Ji Dongyang had lived for nearly thirty-four years, been busy for over a decade, but no one had ever left a light on for him when he came home late at night.

Looking at the warm light filling the room, an indescribable emotion surged in his heart.

He walked to the bedroom doorway and saw a soft mound under the quilt. He walked slowly to the bedside and looked down. The little girl’s long hair was spread over the pillow, her pale, clean face quiet, sleeping soundly.

Ji Dongyang bent over and rubbed her head. After a few seconds, he turned and walked to the closet. Opening the door, he found she had returned his clothes, neatly putting them back in their original place.

He chuckled softly and took some clothes to shower.

Ten minutes later, Ji Dongyang threw aside the towel and lifted the quilt.

Zhou Yining’s body was warm and soft. As he pulled her into his arms, she rubbed her eyes, woke up, and turned to look at him. “You’re back?”

Ji Dongyang: “Why didn’t you go back to your own home?”

Zhou Yining crawled out of the quilt, lay on his chest, and poked him hard with her finger. “You never changed the password at all. You lied to me.”

He seemed to chuckle. “I never said I changed the password.”

Zhou Yining tilted her face up and bit his prominent Adam’s apple. Ji Dongyang’s breathing instantly deepened. His hand pressed on her waist. She was wearing a silk nightgown, the hem having slid up to her waist. His hand traced the curve from her thigh to her hip, reaching her slender, soft waist, gently rubbing back and forth.

The next second, Zhou Yining was pinned underneath him. Ji Dongyang propped himself up on his arms, looking down at her.

Zhou Yining looked back at him.

Neither spoke. He leaned down, she hooked her arms around his neck, and they kissed. Ji Dongyang stared at her until he kissed her eyes shut, then lowered his gaze. His hand slid down her lower back, glided over her smooth abdomen, moved to the front, and went down.

Feeling a small, thin pad, he opened his eyes. Zhou Yining was already looking at him, breathing lightly. “Do you want to do it?”

His eyes were deep black, staring intently at her, filled with profound desire.

Zhou Yining reached down to pull off her panties. Halfway through, she was stopped. Ji Dongyang’s expression darkened further. “What are you doing?”

Zhou Yining hooked her legs around his lean waist, arching up to rub against him. “What am I doing? Doing you, of course.”

The two struggled and entangled, messing up the quilt and sheets. Half a minute later, Zhou Yining was firmly pinned down by Ji Dongyang. The desire in his eyes hadn’t dissipated, but anger was mixed in. He stared at her, his voice stern. “Zhou Yining, what crazy idea do you have now?”

Zhou Yining glared at him, wanting to say it should be fine since her period was over and she was just wearing a panty liner as a precaution. She wanted to do it too, but she was intimidated by the stern look in his eyes. Her tense body softened.

Her body yielded first.

The sternness in Ji Dongyang’s eyes gradually faded. He rolled over, facing the ceiling, exhaling deeply, covered in sweat from holding back.

Zhou Yining curled up her legs, moved closer to him, and rested her head on his shoulder.

Ji Dongyang looked down at her, raised his hand, and gently rubbed her hair. “We don’t lack this one night.”

Days and nights, time is fleeting.

However short, we don’t lack this one night. After all, we have many days and nights ahead of us.

Zhou Yining understood.

She obediently burrowed into his arms. The next second, she was pushed away. “Stay away from me.”

Zhou Yining: “…”

…

Zhou Yining woke up very early in the morning. Ji Dongyang’s arm was draped over her waist. The room was pitch black. She gently pushed his arm away, found her phone, and lit up the screen. Ji Dongyang was wearing an eye mask, still asleep.

It was already nine o’clock.

She crawled out of bed, used the light from her phone screen to grab a casual jacket from the closet, put it on, and walked out of the bedroom.

Back in her own home, Zhou Yining changed clothes, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and went downstairs to buy breakfast.

She bought fruit, porridge, soup dumplings, and soy milk. It was almost 10 AM when she returned to Ji Dongyang’s home. He was still asleep.

Sitting on the sofa for a while, she grew impatient.

She walked into the bedroom, turned on the bedside lamp, lay by the bed watching him for a moment, and then pulled off his eye mask.

Unexpectedly, he opened his eyes the next second, startling her.

“You’re awake?”

“Mm.” He had woken up when she lay by the bed.

Ji Dongyang threw off the quilt, got out of bed, and pulled her up. “What do you want to eat this morning?”

Zhou Yining grinned, swinging his hand. “I bought breakfast. Come eat quickly.”

The two sat at the dining table eating breakfast. Zhou Yining received a call from Wan Wei. “Are you free now? Come to the company.”

Zhou Yining glanced at Ji Dongyang and said, “Okay.”

After breakfast, Ji Dongyang cleared the table. Zhou Yining asked him, “Do you have anything else to do this afternoon?”

