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Since Su Ning and Yan Ruyu crossed the line in their relationship, the two have fallen deeply in love.

That kind of passionate love isn't the kind of dramatic, life-or-death romance depicted in movies; it's about quietly and intimately being together.

Like two magnets, they naturally attract each other without needing to be brought close together.

When Yan Ruyu had fewer classes, she would stroll over to the directing department to find Su Ning.

Sometimes it was lunchtime, and the two of them would eat together in the cafeteria.

Sometimes it was evening, and the two would take a walk in the alleys near the school, with Yan Ruyu's hand naturally linked with Su Ning's arm.

The five-star hotel near the school became their secret meeting place.

Every time she went there, Yan Ruyu would wear a baseball cap, lower her head, and walk in quickly, as if she were doing something wrong.

Suning didn't seem to care at all; he was completely unfazed, even when the receptionist gave him a second glance.

The rooms are always located on high floors, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of Beijing's nightscape.

The traffic on Chang'an Avenue resembled a ribbon of light, with lights shining on the distant skyscrapers, including the Jingguang Center, the China World Trade Center, and other buildings whose names I didn't know.

Yan Ruyu liked to stand by the window and look at the night view, press her face against the glass, breathe on it, and draw a smiley face with her finger.

Su Ning liked to hug Yan Ruyu from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder, without saying a word.

Both of them had strong desires and enjoyed themselves immensely each time, after all, they were in their prime.

Yan Ruyu's behavior in bed was completely different from her usual self. Sometimes she was as soft as water, and sometimes as passionate as fire, making one want to meld her into one's very bones.

Suning enjoys this feeling.

It's not just simple physical satisfaction, but something deeper...

There was no barrier between the two people; they were completely honest with each other and showed each other their most authentic selves.

This kind of trust is more precious than anything else.

……

That night, the two had just finished a passionate encounter at the hotel.

Yan Ruyu leaned against Su Ning's chest, her body limp and soft, like a lazy kitten.

Suning, smoking a cigarette afterward, squinted at the ceiling.

The room was filled with a faint smell of tobacco, mixed with the lingering perfume from Yan Ruyu, which was pleasant to smell.

"Chenchen".

Yan Ruyu's nickname is Chenchen. Her family calls her that, and her best friend calls her that too.

This was the first time Su Ning had called her that. Yan Ruyu was taken aback. "How do you know my childhood name?"

“…” Su Ning did not answer the question, after all, she could not explain that she was a time traveler. “Sister Na has a check for me. Could you go and get it for me later?”

Yan Ruyu opened her eyes, looked up at Su Ning, and asked, "A check?"

“Yes. This is her phone number. You can contact her directly.” Su Ning picked up a notepad from the bedside table and wrote down a string of numbers.

The handwriting is neat and tidy, each stroke precise and elegant.

Yan Ruyu took the slip of paper, looked at the number, and was a little surprised.

Is that Sister Na's phone call?
Yan Ruyu subconsciously clenched the paper, then realized she was gripping it too tightly, so she quickly loosened her grip and carefully folded it.

During the time she spent with Suning, she had gotten used to his way of doing things.

Suning never explains much, nor does it boast about anything.

He always seemed nonchalant, as if nothing in the world was that serious.

But the more this was the case, the more unfathomable Yan Ruyu felt.

Yan Ruyu didn't think much of it and put the note away.

Since they might not tell you even if you ask, it's better not to ask.

Besides, being able to know a diva like Na Jie is a good thing for her right now.

Yan Ruyu studied acting at the Beijing Film Academy for over a year, but has not yet made her official debut.

Several classmates have already gone out to film movies, some as extras, some as supporting roles. No matter how big or small the role is, at least they have entered this industry.

Zhao Yanzi was even more impressive; she was directly chosen by Aunt Qiong to star in a big-budget production like "Princess Pearl," and she was the female lead.

After the news spread throughout the class, many people felt resentful, but there was nothing they could do; opportunities are unpredictable.

Getting to know industry heavyweights like Sister Na is always a win-win situation.

Yan Ruyu knew in her heart that Su Ning was paving the way for her.

