The production team of The Heart Knot postponed the promotion period, which meant the release date would also be pushed back.

Before that, Zhou JiaHui’s case went to trial in B City. Zhou Yining and Qin Yuan attended the court session. Looking at Zhou Lihui and Xia Yun standing behind the defendant, Zhou JiaHui, their expressions were cold.

Zhou Lihui also glanced at them, his face filled with helplessness and sorrow.

In the end, he could not escape this calamity. He was standing on the opposite side of them.

Although he had hired a famous lawyer, the fact that Zhou JiaHui had damaged Zhou Yining’s reputation left the defense with no room for rebuttal. As the proceedings went on, the situation became increasingly unfavorable for Zhou JiaHui. She was reaching a breaking point, pointing at Zhou Yining and screaming through tears, “What about her? She pointed a knife at me! Does that not count as psychological damage?”

She had likely forgotten that not long ago, she had claimed on Weibo that Zhou Yining was a lunatic. A lunatic’s occasional mental instability, or even harming others, was something for which they were often not held legally responsible.

In the first instance judgment, Zhou JiaHui was sentenced to one year and two months of imprisonment.

Zhou Lihui leaned back, covering his face with his hands in defeat. Xia Yun and Zhou JiaHui began to scream hysterically. Xia Yun shook Zhou Lihui’s shoulder. “This is impossible! This absolutely cannot be!”

Zhou Lihui looked toward Qin Yuan, who gave a faint, cold smile.

This woman was truly ruthless.

Zhou Yining only wanted to leave as quickly as possible. She walked out with fast steps, but Zhou JiaHui rushed out to grab her, begging and cursing all at once. Zhang Ran quickly pulled her away, blocking her path to Zhou Yining. Zhou Yining looked at Xia Yun, who hurried over to protect her own, and Zhou Lihui, who grabbed Zhou JiaHui and roared, “What are you doing!”

Zhou JiaHui wailed, “I don’t want to go to prison! Dad… I want to appeal!”

Qin Yuan watched them expressionlessly, as if watching a joke.

Zhou Yining said indifferently, “Then go ahead and appeal.”

With those words, she turned and left.

…

Zhou Yining only participated in the first stop of the promotion, an event in B City. The reporters present inevitably asked about her reasons for taking the role, her family issues, and her relationship with the photographer, Joey. In the blink of an eye, she became the most talked-about actor in the entire cast, and there were fewer questions even for Ji Dongyang.

“We heard that Miss Zhou is not participating in the next stop of the promotion. Is it because of her own illness?”

“Your relationship with your sister is poor. Is it because of Joey? We heard the case went to trial a couple of days ago. Can you reveal the outcome?”

“Is the movie The Heart Knot a true reflection of your life?”

Question after question was hurled at Zhou Yining. She frowned slightly, choosing only a few to answer. “I am very well now. As for my illness, it was cured long ago. Certain plots in The Heart Knot are indeed similar to my experiences. It is a good movie. You will know once you see it in the theaters.”

The reporters wanted to ask more, but Ji Dongyang said in a deep voice, “Please ask questions related to the movie.”

Only then did the reporters desist, turning their questions to the other actors.

After the first stop concluded, the crew had a meal together. Zhou Yining went to the restroom, and Lu Ling joined her.

The two stood at the sink, washing their hands. Lu Ling glanced at her. “Are you going back to the UK in two days?”

Zhou Yining looked at her. “Yes. Is something wrong?”

Lu Ling smiled and shook her head. “No, I was just asking.”

She took something out of her bag and handed it to her. “President Shen asked me to give this to you.”

Zhou Yining looked at the object in her hand. The first time Lu Ling had met Shen Yanjun was likely last year when they accidentally ran into each other at a restaurant while filming a commercial. Shen Yanjun often visited the set, occasionally coming to crew dinners, and he was there on the night of the wrap party as well. But Zhou Yining had not seen Lu Ling being particularly familiar with him, which she found strange. “Are you and Shen Yanjun close?”

Lu Ling said, “Not exactly close. Let’s talk over here.”

The two stood in the corridor. Lu Ling saw that no one was around before saying, “On the night of the wrap party, President Shen likely wanted to give this to you himself. But he stopped when he saw you and Dong-ge walk into the elevator together. I happened to be walking by, so he gave it to me. He said it was nothing important and asked me to pass it along. I haven’t run into you lately, so I only have the chance to give it to you now.”

Zhou Yining took the photo album. “Thank you.”

“No need to be polite.” Lu Ling recalled Shen Yanjun’s silent face and looked at Zhou Yining. Sometimes she really didn’t understand. This girl’s personality wasn’t exactly likable, and she had a mental illness, so why was she so incredibly popular?

