Mint Candy (Six) Slept, woke up. Slept again, woke up again. A person's life, just a blink of an eye, and it's over. Li Ling woke up with a grimace, indeed feeling like she had narrowly escaped death. The pain still pricked her skin like countless needles. She stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, taking a long time to regain her senses and recall her last thoughts before falling unconscious the previous night. She was screaming for help. Never dare to mess with elementary school students again. Are they even human? Can a human have such stamina? Every muscle in her body ached. Li Ling forced herself to stop recalling those chaotic, delirious scenes, dragging her overburdened neck to look around. Thank heavens, no one was beside her. She had been moved to an unfamiliar room. The linen-colored sheets beneath her were soft and clean, exuding the fresh scent of detergent. Thick velvet curtains were tightly drawn, with only a sliver of light occasionally sneaking through the gaps, giving a sense of timeless absurdity. Li Ling glanced at herself under the blanket. Someone had bathed her and changed her clothes. She was wearing a very conservative set of strawberry bear pajamas, wrapped up like a mummy from head to toe. Due to the outdated style, she was certain it wasn't from her own wardrobe. She had no idea when Jin Jingyao had secretly prepared it for her, even the size was so fitting. It felt even more perverse. He had even adjusted her sleeping posture. She lay on her back, hands folded and resting on her abdomen, her sleeping posture textbook perfect. "..." Is he sick? She was really about to laugh in anger. Li Ling angrily lifted her leg and kicked the blanket away. Crack. ... Did she hear wrong, or did her joints really make a sound? Li Ling's breath caught, incredulous. Such a simple movement had caused such intense pain. Was her body really about to fall apart? Because of the leg-lifting motion, her pant leg slid down a bit, revealing obvious bruises on her pale ankle. Li Ling was stunned, those chaotic, dangerous memories resurfacing in her mind. She saw the glaring lights, the tall figure. Someone was gripping her ankle, very silently and firmly, opening her body. He never spoke anyway. The calmer his expression, the more strength he used. Li Ling painfully raised her hand to cover her forehead, cursing wildly in her heart. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw shallow bite marks on her wrist and knuckles. "..." They're everywhere, really like a dog. At this moment, faint footsteps suddenly sounded outside. The door was turned open. At this moment, the tension and excitement of this sound were comparable to the heartbeat of a hunter suddenly approaching in Identity V. Li Ling was truly scared. Her heart pounded like a drum, and she instinctively closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. The light footsteps approached, finally stopping by the bed. The person leaned down, slowly pressing closer. In the shadow, there was a low and steady breathing. He reached out, stopping at her face, the pad of his finger pressing down, slowly tracing her features. The touch was very light, like a feather, making her feel itchy. Very itchy, and very frightening, her heart was creeping out. He seemed to be luring her with his breath. The fine breathing sound, like a drizzling spring rain. Li Ling was glad she had played a corpse before, having a unique set of skills for playing dead. Cursing in her heart, her acting was superb, pretending to be almost woken up, she turned over and kicked the blanket forcefully. Jin Jingyao was silent for a moment, then helped her cover up again. This person's obsessive-compulsive disorder was indeed severe. Not only did he tuck the corners of the quilt very neatly, but he also pulled it up high, covering her tightly up to her chin, with her neck and shoulders completely hidden. "..." Li Ling didn't dare to move again. She was mainly worried that if she kicked the quilt off again, he would directly pull it over her face and smother her to death. Jin Jingyao stood by the bedside, staring at her for a long time before walking to the other side of the room. She heard the very light sound of a chair being moved, followed by a rustling noise, the sound of a pen tip rubbing against paper. She vaguely remembered seeing an easel on the opposite side of the bed earlier. He had actually started drawing. Li Ling turned over, facing away from him. Because the movement was quite large, she accidentally kicked off a corner of the quilt. The rustling sound stopped. Jin Jingyao came over and patiently tucked the quilt in for her again. Li Ling: "..." Help. His movements were very light, but he still accidentally touched her ankle. His fingers had a thin layer of calluses, and when they lingered on her skin, it caused a slight prickling sensation. Immediately, Li Ling felt a warm, moist breath. Like a snake's red tongue, it lightly brushed over the skin of her ankle. He lowered his head. His face came closer, intending to kiss her. Li Ling's heartbeat stopped, and she felt even more horrified. She pretended to be uncomfortable and moved a bit. Jin Jingyao didn't touch