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

Lin Ye leaned against the car door, watching her walk away.

A white linen shirt fluttered gently in the morning breeze, and the legs encased in light blue jeans showed off their smooth lines as she walked. Her low ponytail swayed gently between her shoulder blades.

She didn't turn around when she reached the gate; she simply raised her right hand and waved it casually behind her twice.

It was like a greeting, yet also like a farewell.

Then she pushed open the door and went inside.

The figure in the white shirt disappeared into the shadows of the porch, and the door slowly closed behind her.

Lin Ye turned around, opened the car door, got back into the driver's seat, and started the engine.

The Panamera drove smoothly out of the film set, turned the corner, and merged into the traffic on the main road.

The film set gate in the rearview mirror grew smaller and smaller until it shrank into a gray-white square, which was blocked by the roadside trees.

The car's air conditioning blew out cool air, and the seats still carried the scent of Liu Tianxian: the slightly acidic fruity aroma of the white wine from last night mixed with the milky scent of her usual shower gel, and a hint of the warm, cozy smell of sun-kissed skin.

The smell was faint, but in this brand-new car, in the enclosed space with the air conditioning circulating, it was very distinct.

Lin Ye held the steering wheel with one hand and reached the passenger seat with the other, feeling around in the seat cushion.

His fingertips touched something hard, and when he picked it up, he saw that it was a pearl earring.

Small, white, with a small piece of transparent plastic earplug hanging from the ear post.

He didn't remember when she lost it; it must have been her hair that came off when she got out of the car.

He placed the earring in the small storage compartment next to the cup holder on the center console and closed the lid.

After the car passed two intersections, my phone lit up on the center console screen, and a WeChat message notification popped up.

Wang Xiaoying: "Where are we?"

Lin Ye typed with one hand: "Delivered, head back."

Wang Xiaoying: "Bai Xiaojing asked what we wanted for lunch. She asked if the seafood restaurant in Zhuhai could pack it up and send it back."

Lin Ye: "No. Let her cook for herself."

Less than five seconds after the message was sent, Bai Xiaojing's profile picture popped up at the top of the screen, followed by a voice message that lasted a full twenty seconds.

Lin Ye didn't open it, but just by looking at the length of the voice message, he knew it was full of nonsense. It would probably start with an exclamation of "Brother, you finally replied to my message," then complain about "no one cooks when you're not home," and end with "Guo Erjia's cooking could blow up the kitchen."

He put the phone back on the stand and left it there.

The car stopped at the traffic light.

While waiting at the light, he glanced up at the rearview mirror.

The back seat was empty, and the dark brown leather seats gleamed warmly in the morning light.

This car was a new reward triggered by the system after he left Liu Tianxian's room; it didn't pop up as dramatically as it did with the villa.

"Detected that the host has established a deep bond with Liu Tianxian, triggering a chain reward. Reward: A Porsche Panamera Turbo S Executive Extended Edition, parked in parking space 057 on level B2 of the hotel's underground parking garage. The key is at the hotel front desk."

When the young woman at the hotel reception handed him the keys, she simply checked his ID and booking information as per procedure, and then said, "Mr. Lin, your car has been delivered to the underground parking garage."

The green light is on.

He pressed the accelerator, and the Panamera's engine emitted a deep, muffled sound as the car smoothly accelerated, merging into the flow of traffic.

About ten minutes later, my phone rang again.

This time it was a phone call.

The screen displayed an unmarked number, but Lin Ye recognized it; it was the same number that Liu Tianxian had called him yesterday to confirm dinner time.

He pressed the answer button on the steering wheel, and the Bluetooth connected the sound to the car's audio system.

"Feed?"

"You're gone?"

Liu Tianxian's voice came from the speakers, carrying a hint of laughter and a slight electrical buzz.

In her background, there were sounds of someone shouting "Lights ready!", footsteps, and the metallic clanging of equipment, indicating that she had entered the film set and was in the dressing room.

"Just two intersections past," Lin Ye said.

"I saw you leave. I was standing by the window in the second-floor dressing room. Your car is quite nice, is it new?"

"New."

"Porsche?"

"Um."

There was a two-second silence on the other end.

Then Liu Tianxian's voice rang out again, a little softer than before: "Are you busy this afternoon?"

"What's wrong?"

"I have a scene to film this afternoon, it'll wrap up around 3 pm. If you're free, come pick me up, I'll treat you to afternoon tea. There's a famous old-fashioned egg tart shop in Zhuhai, I ate there last time I was filming, and it's even better than the one in Macau."

Lin Ye glanced at the time displayed on the center console: "Okay. Send me your location later."

"Okay. Drive carefully."

Before hanging up, she added, "Oh, by the way, there's a box of painkillers in your passenger glove compartment. I put it there this morning. You were a bit rough with your hands last night, and my back is a little sore."

Then the call ended.

Lin Ye turned his gaze away from the screen, and the car drove up a gentle slope.

Sunlight streamed in through the sunroof, casting a bright patch of light on the back of his hand as he gripped the steering wheel.

His lips curved slightly before returning to a straight shape.

The car turned right at the next intersection and headed towards the training base.

Meanwhile, in the dressing room on the second floor of the film set, Liu Yifei placed her phone on the makeup table, picked up the powder puff handed to her by the makeup artist, and pressed it onto her face twice.

The makeup artist, a round-faced woman in her early thirties, stood to the side clutching another powder puff. After holding back for about two seconds, she couldn't help but ask, "Sister Tianxian, who was that guy just now?"

Liu Yifei turned her face slightly to the left and right in front of the mirror to check if her foundation was even: "Friend."

"I drove you to the set in my Panamera, so early in the morning, friend?"

Liu Tianxian glanced at the makeup artist in the mirror and smiled, "Don't ask anymore. Just give me a new one of that dried-out mascara."

The makeup artist wisely shut her mouth and turned to get a new mascara.

But when she reached the door, she couldn't help but turn back and glance at Liu Tianxian sitting in front of the dressing table, looking down at her phone screen, the smile on her lips still lingering.

Her white linen shirt was open at the collar, and there was a small, barely noticeable red mark above her collarbone near her shoulder, mostly hidden by the shadow of the shirt collar.

But the makeup artist has been in this industry for over a decade and has seen all kinds of marks.

She saw it, but she didn't say anything and turned to leave.

Liu Tianxian remained seated in front of her dressing table, typing a message on her phone screen: "The egg tart shop opens at 3 PM, don't come too early. They only bake their first batch at 3 PM, so coming early will just mean waiting."

send.

She flipped her phone face down on the table, then picked up the new mascara the makeup artist had just placed on the table, unscrewed the cap, and started applying it in front of the mirror.

She stopped after brushing twice, and the mirror reflected a mischievous smile on her lips. She cursed at her reflection, then suppressed the smile and continued brushing her mascara.