Having drunk too much, Li Ling's memory of the latter half of the night was actually very fuzzy. She never expected that after a sleep, the sky had collapsed once and then been put back together again. First, the photos of her and Xiao Liu drunk were exposed, sparking a heated discussion across the internet. The reason so many people were talking about it was mainly because everyone knew that Xiao Liu was the assistant and cousin of the famous director Jin. Netizens suddenly realized: "So Director Jin's previous likes on Li Ling's new drama were to support his sister-in-law!" Li Ling: "..." Sister-in-law, my ass. Then Xiao Liu woke up, and public opinion reversed once again. Because the first thing he did upon waking was to start a live stream, angrily cursing the unscrupulous media for secretly taking photos and spreading rumors. In the live stream, Xiao Liu's eyes were so swollen he couldn't open them, and his hair was a mess, but because his face was fair and tender, and he stuttered when angry, he quickly gained the sympathy of netizens. Netizens left comments asking about his relationship with Li Ling. He glanced suspiciously at something off-camera, then righteously declared, "She's my mom!" Li Ling: "..." It seemed like a very new kind of crisis management. She sent a few WeChat messages to her new son, but he didn't reply. Casually opening her Weibo private messages, a bunch of people were asking her, "Mom, how do you usually take care of yourself?" and several micro-business skincare brands were asking if she would promote their products. Li Ling: "..." She moved her fingers and continued to scroll down, her expression suddenly turning ugly. Because she realized she was looking for a private message from 9787532754335. Heh. Go to hell. Li Ling sneered, threw her phone aside, and went downstairs to take out the trash. As soon as she got back upstairs, her agent called: "Mom, went to take out the trash again?" Li Ling: ??? "I didn't see anyone taking photos just now," she said guiltily. Her agent chuckled and sent her a live stream link: [Live! The Trash Bag Diva Returns!] Li Ling opened the live stream and showed a satisfied expression: "Good, this time I didn't button my pajamas wrong." Agent: "Are you sick?" Li Ling, as if waking from a dream, said somewhat despairingly, "I am sick." And in her heart, she cursed 9787532754335 again—if it weren't for him, she wouldn't care about these ridiculous details. Unable to go downstairs again, Li Ling ordered a cup of milk tea. Less than five minutes later, someone knocked on the door. So fast? She cautiously put on a mask and looked through the peephole, seeing that it was indeed a delivery person, she opened the door a crack. The person politely said, "Hello, your medicine has arrived." Li Ling was stunned for a moment: "I didn't order any medicine." But she still took the bag. Inside was a bottle of hangover medicine, which she assumed her agent had bought, so she didn't think much of it. A little while later, the food delivery arrived. The delivery person was wearing a Michelin restaurant uniform and carrying a very large bag, wishing her a pleasant meal. Li Ling, still bewildered, took the bag. The food boxes inside were exquisite, placed on her shabby table like a noble princess sleeping in a barn. Opening the boxes one by one, the delicious aroma made Li Ling, who had no appetite due to her hangover, salivate. She recognized it as the restaurant she had previously mentioned wanting to eat at on Weibo. Seemingly understanding something, Li Ling took a photo of the table full of dishes and posted it on her WeChat Moments, visible only to Xiao Liu, with the caption "Thanks, son." Less than a minute later, Xiao Liu immediately replied: "!!!!""Mom, delete it quickly." "Otherwise, I'll get beaten again." The last message was retracted after thirty seconds. Li Ling said sympathetically, "Who's hitting you?" Xiao Liu was silent for a moment and then said, "No one." Li Ling suddenly realized, "Oh, it's Mr. Mei." She glanced at the hangover medicine and Michelin takeout in front of her and decided to give the other party one last chance. She said, "Does Mr. Mei have anything else to say?" On Xiao Liu's end, it kept showing "The other party is typing," but after a long time, he finally said with some difficulty, "Your tablecloth is crooked." Li Ling: . In the following days, Jin Jingyao tried to contact her several times. He called her or reached out through Xiao Liu, or even through her agent, but Li Ling did not respond. The blacklist is a good place, worth letting Mr. Mei stay in for a few more days. He still ordered her expensive takeout, but Li Ling politely told Xiao Liu to tell him to get lost, and sure enough, he stopped ordering the next day. A few days later, Jin Jingyao seemed to have disappeared from her life, and there were no more reporters staking out her apartment complex. She sneaked into the supermarket and went to her favorite near-expiry discount section. After careful selection, she chose two bottles of half-price milk. A tall man wearing a black mask and baseball cap, dressed in a black hoodie, with only his eyes visible, stood nearby, hesitating to speak. Finally, he couldn't help but remind her, "It's about to expire." Li Ling pointed it out to him, "This is the near-expiry discount section." The kind man blinked, looking like a foreigner who couldn't understand Chinese, with a clear but foolish expression. Li Ling ignored him and turned to leave. He sighed and followed her. Li Ling went to the frozen food section and grabbed some frozen dumplings and air fryer chicken wings. He continued to sigh. Two happy kids were playing in the aisle and were about to bump into Li Ling. The kind man reacted quickly, like in an action movie, swiftly using a shopping cart to block them