her again and stood up straight. - She shouldn't have slept. But she was really too tired, the kind of exhaustion that comes from being beaten for three days and nights in an octagonal cage. The rustling sound of the pen was also very hypnotic, like the sands of time. Before long, Li Ling fell into a deep, dark dream. This time she slept very well, and when she woke up, the room was still empty. Li Ling propped herself up, stumbling as she got out of bed, almost bowing to the white walls of Jin Jingyao's house. She cursed inwardly, struggling to walk to the door of the room. Just as she was about to push the door open, she suddenly remembered something and turned to look at the easel in the corner. Earlier, when she fell asleep, Jin Jingyao had been sitting opposite her, drawing while looking at her. She couldn't help but feel that at this critical moment, he couldn't have drawn anything good. Like a police officer on an anti-pornography mission, full of righteous indignation, she walked over to the easel. She was stunned for a moment. On the white canvas, she saw a mermaid watching the sunrise by the sea. The mermaid was in a very serene sitting posture, with her back to the viewer, facing the newborn sun and the sea, hugging her own tail. That tail was stunningly beautiful. Under the golden-red light, each scale was full and glistening, with a gorgeous sheen. It was strange that the painter had such skill, with just a few strokes, he had given the painting a rare sense of fluidity. It was as if he had captured the moment just before the sun rose above the horizon. The morning mist was about to dissipate, and the person in the painting was about to witness the most beautiful scene in the world. But time had stopped right there. The painting was very beautiful, very romantic. And very... happy. For some reason, after staring at the painting for a while, Li Ling's face started to heat up. After experiencing such a chaotic, indulgent night, he had painted such a picture. She despised herself inwardly, wondering why she felt a bit soft-hearted, being swayed by a painting. But she still picked it up and tiptoed out the door. The living room was not the mess of devastation she remembered, but had been tidied up very neatly. She glanced at the balcony from a distance. A clean nightgown was hanging there, swaying with the evening glow and the breeze. It looked very bold, very brazen. Li Ling: "..." She slipped away. The advantage of being a neighbor was fully demonstrated at this moment. She closed the door, opened it again, and returned to the safety of her home. Maybe not that safe. It wasn't long, not even enough time for Li Ling to fully appreciate Jin Jingyao's painting, before the doorbell rang. With great difficulty, like a zombie with dislocated joints, she crawled to the door and saw through the peephole that Director Jin was standing outside with a calm expression. He was clean and presentable, standing very straight. This made her even angrier. He rang the doorbell, and when she didn't respond, he knocked on the door with his knuckles. Li Ling still ignored him. Jin Jingyao stood at the door and said in a flat tone, "You stole my painting." Li Ling: "..." Damn, how could he be so self-righteous? "Get lost," she said, furious and embarrassed. Jin Jingyao said, "I won't." His face showed no expression, and in the same calm tone, he asked her, "Are you hungry?" "I bought porridge." After a pause, he added, "And medicine." Li Ling laughed angrily, "You still have the nerve to talk. Are you a dog? Why didn't you buy some rabies vaccine?" There was a moment of silence behind the door. Li Ling couldn't help but look out through the peephole again. He actually seemed to remember something, lifted the corners of his mouth, and showed a faint smile. "Sorry," Jin Jingyao said, "I lost control." "It won't happen again," he said. Li Ling: "..." Feeling secretly pleased, aren't you? If she hadn't clearly seen the smile on his face, this apology would have sounded more sincere. Still thinking about next time? Keep dreaming. She coldly declared, "There won't be a next time!" After saying that, Li Ling turned and walked into the bedroom, deliberately dragging her slippers on the floor, making a loud noise. After a while, Li Ling received a message from Jin Jingyao. He said, "The porridge and medicine are at the door." Just this short sentence, nothing else. It was enough to show how cunning this person was. Li Ling was indeed very hungry, so hungry that her stomach felt like it was burning. After waiting for a moment, she quietly came out of the bedroom and opened the door. The scene behind the door was surprising. The porridge and Jin Jingyao seemed to have grown out of the carpet. Li Ling: ? She pretended not to see him and immediately tried to close the door, muttering to herself, "What a big thing, so unlucky." Jin Jingyao took a step forward, lowered his head, and forcefully pressed against the door frame. This time he wasn't smiling, but his unsmiling face was even more frightening. This seemed to be their first eye contact since the incident. He kept looking at her. His gaze was very direct. Li Ling was stunned for a moment, feeling