Cairo Purple Rose (Part 1) In such an atmosphere, the end of August quietly arrived, and the Lion City Film Festival was about to open. Founded in 1932, the Lion City Film Festival is the oldest film festival in history, once known for its radical, independent, and innovative spirit. From the late 20th century to the early 21st century, it was a place where Chinese-language films frequently emerged, with many new Chinese-language auteur directors proudly taking home the Golden Lion award. However, in recent years, the festival has changed its chairman and was forced to transform amidst its decline, earning another title, "The Oscars' Outpost." To some purist film enthusiasts, surrendering to Hollywood's mainstream is a contamination of the purity of art films. Yet, undeniably, with the influx of many Oscar-contending films, the credibility and attention of the Golden Lion award among the general public have significantly increased. Every year at the end of August, world stars compete on the red carpet of Lido Island, making the long night of the festival shine brightly once again. As the new chairman said, "Cinema is the cinema of the masses," "Be a Golden Lion, not a Sleeping Lion." It seems that art films moving towards the mainstream and catering to the market is an inevitable choice without any other options. Li Ling first heard about the Lion City Film Festival from He Wei. At that time, the Lion City Film Festival was not as competitive as it is now, a must-win battleground for Oscar contenders, but still a sacred hall in the hearts of Chinese independent filmmakers. He Wei was always thinking about how one of his early films had been selected for the non-competition section, and after the screening, a now-deceased film mogul personally attended, applauded him, and praised him as a promising talent. He remembered this scene for many years and secretly vowed to win a major award with "Yesterday's Sun." Ironically, he did not achieve his wish back then. Instead, "Dream Addiction" became the opening film of the Lion City Film Festival. This year is considered a big year for films, with media writing previews of the festival with great excitement: many renowned directors are bringing new works, including veteran film masters, leaders of the world cinema new wave movement, and recent festival darlings and popular directors. In such fierce competition, the film chosen as the opening film was "Dream Addiction." The director is only in his twenties, so young and already receiving such an honor. This undoubtedly pushed the film to an even higher position. And when Li Ling thought about inexplicably having to walk the red carpet at one of the three major film festivals, she inexplicably became nervous. Xiao Liu was puzzled, "Are female stars afraid of walking the red carpet?" Li Ling shook her head and said, "Do you think I'm walking on a red carpet?" Xiao Liu: "If it's not a red carpet, what is it?" "It's a battle royale," Li Ling said very seriously. Xiao Liu: ? Li Ling explained to him: In the past, when people mentioned the red carpet, their first reaction was dreams, screams, and supreme glory. But now, when people mention the red carpet, their first reaction is Reuters, public execution, and high-definition unedited photos showing every pore. The second reaction is competition, KPIs, starting from the hotel departure photos and competing all the way to the red carpet. Xiao Liu was confused, "Being a female star is really not easy. Why don't you pretend to break your leg?" Li Ling: "And then be carried up on a stretcher?" Xiao Liu solemnly gave her a thumbs up, praising her as the number one in the entertainment industry for creating drama. Li Ling: "..." Obviously, Li Ling was overthinking. Major brands were very optimistic about her and sent her the latest season's new products. An experienced, fully armed styling team, invited by Young Master Liu, surrounded her. At first, Li Ling was flattered and excited, but after a week of trying on dresses, she turned into a miserable homebody accompanying her mom shopping, just wanting to go home and play games. She looked at herself in the mirror and gently asked Xiao Liu, "What do you think?" Young Master Liu scoffed, "Nothing special, just the level of a noob." Li Ling changed outfits with tears in her eyes. Xiao Liu picked and criticized from the side, cursing that this one was tacky, that one looked like his grandma's foot wrap, and none of them were good enough. Though his words sounded harsh, in reality, playing dress-up with Ling Ling was quite enjoyable for him. The assistant felt that the client was a bit hard to please and said helplessly, "Mr. Liu, these are all the latest styles, no one has worn them yet." "So what?" Xiao Liu said disdainfully, "The new designs from these brands are getting worse and worse." "Economic downturn, design styles are becoming more conservative and safe," the stylist Sammi, who had high emotional intelligence, knew how to say impressive things to flatter the