Chapter 53

Chapter 53

The foster mother was pushed to the doorway, her hands braced against the doorframe, a fawning smile on her face:

"Qingqing, aren't you and Feiyao on good terms? I remember you saying Brother Feiyao was handsome and knowledgeable, so why have you changed your mind now? You're not still mad at him over what happened, are you? It's been so long, you should let it go."

"I'll say it again: I'm not against an alliance with the Nan family, but if you like it, you do it." Shen Lanqing pushed her out and slammed the door shut.

Before, he might have been naively coaxed into marriage by his mother, but now he was certain that his only purpose was to make Shen Gali happy.

Yu Huaisu and Nan Feiyao were still waiting for Shen Lanqing's response, only to hear the foster mother on the phone saying he disagreed. She said he was just acting up and would be persuaded eventually, telling them to wait for good news.

Nan Feiyao listened, feeling deeply dejected. He knew in his heart that Shen Lanqing wasn't just being stubborn; his heart was no longer with him. Clinging to unrealistic hopes was like a moth drawn to a flame—in the end, he'd get burned to a crisp.

Just then, he overheard his father, Nan Feng, on the phone with his older brother, saying that tonight was the peak of the Taurus meteor shower, and telling Nan Liujing to take Shen Gali to watch it. He specifically mentioned that many people would gather at the First Beach, but according to his assistant, the view at Aiqin Dam was wider. However, because of the reefs and lack of a sandy beach, few were willing to go there. He instructed Nan Liujing to take Shen Gali to Aiqin Dam for the meteor shower.

A scheme formed in his mind. Nan Feiyao quickly sent a message to Shen Lanqing:

"Qingqing, come to Aiqin Dam tonight. I have something to tell you about your brother."

Naive as ever, Shen Lanqing would do anything for his brother. He confirmed the time and headed straight to the bathroom to get ready.

Meanwhile.

Nan Liujing hung up and muttered, "How childish."

A meteor shower? How old-fashioned and cheesy.

The driver, Mr. Yang, asked curiously, "Was that the old master on the phone?"

"Yeah, he said there's a meteor shower tonight and told me to take Shen Gali to see it."

Mr. Yang’s face lit up: "Young master, you can't miss this great chance to get closer to him. Just say the word, and I'll call to have the beach cleared right now."

Nan Liujing scoffed dismissively: "It's just comet debris burning up in the atmosphere. Is that supposed to be romantic?"

Mr. Yang: Tsk, a science geek.

"Enough, I don't want to talk about boring topics. You'll do something for me tonight," Nan Liujing said casually.

Mr. Yang accepted the order, on the verge of crying. You don't want to see the meteor shower, but this old man still does. And now you're sending me away again.

Mr. Yang prepared dinner, gave a few brief instructions, and drove off overnight to a neighboring city.

Last night, Shen Gali and Nan Liujing had returned home. Bai Wei went abroad to attend an awards ceremony and would be away for nearly two weeks. Now, the vast mansion was left with only Nan Liujing and Shen Gali.

Without Mr. Yang's reminders, Shen Gali was even less inclined to eat dinner.

He holed up in his room hugging an iPad, watching a family drama Bai Wei had starred in years ago. In it, she played a character who was abandoned by her husband and mocked by his mistress, then schemed to take over another family, causing the protagonist's family to be ruined, seizing half their shares, and driving away the protagonist's children. Right when she was at the peak of her success, her only son teamed up with the protagonist to expose all her misdeeds, reclaim the shares, leaving her abandoned and ultimately imprisoned.

Shen Gali was watching the climactic scene where Bai Wei's character hysterically demanded why her son had betrayed her, claiming everything she did was for him, and asking why she couldn't retaliate in kind when others had taken her family away.

Perhaps Bai Wei's acting was too explosive, the veins on her neck visible as she screamed in despair.

