Biting the Stars

[Main story complete] On a late-night shift at her part-time job, Lu Jiayi's classmate came into the shop and asked her to get a customer's WeChat contact. The customer was Cheng Yan, the guy she'd fallen for at first sight when she started school. With her classmate watching, she pressed her lips together and brought over the classmate's note along with the dessert. Cheng Yan lounged casually, his lowered eyes scanning the note. He smiled inscrutably, his tone cool and listless. "Don't do this sort of thing again." His cold expression was unmistakable. A flush of heat and mortifying embarrassment rushed to Lu Jiayi's face. She lowered her head and murmured, "Sorry." Then she hurried away. At last, her shift ended. As she closed the shop door, she caught sight of Cheng Yan in the dim light. He suddenly leaned in close, his handsome features filling her view. His voice was soft, tinged with helplessness. "I wasn't being mean to you." "Don't cry." - Lu Jiayi's best friend had always known: She'd fallen at first sight for a boy with long legs, a tall frame, and peach-blossom eyes, who had nothing but a handsome face to his name. When her friend found out they'd even exchanged WeChat contacts, she stared in horror. "Jiayi, get a grip! If that guy isn't a scammer, I'll let you kick my head around like a ball!" Lu Jiayi: … Later, her friend tried to take her mind off things by inviting her to see a newly released arthouse film. As the movie began, her friend gasped. "Wait, is he a new actor? He's got such a youthful vibe. Since when did the entertainment industry get a face this stunning?" On the screen, the young man wore a simple T-shirt and jeans washed nearly white. His peach-blossom eyes shimmered, and the mole by his collarbone was just barely visible. In a silent, ninety-second scene, even the way he looked at a dog seemed full of tenderness. Lu Jiayi felt as if she'd been struck by lightning. Her lips pressed into a tight line. "You're right." Her friend looked confused. "About what?" Lu Jiayi: "...A scammer." - Later, a colleague happened to glimpse her phone screen. "Reporter Lu, are you a fan?" She wasn't a fan. She was simply in love with a star, too afraid to get close. - At a game night in a bar booth after she'd started working, Lu Jiayi drew a truth card. The people around her egged her on, holding up a penalty card as they asked, "Reporter Lu, when was the last time you deleted someone from WeChat?" Lu Jiayi was momentarily dazed. She murmured, "I've never deleted anyone." When the game was over, she went to the restroom. As she came out, she spotted a tall, slender young man leaning in the dim hallway of the bar. As they brushed past each other, he looked at her quietly, his voice hoarse. "Liar." Theme: Become the moon, grow wings, and soar freely.