Playing the Part in Public, Luring You in Secret

Jiang Lin had never imagined anyone could be so perfectly in sync with him.

The way she acted on set, the way they played off each other in scenes, even the angle she showed him when tears rolled down her cheeks.

Every last detail was exactly to his taste.

Jiang Lin's heart fluttered.

His first instinct was to keep his distance.

Once they finished rehearsing, Jiang Lin returned to his car first. Just as he was about to close the door, a shadow fell over him.

Her fragrance drifted from the tip of his nose straight to his heart.

The sky was dark, and the wind swept up fallen leaves.

He looked up to see her drunken eyes.

She grabbed his tie and gave it a gentle tug. Their breaths mingled.

"You're avoiding me."

"Why are you avoiding me?"

She counted the beats and stepped on his shadow. Every time Jiang Lin changed locations over the past five years was a mark she could follow. When he went to the northwest to brave the blowing sand, she watched the clouds from a spot one kilometer away. When he traveled to the polar regions to film snow, she listened to the wind at the same longitude.

To lure someone in, you can't rush.

Reel them in, then let them go. That's a hunter's rhythm.

So much time had passed that she thought Jiang Lin would never make another move.

Then a sudden downpour struck, thunder and lightning roaring overhead, and Yang Mingshu ordered room service.

When the door opened, a male server stood to one side with his hands clasped. In the distance stood Jiang Lin, who had rushed over through the rain, his gaze brimming with turbulent emotion.

He walked toward her one step at a time, his eyes dark and his voice hoarse. "If you don't come to me, are you going to find someone else?"

"Yang Mingshu, you can't treat me like this."

Later, Yang Mingshu won a film award and became famous, but she was so aloof that she turned down every post-award interview and disappeared without a trace. No one knew where she was.

A reporter recalled the rumors that the leading man and woman couldn't stand each other, and decided this was a promising angle. After using every connection available, the reporter finally got Jiang Lin on the phone. "Mr. Jiang, what do you think about Ms. Yang winning the award?"

Jiang Lin glanced at the woman currently causing trouble, then gently rubbed the cuff of his sleeve. One button had come loose there, but that morning someone had carefully sewn it back on, the stitches so fine and sharp as a blade that they seemed to be climbing his wrist, silently tightening around his throat.

And right then,

Yang Mingshu slipped an arm around his neck, smiling like a bewitching demon.

The reporter on the other end kept firing off questions. Jiang Lin held his breath and looked at Yang Mingshu. "What do I think?"

"Congratulations to Ms. Yang on winning the award."

"Also, Ms. Yang is right here with me. If you want to know what I think, why don't you let her tell you?"

#The whole entertainment industry wonders how he managed to keep the newly crowned legend all to himself#

#An entertainment-industry story that won't stand up to scrutiny, with no real-life references. Every award exists to make it better#

#She does the luring, he takes the bait, and they're both so in love it's written in the stars#

Theme: The ultimate way to chase the light is to become the light yourself.