Initially, viewers had spammed the bullet comments wanting her character dead, but those two tears at the end tugged at everyone's heartstrings. Though they couldn't forgive her actions in the drama, they couldn't help but admire her brilliant performance. It was this role that won Bai Wei her first Best Actress award.

Shen Gali paused the video on his mother's tear-streaked face, hugging the iPad tightly. Despite hating her character, he couldn't help feeling a pang of sympathy when she became the target of everyone's criticism.

That expression reminded him of when he was nine years old. He had thrown his backpack and asked his mother why he didn't have a father, why everyone laughed at him and looked down on him. She had worn the same look of despair and heartbreak.

It was the one thing he regretted most.

Shen Gali took a deep breath, forcing his tears back.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Nan Liujing sitting at the door, staring at him impassively.

"Come down and eat," Nan Liujing said.

Shen Gali hugged the iPad and rolled over, replying mentally: Piss off.

Even though they had just been talking about dinner, Nan Liujing abruptly changed the subject.

He lightly ran his fingers along the wheelchair armrest, his gaze darting aside: "Maybe... you're interested in astronomy?"

Shen Gali: "Not interested. When you leave, please close the door for me."

"Why not? That's how it is in TV dramas. The male and female leads always have some refined hobby." Nan Liujing's voice unconsciously rose.

Shen Gali made a disgusted face.

Wake up. You're just a tragic villain, and I'm just a hated cannon-fodder character. Why are we copying the hero and heroine with hobbies?

Seeing that Shen Gali was determined to ignore him, Nan Liujing said, "Your hourly wage is three hundred and seventy-five yuan. Overtime is double, so seven hundred and fifty yuan an hour after five. I'm buying three hours of your time, so I need to pay you two thousand two hundred and fifty yuan. What do you think?"

Shen Gali silently imagined the scales in his mind.

Three hours outside vs. 2250 yuan. Which weighed more?

After a moment, Shen Gali made his decision: "Fine, but there's one condition. I want to lie down."

Nan Liujing: …?

He thought Shen Gali was just joking, until he saw him pack up his bed, tie it up, and carry it on his back...

On the road, Driver Yang kept chattering: "I heard the Taurus meteor shower peaks at nine o'clock. Wow, to be honest, I've lived over thirty years and never seen a meteor shower. Boss Nan, can I watch it with you?"

Nan Liujing thought, why don't you just go fly a kite?

"If you want to watch, go to the First Beach," Nan Liujing said icily.

"The First Beach is too crowded. I just came from there. Oh my god, it's packed solid, cars are stuck bumper to bumper. It's terrifying."

Nan Liujing narrowed his eyes, speaking almost word for word: "You. Go. To. The. First. Beach."

Driver Yang: ...

"Got it."

By eight at night, it was already pitch dark. Compared to the overcrowded First Beach, only a few people could be seen at Aiqin Dam. The endless reefs were hidden in the bluish twilight, and the crashing waves against the rocks produced a thunderous roar.

Before being transported into the novel, Shen Gali had lived not far from the sea, but he had spent most of his time in the hospital, rarely having the chance to visit the beach. He had once longed for the sea, hearing that the sound of the waves could wash all worries away. But now that he was actually here, he realized—

It was hard to walk.

Carrying the bedroll down the narrow, steep stairs, he stepped into a crevice in the reef, and his shoes immediately filled with water.

The reef surface, polished over millennia, looked as smooth as glass, but in the thick darkness, it was impossible to see the path. Coupled with a layer of slippery film left by the seawater, Shen Gali took one step and, with a crack, did the splits.

Driver Yang and Nan Liujing stared, stunned, from behind.

Who would have thought Shen Gali had that move? Doesn’t it hurt?

But for a long time, he didn’t get up, just lying there in a full split on the ground.

Nan Liujing asked, “That excited? Can’t wait to dance for the sea?”

Shen Gali slowly turned his head back, expression indifferent. “It hurts… can’t get up.”

