Cairo Purple Rose (Part 3) "Dream Addiction" was screened three times at the Lion City Film Festival, receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews. Everyone was astonished to discover that Jin Jingyao's creative style had truly changed. This film was completely different from any of his previous works. After "Blood Swan," most of Director Jin's films were complex, obscure, and difficult to understand, high-threshold art films. Only "Dream Addiction" was a very straightforward and easy-to-understand story. Those bizarre, gorgeous visual languages were merely a lavish shell. The true core of the story was simple: an uncomprehended, marginalized love. Zhou Jing desperately loved someone he could never find. Most mainstream media gave "Dream Addiction" high praise, considering the film "a sharp deviation, yet possessing both destructive and pure beauty." "It is a completely different style from Director Jin Jingyao's previous works; he has redefined himself." "Like a nihilist without emotions, learning to love for the first time." "By the end, I was truly moved to tears." However, a small portion of film critics were not impressed—especially those who had previously held Jin Jingyao's works in high regard, and were instead very disappointed. "Too vulgar," they said. Harsh critics condemned the entire film as "aesthetically extravagant but with a hollow and weak plot, almost devoid of a main storyline." They believed the director had "unexpectedly made a childish love story with no intellectual value," and that "Jin Jingyao has finally stepped down from his pedestal." Such polarized reviews led to fierce debates on social media even before the festival ended. Nevertheless, on the awards night, "Dream Addiction" did not disappoint and won the festival's highest award. The heavyweight award presenter took the stage, didn't beat around the bush, and without even mentioning the film's name, opened the envelope and straightforwardly performed a short mummy dance. Everyone in the audience burst into laughter, clapping as they laughed. The presenter signaled everyone to look up at the big screen, showing clips from the winning film. In the brief clip, Zhou Jing's face was covered in blood, his eyes lifeless as he said, "Give A-Ling back to me." A-Ling lay beneath him, her body blossoming into a blood flower, yet still smiling at him in his hallucination. This segment was not long, only a few dozen seconds. Many filmmakers spend their entire lives striving for these few seconds. And no one knew that Jin Jingyao spent nearly ten years writing this scene. He had always been a very rational director. But in this shot, it was filled with his desperate, painful, all-in love. Domestic viewers watching the live broadcast were also frantically sending bullet comments. —Damn, so cool. —FYI, this year is a big year for films, with fierce competition, but "Dream Addiction" has been the highest-scoring film in the festival's journal since the first screening, winning without any suspense. —Is it really that good? Has anyone seen it? —Ahhh, so excited. —Can it be released tomorrow? Thunderous applause erupted, and the director's camera panned across the audience, capturing the smiling, clapping faces of the big names. Finally, a thin figure in a black tailcoat stood up and shakily walked onto the stage. The bullet comments suddenly paused. —Uh, did Jin Jingyao shrink? —Damn, that's his cousin. —Isn't that Xiao Liu? —???? Where's the director? Xiao Liu walked onto the stage, solemnly accepting the trophy. Before he could speak, his small face was already drowned in countless giant question marks. At this moment, the renowned director Jin Da, who was supposed to appear on the award stage, had quietly left Venice. Li Ling had never been to Italy, so Jin Jingyao decided to travel with her. Their first stop was not the famous Rome or Florence, but a small town near Milan called Bergamo. Stopping here was purely accidental, but Li Ling was always a spontaneous person. Due to a severe flight delay, she had a sudden idea to change their itinerary and dragged Jin Jingyao by the hand to wander around this small town. Bergamo is divided into the upper and lower towns. The lower town is quite ordinary, but taking the cable car to the upper town, the scenery suddenly opens up. The entire ancient city is surrounded by medieval walls. Looking out as far as the eye can see, the misty sky, forests, red brick roofs, and the hazy white churches and bell towers form a unique, spectacular, and simple picture. The distant mountains and plains appear faintly through the swirling