Su Ning didn't say anything, and she didn't bring it up either, but she understood. "Okay, I don't have class tomorrow afternoon, so I'll go over and get it for you."

"Okay." Su Ning nodded, said nothing more, and continued smoking his energy cigarette.

Yan Ruyu carefully put the note away and placed it in the inner pocket of her wallet.

The wallet was a gift from Suning, from a luxury Italian brand that she had only ever admired in magazines before.

After she closed her wallet, she was already thinking about what she should say to Sister Na.

After all, she is a junior and a student of acting, so she naturally needs to behave appropriately.

You can't be too enthusiastic, nor too indifferent; you can't be too deliberate, nor too casual.

When you meet someone for the first time, you should make a good impression.

What should I say? Praise her songs? That's too cliché.

To say you're a fan of hers? That's so fake.

Yan Ruyu rehearsed the scene silently in her mind several times, becoming more and more excited as she thought about it, and tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

"What's wrong? Having trouble sleeping?"

"Ah."

"Then let's not waste it! Let's continue our battle for another three hundred rounds."

"Huh? Are you born in the Year of the Donkey? How come you don't get tired at all?"

"Who told you to be so beautiful?"

"..."

After an unknown amount of time, Yan Ruyu finally fell asleep contentedly.

He just smiled and felt really lucky.

……

At 2 p.m. the next day, Yan Ruyu dialed Sister Na's number.

She chose this time to play after careful consideration.

Too early and they might be busy; too late and I'm afraid of disturbing them.

At two o'clock, the lunch break had just ended, and most of the things that needed to be dealt with had been taken care of. It was the perfect time.

The phone rang twice before I answered. Na-jie's voice came through, with that characteristic straightforwardness of a Beijing girl, "Hello, who is this?"

"Hello, is this Sister Na? I'm a friend of Suning. He asked me to come here to pick up something."

"Oh, Suning's friend! Okay, come on over! I'm at a certain recording studio. Call me when you get there, and I'll have someone come down to pick you up."

Okay! See you later.

Then Sister Na gave an address, in an office building near Sanlitun in Chaoyang District.

Yan Ruyu took notes, asked again to confirm that it was correct, and then hung up the phone.

I looked in the mirror again, tied my hair into a ponytail, then let it down, and finally tied it up again.

I applied a little lipstick, then wiped it off, thought about it for a moment, and then applied a little more.

In fact, Yan Ruyu rarely gets this nervous; she wasn't even this nervous when she took the entrance exam for the Beijing Film Academy.

I took a taxi and headed straight to my destination.

In Beijing's autumn, the ginkgo leaves in Sanlitun are turning yellow.

The ginkgo trees on both sides of the road look like two rows of golden torches, their leaves shimmering in the sunlight.

Occasionally a gust of wind blows, and golden leaves flutter down, carpeting the ground.

Yan Ruyu sat in the back seat of the taxi, looking at the golden leaves outside the window, and suddenly felt a little nervous again.

It's not that she hasn't met celebrities before.

Celebrities often come to teach at the Beijing Film Academy; the person standing on the podium might be a famous director or screenwriter.

But Sister Na is different; she's a diva, someone who's sung on the Spring Festival Gala, and someone known to hundreds of millions of people.

Who doesn't hum a few lines of the songs that Na Jie sings?
……

The recording studio is on the eighth floor of an office building; the entire floor is occupied by it.

When Yan Ruyu arrived, as soon as the elevator doors opened, she could hear music coming from the end of the corridor.

The music was very soft, and it was through the door and walls that I couldn't make out what song it was; I could only make out the rhythm and melody.

The corridor was carpeted, and the walls were covered with album covers and posters, both domestic and foreign, densely packed together.

Yan Ruyu followed the sound, pushed open the door, and found herself in a large recording studio.

The room was filled with all sorts of equipment: mixing consoles, microphones, speakers, effects processors, and a bunch of other things she couldn't name.

Several people sat at the control panel, wearing headphones and staring at the screen.

Separated by a glass partition, another person stood in the recording studio, testing their voice in front of the microphone.

Sister Na was chatting with a few people when she saw her come in. She greeted her with a smile, "You must be Yan Ruyu, right? Su Ning's girlfriend?"