and even glared at the kids, making a throat-slitting gesture. The kids were stunned and started crying loudly. Li Ling felt embarrassed and took the opportunity to slip away. Because she left the shopping cart behind, she didn't buy anything. But just after she left the supermarket, she heard hurried footsteps behind her. The kind man who scared the kids was carrying two huge reusable shopping bags and caught up with her. It was obvious he had run a bit, but he wasn't even out of breath. He said to Li Ling in a very natural tone, "You forgot something." Li Ling ignored him, and he continued talking to himself, "It's a bit heavy, I'll carry it for you." Li Ling: "..." She turned around helplessly, "Director, how long are you going to follow me?" Jin Jingyao seemed taken aback, his eyes saying, "How did you recognize me?" Li Ling said exasperatedly, "You think we're filming a movie? Of course, I recognized you." He awkwardly looked away. Because he suddenly stopped, a middle-aged man on an electric bike almost ran into him. The man opened his mouth, looking like he wanted to curse, but when he met Jin Jingyao's eyes, he shrank back and rode away quickly. Li Ling took the opportunity to pull Director Jin aside. Jin Jingyao said, "Your neighborhood is very dangerous." Li Ling gave him a skeptical look, "It's fine, you're the dangerous one." Along the way, the director had already scared several passersby. If they ran into law enforcement, they might even check his ID. Jin Jingyao looked at her with some disagreement. Because his expression was a bit fierce, he looked even more unfriendly. When others wear such an ordinary black hoodie, they indeed wouldn't stand out much. But with his broad, straight shoulders and tall, lean figure, he looked like a young boxer coming to seek revenge, his brows and eyes exuding a stern coldness. However, this young boxer was now carrying two reusable bags, standing in front of an old, dilapidated residential building, next to the rotating colorful lights of a beauty salon. This scene couldn't help but remind one that "even every serial killer has elementary school classmates." He explained to her in a flat tone, "I didn't mean anything by it, just worried there might be reporters near your home." Li Ling didn't quite understand, "Then what if the reporters catch you following me?" "I'll have someone handle it," he said curtly. Li Ling remembered that this person used to say, "Is it so embarrassing to have rumors with me?" Now he had learned to avoid suspicion. She felt a bit self-deprecating and said rather sarcastically, "No need to trouble you, Director. By the way, should I call you Director, or 9787..." Actually, she remembered very clearly, but she pretended not to. Jin Jingyao immediately recited the string of numbers, "9787532754335." But beyond that, he had nothing else to say. The two of them stared at each other for a while. From the beauty salon on the street, the weathered love song of Wu Bai drifted out: "I know you're also not good at expressing / Imagining / Your love / The lies you weave slacken" Li Ling said, "Why not keep pretending?" Jin Jingyao looked helpless, "No chance anymore." Li Ling let out an "oh" and crossed her arms, "Regretful, isn't it?" He took three seconds to react, and actually showed a somewhat annoyed expression. She sneered and was about to turn and leave. He finally reacted and said, "No." He looked like he wanted to grab her hand, but since both hands were carrying the reusable bags, he could only sway awkwardly like an idiot, then said in a very low voice, "I really am your... fan." Li Ling nodded and said grudgingly, "And the first time we met, you shook off my hand." Jin Jingyao: "..." He paused, as if summoning great courage, and said in a very low and soft voice, "That wasn't the first time we met." Li Ling mocked him, "Are you going to say you saw me ten years ago?" Jin Jingyao: "..." "Don't tell me you had a crush on me ten years ago?" Jin Jingyao: "..." He lowered his eyes somewhat strangely. One electric scooter after another sped by on the roadside. From the rusted, birdcage-like security windows of the old residential building, the heavy smell of cooking oil occasionally wafted out. And Wu Bai's song had reached its passionate part, singing "la... la..." very sentimentally. This should be the least romantic, least suitable place for a conversation in the world. So why were they still standing here, deadlocked? Li Ling sighed, turned, and walked away. He still silently followed behind her. "Don't follow me," she said. He acted as if he didn't hear, silently following her all the way upstairs. The hallway was dimly lit, with water stains and various small advertisements on the plaster walls. The path was narrow, making it impossible for two people to walk side by side; they had to stagger. When they reached her door, Jin Jingyao frowned slightly and asked her, "You live here?" Li Ling said, "What, want to come in and Netflix and chill?" He was stunned, his ears seemed to turn a bit red, "No need to be so fast." Li Ling sneered, "You wish."She slammed the door shut with a "bang." For a moment, Li Ling thought new little mummies would grow out from under the door. But this time, nothing happened, and he quickly left. She took the milk out of the bag and put it in the fridge, glancing at the production date in passing. Li Ling was stunned for a moment. The date was very fresh, not the near-expiry discounted product she had painstakingly selected before. She couldn't quite describe what she was feeling, but after a moment, she suddenly felt a bit cold and realized she had forgotten to close the fridge door. In a trance, Li Ling found herself humming the chorus of "Bridge of Tears," which she had just heard outside the hair salon: "At least / our straight lines / once