The sky gradually darkened, and Jin Jingyao's face sank into the shadows. Li Ling was very worried that he would get entangled in the issue of being a "simp," and she had already prepared a series of responses to deal with him, such as: "The term 'simp' is so vulgar and unworthy, how could it be used to describe someone as noble as you!" Guaranteed to leave Jin Jingyao speechless! But as it turned out, Jin Jingyao was a man who played by no rules. He looked at Li Ling expressionlessly and suddenly said in a somewhat strange tone, "You two have a good relationship, don't you?" Li Ling was taken aback: "Huh? What?" He glanced at her screen, and Li Ling had no choice but to look down at her chat history with the actor. She was shocked by what she saw. The chat history went like this— Not long ago, the actor friend said to her: "Happy birthday, even so busy, do you have time to eat cake [picking nose]." She politely replied with a "Thank you." A month ago, he said: "Busy? If not, let's grab a meal." She didn't reply. Two months ago: "Morning, I dreamed of filming with you last night." She played dead. The previous message seemed to be a still from a drama, blocked by the chat box. Li Ling: "…Director, this, I…" "You have quite a few simps," Jin Jingyao said indifferently. Li Ling: "…" Her face flushed slightly, feeling quite embarrassed, she had to explain: "Director, it's not like that, we were filming together before…" "He played your boyfriend." Li Ling: "Huh? No, he played my ex-boyfriend… No, wait, he was my boss." Jin Jingyao glanced at her, a hint of a knowing smirk on his lips. In fact, Li Ling was talking nonsense, but to prove her innocence to Jin Jingyao, she specifically opened Douban to check. Oh my god, he really did play her boyfriend. Li Ling: "…" She was speechless and scrolled down. It was a small, obscure drama with a Douban rating of only 3.6, reviewed by over a thousand people. The discussion section had sporadic comments like: —The supporting female character is such an idiot. —Watching for my hubby's looks. —Terrible, what a crappy show, crazy characters. Jin Jingyao glanced at her screen and commented, "Such harsh criticism." Li Ling suddenly felt worried. Was the director subtly hinting that her dark past would affect the promotion of his new film? She racked her brain to prove her innocence: The reason this drama was so bad was mainly due to the capital's fault; the actors played a very minor role. Because of a broken funding chain and various disputes between the producers and the platform, they changed directors three times. Each new director would rewrite the script from scratch, and by the end, they themselves didn't know what they were acting in, reciting lines as if in a dream. Li Ling had experienced such things many times since her debut. She pretended to be nonchalant, sharing some of her experiences with Director Jin, secretly hoping to praise her own dedication and potential as a dark horse. He asked coldly, "Oh, then why is he pursuing you?" Li Ling: . Is this the fate of the misunderstood? "No, he's not pursuing me…" she said helplessly, "He might just be too deep into the role and can't get out." "Too deep into the role, can't get out," Jin Jingyao seemed to repeat her words understandingly. Li Ling: "Yes, yes, that's exactly it." "Still hasn't gotten out after all this time."Li Ling: "Haha, hahaha." He continued, "So you ignore him for his own good." Li Ling sighed in relief, "That's great, Director. I knew you'd understand me." She turned her head, wanting to show a grateful smile to the other person, but was startled by Jin Jingyao. Because he had been staring at her. Unblinkingly. In the gradually deepening night, the theater lights cast a faint glow on his face, outlining his features. The young man's eyes were bright, but his smile was not very friendly, somewhat twisted, almost frightening. Li Ling whispered, "What's wrong now, Director?" He was silent for a moment, then said something even stranger. His deep voice, almost like cold silk, slid past her earlobe. Jin Jingyao asked her, "After the shoot wraps, will you treat me the same way?" Li Ling was really startled. She immediately said, "Absolutely not!" Not only did she say a lot of nice things, but to show her loyalty, she pinned Director Jin's WeChat to the top. Jin Jingyao sneered, "Is that all?" Li Ling, understanding the situation, put her actor friends on Do Not Disturb. He was still not very satisfied. And she still didn't know why her heart was suddenly beating so fast. Was it implying something? Impossible, absolutely impossible. This was Jin Jingyao. Li Ling stared at him somewhat confusedly, those amber eyes like a blurry lens, clearly