This director only directs blockbusters.

Yang Ning looked at her sun-kissed profile, but didn't answer. He simply took her hand and led her back the way they had come.

Back at the viewing platform, the valley remained the same, as if nothing had happened, yet everything seemed different.

She turned to look at the valley: "Director Yang, what's the point of us making movies and acting?"

"What's the point?"

"Is it to be remembered? To feel good? Or to make money?"

Yang Ning looked into the distance: "All of them, but not all of them."

"Then what's the point?"

"The picture..." he paused, "is to turn those abstract ideas in your heart into reality."

She turned to look at him: "What's on your mind?"

Yang Ning was silent for a moment: "Quite a few."

She didn't ask any more questions.

As they descended the mountain, it was getting dark, and the setting sun painted the valley orange-red. Li Binbin leaned against the car window and suddenly asked:

"Director Yang, after we go back, can we still do this?"

"What?"

"Just... in private."

Yang Ning thought for a moment: "You want to do this?"

"I want to," she said, "but I don't want it to affect filming."

"Then it won't affect anything."

"You promise?"

"Um."

She smiled and said, "That's fine. I'll take a nap. Wake me up when we get there."

The car continued driving, and the sun set. Yang Ning glanced at the sleeping woman beside him; her breathing was steady, and a smile lingered on her lips.

He didn't know what she dreamed about, but he knew she would leave something in his film—not because they had slept together, but because she understood that "the play is more important than anything else."

It was completely dark when they entered Cape Town. Li Binbin rubbed his eyes and woke up.

"arrive?"

"Um."

She sat up straight and tidied her hair: "Director Yang, are we drinking beer again tonight?"

Yang Ning thought for a moment: "Drink."

"Shall I go to your room?"

"OK."

She smiled and didn't say anything more.

The car was parked in front of the hotel, and the two people entered the lobby one after the other, maintaining a safe distance.

While waiting for the elevator, she leaned closer and whispered, "Director Yang, are we going to talk about Leng Yue again tonight?"

"chat."

"Well..." she tilted her head, "shall we talk about something else?"

The elevator doors opened, and Yang Ning went in, followed by her.

The door closed.

"Let's chat," he said.

…………

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the half-open curtains and onto the bed.

Li Binbin woke up first, and his first reaction upon opening his eyes was to be stunned—an unfamiliar room, an unfamiliar atmosphere, and Yang Ning lying next to him.

She turned to her side, looking at his peaceful sleeping face, and a smile unconsciously curved her lips. The scenes from last night flashed through her mind, as clear as movie clips.

Yang Ning stirred, slowly opened his eyes, and his gaze met hers.

Neither of them spoke, but simply looked at each other quietly, a subtle understanding filling the air.

"Good morning," she said first, her voice a little hoarse.

"Good morning." He smiled and reached out to brush away the stray hairs from her forehead.

She sat up and stretched: "What time is it?"

"Around nine o'clock."

"So late?" She raised an eyebrow. "I thought you'd be up early."

"It's rare to relax like this," he said.

She laughed: "So what's the plan for today? Continue filming, or call it a day and head back to Beijing?"

"That's it for today," he said. "My flight is for this afternoon."

She nodded, threw back the covers, and got out of bed: "Then I need to get ready quickly."

Yang Ning also got up, walked to the window and drew back the curtains. The vineyard outside shimmered with golden light in the sunlight.

"What a pity," she said as she straightened her clothes, "This place is so beautiful, I can't get enough of it."

"Come again next time," he said.

She turned to look at him, her smile carrying a hint of meaning: "Next time... it won't just be about looking at the scenery, will it?"

He didn't answer, but just picked up his phone to check the flight information.

At noon, they had a simple lunch at the winery, and the owner even gave them two bottles of wine to take home.

As Li Binbin got into the car, he rolled down the window, and the wind blew in, carrying the scent of grape leaves.

"Director Yang," she suddenly said, "after we go back, will we still be able to do this?"

"What?"

"Just... in private."

Yang Ning thought for a moment: "You want to do this?"

"I want to," she said, "but I don't want it to affect filming."

"Then it won't affect anything."

"You promise?"

"Um."

She smiled and said, "That's fine. I'll take a nap. Wake me up when we get there."

The car continued driving, and the sun set. Yang Ning glanced at the sleeping woman beside him; her breathing was steady, and a smile lingered on her lips.

He didn't know what she dreamed about, but he knew she would leave something in his film—not because they had slept together, but because she understood that "the play is more important than anything else."

BJ landed at 4 PM.

Yang Ning pushed his luggage out and immediately saw Lao Xu standing at the exit holding a tattered cardboard sign with the words "Director Yang" crookedly written on it.

"Can't you just get a new one?" Yang Ning walked over, her tone slightly disdainful, but a smile played on her lips.

Old Xu grinned and took the luggage cart: "It saves money."

"How's it going in South Africa?"

"It's settled," Yang Ning said. "I filmed the streets of Johannesburg, the winding mountain roads of Cape Town, and the container areas of the port. I'll show it to you when I get back."

Old Xu glanced behind him: "Where's Li Binbin?"

"Her assistant came to pick her up, and she went home first."

Old Xu nodded and didn't ask any more questions, as if he was used to this kind of thing.

The car drove towards the studio. It was still a bit chilly in Beijing in March, but the sun was shining brightly. Yang Ning leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes for a while.

My mind was busy—frames of footage from South Africa flashed by: the rust on the containers, the bends in the mountain roads, the graffiti walls in the streets. All of it had to be converted into storyboards, into special effects requirements, and into live-action shooting plans.

"By the way," Old Xu suddenly said, "while you were gone these past few days, Han Duoduo kept talking about wanting to discuss something with you."

"What is it?"

"She didn't say, she just said it was a matter for the special effects team."

Yang Ning opened her eyes: "Where's Yong-ge?"

"Liu Yong was there too; the two of them have been whispering to each other for days."

As soon as the studio door was pushed open, a wave of heat rushed out.

Han Duoduo peeked out from behind the computer, her eyes lighting up: "Director Yang is back!"

Liu Yong came out of the inner room, holding half a jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe) in his hand: "Director Yang, how's South Africa?"

"I'll show you in a bit." Yang Ning put down her bag. "First, tell me, what have you two been whispering about these past few days?"

Han Duoduo and Liu Yong exchanged a glance.

"Director Yang," Han Duoduo stood up and walked to the whiteboard, "I discussed it with Brother Yong and we wanted to talk to you about something."

"explain."

"The special effects in 'Dragon Shield' are much more extensive than those in 'Purple Cloud'." She pointed to the timeline drawn on the whiteboard. "Our current team has a maximum of twelve people, which is simply not enough."

At this pace, we'll definitely have to work overtime towards the end, and even then, we might not be able to meet the deadline.

Liu Yong chimed in, still chewing on a pancake: "And there are some jobs that we people just can't handle right now."

For example, the helicopter cableway chase requires CGI simulations, which necessitates someone specializing in fluid dynamics. Duoduo understands it, but she can't handle it alone.

Yang Ning nodded without saying a word, as if he were silently calculating in his mind.

Han Duoduo continued, "And that port moving maze, the physical simulation of container collisions, we need to hire professionals to do it. We can figure it out ourselves, but the time cost is too high."

"What you two mean is—"

"We need to expand our recruitment." Liu Yong put down his jianbing (Chinese crepe). "We need to add more people, and they need to be experienced. We can't rely on ourselves to figure things out on our own anymore."