Not long after, Lin Xingchen finished showering and walked out of the bathroom.
Pei Qingjian looked at him and raised his hand from across the room.
“What are you doing?” Lin Xingchen asked, puzzled.
“I have something to say,” Pei Qingjian replied. “I want to speak.”
“Raising your hand to speak?” Lin Xingchen laughed.
“Because what I’m about to say is related to Ning Rong,” Pei Qingjian said in a lowered voice.
Lin Xingchen: …
Pei Qingjian lowered his hand and walked over to him. “Guess why I’m in this production right now?”
Lin Xingchen had been about to ask, but then remembered what he had just said. “It’s related to Ning Rong?”
Pei Qingjian nodded. “Yeah.”
“She was the one who recommended me for the audition.”
Lin Xingchen: …
“After that, she’s taken good care of me on set.”
Lin Xingchen: …
“I thought about the timeline—it must have been after I met your aunt. Your aunt probably mentioned me to her, and then when the actor for ‘Luo Fei’ had an issue, she recommended me among the audition candidates. That’s how it happened.”
“So what are you trying to say?” Lin Xingchen looked at him.
Pei Qingjian met his gaze. “I think she definitely doesn’t dislike you.”
“Otherwise, why would she recommend me? And after I actually got the role, she kept helping me and guiding me. We didn’t know each other at all—if she’s doing this, it can only be because of you.”
Lin Xingchen: …
He felt that was impossible. Ning Rong had never even guided him—why would she do it for Pei Qingjian because of him?
“Maybe my aunt didn’t tell her? Maybe she just somehow heard about you and recommended you for the audition.”
“Do you think that’s possible?” Pei Qingjian pointed at himself. “With my level of fame? Where would she even have heard of me—some random corner of the world?”
Lin Xingchen: …That actually made sense.
But how could Ning Rong not dislike him?
The idea that Ning Yuan and Ning Rong didn’t like him was already deeply ingrained in his mind. Accepting that someone didn’t like you wasn’t hard—so Lin Xingchen had long since accepted it.
“I think you’re overthinking. I understand my family better than you do.”
Pei Qingjian tilted his head. “Then I’ll go ask her tomorrow—how she found out about me and why she recommended me.”
Lin Xingchen: ???
Lin Xingchen looked at him, thinking he really was something.
“Aren’t you afraid it’ll be awkward?”
Pei Qingjian shrugged. “What’s there to be awkward about? I’ll just ask calmly—she’s not going to eat me.”
Lin Xingchen: …
Watching how open and straightforward he was, Lin Xingchen thought to himself—he really is shamelessly at ease.
“Go ahead and ask then. It definitely won’t be the answer you’re hoping for.”
Pei Qingjian chuckled. “You never know~”
The next day, after arriving on set, Pei Qingjian waited for a long time—but Ning Rong didn’t come to him before filming like she usually did.
Normally, she would rehearse lines with him in advance and point out where he hadn’t performed well. Now, she sat far away, head lowered, reading her script.
What’s going on? Pei Qingjian blinked.
But since Luo Fei and Luo Rong had a scene together that day, it wasn’t long before the director called them over to explain the scene.
Pei Qingjian listened attentively. After filming, he stopped Ning Rong as she turned to return to her resting area.
“Sister Ning, I have something I want to ask you.”
Ning Rong looked at him, a little surprised, but didn’t refuse. She followed him aside.
It was almost 11 a.m. Actors without scenes had returned to their trailers, and staff were busy clearing props. There weren’t many people around. The two of them had always had a good relationship, so no one found it strange.
“Why didn’t you come find me earlier to rehearse?” Pei Qingjian asked gently.
“It’s nothing,” Ning Rong said vaguely, unsure whether Lin Xingchen had told him about their relationship. “I slept late last night—my head hurts a bit.”
That wasn’t entirely a lie. She had indeed slept very late, and when she woke up, her forehead had been aching for no clear reason.