Yan Ruyu blushed slightly but did not deny it. "Hello, Sister Na."

Sister Na looked her up and down, her eyes full of admiration. "You're really pretty. No wonder Su Ning is interested in you. Let me tell you, Su Ning is such a dull guy. I thought he'd be a bachelor for life. Come, come, sit down. Don't stand."

Yan Ruyu was pulled to sit down by Sister Na. She was a little embarrassed, but she was quite happy.

I discovered that Sister Na is just as straightforward and easygoing as she appears on TV, without any airs whatsoever.

After sitting down, Yan Ruyu realized that there was another person sitting next to her.

The man was thin, with long hair that covered half of his face.

He was wearing a black jacket, zipped up halfway, revealing a white T-shirt underneath.

He was holding a cup of coffee, which had gone cold, but he didn't drink it. He just held it there, his eyes looking a little unfocused.

Yan Ruyu nodded politely, "Hello."

The man nodded, then looked at Yan Ruyu with surprise. "Yan Ruyu, are you really Su Ning's girlfriend?"

"Yes."

“You probably don’t know me.” The man put down his coffee and sat up a little straighter. “My name is Charlotte, and I was Su Ning’s classmate in high school.”

Yan Ruyu was taken aback, not expecting to run into Su Ning's high school classmate here. "Hello, Xia Luo."

"No need to call me classmate." Charlotte waved her hand. "I didn't take the college entrance exam this year, and I don't plan to go to university. Now I'm begging for food with Sister Na."

"..." Yan Ruyu didn't know what to say, so she could only smile awkwardly.

"Yan Ruyu, don't listen to Xia Luo's nonsense!" Sister Na interjected from the side, introducing, "He's a musical genius I specially found. He sang the popular songs 'Blue Lotus,' 'Once You Were,' and 'Nunchucks.' Don't let his youth fool you; he's a gifted songwriter."

"Oh my! So you sang 'The You of the Past'?" Yan Ruyu was genuinely surprised.

That song is playing everywhere lately—on the radio, in shopping malls, in taxis, you can hear it wherever you go.

"Disrespect, disrespect!"

Xia Luo was quite pleased with Yan Ruyu's praise, but he said rather arrogantly, "It's nothing, I was just writing it for fun."

Yan Ruyu thought of Su Ning, then looked at Xia Luo.

These two were high school classmates, but their styles are completely different.

Suning is reserved, while Xia Luo is flamboyant, and Xia Luo is the kind of unrestrained artistic youth; Suning's reservedness is the kind of reservedness that comes from seeing through everything, being indifferent and not caring about anything.

"Su Ning never mentioned me to you?" Xia Luo suddenly asked.

“Uh?” Yan Ruyu thought for a moment, “He’s a very quiet person, he doesn’t usually like to talk about his own things.” “…” Xia Luo nodded and didn’t ask any further questions.

"Yan Ruyu, why didn't Su Ning come by himself?" Sister Na asked deliberately, changing the subject.

He said he had something to do and asked me to come and get it.

"Okay, you wait."

Sister Na turned around, rummaged through her bag, pulled out a check, and handed it to Yan Ruyu. "This is it. You can give it to him."

"..." Yan Ruyu took it and looked down.

Ten million.

Her mind went blank, and she froze.

The check was from the Bank of China, with the bank's name and logo printed on it, followed by several blank lines.

The amount column clearly states "Ten Million Yuan Only", followed by the capitalized number.

The place where the issuer stamped the ticket was stamped with their personal seal and signed with their name. The handwriting was very beautiful, showing some calligraphy skills.

Yan Ruyu counted the zeros once, then counted them again.

That's right! One one and seven zeros.

One followed by seven zeros.

Ten million.

Yan Ruyu's hands began to tremble, "Sister Na, this...this is..."

Na Jie didn't explain much, "Just give it to Su Ning, he knows what's going on."

Yan Ruyu opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Ten million.

Her parents run a small shop in their hometown of Xiangtan, Hunan, selling daily necessities. They earn only tens of thousands of yuan a year.

After deducting rent, utilities, and inventory, it would be good if you could save ten or twenty thousand.

