Souls Locked in Misty Rain

In the misty rain of the Jiangnan water country stands an old house with a suspiciously low rent. Though penniless A Dong knows something is wrong, he still signs the lease. On the first rainy night, he dreams of her: a woman whose face he can't make out, yet whose beauty takes his breath away. Wearing gorgeous clothes from another era, she talks poetry and painting with him in his dream, speaking of all the joys and sorrows of life.

Then, one midnight, A Dong truly sees her on the living-room sofa. Under the moonlight, the woman named A Yan finally reveals the truth: she was the former owner of the house, and had ended her life there after being tormented by love. Her spirit has lingered, waiting for someone who truly understands her.

From then on, every night becomes their secret time together. A Dong gradually discovers that this female ghost understands his troubles better than any living person. As their feelings grow deeper, the gulf between them becomes all the clearer: she is a spirit he cannot touch, and he is a mortal of flesh and blood. A year later, A Dong marries and starts a family, as convention dictates, but when he returns to the old house, he sees A Yan again, her eyes brimming with tears.

This time, they both choose madness. A Dong leaves his family behind, and A Yan gives up reincarnation, all so they can stay together day and night. But as A Dong's body grows weaker, A Yan finally realizes that the deepest love means letting go. On their last rainy night together, she wears the splendid dress she had on when they first met, then vanishes in the morning light, leaving behind just one sentence: "You have to live well, for both of us."

Many years later, A Dong passes by the site of the old house, long since demolished, with his wife and children. A gentle breeze blows past, and he seems to catch the familiar scent of gardenias again.