client, "Fashion, after all, is a mirror of the times." Xiao Liu was still cursing when he suddenly opened a clothing box and exclaimed in surprise, "This one looks pretty good, do you want to try it?" It wasn't any brand's clothing, the outer packaging had no logo, but when opened, everything from the dress to the accessories and shoes was perfectly matched and meticulously prepared. Sammi's eyes lit up at the sight of the moon-white modified cheongsam, "This should be a vintage cheongsam, but it's very well-preserved, almost like new." Under their encouragement, Li Ling went in to change. She didn't expect wearing a cheongsam to be so painful. After a long struggle, she came out drenched in sweat. The few people waiting outside looked up at her and all exclaimed, "Wow." It was handmade, with excellent material, the moon-white base shimmering with pale gold patterns, outlining her waist slender and long, like a finely detailed painting. There was also a cloak with lily patterns woven in gold thread, flowing elegantly from her slender neck, both graceful and slightly heroic. Stylist Sammi helped her pin up her hair, with gold hairpins and pearl earrings, all small and understated, yet heavy and hanging in her hair. "This waistline, not a bit more or less, is perfect on Ms. Li," Sammi praised. Another assistant chimed in, saying this cheongsam was different from other dresses, fitting astonishingly well, making her stand out at first glance, as if it was tailor-made for her. Even the picky Xiao Liu couldn't say anything bad about such a beautiful cheongsam, only finding it curious, "Who sent this? The size is just right." Could it be from his cousin? He rummaged through the large clothing box for clues, and a small silk box fell out. Inside was a lily brooch, small and exquisite, adorned with diamonds, pearls, and enamel, dazzling in the palm of his hand. Sammi's assistant, seemingly blinded by the diamonds, exclaimed "Wow" again. Xiao Liu pulled out the letter pressed under the brooch, quickly scanned the two lines of text, and his expression changed slightly. He glared at the assistant, stuffed the brooch back into the box, and said sullenly, "Forget it, don't wear it." The assistant was puzzled, "Huh? Why?" On the other side, Li Ling didn't hear their conversation. She turned around, looked at herself in the mirror, and said the same thing, "Take it off." "Why?" The stylist was full of confusion, "If you wear this cheongsam on the red carpet, you'll definitely amaze everyone."Li Ling said, "I don't know either, I just feel... wearing this dress, I don't feel like myself." The cheongsam clung so tightly to her body that she couldn't breathe, as if an extra layer of skin had grown out of nowhere. For some reason, a strange intuition made Li Ling strongly want to take it off. She turned around and walked into the fitting room without any hesitation, not even looking back. "Are you really not going to wear it?" One of the assistants looked at her regretfully. "When Teacher Li came out of the fitting room just now, my eyes lit up." "Yes, so elegant, so dignified." Sammi sighed and said, "Forget it, clothes need to have a connection. It doesn't matter if others think it looks good if she doesn't like it." The assistants, half understanding, watched as Li Ling came out of the fitting room and regretfully put the cheongsam back into the box. For some reason, Xiao Liu still looked a bit gloomy. He walked over and took the box away. Inside the box, the cheongsam was well preserved, smooth and neat, without a single wrinkle even after ten years. Li Ling casually asked, "So who sent this?" Xiao Liu answered flawlessly, "Probably some tailor shop, hoping to use you for advertising." Li Ling responded with an "Oh," not thinking much of it, and praised the craftsmanship. Xiao Liu turned his back, his face completely darkened, looking almost frightening, somewhat resembling his cousin. The cheongsam was sent by Mrs. He. He didn't know what she was thinking, preserving this cheongsam so well for so many years. Nor did he understand her motive for choosing this moment to return it to its owner. This was a dress He Wei had made for Li Ling ten years ago. He hoped she would wear it to walk along the beaches of Venice, to walk down that much-anticipated red carpet. Ten years later, Li Ling could still fit into it perfectly, even her waistline was just right. The more Xiao Liu thought about it, the angrier and more confused he became. He had hired an entire styling team, and all their efforts combined couldn't compare to a dead man and a cheongsam from ten years ago. He Wei was like an unshakable ghost, still haunting them to this day. But he couldn't deny that it was indeed a beautiful cheongsam, and Li Ling looked great in it, whether ten years ago or ten years later. Xiao Liu, with a sullen face, made a phone call to his cousin. - Until the departure for Venice, the styling team still hadn't decided what Li Ling should wear on the red carpet. Later, they found a few more