a tingling sensation on her scalp. She took a few steps back, feeling the sore muscles in her calves being stretched, almost showing a grimace. "If you don't let go, I'll call the police," she warned him. Jin Jingyao looked innocent, "I said the porridge was at the door, I didn't say I wasn't." Li Ling: "…Get lost." She was really getting a bit annoyed by him. The young man seemed unable to understand human language, or maybe he was relying on her current weakness and inability to resist. He bent down, picked up the breakfast and medicine, and placed them on the dining table. Then he took Li Ling's hand and pressed her to sit at the dining table. He touched her wrist, his palm pressing lightly on her shoulder, testingly, gently. The slightest physical contact felt like an electric shock. Li Ling's whole body stiffened. The strange feeling washed over her body once again. "Sorry, did I hurt you yesterday?" Jin Jingyao said softly. He wanted to help her massage her forearm, but Li Ling slapped his hand away with a "smack." Jin Jingyao still didn't get angry. He bent down, helped her smooth out her collar, and touched her face and neck. His palm was very warm, with a thin layer of callus at the base. She still remembered what these hands had done to her, and her heart started to race, as if she had been put under a spell. The body's memory is more honest than the brain's. "I just came in to check on you, worried you might be uncomfortable," Jin Jingyao said, lowering his eyes, his tone calm and restrained. "Get some good rest," he added. After speaking, he stood up, gently hugged her, and really left. "..." Li Ling stared in shock at his back. No way, he just left like that. She had a belly full of things to scold him with, but not a single word came out. Seeing him so meek and submissive, anyone who didn't know better would think he was the one being bullied. How infuriating. - Li Ling didn't have much work recently, but the next day she went out to attend the celebration banquet for the web series she had been in. The banquet was held in the ballroom of a famous five-star hotel in the city, extremely luxurious, and due to its prime location near several major film companies, it was always the first choice for many big-name crews. Speaking of which, Li Ling clearly remembered that the opening banquet for their small web series was held at a street food stall near the film city. The waitstaff were short-handed, and the director had to serve dishes himself. It was quite pitiful. Li Ling hadn't paid much attention to the follow-up of that web series, but she heard that it started strong but didn't maintain its momentum, and the later episodes didn't receive as good reviews as the first unit she starred in. But regardless, for this small, obscure series, such results were already a real hit. The director personally came out to greet her, smiling warmly and praising her as the lucky star of the series, leading her to the main table to sit with the male and female leads. In her ten years of acting, Li Ling had never received such treatment. As soon as she sat down, she became the center of attention, like a magnet, drawing everyone's gaze. Everyone had a flattering smile on their face. When she drank water, someone handed her a cup; when she picked up food, someone turned the table for her. Before coming, Li Ling wasn't quite sure what attitude she should have towards her former colleagues. Now she knew. She didn't need any attitude; she just needed to sit there. Others would come to her, adapting even better than she did. This is the entertainment industry. Someone was enthusiastically praising her, congratulating her on her new film being shortlisted for the Lion City Film Festival. Someone else said they had watched "Yesterday's Sun" four or five times, passionately reciting Mandelstam. Of course, there were also those who tried to fish in troubled waters, subtly probing her relationship with Jin Jingyao. Li Ling was annoyed just hearing that name now and said righteously, "I have nothing to do with him." The person across from her cooperated very well, saying, "Of course, of course! The director values your talent, doesn't he!" After a while, a young idol named Li Junhao shyly came over to toast her. Someone beside him cued him to perform, and he immediately did a smooth segment of Jin Jingyao's mummy dance. Li Ling: "..." This is a bit ridiculous. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Li Junhao showed a proud expression and even wanted to pull Li Ling to join him. Unfortunately, she wasn't feeling well and politely declined. Li Junhao looked disappointed and suddenly asked, "Ms. Li, why are you wearing a turtleneck in such hot weather?" Li Ling's expression stiffened: "..." A female actor next to her said, "This is fashion, you wouldn't understand." Li Junhao let out an "oh," looking even more disappointed as he walked away. Li Ling gratefully glanced at the actress who had helped her out of the awkward situation. The actress had an understanding look on her face and said, "It's okay, I get it." "I recently found myself a sports student too," the actress lowered her voice, smiling suggestively, "He's