Cornerstone - DiYue Short Stories

Never Strangers

Never Strangers

Spring 2025

FOR a moment, everything felt like it belonged to one universe.

She walked ever so slowly, looking straight to his eyes filled with tears. She tried to reach out her hand, but it no longer felt like hers. She was just there, trapped in time and space, with her thoughts and emotions circling in a raging whirlpool inside her body.

She was just there. And there was just him.

"It's been so long," he whispered, smiling like he used to seven years ago.

"Didi..." she murmured.

Shen Yue closed her eyes, recalling everything that has happened in the last seven years without him. Without the boy that had enriched the colors of her life. Without him, everything was dull and lifeless. Her mind transported her back to fall of 2018, the last day she saw the world in Technicolor. The day it turned grey.

Fall 2018

"GUYS, let's sing happy birthday for Jia!" Shen Yue shouted, in the midst of a chaotic crowd.

It was Meteor Garden 2018's victory party. The series ended last week, and was well-received not only in China but all over the world as well. This did not come as a shock to all of them, seeing as their target audience was the same crowd who watched its predecessor, Meteor Garden, in 2001. But what they didn't expect was that it also reached North America and other parts of Europe because of its simultaneous airing in Netflix. In return, all five of them attained international stardom overnight, which was more than what they could process.

This alone was enough reason to celebrate tonight, but aside from Meteor Garden's success, they all gathered once again to celebrate Jia Qi's birthday, the last of the F6 to celebrate their birthday.

"Okay, let's sing!" Xize, who was holding up a camera, began singing.

Yueyue smiled and sang along with everyone. She ran her eyes around the room, and took a good look at her workmates. Jia, the birthday girl, was sitting on a red armchair beside the hearth. Beside her are Sun Qian and Dong Xin, clapping and filming with their phones. On her other side are Kuan Hong and Liang Jing Kang, both holding cakes that bear her name. And on the couch opposite hers are Dee Hsu and Wang He Di, singing merrily with glasses of champagne at hand.

It was good to see them again like this, like how they used to since the start of winter 2017. After filming Meteor Garden, Yueyue rarely saw her co-workers from the drama. She would often receive chats and text messages from them, but she couldn't respond on time because of her hectic schedule for her new series. She was so nearly drowned in her work that she couldn't even watch her own drama at night.

So this night felt more like a vacation than a required party. She wouldn't admit it, but her cast mates from Meteor Garden are her favorite. They felt more like family than workmates. They helped each other even outside work. They talk and bond a lot during their filming. And she knew they'd be friends for a very long time.

She was so immersed with the merriment around her that she missed Dee Hsu switching seats with Xize. She was now smiling at her, and Xize was talking with Didi on the other couch.

Yueyue smiled at Dee. She was a very lovely woman, with insane wits and upfront personality. Yueyue admired her a lot. Dee Hsu was everyone's jiejie on set, and she took care of them by providing them baked goodies weekly.

"What is it, jie?" Yueyue beamed unsurely. Dee jie looked so earnest when she smiles, but right now, she was smiling at Yueyue with almost teary eyes.