Ji Dongyang: “I have something tonight.”

They had booked a flight for early tomorrow morning to return to S City to continue filming.

Zhou Yining said “Oh” and added, “I’m going to the company.”

Zhou Yining arrived at the company at noon and had lunch with Wan Wei. They chatted while eating. Wan Wei said, “Several scripts have come in recently, but I looked them over. Although the roles are memorable, they all have a shadow of Consort Ning, that villainess vibe. I rejected them all. It seems your Consort Ning has left a deep impression.”

Zhou Yining: “Playing a villainess is much better than playing a White Lotus.”

Wan Wei couldn’t help laughing. “You remember Zhou Yi, right? She played two villainesses in a row, becoming typecast as a professional villainess. It was hard for her to turn it around.”

Wan Wei was looking at the long term. Zhou Yining had talent, potential, and background. She was currently the female artist with the best resources under Wan Wei’s management. Wan Wei intended to develop Zhou Yining into a film actress unless there was an excellent TV script like Taiping Dynasty, a major production.

Zhou Yining trusted her agent very much. “Mm, I don’t want to be pigeonholed either.”

After finishing the meal, Wan Wei got to the main topic. “Do you know about Ji Dongyang’s family situation? Has he told you?”

Zhou Yining’s heart skipped a beat. She lowered her head. “No.”

If he didn’t say, she wouldn’t ask.

Hearing Wan Wei’s tone, it seemed the matter wasn’t simple.

Wan Wei was silent for a moment. “I’m not opposing you being with him. I just want to say that, given your current situation, it’s not appropriate to go public. Ji Dongyang has been under close watch lately. Li Zheng from Xin Chen International definitely can’t compete with Ji Dongyang this year. The ratings for Legend of Consort Ming are not ideal. Starry Sky and Hua Chen are fighting. Ke Teng can’t beat Qin Sen, so he might start cutting from the lead actors. If the two companies join forces, Ji Dongyang will be the first target.”

The dirty tactics of this industry were buried deep in the dirt, never seeing the light of day.

No one knew when they might suddenly be dragged down from a high place and sunk into the abyss.

Wan Wei had been married to Yang Xun for five years and divorced for three. During the years they were together, she knew Ji Dongyang’s situation very well. However, she didn’t tell Zhou Yining; she only warned her solemnly, “If you really get photographed, deny it.”

Zhou Yining frowned and didn’t speak.

Wan Wei looked at her. “So, be careful.”

Leaving Wan Wei, Zhou Yining felt a bit chaotic and irritable. She went to Zhou Shen’s club, sat alone in a private room, and drank.

After a while, Jing Xin arrived.

Jing Xin pushed her. “What are you doing? Drowning your sorrows?”

Zhou Yining looked up at her. “How did you know I was here?”

“Zhou Shen called Qin Sen.. I heard him. Qin Sen is outside.”

“Zhou Shen, that big mouth.”

Returning to B City without visiting the Qin family would definitely get her nagged at.

Sure enough, her aunt called. “Yining, when are you coming back? Come home for dinner with Auntie tonight.”

Zhou Yining pursed her lips. “Is my mother still there?”

Her aunt said, “Still there.”

Qin Yuan stayed for quite a long time this time for work. After divorcing Zhou Lihui, she went abroad and later became a photographer. She had been running around abroad all these years, visiting many places. Zhou Yining didn’t know if she genuinely liked the job or just enjoyed the unrestrained indulgence.

Qin Yuan didn’t remarry but had a steady lover. Zhou Yining didn’t know if she still hated Zhou Lihui. Perhaps she didn’t hate him anymore, but she couldn’t forgive him either.

During the years in the UK, she didn’t live with Qin Yuan. Qin Yuan initially disagreed but couldn’t outstubborn her and eventually agreed.

Zhou Yining agreed to go to the Qin house for dinner tonight. Hanging up the phone, she looked at Jing Xin. “Can you run around like this while pregnant?”

Jing Xin was pregnant, and the wedding was early next month. Her work had basically stopped completely. She smiled. “Why not? I’m not that delicate.”

Zhou Yining looked at her. “Your career is on the rise. Getting pregnant and married… will you regret it?”

Jing Xin smiled. “No.”

Zhou Yining looked at Jing Xin and smiled too.

True. What is there to regret?

If it were her, she would also be willing to have children for Ji Dongyang. She would definitely, definitely give their child the best love in the world.

…

That evening, at the Qin house.

A large table was set up for people to eat. Zhou Yining inevitably got interrogated. Fortunately, she had kept her relationship with Ji Dongyang well hidden, and Zhou Shen and the others hadn’t leaked it. No one at the table knew she was with Ji Dongyang.

“Yining, is filming tiring?”

“It’s okay, not too tiring.”

“You have to stay up late, right? I see you’ve lost weight again.”

