Even after getting into the director's off-road vehicle, Li Ling was still savoring the extraordinary scene from earlier. To calm herself, she took out her phone and scrolled for a while, discovering that 9787532754335 had been sending her private messages over the past few weeks, asking how she was doing. Because she was so busy working as a caregiver, Li Ling hadn't replied to a single one. In a good mood, she finally took the time to send three thumbs-up emojis in response. Jin Jingyao was starting the off-road vehicle when his movements suddenly paused. "Director, what's wrong?" Li Ling asked. "Nothing," he said, glancing down at his phone with a blank expression. As the car started moving, she said, "Director, did you really come to pick me up yourself?" Jin Jingyao turned his head and gave her a somewhat cold look. A huge truck passed by, causing a momentary disruption in the traffic. A car nearby honked its horn, the sound becoming a dull noise through the glass. He seemed to say something, but it was completely drowned out by the honking. The sky was dim, and the young man's face was entirely shrouded in darkness, like it was hidden on the far side of the moon. It wasn't until much later that the light from a street-side billboard illuminated it. "Director, did you say something just now? I didn't hear clearly," Li Ling asked. Jin Jingyao: "I said you're overthinking it." "...Okay." Li Ling had thought they would head straight back to the set, but to her surprise, the car was heading towards the city center. Because of the earlier incident, she didn't dare ask more questions until she watched the off-road vehicle drive into the underground parking lot of a very stylish-looking nightclub. Li Ling was a bit dumbfounded. "Director, this..." "Get out," Jin Jingyao said. "Someone wants to treat you to dinner." Li Ling asked who it was. "Someone who asks more questions than you do," he said. Li Ling: "..." The nightclub looked stylish from the outside, but once inside, it had a war-torn Syrian vibe. Even the elevator felt like a construction site lift, a shaky iron box moving between thick chains. They took it all the way to the top floor. Li Ling curiously looked down. In the underground dance floor, countless people were twisting their bodies, like colorful, oddly-shaped bacteria under a microscope, constantly swimming across the slide. The young director stood beside her, still expressionless, his back straight. Compared to the twisted bodies in the dance floor, he was as dignified as a quiet corpse. Maybe it was an illusion, but Li Ling felt that ever since they entered the nightclub, he had become subtly tense. They walked into a private room where a man was sitting idly on the sofa. He glanced at his watch in surprise. "Why are you here so early?" Jin Jingyao said, "I don't want to waste time." The other man mocked him, "Meeting the dean is a waste of time?" He turned to look at Li Ling, smiling as he extended his hand to her. "Hello, I'm Mai Hongcheng." Few in the industry didn't know Mai Hongcheng. He was a big producer and Jin Jingyao's go-to collaborator, having supported the young director since his first film. Li Ling was about to shake his hand when, for some reason, he abruptly withdrew it. She was momentarily stunned, then looked up to see Mai Hongcheng still smiling warmly at her, so she returned the smile as if nothing had happened. Compared to the silent and reserved Director Jin, Mai Hongcheng was indeed much more talkative. Li Ling had a great time chatting with him. Additionally, the nightclub's pesto pasta was delicious, though she still didn't quite understand why they had to come to a nightclub to eat pasta. However, Director Jin seemed unusually silent tonight. He barely touched his food. Even when the producer or Li Ling spoke to him, he seemed somewhat absent-minded, as if he was a beat slower than usual. Li Ling was about to ask him what was wrong, whether he was feeling unwell, when the waiter knocked and came in to deliver the dessert. As the waiter bent down to arrange the plates, he seemed to accidentally touch Jin Jingyao's fingers. It was a very subtle, inadvertent action. If Li Ling hadn't been paying attention to Jin Jingyao, she probably wouldn't have noticed it. At that moment, the young man's face showed no expression, as calm as usual. But as soon as the waiter left the room, he immediately stood up and went to the bathroom. He didn't come back for a long time. Li Ling pretended to be concerned and asked, "Is the director okay?" "He's fine," Mai Hongcheng shrugged, speaking in a tone that suggested he was used to it. "He has a bit of OCD and doesn't really like these kinds of occasions, too many people." "So his OCD hasn't gotten better?" Li Ling recalled with some confusion, "But on the set..." Actually, she wanted to say that on the set, she had touched his hand several times. But Mai seemed to misunderstand her meaning: "He likes to hold some dirty, broken things on the set and fix them? It's like this, he's a strange person, doesn't mind