clouds. They wandered aimlessly through the dim ancient city. Unlike Venice, it was excessively quiet here, with almost no tourists. The narrow streets paved with cobblestones, and the gray-yellow stone walls reflected their hidden figures, also carving out the history accumulated over the years. Li Ling deliberately turned her head and asked Jin Jingyao, "Isn't this place nice? Sometimes spontaneous trips bring surprises." "It's very nice," he answered earnestly. She was just joking, but he answered so seriously, like answering a question in class, which inexplicably made her a bit happy. She shook his hand vigorously a few times. The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in the main square is an authentic Romanesque building, looking equally simple and restrained from the outside. However, once inside the church, the overwhelming Baroque decorations and overly luxurious frescoes make one dizzy, as if experiencing a visual bombardment. The beauty is so absolute, so overwhelming, it almost has a sense of aggression. Li Ling looked up at the incredibly intricate and beautiful dome, and a word suddenly popped into her mind. Adventure, this felt like an adventure. She and the person beside her had stumbled into an adventure. She turned her face and looked at Jin Jingyao, only to unexpectedly meet his gaze. Those calm amber eyes were fixed on her. He didn't care about the grand history or the unique scenery; he was still looking at her, always looking at her. Li Ling smiled too, feeling a surge of emotions. You can't be loud in a church, so she quietly held his hand tightly. The daylight at the end of August was very long. When they came out of the church, it was already late, but the sky was still very bright. In the alleys near the main square, the ice cream shop windows looked very tempting. Li Ling only wanted one scoop, but Jin Jingyao pretended not to understand and asked the clerk for two, piling them heavily on the cone. After a while, he leaned over, pressing her wrist, and stole a bite of her ice cream. By this time, the award ceremony at the Lion City Film Festival had already started, but the director responsible for it was still stealing ice cream. His cleanliness obsession was gone, and apparently, so was his sense of shame. Li Ling took out her phone, wanting to check the award results. He was very unhappy about her looking at her phone and ate half a scoop in one bite. She glared at him, but he looked completely innocent. Even elementary school students can really put on an act. "Don't you want to know the results of the award ceremony?" Li Ling asked him. Jin Jingyao said, "No." It seemed like he was deliberately trying to divert her attention, not allowing her to focus on the film festival, and went to steal her ice cream again. Li Ling pretended to kindly remind him, "You have something dirty here." Then, taking advantage of his unpreparedness, she leaned in and deliberately licked the corner of his mouth. Jin Jingyao stared at her, his ears suddenly turning a bit red. They sat at the entrance of the ice cream shop, the glass window reflecting colorful balloons and the handsome profile of the young man. He asked her, somewhat unnaturally, "What are you doing?" They had already done many intimate things, but for some reason, the elementary school student still seemed easily embarrassed from time to time. Li Ling was inexplicably charmed by his cuteness and leaned over to lick him again. Jin Jingyao didn't say anything, just stared at her. His eyes darkened for a moment, and his gaze lowered slightly. The ice cream had melted a bit, dripping from the edge of the cone onto Li Ling's fingers. He took her hand and gently kissed it. Li Ling was startled and said, "What are you doing?" Jin Jingyao replied vaguely, "...very clean." Out of the corner of her eye, Li Ling saw the employees in the ice cream shop watching them and laughing, so she quickly stood up and pulled him away. She quickly finished the remaining ice cream, and Jin Jingyao didn't try to take it again; instead, he held her hand tightly. They continued to stroll sweetly through the remaining alleys. Li Ling actually knew why Jin Jingyao didn't care about the award results. It wasn't that he didn't care; he had already known the results. In principle, the list of winners wouldn't be revealed in advance, but there was often little suspense. There were many ways to get insider information, and the production team had various methods to find out from the committee. Through such means, coupled with Nicole Yang's excellent public relations skills, Jin Jingyao had almost