“Auntie, no way. Every time you see me, you say I’ve lost weight. Actually, I haven’t lost any weight at all.”

“Lying to me again. I can see your face is smaller.”

…

While she chatted with her aunt, Qin Yuan glanced at her a few times but said nothing.

After dinner, she stood on the balcony looking out the window. It was snowing again today, goose-feather snowflakes drifting down.

Qin Yuan stood behind her at some point and lit a cigarette. “I haven’t asked you yet. Why did you suddenly enter the entertainment industry?”

Zhou Yining looked back at her. Time hadn’t left many marks on her. She was elegant, mature, her eyes lazy. Zhou Lihui had said she looked very much like her mother. That year, Qin Yuan returned to find her and told her she was her mother.

She was too young then and didn’t believe at all that her mother had changed into another person overnight.

Qin Yuan took her to Zhou Lihui’s company, coldly forcing him: “Tell her who her mother really is. Zhou Lihui, are you human? Letting my daughter call that woman ‘Mom’ for seven years.”

Her little self was scared to tears. Qin Yuan took her to the mirror. “Ningning, look. You look like me.”

Zhou Yining did look very much like Qin Yuan. Not just in appearance, but in personality, the nature flowing in her blood was also similar.

Looking away, Zhou Yining said, “No reason. Just wanted to change my way of living.”

Initially, she wanted to find that person, but China was so big, and she hadn’t even seen his face clearly or remembered it. How could she find him?

And what if she found him?

It was just an obsession in her heart.

Qin Yuan didn’t ask further. “I’m going back to the UK in two days.”

Zhou Yining said “Oh” and didn’t say another word.

…

Returning home, Zhou Yining first checked Ji Dongyang’s place. The apartment was dark; he hadn’t returned yet.

She took a shower and didn’t blow-dry her hair, letting it hang wetly over her chest. Wearing a black slip nightgown, she curled up on the sofa to watch Taiping Dynasty.

After a while, feeling a bit chilly, she reached behind her and grabbed the jacket she had worn from Ji Dongyang’s house that morning, putting it on. Only then did she realise this jacket was a bit old. The style wasn’t outdated, and the colour was black, but she could still tell it was old. She lifted the sleeve to sniff it; it smelled stale. It must be clothes from a few years ago.

She must have had bad luck this morning to grab an old jacket.

However, she didn’t mind. It was his clothes, after all.

Wearing it felt more comfortable than wearing her own clothes.

After the episode finished, Zhou Yining was bored and sent a WeChat message to Ji Dongyang: Back yet?

Ji Dongyang replied quickly: About 11 PM.

Zhou Yining glanced at it, put down her phone, took a bottle of wine from the cabinet, uncorked it, and drank slowly.

Her slender, fair calves were crossed, her delicate feet pointed, toes gently rubbing the soft carpet. She casually put her hand into the jacket pocket and felt something. Her hand groped in the pocket, touching a small, round object connected to two pieces of cord. It felt like a bracelet.

She pulled it out and glanced at it casually.

The next second, she froze. Her fingers went slack, and the wine glass slipped from her hand, crashing to the floor.

Bang!

The glass didn’t shatter, but dark red wine spilt onto the snow-white carpet like plum blossoms.

Zhou Yining ignored everything, staring intently at the object in her hand, her slender white fingers trembling slightly.

This was hers.

This was her bracelet. How… how was it in Ji Dongyang’s jacket pocket?

Zhou Yining’s heart pounded wildly. Complex emotions she had never felt before surged through her: shock, disbelief, excitement…

She ran to the sofa, grabbed her phone, and wanted to call him to ask clearly. The next second, she put the phone down again, staring at the burnt bracelet. She suddenly remembered that, during filming of the Taiping Dynasty, their accessories got tangled, and he used a lighter to burn them apart.

It was him. It must be him.

Zhou Yining ran out barefoot, desperate to see him.

Ding

The elevator doors opened. Ji Dongyang walked out, turned the corner, and saw Zhou Yining standing barefoot outside his door. She looked back and saw him, her face full of shock that quickly turned to surprise.

No, ecstasy.

She ran toward him, rushing into his arms at full speed.

Ji Dongyang was stunned. He looked down at her. “What’s wrong?”

She hugged him tightly, her body trembling slightly, not speaking.

Ji Dongyang looked down at her bare feet, pursed his lips, and his face was serious.

The next second, he bent down and picked her up by the waist. “Are your feet cold?”

Zhou Yining wrapped her arms around his neck, saying nothing, staring at him intently, and shook her head.

Ji Dongyang carried her, entered the passcode, walked in, and placed her on the sofa.

Zhou Yining stood up, hugged him, and urgently tilted her head back to kiss him, kissing him with all her might.

NOTES

White Lotus: A slang term for a character who appears pure and innocent on the outside but is actually treacherous or manipulative on the inside.

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