Song Mianfeng took two days off for his birthday, then threw himself back into work.

He went to K city for a photo shoot, rested at home for a day without even unpacking his luggage, then the next day, he grabbed his suitcase and headed to the airport to fly to M country.

Before boarding, he sent a message to Lu Yin Zhen, saying that once the fashion show was over, he would take a week off to rest properly.

Lu Yin Zhen hadn’t been very busy lately since he had already finalized the acquisition of the Lu Shi company’s contracts. So, his responses to Song Mianfeng’s messages these days were usually instantaneous.

He replied with a voice message, saying, “When you come back, I’ll take you to see Bai Sui.”

Wang Letian was teasing Liu Chengyin, but upon hearing the voice message, he glanced at Song Mianfeng and asked, “Lu Yin Zhen?”

“Bai Sui, who’s that? Your secret love child?”

Song Mianfeng was in a good mood and didn’t feel like arguing with him. He tapped and typed on the screen, replying with a simple “okay.”

Wang Letian lost interest and took out his phone to seek comfort from Mei Siye.

After landing, a car from the organizers came to pick them up and took them straight to the hotel. Song Mianfeng was exhausted and, in the hotel lobby, he vaguely saw a familiar figure, but didn’t pay much attention. The next day, he spent the entire day adjusting to the time difference. Since he brought Liu Chengyin along, he didn’t have to worry about anything. He just focused on adjusting his schedule and waited to start working.

When they arrived at the venue, most of the staff were already in place. Song Mianfeng greeted a few photographers he knew and introduced Liu Chengyin to everyone before going to find Wang Letian.

Wang Letian had occupied the front row in the middle of the stage, facing the audience, holding his camera as if he were competing with paparazzi for shots.

Song Mianfeng walked over and patted his shoulder. “Who are you taking pictures of? Aren’t you afraid your Fourth Lord will be mad at you again?”

“Fu Qingshan and…” Wang Letian paused before continuing, “Zhou Yang.”

“Weren’t they rumored to be at odds?” Wang Letian showed him the screen of his camera. “Fu Qingshan asked me to take more photos of them interacting, to counter the rumors.”

Song Mianfeng scrolled through the photos. Fu Qingshan and Zhou Yang were sitting next to each other, chatting happily with no signs of discord.

He pointed to one of the photos. “This one’s blurry.”

Wang Letian enlarged the photo and indeed, it was blurry. He deleted it. “Fu Qingshan said he’ll wait for us at the entrance and we’ll have dinner together tonight.”

“Alright, I’ll join you after it’s over,” Song Mianfeng said.

The fashion show lasted from two to six in the afternoon, and Song Mianfeng only had a sip of water afterwards. Everyone was tired, and as they left the venue, they exchanged a few words about how the shoot went and whether they captured the key moments, then fell silent.

Wang Letian walked ahead, and Song Mianfeng led Liu Chengyin, walking in the middle. Just as they came out of the venue, Wang Letian ran into an acquaintance. It was awkward not to greet him, but it was also awkward to greet him. After hesitating for a moment, not knowing how to start, Song Mianfeng walked out from behind.

The sun was still hiding behind the clouds at six o’clock, casting a soft light. As they came out of the venue, the dazzling colors and lights turned into gentle sunlight. Song Mianfeng squinted his eyes, adjusted to the light, and then saw the person smiling at him.

It had been about five or six years since Song Mianfeng last saw Zhou Yang. In his memory, Zhou Yang always smiled with a slight uplift of his eyes, his clear eyes shining with youthful charm. But now, he had grown up, with his eyes holding more depth.

Zhou Yang called out his full name, sounding somewhat distant. He added, “Long time no see,” which added an odd sense of intimacy to the distance.

Song Mianfeng didn’t react much, keeping a calm expression as he nodded in acknowledgment.

There were too many people passing by to have a conversation there.

Zhou Yang asked, “Can we talk alone?”

Song Mianfeng and Zhou Yang didn’t have much to talk about, but it seemed Zhou Yang had something to say to him and had waited here specifically for that reason.

Song Mianfeng sighed inwardly and followed Zhou Yang to the nanny car parked not far away.

He and Zhou Yang had a history; Zhou Yang had pursued him. Song Mianfeng had genuinely liked him, loved him even. But then Zhou Yang started to rise in the entertainment industry, gaining fame with one drama after another, along with various resources and awards. Zhou Yang became busier and busier, and their relationship grew more and more distant.

From the time he started planning the graduation trip, they frequently quarreled and gave each other the silent treatment.

The unequal relationship and ideological differences depleted the little love they had left. Later, something happened, and Zhou Yang concealed it from him and broke up cleanly, making him feel guilty. He could only blame himself and ended any possibility of reconciliation.

