My girlfriend is from the future!

Yanggang Republican Era Film City, filming location for Western-style mansions.

After a day of filming, most of the crew members of the "A Day in the Life" location shooting team had finished their work, but those who remained at the mansion were still orderly and performing their duties, because there were still a few shots in this scene that needed to be reshot for later replacement.

Since it was already night, the lighting crew was trying their best to restore the lighting from the daytime shoot. In the performance area, Xiang Kui briefly explained the reshoot plan for later:

"In a bit, Ah Liang, you should approach her with that 'you think I'm going to hug you, but I'm just teasing you' feeling. Director He, once it starts, step back, but not too much, just half a step. Then the red light on your heads will come on. Just repeat the action on the card, don't add any more random actions, okay?"

"I get it, Sister Kui, you're just teasing me~"

Wen Liang let the makeup artist touch up her makeup, and instantly understood the director's intention. She looked at He Tianran, who seemed a little indifferent across from her. The man's gaze seemed to be wandering, as if he was looking at the staff who were preparing to leave the shooting area.

Wen Liang also looked over. At present, apart from the film crew, the most people on the scene were the extras from the mansion. In fact, most of them had already left. The ones who remained were mainly a small number of people who had worked with them in the afternoon. Knowing that she had delayed other people's departure time, the young actress put her hands together in apology and bowed in their direction, which earned her a burst of good-natured laughter.

In the crowd, she spotted a woman—the actress who had played the class teacher that afternoon.

She felt she had seen this woman somewhere before, but He Tianran's situation that afternoon caught her attention more, and the woman had also changed into a teacher's outfit, so she couldn't remember her for a while. But now that she looked at her so closely, wasn't this the woman He Tianran had brought to the class reunion not long ago to catch Zhang Zhifan's girlfriend?
Her name is... Yu something again.

Yu, Nao, Qiu.

When those three words finally reminded Wen Liang, another thing instantly popped into her mind...

Not long ago, in the office of Shanhai Group, He Tianran played a recording of a conversation between himself and his brother, in which he mentioned that this Miss Yu was deliberately getting close to him.

On that day, three things happened that left a deep impression on Wen Liang, things she could never forget.

The first thing was that He Tianran, with a "strawberry mark" on his neck, openly held a meeting with the participants of their program, and even Bai Wenyu was present.

The second thing was that I went to see him after the meeting, and he played this recording. Then he said that he had traveled from time travel, didn't remember anything, and asked me a lot of questions.

The third thing was the balcony sing-along that night...

These important details from the past, coupled with the strange behavior of Yu Naoqiu and He Tianran who appeared at the scene today, all of this is so confusing, yet there seems to be some intricate connection behind it. Wen Liang feels that she is currently at a critical juncture, unable to discern her direction or see through the fog...

Suddenly, a feeling of thorns on my back came instantly, and the hairs on my cool arm stood up instantly!

Wen Liang had practiced boxing with her father since childhood. Although she had neglected her training after starting school, her keen senses, cultivated since childhood, allowed her to immediately look towards the source of her unease—

That was a smile that Yu Naoqiu gave her while standing among the passing staff.

It was the kind of smile that was so polite that even the curve of the corners of the mouth was flawless.

Wen Liang fears two things most in his life: ghosts and insects.

Yu Naoqiu's smile made her feel both physically and psychologically uncomfortable, as if a spider was weaving its web beneath that beautiful face, which was full of indifference and world-weariness, and it was now scrutinizing her with its six compound eyes.

"Cool, cool?"

“…Huh? Ah, Sister Aoi.”

"get ready."

"well."

Xiang Kui called the dazed actress back to reality and led her out of the performance area. Since the monitors were nearby, she didn't bother to look at them and simply stood behind the cameraman, giving instructions.

"Alright, actors, get ready, machine roll, 3, 2..."

Wen Liang quickly adjusted her breathing. Facing He Tianran's gentle gaze, the girl's emotions, which had been rippled, gradually calmed down, and she returned to her normal state.

"1. Action!"

As the director envisioned, Wen Liang put her hands behind her back, took a step forward, and leaned forward, appearing to be getting closer to He Tianran.