things being dirty, just minds people being dirty." "Don't believe me? Watch me ask to borrow his jacket later, he'll definitely tell me to get lost." Li Ling half-understood and decided to change the topic: "If that's the case, why did the director come here tonight?" "Who knows, usually he never comes when invited," Mai Hongcheng said. "It seems there's a band performing tonight, he said he wanted to see them, called euphoria?" Mai Hongcheng pulled out a promotional poster from beside him and showed it to Li Ling. Li Ling was stunned for a moment: "This was my favorite band." Euphoria was a very niche band. She used to frequently share their songs on Weibo, but because they had few listeners, the band had been semi-retired in recent years. Unexpectedly, she ran into them here tonight. Li Ling held the poster to her chest and said happily, "That's great, what a coincidence." "Yes," the producer said meaningfully, "what a coincidence indeed." After a while, Jin Jingyao still hadn't returned. Mai Hongcheng poured himself a glass of whiskey and leaned back on the leather sofa. The nightclub's lighting was dim and unclear. His gaze towards Li Ling also became somewhat subtle and complex. "Do you really want to shoot this film, Miss Li?" he suddenly asked Li Ling, "Are you sure?" Although Mai Hongcheng was from Hong Kong, his speech had almost no accent until now. Li Ling's heart skipped a beat, sensing the change in his attitude, and instinctively said some polite, formal words: "Of course, I am very grateful to the director for giving me such a valuable opportunity..." Mai Hongcheng shook his head with a smile: "You've read the script, right?" Li Ling nodded. "What do you think?" Actually, Li Ling could have said some insincere words like she did to the assistant director last time, but in the end, she said tactfully, "It is a bit... oppressive." "More than oppressive, when I read the first draft years ago, I was so shocked I wanted to get him a psychiatrist," Mai Hongcheng said with an exaggerated expression. Li Ling was amused by him and listened as he continued to explain: "This script was written many years ago. It was Jin Jingyao's work from his student days." "At that time, he wasn't mature, and his life wasn't as smooth as it is now, so sometimes he had some very sharp thoughts. This script... you could say it carries his darkest, most unhealthy emotions." Li Ling said, "I haven't read the complete script yet.""It's been several years," Mai Hongcheng took another sip of his drink. "He's revised the ending many times, but he's never been satisfied." "Then why still make the film?" "From a market perspective, I indeed don't support him making it. Many people don't," Mai Hongcheng said meaningfully. "But as a friend, maybe only by making it and moving on can he grow." He stood up and poured a glass of whiskey for Li Ling as well. "Miss Li, I'm entrusting him to you." Even as a joke, those words carried too much weight. Li Ling hesitated, holding the glass, unsure how to respond. Suddenly, the door to the room was pushed open. The light from the hallway spilled in. The shifting light slowly illuminated the young man's face, like the light on the horizon briefly sweeping over a vast, submerged city. "What are you talking about?" Jin Jingyao stood at the door, asking calmly. Mai Hongcheng, unfazed, smiled and said, "I was sharing your secrets with Miss Li." "Miss Li, did you know? The director was very handsome as a child." He turned his back, secretly winking at Li Ling. Li Ling: ? "His mother loved dressing him up like a doll. The boys in kindergarten fought over him every day. His house even had an entire room just for stuffed animals... Do you want to see a picture of him in a dress at four years old?" Li Ling felt like she was about to be killed by Jin Jingyao's gaze. Desperately trying to survive, she said, "No need." "Alright then," Mai Hongcheng said regretfully. "I'll tell you another secret." Li Ling indicated she wasn't very interested in hearing it. However, the other party lowered his voice, making his narration even more melodramatic. "The director had a crush on a girl in his teens, but he didn't even dare to ask for her autograph, so..." "Have you said enough?" Jin Jingyao interrupted him. His expression was indifferent, his tone no different from usual. But his gaze had turned cold, almost to the point of anger. Mai Hongcheng chuckled twice, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Alright, alright, I won't say anymore." Actually, Li Ling only caught the first half of what Mai said. He spoke too quickly, and the hallway outside was noisy. But it was enough to shock her greatly. Jin Jingyao. A crush. On someone. Wasn't having a crush too normal? So normal that it didn't seem like something Jin Jingyao would do. In her shock, she blurted out, "That, that girl now..." Jin Jingyao glanced at her coldly. "She's dead." Li Ling felt like she was about to break down. Her first reaction upon hearing this was, "Then it's fine, I'm relieved." - Fifteen minutes