Breaking up, it had been years, and all the love, hate, and resentment had turned into smoke.

Zhou Yang’s mood was also quite complicated. After the breakup, he had never contacted Song Mianfeng again. If he hadn’t accidentally found out that the role of Murong Chong was recommended by Song Mianfeng, he wouldn’t have waited here so deliberately to talk to Song Mianfeng alone.

Back then, they had been clear about their breakup, and after all these years, Zhou Yang certainly didn’t think Song Mianfeng still harbored feelings for him. After thinking about it, the only explanation he could come up with was a sense of guilt.

It was ridiculous for Song Mianfeng to feel guilty… Clearly, from start to finish, it was he who had wronged Song Mianfeng.

Thinking of this, Zhou Yang smiled self-deprecatingly. “I know you’ve been looking out for me all these years.”

“Including recommending me for ‘Phoenix Flying’.” Zhou Yang didn’t look at Song Mianfeng when he said this, unsure what expression or tone he should use facing him. So, he just stared into the distance and said softly, “Thank you.”

Song Mianfeng frowned. What he said was true, but it sounded somewhat off.

Zhou Yang seemed to realize the inappropriateness of his words and explained somewhat awkwardly, “I didn’t mean anything else. I just wanted to thank you sincerely.”

“And I’m sorry,” Zhou Yang said. “For what happened back then.”

Song Mianfeng didn’t know what to say. He did these things not for any reason, just for his own peace of mind. But Zhou Yang thanking him was also for his own peace of mind.

So he fully understood Zhou Yang’s words and actions, but there was really no need for thanks or apologies between them anymore.

“Song Mianfeng,” Zhou Yang called out when he continued to stay silent, then added, “You don’t owe me anything.”

“So let’s leave it at that. You don’t need to help me anymore.”

Song Mianfeng smiled lightly, but he did smile.

He looked Zhou Yang in the eye calmly and said calmly, “You don’t need to apologize either.”

“What happened back then, we were both at fault. We stopped the bleeding in time and turned the page.” Song Mianfeng paused before continuing, “I accept your thanks.”

With that said, there was nothing more to say. He wrapped it up with a “Good luck with your acting in the future.”

Zhou Yang nodded.

They didn’t say much more. After all, there was really nothing left to say between them.

Fu Qingshan came out of the exit, and Song Mianfeng had finished his conversation with Zhou Yang and returned. Wang Letian and Liu Chengyin had been eyeing him and Zhou Yang curiously, and Wang Letian couldn’t resist asking, “What did you and Zhou Yang talk about?”

Song Mianfeng was sending a message to Lu Yin Zhen on his phone; it was 7 p.m. in M country, which meant it was 8 a.m. in China, so he sent a “Good morning” message. Without even looking up, he answered, “Nothing much.”

Fu Qingshan was still out of the loop. “Zhou Yang?”

“Just chatted with Zhou Yang for a bit,” Song Mianfeng put his phone down and picked up a glass of fruit wine, taking a sip. “He thanked me.”

“He knows?” Fu Qingshan reacted, “I never told him…”

“???” Wang Letian looked puzzled, “What kind of mystery are you two playing?”

“It’s nothing, not important,” Song Mianfeng didn’t want to say more, “Let’s eat.”

Wang Letian was still puzzled, “Hey…”

Liu Chengyin nudged his elbow and whispered, “Silence is golden.”

Wang Letian: “…”

Back at the hotel in the evening, after taking a shower, Song Mianfeng started editing photos. There were no messages on WeChat, and he didn’t check his phone much. He stayed up until past three in the morning to organize and send a batch of photos before finally dragging his exhausted body to bed.

Opening WeChat, still no reply.

Song Mianfeng felt a bit puzzled. It shouldn’t be like this; it’s already four in the afternoon in China…

But he was just too tired. After sending a message asking “Are you busy?” he held his phone in hand. One second, he was wondering why Lu Yin Zhen hadn’t replied, and the next second, he drifted off to sleep.

He slept until past eight in the morning the next day. Waking up, he checked his phone; still no reply on WeChat.

With only thirteen percent battery left, Song Mianfeng grabbed his charger and plugged it in, feeling a sense of frustration and unease. He decided to call Lu Yin Zhen.

The phone was off.

Song Mianfeng took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. He opened Lu Yin Zhen’s number and started composing a text message.

Carefully choosing his words, he deleted and edited until finally pressing the send button.

“Is everything okay, or are you busy? Your phone is off. Please reply when you see this… I’m a bit worried about you.”

^[1]Author’s note:

Warning: Melodramatic content loading.