She had 500 yuan a month for living expenses while in college, and if she spent it frugally, she could still save a little.

Ten million? That's enough for her to live on for countless lifetimes.

Yan Ruyu suddenly remembered the expression on Su Ning's face when she asked Su Ning to come and collect the check.

It was calm and relaxed, quite casual and natural.

At the time, I thought it was just a few thousand or tens of thousands of yuan, at most a few hundred thousand. Who would have thought it would be such an astronomical figure?

Charlotte, who was sitting next to him, also saw the check.

His eyes widened instantly, and he almost spilled his coffee.

Charlotte quickly put the coffee on the table, leaned forward, and stared at the check for several seconds.

Ten million.

Ten million from the Bank of China.

Charlotte glanced at the check, then at Yan Ruyu, then at Sister Na, and finally fixed her gaze on the check.

Charlotte was silent for a few seconds, a complex expression on her face.

There was envy, there was jealousy, and there was something else I couldn't quite put my finger on.

That thing, I guess, is called resentment.

Imagine Xia Luo being reborn and becoming famous for plagiarizing songs.

With tens of thousands of yuan per song, plus various commercial performances and copyrights, I've earned quite a bit in the past six months.

Now he writes songs for Na Jie, and Na Jie gives him money, which is quite generous of him.

But a sum of ten million is something Charlotte has never even considered.

And Suning, who is usually quiet and never raises his hand in class or gathers with others after class, can casually hand out checks worth tens of millions of yuan.

Who exactly is this person?
Charlotte looked away and took a sip of her coffee.

The coffee had gone cold and was bitter and astringent.

Although Charlotte didn't say anything more, her heart was in turmoil.

Yan Ruyu held the check as if it were a hot potato.

Her hands were trembling, and her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.

My mind was a complete mess; a million alpacas were stampeding through my head.

The check Suning mentioned was for ten million? Why didn't he say so earlier?
She shouldn't have come if she had said so earlier, or she could have invited Su Ning or a few classmates to come with her.

What if a young girl like me gets robbed on the street while carrying such a large sum of money?
What if it gets lost? What if it gets broken?
Yan Ruyu took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

I carefully folded the check, put it in the innermost part of my backpack, and zipped it up. "Sister Na, I'll be going now."

"Okay, drive carefully. Let's have dinner together another day." Sister Na waved her hand, then remembered something, "Oh, by the way, give my regards to Su Ning."

Yan Ruyu nodded, said goodbye to Sister Na, and then nodded to Xia Luo.

Xia Luo nodded to Yan Ruyu, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Yan Ruyu practically fled the recording studio.

Throughout the journey, Yan Ruyu kept her hand on the bag, afraid of losing it.

The taxi had the heater on, but Yan Ruyu's palms were sweaty.

She kept looking out the window, then at the bag in her arms, then back out the window, as if afraid someone was following her.

Back at school, Yan Ruyu went straight to Suning's dormitory.

The dormitory building for the directing department is located on the west side of the campus. It is an old building with gray exterior walls and dim lighting in the stairwell.

Then he ran upstairs in twos and threes and found Suning's dormitory.

Su Ning was sitting on the bed reading a book called "The Grammar of Film Language," which was quite thick.

My roommates Liu Wei and Chen Kai are not here.

Yan Ruyu rushed in, closed the door, leaned against it, and gasped for breath.

Her face was flushed, and her forehead was covered in sweat.

Su Ning looked up at her and asked, "Did you get it?"

Yan Ruyu put down her backpack, unzipped it, and pulled out the check from the innermost layer. "Ten...ten million."

Su Ning took it, glanced at it, and casually placed it on the table. "Okay, I understand."

Yan Ruyu's eyes widened. "Su Ning, this is ten million! Do you know how sweaty my palms were when I brought it back? What if someone robbed it on the way? What if it got lost? Aren't you worried?"

Looking at the furious Yan Ruyu, Su Ning suddenly laughed, "So what do you want me to do? Do you want me to bow down and worship you?"

"I..." Yan Ruyu choked.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Su Ning picked up the check again, looked at it, and then handed it back to her, saying, "Take it."

Yan Ruyu was stunned. "What do you mean?"

