He plays Feng Yuxiu, and his girlfriend is a fairy-like beauty.

Lunar New Year's eve.

Seven o'clock in the morning.

Ye Mo was awakened by the sound of firecrackers outside the window.

It wasn't played in the residential area; it came from some unknown urban village in the distance.

A few muffled sounds, several floors away, sounded like someone drumming in the distance.

He rolled over in the blanket, then rolled over again.

can not fall asleep.

I sat up and stared blankly at the gray-white daylight filtering through the curtains for half a minute.

New Year's Eve.

He was alone.

When filming "SPL: Sha Po Lang" in Hong Kong, Sammo Hung said while holding a wine glass that the film crew was like home. At the time, Sammo Hung thought it was just a polite remark.

Now, holed up in my rented room, I realize that saying is true.

At least it's lively with lots of people.

I washed my face and ran my fingers through my hair in front of the mirror.

Then I put on my down jacket and went outside.

vegetable market.

On the morning of Lunar New Year's Eve, the entire market was packed with people.

Elderly people pushed their carts, weaving between the stalls.

The air was filled with the watery smell of vegetable leaves, the fishy smell wafting from the live fish stall, and the aroma of star anise and cinnamon from the braised meat stall.

A child was tugging at his grandmother's clothes.

Pointing to the seafood section, she shouted, "Grandma, I want to see the fish!"

The loudspeaker was playing "Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations!" on a loop.

Ye Mo squeezed into the crowd, and the hood of his down jacket was knocked askew by an older woman's elbow.

He found a vegetable stall.

The stall owner was a man in his forties, wearing an apron covered in mud, who was bending over and stacking tomatoes on the shelf.

I held two in my hand, placing the one on the left next to the one on the right.

Taking a step back and looking at it from a different angle, it shifted its position, like an artist setting up an exhibition.

"Boss, how much are the tomatoes?"

"Six yuan a pound—wait a moment, let me finish arranging this row first—"

The boss straightened up and patted the mud off his hands.

Then he glanced at Ye Mo.

stunned.

The boss tilted his head to the side, his brows furrowing slightly.

His expression was somewhere between "this person looks familiar" and "that's impossible."

He wiped his hands with his apron, glanced at them again, and moved his lips but didn't say anything.

Then he suddenly put down the last tomato he was holding.

"Aren't you that, that, that guy, who was it again, the one in the movie, what was his name, Xiu?"

He slapped his thigh hard.

"Ding Xiu! The Ding Xiu from 'Brotherhood of Blades'! The one who yelled for more money!"

The stall owners and several customers buying vegetables nearby all turned to look.

"Yes." Ye Mo smiled.

"Holy crap!" The boss leaned back half an inch, his arms outstretched, as if he had won the lottery.

"It really is you! I knew I wouldn't mistake you! When I watched that movie, I knew this actor was something special—especially that smile, it was fucking captivating!"

The woman selling tofu next to me poked her head over and asked, "Who is it?"

"A celebrity! A movie star! Have you seen 'Brotherhood of Blades'? That guy with the extra money!"

The older sister glanced at Ye Mo, then at the boss.

Her expression clearly didn't match the description, but she still said "Oh" and turned back to continue cutting her tofu.

"Brother, can you sign this for me?" The boss frantically rummaged through the drawers, found a ballpoint pen, and then searched for a long time without finding any paper. Finally, he tore a page from the ledger.

"Where should I sign?"

"Sign here, write 'Add Money Bro'—no, no, write your real name."

Ye Mo lowered his head and signed his name on the crumpled paper.

The boss stared at the piece of paper for several seconds, grinning from ear to ear.

Then he leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"Hey bro, are you here to buy groceries?"

"Yes, we're making New Year's Eve dinner."

"one person?"

"one person."

The boss paused for a moment, then suddenly bent down and picked tomatoes from the shelf.

After picking out the tomatoes, I went to get the cucumbers, and after getting the cucumbers, I grabbed a handful of green vegetables and stuffed them all into the plastic bag.

"Boss, I don't need that much—"

"Here you go!" The shopkeeper shoved the bag into his hand. "No money required!"

"That won't do—"

"Why not!" the boss glared and said in a very serious tone.

"Get-extra-money"

Both of them were stunned for a moment.

Then they both laughed.

The woman selling tofu next to him finally gave up trying to understand what was happening and continued cutting the tofu with her head down.

Ye Mo finally scanned the code.

As I was leaving, the boss called out from behind, "Bro! Make a good movie! When you become famous, I'll say—'That guy who asked for extra money once bought vegetables from me!'"

