The next day, Li Ling woke up groggily. A tall man stood with his back to her, drawing the curtains open. The sky after the rain was very clear, a washed-out, ocean-like blue. "Good morning," the doctor turned his head. Why is it you? Li Ling was stunned for a moment, struggling to prop herself up and look around. The space beside the bed was empty, not even a chair. The white sheets were pressed flat, without a single wrinkle. Everything that happened last night—the rainy night, the lighthouse, the hands clasped in the mist—seemed like just a dream. She asked the doctor, somewhat confused, "Was I alone last night?" "Who else would it be?" The doctor looked at her meaningfully, "The person who brought you here last night, your boyfriend?" Li Ling was startled and immediately said, "No, how could that be, he's my boss." The doctor said, "Then that's it. You still expect your boss to stay by your bedside? You think you're in a novel? Don't you have work to do?" Li Ling: "..." What's going on, suddenly feeling a strong sense of corporate resentment. "You're right," she said sullenly, "So last night he..." "A single room was opened next door, he slept there." Li Ling said, "I see." She tried to recall what happened last night, but everything seemed shrouded in a dreamlike veil. Maybe she had tried to hypnotize a certain director by saying, "You are dreaming." The other party looked at her calmly and said, "Yes, you are dreaming." Then, under the guise of teaching, held her hand for more than ten minutes. Wait a minute, did they really hold hands? Li Ling lowered her head, thoughtfully looking at her own hand. She vaguely remembered the young man's hand, long, bony, with distinct knuckles. But as the night passed, time slipped through her fingers like water. The sensation of skin touching, fingers interlocking, felt so unreal, leaving only a lingering heat in her memory that wouldn't dissipate. Was it really just her imagination? At this moment, Director Jin pushed the door open and came in. His tall figure made the originally spacious ward feel a bit cramped. Li Ling's heart skipped a beat, she stared at him, trying to find any clues from his face. But he looked expressionless, as cold as usual. Compared to the young face that had slept by her bedside last night, soft and harmless in the moonlight, it was like two different people. "Good morning, Director," Li Ling asked with a hint of suggestion, "Did you sleep well last night?" Jin Jingyao said, "You probably didn't sleep well." "How do you know?" Li Ling felt he had taken the bait. "Your face is swollen from sleep," he said calmly. Li Ling: "..." She instinctively touched her face, and he added, "Your eyes are swollen too." In a polite tone, he asked, "Are you a pig? How could you sleep so swollen?" Li Ling said, "Can you be a bit gentler to a patient?" Jin Jingyao sneered. Li Ling was immediately a bit disappointed. Last night must have been a dream. How could someone like him stay by her bedside out of concern for her condition? "Hey, have an apple," she turned and muttered to herself. She didn't know who had placed a large fruit basket by her bedside. She took out a bright, juicy apple, but in her haste, half of it fell into the trash can with one cut. Li Ling: "..." With a "thud," the entire ward fell into a subtle silence. "I'll get another one," she said, pretending nothing had happened. "Forget it."Jin Jingyao said, "There aren't that many in total." Li Ling's hand was halfway out, caught in a dilemma, and she almost wanted to peel him like an apple. Suddenly, she had a stroke of genius, as if discovering a new continent, and said, "Director, look at this apple, isn't it a bit... small?" Jin Jingyao: "It won't be big after you cut it." "And the fruit knife," she said tactfully, "isn't it too small as well?" Before Jin Jingyao could reply, the doctor interjected, "If it were any bigger, you'd cut off half your hand." Despite two failed attempts, Li Ling was not discouraged and timely expressed her sentiment, "Indeed, my hand is too small." She sneaked a glance at the director to see his reaction, but couldn't make it out. He stood up and poured her a glass of water. Li Ling said again, "Oh dear, the cup is so small." Jin Jingyao was about to hand her the cup but suddenly took it away. Li Ling: ? "I'll get you a bigger one," he said. Moments later, Jin Jingyao came in carrying a bucket of water. Li Ling: "..." Young people have great stamina, but she was not a water buffalo. She laughed dryly twice. He turned around, gave her a cold look, and opened the table by the bed, placing food boxes on it one by one. Li Ling was taken aback, "Director, you're so kind, you even brought me breakfast." Jin Jingyao didn't lift his head, "The driver bought it." She said gratefully, "Thank you, driver." Jin Jingyao was impatiently untying a tightly knotted plastic bag and accidentally tore it open. The driver, perhaps eager to replenish Li Ling's nutrition, had bought a sumptuous breakfast that couldn't even fit on the table. The doctor gloated from the side, "Haha, you need to watch your diet now. You can't eat this, or this, or this... huh? Isn't this from the street next door that's hard to buy? People queue for hours every day, and you got it..." Li Ling blinked, "Director, did the driver queue for a long time?" "Don't know," Jin Jingyao said, "He's younger than you, don't call him 'big brother.'" Li Ling thought for a moment. She hadn't seen any very young drivers in the crew, but maybe someone just looked mature for their age. She turned to the doctor with longing, "Such precious pastries, can I eat them?" The doctor also looked longingly at the delicate pastries, staring