There were still many opinions about going to the director's room in the middle of the night. Even if the person was Jin Jingyao, one could not be careless. Li Ling stood outside the director's door and did not knock immediately. She lowered her head and sent a message to 9787532754335: "Do you think I should punch his nose first or kick his..." 9787532754335 quickly sent back a question mark. Li Ling reassured him: "Don't worry, I'm practicing Baduanjin." 9787532754335 fell silent. Li Ling was worried he would send another question mark. Fortunately, he finally said to her: "Stay safe." Li Ling felt relieved and sent him: "[Rose][Rose][Rose]" She hadn't been in touch with 9787532754335 for a while. The last chat record dated back to after watching Euphoria's performance at a nightclub. She posted a short video on Weibo with the caption, "Thanks to a kind person for making my dream come true." A few fans who had met her at the nightclub happily rushed in to share their photos, saying she looked beautiful in person. 9787532754335 privately messaged her asking who the kind person was. Li Ling: "Hehe, the producer of the new movie treated me to dinner." 9787532754335 sent a cold question mark. Then he ignored her. He also stopped liking her posts. Li Ling didn't think much of it. She was already used to his mysterious comings and goings and his penchant for ending conversations with question marks. But she still didn't quite understand why, just now, when she was talking to Xiao Liu, 9787532754335 suddenly sent another question mark. Could it be that he wasn't actually her fan, but a question mark robot? So Li Ling tested him as described above. Fortunately, he could still say "stay safe" to her, indicating a rich vocabulary. Li Ling felt slightly comforted and raised her hand to knock on the door. The door opened by itself. The burly assistant director stood at the door, like a protagonist from a Gu Long novel, and said in a deep voice, "You're here." Li Ling looked back at the room number in confusion: "Did I go to the wrong place? Isn't this..." "This is the director's room, no mistake," the assistant director said enthusiastically. "Come on in, we've been waiting for you." Li Ling walked in, bewildered. Her first reaction upon entering was: So. Many. People. Almost all the main creators were sitting in the director's living room. When they saw Li Ling, their previously dull eyes simultaneously lit up with joy. Li Ling felt a bit uneasy. The script coordinator got up from the floor without any pretense and warmly shook Li Ling's hand: "Teacher Li, you don't like to sleep either? That's great, the crew needs talented and dedicated actors like you!" Li Ling: "..." So strange. What did they mean by she doesn't like to sleep either? From the crowd's chatter, she learned that since the start of filming, the director had been holding script meetings in his room one or two nights a week. He was so energetic that he didn't feel tired staying up all night, and his work attitude and energy could be described as pathological. But the others couldn't keep up; normal people still needed sleep. They were all eagerly anticipating Li Ling's arrival. "Teacher Li, if you don't want to sleep, come and read lines with the director more often," the cameraman said longingly. Another person said, "Yeah, no man is as charming as the director." Li Ling: ? "..." It seemed they had misunderstood something.She had no choice but to explain the situation with the performance teacher again. Who knew these people would get even more excited, directly pushing her in front of Jin Jingyao, earnestly saying, "Teacher Li, you're really confused. Why spend money to hire another teacher? Isn't there a ready-made one right here?" Jin Jingyao completely ignored her. He was focused on typing. He sat by the bay window, with a laptop on his lap, wearing a pair of thin-framed glasses on his nose. His fingers were long and slender, the bones of his wrists were thin, and his skin was very pale, almost sickly white. Li Ling's first reaction was: If she really hit his nose, her hand would probably hurt a lot. Her second reaction was that, despite having seen many men, none could compare to this face. What a useless bunch of men. What a great... Director Jin. The great Director Jin was still intently staring at the computer screen, but finally stopped typing. "Director, are you busy?" Li Ling asked politely, "Am I disturbing you too much..." Her phone suddenly started buzzing with new notifications. Li Ling glanced down and saw that 