“Actually, quite a few people have guessed your relationship with Dong-ge. It’s just that no one has poked through the paper yet.”

“Is that so? Then thank you, everyone.”

Zhou Yining turned to leave, but Lu Ling suddenly called out to her. “Actually… I think President Shen is quite good.”

Zhou Yining paused and asked back, “Is Ji Dongyang not good?”

Lu Ling replied, “Of course, he is. It’s just… President Shen also likes you, and he looks quite sad.”

Zhou Yining smiled. “Do you like Shen Yanjun?”

Lu Ling bit her lip and remained silent. Zhou Yining said, “If you like him, go after him. He doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

With that, she turned and left.

That night, the crew ate dinner together, and Zhou Yining went home with Ji Dongyang. They were set to depart for the UK tomorrow.

Back home, Zhou Yining sat on the sofa flipping through the album Shen Yanjun had given her. It was mostly photos of her as a child. During those years when Qin Yuan was gone, no one recorded her growth. Her childhood photos were few and far between. Back then, when Auntie Shen took photos of her own children, she would take a few of her as well. Over time, the Shen family accumulated many photos of her. Shen Yanjun had later made a separate album for her.

When Shen Yanjun was making this album, he had been thinking that after she married him, the two of them could look at the photos together and reminisce.

Except that she would not marry him.

So he gave the album to her.

Ji Dongyang sat down beside her. Zhou Yining held the album up to him. “Do you want to see?”

Ji Dongyang took the album and flipped through the pages slowly. The little girl in the photos was very cute and beautiful.

Seeing his interested expression, Zhou Yining hooked her arms around his neck. “Was I good-looking as a child?”

He nodded. “Mm. Quite cute.”

It would be nice to have a daughter later who looks like her.

Closing the album, Ji Dongyang looked at her. “Is your luggage all packed?”

Zhou Yining nodded. “Mm. Not much to bring. There are clothes over there, or I can buy new ones.”

Ji Dongyang: “Mm.”

Ji Dongyang would only stay there for a few days, so he had even less luggage, bringing only two sets of clothes.

Once they arrived in Edinburgh, Zhou Yining took him to her apartment. While opening the door, she said, “My mother bought this apartment for me for my recovery, so the environment is very good.”

No one had lived in the apartment for almost a year, so it was a bit dusty.

Ji Dongyang opened all the windows. Zhou Yining found a rag and a broom and did some cleaning. After being busy for an hour, the apartment was livable.

Ji Dongyang leaned against the window, looking out. Zhou Yining walked over and hugged him. “Aren’t you going to shower?”

“You go first,” he said.

Zhou Yining looked at him with sparkling eyes, standing on tiptoes to whisper an invitation in his ear, “Together?”

She kissed him lightly near his ear and whispered, “It’s so good here. We can go out for a stroll tonight without worrying about being recognized or chased for photos.”

Ji Dongyang felt restless from her teasing. He pulled her hand down, looked at her, and said, “We will go public after you return to the country.”

Zhou Yining looked at him. “You want to go public?”

Ji Dongyang said, “I don’t want to hide it on purpose anymore.”

However, he wanted to wait until he resolved the matter with his parents first. He didn’t want her to get involved in that or have it affect her mood.

Zhou Yining said, “Okay.”

The two of them slept for a while. When they woke up, it was already dark. Ji Dongyang turned on the bedside lamp and checked the time. It was 7:30 PM.

Zhou Yining muzzily nudged closer. “What time is it?”

Ji Dongyang sat up. “7:30. Let’s go out and eat something.”

Zhou Yining rubbed her eyes, grabbed his arm to climb up, and squinted at him with a smile. She threw back the blanket, her soft, fair body getting off the bed, her waist still bearing the marks he had left earlier. She fastened her underwear, took two sets of clothes from the closet, and asked him, “Which one should I wear?”

Ji Dongyang tilted his chin. “The white one.”

Zhou Yining pursed her lips and picked a sea blue long dress instead.

Ji Dongyang smiled, got dressed, washed his face, and waited for her on the sofa.

A few minutes later, Zhou Yining came out and linked her arm with his. “Let’s go.”

The two of them walked down the street without reservation. They finished dinner at a family restaurant and strolled through the streets. She walked ahead of him, the wind lifting her long hair and blue dress like a free-spirited flower blooming on a mountain peak. She turned back to smile at him.

Ji Dongyang stood there with his hands in his pockets, watching her. His heart skipped a beat.

…

The next day, Ji Dongyang accompanied Zhou Yining to see Mike. Mike gave Zhou Yining a hug and a peck on the cheek, asking with a gentle smile, “How have you been lately?”

