The first time he noticed her was during his trip to Changsa for Happy Camp recording. Normally he would not pay attention to the girls recording him at the airport. That day however, he was sleepy. While lining up for his turn at the counter, he started scanning the crowd around him discreetly.
A yellow image caught his attention. It looked like a little girl with her hair tied up and a phone to her face. She was standing behind a taller girl but he could see that she was struggling to hold up her phone. He knew how eager girls were to take his photos or videos. This one was different. The way she stood with one hand underneath the opposite arm made her look a little impatient.
He turned his body slightly to the side and pretended to look faraway, so he could catch a glimpse of this tiny girl. Did she skip school just to video me? How silly, he thought.
The tall girl in front of her moved and he could now see her clearly. No more than 5 feet 2, she was in a mustard yellow jacket over her white shirt, knee-length shorts and a pair of expensive Nike sneakers. Then she yawned. Her phone moved slightly away from her face and he stared right at her big brown eyes. He had never seen girls in China with such big eyes, just like how it is rare for him being one of those Chinese boys with big eyes too. She is cute, he thought. He quickly dismissed the thought as he should not be interested in an underaged girl. He moved his head back to the front and tried to focus on queueing.
Since that day, he could not help but to search for her each time he was at the airport. Once she came, as usual standing behind someone taller. Dylan smiled behind his mask. Silly girl, how are you going to take my video?
His flight was delayed that day so he sat down and played his video game. He was surrounded by girls with their phones but there was only one person he was curious about. He looked up. He released a chuckle and shook his head. This little girl was eating! With one hand, she was holding the phone, while the other hand reached for something from her cat purse, and putting it in her mouth. He had never seen any of his fangirls eating while recording him! This is the first. He was now feeling so amused about this individual. He had the urge to talk to her. Remembering what Hao-age said about interacting with fangirls, he sighed and decided to get back to his game.
He was moving to the next level of game when he suddenly heard someone laughed. It was not just any kind, it was the type where it would make anyone to stop what they were doing and see what was going on. He looked up. It was her. She was laughing. Her laughter lit up her big brown eyes, making her look friendly and her body seemed to be laughing with her same time. She is beautiful when she laugh, Dylan smiled. Who is she? He was dying to speak to her.
In the next few months, he watched out for her appearance at the airport. Somehow her presence calmed him and gave him something to look forward to. Flying could be boring. He did not realize that his thoughts travelled back to her each time he arrived at the departure and arrival hall. Is she going to be here? What is she wearing? I wonder how old she is. His thoughts would run through his mind like a machine. It was a puzzle that he was keen to put together.
He flew to Shanghai quite often and that time was different as he went to do something he liked. Even if it was short trip, he was glad to have taken a break from filming. As he stepped into Shanghai airport, his thoughts once again went to that little girl. She won't be here. It's Shanghai. He felt a tinge disappointment but he let it passed. After all, he was still hyped up from his visit to the exhibition. His mood was good that day.
He arrived at the airport way too early. No fangirls were gathering around. Good, he thought. As he scanned the airport, his gaze stopped and rested on a figure standing near the ticketing counter, dressed in all blue.
She had her hair tied up in a bun, a blue cardigan with skinny jeans, boots and a gold-rimmed round glasses. She was looking at her phone and smiling. She looked vaguely familiar, he thought. Then he heard the laughter. Her head threw backwards and time stood still for Dylan. It was her.
He looked around and walked towards her. Hao-Ge was helping him with the luggage so now it was his chance. As he approached her, he noticed how slim and beautiful she looked tonight. It was not the usual outfit she wore at the airport. He cleared his throat. She looked up. He saw realization dawned upon her and her eyes widened. Up close, her eyes looked like a lighter shade of brown. She has an almond-shaped face and thick nice eyebrows. She had soft red lipstick that day and honestly, her lips looked inviting.
"Oh, hi, Wang He Di! You are super early!" She quipped.
"Yes and so are you. Are you waiting for me?" he asked. She had a set of pearl studded earrings which enhanced her earlobes and elongate her elegant neck even more.
Yue raised her eyebrow. Dylan smiled and continued "You are one of the girls who record me during my flights, right?"
Her face softened. "Ah yes, I didn't realize you noticed. And yes, I am waiting for you." She rummaged her purse and took out a figurine. She handed it over to Dylan.
"Here. My cousin is a fan of yours and she wanted me to give this to you."
Dylan took it and scrutinized the Ironman figurine. Then he looked at her and smiled. "Thank you. Did you purposely come to Shanghai to give this to me?"
Her eyes widened. "Oh no I came for the Marvel exhibition. I'm a fan." She smiled. His heart skipped a beat.
"Oh great! I came for that too." he smiled. He found himself at ease.
"I know. That is why my cousin asked me for the favor. She was also the reason why I had to do the recordings," she laughed.
"Oh, you mean... you were doing her a favor?"
"Yes, since I'm on a break from uni coursework and she is paying me to do it. So why not?" She said breezily.
Ah so, she is not a fan girl. No wonder she seemed unfazed by him.
Dylan shifted his weight and put his hands in his pocket. "Well, I'm happy that we met finally. I don't get to talk to people that much. And please thank your cousin for me."
"Hey, you can be a celebrity but you are also human. You deserve some social life. Honestly I really didn't want to do this to you..."
"Do what?" He asked quizzically.
"Recording you and invading your privacy. It's just not right." Now he understood why she always stood a distance away.
"I guess this is the price to pay. A choice that I made when I become an actor."
"Is it worth it, He Di?"
He was taken aback by her bold question.
"Call me, Didi. So far I'm doing what I like, so yes I think it is."
"As long as you love what you do, I guess that is fine. My cousin loves what you do."
"And you don't? Have you watched Meteor Garden?"
She laughed. He would love to make her laugh over and over again. The sound of it was addictive.
"Yes I did. I like Shancai and you as Daoming Si. You did well." She said giving him a thumbs up.
There was a slight commotion coming in from the entrance and Dylan saw a group of girls. Yue responded "I think I should go before they come."
"Oh, you are not recording today?" he sounded slightly disappointed.
"I'm off duty." She smiled. "I will let you go today. It was nice to meet you, Wang He Di."
She extended her hand to him. Rarely a girl would do that.
He responded. Her hand was soft and she gave him a full firm handshake. When she let go, he felt a slight sensation on his palm. His throat went dry suddenly.
"See you around, Didi!" she said cheerfully.
"Hey, wait! What's your name?" Didi called out.
She turned around and smiled. "I'm Shen Yue. Call me Yue Yue. Bye, Didi!"
Dylan watched her skipped off.
"Shen Yue." He muttered under his breath.
He grinned. He put the figurine in his front pocket before turning around to face his fangirls.
See you real soon, Yue Yue.
*********
Author's notes:
This is an impromptu idea! It came to me when I was driving this morning and I had to pen it down before I go nuts. Sorry about the grammatical errors. Please tell me if you like it!
Idea copyright 👉🏻 Chin Hsien Hui😀
💜💛 Hsien