"I'll keep it for you as pocket money."

"..." Yan Ruyu was completely dumbfounded.

Pocket money? Ten million, as pocket money?
Looking at Su Ning, then at the check, and then back at Su Ning, he couldn't wrap his head around it. "Su Ning, are you... are you serious?"

"Yeah. Anyway, I'm not short of money."

Yan Ruyu took the check, her hands trembling even more violently.

Initially, I took the initiative to contact Suning mainly because I heard that Suning knew Sister Na and Sister Fei.

Yan Ruyu admitted that she had ulterior motives at that time.

For someone studying acting, who wouldn't want to get to know more people in the industry?
Who wouldn't want to find a powerful backer?
But now, Suning casually slips himself a check for ten million yuan as pocket money.

This can no longer be explained simply by having some ability.

This is... Yan Ruyu doesn't know how to describe it.

Having money? That's too vulgar.

"You're capable? That's too lenient."

Yan Ruyu took a deep breath and carefully put the check away. "Okay, then I'll keep it for you for now."

Su Ning nodded and continued reading his book, pretending to be cool. He was deliberately trying to intimidate this woman today.

Yan Ruyu stood there, looking at Su Ning.

After watching for a while, she suddenly smiled, "Su Ning."

"Ok?"

"You're such a good actor."

Su Ning looked up at her in surprise, "What?"

"He's clearly a big shot, but he acts like an ordinary student every day. He got a perfect score on the college entrance exam but didn't go to Tsinghua or Peking University. Instead, he came to an arts school like Beijing Film Academy. When Sister Na and Sister Fei came to see you, you said it was nothing. You casually stuffed a check for ten million into my hand as pocket money."

Yan Ruyu suddenly took a step closer to Su Ning.

They were only a fist's width apart, close enough to see their own reflection in each other's pupils and feel each other's breath. "Tell me, who exactly are you?"

Su Ning looked at Yan Ruyu's face, which was so close to hers, and smiled. "Your boyfriend."

Yan Ruyu was stunned for a moment, then blushed. "Hmph! You're smart."

"Suning, I'll keep this check for you. I'll pay you back when you need it."

Su Ning looked at her and smiled dismissively, "This little bit of money is really nothing to me, you can just take it and spend it however you like."

Yan Ruyu couldn't stand this Versailles-like attitude and glared at him, "This little bit of money? Ten million is this little bit of money? Just how rich are you?"

Su Ning thought for a moment, and then thought about it very seriously. "I don't know. I haven't calculated it."

Yan Ruyu was speechless. She took a deep breath and decided not to dwell on the issue.

Arguing about money with this kind of person is just asking for trouble.

“Then I’ll buy a house so we won’t have to go to hotels anymore.”

Suning didn't react much, just nodded, "Whatever makes you happy. But don't buy an apartment, buy a courtyard house. Courtyard houses in Beijing will appreciate in value in the future, so buying one is an investment."

"A courtyard house?" Yan Ruyu was taken aback. "Those old courtyard houses? They're old and dilapidated, cold in winter and hot in summer. They must be very uncomfortable to live in."

"Located within the Second Ring Road, with historical significance, the bigger the better. They'll be very valuable in the future. And you can apply for renovations."

"What about apartment buildings? Wouldn't it be more convenient to live in one?"

"How much land do apartment buildings occupy? In the future, there will be fewer and fewer courtyard houses in good locations, after all, scarcity makes things valuable."

Yan Ruyu thought for a moment before nodding, "Okay. Then let's buy a courtyard house."

Then Yan Ruyu smiled, bent down and kissed Su Ning on the cheek, and then turned and left the dormitory.

The dormitory fell silent again.

Suning lowered his head and continued reading.

The lamplight shone on the pages of the book, where the words about camera shots, composition, and editing lay quietly.

Outside the window, the night in Beijing gradually deepened.

Su Ning suddenly remembered Yan Ruyu's expression just now...

Shock, confusion, and relief, plus something else I can't quite put my finger on.

Perhaps, this is why I am willing to stay in this instance world.

It's not the tasks, it's not the rewards, but these real, vibrant, and tangible things.

...(End of this chapter)