The car had already merged into the traffic, but Shen Qing remained standing in place, a look of disbelief on her face.

“Sister Qing, what’s wrong?” her assistant asked in confusion.

Shen Qing snapped out of it, and after a long while, said, “Nothing.”

Sitting back in the car, Shen Qing still couldn’t believe it. Ji Dongyang chose Zhou Yining. Why? Because they filmed The Heart Knot together? No, Ji Dongyang wasn’t an actor who fell in love because of a role; otherwise, she wouldn’t have had to chase him so hard back then.

Shen Qing covered her face painfully. If she hadn’t initiated the breakup back then… the person he came to pick up now should be her, not Zhou Yining.

The assistant asked carefully, “Sister Qing, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Shen Qing looked up, her voice dry and hoarse. “It’s nothing, just a bit tired.”

The assistant smiled. “Then rest for a bit. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

…

Zhou Yining looked at Ji Dongyang. “Where are we going?”

Ever since Joey posted that Weibo, she had been targeted by paparazzi. Even her address in B City had been dug up. Ji Dongyang hadn’t gone back there to stay either.

Ji Dongyang looked straight ahead. “Going to Yunxi Road.”

Zhou Yining: “The place we stayed during New Year’s?”

Ji Dongyang: “Mm.”

Back at the house, Zhou Yining found the refrigerator full, with quite a few cooked foods. Ji Dongyang watched her rummage through the fridge and asked, “Hungry?”

Zhou Yining turned her head to look at him. “No, I just wanted to know if there’s enough food stored at home for us to eat for two days.”

Ji Dongyang raised an eyebrow. “You want to stay home for two days?”

Zhou Yining had two days off. Movie promotions hadn’t started yet, and Ji Dongyang was currently on a break, freer than her. Zhou Yining replied as if it were a matter of course, “Where else can we go?”

Going out meant easily running into paparazzi, and she was quite willing to stay home with him for two days.

Ji Dongyang said, “We can go hiking.”

Zhou Yining thought for a moment. “Okay.”

Early the next morning, the two went hiking. It was the same mountain as last time. The withered branches had sprouted new buds; everywhere was full of new life. This time, Zhou Yining didn’t need Ji Dongyang to carry her. She climbed to the peak herself. Standing at the highest point, she took a deep breath and looked down at the valley. “Ji Dongyang, hold me.”

Ji Dongyang walked over and hugged her from behind. “Like it here now?”

Zhou Yining nodded. “Mm, I like it.”

She had liked it since the last time they came.

After a while, Zhou Yining turned to face him. “If there’s a script with a theme like Black and White again, would you still take it?”

Ji Dongyang looked down at her. “No.”

Zhou Yining frowned. “Why?”

Ji Dongyang pulled her closer and said, “Because I won’t film the same theme twice. I won’t play an anti-narcotics police officer again.”

Zhou Yining looked at him, wanting very much to ask if it was because of his parents, but ultimately didn’t speak.

At the foot of the mountain, inside the car, Zhou Yining straddled Ji Dongyang’s lap and finished what they hadn’t finished here last time.

Outside the window, the sun was shining brightly. Everything seemed reborn.

Ji Dongyang looked at Zhou Yining, soft as a white cloud before him, feeling like he would die here. Zhou Yining felt the same. When it finally ended, pleasure swept through like a crazy tide, intense and continuous. For a long time, Ji Dongyang held Zhou Yining back from the steering wheel and kissed her cheek.

After a long while, Ji Dongyang spoke slowly. “I’ve discussed it with Director Wei and Huachen. You don’t need to participate in the promotion. I’ll take you to the UK tomorrow, stay for two days, and come back. After the promotion ends, I’ll go back to the UK to accompany you.”

As he spoke, he helped her put on her underwear, pulled on her soft sweater, and tidied her pants.

Qin Sen was very clear about Zhou Yining’s condition. As long as he gave the order at Huachen, she didn’t have to participate in the movie promotion. Joey and Elder Qin’s intention was also for her not to participate. As long as Huachen agreed, the crew and Wei Zhong would be easy to talk to. But she hadn’t expected Ji Dongyang to be like this, too.

Zhou Yining pressed her lips tight, the numbness in her body not yet fully dissipated, looking straight at him. “Why must I leave early?”