But in the very instant Xiang Kui shouted "Action," Wen Liang saw up close that the tenderness in the man's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a bewilderment, a dazed look, and a look of disbelief at her approaching gaze—

Refuse.

The distance between the two had been reduced in that single second. In a moment of panic, He Tianran pushed with both hands, and Wen Liang stumbled backward several times, almost falling.

The staff present were all very surprised to see this scene. However, everything happened too fast, and no one could understand how the two, who had been so ambiguous before, would suddenly behave in this way.

"What's wrong? What happened? A-Liang, are you alright?"

Xiang Kui walked over quickly, and Wen Liang's assistant and makeup artist, who were on good terms with her, also came over to inquire about the situation.

"...Uh, it's nothing, it's nothing. I just accidentally stepped on his foot... Sorry everyone, I'm sorry for taking up your time. This was the last shot, the last one!"

"Sigh, you really are..."

Wen Liang forced a smile and explained, which relieved the staff on site, while Xiang Kui was both amused and exasperated.

After taking in everything, He Tianran's confusion gradually turned into clarity, and he said to Xiang Kui in a deep voice:

"Sister Kui, could you tell me about the scheduling again?"

"what?"

"I feel like something's not quite right."

“Oh…but, Director He, you're just standing there…there’s not much movement involved…it’s just…”

He Tianran frowned slightly, seemingly dissatisfied: "I'm not going to move at all?"

Xiang Kui approached and lowered her voice: "It's just... Director He, you two can't just kiss again, can you? This... really isn't good, you know it can't be used in the main film..."

Seeing that He Tianran remained silent, Xiang Kui, who thought she had offended her boss, was immediately in a difficult position.

"Then... if all else fails... how about we... take a fake shot from a different angle?"

To everyone's surprise, the man's face darkened even more after these words were spoken.

"No, that's it."

……

……

An hour later, the film crew finally wrapped up.

Everyone was puzzled as to why He Tianran, who was so decisive and efficient during the daytime recording, suddenly regressed so much when it came to scenes that required him to pose for the camera. It took several takes to make his performance look natural. It seems that performing in front of the camera and performing freely are two different things.

This is what most people think, but a few people have noticed something, such as Bai Lingye, who is now standing outside the mansion, leaning against the outer wall and enjoying the evening breeze.

“Wen Liang, in our industry… some things are fine to be done on stage, but don’t take them seriously in private. You should understand that.”

As soon as Wen Liang stepped out of the Western-style building after removing her makeup and changing her clothes, she heard a piece of advice from her senior.

"Ah...I know."

Wen Liang looked around. Bai Lingye glanced at her and sighed.

"Don't bother looking anymore. Director He drove off with a female extra as soon as he finished filming."

Wen Liang then looked at her, "How did you know?"

"Because I also wanted to see Director He tonight..." The top female star, who had been stood up by her boss, shrugged helplessly: "Don't get me wrong, he just promised to talk to me about renewing my contract after this is over. Luckily, I also made a reservation at a Japanese restaurant in Gangnam District. The chef's omakase there is very hard to book..."

Wen Liang smiled coolly. "He ignored you?" "He told me to go directly to Shanhai to talk to him tomorrow... What about you?"

"I?"

"You haven't eaten all day, have you? Let's eat together, we just booked a table for two."

"I came by motorcycle today."

"Then go ahead and ride. You don't need the driver the company assigned you. Your assistant still needs to get her makeup done, so she'll have to ride back in my car later. I'm leaving now. I'll send you the address later. If you get there first, be sure to wait for me!"

"It's definitely first come, first served, I'm starving."

"you dare!"

The two women exchanged a few jokes, made an agreement, and then parted ways.

The film studio was booked by film crews today. In order to finish work as soon as possible, the equipment vehicles of various departments were parked at the entrance of the mansion early in the morning, waiting to leave. Wenliang's motorcycles were also parked nearby, making it very convenient for them to come and go as they pleased.

After casually dealing with a few colleagues who were also interested in motorcycles, Wen Liang straddled his own motorcycle. Instead of starting the engine, he held his helmet and silently recalled the conversation between He Tianran and Wen Liang when he picked him up.

……

……

Two and a half hours ago.

Feeling the wind whistling past her ears, the girl's heart had never surged so high.