“Oh.” Pei Qingjian nodded. “Then you should get some rest earlier tonight.”
“Mm.”
“And also,” he looked at her, “I wanted to ask—was it you who recommended me for the audition?”
“…Yes.” Ning Rong paused, then nodded.
She seemed a little embarrassed and lowered her head. “I’m sorry.”
Pei Qingjian was confused. “Why are you apologizing to me?”
“Why would you think I’d blame you?” Pei Qingjian looked at her, even more confused.
“I mean… recommending you for the audition…”
Pei Qingjian laughed. “Of course not. If it weren’t for your recommendation, I wouldn’t have gotten into such a good production. If anything, I should be thanking you.”
“No, no,” Ning Rong said quickly. “I only recommended you because I wanted to meet you. Of course… I also thought about it—this is a really good opportunity. If you got the role, it would help your acting career.”
“You wanted to meet me?” Pei Qingjian asked. “Why?”
Ning Rong: …
“Oh~” Pei Qingjian nodded knowingly. “Was it because Xingchen’s aunt mentioned me to you, so you got curious?”
Ning Rong looked at him. “You know?”
“A little.” He raised his hand and pinched his fingers together to indicate “just a bit.”
Ning Rong let out a quiet breath of relief and nodded. “Mm. My—well, she mentioned you to us. My brother has also met you before, so I wanted to meet you too.”
“You have a brother?” Pei Qingjian was surprised. So Zhou Man had actually brought two children.
Wait… she said “sister”?
Was she referring to Zhou Man?
So although they were mother and daughter, they addressed each other as sisters?
Why?
Ning Rong looked at him. “Didn’t Xingchen tell you about my brother?”
Pei Qingjian shook his head. “He only mentioned a little.”
Ning Rong nodded slightly. As expected—compared to her, Xingchen disliked her brother even more.
“I thought he wouldn’t want you to keep interacting with me, so I didn’t come to find you this morning. Of course,” she added quickly, “it’s also true that I slept late and had a headache.”
Pei Qingjian blinked. “So… you acted like that this morning because of him?”
“Mm. Recommending you for the audition was my own decision—I overstepped. That was my mistake. Now that he’s here, if he sees me, there’s a high chance he’ll be unhappy. I didn’t want to make him even more upset.”
Pei Qingjian: ???
He looked at her as she lowered her head while speaking.
“So you kept your distance from me because you thought he’d be unhappy if you came to me? That’s why you didn’t rehearse with me either?”
“Mm.”
Pei Qingjian: …
“So you don’t want him to be unhappy?”
“Mm.”
“You don’t dislike him.”
“Of course not.”
“Do you… actually like him quite a lot?”
Ning Rong looked up.
Pei Qingjian was smiling at her.
For a moment, she didn’t know how to answer.
Did she like him? Of course she did.
But he didn’t like her. So her feelings… didn’t really matter.
“Ning Rong!” someone called out.
She glanced in that direction, then back at Pei Qingjian. “I’m going.”
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
Ning Rong pressed her lips together, then slowly nodded.
“But he doesn’t like me,” she said. “So don’t mention me in front of him. He came to see you—don’t let his visit turn into something unpleasant because of me.”
With that, she turned and walked toward the person who had called her.
Pei Qingjian watched her back, then slowly took out his phone.
Perfect. He’d recorded everything.
He smiled, glanced at the shooting schedule—his next scene wasn’t until 4 p.m., still five hours away. Since the hotel was close by and he was thinking about Lin Xingchen, he didn’t stay on set and instead got into his car and headed back.
—
Lin Xingchen had just woken up and was about to go find him when Pei Qingjian returned.
“Done filming?” Lin Xingchen asked.
“Finished the morning scenes. There’s another one this afternoon, but there’s a long break in between, so I came back first. Have you eaten? What do you want? My treat.”