later, Euphoria's performance started on time. At first, Li Ling pretended to be reserved, sitting upstairs. But before the first song was over, she was too excited to stay put and rushed down to the dance floor. Euphoria's songs had accompanied her through the toughest years of her life. During those long nights, tossing and turning, the notes wove one colorful dream after another. The familiar melodies tore through time, taking Li Ling back to the past. Countless memories, like a downpour from the depths of her mind, drenched her once again. After the performance, Li Ling was still lost in the moment, walking back with her head down, when she was suddenly stopped by two people at a corner. "Are you Li Ling?" The young girl in front of her asked eagerly. "Can we take a picture with you?" Li Ling was taken aback. What a... strange experience. She couldn't remember the last time someone asked for her autograph or a photo. "Of course," she said with a polite smile, though inside she was moved to the point of tears. After taking ten selfies in a row, Li Ling smiled and said goodbye to the two people. Behind her, a long line had formed, with half the nightclub's patrons waiting to take a photo with her. Wait, was she really this popular now? The truth became clear a moment later. Most people were just following the crowd for fun. Once they realized there were no big celebrities here, more than half of them left disappointed. However, a small group of people stayed behind for the fun. Li Ling was deeply grateful and agreed to every request. At the end of the line, a silent shadow loomed over her. This person seemed very tall, so tall that it almost felt oppressive, like clouds hanging low before a storm. Li Ling looked up and unexpectedly saw a sneaky... Jin Jingyao. Director Jin was still wearing that black hoodie, but he looked overly cautious. He had zipped it up completely, and his hat and mask covered him tightly, leaving only his emotionless eyes visible in the shadows. Because of his tall and imposing figure and his tense body language, he looked quite suspicious, like a dangerous person on a wanted list. It seemed like he might suddenly pull out a sharp knife and press it against her waist, saying, "This is a robbery." Li Ling instinctively swallowed, wanting to laugh but not daring to. "Director, what are you..." Jin Jingyao didn't speak, just looked at her coldly. Behind them, a new band took the stage. Screams erupted, and thick, choking smoke filled the air. Chaotic white lights swept around like searchlights, and the sound effects were so intense they made people's legs go numb. In such a noisy environment, the young man's gaze remained fixed. It stayed on her face, unmoving, dangerous yet calm. Something seemed to happen in the line behind them, and people surged forward like sardines in a can. Jin Jingyao frowned, not wanting to be touched by others, so he moved forward as well. ...Almost pressing against Li Ling. Their breaths nearly intertwined. In the nightclub's murky air, the young man's breath brushed against Li Ling's cheek, carrying a slightly cold and bitter scent, like a lemon roasted by a stove. She dazedly thought that he smelled like a spilled glass of tonic water. "Director?" Li Ling called him again. Jin Jingyao stared at her impatiently. "Aren't you leaving yet?" So he was here to hurry her along. Li Ling breathed a sigh of relief, almost thinking he was here to ask for her autograph, which had scared her to death. Then she felt fortunate that she hadn't voiced that thought, or she would have been scolded for "overthinking." "Director, just give me two more minutes," she whispered. "There aren't many people left." Jin Jingyao still didn't look pleased and urged her to hurry up in a low voice. But he didn't plan to make way for the next person. Perhaps his obsessive-compulsive disorder was acting up; the young man stood there, staring at her without moving. A flicker of light cast a shadow like a crack on his brow. His eye sockets were deep, and his features were almost perfect. In the shifting light, he looked like a strong drink. Li Ling hadn't had many opportunities to look into these eyes from such a close distance before. Maybe the producer was right. These were indeed very beautiful eyes. "Young man, didn't bring a pen?" An auntie behind them suddenly handed over a pen. "Use mine." Li Ling was taken aback again, then took the pen, a mischievous thought rising in her mind. "Thank you, Auntie," she said loudly. "So, where would this fan like me to sign?" Jin Jingyao didn't say a word. Li Ling lowered her head, struggling to hold back her laughter, completely avoiding looking at the other person's face. Instead, it was the aunt who peeked from behind, eagerly offering suggestions, "Sign on the clothes! How about signing on the chest?" Li Ling was about to burst into laughter. After a few seconds of stalemate, she felt the joke had gone far enough and planned to find an excuse to brush it off. A pale wrist was extended in front of her. "Sign here," Jin Jingyao said.