Chu Lulin curled his lips slightly and half-jokingly replied, "Okay, then I'll take that seriously."
Jian Ran smiled back. "Don't worry, take it seriously."
The weather forecast had been accurate—tonight was indeed a rare, wonderful night for stargazing. The stars were scattered like glittering pearls and agates, shimmering brightly, like a dream.
Neither of them spoke. They just sat quietly, gazing up at the star-filled sky.
Chu Lulin quietly withdrew his gaze and looked down at the person beside him. At that moment, the darkness in his eyes shone brighter than the stars above.
Jian Ran rested her chin on her hands, staring at the night sky. Suddenly, she thought of summer nights as a child when the whole family sat in the yard watching the stars, and she felt a pang of emotion.
She pointed at the brightest star near the moon and said, "When I was little, my maternal grandmother told me that if you make a wish on the brightest star, it will come true. Back then, whenever I wanted something, I would make a wish on a star, and soon after, it would come true."
Without a doubt, those things were bought by family members—sometimes my maternal grandparents, sometimes my parents, sometimes my uncle and aunt. But at the time, I didn't understand. I thought the stars had granted my wishes.
Such a naive, innocent age.
"And now?" Chu Lulin turned slightly to face her. "Do you still believe?"
Jian Ran was silent for a few seconds. "Yes."
It's just that I no longer make wishes easily. But the love of my family behind those wishes—I will always believe in that.
Chu Lulin lowered his head and smiled. "That's good."
Jian Ran smiled too. She understood what his 'that's good' meant.
Only as an adult did she realize how rare and blessed it was to still hold on to a bit of childlike innocence.
The distant mountains were especially quiet in the night, and everything around was still. Listening to the whisper of the wind, her heart felt unusually at peace.
A gust of night wind swept through. Jian Ran pulled her jacket tighter, her gaze drifting past Chu Lulin's slender neck and landing on his face.
Cool brows, a straight nose bridge, a smooth jawline, and those nearly perfect lips...
Jian Ran abruptly looked away.
After a moment to compose herself, she let out a soft laugh.
She must be going crazy.
"What's wrong?" Chu Lulin didn't understand why she suddenly laughed and looked at her quizzically.
Jian Ran shook her head, her lowered lashes hiding the guilt in her eyes. "Nothing. I just think the night is too beautiful."
That's right. It was the night's beauty and the dazzling stars that had clouded her mind.
*
It was well past midnight by the time they returned to the villa. Jian Ran fell into bed as soon as she got back and slept until almost ten the next morning.
After a quick wash, she decided to go to the restaurant for an early lunch. But as soon as she stepped out, she ran into Jiang Man, who was doing stretching exercises in the hallway.
"Awake? I thought you'd sleep until afternoon."
Jian Ran pointed at her stomach. "Hunger woke me up. Otherwise, I might have."
Jiang Man laughed. "Are you free tonight? Let me treat you to a drink at the villa's bar."
Jian Ran raised an eyebrow. "What's with the sudden invite to drink? Something up?"
Jiang Man bent her knee into a forward lunge stretch. "Nothing major. I'm leaving in a couple of days, so consider it a farewell drink."
Jian Ran was taken aback. She almost said 'That soon?' but then realized she had already been here over half a month. Jiang Man had arrived even earlier. When she thought about it, it had been quite a while.
Looking back, she herself found it hard to believe. Given her state when she first arrived—half-dead—who would have thought she'd spend such a comfortable and enjoyable time here?
She almost didn't want to go back.
Of course, much of that was thanks to Chu Lulin, her butler, who kept her company, ate with her, played with her, chatted, and eased her worries.
Jian Ran decided that when she left, she would give him a generous tip out of her own pocket to acknowledge his work.
"Oh, and remember to bring Xiao Chu along," Jiang Man added.
"Okay."
The bar in the villa was a small, quiet one with regular live singers. Guests could come in the evening to listen to music and have a few drinks to pass the time.
Jian Ran arrived a bit early, before the agreed time. She ordered a drink and found an empty table to sit at.
The waiter quickly brought her orange juice. Jian Ran knew it was strange to order orange juice at a bar, but she didn't have a high tolerance for alcohol. She'd probably have to drink a little tonight, so she didn't want to use up her limited capacity prematurely.
She took a sip through the straw and nodded in satisfaction. It tasted pretty good—freshly squeezed.
It wasn't yet the bar's official opening time, so there were very few people inside—just a couple of tables scattered around. There was no live singer on stage; only some soothing instrumental music played through the speakers.
"Are you sure he'll come?"
"Relax~ I've found out. Chu Lulin will definitely be here tonight."
Hearing a familiar name, Jian Ran was startled and instinctively glanced at the table next to her.
Two girls were sitting there, looking quite young. One of them seemed familiar. After a closer look, Jian Ran realized it was the girl she had bumped into the other day—the one who confessed to Chu Lulin.
From the looks of it, she hadn't given up yet.
To be honest, Jian Ran was quite surprised. Chu Lulin had made his stance clear that day, yet this girl was still so persistent.