After the breakup, I was taken in by a group of trendy young women.

Lin Ye did not speak.

His hand moved away from her outside.

She flinched, her knees slid forward a little on the mattress, but he pulled her back by holding her waist with his other hand.

"Don't run away."

"I didn't run away..."

Her voice trembled, "Your hands are so cold."

"Bite down on the pillow," he said.

Liu Tianxian turned half her face out from under the pillow: "Are you... sure?"

"I'm afraid you'll bite your tongue."

She stuffed the pillow into her mouth and bit down, her lips tightening and her teeth sinking into the soft fabric of the pillow, uttering a muffled syllable that sounded like "come."

This rhythm completely disrupted Liu Tianxian's breathing.

"What can you train to do this...?"

"I ride a bike every day. Riding for a long time keeps my back healthy."

She chuckled.

"without."

"Why not...?"

She propped herself up on the mattress, rolled over, and lay down, looking up at him.

She took a few breaths, then reached out and patted his lower abdomen.

"come over."

she says,

"Lie down."

Lin Ye lay down, leaning against the headboard.

She propped herself up to sit up, then turned over and knelt beside his legs.

She felt his breath hit her head in disarray.

"What you just did,"

(...)

"You fucking...you were just saying you were tired..."

"When did you say that?"

"Just now you..."

"That was just done, so it doesn't count."

(...)

"You..." Her voice was terribly hoarse.

"Um."

"I didn't take birth control pills."

Lin Ye looked up at her.

Liu Tianxian looked at him, then smiled and said, "Never mind. I'll buy it tomorrow."

She nudged his shoulder, signaling him to roll down.

He rolled over and lay down next to her, and the two of them lay side by side looking at the ceiling.

The bedside lamp was still on, casting a warm yellow halo around the white ceiling. The cool air from the air conditioner blew down from the vent, turning the sweat on her skin into a refreshing coolness.

She rolled over, lying on her side to look at him, her arm draped over his chest, her fingers tracing circles on the skin above his collarbone.

"Let's do it again," she said.

Lin Ye turned to look at her: "Can your body handle this?"

"I'm 35 years old and I can carry a 30-pound wire for a whole day. Do you think I can handle that?"

She rolled over and lay on her stomach, her elbows supporting her on either side of his chest. She looked down at him, her wet hair falling from her shoulders, the ends brushing against his face.

Her eyes held a languid warmth under the soft yellow light.

"But this time,"

(...)

"Otherwise what?"

"What did you eat to grow up?"

"Eat an egg pancake."

She laughed even harder, then moved her body onto him.

(...)

"Do you know what you look like right now?" Lin Ye asked her.

"Like what?"

"I was still excited on the way back after running in Zhuhai."

You can't get rid of me.

"Give it a try."

(...)

"Riding a motorcycle trains endurance, and other things as well."

"What else...?"

He grabbed her waist and pulled her back.

"Aren't you...aren't you tired?"

"You already asked that."

"No," Lin Ye said.

"Didn't you say that riding a motorcycle trains endurance?"

She chuckled.

She reached out, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him towards her.

"Then come again. I still have the energy."

Lin Ye looked at her and remained silent for two seconds.

(...)

"Because...because of you..."

"Why?"

(...)

"I don't know. I just go by feeling."

She chuckled, (...)

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed her forehead against his, and her lips against the corner of his mouth.

She didn't say anything more.

After a long time, she lifted her head from his embrace.

Several red marks of varying depths were left on her collarbone.

She reached out and poked his chest: "I'm going to the film set tomorrow."

"I know."

"The scene is at 2 PM."

"Um."

"You take me."

"it is good."

She smiled.

Then she buried her face in the crook of his neck again, wrapped her arms around his waist, and snuggled into his embrace.

The night wind blew in through the cracks in the balcony door, causing the curtains to billow and then fall back down, billow and fall back down repeatedly.

On the distant sea outside the window, the lights of the cargo ship were still flashing, like a coordinate that would never go out.

Pamela stopped at the entrance of the film set.

Before the engine had even completely stopped, Lin Ye had already gotten out of the car.

He stood by the car door, his gaze sweeping around the parking lot. Two people were sitting on their phones in front of the coffee shop across the street, a janitor was squatting next to a trash can and smoking, and further away on the sidewalk, a young couple was strolling with a stroller.

There were no telephoto lenses, no paparazzi hiding behind the green belts, and no familiar figures suddenly pulling out long lenses from their cars.

He bent down and tilted his head towards the car window: "Nobody's here."

The passenger door opened a crack, and Liu Tianxian stuck one foot out through the gap first.

Black flat shoes stepped on the cement ground, then the other. As she stood up, she casually put her sunglasses on the bridge of her nose. The large frames covered most of her face, revealing only the clear curve of her jawline and a touch of light mauve lipstick on her lips.

She wore a loose white linen shirt, with the top two buttons undone at the collar. The skin above her collarbone gleamed cleanly in the morning light. The hem was casually tucked into light blue jeans, and her hair was tied in a low ponytail with a few stray strands hanging down beside her ears.

After getting out of the car, she didn't rush to leave. Instead, she stood by the car door, turning her head to look at Lin Ye. Her gaze from behind her sunglasses lingered on his face for two seconds. Then she reached out and fastened the crooked button on his shirt collar, her fingertips lightly brushing against his collarbone, a quick and gentle movement, like brushing away a speck of dust.

"I'm gone."

She said that, and then turned and walked toward the film set gate.