Ji Dongyang rubbed her hair and pressed her head down to lean on his shoulder. “I’ll be back in the UK to accompany you in twenty days at most.”

Zhou Yining pushed the car door open, got off him, and walked out of the car.

Ji Dongyang quickly buckled his belt, followed her out, and grabbed her.

Zhou Yining looked back at him, took a few deep breaths, and her gaze was cold. “You really want me to leave first?”

Ji Dongyang looked into her eyes and pulled her into his arms. “Mm, Wan Wei agreed too.”

Zhou Yining lifted her face. “I’m not leaving.”

“Even if you leave, it’s not tomorrow.”

Ji Dongyang looked away, somewhat helpless. “Fine, if you don’t leave, then don’t leave.”

It started raining on the way back. The weather changed so fast; it was sunny two hours ago, and now it was raining.

Zhou Yining looked out the window, rain hitting the car glass. After a while, she looked back at him. “I’ll go back with my mom early next month. This way, you don’t need to send me.”

Ji Dongyang: “Mm.”

Neither mentioned this matter again, and Zhou Yining didn’t ask further. The next day, she continued with the work Wan Wei arranged for her. The time she met with Ji Dongyang became less and less, contacting only via phone and text messages.

Ji Dongyang went back to H City once. Lu Xiao came to pick him up.

Lu Xiao patted his shoulder. “Eat first? Or go directly?”

Ji Dongyang said, “Eat first, go later. It won’t be resolved quickly once we get there.”

It wasn’t that it wouldn’t be resolved quickly; it was that it couldn’t be resolved at all.

Lu Xiao sighed. “Alright, eat first.”

H City was the city where Ji Dongyang was born. He grew up here and left after graduating from middle school. Over the years, he returned fewer and fewer times and stayed for shorter periods each time. There was really nothing to be nostalgic about.

Lu Xiao glanced at the rearview mirror and frowned. “There’s a car following us all the way from the airport.”

Ji Dongyang glanced at it and said indifferently, “Let them follow.”

Lu Xiao looked at him. “You sure we don’t need to shake them?”

“Can’t shake them. Shake off this car behind, and there will be others waiting at other locations. They’ll get a shot eventually.”

“Damn it, then you’d better not go. If you get photographed, it’ll be trouble.”

Ji Dongyang lowered the car window. “I have to go. Can’t hide forever. They won’t expose it right now.”

Lu Xiao frowned. “Then when will they expose it?”

Ji Dongyang: “Before the movie release.”

Lu Xiao couldn’t help but curse a few times and punched the steering wheel. “Isn’t this trying to ruin you? Damn it, I invested such a large sum of money. Not only trying to ruin you, but also trying to ruin my profit! I won’t agree to this.”

Ji Dongyang chuckled lightly. “Don’t worry, the box office is guaranteed. You’ll only profit, not lose. Their target is me. Ruining my reputation so I won’t get selected at the film festival is their goal.”

Lu Xiao fell silent, not knowing what to say. After a while, he comforted him, “It’s fine. You already have plenty of Best Actor trophies at home.”

Ji Dongyang smiled.

After eating, Ji Dongyang went back to the hotel to rest first, only going out with Lu Xiao after dark.

Lu Xiao had arranged everything long ago. Ji Dongyang’s parents had been looking forward to his arrival since morning. As soon as Ji Dongyang appeared, Ji’s father cursed loudly, “Unfilial son! Coming only now? Will you only come to see me when your old man is dead?”

Ji Dongyang stood at the door, looking at him with a cold expression. “If you didn’t take drugs, you wouldn’t die so fast.”

It wasn’t the first time Ji’s father and mother had entered rehab in recent years. Ji Dongyang hadn’t given them a penny in these years. They lived off the savings they had accumulated from Ji Dongyang before. Accustomed to the good life, how could they endure this suffering?

Their tempers became increasingly irritable and violent, refusing to cooperate with rehab, especially Ji’s father, who cursed at everyone he saw.

Ji’s father was still cursing, and Ji’s mother joined in. The curses became uglier and uglier. Lu Xiao’s face turned green with anger. What the hell kind of parents are these! Simply seeing ghosts!