intersected" "Just like standing on a bridge under the scorching sun" - A few days later, her agent discussed with her, saying that her current old neighborhood was really not very safe, with reporters frequently coming to follow her. She asked if Li Ling wanted to move to a different place. "The company will help you rent a place," she offered. It sounded reasonable, but Li Ling was still taken aback: "Why so nice all of a sudden?" The agent's words were somewhat evasive, stammering, "After all... you're a potential star now, just waiting for you and Jin..." Li Ling interrupted her: "Jump over the fire pit." Agent: ? "Is it necessary? What did that big director do to offend you?" she asked, puzzled. Li Ling: "He scared my little brother at the supermarket." Agent: "Huh?" In any case, Li Ling quickly moved. The new apartment was quite upscale, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city's skyline and the river view at sunset. The only downside was that it was a bit far from the city center. Fortunately, there was a large shopping area nearby, and it was close to the subway station. There were only two units per floor, sharing one elevator, so maintaining good neighborly relations was important. After moving in, Li Ling bought a box of pastries to give to her neighbor as a housewarming gift. After knocking for a while, the neighbor wasn't home, so she left the gift at the door. In the afternoon, she received a return gift and a small note that said "Thank you." The person seemed very polite, though their handwriting was quite ugly. But then again, most young people nowadays have terrible handwriting; not many are like Jin Jingyao. Another day passed, and the new doormat Li Ling had ordered arrived. It was something she had recently seen recommended online, with the words "National First-Class Protected Waste" written on it, and three black boxes below labeled "Delivery," "Takeout," and "Charity." That very night, her generous neighbor left her a hundred yuan. The next morning, the doormat had somehow acquired what looked like an expensive takeout meal. She put her household trash at the door, planning to take it downstairs, but then remembered she had forgotten something else. When she opened the door again, the trash had already disappeared. Li Ling: "..." The neighbor seemed a bit suspicious. But then she wondered if she was being overly paranoid. She staked out for several days, hoping to meet the neighbor, but the person was very elusive and never showed up. ...This made it even more suspicious. A few days later, Li Ling was busy with auditions and had no time to play hide-and-seek with the neighbor. The new drama was still hot, and she received several new offers, all quite good opportunities. One evening, she crossed the entire city to audition at a director's studio, only to be caught in a rare heavy rain on her way back. Through the misty car window, Li Ling saw an apocalyptic scene. The torrential rain tore a gash in the dark sky, and the water level was so high it almost submerged the tires. In the distance, the narrow road was swept by a torrent of muddy water, illuminated by neon lights that cast an oily, eerie glow. The damp air surged in through the window, and she felt a sense of déjà vu, almost as if she had returned to that perpetually rainy mountain region. This thought flitted through her mind like a raindrop, and she began to loathe herself again. She had already killed Qing, moved houses, everything was in the past. She had gone through the promotional period for a show and started auditioning for new roles; she should be looking forward. But for some reason, she always felt a heavy weight on her, as if a giant lead block was tied to her, making her clumsy and stationary, always wanting to look back. Why couldn't she forget, why couldn't she move on? What was it that she couldn't let go of? Was it the role, the play? Or something else? The car turned a corner, and the ride-hailing app reminded Li Ling that she was one minute away from her destination. She sighed. Having forgotten her umbrella, Li Ling prepared herself to dash into the heavy rain as soon as she opened the door. At that moment, she suddenly saw a tall young man standing by the roadside. He was impossible to miss because he was so conspicuous. Jin Jingyao was wearing a trench coat, holding a long-handled black umbrella, his eyes lowered with a faint air of nobility, occasionally glancing at the passing traffic. It seemed like he was waiting for someone, but the person he was waiting for had not arrived. As the car moved, the drizzling neon lights fragmented in the dark night, gradually layering over his face. Through the heavy rain, Li Ling strained to recognize the young man's features and suddenly found the answer. She felt she couldn't move on because he was always walking towards her. He was that detestable, heavy, inescapable lead block. The car stopped by the roadside and turned on its hazard lights. Li Ling's heart inexplicably began to race. She quietly pushed open the car door, lowered her head, and pretended that the person by the roadside had nothing to do with her. But in the heavy rain, she heard quick and steady footsteps. The young man walked straight towards her, and before Li Ling could get out of the car, the umbrella was already held high over her head. Her heel stepped into a puddle. The wet ground reflected two blurry figures. The car drove away. Before Li Ling could say a word, Jin Jingyao handed her the umbrella handle. He then took a step back, standing in the rain. The rain was heavy, pouring down on him, soaking him instantly. He retreated into the unlit area, becoming a vague, misty shadow. She looked up in surprise. Jin Jingyao said with a hint of self-mockery, "You don't want to share an umbrella with me, do you?""