known the results a few days before the award ceremony. He didn't really care whether "Dream Addiction" won an award; he cared more about whether his leading actress could win. But as expected, in such a competitive year with many strong actresses vying for the award, it was hard to have an upset. One night, Li Ling woke up to find the bed empty. She groggily got up and heard Jin Jingyao talking on the phone on the balcony. "Since she didn't win, why stay?" he said coldly. She seemed to understand something, lowered her eyes, and quietly lay back down. After a while, someone tucked her in and hugged her tightly from behind, like an award-winning actor holding their unique trophy. The little bit of disappointment in Li Ling's heart disappeared at that moment. She closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep. The next day, Jin Jingyao nonchalantly suggested starting their trip to Italy a few days early. Since it was a spontaneous decision, they hadn't booked a hotel in Bergamo in advance, so they just walked into one near the main square. The hotel was unexpectedly beautiful, unlike the old town, it had a minimalist modern designer style. Although the room wasn't very large, it had a small balcony with a view of the street. Li Ling walked to the balcony, satisfied with the narrow streets and lush green trees. The sky finally darkened, and the small town's night was always quiet, as if rippling in silent history. Jin Jingyao also came over and hugged her from behind. Li Ling turned to look at him, grabbed his wrist, and glanced at the time on his watch. The Best Actress award must have already been announced. She was a bit curious about who won, but Jin Jingyao seemed completely indifferent. His eyes were light, watching her with a faint expression, shaded by the tree shadows, looking somewhat downcast. Many unspoken words were hidden in the shadows. Li Ling didn't win the award, and he was even more upset than she was. Faint music drifted from afar, as if someone was singing at the end of the alley. Li Ling touched his face, "Don't be upset, it's just a Best Actress award.""You really dare to think, I hadn't even considered it at all." Jin Jingyao whispered, "You should win an award." Li Ling shamelessly said, "I'm still young, so I'll let the seniors have it this time." There was no way to respond to that. Should she say—you're not young anymore? Jin Jingyao was momentarily choked, frowning at her, unable to come up with a retort. Li Ling looked pleased with herself. "Hmph, no words left, huh?" He realized he had been played and showed a somewhat disapproving expression. Li Ling smiled slightly and patted him. Although it was a joke, she was indeed very candid, feeling that she had lost convincingly. During the days of the film festival, besides working, she also watched some of the other nominated films out of admiration. In recent years, female-centric themes have been very popular internationally. She saw women of different ages and professions shining brightly on screen, and those stories captivated her. She wanted to learn from them, to strive towards the goals set by these predecessors. But at least for now, she still had a lot of room for improvement. The ten-year gap couldn't be bridged by just one or two works. Fortunately, she still had plenty of time. The two of them snuggled together, looking at the deepening night. Li Ling originally thought the topic had been dropped. "I'm sorry," Jin Jingyao suddenly said. Li Ling glanced at him and asked, "Why are you apologizing?" "It's my fault," he said, holding her hand. "If only I had found you earlier." If he had tried harder to find her. If he hadn't been confined by his own prejudices and hesitations. If he had finished writing this script earlier—or written an even better one. Maybe the person standing on the podium now, surrounded by applause and flowers, would be her. Just as Li Ling sincerely felt she didn't deserve the award, Jin Jingyao sincerely felt that no one in the world deserved it more than Li Ling. He still felt dissatisfied. The red carpet, the opening film, these were all things she deserved, just like the Best Actress crown was something she deserved. She deserved the most perfect experience because she was the best. But he could never achieve it, never be perfect, always leaving regrets. Li Ling looked at him for a while before saying, "Some people might be a bit too confident." "Do I have to win an award with your film? Other films can do it too, like 'Atheism'..." she teased him on purpose. Jin Jingyao listened quietly, his face expressionless, but the hand