really something." Li Ling: "..." It was clear the actress had misunderstood something and enthusiastically leaned in to share her experiences with sports students. After listening for a few moments, Li Ling felt it was too much. The sports student's habits weren't great—playing ranked games before, scrolling through Douyin after, refusing to take off his white socks during, and frequently asking for living expenses. And her own situation... Well, it wasn't much better; it was quite perverse. Li Ling tried to shake the nonsense out of her head, but her phone screen lit up with a new message. Jin Jingyao was asking if she was feeling better. The actress covered her mouth, laughing, "I've noticed your phone hasn't stopped all night. Your sports student is really clingy." Li Ling forced a smile, "Yeah, but he's not very good." The actress said, "That's not good. You should dump him and find another." Li Ling agreed, nodding, and opened her phone to mute the fake sports student's messages. The actress came over to take a selfie with her, and after a while, excitedly posted it on Weibo. "My guy is very well-behaved," she boasted, "He'll see this and immediately text me, praising how beautiful I am." They waited a few minutes. The real sports student remained silent, while the fake one eagerly sent a message: "Your collar is so high." Li Ling: "Get lost." The other party was silent for a moment, then started sending pictures. A little mummy looking aggrieved: She's so fierce. An Anubis-headed figure holding a fork: You deserve it. The little mummy, teary-eyed: What can I do to make her forgive me? Ha, now they're putting on a two-man show. Li Ling mercilessly said, "Live stream a dance for two hours." Jin Jingyao fell silent and didn't bother her again. - The dinner went on late into the night. Li Ling barely ate anything, but she became a mascot, adding a bunch of people on WeChat and taking countless selfies, her face almost cramping from smiling. The producer finally came over to toast her, expressing his gratitude. "Our show coming out is really thanks to you," he said earnestly. Li Ling felt his attitude was a bit too serious and waved her hand politely, "You're too kind. I was just doing my duty as an actress..." The producer smiled, leaned in closer, and whispered mysteriously, "I only found out later from talking to the platform people that someone was pushing for us behind the scenes." Li Ling was taken aback, having a premonition but still unsure. The producer explained the details to her. "You didn't know about this?" The producer looked at her expression, surprised. She shook her head. The producer clicked his tongue, a bit subtly, "Then I said too much." Li Ling, feeling complicated, shook her head again, "No, I should know too." The producer paused, then said more emotionally, "They used to say good wine needs no bush, but after working in this industry for so many years, I've come to understand that it's not just about doing a good job. You have to make a big deal out of even the smallest achievements. Otherwise, who would pay attention to you?" "In the end, everyone is busy and doesn't have the patience to find out how good you really are. Whoever shouts the loudest is the best." Li Ling clinked glasses with the producer and softly said, "But what if someone always does ten times the work but only says they've done one?" The producer looked at her meaningfully, "Such a person, you should cherish."Li Ling was a bit stunned, feeling an inexplicable ache in her chest. She knew Jin Jingyao had always been silently helping her, but she hadn't expected that he was behind this matter as well. The producer said that everyone was very busy and had no patience to understand how good she really was. Yet she happened to meet the most patient person in the world. He wanted to understand her, to know all of her. Everything connected, and it turned out that there was no such thing as luck in this world. She thought she had accumulated ten years of bad luck, and only after meeting Jin Jingyao did her fortunes change. But that wasn't the case. Behind every coincidence was an inevitability. - After the wrap party, a group of people wanted to continue at a bar. Li Ling declined their invitation and left the private room alone. The meal had left her with mixed feelings. Before coming, she thought she was meeting old friends from the crew, but once she sat down, everyone was fawning over her as if she were some otherworldly being. Only a few people treated her as they had before, with a normal attitude. Although she realized that becoming famous meant having more "good people" around and losing some friends, she had never experienced such a stark contrast before, and it was hard for her to adapt. However, she thought, hearing those words from the producer made the trip worthwhile. Li Ling walked to the hotel entrance, looking down to call a car while messaging Jin Jingyao, asking what he was doing and if he had finished filming the dance video. He didn't reply, perhaps already embarrassed and angry. She smiled at her phone and heard some people talking in a dimly lit smoking corner nearby. One person deliberately raised his voice in a