Moon-Chasing Diary

“She pretended not to care, pretended not to notice her heart dancing wildly, her blood boiling, every cell in her body responding in unison as though together they were performing a passionate symphony.”

— Moon-Chasing Diary

—

Back in high school, Qin Sang was like every other young girl standing at the crossroads of life—filled with the most passionate expectations for an uncertain future, while also unable to let go of someone from the past who lingered constantly in her heart.

She remembered every one of his movements, every expression.

On the basketball court, he would sweat freely beneath the sunlight, and every time he scored a three-pointer, he would subconsciously rotate his right wrist slightly afterward. The movement was tiny—so subtle that no one would notice unless they paid very close attention.

She had heard it was because he had gotten into a car accident during the summer after his third year of middle school and fractured his right hand. Even though it later healed well, the habit he developed during recovery remained.

She remembered he loved mint candy.

He always seemed able to pull a couple pieces out of nowhere.

He disliked holding the candy in his mouth and waiting for it to melt slowly. Instead, he preferred biting it apart before swallowing it directly.

The closest she had ever been to him was during the ten-minute breaks between classes in high school.

At the school convenience store, while she was paying at the register, he walked over from behind. The boy beside him draped an arm lazily over his shoulder bonelessly.

“Brother Xie, just help me out this once. Otherwise my dad’s definitely gonna confiscate it. I haven’t even had the keys long enough to enjoy them yet.”

His voice sounded lazy and relaxed, lacking his usual cold detachment.

“Your hand,” he reminded casually.

“Brother Xie, God Xie, Boss Xie, Ancestor Xie?” the boy shamelessly begged. “Just help me out. If you show up, my dad definitely won’t say anything. Besides, don’t you wanna touch it too? It’s been so long since you last drove—aren’t your hands itching?”

The boy standing beside her carried the freshest scent of lemon on him.

Heat radiated continuously from his body.

Just standing beside him felt enough to melt someone.

Then suddenly, he turned slightly and reached out. A pale, slender hand swept past her eyes before stopping at the nearest shelf beside her.

He grabbed a box of mint candy and paid for it.

The two boys gradually walked farther away.

Qin Sang remained standing there, staring after him.

Then, as though possessed by some invisible force, she also picked up a box of the same mint candy while paying.

The candy came wrapped in transparent glass-like candy paper. The hard white candy contained blue mint jam inside. The candy itself was extremely hard, and once bitten open, the mint exploded instantly across the tongue.

The flavor was sharp, spicy, and icy-cool all at once, immediately clearing the mind and refreshing the senses.

Qin Sang couldn’t even explain why.

At first, she wasn’t used to the taste.

But slowly, she seemed to become addicted to that sharp, biting flavor.

Unfortunately, the factory producing that particular candy later shut down.

Afterward, no matter how many mint candies she searched for on the market, she could never find another that tasted exactly the same.

It was as though she had always been looking up at him from afar, silently watching everything related to him from corners he would never notice.

Even though his joys and sorrows had nothing to do with her.

Her attention toward him had become so absurd that she even clearly remembered—

It took fifteen steps from the podium to her seat.

But only five steps from his seat to the podium.

Between them there were merely ten steps.

Just ten steps.

Yet stretched across a long ten years.

And now, ten years later, on one perfectly ordinary day, she had another chance to stand beside him again.

He stood so close beside her that she could clearly see how long his eyelashes were, how straight and elegant the bridge of his nose looked.

His lips moved as he spoke, his voice gentle and clear.

“This is the upper stage of the new-generation launch vehicle Expedition Three. Its shape is closer to that of an aircraft. It has the capability for multi-orbit satellite deployment and rapid constellation networking. During its maiden mission, it performed twenty-one orbital ignitions and delivered seven satellites into circular orbits at different altitudes.”①

He was a very qualified tour guide, she thought.

Unfortunately, he had encountered a listener who wasn’t particularly focused.

“What’s wrong?”

His eyes were incredibly clear.

The color of his pupils wasn’t especially dark, resembling transparent glass beads—clean and bright without a single trace of impurity.

Too close.

Qin Sang shook her head. “Nothing.”

Pretending to remain calm, she pointed toward another display. “What about that one?”

Xie Yunchen explained, “That’s the reusable vertical takeoff and landing launch rocket, Long March 6X.”

She asked curiously, “Long March 6X? What’s the difference between it and the regular Long March 6?”

“The Long March 6X is the reusable version of the Long March 6. After completing the first-stage mission, it can achieve vertical pinpoint soft-landing recovery.”

“I see.” She nodded as though she understood.

Xie Yunchen noticed immediately, amusement surfacing faintly in his eyes.

“To put it simply,” he explained gently, “it’s an upgraded version of Long March 6 designed for repeated use.”

Then he asked softly, “What else would you like to know?”

Qin Sang deliberately dragged out her tone, sounding obedient and earnest.

“I’m curious about all of it. Classmate Xie, you don’t mind introducing everything to me, right?”

“What if I do mind?” His expression remained gentle as he smiled faintly. “Classmate Qin, what do you plan to do then?”

Qin Sang looked at him.

There was laughter hidden in his eyes.

That usually cold and handsome face suddenly seemed more vivid and alive, his brows carrying teasing warmth.

Like chilled liquor filled with moonlight.

Intoxicating beyond reason.

She froze briefly.

Was he… joking with her?

