Ji Dongyang glanced at her. Was this girl actually willing to talk to him now?

Zhou Yining looked at him expectantly. The magazine had been very well-received after its release. It started with Zhou Wei buying a copy, then telling other artists about it—essentially praising her. Others heard and went to buy the magazine too. In just one afternoon, word had spread through the crew, with many complimenting her to her face on how good the photos were.

Ji Dongyang tapped the magazine. “Aming bought it.”

Zhou Yining was a bit disappointed. “Oh,” she said, then turned and walked towards her car.

Aming caught up, having obviously heard the exchange. He couldn’t help saying, “Dong-ge, girls need to be coaxed. You just had to tell a little white lie, and she would have been happy.”

Although he didn’t know what had happened that day, Aming felt the dynamic between these two had changed. Even stranger, Dong-ge still hadn’t changed the password. Given his usual temperament, not only would he change the password, he might even change the locks.

Ji Dongyang looked back at him. “Is that so? You’re an expert?”

Aming thumped his chest. “Of course! I’ve been in a few relationships, after all. It’s just…”

“Just what.”
“Just… we broke up. My job is to follow you around, Dong-ge. I rarely got to see my girlfriend, so I got dumped.” Aming told the truth.
“You could consider a career change,” Ji Dongyang said, turning to leave.

Aming stood frozen in place. Hey, hey, hey—!

He wasn’t complaining that this job cost him his girlfriend! He was talking about how to coax a girl! How did the topic shift to him?

Aming drove, once again overtaken by Zhou Yining’s SUV, which swiftly disappeared into the night. After spending some time together, Aming was slowly understanding Zhou Yining’s personality. “Dong-ge, have you noticed? When Miss Zhou is in a good mood, she follows behind us slowly. When she’s in a bad mood, she overtakes and leaves us in the dust.”

Even Aming could see it; how could Ji Dongyang not understand?

His dark eyes glanced out the window, recalling the hurt look on her face after she fell off the sofa that night. She had such strong self-esteem and cared so much about face—she’d probably been genuinely upset. The hand resting on his knee clenched slightly.

When Ji Dongyang arrived home, he saw the girl squatting on the floor rummaging through her bag, talking on the phone: “I’m looking for my keys. Maybe I forgot them when I left this morning.”

He stood behind her, completely unnoticed. She dumped the entire contents of her bag onto the floor. A tube of lipstick rolled to his feet.

Ji Dongyang bent down to pick it up, looking down at the mess before her. The most conspicuous items were, of course, the stacks of RMB—at least eighty or ninety thousand. Lipstick, perfume, and various small items were scattered everywhere.

Zhou Yining pushed aside the jumble of things, finally found her keys, stuffed everything back into her bag, stood up to open the door, and only then sensed something was off.

She turned around, paused for a second, and said into the phone, “I’ll call you back later.”

Ji Dongyang handed her the lipstick. Zhou Yining looked at him, reached out to take it, and waved it in front of his face. “This is the one I was wearing when I kissed you that day.”

Ji Dongyang kept his hands in his pockets, his tone mild. “There are some things I need to make clear to you.”

Zhou Yining could guess what he wanted to say. She initially thought about refusing to listen but, after a moment’s consideration, nodded. “Okay. Let’s talk at your place. It’s cold outside.”

Ji Dongyang studied her seriously for a few seconds, then turned and walked to his door. Zhou Yining stared intently at his hands. He looked back. “Turn around. I need to enter the code.”

“I wouldn’t peek.”
Such obvious peeking while claiming otherwise. Ji Dongyang was merciless. “You have a prior record.”
“…”
Fine, she wouldn’t look! Zhou Yining turned her head away, fuming. He must have changed the code!

With the heating on inside, they haphazardly tossed their down coats and scarves onto the sofa. Zhou Yining sat on the couch, hugging a cushion, and looked at him in the armchair, curious about what he would say. She suggested, “How about we talk over a drink? A friend sent me some new wine.”

Ji Dongyang frowned slightly. “No need. You can go back after we’re done talking.”
Zhou Yining pouted, stood up, and was about to leave when Ji Dongyang leaned forward, grabbed her hand, and looked up at her.
“Listen, what happened that day was my fault. I’m sorry. Forget about it.”
“I can’t forget. Getting thrown off the sofa right after a kiss—I’ll remember that for the rest of my life.”
She stared down at him. Ji Dongyang was silent for a few seconds before standing up. Using his height advantage, he looked down at her, his presence instantly overwhelming the light in her eyes. He released her hand and slipped his back into his pockets. “Zhou Yining, I don’t know why your attitude towards me suddenly changed, whether it’s a whim or you just want to play around. We aren’t suitable. Don’t waste your time and energy on me.”

Zhou Yining took a step forward, tilting her head up. “Not suitable? It’s only about liking someone or not. There’s no suitable or unsuitable. If you like someone, then it’s suitable.”

They were extremely close. Ji Dongyang didn’t retreat but instead looked down at her. Their breaths mingled.
“You appear strong on the surface, but inside you’re fragile and sensitive. You lack a sense of security; you want to win the attention of those you care about. You must have gotten into a lot of trouble as a child. Dressing maturely in your teens, drinking, smoking, hanging out with boys—you just wanted others to pay more attention to you. The man you need must be strong inside, gentle, considerate, and able to tolerate all your aspects.”
“I am the exact opposite.” Ji Dongyang’s lips curled in a self-deprecating smile. “Didn’t you say it yourself? I’m walking cold air. Cold air can’t warm you.”

