On Weibo, the Taiping Dynasty was already trending. Because Ji Dongyang was the male lead, it became the most anticipated historical drama of recent years. The promotional shows that Zhou Yining had participated in with the crew were also airing one by one.

Aside from Ji Dongyang and Zhou Yining, the other leading actors also generated high traffic. Zhou Wei and Jing Xin were regulars on the trending list. Since Jing Xin started dating Qin Sen, her frequency on the trending list was ridiculously high. Every time she trended, Jing Xin took the opportunity to advertise the Taiping Dynasty, not missing a single benefit. The production team practically wanted to give her a bonus.

Although Ji Dongyang kept an extremely low profile, his acting skills, honed over more than a decade, were unlike those of the current traffic stars. He didn’t rely on scandals or hype, yet his status in fans’ hearts remained irreplaceable. As long as he had a project, fans responded immediately; that was true power.

Many fans declared they would be waiting on time for the premiere tonight.

After eating the dumplings, Zhou Yining collapsed on the sofa, rubbing her stomach. She had cooked too many dumplings, and both she and Ji Dongyang had overeaten.

Ji Dongyang came out of the kitchen, glanced at her, and asked, “Where do you want to go?”

Zhou Yining’s eyes lit up. “We can go out to play?”

Ji Dongyang thought for a moment. “There are a few places we can go. We’ll drive.”

Zhou Yining immediately stood up and pushed him toward the bedroom, urging him, “Hurry up and change.”

Ji Dongyang wore a black sweater and black casual pants, holding a long down jacket. He pulled a hat over his head, lowering the brim, and picked up a mask from the table. Zhou Yining also put on a mask and her down jacket. Like two thieves, they went downstairs separately.

Ji Dongyang waited in the car for a while. Zhou Yining found his car, slipped inside, took off her mask, and smiled to the side at him. “We can go now.”

Expressways were toll-free during the New Year, so many private cars had left the city. City roads were surprisingly clear these past two days. Ji Dongyang drove onto the highway, where traffic began to clog up. Zhou Yining hadn’t asked where they were going the whole way, but the traffic jam annoyed her, so she couldn’t help asking, “Where are we going?”

Ji Dongyang smiled slightly. “To the mountain.”

Zhou Yining thought she had heard wrong. “The mountain?”

He nodded. “Mm.”

Zhou Yining: “…”

It had snowed two days ago, and the road was slippery. If Ji Dongyang hadn’t been holding her, Zhou Yining would have fallen long ago. Both wore masks, and their breath through the fabric turned white in the cold air. Zhou Yining thought her stamina was decent, but by halfway up the mountain, she was exhausted. She couldn’t help throwing a tantrum. “I’m not walking anymore! Ji Dongyang, are you serious? For our first date, you brought me to this godforsaken place!”

Ji Dongyang looked down at her. Zhou Yining glanced at him, then lowered her head to look at her toes.

After a few seconds of silence, Ji Dongyang crouched down in front of her, his voice low. “Get on.”

Zhou Yining froze, staring at the man’s broad back. She hesitated, then climbed on. Actually, the path wasn’t that hard, but climbing stairs made her legs sore easily. She could still walk; she was just being temperamental. But since Ji Dongyang crouched down for her, she didn’t want to refuse; such an opportunity was too rare.

Ji Dongyang carried her up. Zhou Yining wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his red, frozen ear. The weather was freezing, but her lips were soft and warm, the sensation distinct. Ji Dongyang stopped abruptly, his voice deep. “Move around again, and I’ll drop you.”

“…”

Ji Dongyang carried Zhou Yining for over ten minutes before she got down to walk herself.

The two reached the peak. Zhou Yining leaned on Ji Dongyang’s shoulder, panting. She fished a water bottle out of her backpack, took a few sips, and handed it to Ji Dongyang.

Ji Dongyang looked at her open backpack and frowned. “Why are you still carrying a bag of cash when you’re out with me?”

Zhou Yining pursed her lips. “I like it.”

As she spoke, she looked around. The winter mountaintop was almost bare, with not a soul in sight. Ahead was a large cliff, bottomless and shrouded in white mist. For someone afraid of heights, this was not a good place.

Zhou Yining took a few more looks, and her legs started to feel weak.

Ji Dongyang wrapped his arm around her waist, looking down at her. “Scared?”

She wouldn’t admit it. “It’s okay. I’m not standing at the edge.”

