Three

Thank you! I have arrived!

She laughed to the point of being unable to control herself

She shamelessly sat down beside him. "What happened to your face? Did you get into a fight with a classmate?"

Taking advantage of her youth and ignorance, she bought two ice creams, walked over to him, and handed him one

As the roller coaster soared through the air, she clutched his sleeve tightly, instinctively burying her face in the nook of his shoulder. Her waist-length hair danced in the wind, strands of black hair brushing against his slightly flushed cheek

He snatched her wine glass and told her that she could no longer drink

... ...

Overcome by a sudden craving for smoke, she reached for her cigarette case, pinching out a cigarette with her brightly colored nails and lighting it. The cool scent of mint mingled with the light aroma of tobacco as it wafted past her nose, and she took a deep drag, almost greedily

He said that there is not much future for me in the entertainment industry, so I should practice singing, just in case... I happen to come across a classic piece, and perhaps I could become popular. I think what he said makes a lot of sense... It has been seven years, and even Chen Yaoyao has become famous, yet I am still like this... Yue Qifei said that if I continue to just muddle through and wait for death, he wouldn't want to renew the contract with me... Luo Qing said that she has excellent drinking etiquette. No matter how much she drinks, she never loses her composure; she just talks more than usual when she gets tipsy, chatting with anyone she encounters until she falls asleep. This shows that she really got drunk this time... Yue Qifei said that if I continue to just muddle through and wait for death, he wouldn't want to renew the contract with me... Luo Qing said that she has excellent drinking etiquette. No matter how much she drinks, she never loses her composure; she just talks more than usual when she gets tipsy, chatting with anyone she encounters until she falls asleep. This shows that she really got drunk this time

At the banquet, everyone sat together, the lights bright, and the men were somewhat reserved, pretending to be dignified. When they arrived at the KTV private room, the lighting was dim, the music was stirring, and coupled with the influence of strong liquor, these men, whose minds were filled with indulgence, disregarded everything, reclining on the sofa and fully enjoying the pleasure of soft jade and warm fragrance in their embrace

Looking up, Zheng Wei was staring straight at the smoke dissipating between her fingers. She smiled seductively and offered the cigarette case to him. "Director Zheng, would you like one?"

"Do you think I sing well?" She smiled as she looked up at his face, drenched by the rain

You said that you enjoy playing ... ...

He raised his eyebrows disdainfully, yet did not respond

Now, in the dim and hazy night, filled with intense desire, in his eyes, she is no different from a prostitute who is available to anyone

... ...

Faced with her assertive accusations, he remained silent, like a perfect sculpture, quietly standing in the gentle rain

Zheng Wei said lightly, "President Liu means that I am taking personal revenge!"

Jianjie, my younger sister

Having finished speaking, she curled up on the luxurious leather seat and continued to sleep. When she opened her eyes again, the car had already stopped in front of the entrance to the Blue Chip Mansion.

An arm locked around her shoulder, drawing her into a warm embrace, once again that familiar yet strange scent; she did not resist, allowing him to hold her.

I invite you to eat

He did not respond, and she continued to mumble incoherently, "In this day and age, the entertainment industry lacks everything except beautiful women. Central Academy of Drama, Beijing Film Academy, Shanghai Theatre Academy, they recruit so many students each year... There are countless younger and more beautiful people everywhere, all vying for a position. My acting career has no future... Actually, singing is quite good; I don't have to socialize with those directors, investors... or people like you—noble, official, prominent, and wealthy." Actually, singing is quite good; I don't have to socialize with those directors, investors... or people like you—noble, official, prominent, and wealthy.

She finally succeeded in piquing his curiosity: "... ... Who did you give that ticket to?"

Such a probability makes it difficult to uncover anything at all

He took the ice cream from her hand

She continued to sing, "The scattered maple leaves are the traces you left behind, yet they pierce my heart's door, I cover the wound and wait in agony..."

She pondered for a long time with her mind numbed by alcohol, a stranger perhaps

Is that so? Yue Qifei said it is acceptable

Feeling as if someone was following closely behind her, she turned her head and saw Zheng Wei's furrowed brows. "Why are you following me? I'm fine, you can just drop me off here..."

When she first met him, his originally handsome face had become unrecognizably swollen, yet she was captivated by his pair of tranquil black eyes. For a twelve-year-old boy, that gaze was too profound, like a riddle enticing her to speculate and explore

Her memory has also been shattered into countless fragments by alcohol

Zheng Wei smiled and said, "At that time, I was just curious about who he really was, so I asked someone to help me look into it, and it turned out that the inquiry was indeed worthwhile..."

Wait for me

That year, she was ten years old, and he was twelve years old

Later, she could not remember how many glasses of wine she had consumed; in any case, she kept drinking and drinking, regardless of whether it was red, white, yellow, or any other colorful variety. As long as someone poured, she dared to drink.

I do not like women smoking

President Liu shook his head with a smile, "Three months later, his father was found guilty of embezzling 90 million, all assets were confiscated... and he received a life sentence. He has thoroughly remembered who Director Zheng is."

... ...

Jian Ru could not help but recall a classic line from a movie -- "First shoot, then investigate, ensuring that there are no wrongful convictions!"

She released his arm and continued walking. As she walked, she suddenly remembered something important. "No, wait! I have already moved! I moved to Star City International! Why did you bring me here?! What do you want?!"

Later on, she could not remember when the drinking party ended. In a daze, she felt cold water dripping on her face. She woke up in a shiver and found herself being stuffed into a luxury car by Zheng Wei

General Liu, who drank even more than her, came over to join the fun and incoherently told her, "You remember this, others may not know him, but Director Zheng must know him... Have you heard about it? There was once a reckless young man who didn't know the heights of heaven and the depths of the earth, who didn't recognize him. He openly challenged him in a hotel, saying, 'Do you know who I am?! Just wait, I will make you remember who I am!' Do you know what the outcome was?