dresses, each looking quite good on its own. But Xiao Liu already had a set standard in mind, determined to find the most perfect, the best dress, so the results were always unsatisfactory. Luo Mingqing somehow heard about this and absurdly sent a little Hepburn-style cocktail dress—because when Li Ling was young and naive, she had used "Breakfast at Tiffany's" as her profile picture. Xiao Liu cursed him for being tacky while returning the dress the same way it came. The day before departure, he suddenly became very confident and mysteriously told Li Ling, "My cousin has sorted out the dress for you." Li Ling said, "Let's see the skills." Xiao Liu: "Let my cousin show you." Li Ling: "...Just afraid he'll show me other skills first." Xiao Liu felt a bit dizzy, as if he had inexplicably inhaled some exhaust fumes, and left angrily. Jin Jingyao, busy with official duties, had already gone to Venice in advance. Li Ling, on the other hand, flew with Xiao Liu a few days later. The flight arrived at Marco Polo Airport, and festival staff were there to greet them as they exited. The other person was a young Chinese volunteer who introduced herself as a film student in Italy. When she saw Li Ling, her face flushed with excitement, and she said she was a fan of hers and had watched "Yesterday's Sun" several times. "Was 'Yesterday's Sun' also released in Italy?" Li Ling asked her. The other person nodded and said it was a special event arranged by the film festival to coincide with the opening film "Dream Addiction." Li Ling pondered, suspecting that Jin Jingyao had come to Venice early for this reason. The main venue of the film festival was on Lido Island. After leaving the airport, they had to take a car to the main island's pier and then transfer to a boat. The weather that day couldn't be described as particularly beautiful, yet as the boat sailed along the old canals, Venice unfolded before her like an ancient painting. Everywhere she looked, the beauty was breathtaking. Magnificent buildings flowed past them on both sides, those splendid churches, mansions, bell towers, and arch bridges, all like a dream rippling in the shimmering water, dazzling yet unreal. Returning to history, back to hundreds of years ago, every green wave seemed to hide Shakespeare's long and ornate verses. Li Ling sat by the window, the rushing wind making her hair messy. It was like watching a movie, detached from reality. She remembered the few warm nights during the filming of "Yesterday's Sun" when He Wei enthusiastically organized the crew to watch old Italian films together, Visconti's "Death in Venice" and "White Nights." These slow-paced art films made Li Ling drowsy. However, those were also rare moments when the crew didn't exclude her. In the teetering dream, her half-closed eyes, like the slow motion of a film, lingered over that sleepless water city, the most romantic city in the world. Many years had passed, and Li Ling had seen many new films, forgetting most of their plots. But it was often the films one watched in their youth that left the deepest impression. The waters of Venice had once frozen time, flowed through her veins, and turned into secret whispers in her dreams. When the boat arrived at the Lido Island pier, it immediately became bustling and lively. Private yachts were docked along the shore, and luxury stores and hotels glittered on the opposite side. Tourists crowded the beach, and the air was filled with the scents of perfume, coffee, and champagne bubbles. The enthusiastic atmosphere of the film festival made this narrow island boil with excitement. Most of the invited guests stayed on Lido Island, and Li Ling was also arranged to stay in a designated five-star hotel with a room that had a view. She put down her luggage and went to the bathroom to take a shower. When she came out, her hair still wet, she had just put on a bathrobe when she saw a new message pop up on her phone. Jin Jingyao had sent a cute butter bear crying emoji. Li Ling: ? Why was he crying out of the blue? She scrolled up and found that the famous director had been crying for over twenty minutes. At first, he had sent a message asking her, "Have you arrived?" "Room number." A few minutes later, he said, "Open the door." Li Ling ignored him, and he sent a dancing mummy figure named "Li Ling." When no one danced, he made several voice calls. When no one answered, he had no choice but to stand at the door and pretend to cry. Looking at the crying butter bear emoji, Li Ling felt inexplicably charmed and deliberately sent him a voice message to tease him: "But I'm taking a shower, it's inconvenient." At this point, a polite person would say, "Then I'll come back later." An impolite person would immediately send a question mark and a bunch of meaningless words. "Open the door." "Together." "Let me in." Li Ling: ? A new emoji popped up on the screen. A big-faced butter bear leaned into the frame, with the caption below: "I've been stalking you." Li Ling: "..." She was amused and walked