and hazily reflecting her own image. Her gaze passed over him, seeing the floating night behind him, the quiet mountains, and then uneasily returned. He was still looking at her. His gaze never left, like a tangled web. Still not knowing what to say, Li Ling lowered her head to cover up, picked up the water cup beside her, and took a sip. The other person looked at her expressionlessly and said, "That's mine." "..." Li Ling almost choked. The whole night, she had been secretly drinking his wine, he had never noticed, how did he suddenly become so smart now? "Sorry, Director, then you drink mine." She had a quick idea, simply picked up her own cup and handed it to him. He should be very disgusted with her. He had a cleanliness obsession. He would scold her. Hurry up and scold her. Unexpectedly, he calmly took the cup and drank it all in one go. "..." Li Ling stared at him in near-stupor, confirming her thoughts. It must be the stress of filming, Director Jin had gone mad. And she, under immense pressure, had a small light bulb suddenly light up in her brain. Li Ling asked in confusion, "Director, but how did you know that the person just now was playing my boyfriend?" The atmosphere fell into silence. Jin Jingyao put down the cup, his tone not very natural, "I guessed." Li Ling said, "I see." She smiled awkwardly, "I thought you had watched the play I was in." Jin Jingyao coldly said, "You're overthinking it." He somewhat unnecessarily picked up Li Ling's empty cup again. Maybe he didn't know why he did it, so he put it down again without any embarrassment. - At night, Li Ling tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She listened to "I Like You" many times, the more she listened, the more she couldn't sleep, so she started to bother 9787532754335 again. 9787532754335: 1 Li Ling: "I am a professional actor, I will never get too deep into a role and be unable to come out." 9787532754335: "Good luck."Li Ling: "I am a very principled actress, and I will never be influenced by the emotions of the character... Wait a minute, why are you still awake?" She was startled, then realized that he might be tutoring their son again. 9787532754335 said: "No, I'm helping him with an emotional problem." Li Ling: "Huh?" Even a little genius has emotional problems? 9787532754335: "He thinks the girl next door is very cute and always wants to draw her. Could it be that he really likes her?" 9787532754335: "The trash can in his class said that this is what liking someone is." Of course, this sounds like liking someone. A young boy's first crush, how adorable. Thinking of this, Li Ling remembered that 9787532754335 was a strict father who opposed early relationships. If the truth came out, he might really punish his son severely. She comforted him, saying: "Don't overthink it, this is definitely just pure friendship." 9787532754335 said doubtfully: "Really?" Li Ling: "The trash can is just making a fuss, what do they know?" 9787532754335: "But he only wants to draw her, and has no interest in anyone else." 9787532754335: "He hopes that girl can always be his inspiration." Li Ling was filled with respect. She didn't expect the little genius to have such a strong sense of exclusivity at such a young age. Turns out he's a little domineering artist. She asked with great interest: "Did he express these thoughts?" 9787532754335 was silent for a moment: "No, he doesn't dare." 9787532754335: "He's afraid of being disliked." Oh my, how cute is that? Not a domineering artist, but a shy and delicate little painter. Li Ling's heart was melting with affection. "Tell him, tell him," she encouraged, "Hurry up and confess." 9787532754335: "Confess?" Li Ling said seriously: "Confess, meaning to express your true feelings. The little genius needs to learn to be honest and not keep everything bottled up." 9787532754335: "What if he really gets disliked?" Li Ling: "He won't!" She added: "Children's hearts are very pure and innocent. Don't think of them with an adult's mindset." 9787532754335 was silent for a moment, then reflected seriously: "You're right, I'm too dirty-minded." - 9787532754335 might have been very grateful for Li Ling's emotional guidance. In the following days, he greeted her with "Good morning" and "Good night" without fail. More diligent than the admirer Li Ling had put on her do-not-disturb list. Li Ling, being aloof and cold, mostly left his messages on read, but occasionally inquired about the little genius's confession progress. 