Driver Yang held back a laugh and quickly helped him up, then turned to Nan Liujing, “Mr. Nan, let’s stop here. The reef group here is smooth and flat, and it’s low tide now, so the view is good too.”

Nan Liujing nodded.

Driver Yang jogged off to the parking lot, brought the astronomical telescope over, set it up, and was sweating from the effort, only to be ruthlessly dismissed by Nan Liujing: “You can head to First Bathing Beach now.”

“Got it. The seaside is windy with strong waves, and the ground is slippery and uneven. Be careful, you two.”

As Driver Yang left, Shen Gali had already made his bed on the reef, lying flat .jpg

This only confirmed to Nan Liujing that he was a man of his word. But the price of keeping that promise was that this bed was ruined.

In the darkness, two tall figures came down the small staircase. One of them saw the person lying on the ground and couldn’t wait to rush forward, but was quickly pulled back by the other.

“Don’t act rashly. Be careful not to expose our plan.”

As Shen Gali lay there, he felt the dampness under his bedroll growing. The late September night was already seeping with chill, especially by the sea. The salty sea breeze scraped across his skin, leaving a sticky, cold dampness.

He couldn’t stay lying down anymore.

He silently sat up and looked to the side. Nan Liujing was adjusting the controls on the telescope, his black hair and black clothes almost blending into the night, leaving only the outline of his profile, pale and distinct.

Asking out of nowhere if he liked astronomy, and now just focusing on his telescope. Boring.

Shen Gali got up, repacked his wet bedding, and planned to head back. It was uncomfortable lying here.

Just as he took a step, his wrist was grabbed.

“Take a look,” Nan Liujing finally lifted his head from the telescope.

Shen Gali wasn’t interested: “No. I’m going home.”

“Look once, triple overtime pay.”

Shen Gali left. Shen Gali came back.

He closed one eye and slowly leaned toward the lens—

In the pitch-black background, a golden circle shone like the sun, surrounded by a blue ring of light, with scattered particles of various sizes. It spun like a golden windmill, sprinkling tiny golden specks.

Shen Gali couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

He’d only seen this image in encyclopedias before, but seeing it firsthand through the telescope, his heart seemed to tremble violently.

Nan Liujing cleared his throat and explained seriously: “This is a galaxy in Ursa Major, 21 million light-years from Earth. It’s twice the size of the Milky Way, with over a trillion stars, about a hundred billion of which are larger than our sun.”

Shen Gali opened his mouth in disbelief, pressing closer to the lens to see more clearly.

“That many? Stars bigger than the sun?” The number a hundred billion was truly staggering.

“Yes. This is just a tiny corner of the universe. There’s so much more we don’t know.”

A wave of sadness washed over Shen Gali, and a trace of loss filled his heart: “When I was little, I thought Earth was huge. Then I learned the sun was even bigger. Now I know there are countless stars bigger than the sun.”

He stood up straight, gazing at the ink-splashed sky, murmuring: “When they look down at us, we’re so tiny we can’t even be noticed. Even if we disappear, no one would care.”

How unfortunate. In the end, he was still too insignificant, too unimportant to matter—a negligible existence in this vast universe.

So what was the point of humans struggling through life?

Nan Liujing smiled: “Yes. For those galaxies, even the sun’s disappearance would go unnoticed.”

Shen Gali froze. Whether it was the moisture carried by the sea breeze or the chill seeping into his heart, the scene before him gradually blurred.

“But,” Nan Liujing said, looking in the same direction into the distant sky, “do you know what would happen if the moon disappeared one day?”

Shen Gali remained silent. He didn’t know.

Nan Liujing said softly, “The first day the moon disappears, many people won’t notice. They’ll go on living as usual. But people living in coastal areas will sense it: the tides will be only a third of their original height. The marine ecosystem will be disrupted, and countless marine species will face extinction.”

Shen Gali’s fingers trembled. He suddenly looked up at Nan Liujing.