straight over to open the door. Sure enough, Director Jin was standing in the hallway. The hotel had a classic Arabian style, with spotless white walls and luxurious wall lamps illuminating his face from above. The young man's pupils reflected a deeper shade of amber under the light. Li Ling thought of the beautiful scenery of Venice she had just seen and suddenly felt that meeting him here was like a dream. Jin Jingyao pursed his lips, staring at her loosely tied bathrobe with a somewhat dissatisfied look: "Why did you come to the door like this?" Then his gaze moved down and saw her bare feet on the carpet. "Not even wearing shoes," he continued in a flat tone. Li Ling found it somewhat amusing and pressed the door with one hand: "So should I go put on some shoes first?" Jin Jingyao took a step forward and hugged her tightly. Li Ling was completely caught off guard and was lifted off the ground. She was so startled that she almost screamed, but the scream was muffled by his lips and tongue. He walked into the room, closing the door behind him, and pressed her against the back of the door. Li Ling, like a kite with a broken string, instinctively wrapped her legs around him to find balance. But she forgot she was wearing nothing under her bathrobe. A stretch of snow-white thigh peeked out from the hem, like the end of a coastline buried in rocks and shadows, the most dangerous scenery. She didn't know she had a tiny mole on the inside of her thigh. Now that patch of skin was smooth. The deep and shallow bite marks had all healed. Jin Jingyao stared at that mole, his eyes darkening. He reached out to touch her, like a traveler thirsty for knowledge, venturing deep into a dense tropical rainforest. A vast swampy miasma appeared before his eyes. Without a word, he carried her into the bathroom. Li Ling said, "I really have already bathed..." The bathroom was steaming, the mirror foggy, and the water in the bathtub hadn't even drained yet, proving she was telling the truth. He placed her on the vanity, the cold marble tiles making Li Ling hiss. He then picked her up again and laid a clean towel underneath her. Li Ling's heart softened, missing her last chance to escape. He held her, burying his face in her neck, smelling the unfamiliar scent of her body wash, and for some reason, felt very dissatisfied. This made him want to hunt even more. To mark her. "Missed you," Jin Jingyao said softly. It had only been a few days since they last met, yet it felt as long as a century. Li Ling's hair was still wet, droplets falling on his shoulder like a light drizzle. He held her tightly, and she struggled to touch his face, saying, "Me too." "Waiting outside for so long, like being punished," she teased him. Jin Jingyao mumbled, "It's okay." Although Li Ling hadn't said "sorry," he said to himself, "...I forgive you." His voice was so low that Li Ling didn't hear him clearly at first, thinking he was talking about the bath again. It wasn't until he grabbed her calf and his lips moved downward that she realized what he was about to do. She was startled and made a move to struggle. But Jin Jingyao looked up, innocently at her: "You said you just bathed." "Very clean." His hair was a bit messy, his eyes bright, and his lips faintly glistening with moisture. Li Ling's body went limp, leaning powerlessly against the cold mirror behind her. Pink waves, like a sleepwalker, flowed out from the mirror. She saw the beach of Lido Island. Soft sand layers surged towards her, burying her body, swallowing her into a scorching cave. Small animals hid in the sand, sipping little by little. He was very close to her, yet very far away. She grabbed his hair, her other hand interlocked with his fingers. She heard children running wildly along the beach, their bare feet stepping on the soft sand, letting out excited screams. The distant and near sounds, like a movie's background score, spread with the water waves, hazy and drowsy through the window screen. She didn't understand why. But recently, whenever she saw Jin Jingyao, things between them would take a very restricted turn. Jin Jingyao, with an innocent face, kindly said that this way, jet lag would be adjusted faster. A schoolboy's nonsense, lying without a draft, who would believe it? In any case, Li Ling didn't quite believe it. - The next day, the film festival had not yet started, and the staff were busy setting up the opening venue. Due to some people's shameful behavior, Li Ling overslept and missed the hotel's breakfast. Jin Jingyao accompanied her to a famous local café for brunch. On their walk to digest the food, they discovered a small cinema showing "Yesterday's Sun." The film had already started a few minutes before they entered. They groped in the dark, afraid of disturbing others, and found a random corner to sit down. It was Li Ling's first time watching this movie. She held Jin Jingyao's hand and watched the entire film seriously, just like any ordinary audience. No crying, no anger, no resentment or dissatisfaction. Because