When Shen Xingsui was running outside, he found that the other two people, Fu Jinxiao and Xu Qinke, were nowhere to be seen. At this time, the sky was already dark, and the afternoon sun began to slowly turn from golden yellow to a mixture of pink and orange. The afterglow fell on the castle, bringing beautiful colors to its walls and windows.
He ran all the way to the gate of the castle, panting heavily.
After pushing open the door, the hall of the castle was brightly lit, but it was very empty. There was no one except the cameramen. When going up the steps, he could even hear the echoes of his own footsteps, amplifying the loneliness. It’s like life – at first, you will be surrounded by friends, but at the end of your life, there’s only you alone to face death.
When he stepped into the top floor, he saw that there was already a person standing there.
“Teacher Fu?” He asked with squinted eyes.
The actor looked like he dressed for the ball. He put on a black, handsome tuxedo. With the afterglow of the setting sun as his stage lights, he looked like a real prince from fairy tale books.
“Your clothes…” Shen Xingsui took a sharp breath, and suddenly smiled, “It’s really like… it’s the first clothes I saw you in on ‘Starlight’ right?”
Fu Jinxiao didn’t answer his question. He only asked back, “At that time, what do you think of me?”
While calming down, Shen Xingsui recalled and replied, “At that time, I thought you were really, really handsome. You can shine brightly, like an untouchable prince. Like the moon, I can only gaze at you from afar.”
Fu Jinxiao curled his lips into a teasing smile, “It seems that I still have charm.”
Shen Xingsui blushed, “You are not bad in the first place.”
Fu Jinxiao seemed to be pleased. He waved at Shen Xingsui and said, “Have you brought the medals? I’ve already put four of them. Bring the remaining four and you can open the Moonlight Box.”
Shen Xingsui nodded and said, “I’ve brought it, and I’ll put it here.”
This Moonlight Box was very exquisitely made, but it’s actually not big at all. There were indentations to slot the medals in. When Shen Xingsui put the medals on it, the audience in the live broadcast room were very excited.
[Ahhhhhh, don’t do it.]
[Mr. Fu, don’t trust him!]
[Suisui is the Dark Lord’s minion!]
When all the eight medals were placed, the Moonlight Box was opened, revealing a small and exquisite wooden box inside. He picked up the small box, and when Fu Jinxiao was about to come over to take it, Shen Xingsui took the box away at a critical moment.
Fu Jinxiao looked at him in surprise.
It was the first time for Shen Xingsui to do something bad, and his heart was pounding. Holding the box in his hand, he faltered but still said his “evil speech”: “I am a subordinate of the Dark Lord! My task this time is to snatch the Moonlight Box. You are a step too late. Now it’s mine!”
After saying this, there was a moment of silence all around.
The warm sunlight of the evening sunset fell on the two of them. They were facing each other, and their shadows were stretched and intertwined, merging into one. Fu Jinxiao straightened up. Instead of being surprised, he pursed his lips and said, “Are you sure?”
Shen Xingsui was taken aback. But in the end, he nodded, “Of course!”
Fu Jinxiao stood up straight, the man still had a kind smile on his face, but no matter how he looked at it, it looked a bit like a cunning fox’s smile. “Okay, then it’s yours. Don’t go back on your word.”
Shen Xingsui’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and his reaction was late. He looked down at the box in his hand, thought of Fu Jinxiao’s famous insidiousness, and said with some hesitation, “Are there any dangerous items in this box?”
“Tsk…”
Fu Jinxiao sighed, and his tone seemed to be a little teasing, “Little minion, if you are curious, why don’t you open it and have a look.”
Now the audience has caught up on something fishy. But overall, they were amused by this development.
[Hahaha, the Dark Lord’s minion looked so baffled!]
[I knew the evil forces would not win.]
[It’s a good thing Mr. Fu didn’t take the box.]
Shen Xingsui hesitated for a moment, and glanced at the cameraman behind him. But the cameraman also shrugged his shoulders to express that he didn’t know. Shen Xingsui felt a little nervous for no reason, thinking that no matter how outrageous it was, it couldn’t really be something dangerous and frightening…
Taking a deep breath, he decided to open it.
The moment the wooden box bounced open, the Moonlight Box was considered as “opened”. Shen Xingsui froze in place when he saw the contents clearly.
He raised his head to look at Fu Jinxiao, and when he saw the other party’s gentle smile, he looked down at the box again. At first he was a little at a loss, then he couldn’t help laughing, his eyes slowly turned red.
Then, he laughed.