pretentious manner, saying, "I have nothing to do with him." Another person laughed, "What do you mean nothing to do with him? The Weibo marketing was so intense, just short of announcing it officially. And now you're pretending in front of us?" "Isn't it possible that she's not pretending but doesn't dare to talk nonsense anymore?" "Are you implying..." "Director Jin probably just played around with her during the shoot. Now that the movie is done, isn't it..." "On-set couples, we all know how it goes." Li Ling found one of the voices familiar and soon recognized it as the young man Li Junhao, who had just been fawning over her. Li Junhao, smoking and laughing, added, "I just saw her leave alone, so pitiful." "What else? Do you expect Director Jin to come pick her up?" "Hahaha!" Li Ling looked down and saw her phone screen displaying "Busy period for car services," with over a hundred people ahead of her in the queue. The hotel entrance was bustling with people saying their goodbyes, laughter echoing down three streets. Li Ling inexplicably felt her fingers getting cold from the wind. The sky seemed brighter than usual, but the clouds were heavy, perhaps signaling more rain in this rainy season. She thought back to sitting at the main table during the celebration banquet, feeling so out of place. It wasn't her imagination. People were always sneaking glances at her, always trying to get her to talk. More people openly praised her, but only to ask for Jin Jingyao's WeChat. These people who had just been friendly with her were now maliciously gossiping behind her back, waiting to see her make a fool of herself. Li Ling lowered her eyes, hiding the complex emotions within, and reverted to the vengeful Ms. Li. She deliberately stepped forward, revealing herself, and greeted those gossiping about her with a sweet smile. Li Junhao, in the middle of speaking, looked up, saw her, and his eyes widened in horror. Li Ling felt a bit pleased, thinking to herself that it wasn't necessary to be so exaggerated, to be so scared; she wasn't a ghost after all. Then she realized that the other person didn't seem to be looking at her. She turned around. Cars passed by the hotel entrance, the lights of the night intertwining like a flickering carousel, and Jin Jingyao was walking towards her. Not long ago, he was still the obedient little mummy in her phone, the humble masseur at her doorstep. Now he had become the most arrogant, untouchable director in the crowd. Behind him was the dazzling night, his face shrouded in shadows, stepping through the neon lights beneath him, like a black-and-white movie. How wonderful. Whenever she wanted to see him, he would appear. And at the moment she saw Jin Jingyao, all the pent-up emotions in Li Ling vanished completely. She felt as if she was filled by him. She would become even more famous in the future, stand in higher places, have more people gossiping behind her back, being two-faced, saying those unpleasant things. Sooner or later, she would have to face these. But she didn't need to care about what those irrelevant people said, because someone would be by her side. He would walk forward with her. Leaving all the past behind. Just now, those who mocked Li Ling, saying "Would Jin Jingyao really come to pick her up," were now utterly stunned, unable to even hold their cigarettes. Li Junhao stammered, "Director Jin, hello." Jin Jingyao nodded indifferently at them, then turned to Li Ling and asked, "Can we go?" Li Ling deliberately turned her head, smiled at Li Junhao, and then said, "Yes." The other party immediately started trembling. Not because of Li Ling's smile, but because Director Jin's expression was so gloomy, he gave him a cold glance. So, so terrifying. The two walked a few steps outside, and Jin Jingyao said, "Why did you smile at him?" Li Ling said, "None of your business." Jin Jingyao didn't look very happy, but he just said "Oh." Li Ling: "How did you know I was here?" "There was a location tag in the photos others posted," he said calmly, hands in his pockets. Li Ling was silent for a moment. He came to find her just by looking at the location? ...A bit creepy. "You haven't been waiting here for long, have you?" she asked. Jin Jingyao said, "Not too long." "How long is 'not too long'?" He didn't answer, opened the car door for her, and asked softly, "Can you forgive me now?" Li Ling asked him back, "Have you finished dancing?" Jin Jingyao pressed his lips together, looking unhappy, didn't say anything, and walked around to the other side to get in the car. The car was dark, locked. He turned his face to look at her. The light flickered on his face, making his voice seem elusive. Like a cold and gloomy black-and-white movie. Before getting in the car, Li Ling actually wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with him, to discuss what the producer had just said to her. But the other party was clearly not interested in that. She suddenly felt a bit of danger, as if she had inexplicably been tricked into his territory again. Jin Jingyao held her hand resting on her knee, gently rubbing her pulse with his thumb. "Do you want to try again?" he said, "I'll do better this time.""