Shen Zhiwei is thirty-two years old and a documentary director. He is calm and restrained. He is used to taking responsibility alone and is also used to leaving the relationship before it really begins. Lin Zhaoshui is thirty-four years old and a partner of an architectural firm. He is gentle and decent, strong but not sharp. He is good at taking care of all situations, but rarely allows others to really get close.
They met in college ten years ago. One edits films, the other draws pictures; one always carries no umbrella, and the other always carries an umbrella for two people. They spent many nights together in an attic in the old city of Nanqiao. Their relationship was so ambiguous that they almost broke it off, but it ended abruptly because of a movie they didn't go to and a note they didn't hand over.
Ten years later, Shen Zhiwei returned to Nanqiao to film the old city reconstruction documentary "South of the Old City" and met Lin Zhaoshui again. One records how the city disappears, and one designs how the city remains. Between the old cinema, No. 17 Nanqiao East Road, the rainy night and the old iron box, they faced each other again without saying goodbye and got to know each other again.
This is not a simple reunion, but two adults learning to be honest, responsible, close and stay amidst old wounds, work, public opinion and real pressure. The old city may not be completely preserved, and the past cannot be truly restored, but although some places are broken, they have been bright; some people have missed it for a long time, but they still have time to start over.
Purpose: Under the dual background of urban renewal and personal growth, it is about how adults deal with misses, regrets and old wounds. True love is not about going back to the past, but about acknowledging scars and imperfections and still choosing to be honest, responsible and live together. The old city will change, and the past cannot be repeated, but people can learn to approach, trust and stay again between the ruins and daily life.