The car drove out of the county town and onto the winding mountain road, weaving through the dense forest. Mist swirled around, and the sky gradually darkened. The turbulent river at the foot of the mountain appeared and disappeared, and the roaring sound of the angry waves came intermittently from afar. Li Ling sat in the back seat of the off-road vehicle, with Jin Jingyao's assistant, Xiao Liu, sitting beside her. Suddenly, the car made a sharp turn, causing the two people in the back seat to sway violently. Xiao Liu almost fell onto Li Ling. The driver shouted in heavily accented Mandarin from the front, "Hold on tight!" Xiao Liu straightened up and turned to apologize to her. "It's okay," Li Ling said calmly. She wasn't actually calm; the situation was developing so quickly that she hadn't had time to react. Yesterday, she was still in her rented apartment, grieving over her new drama that couldn't be broadcast. Today, she was on her way to audition for a new film by the famous director Jin Jingyao. Who was Jin Jingyao? A renowned director of art films, who had won numerous awards, young, talented, and so low-key that he was almost mysterious. It was said that he also placed great importance on this new film, having secretly prepared for nearly two years. No previous project had consumed so much of his energy. Xiao Liu said, "The director indeed values this new work very much, and the confidentiality requirements are very strict..." Li Ling immediately responded sensibly, "Then I won't ask." But Xiao Liu changed his tone, "But I feel a connection with you, so I'll secretly tell you. The director is going to make a romance film." Li Ling: ? She recalled that one of the facts she had crammed about the director last night was that Jin Jingyao's works were always cold, rational, and meticulous, lacking in emotion. He had never made a romance film. "The director is very determined to break new ground," she praised tactfully. Xiao Liu: "He will also personally play the male lead in this film." Li Ling: "..." The director's determination might be a bit too much. It wasn't that Jin Jingyao couldn't act; his first film was self-directed and self-acted, winning him the Best Director and Best New Actor awards of the year. But at that time, he played a schizophrenic murderer, and the posters in the subway could scare children to tears. Li Ling: "May I ask, what role am I auditioning for..." "The director specifically asked to see you," Xiao Liu winked at her, "Good luck." Caught off guard, the car made another sharp turn, and Xiao Liu, like a fragile plastic bag, fell onto her. Li Ling tried to support him but accidentally pushed him away. The frail Xiao Liu hit the seat with a "bang!" Li Ling: "..." She apologized to him with a guilty look, "Sorry, I'm so nervous that I'm all thumbs." Xiao Liu was very understanding, rubbing his shoulder with difficulty while comforting her, "It's okay, no need to be nervous." "The director is very nice and easy to talk to," he said with a very proper smile. The sky darkened quickly, and before long, it started to rain heavily in the mountains. The driver had to turn the car into a village halfway up the mountain, saying they would wait for the rain to stop before continuing. The three of them, soaked like drowned rats, ran into the village inn. While Li Ling was warming herself by the fire on the first floor, she heard Xiao Liu talking on the phone at the door. In just three minutes, he said "I'm sorry" at least five times and emphasized "the rain is too heavy" three times. Li Ling didn't know who he was talking to, but his attitude was so fearful and respectful. The next second, she heard him say in a pained voice, "I'm really sorry, Director, it's all my fault." Li Ling: "..." The driver, who was also sitting across from her by the fire, gave her a meaningful look when he heard this. Li Ling tentatively asked, "Sir, I heard the director is very nice and easy to talk to?" The driver sneered and lowered his voice, "Easy to talk to? This director has a violent temper."Li Ling thought for three seconds before uncertainly asking, "Obsessive-compulsive disorder?" "Yes, yes, obsessive-compulsive disorder!" The driver looked at her approvingly, then pulled out a group photo from his phone. "Do you recognize her?" Li Ling glanced at the phone screen and thought to herself that it would be hard for anyone not to recognize her. It was the currently very popular top actress, Huang Yingqian. "Did you take this when you picked her up?" Li Ling asked. She was secretly pleased, planning to ask the top actress for an autograph and a photo later. The driver said, "I took this when I dropped her off." Li Ling's smile froze on her face: ? "Just a couple of days ago, I had just dropped her back in the city," the driver said seriously. "The beauty has quite a temper. She cursed out the director for over three hours in my car." "So I said your crew is quite interesting. Just sent one off, and another one comes right away." Li Ling: "..." Great, the amount of information is suddenly a bit overwhelming. - After nightfall, the rain showed no signs of letting up, and they had no choice but to sleep at the inn. Outside the window, the rainwater streamed down the dirty glass. Li Ling lay on the hard bed, finding it difficult to fall asleep. She couldn't help but get up to continue reading Jin Jingyao's information. Unlike other big directors, Jin Jingyao didn't particularly favor stars and popular actors; instead, he preferred those who had long since faded from the limelight. An award video with millions of views online featured a middle-aged actor who no one had high hopes for, unexpectedly winning the award with one of his films. "The world destroyed me. I thought I would never stand here again," the actor said, choking with emotion. "Until Director Jin saw me." The comments were filled with "moved," "brought to tears," and "the director is so kind," with some explaining the actor's difficult journey. This person had been in the industry for many years, originally a household name as a child star, but was attacked and slandered by the media during adolescence, bullied by adults on set, and eventually fell into a slump, only able to take on second-rate roles for years. On the award stage, he raised the trophy with his scarred hand and bravely showed his ugly scars to the camera. The comments were full of sighs: "He