Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

Six o'clock in the afternoon.

The last rays of the setting sun streamed into the studio.

Thanks to Jiang Ruyue, the work this afternoon went very smoothly.

Wang Wei sat at the editing table, the crisp sound of the mouse clicking echoing in the room.

"Amazing! The visual quality is incredible!"

Wang Wei turned his head, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Bai Li standing behind him:

"Brother Li, the emotions you two conveyed in that kissing scene were so powerful."

"If this were posted on a video platform, with that kind of contrast, wouldn't netizens flood the comment section?"

Bai Li's gaze fell on the computer screen.

That video was frozen in time.

In the scene, Jiang Ruyue tilts her chin up, her eyes are slightly red, and her lips are glistening with moisture.

Bai Li held the back of her head with one hand, and the height difference created a strong visual pressure.

"It's very good," Bai Li commented.

After finishing his business, Bai Li walked toward Jiang Ruyue, who was slumped on the sofa.

"Kisaragi, want to grab a bite?"

Only when he got closer did Bai Li realize that something was wrong with Jiang Ruyue.

Jiang Ruyue had her chin buried deep in the collar of her hoodie, and her whole body was even trembling.

From Bai Li's perspective, all that could be seen were her long, smooth, black hair and her earlobes, which were already bright red.

Bai Li was completely bewildered:

"Kisaragi?"

Only then did Jiang Ruyue raise her head. She gently bit her pink lips, her eyes filled with a captivating, tearful gaze and a hint of grievance.

"You...you go ahead..." she said, taking two more breaths.

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Ruyue didn't answer; she remembered what had just happened...

After Bai Li said she had no desire for an idiot, she retorted and kissed Bai Li.

I just didn't expect...

This immediately put Bai Li into focus...

Then she was actually kissed on camera...

Thinking back to yesterday, she even laughed at Xie Lingmo for not being dry and soft enough.

I never imagined that I would be even more pathetic.

Jiang Ruyue was so ashamed she wanted to disappear into the ground.

"Ruyue?" Bai Li saw that she was keeping her head down and not saying anything, so he reached out to pat her shoulder.

The hand had just been raised.

"No...no!" Jiang Ruyue's voice was flustered, soft and urgent.

Those big, innocent eyes that were usually fearless were now daring to look away, not daring to linger on Bai Li for even half a second.

"I want to go home..."

Jiang Ruyue stammered out the words.

She swallowed hard and made up any excuse she could think of:

"My dad...my dad's waiting for me downstairs! He's in a real hurry!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Ruyue didn't give Bai Li any chance to try and persuade her to stay.

She stood up from the sofa, quickly bypassed Bai Li, and headed straight for the studio door with small, quick steps.

Bai Li stood still, stroking his chin:

"You're usually so fast, what's gotten into you today?"

But instead of asking further questions, he loudly gave a word of advice.

Remember to message me when you get home!

Only after Jiang Ruyue had completely disappeared did Bai Li shake his head and look away.

He turned around and looked at the center of the field.

The young women finished their work and changed back into their regular clothes.

"Shall we go home too?" Bai Li suggested, glancing at the time.

"Yay!" Lin Xiaoshuang was the first to give feedback.

Bai Li shouted towards the corner again:

"Wang Wei, stop squatting there. Pack your things and let's go eat."

"Brother Li is here!" Wang Wei quickly packed up the equipment.

"Following Brother Li is the best decision I've ever made in my life!"

Bai Li grabbed the Porsche car keys from the table and walked ahead.

The group walked towards the door, chatting and laughing.

Just as Bai Li reached out and his fingers touched the doorknob...

"Thump...thump thump".

A dull knocking sound came from outside the door.

Then, the sound of fabric rubbing against the wooden door came from outside the door, as if someone had slid down onto the ground against the door.

Then, a faint, almost inaudible female voice came through the crack in the door.

"Help...help me..."