Zhou Yining smiled. “Very well.”

Mike shook his head. “I heard from Joey. You are not being honest.”

Zhou Yining laughed. Mike then looked at Ji Dongyang behind her and raised an eyebrow. “Who is he?”

Zhou Yining suddenly acted like a shy young girl, whispering in Mike’s ear, “My Mr. Lighter.”

Mike was very surprised and happy. “Oh my god, you really found him?”

The two of them spoke in English. Ji Dongyang looked at Zhou Yining. She had just said, “My Mr. Lighter.” It seemed there were many things he didn’t know yet.

Zhou Yining didn’t mind Ji Dongyang staying. He heard everything when Mike asked about her condition. While she was in the restroom, Ji Dongyang chatted with Mike for a bit. Mike said, “It’s clear she loves you very much and relies on you. I think as long as you are around, her mood will be very pleasant every day.”

Ji Dongyang smiled and asked about things to watch out for in daily life and how to avoid triggering her emotions. Mike told him everything.

Zhou Yining returned and chatted with Mike for a bit more.

After returning, Ji Dongyang asked, “Mr. Lighter?”

Zhou Yining let go of his hand and walked into the small study next to the bedroom. She pulled out a box and showed it to him. It was a box full of lighters. Some were luxury items, and some were custom-made. Ji Dongyang looked in shock for a few seconds before looking up at her. “You collected these over the years?”

Zhou Yining nodded. When she wasn’t smashing things, only collecting these lighters could calm her emotions. Mike had encouraged her to collect more, saying it wasn’t a bad thing and to treat it as a hobby.

Ji Dongyang: “…”

After a long while, he pulled her to him. “That lighter was just an ordinary metal one.”

“I know.”

“If you want one, I will go and see if there are any identical ones later.”

“Okay,” Zhou Yining nodded. “If there aren’t any, then forget it.”

Ji Dongyang said, “I’ll try to find it.”

For the remaining two days, aside from accompanying her to Mike’s for psychological treatment, Ji Dongyang spent the rest of his time looking for that lighter. On the last night, he found it in a small supermarket. The store was run by a Chinese couple, and the owner’s wife recognized him, crying out in excitement, “Dong-ge, is that you?!”

Ji Dongyang nodded. The owner’s wife was thrilled and asked for a photo, to which Ji Dongyang agreed.

The owner’s wife posted the photo on social media, and domestic fans soon learned that Ji Dongyang was in the UK.

“Why is Dong-ge in the UK? Shooting an ad?”

“That’s not right. His latest schedule doesn’t seem to include the UK. Must be a private trip.”

“He couldn’t be going on a date, could he? Oh wait… Did Zhou Yining go to the UK?”

“Don’t guess blindly, okay? It’s just a trip to the UK!”

…

Zhou Yining took the lighter from his hand, felt it, and then put it back on the shelf in the study. She turned back to hug him, feeling a bit reluctant. “You have to go back tomorrow.”

Ji Dongyang stroked her long hair. “Mm. Be good and listen to Mike.”

She nodded. “Mm.”

“I’ll be back for the movie release.”

“No need. I’ll come over when I’m finished here.”

Zhou Yining didn’t speak. Ji Dongyang leaned down to look her in the eye. Zhou Yining stared at him for a moment and then tilted her head up to kiss his lips.

They kissed passionately against the edge of the table. On this night of departure, there was much reluctance.

After Ji Dongyang returned to the country, he was photographed at the airport. He was alone, without an assistant or an agent. This trip to the UK inevitably sparked suspicion. What exactly did Dong-ge do in the UK?

The movie release date was set for May 20th. Aside from Zhou Yining, the entire crew traveled tirelessly to various places for promotion. Zhou Yining’s personal experience, coupled with the previous high level of discussion, made her a major selling point herself. Ji Dongyang as the male lead, and the conscientious work Wei Zhong had prepared for three years, made many movie fans look forward to it. The movie was popular even before it was released, undoubtedly putting huge pressure on the films released at the same time.

The competition was fierce under the surface. A week before the movie’s release, what Yang Xun had been worried about finally happened.

First, a famous paparazzi broke photos and videos of Ji Dongyang entering and leaving a drug rehabilitation center. Then came photos of Ji Dongyang’s parents from the past, along with photos from the day they were sent to rehab.

“Who did Ji Dongyang visit the rehab center for? Deceiving fans for years with an upright and steady image.”

“The addiction of Ji Dongyang’s parents is true. There are photos as proof, definitely not slander!”

“A few years ago, there was news that Ji Dongyang’s parents were addicted to gambling and drugs. Now the truth has arrived. Ji Dongyang’s years of image have collapsed.”

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