Chapter 25: Night at the Dream Valley

At noon, the train arrived in Yiwu. I had a quick lunch at the station and then followed a shuttle bus to Hengdian.

At three in the afternoon, I finally arrived in Hengdian town. I checked into a family-run guesthouse on Wansheng North Street and then dialed the phone number Leyao had left for me.

Perhaps Leyao was filming at that moment, so she didn’t answer my call immediately. I sent her a text message, telling her I had arrived in Hengdian and urging her to come and pick me up quickly.

Leyao didn’t reply for a long time. I wasn’t in the mood to go out and explore, so I just lay on the bed in the guesthouse flipping through a magazine.

The window of my room faced west. After a while, I saw the setting sun and the soft sunlight lying on the bedsheet beside me. The air smelled lazily comfortable. I yawned and soon fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was already slightly dark outside. Leyao had finally replied to my message. She told me to meet her at the Imperial Garden inside the Ming and Qing Palace complex, where her crew was filming. She mentioned that several big stars were also filming today and offered to get autographs for me.

I was actually eager to go, but I didn’t have much cash on me. My travel expenses wouldn’t be reimbursed until I returned, so spending over a hundred yuan to enter the scenic area just to see some celebrities seemed like a waste. Reluctantly, I replied that I would wait for her outside the scenic area.

As the sun set, there were still many extras outside the scenic area, squatting and waiting for the crew to call them. Their eyes revealed a mix of numbness and longing. I truly saw the hardships of life in them. But no one is born destined to live such a painful existence. Yet so many people struggle and suffer—people like me and these waiting extras.

I squatted beside one of the extras, chatting with him to pass the time while waiting for Leyao.

As darkness gradually fell, I saw several production vehicles leaving the scenic area, but still no sign of Leyao. I couldn’t help but wonder, this annoying woman wouldn’t happen to have a night shoot tonight, would she?

Just as I was doubting, I spotted Leyao near the entrance wearing a Qing Dynasty court costume, seemingly still in her costume and hadn’t changed yet. She was standing at the ticket service area looking around.

I stood up and walked toward Leyao. She finally noticed me and ran over with a smile.

Leyao linked her arm with mine and said with relief, “Finally made it back!”

I gently removed her arm from mine and said, “Your Highness, please behave yourself!”

She linked her arm with mine again, cheerfully asking, “Little Yangzi, tell me honestly, why have you traveled all the way to Hengdian to find me?”

“Definitely not to become your prince consort.” I pushed her away again.

“Then I’ll send you to the Imperial Household Department to become a eunuch.” Leyao pinched my waist playfully while smiling, clearly in a good mood.

The pinch hurt, and I sternly scolded her, “Don’t fool around. Focus on acting and being a good person!”

“What happens if I don’t behave?”

I frowned and said seriously, “I’ll fuck you up!”

Leyao burst into laughter, saying, “Zhaoyang, I love seeing you act so serious while saying such vulgar things!”

…

After accompanying Leyao to her hotel to change clothes, we wandered along Wansheng North Street. Although Leyao hadn’t yet become famous in the entertainment industry, people still cast glances in her direction. I believed it was only a matter of time before she became famous. She was not only beautiful and had a star-like presence, but her acting skills were also exceptional—at least I had personally experienced them.

I didn’t mention the purpose of my visit to Leyao at that moment. I felt it would be awkward and spoil her mood, so I decided to enjoy the relaxed and carefree moments before nightfall.

It was my first time in Hengdian, and as I walked along the street, I couldn’t help but look around at the scenery. Leyao, however, was only interested in the street food and occasionally asked if I wanted to try something.

As we walked toward the end of the street with the crowd, Leyao suddenly grabbed my arm and pointed at a barbecue stall, saying, “Zhaoyang, let’s go eat barbecue here.”

I looked at the stall and saw it was packed with people. I said, “It’s too crowded. Let’s find another place.”