... ...

Quit.

"When did you learn to smoke?" His deep voice was drowned out by the noisy music, and only she could hear it

Lost is the once pure innocence, unable to distinguish between love and hate, swaying with your hazy gaze, floating and sinking in the whirlpool

Having become accustomed to performing in front of the camera, she handles various difficult questions as effortlessly as breathing. "I learned it once while performing, and since then, I have never stopped."

She thought for a moment, "Director Zheng is clearly a magnanimous person, and he certainly would not hold grudges against those who are oblivious to the situation"

She still remembers that after returning to the private room, she asked him, "How come so many people know you?"

How did you know I was coming back today

Surely, the other person must be hurt even more than you are

She remembers being in the bathroom, vomiting uncontrollably, while he gently stroked her back with one hand, one stroke after another, and offered her a lukewarm bottle of mineral water with the other hand

I like it too," she said, blinking her watery eyes. "Unfortunately, I only have ten yuan, which is enough to buy one ticket and two ice creams.

After taking two steps, I realized he was still beside me. I rubbed my forehead and nodded absentmindedly. "Uh, sorry, I forgot that you also live here. I drank too much, really too much..."

So?

In the next moment, he grasped her wrist and pulled her through a door

She does not remember how she arrived at his home; in the fragments of her memory, only the moment the door closed remains, as he suddenly embraced her and fiercely kissed her lips

She faintly heard his heartbeat, like a racing car, rising and falling, soaring into the clouds

She got out of the car, a light drizzle falling on her, extinguishing her drowsiness, yet failing to dilute the alcohol in her body. She staggered forward along the clearly etched path in her memory, humming a song she had sung at KTV. "I want to give up but cannot for a long time, my frozen heart begins to warm again... the falling maple leaves are your passionate kiss, yet they kiss another's lips..."

Just as she does not like the entertainment industry, she has become accustomed to this superficial and pretentious world

He nodded slightly

President Liu, aware of his drunken indiscretion, chuckled twice and said, "It's just a coincidence, just a coincidence."

On the second weekend, she went to that amusement park again and encountered him once more

That day she told many stories about her father, and he listened attentively, with great seriousness.

She greeted happily. "What a coincidence?"

Jian Ru was persuaded to drink a few more glasses of strong liquor, and the aftereffects of the red wine began to take hold. Her consciousness gradually became hazy, and her self-control weakened. The person in front of her became increasingly blurred, and her body felt more and more insubstantial. She held the microphone and sang two sad love songs, surprisingly laughing as she sang, especially when she reached the part:

I brought money, please ride the roller coaster

The boy looked at her in surprise

At that time, the sky was as clear as water, untainted by a speck of dust, just like the way they felt about each other in their hearts

Noticing that he did not want to speak, she changed the subject: "Do you like riding roller coasters?"

She blinked her eyelashes adorned with raindrops and asked a question that only someone intoxicated would ask: "Do you really want to be with me? It's not like you haven't been before. When a woman takes off her clothes, isn't it all the same? Is there really a difference?"

Why? he asked with some caution

She wanted to argue with him, questioning why she should quit smoking just because he doesn't like women who smoke; what kind of logical relationship is that? But then she thought, the cigarettes aren't worth much anyway, and if worse comes to worst, she could just buy another pack tomorrow. Why waste her breath on him!

"Because you are handsome." She smiled at him. Her smile was like a blooming crabapple in autumn, the most striking point of crimson amidst the desolation and withering yellow.

Is it that you want to play the leading female role so much that nothing else matters to you

In the next moment, the cigarette and the cigarette box in her hand fell into the corner trash can in a perfect parabolic arc

Because she was too engrossed in singing, she did not pay attention to her feet and accidentally stepped into the grass by the roadside. She stumbled slightly and instinctively grasped Zheng Wei's arm to steady herself.

The ice cream was finished, and she awkwardly stood up, preparing to leave, when he suddenly spoke: "Has your father ever hit you?"

She thought that she was truly intoxicated; otherwise, she would not be so enamored with this warm atmosphere, nor would she recall the roller coaster that soared through the sky in the deep autumn of that year, or the boy sitting on the bench, gazing at the affectionate bond between other fathers and sons

Not pleasant

He glanced at her and said nothing

He said earnestly, "Unfortunately, I am waiting for you"

She shook her head and corrected, "I live in the Blue Chip Mansion, near Chaoyangmen"

She remembered that many people in the corridor greeted him, and she tried to keep her distance from him, lest her identity as a second-rate actress tarnish him. He held her hand without the slightest relaxation.

Her clothes were also soaked by the rain, clinging to her body, chilling her to the bone. She trembled as she drew close to him, seeking his warmth.

She no longer spoke, quietly eating ice cream

She does not love smoking, but she cannot give up this scent

... ...

She laughed, and the more she laughed, the funnier she found it. "Do you know? I am an actress, I am not a prostitute... Heh, how would you know..."

Zheng Wei said: "Go to Star City International"

No, my father loves me the most. No matter what I like, he buys it for me, and sometimes he doesn't even let me tell Jianjie. When she mentions her father, she expresses endless happiness. He often secretly buys me fried dough sticks and soy milk because my mother doesn't allow me to eat them

... ...

No, I am happy today; someone offered me the leading role in a major production film

What does he mean to her

He finally spoke, his voice colder and more penetrating than the chilly rain, "Do you often drink like this?"