At dusk, Luo Mingqing left the train station and drove into the mountains. Amidst the swaying shadows of the trees, he sat in the back seat, flipping through several new movie scripts sent by his agent. After a cursory glance, he tossed them aside, uninterested. "Anything else?" he asked his assistant. The assistant replied, "These are all good scripts, big productions, carefully selected by Brother Jiang. Mr. Luo, do you find any of them unsuitable?" Luo Mingqing said, "Why aren't there any romance films?" "Romance films..." The assistant hesitated, "Romance films don't sell nowadays. It's an outdated genre. Realism is more in demand, isn't it?" "Jin Jingyao can make romance films, but I can't?" Luo Mingqing sneered. "Well, Director Jin's latest is actually a suspense film. Suspense always has a market. Bullying is a hot social topic now, like in 'The Glory' and 'The King of Pigs'... Director Jin's film also has a bit of a revenge thriller feel to it, right?" The assistant analyzed enthusiastically, thinking he was doing well, but unfortunately, his boss did not appreciate it. From the corner of his eye, he saw in the rearview mirror that Luo Mingqing's gaze had turned very sinister, scaring him into immediate silence. "Revenge, my ass," Luo Mingqing said. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, "What do you think about the company investing in a romance film where I play a couple with Li Ling?" The assistant let out an "ah," actually startled, thinking it was a wild idea, but cautiously asked, "Mr. Luo, why her?" Luo Mingqing stared out the window as the sky gradually darkened. In a low voice, he said, "Isn't making movies about doing what you want but can't do?" "Ah? What did you say, Mr. Luo? I didn't hear clearly," the assistant called out from the front. "She can continue to teach me acting," Luo Mingqing said coldly. "She teaches very earnestly, she's a very good teacher. I feel I've made great progress recently." The assistant chuckled dryly, "Yes, very earnest. Ms. Li's acting is quite good." "Of course, it's very good," Luo Mingqing said indifferently. "Back then, He Wei had such high standards, selecting from hundreds and thousands of people, and only chose her. She was so glamorous, the one in a million He girl." The assistant couldn't tell if it was an illusion, but he seemed to hear a hint of pride in Luo Mingqing's tone. Like a fervent fan praising their idol. "But hasn't He Wei been dead for many years?" the assistant asked instinctively. "Yes, dead," Luo Mingqing laughed coldly. "Died too early, didn't even finish the film." —Li Ling didn't become famous either. Still in that fan-like tone, but with a strange resentment. It was already dark, the car's headlights illuminating the pitch-black trees. The assistant hadn't expected Li Ling to have such a past. Imagining it, he thought it was quite tragic. Starting from such a high point, only to fall from grace overnight. "What a pity," the assistant said empathetically. "But now that she's in Director Jin's film, she should be able to rise again. Getting that role wasn't easy. I heard the crew has been shipping CPs every day. Just a couple of days ago, they were saying the director wanted to add a bed scene..." The assistant was speaking enthusiastically when he suddenly felt a hard kick to his back. Even through the seat, his body shook violently. "Stop the car," Luo Mingqing said. He looked up in shock, immediately frightened by the expression in the rearview mirror. In the white light of the headlights, Luo Mingqing's face was ghostly pale, his eyes dark and rapidly filling with blood, almost giving the impression of encountering a ghost in the middle of the night. "Wh-what's wrong, Mr. Luo?" the assistant's voice trembled. He said calmly, "Get out, I'll drive." When they finally arrived at the set, the assistant opened the car door, fell to the ground, and immediately vomited. Luo Mingqing almost drove recklessly into an accident. Not only the people, but the lilies in the back seat were also thrown into disarray. The ginger-colored pollen stained the pure white petals, uncontrollably falling into the wet mud. Luo Mingqing didn't care at all, even stepping on the petals. He rushed into the building like a gust of wind, banging on Li Ling's door. The hallway's sensor lights were still not working. It was pitch black, with shadows of trees swaying. The knocking sounded like a meteor crashing to the ground, shaking the earth. The door opened. The woman behind the door was slender, wearing a white long-sleeved nightgown. The hem of the gown fluttered slightly, like a scene from his dreams. He couldn't see her face clearly, but he felt as if he had found a treasure. He immediately bent down and hugged her tightly. "Please don't shoot that kind of scene," Luo Mingqing pleaded softly, his breath almost buried in her neck, "I'm begging you." Li Ling was bewildered, "What are you doing?" She was startled. She had been sleeping well, but when she heard someone knocking on the door, she thought it was an earthquake. Who knew that as soon as she opened the door, she would fall into a pair of burning arms. Luo Mingqing had a strong smell of smoke and men's perfume. She felt uncomfortable and immediately pushed him away. He didn't insist but stood at the door, staring at her intently, continuing to plead like a monk chanting, "Don't shoot, okay? I heard that scene was added last minute. Did he do it on purpose? Is he trying to bully you? I'll stand up for you, it's okay. Can't you refuse him? I'll speak for you..." Li Ling said helplessly, "What are you talking about? The bed scene? It's already done." Luo Mingqing's face froze, then he looked up in disbelief, "What did you say?" A flash of extreme