“Why are you afraid of heights?”

Zhou Yining was silent for a while before saying, “When I was little, I was locked on a rooftop. For a whole night.”

She was nine that year. She went up to the rooftop on the 16th floor with a few other kids. They brought snacks to share. Later, Zhou JiaHui came, and the group of kids followed Zhou JiaHui downstairs to play. She was left alone, staring at the pile of snacks, lonely and irritable.

She sat on the rooftop, leaning against the wall, watching the sunset.

The sun went down, casting dusk over the small figure huddled in the corner. Perhaps she was forgotten, or maybe someone did it on purpose. When it got dark, she wanted to go back, but found she was locked on the roof. She shouted in panic, but she had a cold for those two days, and her throat was hoarse. Her voice was too weak; no one heard her.

And no one realised she was locked on the roof.

In the night, a typhoon suddenly hit, bringing a violent rainstorm. Terrified, she shrank into the corner. She was small and thin. As soon as she stood up, a gust of wind blew her over. She rolled twice, nearly falling off the edge. The wind was so strong it felt like it could blow her away at any moment. She stumbled, was blown down several times, and finally crawled to a safe corner, shivering as she watched the thunder and lightning.

It wasn’t until four or five in the morning the next day that Zhou Lihui found her.

…

Ji Dongyang stared at her for a while, didn’t ask further, and hugged her tighter, changing the subject. “Look at this place. Does it look familiar?”

Zhou Yining turned her head and looked around several times. Suddenly, a few scenes flashed through her mind, and her eyes widened. “Ah, scenes from Black and White were filmed here! Right?”

She had watched Black and White many times. There was a scene where Ji Dongyang, in camouflage, jumped from a helicopter and slid all the way to the bottom of the cliff. That scene was incredibly cool. Every movement and expression in that movie was captivating.

Ji Dongyang nodded and guided her forward. Zhou Yining resisted, hugging his waist and refusing to go.

He looked down at her, his voice lowered, sounding unexpectedly gentle and coaxing. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t let you fall.”

Zhou Yining bit her lip, shaking her head. “Forget it…”

He stared at her for a moment. She compromised. “Fine, just for five seconds.”

Ji Dongyang held her waist as she stood two meters from the edge. A gust of wind blew, and Zhou Yining shivered. Whether from cold or fear, she hugged his waist tighter, burying her head in his chest. After a long while, she lifted her head, looked forward, then slowly looked down; a wave of dizziness hit her.

Ji Dongyang tightened his arm around her. “There’s a scene like this later. You need to adapt.”

“Actually, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Only by standing high can you see far. Honestly, I really didn’t expect you to be afraid of heights.”

She was usually arrogant and perverse, daring even to fight a robber, yet she was afraid of heights. He honestly hadn’t expected it.

Just like her illness, he hadn’t expected that either.

How severe was it? He didn’t know.

…

The weather was frigid. After staying at the peak for over half an hour, Ji Dongyang took her hand to head back down.

Zhou Yining stared at the bottom of the cliff for three minutes, her face growing paler. Suddenly, she turned around violently, hugged Ji Dongyang, urgently pulled his neck down, and kissed his lips.

She closed her eyes, biting his lips urgently.

Ji Dongyang realised it: when her emotions were unstable, she sought a way to decompress.

Right now, it was kissing.

What about before? What method did she use? He remembered Pei Yuan in The Heart Knot: drinking, smoking, dancing, sex.

And in the future?

In the future, she has him.

After an urgent, fierce kiss ended, Zhou Yining became docile, and Ji Dongyang led her down the mountain.

Back in the car, the heater was strong, and Zhou Yining’s face flushed with warmth. Ji Dongyang leaned back in his seat to rest, turning to look at her. “Ready to go back?”

Zhou Yining didn’t speak. Suddenly, she pounced on him, kissing his lips.

Ji Dongyang could distinguish when she was urgently seeking comfort and when she was teasing him.

Now, it was the latter.

He held her shoulders, looking down to warn her. “Don’t mess around. Let’s go home first.”

Zhou Yining was lying half on top of him. The next second, she knelt up, swung her leg over, and straddled his lap, smiling seductively. “No. I want to stay a little longer. Don’t worry, there’s no one here.”

It was cold; no one would come to this godforsaken place.

NOTES

Traffic Stars: Young, popular idols with high online engagement but often criticised for lacking acting skills.

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