9787532754335 was continuously liking her recent Weibo posts. Very obsessively, not even sparing the ads for new films by acquaintances. Li Ling: ? She stared at her phone screen in shock, losing control of her facial expressions. Jin Jingyao suddenly said, "You're quite busy." Li Ling immediately turned off her phone awkwardly, "Sorry, Director, I'm not busy." "Director, about the scene this afternoon, what do you think my problem was?" she asked tentatively. Jin Jingyao said, "I'll only say this once." If you're going to explain the scene, just explain it. No need for so much preamble. While cursing him in her heart, Li Ling obediently listened attentively. "You're still alive, but A-Ling is already dead," he continued. Li Ling pondered, looking at him very seriously. Their eyes met, and it was as if a cold flame flickered between them. Like a bright spark in a dark night sky. "Director, I don't understand," Li Ling said honestly. Jin Jingyao: "Write this sentence a hundred times." "Okay," she said, turning to the assistant director, "Can I borrow some paper and a pen?" Assistant Director: ? "Teacher, that's not necessary," he said, wiping the cyber sweat from his forehead. Li Ling whispered, "Did you understand it?" The assistant director also looked confused, but the script coordinator beside them smiled and asked her kindly, "Teacher Li, let me ask you a question. If one day you fell, what would you do?" "Get back up?" Li Ling said uncertainly. "What if it hurt very, very much?" Li Ling said, "I would still get back up." The script coordinator smiled wryly and continued to guide her, "Then what do you think A-Ling would do?" Li Ling frowned, suddenly understanding her point, "A-Ling... can't get up because she has no legs. She has been crushed by pain." The script coordinator looked at her encouragingly, "So, what is her first reaction when she sees Zhou Jing?" Anger, Li Ling's first reaction was anger. Just like she had acted in the afternoon, sharp anger, intense shame. She had externalized these emotions into aggression, towards Zhou Jing, and towards herself. But she suddenly realized that this might not be right. Anger also requires energy, and not everyone has that kind of energy. "It's... calm," Li Ling said slowly, "Anger means there are still expectations for the future, but A-Ling has no expectations left."A part of her died with her body. She was a stagnant pool of water." Several of the main creators showed expressions of agreement. Li Ling recalled what Jin Jingyao had just said to her: She is still alive, but A-Ling is already dead. It turned out he wasn't just talking nonsense; it actually made sense. She instinctively glanced at him. He was looking down at the computer screen, completely uninterested in their conversation, probably thinking it was all a bunch of idiots' nonsense. The script coordinator continued, "Ms. Li, you actually have a lot of insight. The problem is that A-Ling's personality is very different from yours. When you face setbacks, your first reaction is always to confront and resist. A-Ling, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. She is someone deeply mired in a swamp, without any upward strength." Li Ling said, "I see." "When filming this scene, you might try recalling some particularly painful experiences?" the assistant director suggested. Li Ling said sullenly, "Actually, that's what I was doing this afternoon." "Then it wasn't painful enough," the assistant director joked. Li Ling nodded and said seriously, "Yes, I've forgotten even the most painful things." The assistant director was momentarily speechless, unsure whether to praise her for her insensitivity. Then he remembered that it's indeed difficult for most people to pin the director down on the table during an audition. Li Ling reflected on herself, "It's my problem. I don't understand A-Ling well enough, so it's hard to get into her character." Jin Jingyao suddenly said, "Your smile is ugly." Li Ling turned her head in surprise, crashing into his emotionless gaze, like a ship lost at sea crashing into an iceberg. She didn't know when he had started watching her. Li Ling touched her face, "Did I smile?" There didn't seem to be anything particularly funny just now. Thinking this, Li Ling's fingertips touched the upturned corners of her mouth and the unnatural facial muscles. She had indeed smiled. Although it was more of an uncontrollable muscle memory than a genuine smile. She suspected her smile was a bit grim. Because Jin Jingyao was staring at her, his expression