He turned away under her astonished gaze, leaving behind a final sentence. “Remember to close the door on your way out.”
Zhou Yining stood frozen. She hadn’t expected Ji Dongyang to say so much to her. So he knew he was cold air!

She looked back; he was already at his bedroom door. She quickly chased after him, grabbing his doorframe. “Do you think you’re a psychologist? Your analysis sounds convincing, but let me tell you that was me from childhood.”

Ji Dongyang had just acted for over a decade, spent a lot of time analyzing character psychology. A psychologist he certainly was not.

She squeezed into his room, declaring fiercely, “I’ve changed a long time ago, Ji Dongyang. People grow up. I’ve grown up. I don’t have those childish, ridiculous ideas anymore. If I like something, I go after it myself. You’re the same. Don’t say you’re not strong enough inside. In the entire entertainment industry, I doubt many have an inner strength like yours.”

He looked at her and suddenly smiled. “So what?”
So what? She was saying she didn’t mind his bad temper, and besides, his temper wasn’t even that bad.

She stared directly at him and asked, “Then, do you like me? Aming said you never let women into your home. That makes me the first.”
She must be somewhat special.

Ji Dongyang frowned, silent for a few seconds, then pressed on her shoulders and pushed her out. “Go home.”
*Bang—* The door nearly hit Zhou Yining’s nose.

His temper was truly awful!

Somewhat dejectedly, she returned to the sofa, picked up her down coat, and went back to her apartment.

…

The next morning, Ji Dongyang changed clothes, walked to the sofa to pick up his down coat, and only then realized something was wrong. This coat was women’s style, much smaller than his.

He scanned the room. Probably, that girl had taken the wrong one.

It then occurred to him that she seemed to have taken several of his clothes home before and never returned them.

Next door, Zhou Yining also discovered she’d grabbed the wrong coat last night. Similar style of black down coat, but this one was obviously much larger. She put it on and instantly cheered up, the slight frustration from last night vanishing.

Elated, she hung the coat back in her wardrobe. *Once I’ve emptied his closet, let’s see if he doesn’t come looking for me.*

They ran into each other again on their way out. Zhou Yining glanced at the black overcoat he was wearing. Was he out of down coats?

Thinking of this, she happily looked up and smiled at him. “Morning.”

Ji Dongyang had thought that after last night, she’d be giving him the cold shoulder for a few more days. He didn’t expect her to beam such a sweet smile at him first thing in the morning.

He averted his eyes imperceptibly, his gaze returning forward. “Morning.”

Entering the elevator, Zhou Yining pressed the button for their floor. “Ji Dongyang, do you think that because you’re ten years older than me, you’re too embarrassed, an old cow eating tender grass?”

She turned back and smiled. “It’s fine. I don’t mind you being old.”

Ji Dongyang felt a headache coming on. “Zhou Yining, do you not understand human language?”
He thought he’d been very clear last night.

Zhou Yining turned around, grabbed his lapels, stood on her tiptoes to bring her face close, and said with a smile, “Why don’t you kiss me? That last kiss was so disillusioning.”
She closed her eyes, her thick eyelashes resting obediently and sweetly.

Ji Dongyang’s dark eyes fixed on her rosy, pretty lips. He pushed her away, his voice low. “Stop fooling around.”

Zhou Yining wasn’t surprised at all. She snorted lightly and stood obediently to the side.

The elevator doors opened. Zhou Yining smiled, following behind him, then turned and got into her own car.

Aming watched Zhou Yining’s car following obediently behind them in the rearview mirror. He gave a strange look to the cold-faced Ji Dongyang. “Dong-ge, did you coax Miss Zhou last night?”

Ji Dongyang: “No.”
Aming: “She didn’t overtake us today.”
Meaning, she was in a good mood today.

But would Dong-ge know how to coax a woman? It was a little hard to imagine.

In the afternoon, Zhou Yining went to Time Media. Entering Wan Wei’s office, she sat down to the side, watching Wan Wei busily make calls. Just from her tone, she could guess who she was talking to. A light, soft, laughing tone probably meant producers or directors. The scolding tone was likely for artists or assistants.

Finally, after she finished, Zhou Yining called out, “Wei-jie.”

Wan Wei took a sip of water, leaned back in her leather chair, looked at her, and smiled. “Your scenes in *The Peaceful Dynasty* will wrap up next week. I called you here today to discuss your next project.”

Zhou Yining was a bit surprised. “Another TV drama?”
She didn’t have high hopes. As long as it wasn’t a cameo or a small role, she’d be satisfied.

Wan Wei smiled. “A film. Director Wei Zhong’s.”

Zhou Yining was stunned. Wei Zhong. *Black & White* was one of his directed works. Ji Dongyang won his Best Actor gold medal with that film. His works had a certain dark style, conveying positive energy within that darkness, progressing step by step, like unraveling a mystery.

She studied Wan Wei’s expression, swallowing hard. “What role?”

Wan Wei pointed to a photo in the magazine—an outdoor shot from Zhou Yining’s last photoshoot. She stood amidst ruins, her gaze lonely, as if detached from the world. “Director Wei saw this photo of yours by chance. He wants you to go for an audition. If it’s a good fit, the role will be yours. The film is called *Knots of the Heart*. You’re auditioning for the female lead. A psychiatric patient.”

Zhou Yining: “…”
Just last night, Ji Dongyang had lectured her like she was a psychiatric patient. Now her next role was to play a character with psychological issues.