You Are Deep in The Stars

Liu Chunchun’s hometown was a medium-sized city in the Northeast, with mountains and seas and pleasant scenery, making it a holiday resort. After getting off the plane, the two took a taxi to his home in the suburbs. It got dark early in the north, and the nights were long and the days short in winter. It was just after six o’clock in the evening, and the street lights were already on outside the car window.

“Look, my family used to live there,” Liu Chunchun pointed out. “This was my elementary school, but I heard it’s going to be demolished.”

The scene outside the window flashed by. Wang Yuanchen didn’t see clearly which building was which, but he finally realized one thing: this was the place where Liu Chunchun had lived since, he was a child. Every alley and every old tree here might have been inextricably tied to him.

This “discovery,” which wasn’t really a discovery, made Wang Yuanchen’s heart inexplicably quiet, as if he had inadvertently grasped a part of the person beside him—a part that was precious, worn, and slightly tinged with a yellowed old light.

Liu Chunchun’s parents were ordinary retired workers who lived in a small two-story earthen building in the suburbs. There was a large piece of land in the yard where flowers and fruits were planted every spring. At that moment, the kitchen was buzzing with pots and pans. While cooking, Mother Liu sent her husband out to pick up their son, urging him not to dawdle in the dark.

While the two were talking, a cheerful “Mom and Dad!” was heard in the yard. Liu Chunchun pulled Wang Yuanchen and ran inside, smiling and complaining, “It’s snowing, and no one came to pick us up.”

“Hello, uncle and aunt,” Mr. Wang finally remembered to greet them. This was advice Han Zhuo had volunteered in the company corridor the day before, tips on what to pay attention to when visiting someone for the first time.

“Such an energetic young man!” Mother Liu didn’t even take off her apron before she warmly grabbed his hand and guided him to sit in the living room. She smiled brightly and said, “Chunchun said he rents in your house, he doesn’t cause you any trouble, right?”

Before he could answer, she handed him a bowl of poached pears in sugar water and told him to eat slowly, assuring him dinner would be ready soon. Father Liu also brought over a fruit plate filled with a variety of fruits. He urged, “It’s warm in here; why are you still wearing your coat? Take it off, I’ll hang it up for you.”

“I can do it myself.” Wang Yuanchen stood up but hadn’t even finished removing his coat when it was taken from him. As soon as he sat down, an apple was peeled for him. They said it was brought from their hometown—natural and pollution-free. If he liked it, there were two more boxes in the cupboard.

“Dad, Dad, please calm down,” Liu Chunchun couldn’t take it anymore. “Go help Mom in the kitchen, okay?”

But his suggestion was declined because Father Liu had taken a liking to Mr. Wang, finding him tall, handsome, and with the charm of a movie star. If Aunt Li’s care had come head-on, then for the Liu family, their care was like a hot spring, engulfing him warmly and leaving him with nowhere to escape.

But Wang Yuanchen didn’t want to escape. Perhaps due to Liu Chunchun, he found this way of interacting quite agreeable, and Mother Liu’s cooking was delicious, from light boiled shrimp to sweet and sour pineapple meat, all Flavors he usually enjoyed—an uncanny coincidence.

This, of course, was because Liu Chunchun had sent countless text messages beforehand, detailing Mr. Wang’s tastes, temper, and personality, and warning them repeatedly not to try to introduce him to a girlfriend.

Dinner ended in a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere. Liu Chunchun’s duty of washing the dishes was taken over by Father Liu, who chased the two of them upstairs to rest.

“Is this how your family usually is?” Wang Yuanchen asked casually after returning to the bedroom.

“No, maybe they’re extra enthusiastic because you’re here,” Liu Chunchun replied with a smile. “Just get used to it.”

Wang Yuanchen said nothing. He glanced around the small pink bedroom with some evident distaste. Fortunately, Liu Chunchun had gotten used to his pickiness; he handed him new toiletries from the cabinet and sent him off to the bathroom.

At midnight, the wind and snow outside intensified, pounding against the glass as if a robber were trying to break in. The two of them laid side by side on the bed. After a while, Liu Chunchun suddenly asked in a low voice, “Are you asleep?”

Mr. Wang: “…”

Liu Chunchun fumbled around in the bedside table for a long time and finally took out two earplugs. In his mind, Mr. Wang was basically equivalent to the noble and reserved Swan Princess, someone who could feel a pea hidden under eighteen eiderdown quilts. Of course, he was also very likely to become anxious and suffer from insomnia because of the roaring wind.

Wang Yuanchen looked at him for a while and ordered with a blank expression, “From now on, you will completely shut up.”

Liu Chunchun responded obediently, “Oh.”

If he didn’t want it, then he didn’t.

Good night then.

Wang Yuanchen turned his back to him, revealing a section of his smooth neck under his pajamas.

So, Liu Chunchun looked at it with confidence and boldness. After all, no matter how invincible Ultraman was, he couldn’t have eyes on the back of his head. Mr. Wang’s hair looked very soft and touchable, which was completely opposite to his personality, and his skin was fair and smooth. There wasn’t even a small mole to be found, but when he thought of the crisscrossed scars on his back, Liu Chunchun began to feel infinite sympathy again, feeling more and more that the person next to him was very much like a princess in distress—not only as beautiful and proud as a swan adorned with diamonds and pearls, but also with a ready-made vicious queen as a stepmother.