As the cameraman zoomed in, what appeared in the wooden box was revealed–
It’s a classic, elegant, and diamond-studded ring.
Shen Xingsui’s hand holding the box trembled a little. He looked at Fu Jinxiao and murmured, “You’re giving it to me?”
His gaze was firm, while his smile seemed to be filled with never-ending affection. “Well, if you snatched it, it’s yours. No take-backs.”
Shen Xingsui’s head was a little dazed, he was overwhelmed by the great joy and disbelief, making his speech stumble. “Bu- but isn’t this a prop for the real… reality show? Can you give it to me? Is, is it going to be returned? This is opened together with everyone’s medals, how can I…”
The director was finally able to come out from behind. He said with a big smile, “This is our ultimate award for this episode. Both the medals and the rings were sponsored by Fu Jinxiao, and we found an extremely well-known jewelry designer to design and craft it. All the guests of the program group contributed to the selection of the ring’s style~”
Shen Xingsui was stunned. “All… guests?”
“Of course!” The director nodded with a smile. Behind him, the other eliminated guests were finally able to climb the stairs of the castle. “They all contributed.”
Teacher Tuya sighed and said, “I really need to rack my brains to make an excuse to give you all the medals, you know?”
“Each of us got the medal yesterday after a lot of effort., Teacher Li joked, “As for all of us, we also I just want to say: as friends, everyone is happy for the two of you. When we are given a chance to give you an exciting proposal, of course we will join in.”
Shen Xingchen put hands on his waist and looked at Shen Xingsui. “Otherwise, I won’t accept not getting the traitor’s role once again. I have great acting skills, you know, I can’t waste that!”
Everyone was amused by his atmosphere-breaking king.
This was the last job before Fu Jinxiao withdrew from the circle. This was the last episode of the reality show “Bright Stars”. From the survival show to now, Shen Xingsui went from being questioned by everyone, being ridiculed by rabid fans, having unrequited love for decades… to this.
Fu Jinxiao was always one step ahead, but now, he matched his steps with Shen Xingsui’s. He gave his lover enough preference and frank admiration in front of the camera.
The wooden box was taken away from his hand, and Shen Xingsui looked at Fu Jinxiao with surprise.
Fu Jinxiao held the wooden box in his elegant hands, and he took out the ring from it. The man’s face was lowered. He used to smile languidly before, but at this moment, he restrained that feeling.
He looked at Shen Xingsui, locked their gaze, and tidied up the youth’s messy bangs. “Sorry, did I scare you?”
Shen Xingsui shook his head quickly, “No, no.”
“That’s good,” Fu Jinxiao smiled and said, “I used to talk to you a lot. And I do know that your biggest weakness is your lack of self-confidence. Later I realized it’s not easy to get rid of. So… rather than dragging things out, it’s better for us to settle this directly, so you can hold your chin up high.”
Shen Xingsui felt perceived. It’s a little uncomfortable, but what Fu Jinxiao said was true.
He had no sense of security. After what happened in his previous life, he had no family, no friends, and the whole world rejected him. He was a vicious cannon fodder, an existence that was not liked by others.
“I like you,” Fu Jinxiao’s low and pleasant voice rang in his ears. The man looked at him deeply, and corrected his confession, “No, I love you.”
—Even when Shen Xingsui was reborn.
At first, Shen Xingsui thought that God let him be reborn on the day he was driven out of the Jian family’s home because he was destined to be homeless again.
“I want to be together.” The two stood very close, their shadows also merged into one harmonious entity. The actor’s voice was indescribably gentle. “I moved away from home a long time ago to go out alone. I’m used to being lonely, and I never thought of anything else… but after being with you, I really want to have a family with you.”
“Suisui…”
Fu Jinxiao spoke his name with absolute reverence. Gently holding his hand, Fu Jinxiao slowly knelt on one knee, keeping his eyes fixed on Shen Xingsui’s red ones.
“Will you marry me?”
The afterglow of the setting sun casted a golden layer on the room.
The time was getting late, and the big clock on the castle slowly set the hands on the hour. The crisp and long reverberating bell rang, resounding throughout the entire castle.
Shen Xingsui’s eyes were slightly red, tears welling up in his eyes. His hands were trembling.
As the bell finished its toll, Shen Xingsui spoke. It was soft yet solemn.
“I will.”
–end of the main story–
T/N: thank you for following this story! I honestly like the sunset setting, it gives a sense of “finality” for the ending, in my opinion.
Don’t worry, there’s still a couple of extras! They’re the cherry on top to finish the story with a sweet aftertaste~