“The second day the moon disappears, Earth, lacking the moon’s gravitational pull, will spin faster. A 24-hour day will become eight hours. Day and night will blur. Even at night, it will be as bright as day. A year will stretch to a thousand days, and the seasons will lose their rhythm.”

“The third day the moon disappears, without the moon’s gravitational control, Earth’s axis will tilt. It might become mild all year round, or it might be perpetually freezing. Slowly, we’ll stop seeing the sun. Extreme weather will trigger a new ice age.”

Nan Liujing looked at Shen Gali, his dark eyes fixated on him alone, like a bright spot of light, radiant and alive.

“A month after the moon disappears, creatures that rely on the moon for food will go extinct. Meteorites will keep hurtling toward Earth. Humanity will suffer endless disasters until annihilation.”

Nan Liujing let out a light laugh, a glimmer of moisture in his eyes: “And all of this won’t affect the galaxies in the universe at all. But if the moon, which has accompanied the Sun for 4.5 billion years, disappears, life on Earth will spiral toward extinction.”

It was like a lecture on astronomy, or perhaps a veiled confession.

In Shen Gali’s silence, Nan Liujing wasn’t sure if he understood. He reached out, took his hand, and said with utmost seriousness, his gaze fixed only on him: “If you disappear, it’s not a matter of whether I can notice. It’s that I might, like Earth losing its moon, gradually head toward destruction.”

Shen Gali looked back at him. This time, he didn’t pull his hand away.

What does he mean? That if I disappear, it would affect him? Is that it? More bluntly—he doesn’t want me to disappear? Can I interpret it that way?

Seeing no response, Nan Liujing continued: “My name was given by my mother—Nan Liujing, a poetic name for the sun. She hoped I could shine with my own light, independent of anyone. For over twenty years, I believed I was the sun.”

“But later I realized I can’t be the sun. I can only be a third planet that needs the moon to balance its rotation.”

Shen Gali pondered for a moment before concluding: “The person you like has the character ‘moon’ in their name.”

Nan Liujing: “.”

“If you keep this up, I’ll really doubt your IQ.”

Shen Gali wasn’t actually dense. Of course, he understood. Nan Liujing was using the moon as a metaphor for him, expressing that he was significant in his heart.

It felt strange. They were strangers who had never even met before, who found each other annoying. But then one day, one of them jumps out and says to the other, “I can’t live without you.”

When did it start?

From the day he secretly met Hein and "happened" to bump into Nan Liujing? Or from the time he ran to the remote mountains, and Nan Liujing found him, embraced him, and whispered, "Let's go home."

Uncle Li once said he hoped they would look after each other for life. Back then, he felt the word "life" was distant and vague; he couldn't even imagine spending a lifetime with someone.

After being rushed into the emergency room countless times, he had long held one truth: Accidents always come sooner than the future. So he couldn't make promises to anyone, because failing to keep them would be like the biological father he never knew—passing that pain on to others.

"Shooting star! It's a shooting star!" Suddenly, a passerby nearby shouted excitedly.

In an instant, in the crowded central square and the crowded First Bathing Beach, everyone looked up at the sky in unison.

At exactly nine o'clock, the first Taurid meteor streaked across the pitch-black night sky, illuminating the heavens. A fragment the size of a mung bean, wrapped in a shimmering silver veil, tore through the sky, fleeting, then vanished into the long night. The sky returned to ink, leaving only the lingering white glow slowly dissipating.

The uproar of moments before fell into an abrupt silence. Everyone clasped their hands in prayer, silently making wishes in their hearts.

After a brief stillness, the second and third meteors shot together in the same direction.

Nan Liujing stared quietly at the trails left by the falling stars, and thought to himself:

I hope life treats you well.

He turned his head and saw Shen Gali sitting on a reef, hugging his knees. The sea breeze lifted his hair, half-covering his gently closed eyes.