9787532754335: "Soon, don't rush." She finally returned to the set to continue filming the scenes between A Ling and Zhou Jing. Li Ling was very surprised to find that although the basement was still as messy as before, all the dangerous broken glass shards had been cleaned up and replaced with very realistic-looking plastic materials. Jin Jingyao was still acting a bit strange today. He had her come to the set early, and fearing that the makeup artist might hurt her leg again, he spent several hours personally drawing the wounds on her leg. Li Ling praised his work for being very realistic and detailed, and asked if he had learned to draw since he was a child. Jin Jingyao said somewhat stiffly, "No." Li Ling didn't think much of it and casually praised him for something else. He listened intently, accidentally made a mistake in his drawing, and had to erase it, spending an extra half hour. Machines were set up everywhere, but the staff had been driven out. At some point, the habit of clearing the set had formed, allowing actors to move freely in the basement without disturbance, almost more unrestrained than in a stage play. Until the cameras started rolling, there was still no clear script for this scene. But by now, Li Ling seemed to no longer need a script to tell her what she should do. Standing in the basement, she would immediately become A-Ling. Or perhaps, as long as she stood next to Zhou Jing, she would become A-Ling. Zhou Jing woke up in her arms, and she silently helped him clean his wounds. She had many injuries herself, so he helped her apply medicine too. Like two lonely little animals, they clung to each other, licking their wounds in the dim cave. They spent an entire afternoon cleaning the room, sweeping out all the trash until they finished at dusk. Most of the furniture was severely damaged, so after cleaning, there seemed to be nothing left. The room was empty, like a small stage. Standing in it, one was imbued with an abstract desolation. As it gradually grew dark, the electric lights did not come on. Perhaps the wiring had also been damaged by Yang Yuanyuan. Jin Jingyao silently ran upstairs and came back with a kerosene lamp, a blanket, and a small tent. Li Ling asked, "Where did you get these?" He pursed his lips and said softly, "Stole them from the theater backstage." She mocked him for being like a little mouse stealing lamp oil. He pretended to glare at her fiercely but gently ruffled her hair. Li Ling was taken aback. Perhaps because he was so natural, it felt as if they were really a couple. In the dim light, Li Ling held the kerosene lamp, watching Jin Jingyao illuminate the space, set up the tent, and spread out the blanket. They both squeezed inside. Jin Jingyao's tall frame made the small tent wobble. Li Ling teased him, asking if he had taken the children's version by mistake. He unhappily pulled her inside but still gently and carefully wrapped her in the blanket, bundling her up like a plump little Bohemian dumpling. Li Ling hesitated for a moment but decided to share half of the blanket with him. The camera never stopped rolling, continuously filming. Li Ling wasn't sure if she was really acting. She whispered to Jin Jingyao, "Director, what should we do next?" He silently stared at the flickering kerosene lamp, the faint light casting an ever-changing golden outline on his features. He said, "I don't know either." But he didn't seem to intend to call "cut." Li Ling said, "The script isn't finished yet, huh." Jin Jingyao turned to look at her. Worried he might misunderstand, she quickly added, "I don't mean to pressure you. I just thought, maybe we could talk about the script, and it might spark some inspiration." Li Ling vaguely remembered that the last time she brought up this topic, he had been somewhat resistant. But this time, perhaps because they were wrapped in the same blanket, shoulders touching, like two plush teddy bears sold as a pair. He turned his face away, no longer looking at her, his eyes faintly shining in the darkness. He said softly, "Actually, the reason I wrote this script is because there was someone... I really wanted to make a movie with her at the time." Li Ling responded with an "Oh." She felt his voice was so light, like a tone she had never heard before, almost like a dream. In a flash of lightning, a thought suddenly broke into her mind. In fact, this thought might have always been there. At first, she just took it as a joke and didn't pay much attention to it. Later, she deliberately hypnotized herself to forget it. She had always been good at forgetting. But now, everything had become very clear. She could no longer forget. This was Jin Jingyao's script from his student days. He said the script was written for someone. And he once had a crush on a girl, and he had personally told her that the person was already dead. Li Ling said with difficulty, "Director, my condolences.""