hurt passed through his eyes. In the darkness, those eyes seemed to be filled with blood, turning into an angry and shattered deep purple. Li Ling thought he hadn't heard clearly and kindly repeated, "It's done, we shot it all night. It's a pity you weren't there, otherwise, we could have sparred a bit." Spar—her words stung him, and he leaned forward as if to grab her hand. She took the opportunity to push him away and even stepped on his foot, closing the door forcefully. But Luo Mingqing moved quickly, wedging his hand in the door gap. She didn't care and continued to apply pressure. He let out a muffled groan from his throat. The hand that had just gripped the steering wheel was tightly pinched by the door, the joints already swelling and bruising. He really seemed like a madman, refusing to let go despite the pain. His eyes were fixed on her, veins bulging on his neck. In Li Ling's eyes, he was still that unreasonable little boy. She didn't want to make news, mainly because she didn't want to pay his medical bills, so she reluctantly pushed the door open again. "It's just a bed scene, do you have to be like this?" Li Ling said. Luo Mingqing's expression became even uglier. Maybe because she said "just a bed scene." "You think it doesn't matter?" He questioned her, seemingly more hurt, "Fine, shoot with me. I can give you resources too..." Li Ling laughed angrily, "Shoot your mother, why don't you give me a million first." Luo Mingqing actually wanted to transfer the money to her. After a brief moment of excitement, she became wary, suspecting this might be some new legal trap. Maybe he wanted her to take the money and go to jail. Such deep scheming. "It's like this, you might have misunderstood," Li Ling said calmly, "I didn't have any roles before, the director gave me work, he's my savior.""So, not to mention filming a bed scene, he could ask me to streak down the street, and I'd do it." She pressed down on Luo Mingqing's hand, stuffing the phone he was using to transfer money back into his jacket pocket, and kindly zipped it up for him. Luo Mingqing looked completely dumbfounded. He stared at her blankly, his pupils dilated, his mouth tightly pursed as if it too had been zipped shut. Years ago, at his father's funeral, when she smashed his camera, he had the same expression. She slammed the door with a loud "bang." - That night, Li Ling had another strange dream. She dreamt that her father had married a new wife, who was holding the hand of a young brother. The brother peeked out from behind the aunt, revealing a face as cute as jade, and smiled shyly at her. She was taken aback and said, "Isn't that a sister?" The brother got upset, immediately turned away, and started drawing circles in a notebook to curse her. But even when he was angry, he looked adorable. She held him in her arms, coaxing him for a long time until he finally called her "sister." He changed the circles into hearts and gave them to her. His voice was soft, like a piece of mung bean cake, melting her heart. She wanted to coax him into calling her sister again, but for some reason, in the next second, the brother's figure grew very tall. He became a very tall tree, growing under the moonlight. Clearly, she should have been holding him, but instead, he was holding her in his arms. They sat in a dimly lit basement, white sheets piled with overlapping bodies. He lifted her face and said in a low, oppressive voice, "Sister, I'm going to kiss you." Li Ling woke up in fright. Her heart was beating fast, and her breathing was rapid. She had already forgotten what she had dreamt about, but the feeling upon waking was more of regret than fear. It seemed like it had been a very good dream. Her life had many mistakes, and Luo Mingqing was one of them. If she had never met him, if someone else had walked through her door that day, maybe she would be much happier now. But life doesn't have that many "ifs." Li Ling climbed out of bed, washed her face, and planned to go for a morning run. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Luo Mingqing standing outside again. He seemed to have dressed up deliberately, looking radiant like a prince from a morning drama. Despite this, it couldn't hide the gloom in his eyes and the faint blue circles under them. "I'm sorry, Ms. Li," he apologized softly, "I was too anxious last night. I shouldn't have said those things to you. I hope I didn't scare you?" Li Ling was a bit annoyed and said, "What do you want now?" "I bought you breakfast," he said. She responded with an "oh," thinking this move was quite unoriginal. She took the breakfast bag from his hand and asked perfunctorily, "Did you add sugar to the soy milk?" "Of course not," Luo Mingqing said obediently, "You said you didn't want sugar." Seeing that she was willing to accept his breakfast, his expression brightened a bit. "But, Ms. Li, have your tastes changed that much? I remember you used to love sweets. You bought mung bean cakes so many times and secretly hid them in your school bag..." Li Ling said, "And then you found them and shared them with our classmates." Luo Mingqing's expression stiffened for a moment, then he smiled gently and said, "I'm sorry, it was all my fault." The first time he said "I'm sorry" to her, his tone was still a bit stiff. The second time, it became much more natural. He owed her many apologies. But it didn't matter; they had a long time ahead of them. Li Ling sensed something in his smile.She lowered her head and opened the breakfast bag, and sure enough, she found mung bean cakes inside, along with a variety of foods she loved as a child. This wasn't the cafeteria's breakfast; he had specially bought it from outside. It was clear he had put a lot of thought into