Today, she has received so many responses she has never received before. It all feels like a dream, but right now, the warmth from the man's hand on her waist feels so real.

If she could, she really wanted to keep driving like this, carrying the person she loved, towards the unknown future, and keep going.

"Wenliang, slow down, I have something to tell you."

"You'd better not say it. I know that if you open your mouth now, it won't be anything nice."

"..."

Today, He Tianran was not a spoilsport; he really didn't say anything more, and the two of them quietly enjoyed this time of freedom and companionship.

However, as the motorcycle drove further home and the outline of the distant city became clearer, Wenliang became more rational.

Life is not a wilderness after all. After the unrestrained gallop, you still have to return to three meals a day and endless overtime. Before the motorcycle entered the film studio, the girl found a deserted corner to stop.

"Tell me, what do you want to say?"

Wen Liang got out of the car, crossed her arms and looked at him, while He Tianran remained seated in the car, not moving.

He was looking down, deep in thought, as if reluctant to leave this journey, or perhaps planning his next grand escape.

"After I go back, if nothing unexpected happens, I will... disappear, or rather... become a different person, but this is all... temporary, and I should reappear."

The hesitation in his words deepened the doubt on Wen Liang's face.

"What do you mean?"

"It means exactly what it says. If you think this is too abstract, then... I think you should have the opportunity to see it for yourself. When that happens, you should understand."

The man's words were so cryptic that the girl didn't know how to respond. Some things are indeed hard to understand with words alone; only through personal experience can one gain a deeper understanding.

“I know you have a lot of things you want to ask me…” He Tianran saw the hesitation in Wen Liang’s expression. “Today I did think of a lot of things, at… so many moments, when I first met you today, when we were in the mansion, in the phone booth, at the ticket gate, just now… I’m constantly overwhelmed by new things coming to mind, and I can’t… digest them all yet, and I don’t know how to explain them to you.”

After he finished speaking, he slowly raised his head and looked at the sky, which was now a deep purple.

"Then there's no need to explain."

With a cool and carefree air, he uttered this sentence, sat back down, and started the motorcycle.

Feeling the machine beneath him move forward again, but at a much slower speed, He Tianran blinked, taking in the graceful figure so close at hand, and chuckled softly.

In the past, when Wen Liang heard this kind of laughter, he would definitely lose his temper and ask in a threatening tone, "What are you laughing at?"

But this time she didn't.

Just like when He Tianran tried to speak earlier, he was met with silence.

She was actually quite afraid that the answer she received wouldn't be as good as she had imagined.

So sometimes, it's better to leave the answer to something for the most appropriate time than to know it too early...

"Ha, what a fake nonchalance..."

As He Tianran smiled, a comment slipped out.

Wen Liang, whose expression was obscured, shuddered.

"He Tianran..."

"Ok?"

"No matter how you change, you are still you..."

"..."

"Did you hear that?"

"Ha, I heard that!"

……

……

Pulling her thoughts back, Wen Liang realized that even if He Tianran didn't say anything, she would figure out many things on her own. And some things didn't need to be answered by the person in question; a little reasoning and corroborating evidence were enough to bring the truth to light.

While this may not reveal the full picture of an event, it is more than enough to resolve some surface-level issues, such as the hickey on He Tianran's neck at the meeting that day and the recording that mentioned his relationship with Yu Naoqiu.

Will He Tianran cheat on his wife?
Obviously not.

To put it bluntly, Wen Liang didn't have confidence in He Tianran, but rather he valued Cao Aiqing highly.

So it's because of the other person's family background?

When Wen Liang first learned about this in the office that day, she also explained it very clearly.

So now, after thinking it over, there's only one point of doubt: Yu Naoqiu did appear at the scene today, and she did leave with He Tianran after work. Wen Liang doesn't know the woman's purpose or the man's attitude, but she has a way to use He Tianran's strange situation against her.

Wen Liang took out her phone and searched for a number in her contacts—

Cao Aiqing.

As He Tianran's closest confidant, Wen Liang firmly believed that the other party must know something, and similarly, the other party would not be uninterested in what happened between her and He Tianran today.

"call--"

After letting out a long breath, Wen Liang resolutely pressed the dial button. (End of this chapter)