Lin Xingchen hadn’t eaten yet. It was nearly lunchtime—he had planned to go to the set to find him and eat together. Now that Pei Qingjian was back, they could eat together anyway.
“Anything’s fine,” Lin Xingchen said.
Pei Qingjian ordered Cantonese takeout from a nearby place—he remembered their dim sum was pretty good.
“When I got to set this morning, Ning Rong suddenly kept her distance from me,” he began, intending to tell him what he had found out.
But Lin Xingchen just let out a light laugh. “See? I told you. If she had known our relationship earlier, she wouldn’t have helped you.”
Pei Qingjian: ???
At that moment, Pei Qingjian felt like he finally understood where the problem between them lay.
“Do you two not talk at all normally?”
“No,” Lin Xingchen said matter-of-factly. “She doesn’t like me, and I don’t like her. So naturally, we don’t interact much.”
Pei Qingjian: …
“Ning Rong said she has a brother?”
“Mm.” Lin Xingchen nodded. “You’ve met him too—when we went out for Japanese food before.”
Pei Qingjian suddenly realized—that guy. No wonder Ning Rong had looked familiar to him.
“They both have the surname Ning. Does their father have the same surname?”
Lin Xingchen actually didn’t know. Zhou Man had always said they took their mother’s surname, but considering she had also claimed they were her siblings to hide the truth, who knew how much of that was real?
“I’m not sure.”
“Ning Rong calls your aunt ‘sister’?”
“Mm. They’ve always addressed each other as siblings.”
“Why? There are plenty of single mothers these days—it’s not something that needs to be hidden. And all three of them agreed to it?”
Lin Xingchen: …
He frowned. “How would I know?”
It couldn’t really be just to make marriage easier… right?
But… thinking about it, Lin Xingchen recalled how Zhou Man usually treated him.
She had always been kind to him—he could feel it. And because of that, he didn’t want to jump to conclusions or think badly of her without reason.
Pei Qingjian let out a sigh. Fair enough—they didn’t usually interact, so it made sense that Lan Xingchen wouldn’t know.
He took out his phone and picked up where he’d left off. “I asked Ning Rong about it—about my audition.”
Lan Xingchen: ???
“Didn’t you just say she stayed really far away from you this morning? And you still went to her to ask about your audition?”
“What else was I supposed to do?” Pei Qingjian looked puzzled.
Lan Xingchen crossed his arms, completely justified. “Obviously, you ignore her too.”
He added, “If someone’s already putting distance between you, why would you go up to them?”
Pei Qingjian: …See? He knew this was the problem.
“How about you just listen to what Ning Rong actually said?”
“What else could she possibly say? That she didn’t know about your relationship with me before, but now that I’ve shown up, she can’t keep guiding you anymore? Maybe she’ll politely apologize, say you’re innocent, but things are what they are, so there’s nothing she can do. Am I right?”
“No, you are not.” Pei Qingjian almost laughed. “What exactly is going on in your head?”
“Is this how you two usually are? No communication, just making things up?”
No wonder they both thought the other disliked them.
Pei Qingjian set his phone on the table and opened the audio recording. “Just listen.”
Lan Xingchen: ???
That immediately reminded him of the last time Pei Qingjian recorded a conversation—when he talked to Xu Ya.
“You really like recording things, huh?”
“Not really.” Pei Qingjian scratched his head. “It’s just… sometimes I’m worried I won’t relay things accurately, so I record it directly.”
“Anyway, just listen. Once you’re done, you’ll understand where the problem between you two is.”
“There’s still a problem?” Lan Xingchen muttered. “And you even know where it is? What ‘where’? Everything between us is a problem.”
Even so, he listened carefully.
But the more he listened, the stranger his expression became.
By the time the recording ended, his face could only be described as complicated.
“You heard it, right?” Pei Qingjian looked at him. “She wanted to see me and help my career, that’s why she recommended me for the audition. She stayed farther away because she thought being close to me would make you unhappy. She doesn’t dislike you at all—in fact, she kind of likes you. That’s why she wanted to meet me and even help me.”