Ye Mo turned around and gave him a thumbs up.

---

Rental housing.

Ye Mo carried the groceries into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator—it was empty, except for two bottles of beer and a bag of frozen dumplings that had expired three days ago.

He put the tomatoes, cucumbers, and green vegetables in one by one.

The phone rang.

Liu Yifei.

When I answered the phone, there was a lot of noise on the other end, followed by her lowered voice.

Why is it so quiet over there?

"At home, what about you?"

"At my maternal grandmother's house—my third aunt was arguing with my second aunt's husband about the Spring Festival Gala program, my cousin's child was chasing a cat, and my mother was watching me from behind."

"So you hid in the bathroom to make the call?"

"...How did you know?"

"Every time you make a phone call while hiding in the bathroom, your voice echoes."

Liu Yifei sighed.

"Ye Mo, I can't make it through tonight."

"I know."

"I originally wanted to find an excuse to slip out after dinner, but I don't know what happened to my mom this year. She said that after the New Year's Eve dinner, the whole family should watch the Spring Festival Gala. She personally accompanied my grandma to watch it and set a bunch of rules, one of which was that I was not allowed to leave early."

"Then I won't come."

Are you spending the Lunar New Year alone?

"And my refrigerator, I just fed it."

Liu Yifei remained silent for a while.

"What groceries did you buy?"

"Tomatoes, cucumbers, and greens; braised beef brisket with tomatoes, smashed cucumber, and stir-fried greens—that's enough for one person."

"Okay, take a picture and show it to me while you're doing it."

"Are you going to check the homework?"

"right."

The two laughed over the phone.

After the laughter subsided, Liu Yifei's voice became very soft.

"next year."

"Um?"

"I'll come and keep you company next Chinese New Year, no matter what my mom says."

Ye Mo leaned against the refrigerator door.

The refrigerator compressor hummed, and the vibrations traveled through the door to his back.

"it is good."

"I'll hang up now—my cousin is knocking on the bathroom door."

"Go."

The phone hangs up.

night.

Ye Mo placed the three dishes he had prepared on the table.

Braised beef brisket with tomatoes, smashed cucumber, and stir-fried greens.

A bowl of white rice and a bottle of beer.

He took a picture and sent it over.

Liu Yifei replied with a crying face instantly.

Then she added, "The beef looks a bit tough."

"It's just right for one person to eat."

The sound of firecrackers outside the window grew louder and louder, and in the distance someone set off fireworks, one after another exploding, making the windowpane tremble slightly.

Ye Mo held a beer bottle and leaned back in his chair.

He opened his phone's contact list and started sending messages one by one.

"Brother Hong, Happy New Year! Wishing you good health and boundless energy. — Ye Mo"

Sammo Hung replied instantly: "You're spending the Lunar New Year alone in Beijing? Come to Hong Kong tomorrow, I've saved you a special dish."

Ye Mo smiled and replied with a kowtowing emoji.

Scroll down.

"Happy New Year, Brother Dehua. I'll continue to learn from you about life and acting in the new year."

Andy Lau's reply was a photo of a cat lying on his lap, captioned with three words: "Happy New Year".

"Happy New Year, Qiu Sheng! Try to smoke less."

Huang Qiusheng replied with a single word: "Get lost."

Then he added, "You too."

"Happy New Year, Zhiwei-ge."

"Ye Mo! Congratulations on your fortune! When are you coming to Hong Kong to film again?"

"Happy New Year, Bullet Bro."

Happy New Year. Have you recovered your health? Don't overwork yourself.

"Baoqiang, Happy New Year."

Wang Baoqiang replied instantly with a voice message; when you clicked on it, it showed him and several children setting off fireworks.

The background noise was deafening as he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Happy New Year, Ye Mo! - All my friends are here! - Come to my house for dinner sometime!"

"Sicheng, Happy New Year! How's the new movie coming along?"

Chen Sicheng replied with six words: "Almost done, waiting for your schedule."

"No, not at all."

He typed those two words and paused for a moment.

"Happy New Year. The signal is bad in your grandma's bathroom, so it's okay if you can't see it. I'll come to your house to pick up some things next year for the New Year—if your mom lets me in, I'll come in; if not, I'll stand downstairs."

After sending the message, I put down my phone.

He picked up the beer bottle and took a swig.

Another round of fireworks exploded outside the window.

For others, the Lunar New Year is a time for family reunion, but for Ye Mo, it is a time of loneliness.

.......