Snapping back to herself, Qin Sang said, “Isn’t this technically your job?”

The moment she saw Xie Yunchen appear earlier, she had indeed been surprised, though not particularly shocked.

After all, he already worked at the aerospace institute.

When she recalled how Director Shen had mentioned arranging for a colleague to continue showing them around, she had basically guessed that the “colleague” Shen Yi referred to was Xie Yunchen.

She even suspected this wasn’t a coincidence at all.

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, she asked, “You didn’t arrange this yourself, did you?”

Xie Yunchen lifted a brow slightly, waiting for her to continue.

Still puzzled, she asked, “Was it you who helped me get this aerospace promotional film opportunity?”

These kinds of resources were normally unreachable for ordinary people.

She had acted for ten years, yet even now obtaining mainstream government-backed resources like this was still extremely difficult.

Especially when Jiexing Aerospace Technology Group had actively approached her first.

That was practically like a pie falling from the sky.

From the very beginning, she had felt suspicious.

Given her current position and status, gaining access to these kinds of official “red” resources usually required paying a significant price.

“No,” Xie Yunchen explained calmly.

“The purpose of the promotional film is educational outreach and public communication. This project’s theme is ‘dreams.’ Besides aerospace personnel, it also includes people from all kinds of professions.”

“Actors are simply one profession among many.”

“Your public image is good, your background is clean, and your influence is broad. That’s why you were selected to represent young actors as a core figure.”

“It’s not that I fought for this opportunity on your behalf.”

“It’s because you’re outstanding enough.”

When he said those words, he looked directly at her.

His eyes were truly bright.

Like a perfectly clear mirror reflecting her image with complete clarity.

It made her instinctively afraid to meet his gaze.

Qin Sang’s heart suddenly leapt wildly out of rhythm.

Her throat tightened slightly.

Nervously pressing her lips together, she gave a vague response before lowering her eyes and pretending calmness.

“Then I misunderstood. I thought maybe Classmate Xie opened a back door for me for old classmates’ sake.”

“If possible,” Xie Yunchen replied gently, “I wouldn’t mind opening a back door for you.”

“After all, Classmate Qin deserves it.”

Some people truly didn’t need to do anything.

Just standing there—

Just casually saying a few words—

Was enough to make her heart race uncontrollably.

“Let’s keep walking,” she said softly.

Wait a little longer.

Wait until her heartbeat no longer thundered deafeningly in her ears.

Wait until she no longer felt dizzy and overwhelmed simply because of one simple sentence.

Pretending not to understand that his words were probably nothing more than polite courtesy.

Wait until the sound of footsteps could cover her panic.

Wait until turning away no longer looked so deliberate and embarrassed.

She pretended not to care.

Pretended not to notice her heart dancing wildly, her blood boiling, every cell in her body responding together like they were performing an impassioned symphony.

…

How strange.

Back then, she had imagined countless reasons to approach him.

Yet in the end, fear always stopped her before she could act.

And now, they were slowly walking side by side together.

If possible, she truly wished this exhibition hall could become a little larger.

She wished this path could stretch a little farther.

He spoke to her about many things related to aerospace.

His voice was gentle and smooth as he narrated the long history of aerospace development like a slowly unfolding historical painting.

Through his words, she saw generations of aerospace workers dedicating themselves to their ideals.

She saw the hardships endured by earlier generations.

She saw the vast galaxy and boundless universe that, through the persistence of countless aerospace dreamers, no longer seemed so distant and unattainable.

It all suddenly felt so close—

As though it could almost be touched.

When they passed the testing workshop and laboratory, Qin Sang stopped walking.

She stood there silently for a long while.

Amid those countless aerospace workers, she seemed to see his figure too.

She imagined him laboring tirelessly in forgotten corners, striving toward his ideals in endless darkness.

This was a side of Xie Yunchen she had never seen before.

A past she had no chance to participate in.

All those fragmented pieces gradually assembled into a complete image in her mind.

A少年 filled with ambition and spirit.

Fearless before hardship.

Cutting through thorns and obstacles.

Riding proudly forward in fresh clothes and fierce determination.

What a pity.

Thinking of everything Liu Chengcheng had told her, her mood gradually became heavy with quiet sorrow.

She tried pretending not to care, but her gaze kept secretly drifting toward him.

His expression remained calm as always.

But whenever he spoke about aerospace, the emotions in his eyes changed.

At those moments, he became vivid and alive.

It was as though his consciousness had finally found somewhere to belong, like a wandering soul finally discovering its home.

There was an unyielding determination hidden within him.

He had given so much.

And aerospace had always been the dream he wanted to pursue.

Letting go of it must be incredibly difficult.

Even now, she still remembered the way he used to speak passionately back in high school.

The young man had been spirited and full of life, his cold brows carrying sharp arrogance that somehow wasn’t unpleasant at all.

Instead, it felt like—

“A youth should soar upward with the wind, chasing stars, moons, and sunlight alike.”

Watching him gaze toward the laboratory, catching that fleeting emotion in his eyes, Qin Sang remained silent for a long time before finally asking:

“Will you give up?”

“No.”

His answer came decisively.

Lowering his eyes, he looked directly at her.

“Someone once told me that life isn’t a predetermined track, but a wilderness filled with hope.”

“So if your heart is already full of hope…”

“Why fear hardship?”

His eyes were bright and gentle, just like the burning heart of the少年 from ten years ago—

Scorching and blazing hot.