I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

When Yang Mi came out of the hotel, Jiang Chen was leaning against a banyan tree.

In mid-October in Zhongshan, night doesn't come early, but it's already completely dark by 9 p.m.

Yang Mi pulled her mask up, lowered her hat brim, and walked over in her canvas shoes, nudging his shoes with her toes.

"Let's go, I'll treat you to a late-night snack."

Jiang Chen first looked her up and down.

Actually, you can tell how a date will end as soon as you meet the girl.

If she comes out to see you without makeup and dressed casually, it means you've been placed in her safe zone.

They're either brothers or strangers; in short, no image management is needed.

The person in front of us has clearly put a lot of thought into this.

He felt confident.

"Honey, are you wearing perfume?"

"The dressing room on set smelled bad; we were just getting rid of the odor."

"Then why are you blushing?"

"Who's blushing? It's just the wind blowing hard tonight."

"Can a strong wind make it this hot? Let me touch it and see?"

Yang Mi instantly bristled, jumped up, and lightly slapped him on the back of the head: "Trying to be cheeky, huh! Are you coming or not? If you're not, I'm going back to the hotel right now!"

Jiang Chen laughed and dodged away, no longer teasing her, and slowly followed beside her.

The two walked side by side on the streets of Zhongshan at night. There weren't many people on the streets at this hour, and occasionally an electric scooter would dart past them, ringing its bell.

The roadside dessert shop was still lit up, with a few plastic stools outside where several elderly men sat drinking herbal tea and chatting.

Yang Mi walked for a while, then suddenly slowed down, tilted her head to look at him: "You flew all the way from Yanjing just to see me?"

"Otherwise what?" Jiang Chen said, hands in his pockets. "We can't have come to Zhongshan just for tourism, can we? There's nothing fun to do here."

"So you're leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes, my flight is tomorrow afternoon."

Yang Mi was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said, "Then you really lost out on this trip, only to watch for a few hours."

Jiang Chen turned his head to look at her. The light from the streetlamp fell on her face. Her mask covered most of her face, but her eyes were exposed, bright and sparkling, with a hint of probing.

He didn't respond to that: "Let's find somewhere to eat. I ate on the plane at noon, and now I'm starving."

Yang Mi, having had her topic changed, snorted and led him into a small alley.

The alley is narrow, with old residential buildings on both sides, the ground floors of which have been converted into shops selling all sorts of things.

Most shops were already closed by this time, except for one at the end of the alley where the lights were still on, with a faded sign hanging at the door that read "Fang Jie's Sweet Soup".

The shop is small, with five or six tables, yellowed menus on the walls, and fans whirring overhead.

The proprietress, a local woman in her fifties, was watching TV behind the counter when she heard the noise. She looked up at them, her gaze lingered on Yang Mi for a moment, and then looked away.

"What would you two like to eat?"

Yang Mi had obviously been here before, and without even looking at the menu, she said, "One bowl of double-skin milk, one bowl of mango pomelo sago, and one serving of curry fish balls."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Jiang Chen and asked, "What else do you want?"

That's enough.

The two found a table in the corner and sat down.

Jiang Chen looked at her exaggerated attire and laughed, "You're dressed like a thief."

Yang Mi rolled her eyes: "Try to see what it feels like to be recognized everywhere you go. You can't even have a peaceful meal."

"Aren't you afraid of being photographed if you come out to eat with me?"

"Who would take pictures in this run-down place?" Yang Mi looked around the dilapidated dessert shop and said confidently, "If a paparazzi can actually follow us here, I'll give him a bonus."

Before "Palace" has even aired, Yang Mi is at most somewhat famous, far from being a top star who gets mobbed by crowds whenever she goes out.

If you're unlucky enough to get photographed by paparazzi, no one would be foolish enough to expose it directly.

How much is that little bit of article fee and traffic worth?

The rule in the industry is to first contact the agent to discuss hush money. Once the price is agreed upon, the money is exchanged and the photos are deleted, and everyone is happy. Only when the negotiations break down will the matter be brought up online.

Or maybe you need to distract yourself or something...

Jiang Chen smiled but didn't say anything; this might be her last moment of freedom.

The sweet soup was served quickly. The double-skin milk pudding was served in a white porcelain bowl, with a layer of milk skin on the surface. When you scooped a spoonful, it was tender, sweet, and had a rich milky flavor.

The mango pomelo sago dessert is sweet and sour, and the pomelo pieces inside have a slightly bitter taste when you bite into them, which just balances out the sweetness.

The curry fish balls were the kind of ordinary roadside stall quality, but the curry flavor was strong enough and the fish balls were bouncy enough.

Jiang Chen was hungry all afternoon and ate a little too quickly. Yang Mi sat opposite him, resting her chin on one hand while watching him, and slowly scooping up double-skin milk with the other.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

Jiang Chen swallowed a fish ball: "Have you tried anything from this place?"

"Of course I've tried it. A few days ago, I finished work late, and Sister Zhao brought me here. It tasted pretty good."

"Then why are you still staring at me? Go ahead and eat."

Yang Mi didn't move, still resting her chin on her hand and looking at him with a smile on her lips, seemingly lost in thought.

Jiang Chen felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze and put down his spoon: "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Yang Mi looked away, lowered her head, scooped up a spoonful of double-skin milk pudding, and put it in her mouth. "I just think you're a pretty interesting person."

"What's so interesting about that?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it." She chewed, put down her spoon, and thought about it seriously. "It's just... a little different from other people."

"Why is it different?"

I can't explain it.

"What you said is as good as nothing at all."

Yang Mi glared at him. "You seem like a carefree, irresponsible person, and you can't keep your mouth shut, but you're actually quite sensible. You know when to speak and when not to speak."

"And your attitude towards me..."

Unlike others who either fawn over others or act cautiously, you are very... natural.

Jiang Chen picked up the mango pomelo sago dessert and took a sip. "Maybe it's because I don't need anything from you."

Even if you beg me, I might not help you.

"That settles it then. To put it bluntly, when it comes to getting along with others, you first have to learn to demystify them. No matter how big a celebrity you are, earning millions a year, what does that have to do with me? I'm not spending your money."

"As long as I don't want anything from you, we're equals."

"When there is equality, things will naturally fall into place."

"Demystify?" Yang Mi repeated the word. "Where did you learn that phrase?"

"I read it in a book."

"You're still reading?"

"Occasionally."

"Pretending to be cultured." Yang Mi laughed and scolded, but the smile quickly disappeared. "But you're right. You haven't seen those little artists. When they see me, they call me 'Sister Mi' all the time, with their eyes all sticky, as if they want to have 'I want to cling to your leg' engraved on their foreheads."

"But what about those directors and producers? They don't fawn over me; they want to eat me alive."

"When they're toasting you at a dinner party, they'll put their hand on your shoulder and slide it down, saying things like 'Miss Yang is a good catch, we'll save you a role in the next movie,' and you can definitely tell where their eyes are wandering."

Jiang Chen didn't reply and finished eating the mango pieces in his bowl.

"Disgusting, isn't it?" Yang Mi twitched the corner of her mouth. "You have to put up with it, though. That's life in the martial arts world."