Tu nodded. "I know—she’s the class gossip hub."
"...That’s true."
Qiao Jingjing quickly changed the subject. "Do your parents still not agree?"
"They consented when I was preparing for graduate school."
"Then why?"
The faint trace of amusement had completely faded from Yu Tu’s expression. After a long pause, he said, "A while ago, my parents came to Shanghai without telling me. I only found out when my aunt called to ask about my mom’s condition—whether it was benign."When I went to see them, they were staying in a cheap hotel costing tens of yuan a night. The room had some biscuits and instant noodles."
Qiao Jingjing had considered many reasons but never expected one so common, ordinary, and ultimately unsolvable. She regretted pressing so hard.
"Is your mom okay?"
"She’s fine—a false alarm." Yu Tu lowered his eyes. "But I can’t help thinking—what if it had been serious? Would I have been able to provide her with the best medical care?"
He answered his own rhetorical question self-mockingly, "I couldn’t. I clearly could have, but I didn’t."For a moment, Qiao Jingjing almost wanted to say, "I can help you." But she knew she absolutely couldn't say that. After a while, she asked, "So what do you plan to do next?"
"Investment banking."
However, after all these years, his undergraduate major had been neglected for too long, and he would have to start everything from scratch. He smiled, his voice somewhat gloomy and self-mocking. "I've always been proud of my intelligence since I was young, but now at thirty, I've accomplished nothing."
Qiao Jingjing stopped walking and looked at him, momentarily speechless.
Yu Tu stood still for a moment and said, "Let's go, it's late."
The night was deep and quiet.
Yu Tu leaned against the headboard of his bed, smoking, his thoughts drifting. He thought he might have been somewhat out of character today.
He didn't know why he had said so much to Qiao Jingjing, even revealing the deepest sense of defeat in his heart. He hadn't even mentioned the matter about his parents in front of his teacher.
His phone screen lit up beside the pillow. He picked it up—it was a message from Qiao Jingjing.
Jingjing: I suddenly remembered a phrase that suits you perfectly.
Yu Tu: What?
Jingjing: But you are already the rabbit who has seen the most stars.
Yu Tu was taken aback: The Jade Rabbit rover's Weibo post?
Jingjing: Mm-hmm.
Then she sent a long voice message.
"You had me all confused earlier. How can you say you've accomplished nothing? Even if you're giving up your previous career and starting over now, what you've done before is still there. Although I don't know exactly what you did, I'm sure it was valuable. So even if you don't continue with this work in the future, you shouldn't negate the past. At the very least, you fought for your ideals. Compared to compromising without even trying, I think this is definitely not a mistake."
Jingjing: Keep it up, Rabbit God!
Yu Tu stubbed out his cigarette. After a moment, he pressed play and listened to that long message again. Qiao Jingjing's voice was actually very pleasant. He remembered back in high school, she would always go on stage to sing during cultural events.
He never expected that one day she would say such words to him.
—You are already the rabbit who has seen the most stars.
Yes, no matter what he did in the future, over the past ten years, he had not let himself down. Whether he persisted or gave up, at the very least, he shouldn't consider it a mistake.
Yu Tu's fingers hovered over the reply box in WeChat. Unconsciously, his mood at this moment was so tender that even his typing speed slowed as he entered his response.
Yu Tu: Thank you.
Yu Tu: You should sleep now.
Yu Tu: Tomorrow we start Ranked Match.
Jingjing: ...Good night!
Yu Tu smiled, put down his phone, and got up to walk to the window.
The sky outside was pitch black, without a single star in sight. He recalled the day he went to see his parents—it was also such a dark night. He still remembered the sudden suffocation he felt when he pushed open the door of the hotel room.
Once, everything seemed within reach, so he took it all for granted, thinking he could solve anything. Growing up, perhaps, was about realizing that he wasn't so omnipotent after all.
He thought, he had already fulfilled himself. There should be no regrets.
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