In contrast, Ji Dongyang looked cold and indifferent, as if the two people opposite weren’t his parents. In Lu Xiao’s view, Ji Dongyang was good in every way; the only bad thing was having such parents. One day, they would ruin him miserably.

When they finished cursing, Ji Dongyang said indifferently, “I came to see you as you wished. Since I’ve seen you, I’ll leave first.”

“Lu Xiao, let’s go.”

Lu Xiao froze. Eh? Leaving just like that?

Ji Dongyang added, “Coming or not?”

Lu Xiao quickly said, “Coming.”

Ji’s father and mother panicked upon hearing this, grabbing the iron bars in front frantically. “No! If you’re leaving, take us with you!”

Ji Dongyang didn’t even look back.

Leaving the rehab center, Lu Xiao cursed, “You fucking came here just to get scolded?”

Ji Dongyang glanced at him. “Otherwise? Let them out?”

Lu Xiao: “That’s not it, but what did you come for?”

Ji Dongyang said, “Didn’t you say they were making a huge fuss and insisted on seeing me? So I came once. One can’t hide from this kind of thing forever.”

Lu Xiao lit a cigarette and handed one to Ji Dongyang, saying indignantly, “Really suspect if you’re their biological son. Such weird parents, truly lived long enough to see anything.”

Ji Dongyang laughed self-deprecatingly, glanced at the black jeep not far away, opened the door, and got in. “Let’s go.”

…

Ji Dongyang left H City early the next morning. Yang Xun and A Ming came to pick him up at the airport together. Once the car was on the road, Yang Xun held his forehead and sighed, “Just wait. Before the movie release.”

Ji Dongyang put on his eye mask, leaned back in the seat to rest, and gave a low “Mm.”

Yang Xun said, “Tomorrow, the first stop of The Heart Knot promotion is in C City. Zhou Yining will only participate in the initial promotion. Since you proposed it, you have to run a few more cities.”

Ji Dongyang: “I know.”

Seeing that his mind was made up, Yang Xun said no more.

Ji Dongyang returned home, opened the door, and saw Zhou Yining standing by the sofa. He froze for a moment. Zhou Yining looked back at him and smiled. “You’re back?”

Ji Dongyang put down his luggage, walked behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and rested his chin on her shoulder. “When did you come?”

“Morning.”

“Waited long. Why didn’t you call me in advance?”

Zhou Yining shook her head. “I asked A Ming and knew what time you’d be back.”

After a while, she turned her head to look at him. “Aren’t you going to shower?”

Ji Dongyang looked at her for a while, rubbed her head. “I’ll go shower. I’ll take you out to eat something later.”

Zhou Yining nodded.

While Ji Dongyang was showering, Zhou Yining ordered takeout on her phone.

When he finished showering and was about to change clothes, Zhou Yining stopped him. “I ordered takeout. We’ll eat at home.”

Ji Dongyang’s hand, drying his hair, paused. “Don’t want to go out to eat?”

Zhou Yining hooked her arms around his neck, stood on tiptoes to kiss his Adam’s apple lightly, opened her lips to gently suck on it, and the next second, looked up at him. “No. Waste of time.”

At night, Zhou Yining pulled away Ji Dongyang’s hand resting on her waist, walked to the balcony, and called Qin Yuan.

“Mom, I’ll go to the UK with you in a few days.”

“Okay.”

Qin Yuan didn’t ask a single extra word. They hung up. Zhou Yining turned around and saw Ji Dongyang standing at the door, looking at her.

She smiled at him. “Woke you up?”

Ji Dongyang hadn’t fallen asleep; he knew as soon as she got up. He knew she had been waiting for an explanation from him, but he didn’t have one.

Ji Dongyang walked to the balcony, his lips pressed into a line. Zhou Yining asked him, “Do you have something to tell me?”

She was waiting for an explanation, which was why she dragged it out until the end to tell Qin Yuan she would go back with her.

Ji Dongyang held her hand and pulled her into his embrace. “When are you going back? Have you booked the flight ticket?”

Zhou Yining’s heart clenched. She shook her head. “Not yet.”

Ji Dongyang said, “I’ll book the ticket. We agreed I’d send you off.”

“No…” Zhou Yining instinctively refused, looked up into his eyes, pursed her lips, and said, “Okay.”

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