“There’s definitely a misunderstanding between you two.”
“You’ve got mouths for a reason—why don’t you talk? Instead, you just keep overthinking. If that doesn’t lead to problems, what would?”
Lan Xingchen: …
He looked incredulous. “What if she knew you were recording and deliberately said all that?”
Pei Qingjian: ???
Pei Qingjian laughed. “Why would she deliberately say that?”
“If she clearly said she hated you, wouldn’t that annoy me—your friend—and you as well? Why go out of her way to pretend she likes you? Would you ever tell her friends that you actually like her? Even as a joke?”
Of course not, Lan Xingchen thought. But still…
How could Ning Rong possibly like him?
Impossible. Something had to be off.
“If she doesn’t dislike me, then why is it that whenever she’s talking with her brother and I walk by, they stop talking and just stare at me, like they’re afraid I’ll overhear something?”
Pei Qingjian thought for a moment. “Is it possible they want to talk to you but don’t know what to say? If they really didn’t like you and were afraid you’d overhear, why would they look at you at all? Wouldn’t it make more sense to just ignore you or walk away?”
Lan Xingchen: …
“Then what about this—one time I made fries. I kindly asked her brother if he wanted some, and he told me to eat them myself. Then the next day, the two of them were in the kitchen making fries together, saying theirs tasted better than mine from the air fryer. And not only that, he specifically put them right in front of me. Isn’t that just showing off and mocking me?”
Pei Qingjian: …
“Is it possible he knew you liked fries, so he made some for you, and that’s why he put them in front of you? As for them tasting better than air fryer fries… were they deep-fried?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then yeah, they probably do taste better.” Pei Qingjian looked at him. “I’ve tried both—fried food really needs oil.”
Lan Xingchen: …
“And what about when I just passed my CET-4, and they started bragging about their CET-6 scores? How do you explain that?”
“Did they refuse to tutor you?”
“They didn’t say anything. Just talked about how high their scores were.”
“Maybe they knew you didn’t like them, so they were worried that if they offered to help, you’d feel awkward refusing. Were your aunt or uncle there when this happened?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then maybe they were afraid that if they offered to tutor you, your aunt or uncle would immediately agree for you. Then you’d be stuck—if you refused, you’d feel bad because the elders had already accepted; if you didn’t refuse, you’d be unhappy. So they just mentioned their scores instead. That way, if you wanted help, you could ask them yourself.”
Lan Xingchen: …
He stared at him. “Whose side are you on? Did they send you as reinforcements?”
Pei Qingjian quickly hugged his arm, smoothing things over. “I’m obviously on your side. That’s why I’m helping you analyze this.”
“Look at you—you’re handsome, smart, capable. There’s no reason they wouldn’t like you.”
“And take this morning, for example. Ning Rong moved farther away because she didn’t want to make you unhappy. But she wouldn’t explain that herself, so of course you interpreted it as her finding out about our relationship and disliking you by association. See? That’s how misunderstandings happen.”
Lan Xingchen: …
He still felt like something wasn’t quite right.
The idea that Ning Rong and Ning Yuan disliked him had taken root in Lan Xingchen’s heart like a buried root—so deep that even now, with Ning Rong’s recorded words right in front of him, he still couldn’t believe it.
One memory after another flashed through his mind. Then, as if recalling something, he turned to Pei Qingjian.
“What about the day before yesterday?”
“It was my uncle’s birthday—and neither of them showed up.”
“If they don’t dislike me, and they don’t dislike my uncle, then why didn’t they come?”
“Maybe they were busy?” Pei Qingjian suggested.
“I checked your schedules. Ning Rong barely had any scenes that day. And besides—once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, but three times? This is already the third year.”