it, even including many old brands from their hometown. But why did he remember so clearly? Perhaps because, as a child, he was most enthusiastic about stealing her food. Luo Mingqing looked down at her, his gaze filled with a hopeful tenderness. Li Ling didn't show much surprise; instead, she looked somewhat worried and said with a frown, "I wonder if it suits his taste." Luo Mingqing was stunned. "He?" Coincidentally, at that moment, the door to Director Jin's room opened. Jin Jingyao, dressed in a black T-shirt and pants, much more casually than Luo Mingqing, appeared with a cold, unsmiling face, as if they had disturbed him. Li Ling smiled at him, "Good morning, Director. Have you eaten?" They stared at each other for a moment before he replied expressionlessly, "What do you think?" Li Ling obediently handed the breakfast bag to him, turned to smile at Luo Mingqing, and then continued speaking to the young director: "Sorry, Director, I have to confess something—actually, the previous breakfasts were all brought to me by Teacher Luo. You don't mind, do you?" Jin Jingyao said, "Oh, I don't mind." Then he calmly took the breakfast bag and left. Li Ling breathed a sigh of relief. Great, he doesn't mind... Wait, what did he say? He doesn't mind? She almost thought she was hearing things. Watching the black T-shirt disappear down the hallway, she stood stunned for a second before chasing after him. She didn't look back. Luo Mingqing stood behind her, rooted to the spot, staring at her retreating figure as if petrified. He didn't know what he was longing for, maybe just waiting for her to turn back. Like when they played hide-and-seek in the alley as children, she could have caught him, but she never did. She would just turn her head, give him a mischievous smile, and let him go. Many years later, he realized that back then, he had already been caught by her. Caught by her smile, her gaze. But now, she didn't look back even once. Li Ling hurriedly ran downstairs. In the stairwell, light and shadow intertwined, and huge human shadows were cast on the walls by the wind. "Director, wait for me..." Jin Jingyao stood downstairs, looking up at her. His face was bathed in a myriad of light spots, his handsomeness almost aggressive. Li Ling unconsciously slowed her steps. Jin Jingyao said, "Waiting for you to streak down the street?" Li Ling: ? She was stunned for a moment before saying, "Director, you heard that." Jin Jingyao looked as if he couldn't be bothered with her, but he stood there, not leaving. Li Ling jogged over, stood in front of him, and looked up, "Sorry, Director, did we disturb you last night?" Jin Jingyao: "It was very noisy." Li Ling said somewhat wistfully, "I don't know what got into him last night." "He cares about you," he said flatly, "afraid you'll be bullied." Li Ling looked disgusted, "He has the nerve to say that. I wanted to scold him last night." "Then why didn't you?" "Yeah," she said more wistfully, "why didn't I? Maybe I wasn't fully awake, my fighting power was weak." Everyone reflects on their inadequacies after an argument, and Li Ling was no exception. Jin Jingyao gave her a look that suggested he thought she wasn't very smart. Li Ling, however, smiled at him. They walked out of the hallway. The roadside was lined with lush trees, leaves rustling in the breeze, and sunlight streaming through the canopy. She lowered her head and suddenly said, "Actually, I don't really understand why, in the middle of the night, he suddenly came running to question me with a hurt expression, as if I had wronged him in some way." "Is he the victim?" Li Ling asked Jin Jingyao, somewhat confused. He calmly replied, "No." "Some people just like to disguise themselves as victims." "Why?" "So they don't have to admit they've made mistakes too." "That makes sense," Li Ling whispered. "After all these years, if he really wanted to apologize to me, he had plenty of opportunities. He could have called me, he could have come to see me... I'm not dead. There's no need for him to show up now, putting on an act." Jin Jingyao stopped walking, looked at her deeply, and slowly said, "Maybe he didn't dare to see you." Li Ling said, "What's there to be afraid of..." He remained silent. She glanced at him again and joked, "Director, you're so strange, why are you suddenly speaking up for him?" Jin Jingyao turned his face away, "I'm not speaking up for him." "Alright, alright, I know you're on my side." Li Ling smiled, "Thank you for giving me face just now and not getting angry... I mean about the breakfast." He still didn't look at her and said somewhat unnaturally, "I really wasn't angry." "Is this something worth getting angry about?" he added. Li Ling was shocked, realizing she had underestimated him before. "Director, you're really a good person," she said, moved. Who wouldn't say that Director Jin is indeed a broad-minded gentleman? "Then have a piece of mung bean cake to cheer up." She took a piece of mung bean cake from the breakfast bag in his hand. He said with some disgust, "You really eat that." "Why not? Mung bean cake is innocent." Li Ling blinked, "It's very sweet, you should try it." She brought the mung bean cake to his lips, just joking, but to her surprise, he actually lowered his head and took a bite. Something warm and moist lightly touched her fingertip. Their gazes locked, both stunned. The jade-green syrup melted in the air, sliding wetly through her fingers. Li Ling was startled and pulled back as if burned. But the warmth on her fingertip slowly seeped through her skin, merging into her veins. She felt like she had turned into a piece of cake. Jin Jingyao said, "Sorry." After a pause, as if savoring the taste on his tongue, he added, "It is very sweet.""