not looking particularly good. "If you don't want to smile, then don't," he said coldly. Li Ling said, "I want to smile, Director." She forced her mouth into a wider smile, tilting her face up to show Jin Jingyao a very bright smile. The young man stared at her, seemingly stunned for a moment, before indifferently looking away. "Suit yourself." In the glass behind him, Li Ling saw their reflections overlapping. She smiled so hard that her whole face wrinkled, like a flower soaked in water. His face was handsome and silent, like a snow-capped mountain that never melts. But in the end, it all dissolved into the dim night fog in the mountains, gradually fading away. It started raining again. The sound of the drizzle enveloped the room. "Read," he suddenly threw a script in front of her. Li Ling was stunned, "Director, this is?" Jin Jingyao said impatiently, "If you don't read, copy it a hundred times." Li Ling: "..." Reading lines is definitely better. She let out an "oh" and obediently began to read the lines. She thought she would get scolded. And indeed, at first, she couldn't get through three sentences without being stopped. It was clear that he wasn't good at teaching, the type who would make students cry immediately. But he was indeed... seriously teaching her. After going through the lines, he corrected her actions, almost hand-in-hand teaching her how to act. Not only that, he corrected some details that Li Ling herself wouldn't usually notice, as if he was very familiar with her acting style. The dim light poured down, like the silhouette of the sunset, casting a shadow on Jin Jingyao's profile. His brows and eyes relaxed, as if some vast and lush tropical plant were growing in the drizzle, almost to the point of being gentle. - The two people in the room were still engaged in serious one-on-one teaching, while the others took the opportunity to sneak out. "Finally, I can go to sleep," the photographer said, stretching with a big yawn. The assistant director sighed, "After all these years, this is the first time I've heard the director give someone a lesson." He then gave a thumbs-up to the script coordinator, "Xiao Luo, you were also very good at explaining the scene to the actor just now." "No, brother, if I were that good, would I be getting scolded by the director every day?" Script coordinator Ms. Luo said with a troubled expression. The assistant director was taken aback, "Huh? Then just now..." She raised her phone, "Look, it was all written by the director. I just read it out loud. I misread two words, and he secretly glared at me. Oh, such a terrifying look..." Assistant director: "..." - The lesson was over, and Jin Jingyao didn't intend to keep anyone a second longer. He directly said, "You can go now." Li Ling sincerely thanked him, "Thank you, director. I really learned a lot tonight." Jin Jingyao had already started silently tidying up the room. Li Ling watched him with great admiration as he perfectly smoothed out the wrinkles on an old throw pillow. "Why are you still here?" He turned his head. Li Ling kindly reminded him, "Usually, people say 'good night' before parting." "Close the door." "...Okay, director." Li Ling left quietly. A gust of wind blew through the corridor, sneaking into her sleeves. She stared at the closed door, feeling a mix of gratitude and excitement, with a hint of bewilderment. Why was this person suddenly so nice? It couldn't really be to prove he was more useful than Nan Da, could it? As she walked slowly, she casually sent a question mark test to 9787532754335: "The director gave me a lesson today. The director is really nice. I love him so much." Then she expressionlessly typed five random [crying][crying][crying][crying][crying] emojis. Usually, faced with such nonsense, 9787532754335 would definitely respond with a question mark. But it was too late now; he was probably asleep. The unreliable sensor light in the hallway had already gone out. The rain had intensified. In the darkness, the sound of the downpour was loud and hoarse. Through the small window, trees were shaken by the strong wind, like a frozen frame in a painting. "Click." The door suddenly opened again. Li Ling turned her head in surprise. The old sensor light took two seconds to react. The young man stood at the boundary between light and dark, his silhouette outlined by a layer of shimmering light. Like the Empire State Building lighting up for the first time after six and a half hours of silence. "Walking so fast," Jin Jingyao asked her, "where's the tuition fee?""