unblinkingly, "No." Li Ling sighed in disappointment, "Oh," and generously said, "Then you have some, doctor, don't let it go to waste." Jin Jingyao's expression suddenly darkened. "Director, have you eaten?" Li Ling turned and asked. His face softened slightly, but he still replied stiffly, "I don't like sweets." Li Ling: "Does the driver... little brother like them?" Jin Jingyao, who was not at all pleased to be called "little brother," tersely said, "No." Li Ling immediately showed a regretful expression. After breakfast, a nurse came to change Li Ling's dressing, gave some instructions, and then discharged her. Li Ling sat in a wheelchair borrowed from the hospital, pushed by Jin Jingyao all the way to the parking lot. She wanted to say she could walk, but before she could speak, he had already lifted her into the front passenger seat of the SUV without a word. The driver's seat was empty. Li Ling was taken aback, "Where's the driver?" "On leave." Jin Jingyao closed the door, walked around to the driver's seat, his steps seemingly slower than usual. Through the windshield, a gentle breeze rustled the treetops, dappled sunlight pierced through the shadows, and the young man's handsome profile was reflected against the clear blue sky. Li Ling stared at his face, finally coming to her senses. Last night, he drove himself out; where did the driver come from? She was also in a daze, like a fool, and only now did she think of it. So, he bought the breakfast. He did stay by her bedside until the middle of the night. And his fierce demeanor this morning... He was just feeling guilty. Damn, he's good at pretending. The driver's side door was pulled open. "Director, you..." Li Ling looked at him with a bit of mischief. Jin Jingyao: "What about me?" Their eyes met. In their gazes, there was a glimmer like shattered light passing by. She showed a knowing smile. She knew, and he knew that she knew. Li Ling smiled and said, "Nothing, Director, it's just that the seatbelt is a bit..." "The seatbelt is too small, right?" Jin Jingyao said. Before she could finish her sentence, he had already leaned over. The distance between them suddenly closed. In an instant, the spacious car cabin turned into a dense forest, every breath wrapped in moisture. The young man's eyebrows and eyes already carried a sharpness, now even more aggressive from above. Even the swallowed end sounds of his words were like blades, sending a chill straight to her face. Li Ling's breath hitched, and she involuntarily swallowed. A hard-to-describe sense of danger swept across the back of her neck. ...She seemed to have gone too far. She only knew that young people had thin skin, forgetting that they also had good stamina. The engine's roar suddenly broke the unsettling silence. In the rearview mirror, another car in the parking lot roared past. Jin Jingyao still looked at her deeply, his brows slightly furrowed, inexplicably showing a kind of irritation and stubbornness. Li Ling heard a "click" by her ear; he had forcefully pressed down her seatbelt buckle. He sat back in his seat, his Adam's apple moved, and his jawline was exceptionally sharp. The hand holding the steering wheel had distinct veins. - The car traveled through the mountains and forests, the view outside a blur of lush green. Although the off-road vehicle drove steadily, the mountain road was rugged, and there were occasional bumps. Li Ling's twisted ankle still throbbed faintly. Jin Jingyao had to check the right rearview mirror, occasionally turning his head. Every time he turned his head, Li Ling would give him an awkward smile. But Jin Jingyao didn't pay much attention to her. Li Ling reflected on herself, realizing she shouldn't joke around with people, and leaned silently against the car window, falling asleep without knowing when. In her swaying dream, she returned to the set of the last crime drama. From a third-person perspective, she watched the male lead Qin Yi and the director in a standoff on the shore, saying some ridiculous things. In the corner, the unnoticed actress soaked in the cold pool water. The water rippled, her face pale, repeatedly reliving the past. That night, she developed a high fever and had to take a day off. After getting an IV at the hospital, she slept drowsily in her room, only to be woken by a call from the production assistant, telling her to hurry back to the set. "The director was just scolding on set, saying how could you get sick, it delays the shooting schedule. Qin Yi advised the director not to wait and just replace you, after all, it's just a corpse, anyone can play it." The production assistant hesitated and said, "You understand what I mean, right? After all, your role..." wasn't the production's first choice, no one wanted it, it was just thrown to her, dispensable. She struggled to get up and returned to the set. Qin Yi seemed a bit disappointed, giving her several sarcastic looks, saying her information was still very well-informed. Even though she was about to faint, she still smiled and said yes, so be careful with your words on set, accumulate more virtue for yourself. She choked him hard. The temperature in the morgue was extremely low. She lay on the cold funeral table, covered with a white cloth. Her skin was cold, but her body was still hot. A ball of fire, frozen, silently burned through her internal organs. With a loud bang, the scene in her dream urgently shifted from the dim morgue to a radiant stage. She was back to yesterday afternoon. The actress had twisted her ankle and was sitting on the ground, hugging her knee. A tall young man, backlit, walked towards her step by step. His footsteps landed heavily. Her breathing quickened, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat. At