From Reel to Real

I. Meeting Shen Yue

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.