Lan Xingchen grew annoyed. “Problems between younger people shouldn’t drag the elders into it. I go to my aunt’s birthday every year, but they’ve skipped my uncle’s birthday three years in a row. Does that make any sense?”
…That really didn’t sound right.
Still holding onto his arm, Pei Qingjian asked, “Then what about three years ago? Did something happen on that birthday?”
“Your uncle and aunt have been married for more than three years, which means they didn’t start out skipping it. So why did they suddenly stop going these past three years? Did something happen back then?”
“What could’ve happened? Three years ago, I was just a senior in college, I—”
Lan Xingchen paused.
He remembered.
He remembered that birthday, three years ago.
He had arrived late that day. When he got there, he found that only his uncle and Zhou Man were in the house.
He was a little confused, but he didn’t ask where Ning Yuan and Ning Rong were.
He always avoided bringing them up—if he could, he wouldn’t mention them at all. Partly because he didn’t know how to address them, and partly because he felt they didn’t like him, so why bring them up?
Instead, Wen Yuan spoke first.
“This year, it’s just the three of us.”
He explained, “Xiao Rong is filming out of province. The production team didn’t give her leave, and I didn’t think it was worth the trouble of traveling back and forth, so I told her to stay on set.”
“As for Xiao Yuan, the weather where he is has been bad. All his flights were canceled. He said he could take the high-speed train back, but it would take too long—especially since he’d have to rush back again after today to continue negotiating contracts. So I told him not to bother, just stay at the hotel. As long as the thought is there, that’s enough.”
“So this year, it’s just the three of us.” As he said this, he reached out and ruffled Lan Xingchen’s hair.
Lan Xingchen felt a sudden flicker of happiness.
It had been a long time since he’d celebrated a birthday like this with his uncle.
Ever since his uncle married Zhou Man, every birthday had been a group celebration.
Which was normal—although Ning Yuan and Ning Rong were technically younger siblings, in reality they were like children, so of course they would come.
But now, they weren’t there.
Lan Xingchen nodded, hiding his happiness as he chatted with Wen Yuan.
Before long, Zhou Man finished cooking, and the three of them sat down to eat and have cake.
Halfway through the meal, Wen Yuan suddenly thought of something.
“Do you want to watch fireworks?”
“Now?” Zhou Man asked in surprise.
Lan Xingchen was also confused.
Wen Yuan smiled. “I met a fireworks factory owner a couple of days ago—he gave me a batch of fireworks. Perfect timing, I can set them off for you now.”
“Sure,” Zhou Man agreed.
The three of them quickly finished eating and went outside to prepare the fireworks.
Wen Yuan lit two first, then handed the lighter to Lan Xingchen.
Lan Xingchen took it and lit the fuse.
Blue fireworks shot into the sky, bursting into star-like shapes, cascading like a curtain of light before fading into the night.
Like his name.
Wen Yuan smiled and pulled him close. “This one’s nice. When the New Year comes, I’ll ask for more.”
Lan Xingchen turned to look at him. Wen Yuan was smiling brightly.
Zhou Man seemed to notice too, and said with delight, “It looks just like Xingchen’s name. Truly—‘stars sinking beneath the sea, yet appearing in the sky.’”
Her voice was gentle, her gaze warm. Influenced by both of them, Lan Xingchen couldn’t help but smile as well.
Looking at the two people in front of him, he suddenly felt, in a daze, that they were like a perfectly ordinary family of three.
A successful father, a gentle mother, and a son about to graduate from college.
Simple.
Happy.
He lifted his head again to watch the fireworks blooming across the sky, his smile clear and bright.
And all of it—
was shattered the moment Ning Yuan pushed the door open.
Like a fleeting illusion—like a reflection of the moon in water—gone in the blink of an eye.
In that instant, Lan Xingchen felt a sudden pang of guilt.
He had been happy that Ning Yuan and Ning Rong were absent, secretly glad they couldn’t make it, enjoying the time alone with Wen Yuan and Zhou Man.