the moment she looked up, every beam of light seemed like a sharp thorn, clearly illuminating her pale face. Her lips trembled slightly, like a frightened gazelle facing a cold hunting rifle. The dark muzzle was aimed at her face, and in her eyes, there was neither pain nor surprise, nor emotion. But fear. She was afraid the director would notice her injury, think she was troublesome, delaying progress, and decide to replace her. She feared being entangled by past mistakes, making another fatal error, taking a wrong step, and missing a good opportunity. So many fears weighed heavily on her ankle. Pressing down, pressing down further. But he said nothing. He just bent down and picked her up. The stage lights intertwined, gently enveloping them, weaving a beautiful dream for her. In the dream, the scene was recast, freezing a set of indescribable images. - Li Ling woke up groggily, finding the sky had turned dark. They had entered the mountains. The sky in the mountains was always shrouded in mist, dim and indistinguishable. At some point, the car's audio system had been turned on, singing softly. The piano sounded like a vast moving cloud, and the female singer sang with a voice so high it was almost tearing, recalling herself at nineteen, wearing a white dress, not yet famous. Li Ling quietly glanced at the director in the driver's seat, seeing that he was still staring straight ahead, then opened her private messages and sent "1" to 9787532754335. After waiting for a while, there was no reply. She continued to send: "11" "111" "1111" ... Until the entire chat interface formed a very neat right-angled triangle, 9787532754335 still did not reply. It seemed he really wasn't there. Li Ling threw her phone aside, feeling a sense of loss. What did she want to say to 9787532754335? Maybe she still wanted to praise the director. Although he had a sharp tongue, never repeated his insults, and often ignored people. He also forced her to work overtime dancing, causing her to need a wheelchair now. But he was a good person. In all the crews she had been in, only he cared about her injury, took her to the hospital for check-ups and X-rays. And only he would let her stay in the hospital, even staying by her bedside in the middle of the night. The car gently swayed, and the song in the audio system came to an end. The female singer's biting, pain, and choking turned into light murmurs and sighs. Taking the opportunity, Li Ling turned her head and once again sincerely thanked the director. Jin Jingyao coldly said, "You're awake." "..." Li Ling said somewhat ashamedly, "Sorry, director, I didn't talk in my sleep, did I?" Jin Jingyao did not answer this question. He looked straight ahead and suddenly said, "How did you fall yesterday?" His tone was abrupt, sounding not very kind, even somewhat accusatory. Li Ling's heart skipped a beat. She actually wanted to pretend the music was too loud and she hadn't heard him, but after waiting for a long time, the next song still hadn't started. This was very awkward. The car was too quiet, only their breathing remained, like intersecting and parallel rivers. She had no choice but to say dryly, "It's nothing, Director. Someone suddenly came in from the audience, and it distracted me." "It's not a serious injury," Li Ling turned her face, speaking sincerely, "I can still continue dancing, it won't affect the filming." Jin Jingyao said, "The doctor advised you to rest for two weeks." "I'm sorry, Director, for causing you trouble." "Do you know him?" he asked flatly. Li Ling feigned ignorance, "Who? The doctor? Of course not." The car jolted as it passed over a muddy pothole. Jin Jingyao's voice remained steady, but Li Ling's heart wavered. "You know who I'm talking about." Li Ling was momentarily speechless. Saying she didn't know him would be too fake. Admitting she did, she didn't want to bring up the past. Everyone has their vulnerabilities, scars they don't want touched. They weren't at the point where they could expose each other's wounds. She had no choice but to say, "Director, you don't need to worry about me. Accidents during filming are normal, and the injury is my own fault, not your responsibility." Jin Jingyao: "Did I say I was worried about you?" "Then I misunderstood," Li Ling reflected on herself with a good attitude, "I was being too self-indulgent." It started raining again. Tiny raindrops fell densely on the car's windshield, like ripples spreading across a pond. The damp air seeped in through the window cracks, carrying the earthy smell of rain. Li Ling stole a glance at the person sitting next to her. He controlled the steering wheel with one hand, the other hand idle, resting to the side. His profile was cold and hard, like a tree in the rain and fog. "Director, should we shake hands now?" she suddenly asked out of nowhere. "Shake hands for what?" "Just... continue the lesson, like last night..." The car rumbled forward. Smoothly, at a steady pace. At the end of the road was an endless expanse of lush green. A forest soaked by rain, silent and still. Li Ling thought her suggestion had been silently rejected. The car suddenly pulled over to the side of the road. The tires screeched against the ground. Her body was thrown back, hitting the seatback solidly. Jin Jingyao's hand was still on the steering wheel, his expression unchanged, but he turned to look at her. "Shaking hands doesn't feel right," he said. In a very calm tone. Li Ling, dizzy from the impact, didn't think it through and blurted out, "...Then how about a hug?" The next second, a shadow loomed over her. The rain intensified, pounding on the car windows, each leaf on the treetops trembling.