I became a movie star at the age of three; Dilraba and I are childhood sweethearts.

Xiao Chen approached with a smile, his voice carrying the relaxed feeling one only feels when seeing family.

"Mom, Aunt Reyila, what brings you here?"

After he finished speaking, his gaze naturally fell on the little girl who was so shy she seemed about to disappear into the ground.

He bent down, his smile gentle.

"Hey, isn't this our Dilraba?"

"You've grown so tall, you're almost as tall as your auntie."

As he spoke, he reached out and, as was his habit, gently pinched her soft cheek.

He's done this action since he was a child.

Especially when I was a child.

But today, for 14-year-old Dilraba, it was like a thunderbolt!

Dilraba: !!!

She felt her mind go completely blank.

The skin that Xiao Chen touched was incredibly hot.

A surge of heat rushed from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, making her feel like she was about to evaporate.

She let out a soft, mosquito-like hum, and lowered her head even further, almost burying it in her chest.

"Xiao Chen... Brother..."

Seeing her daughter's innocent appearance, Reyila was overjoyed and teased her in Mandarin with a Western accent.

"Look at you, child, you've forgotten how to speak properly!"

"Who was it in the car who kept saying they wanted to see Brother Xiao Chen and get his autograph?"

Dilraba was both embarrassed and anxious. She stomped her foot and tugged at her mother's clothes.

"mom!"

Ye Huimei laughed as she watched, giving her son a reproachful look.

"Chenchen, look what you've done to your little sister!"

Xiao Chen shrugged innocently.

The issue is.

He didn't do anything.

Reyila's eyes lit up, and a plan came to her mind.

She pointed at Xiao Chen's red clothes and winked at her daughter.

"Hey, Chenchen, don't take off your wedding dress yet!"

"Dilraba, hurry, hurry, have your Aunt Wang find a makeup artist to dress you up in red too."

"Take a picture with your brother Xiao Chen!"

"How festive! Consider it a rehearsal!"

A rehearsal in advance?

What are we practicing?

Reba was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what Reyila meant.

She was so ashamed that she wanted to disappear, and screamed.

"Mom! What nonsense are you talking about!"

After saying that, she hid behind her mother and refused to come out no matter what.

The two mothers laughed so hard they almost fell over.

Playing with kids is still the most fun.

Xiao Chen was both amused and exasperated. Looking at the little head with only a bright red top showing, he shook his head helplessly.

"Auntie, please stop teasing her."

His gentle voice made Dilraba's heart flutter again as she hid behind him.

Amidst the laughter and chatter, Xiao Chen's gaze inadvertently swept across a corner of the film set.

He saw a figure.

A cameraman in work clothes was squatting behind a pile of equipment, his shoulders shrugging slightly.

It looks like...crying?

Xiao Chen's smile faded.

He said something to his mother and aunt, then picked up a glass of water and walked quietly toward that corner.

The corner of the film set was piled with various boxes and wires, and the lighting was dim.

The cameraman, Li Wei, buried his face in his arms, suppressing the sobs in his throat.

He didn't want to be seen.

What kind of image is it for a grown man in his thirties to cry on a film set?

But he couldn't help it.

The wedding scene we just filmed was so beautiful.

The light in the boy's eyes, the blush on the girl's face.

That sweet hope for the future pierced his heart like a needle.

He thought of his younger sister.

That girl is only 19 years old and has two little dimples when she smiles.

If it weren't for that natural disaster...

She should be like that now, preparing her wedding dress and looking forward to her happiness.

Suddenly, a hand handed me a bottle of water.

Li Wei froze, then slowly raised his head.

In the backlight, he saw a face so handsome it seemed unreal.

It's Xiao Chen.

Li Wei was startled and jumped up.

"Teacher Xiao... Teacher Xiao!"

He frantically wiped his tears on his dusty trousers.

"N-nothing!"

"I've got sand in my eye! The wind is too strong!"

Li Wei's explanation was incoherent, and his face turned bright red.

He never expected that a god-like figure in the film crew, the legendary top scholar, would appear.

Why would someone take the initiative to talk to someone as insignificant as him?

Xiao Chen did not expose his clumsy lie.

He simply handed the water to Li Wei, speaking in a flat tone.

"Have some water."

"It's quite dry today."

After saying that, he naturally sat down on an empty equipment box next to him.

They didn't get too close, nor did they leave immediately, giving each other enough space and respect.

Li Wei held the bottle of ice-cold water, his palms sweating.

He didn't know what to say; his mind went blank.

Xiao Chen spoke.

"You directed that scene just now, didn't you?"

Li Wei was stunned for a moment.

"what?"

"Yes...it was me who took the picture..."

Xiao Chen looked at him with sincere eyes.

"Great angle."

"Thank you for taking such a great photo of me and Sister Yifei."

This sudden praise left Li Wei completely dumbfounded.

He was just an ordinary cameraman, carrying heavy equipment every day, listening to the director's instructions, and mechanically completing his work.

No lead actor has ever made a special trip to thank him like this before.

Moreover, this person is Xiao Chen.

A huge surge of warmth instantly broke through the emotional dam that had been taut for more than two months.

This seemingly aloof superstar is actually so sensitive and gentle inside.

Li Wei's eyes immediately reddened.

He lowered his head, looking at the ground beneath his feet, his voice hoarse.

"Teacher Xiao... I..."

He wanted to say something, but found that his throat felt like it was blocked by something, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Xiao Chen didn't urge him, but just sat quietly with him.

Sometimes, silent companionship is more powerful than any words.

After a long while, Li Weicai managed to utter a few words in a broken voice.

My hometown... is Wenchuan.

These five words, like a boulder, crashed heavily into the air.

Wenchuan.

Two months ago, this place touched the hearts of people across the country.

Xiao Chen's gaze calmed down, and he listened quietly.

Li Wei's voice began to tremble, filled with uncontrollable grief.

"That incident two months ago..."

"My house... collapsed, completely collapsed..."

"My parents both broke their legs and are still living in tents at the resettlement site..."

"My sister..."

At this point, he could no longer hold back.

Large tears rolled down, landing on the dry ground and leaving a small, dark stain.

"My sister... even now..."

"Still haven't found it..."

A man in his thirties was crying like a child, wiping his face haphazardly with the back of his rough hands, but he couldn't get it clean no matter what he did.

"Watching you guys film your wedding just now... reminded me of my sister..."

"She's 19 this year... We'd already agreed on a relationship..."

"If this hadn't happened, she should... she should be happily getting married like in the movie..."

He wept uncontrollably, his broken words filled with longing for his loved ones and despair at the injustice of fate.

Xiao Chen remained silent.

He didn't offer words of condolence or say that everything would be alright.

At times like these, any words of comfort seem pale and powerless.

He simply stood up and walked over to Li Wei.

He reached out and patted his shoulder hard, which was trembling violently from crying.

one more time.

Calm and powerful.