holding her waist tightened. "No," he said softly, somewhat unreasonably. Li Ling began to ask knowingly, "No? Does it have to be your film?" "...Yes." He paused, "It has to be my film." Li Ling laughed out loud. "Then you better work hard, director." She wrapped her arms around his neck, forcing the tall young man to lower his head, her tone very smug. Jin Jingyao: "Yes. I'll work hard." He found her laughter very cute, heartwarming, and couldn't help but lower his head to kiss her. The air was filled with a faint fragrance, perhaps from the flowers blooming at night. After kissing for a while, Li Ling's lips became shiny, like a delicious fruit. Her breathing was erratic, and she pushed him away with her hand on his chest, panting, "I told you to work hard on making films, don't work hard on the wrong thing!" Jin Jingyao looked down at her and said, "I'll work hard on both." "Okay?" as if seeking her approval. Under the moonlight, his face was outlined in silver, like a faintly visible sculpture. Li Ling felt he was cheating with his looks, but there was nothing she could do, so she surrendered and said, "Alright."She looked into his eyes, their noses touching. "Then you must never say sorry again," Li Ling said seriously. Jin Jingyao stared at her for a few seconds, his gaze lowered as if he was still looking at her lips, not fully coming to his senses, and responded somewhat sluggishly, "Oh, sorry." Li Ling: "..." Seeing her smile, he seemed to realize something, pursing his lips and showing a somewhat nervous expression. Li Ling reached out to push away the frown on his forehead and then tried to cover his mouth. Like a puppy, he quickly licked her palm. It was a completely instinctive reaction, his overly warm and nimble tongue, the heat seemingly reaching straight to her heart. Both of them were stunned for a moment, his arm tightened, and his gaze towards her changed. The atmosphere became dangerous, but perhaps only for a second. Someone's phone started vibrating. They looked at each other, and Li Ling said, "It's yours." Jin Jingyao said, "No, it's not," pretending to be nonchalant. She found it amusing and gave him a push. He said, "You answer it for me." And hinted that the phone was in the inner pocket of his coat. Li Ling rolled her eyes at him, "Do you think I'm stupid?" Failing to deceive her, Jin Jingyao had no choice but to take out the phone himself, not very happily. It was the producer calling to inform them that their movie had won a major award. Jin Jingyao coldly said "Oh" and immediately hung up, planning to block the caller. He wasn't happy at all, but Li Ling was very happy, urging him to send out red envelopes. "Alright," he said. A moment later, Li Ling took out her phone, her eyes wide open, laughing and crying at the same time, "I meant for you to send red envelopes to the crew! Why are you transferring money to me?" She intended to decline the transfer. But Jin Jingyao pressed her hand, forcing her to accept it. Li Ling: "..." She had never seen someone like this. To celebrate the movie's award, they ordered a bottle of champagne. Li Ling drank quite a bit, while Jin Jingyao kept watching her. After getting drunk, she leaned in, her head resting on Jin Jingyao's chest. "Your heart is beating so fast," she suddenly said, "Is it broken?" She smiled drunkenly and reached out her finger, poking around randomly. She touched a place she shouldn't have, Jin Jingyao blushed and grabbed her hand, but she was unhappy and directly sat on his lap. Jin Jingyao: "..." It was really hard to endure now, or maybe he didn't need to endure anymore. He stared at her flushed cheeks, calmly thinking about where to start his hunt. The drunken Li Ling suddenly hugged his neck, gave him a bite, and said contentedly, "I really like you." She probably intended to kiss his face. But because she was drunk, the kiss lightly landed on his earlobe, like a small snowflake. He froze, forgetting everything. The night ended up being quite pure, with nothing messy or impure happening. Li Ling fell asleep in Jin Jingyao's arms. The cold moonlight was like frost, the silvery moonlight flowing over the terrace. He gazed at her face, as rosy as a bouquet, listening to her faint breathing, accompanied by a slight scent of alcohol, brushing against his face. There were no spectators. Only the moonlight, the empty champagne bottle, the sleeping church, and the bell tower. The young director solemnly raised his hand, placing an imaginary crown of flowers on Li Ling's head in the air. "You will always be my best actress," he whispered to her. As if making a pure vow.