For a fleeting moment, when Ning Yuan appeared, he had even thought—
Why is he back? Wasn’t he supposed to be unable to make it?
But Ning Yuan had come back to celebrate his uncle’s birthday.
He should have been happy for his uncle.
Lan Xingchen lowered his head, shifting his gaze to the dark night sky.
The fireworks had already ended. Only the faint smell of smoke lingered in the air.
Wen Yuan looked surprised. “Xiao Yuan, how did you make it back? Are flights running again over there?”
“Yeah,” Ning Yuan replied. “Happy birthday, brother-in-law.”
“Good,” Wen Yuan said with feeling. “It’s a pity you came late—the fireworks are already over. Otherwise, you could’ve watched them with us.”
“I saw them from a distance just now,” Ning Yuan said with a smile. “I was even wondering whose fireworks were so beautiful.”
Wen Yuan chuckled softly. Zhou Man, meanwhile, asked with concern, “You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Luckily we’re not done. Xingchen even bought a cake—come inside.”
“Okay,” Ning Yuan replied.
He glanced at Lan Xingchen.
Ever since he appeared, Lan Xingchen hadn’t smiled again.
Just moments ago, when Ning Yuan first walked in, he had been laughing happily with Zhou Man and Wen Yuan.
But now, he had already withdrawn that smile.
Ning Yuan suddenly wasn’t sure whether taking the high-speed train back had been the right choice.
He treasured Wen Yuan as his brother-in-law, so even though Wen Yuan had told him not to trouble himself and said that the thought alone was enough, he still bought a ticket and rushed back.
The journey was long, but Ning Yuan didn’t feel tired. He thought—he had finally gained the family he had now, especially people like Wen Yuan and Lan Xingchen. No matter how far it was, he wanted to come back.
But Lan Xingchen’s happiness seemed to have stopped the moment he arrived.
Maybe, just like Wen Yuan had said, staying at the hotel would have been the better choice.
Ning Yuan quietly entered, gave Wen Yuan his gift and birthday wishes.
Lan Xingchen just ate his cake in silence.
He was blaming himself—blaming himself for that selfish thought he’d had earlier, the thought that Ning Yuan shouldn’t have come back.
Looking back now… had Ning Yuan already seen through him at that moment?
Was that why, starting the following year, he and Ning Rong stopped appearing at his uncle’s birthday?
At the time, Lan Xingchen hadn’t thought anything was wrong.
His uncle had said they were tied up with work. They had already video-called him in the morning to wish him a happy birthday and had sent their gifts.
Lan Xingchen hadn’t thought much of it, hadn’t cared. He had even secretly hoped that, just like the year before, Ning Yuan might show up before the night ended.
But he didn’t.
That year, Ning Yuan and Ning Rong never appeared—not even by the end of the night.
At home, it was just him, Wen Yuan, and Zhou Man. And Lan Xingchen had been… happy.
He sat beside Wen Yuan, talking and laughing, and even stayed the night at Wen Yuan’s villa.
But another year passed, and he matured a little. Their absence no longer felt like a quiet, hidden joy—it started to feel like a kind of disrespect toward his uncle.
Otherwise, why couldn’t they find a way to come back?
That dissatisfaction built up, until this year—when Ning Yuan and Ning Rong were absent again—it reached its peak.
But now…
Lan Xingchen suddenly wondered—could it be…
He looked at Pei Qingjian, describing the situation as objectively as he could, then asked in the same casual tone as before, “So how do you explain this?”
Pei Qingjian tilted his head. “Could it be that… they thought you’d be happier if they didn’t come?”
“Especially since you had already moved out from your uncle’s place back then, and you didn’t get to spend as much time together anymore. So maybe they wanted the time you did have with your uncle to be as happy as possible.”
“My guess is—they probably sent their wishes and gifts during the day…”
“And left the entire evening for you.”