Timeless

Hold On

He attempted to stifle his yawns as he walked into the airport.

He was completely exhausted, but that is to be expected when you spend more time 40,000 ft in the air than in your own bed.

He also didn't have his energy pill by him this time.

Just spending time with his girlfriend gave him that burst of energy and that strength to pull through even the most exhausting of conditions.

That's why though those shooting days for Meteor Garden at the beginning of their relationship were rough with long nights, early mornings and multiple takes (they were attempting to film so much so quickly) it never felt truly exhausting, because he was around her.

That's also why he tried to squeeze in time with her whenever he could despite their busy schedules and why he always looked forward to coming home to her. The lack of sleep that followed that was always worth it.

But these days, his schedule left him feeling so drained. It was honestly a miracle that all of the press photos came out looking as good as they did because whenever  he'd look in the mirror, all he saw was exhaustion staring right back at him.

He knew that he should be grateful for all the buzz he was generating as he had only come onto the acting scene within the past year, and he was. He was incredibly grateful for all of the people who supported him and believed that he would succeed.

At the same time though, he knew that the packing of his schedule was done intentionally by his company for him to prove himself.

It was unusual for actors and actresses in Chinese entertainment to enter into a relationship young. It was frowned upon generally as they are starting out in the business and a relationship could affect the opportunities that come your way (which he thought was absolutely ridiculous).

But it was also unusual that he found someone at the age of 18 that he just clicked with. It was unusual that he felt already, in his heart, that she was the ONE. But he did. Meteor Garden was a blessing in so many ways, the main one being that it brought him to her. The moment she agreed to give them a chance was one of the happiest in his life. It had been over a year now and he could honestly say that he couldn't picture his life without her in it and didn't want to. He was so incredibly happy now that he had her by his side.

And he wanted to be with her freely. He wanted to proudly proclaim that he was Shen Yue's boyfriend. That out of everybody on the planet, she chose him. He wanted to cheer her on during rewards shows. He wanted to hold her hand in public as they walked down the street. He wanted to cuddle with her in his coat as they waited in line for the movies. He wanted to see her in the stands during his basketball games, in his jersey, cheering him on. He wanted to run up to her after a game to get a congratulatory kiss regardless of whether he won or lost. He wanted to sightsee with her.

He wanted to do all these things with her. But he couldn't. Not yet.

So he would continue to follow his packed schedule as he tried to convince his company that his fans would support their relationship (and honestly, if they didn't, were they even his fans?) and wait for the day that he proved himself enough and could show his love freely to his Moon.

And he'd hold onto them, their relationship. Because even though it may not be as public as he wanted it to be, he still treasured every moment they spent together. He loved the hints that they'd drop over Weibo and through their outfits of their relationship. It was a secret game between just the two of them, how they could discreetly show affection for one another, and it kept the reality of their situation light. He treasured the night even more now because it was at night that they could sneak out and be with one another. Time with her was never wasted, secret or not. He lived for their FaceTimes and voice messages whenever they could. He felt his mood lift whenever his clever girlfriend would send him a weird photo with a witty caption or a silly selfie. All of it was worth holding onto, she was worth holding on to. The trust, respect and love in their relationship could weather any storm.

And as he sat on the plane, reading a letter a fan had passed him only hours before (a letter that came with a very catchy bookmark. #theWangforYue. He liked it and would be sure to show Yue when he landed and stick it on his wall), he thought that a future where they could be together publicly may come may come sooner rather then later.

Until then, it was #theWangforYue and #WangHeDihasShenYue forever.

And that was a future worth holding onto.