As the meteor appeared, the sky brightened like daylight, illuminating his earnest profile and trembling lashes.

Nan Liujing curled his lips into a smile. Was he making a wish? What was he wishing for?

Shen Gali, almost holding his breath, thought:

I hope Mom's healthy. I hope cemetery prices go down soon. I hope... Nan Liujing follows a different path from the original novel.

Will this wish come true?

Hidden not far away, Shen Lanqing closed his eyes sincerely and made a wish: I hope my brother is always happy, without a care in the world.

Nan Feiyao followed, closing his eyes: I hope Lanqing and I have a harmonious future and grow old together, hand in hand.

At the First Bathing Beach, Driver Yang clasped his hands fervently: I hope for a raise, and that the boss stops calling me out in the dead of night.

Nan Liujing looked at Shen Gali, unable to contain his curiosity, and asked, "What did you wish for just now?"

Shen Gali didn't even glance at him. "Why don't you just ask for my card number."

Wishes don't come true if you say them out loud—don't try to pry it out of me.

Nan Liujing: "Then what's your card PIN?"

Shen Gali: "If you've got the guts, pry my mouth open with a jackhammer."

Nan Liujing: "You said it."

The next second, Shen Gali's chin was suddenly pinched, a rough hand forcing his head up.

His mouth was pried open, but with a tongue.

Nan Liujing's unique scent pressed in, overwhelming his reason, leaving only the soft warmth brushing against the burning inside of his mouth, working from the outside in, like a siege, sparking a fiery, endless tangle.

His consciousness grew dim, finally plunging into an endless abyss.

Not far away, Shen Lanqing had just finished his wish when he opened his eyes to this scene.

The meteor fragments didn't fall into the sea; they crashed into his body, tearing him apart.

His body stiffened little by little in the sea breeze, his icy fingers numb and immobile. The only warmth was the scalding tears spilling from his eyes.

Pain. His body felt torn apart.

Didn't my brother hate this person? Then why...

Beside him, Nan Feiyao watched the scene, then looked at Shen Lanqing's devastated face, a faint, dark smile curling at his lips.

The plan was unfolding more perfectly than he had imagined. Now was the time to seize the opportunity.

"Qingqing," he said, furrowing his brows in feigned concern as he pulled Shen Lanqing into his arms. "Don't look. Let's not look anymore."

Shen Lanqing wanted to look away even more, but he couldn't tear his gaze away.

He choked out, his voice breaking: "How could he do this to me..."

Nan Feiyao let out a long, gentle sigh, tenderly stroking his hair. "Even if they're not lovers, even strangers who see each other every day end up developing feelings, haven't you heard? Feelings grow over time."

Shen Lanqing couldn't accept it. The only hope that sustained him was that his brother and Nan Liujing had a bad relationship, a marriage in name only. But today, a meteor shower had shattered that sole hope.

"Qingqing, don't cry. I hate seeing you sad. I told you, for your happiness, I'd do anything." Nan Feiyao held him close, saying sweet words while laughing inside.

"There's no other way now. The only option is to drive them apart before their feelings deepen."

"How?!" Shen Lanqing grabbed him by the collar, almost hysterical. "Tell me how. I'll do it!"

Nan Feiyao held him with feigned pity. "Let's get married. If we join forces to get rid of this big problem—Nan Liujing—you'll have everything you want."

Shen Lanqing slowly straightened up, looking at him suspiciously.

"Once we're married, my mother and father will support us unconditionally. We're too weak now; we have to use others to carry out the plan, understand?" Nan Feiyao gazed deeply into Shen Lanqing's eyes, holding his shoulders as if to steady his wavering heart. "After the plan succeeds, we'll divorce. I won't disturb you. I'll let you go chase your own happiness, okay?"

Shen Lanqing's eyes darkened. In the corner of his eye, the nauseating kiss still lingered.

"Okay, I agree. My brother's happiness and mine—I'm putting it all in your hands."