everything was in the past. Or maybe because every time her emotions surged, Jin Jingyao would quietly squeeze her hand. The movie was fake, but he was real. She would not forgive He Wei, nor would she be haunted by the ghosts of the past. Li Ling gently leaned on his shoulder, calmly, leaving all the irrelevant past behind. When the movie ended, the credits rolled slowly, and the few audience members remained in their seats until the lights came on. Li Ling also stood up and walked towards the emergency exit, suddenly hearing someone crying loudly behind her. It was a short little boy, lying in his father's arms, crying with his shoulders shaking, looking extremely pitiful. Because his crying was so loud, everyone in the cinema was looking at them. The father, somewhat embarrassed, helplessly patted his son's head, saying something in rapid Italian. Suddenly, the little boy looked up and saw Li Ling. He froze. His face full of tears, he opened his arms and ran towards her, sniffling and saying something in Italian in disbelief. Li Ling didn't understand, but she bent down, hugged him, and gently patted his head. Jin Jingyao stared at her, looking very disdainful, and said, "He's so dirty." Then he said, "You never hugged me like that." Li Ling said, "Then who hugged you last night? A female ghost?" Jin Jingyao immediately changed his tune, "You didn't hug me like that today." Li Ling: "..." Was it an illusion, or was this person getting more natural at saying such strange things recently? She mocked him for being jealous of a child, but also found his jealous look quite cute. Li Ling asked if he could understand what the boy was saying, just a casual question, not expecting Jin Jingyao to actually understand Italian. Jin Jingyao translated coldly, "He asked you, how did you come back to life? Weren't you drowned in the sea?" The little boy looked up, his nose red from crying, his face full of tears as he looked at Li Ling and babbled a lot. "He also asked you if it hurt to be beaten," Jin Jingyao continued. His voice softened a bit, no longer as indifferent. Li Ling lowered her head, smiling softly, "It did hurt a little, so I ran away." Jin Jingyao translated for her. The little boy blinked his big eyes, "Ran away?" Li Ling said confidently, "Yes, I escaped from the movie, so it doesn't hurt anymore." "That's great, then you won't die either," the little boy said, hugging her leg softly. "Mm," Li Ling said, "we're all living well." The little boy finally stopped crying. His father, standing to the side, looked relieved and kept thanking Li Ling. Li Ling smiled and patted his head. For some reason, her eyes also turned a bit red. She didn't expect this scene to be secretly filmed. The blogger who posted the video was an amateur, stating that they didn't come for the film festival, just to visit Venice. It was too hot in the afternoon, so they wanted to find an air-conditioned cinema, and unexpectedly, the lead actress sat behind them, witnessing such a heartwarming scene. Li Ling saw herself in the video. In the lit-up cinema, she was holding the little boy, while Jin Jingyao stood to the side, watching her intently. He stood in a relatively dark place, his expression indifferent, seemingly not liking the translation work, but he translated every sentence seriously. When Li Ling patted the little boy's head, he looked at her hand. When Li Ling spoke to the little boy, he looked at her lips. They had no physical contact, not even a direct conversation. He was just helping her translate. But it just... didn't feel right. At first, the ordinary viewers in the comment section didn't notice anything, thinking that Li Ling comforting the little boy was very kind and heartwarming. Later, for some reason, a group of CP fans swarmed in, and the warmth gradually turned into something else. "Wow, the director really kept looking at her without blinking?" "Director, what's wrong with you? Control yourself!!!!" "Is the director jealous, thinking Li Ling is hugging the little boy and not him?" "I'm going crazy." "Jin Jingyao: Cold-faced translator." "Please, Li Ling, he's going to break, hug him!!!!" Jin Jingyao pursed his lips and said to Li Ling, "They want you to hug me." The two were sitting on the bed at this time, heads close together, watching the afternoon's video. Li Ling looked at the screen, then at the person in front of her. She could hardly control the upward curve of her mouth, every inch of her body surging with inexplicable affection. She felt that he really seemed to like her, even in someone else's lens, even just watching from afar, the affection couldn't be hidden. She also liked him a lot, but liked teasing him more, so she deliberately said, "Really? Didn't you post this comment yourself?" Jin Jingyao pressed her wrist, slowly taking the phone from her, slowly pressing down, and said, "You're done for." The waves of the Venice night were surging. Li Ling, unfortunately, stayed up all night adjusting to the time difference again.