“The more people, the better the food! Didn’t you know? This barbecue stall is famous. When Fan Bingbing came to Hengdian to film, she even waited over twenty minutes in line just to taste their barbecue.” Leyao dragged me toward the stall.

“Wait twenty minutes! Even Fan Bingbing was that foolish!” I stood my ground, not because I disliked barbecue, but simply because I didn’t want to wait.

“She wasn’t foolish; she’s a foodie!” Leyao corrected me.

Still, I refused to move.

Suddenly, Leyao excitedly looked behind me and exclaimed, “Oh! Look! Fan Bingbing is here…”

Instinctively, I turned my head. Taking advantage of my distraction, Leyao used her strength to pull me into the restaurant and mocked me, “Look at how eagerly you turned your head. I hope you didn’t sprain your neck!”

“If it really was Fan Bingbing, I wouldn’t mind spraining my neck!” I glared at Leyao, once again falling for her acting trick.

“You have no ambition!” Leyao said, pushing me down onto a chair before going to queue up and order.

As night fell quietly, we sat at the barbecue stall drinking Sprite and eating. Both of us had good appetites. After taking a large sip of Sprite and wiping the sweat from my forehead, I asked Leyao, “Hey, I’ve eaten so much, but why can’t I taste any ‘Fan Bingbing’ flavor?”

Leyao gave me a look of disdain and replied, “You’re so silly. You’re eating barbecue, not grilling Fan Bingbing!”

I was speechless for a moment before muttering, “Forget I asked…”

Leyao smiled smugly at me and said, “I love seeing that helpless look on your face. Come on, hurry up and eat. After this, we’re going to Hengdian’s Dream Valley.”

…

At 7:30 PM, Leyao and I arrived at Dream Valley, one of Hengdian’s attractions. Once inside the scenic area, I realized that at night, this place was almost entirely a world of light and shadow. Although it wasn’t peak tourist season, it was still bustling with activity. After walking around for a while, we finally sat down to rest on a wooden bench beneath the Ferris wheel.

I closed my eyes to rest, not particularly fond of the dim lighting around me. When I opened them again, I noticed Leyao had also closed her eyes.

I nudged her and asked, “Why are you closing your eyes?”

Leyao remained with her eyes shut but answered dreamily, “I’m imagining this place as a stage surrounded by lights, and I’m a shining star standing right at the center of the stage…”

I always knew what Leyao’s dream was, and I also understood how important opportunities were for a newcomer who had just graduated from film school. In terms of pursuing our goals, Leyao and I were worlds apart. That’s why she loved the dazzling lights here, while I was drawn to the clarity and brilliance of a real city.

The Ferris wheel continued to rotate in the air, carrying people of all kinds. I found myself watching it intently.

At some point, Leyao had linked her arm with mine again and was leaning against me. I was somewhat dazed by her rare tenderness.

“I’m really happy being with you,” Leyao whispered softly, snuggling even closer into me.

This time, I didn’t push her away. It actually felt quite nice having her leaning on me like this. At that moment, I wasn’t feeling any lust—only the warmth of mutual support.

I seemed to depend on this warmth, hugging Leyao tightly as I inhaled the faint fragrance of her perfume mixed with the cool night air. In that brief moment of clarity, I felt another kind of intoxication.

A warm tear fell onto my hand. Leyao hugged me even tighter and whispered tearfully, “Zhaoyang… It’s really hard and lonely here. Every day I have to watch people’s expressions, afraid of being taken advantage of, afraid of the intrigue and scheming on set… Only when I’m in your arms do I feel a sense of support!”

Her words made me feel uneasy. I myself was barely keeping my balance in the storm; how could I be a reliable support for her?

I had no words to comfort her, only gently wiping away her tears. All I could offer was my body for her to lean on; I couldn’t do anything more for her.

The wind had finally calmed down a bit when Leyao pulled away from me. Looking at me, she asked, “You must have come here for a reason, right?”