almost became a casualty of this industry. It was the director who gave him a second chance at life." Just then, a call popped up on Li Ling's screen. It was from the director of her last crime drama. Since that drama was taken down, he hadn't contacted her. "Good evening, Director," Li Ling said politely. "Is there something you need?" The next second, the booming music of a nightclub blasted through the phone, almost shattering her eardrums. She had to move the receiver away, or she would be blown to pieces. "What's the matter? Can't I call you for no reason?" The director's voice was hoarse and reeked of alcohol as he shouted on the other end. "You girl, you speak so distantly..." Li Ling silently held the receiver even further away. "...We worked together for a few months, didn't we? Tell me, if it weren't for me, who would have given you such an important role... Ah, what a pity. If it weren't for Qin Yi, tonight would have been our celebration party..." "Yes, it's such a pity," Li Ling said. "By the way, Director, do you still remember my name?" "What nonsense are you talking about? Aren't you that... that what's-her-name..." The director racked his brain for two minutes before finally saying, "Forget it, it's not important. I just saw your video taking out the trash. Did your team design that?"The idea is good, but the lines are too forced, not realistic. Next time you have something like this, ask me first. I come from a documentary background, and I have several of those Leipzig Awards at home..." "Okay, Director," Li Ling obediently replied, "Did you mean the Leipzig Award?" A sudden burst of violent coughing came from the other end of the line. After a while, the other party nonchalantly said, "How about we do a live stream together? Or we could ride the wave and shoot a short drama about garbage disposal. I know people at Ai You Teng, we can get it on any major platform." Li Ling said, "Sure, Director. I have no projects right now, just idling at home." The director laughed heartily, "Right, you're not young anymore, are you? Almost thirty? Once a woman passes thirty, her roles..." "I'll be thirty-eight after the New Year," Li Ling said. The laughter abruptly stopped. After a moment, the other party dryly said, "Haha, you've maintained yourself well." Li Ling modestly replied, "Not too bad." "By the way, Director," she quietly turned on the recording function, "I'm curious, how did Qin Yi dare to go to a strip club during our shoot?" The director chuckled proudly and lowered his voice, "I took him there." Li Ling feigned surprise, "Really?" "I had no choice. We were about to shoot a crucial scene, and he just couldn't loosen up. What else could I do? I couldn't let him keep messing up... Luckily, the reporters only caught him..." Li Ling sighed, "I see, you really put in a lot of effort." "A director has to have some methods to teach actors," the other party continued to boast, "I actually put a lot of thought into you too. Remember that time I made you soak in the water all afternoon..." Rainwater poured down like a flood, gurgling down the glass. Li Ling's fingers tightened, but her voice remained steady, smiling and responding with a few "uh-huhs." "I specifically told them not to let you out," the director said, "So that when you played a corpse, it would be more convincing. Haha, your face was so pale..." The rain grew heavier, almost drowning out the voice on the phone. Li Ling lowered her eyes, looking at the middle-aged film emperor in the video on her phone. He was weeping, holding the trophy high. The image froze at the highest moment of a defeated person's life. And another defeated person was still trekking through the deep mountains, trapped in a heavy rain. - Early the next morning, Li Ling was awakened by a fierce knocking on the door. Xiao Liu was shouting outside, "The rain has stopped, teacher. Let's go quickly." The rain had stopped, but the sky was still dark. The phone screen showed it was only 4:45 AM. She groggily climbed out of bed, groggily put on her coat. Severely sleep-deprived, she was almost like a wandering soul. They got into the car in the dark, driving on the muddy night road as the sky gradually lightened. In the bumpy ride, Li Ling dozed off, vaguely having a few nightmares. In the dream, many intertwined voices appeared by her ear. Someone said, "Thank you, Director, you changed my life." Another voice said, "Yes, it's only natural for a director to do anything to an actor..." Li Ling was startled awake, just in time to hear the driver say, "We're here." In the rosy dawn light, a spectacular scene unfolded before her eyes. Rickety low buildings and a dense, towering primeval forest grew together, like inseparable ancient trees and withered vines. At the edge of the cliff stood a very elegant and grand theater. Its exterior was old and worn, more like a relic or ruin than a theater, a black-and-white old photo buried in the tropical forest. Li Ling felt even more dazed, thinking she must still be dreaming. She followed Xiao Liu and groggily jumped out of the off-road vehicle. A young man stood in front of the withered tree by the theater, glancing at them from a distance. He was very tall, with broad shoulders, and his hair was cut very short. He wore a dark jacket, which complemented the tall off-road vehicle perfectly. The sun gradually rose, and the young man stood up straight, walking step by step into the sunrise. Behind him was a sea of golden-red clouds, stretching all the way to the horizon. The undulating mountain shadows transformed into an endless expanse of wilderness. Such magnificent light, vivid and winding, flowing with golden brilliance, seemed to engulf him entirely, while also sketching the contours of his profile in a surreal manner. When he turned around, the newborn dawn, like a splash of bright yet fragmented red ochre paint, lingered to outline his face. He was extremely handsome, with an Adonis-like beauty that could not be directly gazed upon. In the dazzling light that made her dizzy, Li Ling had an almost absurd illusion: All the journeying over mountains and rivers, even enduring a storm, had been a prelude to this moment. "Li Ling?" His voice was also extremely pleasant, as if her name was not spoken but blossomed between his lips and tongue. He looked at her, his gaze very calm. After a moment, he slightly frowned, "Your button is undone again.""